What It’s About:
Depressed Jewish cantor Ben Gottlieb (Schwarzman) has lost the ability to sing due to the recent death of his wife. His boss, Rabbi Bruce (Smigel), is sympathetic, but the dazed, disheveled Ben doesn’t seem to be improving until he runs into Carla Kessler (Kane), his old music teacher from grade school. A free spirit, Carla wants to prepare for her Bat Mitzvah decades after the customary time. Initially resistant, Ben finally agrees to help her, and soon falls under the older lady’s spell. Meanwhile Ben’s two lesbian mothers (Aaron and De Leon) want to set him up with Gabby (Weinstein), the Rabbi’s pretty but fragile daughter.
Why We Love It:
They say they don’t make ‘em like they used to, but “Temples” may be the exception, recalling the wildly original films of Hal Ashby. Like Ashby’s classic “Harold and Maude” from 1971, there’s an unlikely May-December romance at the heart of this quirky outing, as once again a vibrant older lady gives a morose young man a new lease on life. The two stars have never been better, with Schwarzman digging into his schlubby, unglamorous role, and septuagenarian actress Kane luminous as the sweet, eccentric Carla, who’s also had her share of pain. As with Levy’s Rye, you don’t have to be Jewish to love “Between the Temples”.
What It’s About:
Yoshie (Kuwano) is a young, still-naive Tokyo bar hostess whose life gets transformed one night when she serves drinks to handsome Yakuza soldier Eiji (Hira). The attraction is immediate, and soon Eiji turns his new girlfriend to a more lucrative line of work- prostitution. Yokie complies out of love and a lack of options. Later she strikes up a friendship with Fuiji (Sonoi), a loyal client and respectable type who could offer her a different life. Yet her ties to Eiji are hard to break. Will Yoshie escape?
Why We Love It:
Shot in saturated color on the neon streets of Tokyo, the shiny surfaces can’t fully obscure the baseness of the action, as a man sells his girlfriend into prostitution to please his bosses. Still, we don’t totally hate gangster Eishi; he actually loves Yoshie, and is trapped himself. These tricky, conflicting emotions are what keep this dark, sleek and gorgeous romantic thriller chugging along. A brutal (though tastefully handled) scene where Yoshie is victimized for Eishi crossing his bosses is unnerving, and must have shocked 1964 audiences. Watching this hypnotic precursor to Wong-Kar-Wai’s “In the Mood For Love”, I wondered how I was seeing this for the first time. Don’t miss this rediscovered classic.
What It’s About
Roz (Nyong’o) is a “digital assistant” robot who gets shipwrecked on an island filled with wildlife. Soon after, she rescues a tiny orphaned gosling named Brightbill (Connor). Programmed to solve problems, Roz commits to caring for Brightbill. The wild creatures around them are hostile to these misfits, until an act of grace from Roz during a terrible snowstorm unifies them. Meanwhile, Roz wants to teach the fragile, pint-sized Brightbill to fly in time for migration season. Longneck (Nighy) is the senior gander who takes an interest in his progress. Will he make it?
Why We Love It:
Winning animated fable from director Chris Sanders explores familiar elements of non-conformity, sacrifice and the power of community, but a charming script, gorgeous animation and first-rate voice work (particularly from Nyong’o) make it all seem fresh and new. At first, life for Roz and Brightbill (accompanied by Fink, a cynical fox voiced by Pedro Pascal) is anything but smooth, as Sanders portrays a society of predators and prey, filled with wariness and distrust. This starts to change when they all feel the impact of Roz’s “can-do” generosity. This “Robot” has a big heart, and your heart will feel fuller once you’ve seen it.
What it’s about
During the Nazi occupation, the wife of a wanted resistance agent (Bansagi) is forced to go into hiding in Budapest, taking the name Kata and posing as wife of another resistance worker (Andorai), who goes under the alias Janos Biro. Together they live in close quarters with an unsuspecting older couple. At a time of heightened suspicion with informers everywhere, Janos is initially nervous about Kata’s ability to stay under the radar. Soon their relationship thaws and they find themselves drawn to each other, even though both are married to other people. Will they — and their unexpected love — survive?
Why we love it
Szabo’s tense film evokes the fear and paranoia that defined the Nazi occupation, particularly for those secretly fighting against it . Both leads display potent on-screen chemistry. At first, Kata is unprepared to take on the identity of a strange man’s wife, and Janos is rightly concerned about her cracking and exposing him in the process. At a moment when life itself feels so tenuous, the desperate, passionate romance that follows feels totally credible. Cinematographer Lajos Koltai shoots wartime Budapest in a cold, blue-gray palette, reinforcing the bleak predicament of its citizens. Oscar-nominated for Best Foreign Film, “Confidence” is ripe for re-discovery forty years after its initial release.
Ildiko Bansagi, Peter Andorai, Lajos Balazsovits Istvan Szabo
What it’s about
It’s 1939 in the North of England, with war just declared on Germany. Housewife Nella Last (Wood) has only recently recovered from a breakdown brought on by anxiety. Her husband Will (Threlfall) is rigid and anti-social, which hardly helps. Nella takes solace in her two grown sons, Arthur (Crompton) and the sensitive Cliff (Harper). Though the war takes her boys away, it also brings unexpected opportunities. First Nella keeps a diary which she sends to the Mass Observation Project, an organization tracking the effect of the war on ordinary Britons. She also becomes an indispensable member of the Women’s Voluntary Service, led by Mrs. Waite (Cole). Could Nella be finally coming into her own?
Why we love it
This fact-based story based on Nella Last’s real diaries offers a vivid recounting of what the war was like for the British, who felt the brunt of the Nazi bombs but still maintained a spirit of defiance. Amidst all this, we witness a repressed, lonely woman gradually come out of her shell, as the war provides a new sense of purpose. Director Millar and team unerringly evoke the period, and the whole cast excels, with Cole especially memorable as the exacting but kind-hearted Mrs. Waite. In particular, it’s a triumph for Wood, who not only stars but also penned the teleplay. Don’t miss this tale of wartime, told through an achingly human lens.
Victoria Wood, David Threlfall, Christopher Harper, Stephanie Cole, Ben Crompton Gavin Millar
What it’s about
Suddenly and unexpectedly, Nawal (Hawa), a private nurse in Jordan, becomes a widow. She then discovers her husband Adnan (Suleimon) was in debt; worse, he had made no provisions for her and their young daughter Nora (Rababah). Soon her brother-in-law Rifqui (Omari) threatens to take her home and custody of Nora. Desperate, Nawal says she’s pregnant, placing all legal proceedings on hold; if she produces a son, Rifqui’s claims are moot. But the clock is ticking, and Nawal may not even be pregnant, much less with a boy.
Why we love it
Both riveting thriller and potent family drama, “Inshallah” exposes the injustice of a patriarchal society, as a widow finds her whole existence threatened by traditional laws and customs which inherently favor men. A subplot involving Lauren (Marwan), the “modern” Christian daughter of Nawa’s employer who’s seeking an abortion, only reinforces the central theme. A superb, highly sympathetic Hawa carries the film, but the whole cast excels, particularly Omari in an unsympathetic turn. Watch “Inshallah” for an eye-opening examination of women’s role in Muslim society.
Mouna Hawa, Haitham Al Omari, Selena Rababah, Mohammed Al Jizawi, Yumma Marwan, Mohammed Suleimon Amjad Al Rasheed
What it’s about
Seven-year-old Sol (Sentes) lives with her mother Lucia (Larios) but desperately misses her father Tona (Elizondo), a mortally ill painter who has moved back to his childhood home to receive care from a devoted nurse (Sanchez) and his various sisters. Sol arrives there for Tona’s birthday party, and amidst the chaos of aunts, uncles, cousins and various pets, only wants to catch a glimpse of her Dad, who is quietly suffering in his room. Seen through Sol’s impressionable eyes, we watch as she tries to grasp the complicated adult world around her, sensing a sadness and tension she can’t fully understand.
Why we love it
Touching, perceptive drama explores the messiness of a tight-knit, dysfunctional brood trying to navigate choppy waters. The adults in the family know Tona is dying, also that funds to treat his illness have run out. This is all kept from the children, including the watchful Sol, who just wants to be with her ailing Dad. (Their reunion breaks your heart.) However it’s not all downbeat; Tona’s party attests to the love he inspires in his tight circle of family and friends. Using some non-professionals and frequent improvisation, this intimate film almost feels like a documentary, and that’s very much a compliment. Don’t miss the illuminating “Totem.”
Naima Sentes, Matia Garcia Elizondo, Iazua Larios, Alberto Amadar, Montserrat Maranon, Teresita Sanchez Lila Aviles
What it’s about
German artist Anselm Kiefer has always worked on a large, provocative canvas. He first made a splash in the late sixties, integrating Nazi propaganda into his work to force his native Germany (and the rest of us) to continue processing the unthinkable, rather than sweeping it under the rug. Now, hale and hearty in his seventies, Kiefer continues working in his enormous atelier in France, which he contentedly navigates by bike! Wenders’ biographical portrait combines present-day interviews, archival footage, and selective re-enactments.
Why we love it
If you don’t know the story (or work) of Anselm Kiefer, this illuminating film provides an ideal introduction. This fearless artist always courted controversy, using his work to pose difficult questions and shine a light in the deep, dark places of the human soul. A work of art in itself, Wenders shot his film in 3D; appropriately it’s a visual feast, show more than tell, even in 2D. In tasteful re-enactments, Kiefer’s son plays him as a young man; in the role of Anselm the boy, the director cast his own grand-nephew. It all works. For a sublime, penetrating portrait of the artist, watch “Anselm.”
Anselm Kiefer, Daniel Kiefer, Anton Wenders Wim Wenders
What it’s about
New Orleans professor Gary Johnson (Powell) works part-time helping the police on tech-related matters. During a sting operation, he’s asked to pose as a hit man, and the suspect soliciting murder gets nabbed. With success, Gary gets to play the same role again, varying his look each time. When femme fatale Madison (Arjona) enlists him to kill her abusive husband, the smitten Gary steers her away from the idea, raising the suspicions of antagonistic cop Jasper (Amelio). Irresistibly attracted, Gary and Madison get thrown together in a dizzy, perilous romance with plenty of twists and turns.
Why we love it
Director Linklater scores again with “Hit Man,” a fizzy, wildly entertaining romp he co-wrote with leading man Powell. It’s a star-making turn for the actor, who disguises himself as a succession of killers, to hilarious effect. Then when he meets sultry co-star Arjona, the sparks really fly. Amelio also makes a dandy villain playing Jasper, a crooked cop who resents Gary’s recent success. “Hit Man” is that rarity these days — a fast and clever comedy that gives its audience credit for brains. You should kill to see it.
Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio Richard Linklater
What’s it About
Ten years after the end of World War Two, Germany is experiencing an economic boom. Sleazy fat-cat building contractor Schukert (Adorf) entertains clients at his bordello, where the singer Lola (Sukowa) is the star attraction, as well as his mistress. But Lola craves a bourgeois life and sets her sights on Von Bohm (Mueller-Stahl), the upright new building commissioner, who’s never told about her employer, profession, or place of business. When he finally learns the truth, he rejects Lola and goes after Schukert’s business dealings. But he underestimates Lola’s charm…and Schukert’s power.
Why we love it
“Lola,” the second entry in Fassbinder’s “BRD trilogy” is a loose remake of Sternberg’s “The Blue Angel.” Sukowa excels as the conniving cabaret singer; her show-stopping number in the decadent brothel clearly pays homage to Dietrich’s original Lola. Mueller-Stahl turns in a reliably terrific performance as the patsy who eventually tries (and fails) to do the right thing. Shot in a garish, candy-colored palate, Fassbinder’s devastating satire gleefully exposes the greed, corruption and moral degeneracy enmeshed in Germany’s post-war economic miracle (“Wirkshaftswunder”). Don’t miss highly entertaining, exuberant entry in the Fassbinder oeuvre.