Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

During china's Cultural Revolution in the 1970s, two college students are sent out into the country to purge them of their
western ways. During the course of the film they both become smitten with a beautiful, young seamstress. They fall under her spell and begin to educate her by reading from the western novels they've smuggled with them. The movie is every bit as good as the novel which I though was thoroughly charming. The scenery and the cinematography are spectacular. Four out of five stars.

(Sorry, I couldn't find a trailer for this one. You'll just have to trust me. Or send me a link if you find one)

"The Couple"

One of the best WWII movies I've seen in a long time. Martin Landau plays a Jewish industrialist in Nazi-occupied Hungary. The story revolves around his negotiating with the Nazis to trade his wealth for his family's freedom. It also focuses on the fate of his two loyal servants. The performances are great, it's an excellent story line, and it's a total nail-biter, especially near the end of the movie. I can't tell you more without giving away the story. If you like epic movies set in WWII, you have to see this movie. For some reason Netflix changed the original title from "The Aryan Couple" to "The Couple" so you may find it under either title.

Five stars out of five.

"Bottle Shock"

A film based on the true story of the beginnings of the wince industry in California in the early 1970s. It's stars the always amusing Alan Rickman who's a sine snob and the owner of a wine shop in Paris. And there's a whole cast of characters in California's Napa Valley who are dedicated to producing wines that rival French ones. Bill Pullman plays the owner of Chateau Montelena and Chris Pine plays his slacker son. Good acting all around and the story is well done, especially since is based on real life events. 4 1/2 stars out of 5.

Trailer:

"Wit"

Wow. What a difficult; movie to watch. It's a a film about a a woman who has cancer and she knows she wont survive. It's one of the most brilliant acting jobs I've ever seen. Emma Thompson deserved an Oscar for this film. Be sure to get out your tissues, because you'll surely need them. What an an amazing film.

"The Flying Scotsman"

To use the old cliche, this is a movie about the triumph of the human spirit. It's the true story of Graeme Obree, amateur cyclist who decides to break the World's Record for cycling distance in one hour. He builds his radical bike himself out of parts from a washing machine and the rest, as they say, is history. The movie doesn't just concentrate on his racing, but also focuses on how he deals with his inner demons, mainly depression. Johnny Lee Miller does a fantastic job playing Obree and the filming is exquisite, especially the racing scenes. You feel you're right there on the track with him. My only fault with movie is some of the Scottish accents are hard to make out. A subtitle option would have been nice. 4 stars out of 5.

Trailer: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi983893273

“Hideous Kinky”

Another great film that really should be renamed. Despite its misleading title, this is a terrific film. Kate Wins let stars as a mother of two girls, seeking spiritual enlightenment in Morocco in the 1970s. She leaves her deadbeat poet husband in London and ventures out with her family. She ends up striking up a friendship with a kindly street performer. The cinematography is excellent and vividly captures what life is like in the Mid-East. I thought the performances of the two young daughters were remarkable. 4 1/2 stars out of 5.

Trailer: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0136244/

"The Upside Of Anger".

This movie was a pleasant surprise. Joan Allen plays a housewife who's been jilted by her husband and is left to raise her four daughters by herself. Enter Kevin Costner who's a retired baseball player turned disc jockey. The movie centers around their relationship as well as the exploits and maturing of the daughters. I thought the acting was outstanding especially by Joan Allen and her four daughters. And Costner doesn't have to try too hard to play a knuckle-headed ex-jock. And the writer/director plays the part of a smarmy radio producer to perfection. The story line was well though out--not your typical Hollywood fare. I'd give it four stars out of five.

Here's a trailer for the movie: http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi855376153/