I've always found Peter Greenaway films rather hit or miss, and this rather theatrical effort I found more the latter. It all centres around a sort of immaculate conception birth at the Medici court and follows the anticipatory and resultant shenanigans as human nature is (quite literally) laid bare for all to see (and that nature doesn't always come off so well!) It has something of the bawdy romp to it, with some suitably appropriate ecclesiastical excesses and loads of colour - usually red - to liven it up. The story? Well though interesting for the first twenty minutes or so, I felt it fell into pantomime territory all too quickly. The cast are a collection of reasonably competent talent, but too much of the emphasis of this production is on the style, imagery along with an admittedly glorious choral score that does so much to add to the vivid and seamy look of this rather lengthy effort. The message is clear enough, but it has something of sledgehammer and nut to it; there is no subtlety or nuance to it, it's an intellectual brute of a film before a denouement that confirms what most of us - certainly those without religious convictions - may have expected from the outset. As with all of his films, this is certainly worth watching - but as to enjoying it, well I didn't really.
The invasion of a village in Byelorussia by German forces sends young Florya into the forest to join the weary Resistance fighters, against his family's wishes. There he meets a girl, Glasha, who accompanies him back to his village. On returning home, Florya finds his family and fellow peasants massacred. His continued survival amidst the brutal debris of war becomes increasingly nightmarish, a battle between despair and hope.
Movie Star Rating : 8.3 Read More
This Canadian made comedy/drama, set in Hamilton, Ontario in 1954, is a sweet and - at times - goofy story that becomes increasingly poignant as the minutes tick by. It's the fictional tale of a wayward 9th grader, Ralph (Adam Butcher), who is secretly living on his own while his widowed, hospitalized mother remains immersed in a coma. Frequently in trouble with Father Fitzpatrick (Gordon Pinsent), the principal of his all-boys, Catholic school, Ralph is considered something of a joke among peers until he decides to pull off a miracle that could save his mother, i.e., winning the Boston Marathon. Coached by a younger priest and former runner, Father Hibbert (Campbell Scott), whose cynicism has been lifted by the boy's pure hope, Ralph applies himself to his unlikely mission, fending off naysayers and getting help along a very challenging path from sundry allies and friends.
Movie Star Rating : 6.8 Read More
Chris, a sexy teenager who appears mostly bare-breasted on the French Riviera, has a crush on Romain, her mother's lover. In reaction to her inability to attract his attention, she experiments with other risque affairs.
Movie Star Rating : 5.7 Read More
Peter, a married psychotherapist, and Suzanne, a professional dominatrix, have been engaged in an affair of sensual dominance and submission in an S&M dungeon where they must abide by the rules. Now, those rules are about to be broken when they agree to see each other on the outside. As Peter becomes increasingly obsessed with the troubled Suzanne, they embark on a sordid psychosexual journey into their tortured pasts through their most carnal desires.
Movie Star Rating : 5.2 Read More
A temperamental singer's murder leaves a nightclub full of suspects.
Movie Star Rating : 0 Read More
When Guy Simms is yanked out of his mundane routine mopping floors at the gay cabaret and accused of burning down the evangelical church by the town preacher, Guy overcomes his fear of authority to prove his innocence in this sardonic film about Leathermen, the Bible and fighting for freedom.
Movie Star Rating : 2.8 Read More
In 25 AD, Judah Ben-Hur, a Jew in ancient Judea, opposes the occupying Roman empire. Falsely accused by a Roman childhood friend-turned-overlord of trying to kill the Roman governor, he is put into slavery and his mother and sister are taken away as prisoners.
Movie Star Rating : 7.9 Read More
A radio astronomer receives the first extraterrestrial radio signal ever picked up on Earth. As the world powers scramble to decipher the message and decide upon a course of action, she must make some difficult decisions between her beliefs, the truth, and reality.
Movie Star Rating : 7.4 Read More
Rosita is a young girl suffering from her parents' divorce. Desperate and not knowing where to turn, she finds refuge in a church. The rituals of the Eucharist, the advice of a priest and her faith in God give her back the hope she needs to continue with her life.
Movie Star Rating : 4.7 Read More
Erika Kohut, a sexually repressed piano teacher living with her domineering mother, meets a young man who starts romantically pursuing her.
Movie Star Rating : 7.3 Read More
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