Michael's Movies: Movies

2014-07-25 Once (2007) imdb.com

Director: John Carney
Synopsis: A Dublin-based busker and vacuum-cleaner repairman enters into a fruitful relationship with a piano playing florist in a toe-tapping "video album" directed by John Carney and featuring a cast comprised entirely of professional musicians. He (Glen Hansard of the Frames) was a six-stringed street musician. She (Markéta Irglová) was a flower woman who couldn't afford to purchase a piano of her own. One day, after admiring the musician's songs and asking if he would take a look at her broken vacuum, the flower-pushing piano player discovers that she shares a remarkable sonic rapport with the mechanically savvy guitarist. As their musical sensibilities quickly converge to striking effect, the talented pair soon determines to record an album together. - By Jason Buchanan
Cast: Glen Hansard as The Busker, Markéta Irglová as The Girl
Links
en.wikipedia.org
rottentomatoes.com
dvd.netflix.com
Carrie Rickey
Moira MacDonald
Ann Hornaday
Ruthe Stein
Youtube. If you want me

With hoover	Performing together	In the bus	At the recording studio	On girl's husband	With the bike

Recording the demo		After the recording	With dad before leaving to London	With Girl's Mom	Girl with her husband at the piano

2014-06-22 Yella (2007) imdb.com

Director: Christian Petzold
Synopsis: A young businesswoman gets in touch with her taste for cutthroat corporate tactics by slowly seducing her inner demons in The State I Am In writer/director Christian Petzold's free-flowing dramatic thriller. Immediately accosted by her ex-husband, Ben (Hinnerk Schönemann), upon returning to her hometown of Wittenberg, Yella Fichte (Nina Hoss) blows her former spouse off before informing her father that she has landed a lucrative accounting position in Hanover. When Ben subsequently offers Yella a ride to the airport, she reluctantly accepts but immediately realizes her mistake when he lashes out at her in an angry tirade before driving the car into the River Elbe. Just barely managing to escape from the car before her lungs fill with water, Yella swims to the shore and catches the first train to Hanover. As it turns out, Yella's new boss (Michael Wittenborn) has just been fired, yet after rejecting his thinly veiled advances the job-seeking woman seems to experience a stroke of luck when she makes the acquaintance of roving venture capitalist Philipp (Devid Striesow). Later, after Yella accompanies cold and calculating businessman Philipp to an important meeting, the relationship between the pair quickly turns personal. - By Jason Buchanan
Cast: Nina Hoss as Yella Fichte, Devid Striesow as Philipp, Hinnerk Schönemann as Ben
Links
rottentomatoes.com
dvd.netflix.com
Walter V. Addiego
Roger Ebert
Youtube. Saved by miracle
Youtube. Meeting Philipp
Youtube. Final sequence

Yella stalked by Ben	With Dad	In the car	Crash	On the beach

With ex-boss	In the hotel with Philipp	At the meeting	With Philipp	Shadow deal

At the meeting	With Philipp		Driving Philipp's car	Philipp objects visiting Yella's Dad

At the bridge	Philipp's offer	Leaving for the client	Blackmailing the client	With Philipp

Client dead		Arrested	Dead at the beach

2013-06-22 Assembly (2007) imdb.com

Director: Xiaogang Feng
Synopsis: A veteran of China's Civil War rails against modern bureaucracy in hopes of finally receiving recognition for his bravery and to honor the memory of his fallen comrades in director Feng Xiaogang's big-budget war drama. The year was 1948, and the fighting between the Nationalist KMT and the Communist PLA is raging. In a small, northeast China town, Captain Gu Zidi (Zhang Hanyu) leads the Ninth Company in a fierce skirmish against the a rapidly weakening KMT unit. His blood boiling over the death of a political officer in battle, Captain Gu vengefully kills a KMT soldier despite the fact that the leader and his unit have just surrendered. Imprisoned for a few short days as a sort-of token gesture, Captain Gu makes the acquaintance of imprisoned political officer Wang Juncun (Yuan Wenkang, who has just been accused of cowardice and will likely receive the death penalty. Later, when Captain Gu is ordered to take the Ninth out on a dangerous mission, he requests that Wang join the brigade in battle. Unfortunately for the majority of the squad, the KMT forces are much more substantial this time around, and though a few men claim to have heard the signal for retreat, Captain Gu commands them to stand their ground: In the aftermath of the slaughter, Captain Gu is the last man standing. Still, the valiant soldier stages a remarkable recovery, and goes on to save the life of North Korean Er Dou (Deng Chao) during a battle against the Americans and South Koreans. A few years later, Captain Gu enlists the aid of Er Dou and Wang's widow in regaining his honor, and ensuring that his fellow soldiers didn't die in vain. - By Jason Buchanan
Cast: Zhang Hanyu as Captain Gu, Yuan Wenkang as Wang Juncun, Deng Chao as Er Dou
Links
en.wikipedia.org
rottentomatoes.com
Youtube. CD1

At the Wen River mine			In Korea

2011-10-02 Elite Squad (2007) imdb.com

José Padilha
movies.nytimes.com
villagevoice.com
filmstalker.co.uk
youtube. #6
#8
Wagner Moura as Capitão Nascimento, André Ramiro as Aspirante Matias

Captain Nascimento	Matias training	Armed drug dealer

2009-11-01 Funny Games (U.S.) (2007) imdb.com

Michael Haneke
en.wikipedia.org
Naomi Watts as Ann Farber, Tim Roth as George Farber, Devon Gearhart as Georgie, Michael Pitt as Paul Farber, Brady Corbet as Peter

Family in the car	Attacker	Neighbors	Ann in the kitchen	George, attackers	Attackers

Ann helps George	Family	Dog killed	Attacker	Attacker, son	Ann undressed	Ann, son

Ann, TV in blood	Ann, killed son	Ann, George	George dries the cell phone	Back home	Drowning

2009-04-17 Shall we kiss? (2007) imdb.com

Emmanuel Mouret
R.Ebert
Michael Sragow
Virginie Ledoyen as Judith, Emmanuel Mouret as Nicolas
Virginie Ledoyen as Judith, Emmanuel Mouret as Nicolas, Frederique Bel as Caline

2008-11-18 Defenders of Riga (2007) imdb.com

Aigars Grauba
en.wikipedia.org
JAY WEISSBERG
youtube.com
Elita Klavina as Elza
Janis Reinis as Martin

2008-11-15 Breach (2007) imdb.com

Billy Ray
RICHARD ROEPER
MANOHLA DARGIS
J.Berardinelli
Ryan Phillippe as Eric O'Neill, Caroline Dhavernas as Juliana O'Neill: Billy Ray
Kathleen Quinlan as Bonnie Hanssen
Ryan Phillippe as Eric O'Neill, Chris Cooper as Robert Hanssen graphics8.nytimes.com
Laura Linney as Kate Burroughs

2008-09-28 A Stray girlfriend (2007) imdb.com

Ana Katz
fest08.sffs.org
tiff07.ca
Ana Katz as Ines

2008-06-26 Mongol (2007) imdb.com

Sergei Bodrov
Ebert
Philip French
thecia.com.au
Tadanobu Asano as Temudjin
Battle scene

2008-04-12 The Counterfeiters (2007) imdb.com

Stefan Ruzowitzky
Berardinelli
Karl Markovics as Salomon Sorowitsch
Devid Striesow as Sturmbannfuhrer Friedrich Herzog

2008-02-03 There Will Be Blood (2007) imdb.com

Paul Thomas Anderson
Yahoo
R.Ebert
J.Berardinelli
Daniel Day Lewis as Daniel Plainview us.movies1.yimg.com us.movies1.yimg.com
Paul Dano as Eli Sunday
us.movies1.yimg.com

2008-02-02 Michael Clayton (2007) imdb.com

Tony Gilroy
R.Ebert
George Clooney as Michael Clayton
Tom Wilkinson as Arthur Edens, George Clooney as Michael Clayton
Sydney Pollack as Marty Bach
Tilda Swinton as Karen Crowder

2008-01-06 The Kite Runner (2007) imdb.com

Marc Forster
Wiki
Amazon
R.Ebert
J.Berardinelli
AP
Zekeria Ebrahimi as Young Amir, Homayoun Ershadi as Baba
Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada as Young Hassan

2007-12-24 Atonement (2007) imdb.com

Director: Joe Wright
Synopsis: When 13-year-old Briony discovers a lustful letter and witnesses a sexual encounter between her older sister and a servant's son, her confusion prompts her to finger the young man for a violent crime. Her half-truth changes their lives forever.
Cast: James McAvoy as Robbie Turner, Keira Knightley as Cecilia Tallis, Romola Garai as Briony Tallis aged 18, Saoirse Ronan as Briony Taliis aged 13, Vanessa Redgrave as Older Briony
Links
Wiki. Film
Wiki. Novel
rottentomatoes.com
netflix.com
R.Ebert
J.Berardinelli
Joe Morgenstern
Bob Mondello
Christopher Orr
Geoff Pevere
Moira MacDonald
Mick LaSalle
Lou Lumenick
Eric Harrison