Foreign Films - Page 53

Manufacturer: HBO Studios Brand: HBO HOME VIDEO Model: 3344132

La Vie En Rose (DVD)Marion Cotillard ("Big Fish," "A Very Long Engagement") won a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for her performance in this examination of the life of singer Edith Piaf (1915-1963), known as "The Little Sparrow." Piaf grew up in difficult circumstances, living at times with her mother, an alcoholic street singer; her father, a circus performer; and a grandmother, a madam at a brothel. A 20-year-old street singer, she is discovered by a club owner who is soon murdered, and coached by a musician who brings her to concert halls. Her rise to fame after that was fast, and her constant companions were alcohol and heartache. The tragedies of a love affair with Marcel Cerdan and the death of her only child belie the words of one of her signature songs, "Non, je ne regrette rien" (translated: "No, I regret nothing"). In addition to Cotillard's Best Actress Oscar, "La Vie En Rose" also took home an Academy Award for Best Achievement in Makeup. French-language film with English subtitles.]]> Edith Piaf is the subject of La Vie en Rose, director Olivier Dahan's powerful if emotionally redundant biographical film about the iconic French superstar whose life, as depicted here, seems to have been a numbing succession of tragedies interrupted on occasion by artistic triumph. Dahan's portrait begins with Piaf's stay in a brothel as a young girl. Left to the care of her grandmother (who runs the place) after her father pulls her away from a narcissistic mother, Piaf undergoes significant health problems and grows up to sing on the street in lieu of outright prostitution. The film pulses along with the usual biopic rhythms, with pivotal moments in the life of Piaf (played as an adult by Marion Cotillard) turning up regularly only to be smacked aside by the unseen hand of perpetual misfortune. There's the impresario (Gerard Depardieu) who recognizes Piaf's great but raw talent only to have a run-in with the criminal element around her. There's the heavyweight fighter (Marcel Cerdan) who becomes the love of Piaf's...

Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD) Brand: Mad

Setting Mel Gibson on a sure path to superstardom, this highly acclaimed "crazy collide-o-scope"(Newsweek) of highway mayhem "cinematically defined the postapocalyptic landscape" (TV Guide). Featuring eye-popping stunts that are "electrifying and very convincing" (Variety) and "an authentically nihilistic spirit" (The Village Voice), Mad Max is "pure cinematic poetry" (Time). In the ravaged near future, a savage motorcycle gang rules the road. Terrorizing innocent civilians while tearing up the streets, the ruthless gang laughs in the face ofa police force hell-bent on stopping them. But they underestimate one officer: Max Rockatansky (Gibson). And when the bikers brutalize Max's best friend and family, they send him into a mad frenzy that leaves him with only one thing left in the world to live forrevenge!

Manufacturer: Criterion Brand: RESNAIS,ALAIN

Ten years after the liberation of the Nazi concentration camps, filmmaker Alain Resnais documented the abandoned grounds of Auschwitz. One of the first cinematic reflections on the horrors of the Holocaust, Night and Fog (Nuit et Brouillard) contrasts the stillness of the abandoned camps' quiet, empty buildings with haunting wartime footage. With Night and Fog, Resnais investigates the cyclical nature of man's violence toward man and presents the unsettling suggestion that such horrors could come again.

Manufacturer: Miramax

An inspirational story in the rich tradition of Music Of The Heart and Mr. Holland's Opus, The Chorus has moved critics everywhere to declare it one of the year's very best films! When he takes a job teaching music at a school for troubled boys, Clément Mathieu is unprepared for its harsh discipline and depressing atmosphere. But with passion and unconventional teaching methods, he's able to spark his students' interest in music and bring them a newfound joy! It also puts him at odds with the school's overbearing headmaster, however, locking Mathieu in a battle between politics and the determination to change his pupils' lives!When sold by Amazon.com, this product will be manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

Manufacturer: Miramax Home Entertainment Brand: Buena Vista Home Video

A clash of cultures in the spirit of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, this modern musical retelling of Jane Austen's classic Pride And Prejuice is a hilariously entertaining tale of one girl's unlikely search for love! Sparks immediately fly as a love/hate relationship ignites between a small-town beauty (International star Aishwarya Rai) and a wealthy American (Martin Henderson- The Ring, Torque) who's visiting her modest Indian village! In a swirl of music, dance and comic misunderstandings, these opposites continue to attract and repel one another in a riotous romance, that spans three continents! Featuring Naveen Adrews (TV's Lost, The English Patient) and a memorable performance from top recording artist Ashanti- love will eventually conquer all in this acclaimed treat from the director of Bend It Like Beckham!When sold by Amazon.com, this product will be manufactured on demand using DVD-R recordable media. Amazon.com's standard return policy will apply.

Manufacturer: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Brand: GANET,GUILLAUME Model: 2227507

Academy Award(r), Golden Globe(r) and BAFTA nominee for Best Foreign Film, JOYEUX NOEL (Merry Christmas) tells the true-life story of the spontaneous Christmas Eve truce declared by Scottish, French and German troops in the trenches of World War I. Enemies leave their weapons behind for one night as they band together in brotherhood and forget about the brutalities of war. Diane Krüger (Troy), Daniel Brühl (Good Bye Lenin!) and Benno Fürmann (The Princess and the Warrior) head a first-rate international cast in a truly powerful, must-see film. Joyeux Noel captures a rare moment of grace from one of the worst wars in the history of mankind, World War I. On Christmas Eve, 1914, as German, French, and Scottish regiments face each other from their respective trenches, a musical call-and-response turns into an impromptu cease-fire, trading chocolates and champagne, playing soccer, and comparing pictures of their wives. But when Christmas ends, the war returns...Joyeux Noel has been justly accused of sentimentality, but if any subject warrants such an earnest and hopeful treatment, it's the horrors of trench warfare. The largely unknown cast--the more familiar faces include Diane Kruger (Troy), Daniel Bruhl (Good Bye Lenin!), Benno Furmann (The Princess and the Warrior), and Gary Lewis (Billy Elliot)--deliver low-key but effective performances as the movie dwells on the everyday elements of life in the face of war. Based on a true incident (though considerably fictionalized). --Bret Fetzer Stills from Joyeux Noel (click for larger image)

Manufacturer: Warner Home Video Brand: WHV Model: 085391114499 Color: Color

Full House: The Complete Sixth Season (DVD)The laughter continues in season six of this family comedy series, but not before pulling a few heartstrings first. Danny tries making his long-distance relationship with Vicky (guest star Gail Edwards) work, and Michelle learns that when her best friend Teddy (guest star Tahj Mowry – Baby Daddy) moves away, she can't tie him to a chair to keep him close. Also this season, Jesse and Joey get jobs as the morning team at a local radio station, D.J. forgets Kimmy's birthday, Michelle gets frustrated learning to tie her shoes and, in an effort to fit in with the "cool" girls at school, Stephanie disobeys her dad and gets her ears pierced. Uh oh! Plus, D.J. finds a boyfriend in Steve (new series star Scott Weingar). Danny is shocked to find his daughter so involved at her age, and Stephanie and Michelle hope their sister will still have time for them. Mark Linn-Baker (Perfect Strangers) guest stars as Rebecca's rich cousin.]]> If the first five years were about raising a family, Full House's sixth was about learning to let go. In season opener "Come Fly with Me," 15-year-old D.J. (Candace Cameron) introduces her first boyfriend, Steve (new cast member Scott Weinger), to the rest of the gang (the two got together during a summer program in Spain). Danny (Bob Saget) doesn't think she's ready for a relationship, but maybe he's just jealous since his long-distance love, Vicky (Gail Edwards), remains in Colorado. Meanwhile, Michelle (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen) bids goodbye to her best friend, Teddy (Tahj Mowry), when his family moves from California to Texas. While there are no marriages or births this time around, other changes are afoot. While Jesse (John Stamos), frontman for the Rippers, still struggles for recognition in the States, he becomes a star in Japan ("Road to Tokyo"). Closer to home, he joins forces with Joey (Dave Coulier). This time, instead of advertising, they collaborate on a radio show ("Radio Days"). As for Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin), she helps a class...

Manufacturer: New Line Home Video Brand: Warner Home Video Model: N10717

Pan's Labyrinth (DVD) (WS)In a dark time for a young girl, Spain and the entire world, the haunting fantasies within her mind merge into reality, giving birth to a land of fantastical creatures and secret destinies--Pan's Labyrinth . . . El laberinto del fauno. 1944. Rural Spain. As Franco consolidates his brutal hold after years of civil war, lonely and dreamy Ofelia must come to terms with the cruelty around her. Living with her mother and adoptive father--a military officer under the Fascist government who is tasked with ridding last rebels from their area, Ofelia creates a fable, giving life to a secret inner world to help her cope with a world gone wrong. From acclaimed director Guillermo del Toro (Cronos, Mimic) and produced by Alfonso Cuarón, director of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Y tu mamá también.]]>