Film Festivals / Tours


NOTE:  While "in theaters in major markets," many "Independent" / Foreign Films and Documentaries are  available for home viewing in the U.S. through the IFC Video On Demand service (type in your zipcode and cable provider to see if this service as available to you) or for download via services like Sundance Now and/or Itunes / Amazon Instant Video.  Eventually, these films become available for rent in the U.S. via NetFlix or Blockbuster.com.   More obscure titles can also be found via Facets Multimedia's DVD Rental Service


 NOVEMBER 2016 - 30th Annual AFI (American Film Institute) Film Fest

Of the films that played at the AFI Film Fest, held at the TCL Chinese Theaters in Hollywood, Los Angeles, I viewed and reviewed the following:

BRAZIL - Kill Me Please (orig. Mata-me Por Favor) [2016] - UR would be PG-13 - Teen girl centric John Hughes-like film with a touch of Horror set in a new if upscale subdivision at the edge of Rio de Janeiro - 3 Stars

BULGARIA - Godless (orig. Bezbog) [2016] - UR would be R - personalist drama about a young previously quite cynical healthcare worker offered a chance to make something more of her life - 3 1/2 Stars

CHINA -  Crosscurrent (orig. Chang jiang tu) [2016] - UR would be PG-13 - lovely if (perhaps necessarily) slow moving reflection on Time as follow a young Chinese captain navigate his freighter up the Yangtze River of today -- 4 Stars

JAPAN - Harmonium [2016] - UR would be R - tight crime drama / psychological thriller - 3 1/2 Stars

KENYA / GERMANY - Kati Kati [2016] - UR would be PG-13 -Metaphysical piece in which the souls of the recently deceased spend time at an East African Safari-like resort while the loose ends of their lives that they were leaving were processed - 3 Stars

MALI - Wulu [2016] - UR would be R - a fascinating West African "Scarface-like" crime drama about a young man from Bomako (Mali's "Second City") who decides to "make something of himself" by ... drug running - 4 Stars

MEXICO - Panamerican Machinery (orig. Panamericana Maquinaria) [2016] - UR would be PG-13 - Parable / Social Satire about a large / random Latin American engineering firm whose years of getting by on auto-pilot are about to run out - 3 Stars

NETHERLANDS - Layla M. [2016] - UR would be PG-13 - A "plays it straight" drama about a young teenage girl, daughter of Moroccan immigrants who runs off with her "just starting to grow a beard" similarly Arab immigrant boyfriend to get married and ... join ISIS (!).  An excellent "scared straight" type story - 4+ Stars

SPAIN - Julieta [2016] - UR would be R - Poignant piece about a seemingly utterly "average" contemporary woman faced with dealing with the aftermath of a truly shocking family tragedy - 4 Stars

Since the AFI Film Fest, I've also seen and reviewed the following films that played the Fest as well:

UNITED STATES - Jackie [2016] - Fascinating Historical Drama set around a famous interview that Jacqueline Kennedy did 1-2 weeks after the assassination of her husband, President JFK - 4 Stars

UNITED STATES - La La Land [2016] -Lovely contemporary Musical drama about two young people in Los Angeles of today - 4 Stars

UNITED STATES - Moana [2016] - Children's animated film about a young Polynesian girl who saves her people by breaking with current Tradition (to reconnect with Traditions of the even more distant past) -  3 Stars

UNITED STATES - Miss Sloane [2016] - Political Drama about a lobbist who _never loses_ who decides to take-on the gun lobby - 3 1/2 Stars 

UNITED STATES - Rules Don't Apply [2016] - Historical Drama about Howard Hughes' life in Hollywood in the late 1950s - 3 1/2 Stars



OCTOBER 2016 - 16th Annual SCREAMFEST L.A.

Of the films that played at the 2016 ScreamfestLA held at the TCL Chinese Theaters in Hollywood, Los Angeles, I saw / reviewed the following:

CANADA - The Unseen [2016] (UR would be R) - SciFi-ish yet "woodsy" family drama -- 3 Stars

FINLAND - Lake Bodom [2016] (UR would be R) - Friday the 13th-ish story of 4 teens returning to investigate the site of a notorious lakeside murder of teens that actually occured in Finland in 1960 - 3 Stars

MEXICO - Inicuo: The Brotherhood (orig. Inicuo: La Hermanidad) [2016] (UR would be R) - dark tale of young man who forms a Cult to take Ritual Revenge on those who mistreated him (and others) in the past -- 1 1/2 Stars

NORWAY -  The House (orig. Huset) [2016] - (UR would be PG-13 / R) - Twilight Zonish Cursed / Haunted House story set in context also of Nazi occupation - 3 Stars

UNITED STATES - Happy Hunting [2016] - (UR would be R) - A Regular Guy w. some issues drives into a sleepy Arizona town with bigger ones in this Purge / Hunger Games on the Border-like Tale - 2 1/2 Stars



OCTOBER 2016 - 17th Annual POLISH FILM FESTIVAL IN LOS ANGELES

Of the films that played at the 2016 Polish Film Festival in Los Angeles, I saw and reviewed the following:

POLAND - High Frontier (orig. Na Granicy) [2016] - UR (would be R) - well-crafted Polish thriller "Cape Fear w. Snow" - 3 Stars

POLAND - History of Swarm (orig. Historia Roja) [2016] - UR (would be R) - First film ever about the post-WW II armed anti-Communist resistance that existed in Poland until at least the mid-1950s - 3 Stars

POLAND - Planeta Singli [2016] - (UR would be PG-13/R) - contemp. Polish RomCom - 4 Stars

POLAND / CZECH REP / SLOVAKIA - Red Spider (orig. Czerwony Pająk / Červeny Pavouk) [2015] - Thriller about Poland's most notorious Cold War Era serial killer - 3 1/2 Stars

POLAND - The Forest, 4 AM (orig. Las, 4 rano) - UR (would be R) - small indie piece, runs like a contemp. (though adult oriented) Polish parable/fairy tale - 3 Stars

POLAND - These Daughters of Mine (orig. Moje córki krowy) [2015] - UR (would be R) - Adutl family drama as two grown daughters "suddenly" face tending to their aging parents - 3 Stars



AUGUST 2016 - 22nd Annual CHICAGO BLACK HARVEST FILM FESTIVAL 

Of the films that played at the 2016 Chicago Black Harvest Film Festival, I saw and reviewed the following films:

UNITED STATES - All the Difference [2016] - UR would be PG-13 - documentary that followed two recent graduates from Chicago's Urban Prep Academy for Young Men through their subsequent years of college - 4 Stars

UNITED STATES - Confused ... by Love [2016] - UR would be PG-13 - dramedy about two 30-something African American couples trying to make it through fairly tough financial times - 2 3/4 Stars



JULY 2016 - 6th Annual CHICAGO FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL

Of the films that played at the 6th Annual Chicago French Film Festival held at the Music Box Theater in Chicago between July 22 - 28, 2016, I viewed and reviewed the following:

BELGIUM / FRANCE - Brand New Testament (orig. Le tout nouvelle Testament) [2015] - UR would be R- Religious themed comedy imagining God (and His family) in a random upper floor apartment in a tenement building at the outskirts Brussels - 3 Stars

FRANCE / BELGIUM - Les Cowboys [2015] - UR would be PG-13 - a poignant "small indie drama" inspired at least in part by the classic American Western "The Searchers" but set in a thoroughly contemporary French context - 3 1/2 Stars

FRANCE - Paris, Love, Cut (orig. Arnaud fait son 2e film ) [2015] - UR would be R - Set in Paris today, a Seinfeld / Woody Allen-like semi-autobiographical film about French actor/director Arnaud Viard "making his second" film - 3 1/2 Stars



JULY 2016 - Fr. Dennis' 2nd Annual 2016 RUSSIAN FILM TOUR

As last year in the spirit of promoting world peace / preventing or at least mitigating a Cold War II through better understanding between peoples, I offer Readers here reviews of, IMHO, a representative selection of recent Russian films that won both CRITICAL and POPULAR ACCLAIM in RUSSIA itself.  In deciding which films to view / review I took into account both the nominees and winners of the 2016 Nika Awards (Russia's equivalent of the Oscars) and the ratings given to recent Russian films by Viewers at the megacritic.ru* website.

RUSSIA / UKRAINE - Battle for Sevastopol (orig. Битва за Севастополь - Bitva za Sevastopol) [2015]  - UR would be PG-13 - actually a biopic about famed Ukranian-born Soviet sniper Lyudmila Pavlichenko who killed 309 Fascists prior to coming to the U.S. as part of a "good will tour" during WW II where she met / impressed Eleanor Roosevelt and Woody Guthrie - 3 1/2 Stars

RUSSIA - Gamers / In the Game (orig. На игре / Na Igre) [2009]  - UR would be PG-13 - team of five computer gamers win a CD that by means of an EM pulse installs "a gaming package" directly into their heads, much ensues -- 3 1/2  Stars


RUSSIA - He - the Dragon (orig. Он – дракон / On -- Drakon) [2015] - UR would be PG-13 - often spectacularly shot and w. world-class CGI, set in the still Christianizing Rus of yore, very much a "Twilight"-like love story between a Princess and a Dragon ;-) - 4+ Stars

RUSSIA - The Edge (orig. Край / Kray) [2010] - UR would be R - Closest thing to a Russian made GULAG film (though the GULAG only serves as a backdrop to an improbable story about post-WW II reconciliation between a Siberian community of deportees (for random anti-state offenses) and a German girl who didn't even know "the war" had taken place - 1 1/2 Stars

RUSSIA / ESTONIA - The End of a Great Era (orig. Конец прекрасной эпохи / Konets prekrasnoy epokhi) [2015] - UR would be R - smart Russian dramedy - set in 1969 but with clear msg. for today - 4 Stars

RUSSIA - The Guy from our Cemetery (orig. Парень с нашего кладбища / Paren s nashego kladbishcha) [2015]  - UR would be PG-13 - Popular "Paul Blart" / "Night at the Museum" like mashup about 20 yo Kolya from the Provinces taking a job at an edge of Moscow cemetery - 3 1/2 Stars

RUSSIA - The Postman's White Nights (orig. Белые ночи почтальона Алексея Тряпицына / Belye nochi pochtalona Alekseya Tryapitsyna) [2014] - UR would be R - Small poignant / VIFF award winning piece about life in the lakeside villages of Northern Russia in Arkhangelsk Oblast - 3 1/2 Stars

RUSSIA / CZECH REP / GERMANY / LATVIA - Under the Sun (orig. V paprscích slunce) [2015] - UR would be PG - Remarkable Czech and German financed doc. made by Russian director about life in North Korea.  Unfortunately the Russian dir felt that he had to finish it in Latvia and has chosen to live there since - 4 Stars



JUNE 2016 - 14th Annual CHICAGO AFRICAN DIASPORA FILM FESTIVAL

Of the films that played recently as part of the 2016 Chicago African Diaspora Film Festival at Facets Multimedia in Chicago, I viewed and reviewed the following:

CONGO / BELGIUM / USA - The Man Who Mends Women (orig. L'Homme qui répare les femmes) [2015]  - UR would be R - documentary about renowned Congolese doctor Denns Mukwege who has helped some 35,000 rape victims in the conflicts in the Congo recover from their ordeals - 4 Stars

(HAITI) / USA - The Good Life / La Belle Vie [2015] - UR would be R - documentary by an American born film-maker of Haitian parents about her going back to Haiti and her struggles to integrate the memories of her parents / grandparents , her own American upbringing and the realities of Haiti today - 3 1/2 Stars

(JAMAICA) / FRANCE / MAURITIUS - The First Rasta [2010] - UR would be PG-13 - documntary about Leonard Howell, the founder of the Rasterfarian movement - 4 Stars

NEW ZEALAND - White Lies [2013] - colonial era period piece about (mis)treatment of the indigenous Maoris for their darker skin color - 4 Stars



JUNE 2016 - 2016 CZECH THAT FILM TOUR

Of the films that played as part of the 2016 Czech That Film Tour at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, I viewed and reviewed the following:

CZECH REP - Chasing Fifty (orig. Padesátka) [2015] - UR would be R - a simultaneously current / nastalgic "Seth Rogan" / "Spring Breaker" type film set around an annual 50K cross country skiing race held in the Krkonoše Mountains each winter - 3 Stars

CZECH REP - Gangster Ka [2015] - UR would be R - Film, fictionalized, based on the life of now South Africa residing fugitive Czech swindler-turned-gangster Radovan Krejčíř - 3 1/2 Stars

CZECH REP / SLOVAKIA - Home Care (Domácí Péče) [2015] - UR would be R - award winning small-time drama about a middle aged nurse in rural Moravia, still trained under the old Communist regime, who finding she has cancer / not much that can be done about it takes a head-long plunge into alternative / traditional medicine - 3 1/2 Stars

CZECH REP / GERMANY / SLOVAKIA - Schmitke [2014] - UR would be R -  fun, well written Northern Exposure-like / Twilight Zone-y small indie comedy about a good / solid late-40 / 50-something German engineer being sent to the Czech side of the Czech-German border to repair a broken windmill, much ensues - 4+ Stars

CZECH REP / FRANCE - Vaclav Havel: A Life of Freedom (orig. Život podle Václava Havla) [2014] - UR would be PG-13 - nice and generally light documentary about the life of Czech hero / former dissident / then President Vaclav Havel - 3 1/2 Stars



MAY - JUNE 2016 - Fr. Dennis' 2016 INDIAN FILM TOUR

Tired of only hearing about the wonders of India's "larger than Hollywood" film industry and then seeing only the same kind of Indian / India themed movies over and over again, I sought out to view  and review a series of Indian films that have found both popular and critical acclaim in India in recent years:

INDIA (Hindi) - 3 Idiots [2009] - UR would be PG-13 - excellent coming-of-age dramedy about a group of students who made it to a super-prestigious Indian engineering school (out of 400,000 applications only 200 would be let in each year).  Okay, one got in, but how to survive let alone find happiness in such a super-competitive environment? - 4+ Stars

INDIA (Talegu / Tamil) - Baahubali: The Beginning [2015] - UR would be PG-13 - LOTR / MC "Thor"-like historical adventure saga based on the revered Jainist religious hero Baahubali -  3 1/2 Stars

INDIA (Hindi) - Bajrangi Bhaijaan [2015] - UR would be PG-13 - Lovely Forrest Gump-ish tale of a young Indian (Hindu) man who helps reunite a lost cute-as-a-button but mute Kashmiri Pakistani girl with her family back in Pakistan after she got lost at the end of a pilgrimage to a Sufi healing shrine in India - 4+ stars

INDIA (Malayalam (Keralese)) - Munnariyippu [2014] - UR would be PG-13 - thoughtful / reflective "Shawshank Redemption-ish" crime drama - 4 Stars

INDIA (Hindi) - Piku [2015] - UR would be PG-13 - an audience / critically acclaimed, award winning Father - (grown) Daughter relationship film / dramedy set in contemp. India today - 3 1/2 Stars

INDIA (Tamil) - The Knife (orig. Kaththi) [2014] - UR would be PG-13 - audience acclaimed, two FilmFare South Award winning dramedy about a small time Chennai conman who becomes a "Jackie Chan meets Gandhi"-like hero to a small Tamil village trying to defend its water rights / way of life - 3 1/2 Stars

Previous to beginning the "film tour" I also viewed / reviewed the following film that I'd like to include as part of it:

INDIA (Hindi) - Bajirao Mastani [2015] - UR (would be PG-13) - Award winning /  Epic pre-Colonial Era Historical Drama about the 16th century Hindu general Bajirao and his half-Muslim second wife Mastani - 4+ Stars



APRIL 2016 - 32nd ANNUAL CHICAGO LATINO FILM FESTIVAL

Of the films that played at the 32nd Chicago Latino Film Festival, I saw and reviewed the following

ARGENTINA - Heirs to the Soil (orig. Los del Suelo) [2015] - UR would be R - a (recent) Argentinian Historical drama about two Catholic activists who spent four years during the 1970s "Dirty War" hiding for their lives in the jungles of NW Argentina - 4 Stars

BRAZIL / URUGUAY - The Moving Forest (orig. A Floresta que se Move) [2015] - A Brazilian (Uruguayan set) contemporary adaptation of Shakespeare's play Macbeth - UR (would be R) - 3 1/2 Stars

CHILE - The Oak's Shadow (orig. La Sombra del Roble) 2015] - UR (would be PG-13) - poignant, well written small family drama - 3 1/2 Stars

COLOMBIA - Dad (orig. ¡Pa! ¡Por mis hijos lo que sea!) [2015] - UR (would be PG) - poignant and very funny Family Dramedy about an upper-middle class Colombian dad who truly tries to do is utmost for his family - 3 1/2 Stars

CUBA / SPAIN - Dark Glasses (orig. Espejuelos Oscuros) [2015] - UR (would be R) - fascinating (on multiple levels) "small INDIE" CUBAN production about a middle-aged Cuban woman who like  Scheherazade of 1001 Nights has to talk herself out of a near impossible situation - 4+ Stars

GUATEMALA / MEXICO - The Greatest House in the World (orig. La Casa más Grande del Mundo [2015] - UR (would be PG) - a lovely small indie drama about a 10 year old Mayan girl entrusted to go out for the first time and herd her family's 15-20 sheep - 4+ Stars

MEXICO - The Similars (orig. Los Parecidos) [2015] - UR (would be R) - a Twilight Zonish Sci-Fi thriller set in a random provincial bus station during a rainstorm in Oct 1968 - 3 1/2 Stars

PUERTO RICO - Andrea y Lorenzo [2015] - UR (would be PG-13) - an authentic college aged / 20-something student RomCom - 3 Stars

SPAIN - Broken (orig. Rotas) [2016] - UR (would be PG-13) - Flamenco expressed Drama about the theme of Domestic Violence - 4 Stars



MARCH 2016 - 19th ANNUAL CHICAGO EUROPEAN UNION FILM FESTIVAL

Of the films that played at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago as part of the 19th Annual European Union Film Festival in Chicago I saw and reviewed the following:

CROATIA / BOSNIA / GERMANY / SWITZERLAND - Love Island (orig. Otok Ljubavi) [2014] - UR (would be R) - Woody Allenesque still quite discrete "sex comedy" that plays-out at a Croatian resort on the Adriatic Sea - UR would be R -  4+ Stars

CYPRUS - Family Member (orig. Μέλος Οικογενείας / Melos Oikoyenias) [2015] - UR (would be PG-13) - family dramedy playing out in post-2008 financial crisis Cyprus - 3 Stars

CZECH REP. - The Snake Brothers (orig. Kobry a Užovky) [2015] - UR (would be R) - contemp. parable of sorts riffing on that Prodigal Son but supporting more the older son's perspective  - 3 1/2 Stars

FRANCE - The Lady in the Car with Glasses and a Gun (orig. La dame dans l'auto avec des lunettes et un fusil) [2015] - UR (would be R) - contemp. neo-Noir flick set in France of 1960s - 2 Stars

GERMANY - Age of Cannibals (orig. Zeit der Kannibalen) [2014] - UR (would be R) - "Comedy" about current state of Int'l Commerce / Conflicts - 2 1/2 Stars

GERMANY - Forbidden Films (orig. Verbotene Filme) [2014] - UR (would be PG-13) - documentary about the 40 or so Nazi-Era films that remained banned in Germany to this day - 3 1/2 Stars

IRELAND - Glassland [2014] - UR (would be R) - Contemporary Irish Family Drama - 3 Stars

ITALY - Latin Lover [2015] - UR (would be R) - Comedy set in context Funeral of an "famous" Italian Actor of the 1950s-70s - "the Family" - all the wives/ex-wives/children - gather(s) - UR would be PG-13 - 4 Stars

ITALY - Wondrous Boccaccio (orig. Boccaccio Maraviglioso) [2015] - Medieval pre-Canturbury Tales YA oriented  period piece set in/around Florence in the context of the Black Plague - 4+ Stars

MALTA - Shimshar [2015] - UR (would be PG-13) - Contemporary family drama set in context of N. African refugee crisis - 3 1/2 Stars

NETHERLANDS / SWEDEN / BULGARIA - The Paradise Suite [2015] - UR (would be R) - "Crash [2004]-like" drama involving multiple characters who's stories intertwine on one fateful evening in Amsterdam - 4 Stars

ROMANIA / BULGARIA / CZECH REP - Aferim! [2015] - - UR (would be PG-13) - Romanian "Western" or "Eastern" - two Romanian "chetniks" set out on horseback to recapture escaped gypsy slave in 1835 Wallachia, much often funny ensues - 4+ Stars

SPAIN - Marshland (orig. La Isla Mínima) [2014 - UR (would be R) - Noirish detective story / crime drama set in the Andalucian coastal hinterlands of early post-Franco Spain (c. 1980) - 3 1/2 Stars

SWEDEN - Ingrid Bergman In her Own Words (orig. Jag är Ingrid) [2015] - intimate documentary about the world-renowned Swedish actress - UR would be PG-13 - 3 1/2 Stars



NOVEMBER 2015 - 27th Annual POLISH FILM FESTIVAL IN AMERICA

Of the films that played at the 2015 (27th Annual) Polish Film Festival in America held here in Chicago, I saw and reviewed the following:

POLAND - A Grain of Truth (orig. Ziarno prawdy) [2015] - UR (would be R) - "Da Vinci Code-like" mystery / crime thriller set in town in S.W. Poland - 3 Stars
 
POLAND / AUSTRALIA / U.K. / U.S.A. - A Town Called Brzotek [2014] - UR (would be PG-13) - Documentary about a small Polish town and a post-Holocaust Reconciliation - 3 1/2 Stars

POLAND - Call Me Marianna (orig. Mów mi Marianna) [2015] - Polish transgender docudrama - 3 1/2 Stars

POLAND - Karbala [2015] - UR (would be R) - film about Polish military detachments battle in Karbala during post-Iraq War occupation - 3 Stars

POLAND - Karski [2015] - UR (would be PG-13) - docudrama about Polish Res. hero who first informed Allies about the Holocaust - 3 1/2 Stars

POLAND - Life Must Go On (orig. Żyć nie umierać) [2015] - midlife AA / reconciliation drama - 3 1/2 Stars 

POLAND - Warsaw by Night [2015] - UR (would be R) - Polish "Sex in the City-ish" contemporary women's drama - 2 Stars 


OCTOBER 2015 - 51st CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Of the films that played at the 2015 Chicago International Film Festival, I saw and reviewed the following films:

ARGENTINA - Road to La Paz (orig. Camino a La Paz) [2015] - UR (would be PG-13 Contemporary inter-generational "Odd Couple" road movie - 4 Stars

ARGENTINA / MEXICO - Time Suspended (orig. Tiempo Suspendido) [2015] - UR (would be PG-13) - Documentary about an aging Arg. 1970s-era human rights activist who now was coming down with Alzheimers - 4 Stars

BRAZIL - Orphans of Eldorado (orig. Órfãos do Eldorado) [2015] - UR (would be R) - steamy almost "Frantic" / "Apocalypse Now"-like romantic/erotic thriller set in the Amazon - 4+ Stars

CHINA - In the Underground [2015] - UR (would be PG-13) - doc. about a coal-mining town in northern China - 4 Stars

GERMANY - As We Were Dreaming (orig. Als wir träumten) [2015]  - UR (would be R) - Drama / "Happy Days"-like (though somewhat darker at times) reminiscience about collapse of East Germany / reunification -  3 Stars

ICELAND / DENMARK - Sparrows [2015] - Iceland-set coming of age Drama - UR (would be R) - 4 Stars

IRAN - Nahid [2015] - UR would be PG-13 - small contemporary personalist drama about a 30-something divorcing Iranian woman who'd like to have more control over her life - 4 Stars

ITALY - You Can't Save Yourself Alone (orig. Nessuno si salva da solo) [2015] - UR (would be R) - Drama about a divorcing couple - 3 1/2 Stars

JAPAN - Tag (orig. Riaru onigokko) [2015] - UR (would be R) - Teenage horror / splatter film - 2 Stars

NETHERLANDS / CROATIA - Full Contact [2015] - UR would be R - Sci-Fi-ish film about a combat drone pilot - 3 Stars

POLAND / CZECH REP / SLOVAKIA - Red Spider (orig. Czerwony Pająk / Červeny Pavouk) [2015] - Thriller about Poland's most notorious Cold War Era serial killer - 3 1/2 Stars

RUSSIA / UKRAINE / POLAND - Under Electric Clouds (orig. Под электрическими облаками / Pod elektricheskimi oblakami) [2015] - UR would be PG-13 - Science Fiction-y Allegory about post-Communist Russia - 3 Stars

UKRAINE / RUSSIA - Song of Songs (orig. Песнь Песней / Pesn pesney) [2015] - Sholem Aleichem stories' inspired almost "Dances with Wolves" period piece about Jewish community of the "Shtetl" of rural 19th century Belorussia / Poland / Russia / Ukraine - 3 1/2 Stars

UNITED STATES - A Light Beneath Their Feet [2015]- UR (would be PG-13) - Indie film about a teenage daughter taking care of her mother who suffers from bipolar disease - 3 1/2 Stars

UNITED STATES - The Abandoned [2015] - UR (would be PG-13 / R) - Twilight Zone-like thriller about woman taking a job as a nighttime security guard at an abandoned lux. office building - 3 Stars

Since the film festival, I've seen / reviewed the following films that played at there as well

HUNGARY - Son of Saul (orig. Saul Fia) [2015] - R- Holocaust themed drama - 4+ Stars

TAIWAN / CHINA - The Assassin (orig. Nie yin niang) [2015] - UR (would be PG-13) - Tang Dynasty set Martial Arts drama / period piece - 3 1/2 Stars

UNITED STATES - Carol [2015] - R - Lesbian drama based on classic novel of 1950s - 4 Stars (with Parental advisement / warning)

UNITED STATES - Spotlight [2015] - R / A-III - Drama about the Boston Globe Reporting crew that broke the Archdiocese of Boston priestly pedophilia scandal - 3 1/2 Stars 



AUGUST 2015 - 21st CHICAGO BLACK HARVEST FILM FESTIVAL

Of the films that played at the 2015 Chicago Black Harvest Film Festival, I saw and reviewed the following films:

UNITED STATES - BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez [2015] - UR would be PG-13 - documentary about the poet / educator - 4 Stars

UNITED STATES - In the Morning [2015] - UR would be R - romantic "day in the lives" drama of a group of African American young adults - 4 Stars

UNITED STATES - White Water [2015] - UR would be PG - family friendly drama about last years of Jim Crow segregation in the Deep South - 4+ stars


JULY-AUG. 2015 - 5th CHICAGO FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL

Of the films that played at the 2015 Chicago French Film Festival, I saw and reviewed the following:

FRANCE - Black Venus (orig. Vénus noire) [2010] - UR (would be R) - historical drama about African woman brought to London/Paris in early 1800s as part of a circus freak show act - 4+ Stars

FRANCE - Breathe (orig. Respire) [2014] - UR (would be PG-13) - French "Stephen King"-like young adult drama/psychological thriller - 3 1/2 Stars

FRANCE - Handmade with Love in France (orig. Le Temps Suspendu) [2014] - Documentary - 4 Stars

FRANCE - Number One Fan (orig. Elle L'Adore) [2014] - UR (would be R) - Celebrity Drama - 3 Stars

FRANCE / CANADA / BELGIUM - Tokyo Fiancée [2014] - UR (would be R) - French lang. romcom about young Belgian writer in Japan - 3 Stars 


JULY 2015 - Fr. Dennis' 2015 RUSSIAN FILM TOUR

For the sake of averting / at least mitigating a future "Cold War II", so that readers here be(come) aware of Russian films that are more than just ponderous (and all but incomprehensible) epics, utilizing the megacritic.ru* database, I found, viewed and reviewed the following recent Russian films:

RUSSIA - Calculator (orig. Вычислитель / Vychislitel) [2014] - UR (would be PG-13) - Sci-Fi picture about prisoners exiled to a penal planet in the future - 3 Stars

RUSSIA - Dark World (orig. Темный мир / Temnyy Mir) [2010] - UR (would be PG-13) - a Russian "Twilight"-like saga set largely in the forests of Karelia - 3 1/2 Stars

RUSSIA - Inadequate People (orig. Неадекватные люди / Neadekvatnye Lyudi) [2010] - UR (would be R) - small "indie / personalist piece" about quite very average Russians living at the outskirts of Moscow dealing with the struggles of life - 3 Stars

RUSSIA - Moms / Mamy (orig. мамы) [2012] - UR (would be PG) - Russian "Valentines Day" / "New Years Eve" like film about Russian mothers' day - 4 Stars

RUSSIA - My Boyfriend's an Angel (orig. Мой парень - ангел / Moy Paren Angel) [2012] - UR (would be PG-13) - Russian Moscow-set contemporary RomCom - 3 1/2 Stars

RUSSIA - The Hope Factory (orig. Комбинат «Надежда» / Kombinat "Nadezhda") [2014] - UR (would be R) - Russian "small indie" film about 18 yr old growing up in north Siberian city and just wanting something else - 4 Stars

RUSSIA - White Tiger (orig. Белый тигр / Belyy Tigr) [2012] - UR (would be R) - Set at end of WW II, allegorical tale of a phantom German Tiger tank that rises out of the marshes to attack Russians and disappears again - 2 Stars


JUNE 2015 - 13th CHICAGO AFRICAN DIASPORA FILM FESTIVAL

Of the films that played at the 13th Annual Chicago African Diaspora Film Festival which played at Facet's Multimedia in Chicago in June 2013, I saw and reviewed the following:

ANGOLA - Njinga Queen of Angola (orig. Njinga Rainha de Angola) [2013] - UR (would be PG-13/R) - Historical drama about Angolan queen at time of first European (Portuguese/Dutch) incursions into southern Africa - 4 Stars

BRAZIL / UNITED STATES - The Summer of the Gods [2015] - UR (would be PG) - U.S. residing Afro-Brazilian mother takes her daughter back to Bahia, Brazil to meet her grandmother - 4 Stars

CANADA / QUEBEC - Black (orig. Nwa / N.O.I.R.) [2015] - UR (would be R) - Montreal-set "Boyz n the Hood" - 3 Stars

NEW ZEALAND - White Lies [2013] - colonial era period piece about (mis)treatment of the indigenous Maoris for their darker skin color - 4 Stars



JUNE 2015 - CZECH THAT FILM TOUR 

Of the films that played in the 2015 "Czech that Film Tour" that played at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, I saw and reviewed the following:

CZECH REP - Icing (orig. Zakázané uvolnení) [2014] - UR (would be R) - Seth MacFarlane-like / Woody Allenish "at the end of a wedding" comedy - 3 Stars

CZECH REP - Krásno [2014] - UR (would be R) - "noirish" comedy about 30 something year olds returning to their provincial hometown where "nothing ever happens" - 3 Stars

CZECH REP - To See the Sea (orig. Pojedeme k Moři) [2014] - UR (would be PG-13) - "Boyhood" like tale about 12 y/o boy's 6th grade year in the provincial town of České Budejovice - 4 Stars

Also, prior to the Film Tour, I had already seen / reviewed:

CZECH REP / SLOVAKIA / GERMANY - Fair Play [2014] (UR would be R) - personalist historical drama about the doping of women atheletes in Communist lands in 1980s - 4 Stars



APRIL 2015 - 31st CHICAGO LATINO FILM FESTIVAL

Of the films that played at the 31st Chicago Latino Film Festival #ChicagoLatinoFF, I saw and reviewed the following:

ARGENTINA - Betibú [2014] - UR would be PG-13 - well-spun "lighter" noirish crime story about a sensational murder and a team from a B.A. newspaper tasked to break the case - 3 1/2 Stars

BOLIVIA - Forgotten (orig. Olvidados) [2014] - UR would be R - historical drama about the Cold War Era (1970s-80s) "Operation Condor" responsible for "disappearing" as many as 60,000 young leftists across southern South America - 4+ Stars

BRAZIL - After the Rain (orig. Depois da Chuva) [2013] - UR would be PG-13 - John Hughes-like high school "coming of age movie" set in Brazil in mid-1980s as the mil. dict. was ending - 3 1/2 Stars

BRAZIL - Blue Desert (orig. Deserto Azul) [2014] - UR would be PG-13 - surrealist, futuristic / sci-fi film about a highly advanced but lonely world - 3 Stars

COLOMBIA - Wasting Time (orig. Tiempo Perdido) [2014] - UR would be PG-13 - personalist "day in the lives" of five (turns out) interconnected people in Bogota, Colombia - 3 1/2 Stars

CHILE - Neruda [2014] - UR would be PG-13 - Biopic about Famed Chilean poet / Communist politician Pablo Neruda's escape at the end by horseback over the Andes to Argentina in the 1940s - 3 1/2 Stars

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - The Stranger (orig. La Extraña) [2014] - UR would be PG-13 - contemp. adaptation of French novel / thriller - 3 Stars

GUATEMALA / COSTA RICA / CUBA - UFOs in Zacapa (orig. OVNIs en Zacapa) [2014] (UR would be PG-13) - Big Lebowski-like "UFO Conspiracy" movie set in small Guatemalan town - 3 Stars

MEXICO - One for the Road (orig. En el Último Trago) [2014] - UR would be R - heartfelt comedy / 80+ year old life-long buddy / "roadtrip" movie - 4+ Stars

MEXICO - The Incident (orig. El Incidente) [2014] -  contemp. Twilight Zone-like thriller - 3 Stars

NICARAGUA - The Naked Screen (orig. La Pantalla Desnuda) [2014] - UR would be PG-13/R - young adult oritented cautionary tale about being dangers of sexting - 3 1/2 Stars

PANAMA - Breaking the Wave (orig. Romiendo la Ola) [2014] - UR would be PG-13 - Surfing Documentary - 3 Stars

VENEZUELA - The Liberator (orig. Libertador) [2013] - UR would be R - biopic about Simon Bolivar - 3 Stars

After the film festival I viewed / reviewed:

BRAZIL - A Wolf at the Door [2014] (orig. O Lobo Atrás Da Porta) [2014] - UR would be R - urban family / crime drama (a little girl goes missing) - 4 Stars



MARCH 2015 - 18th ANNUAL CHICAGO EUROPEAN FILM FESTIVAL

Of the films that played at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago as part of the 18th Annual European Union Film Festival in Chicago #EUFF2015 I saw and reviewed the following:

AUSTRIA / GERMANY - The Dark Valley (orig. Das Finstere Tal) [2014] - UR would be R - An "Austrian Western" set in the Alps in the late 1800s - 4+ Stars

BULGARIA - The Judgement (orig. Съдилището) [2014]  - UR would be PG-13 - poignant cross generational smuggling drama that plays-out on the border of Bulgaria w. Greece / Turkey - 4 Stars.

CROATIA - Cowboys (oirg. Kauboji) [2014] - UR would be R - "Taxi-like" Comedy about a group of amateur actors putting on a Western play in a small town in Croatia - 3 1/2 Stars

CZECH REP - Hany [2014] - UR would be R - A "Youth Apocalypse" set one night in Pilsen, CR - 3 1/2 Stars

ESTONIA - In the Crosswind (orig. Risttuules) [2014] - UR would be PG-13 - drama about the Soviet-era Mass deportations of Estonians to Siberia - 4 Stars

FINLAND - Open Up to Me (orig. Kerron sinulle kaiken) [2014] - UR would be R - LGBT themed drama about the struggles of a middle aged man who transitioned into becoming a woman and the effects this had on those around him/her - 3 1/2 Stars

FRANCE - Gemma Bovery [2014] - UR would be R - fun contemp. adaptation of Fr. literary classic Mde. Bovary - 3 Stars

GERMANY / AUSTRIA - Amour Fou [2014] - UR would be PG-13 - German "Downton Abbey"-like period piece set in Prussia during the time of Napoleon / Jane Austen - 3 Stars

HUNGARY - White God (orig. Fehér Isten) [2014] - UR would be PG-13 - A Hungarian "Planet of the Apes Story" only playing-out with dogs ;-) - 3 Stars

IRELAND - Gold [2014] - UR would be R - Family Dramedy - 4+ Stars

ITALY - How Strange to be Named Federico: Scola narrates Fellini (orig. Che Strano Chiamarsi Federico: Scola Racconta Fellini) [2013] - "Fellini like" bio-pic about the life of Federico Felini ;-) - 4+ Stars

LATVIA - Alias Loner (orig. Segvārds Vientulis) [2014] - UR would be PG-13 - drama about the armed resistance to Soviet rule that continued for some time after WW II - 4 Stars

NETHERLANDS - After the Tone [2014] - UR would be PG-13 - A concept film - composed entirely of voice-messages left an Amsterdam man who one day appears to vanish - 3 1/2 Stars

ROMANIA - Déjà Vu [2013] - A "reality"-show like "day in the life" of a cheating media exec who MAY have decided to come clean with his wife - 4 Stars

SLOVAKIA - A Step into the Dark (orig. Krok do Tmy) [2014] - Historical drama set during Communist Era - 3 1/2 Stars

SLOVENIA - Inferno [2014] - unapologetic neo-Communist family drama - the Communists were actually the "better guys" when compared with the savagely privatized world of today - 1 Star 

SPAIN - Living is Easy with Eyes Closed (orig. Vivir es fácil con los ojos cerrados) [2013] - Coming of Age / Historical Drama - Beatlemania during Franco's Spain - 3 1/2 Stars

SPAIN - The Kid (orig. El Niño) [2014] - a Spanish "French Connection"-like smuggling drama taking place in / around Gibraltar and the 10 mile strait to the south - 3 1/2 Stars

Additionally in conjuction with this festival, I viewed and reviewed the following film(s):

PORTUGAL - Colossal Youth (orig. La Juventude em Marcha) [2006] - UR would be R - drama set in the immigrant slums (favelas) of Lisbon - 3 1/2 Stars

And after the festival, I viewed / reviewed the following film(s):

ITALY - Black Souls (orig. Anime Nere) [2014] - UR would be R - Calabrese mafia drama - 3 Stars



FEBRUARY 2015 - 25th ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF FILMS FROM IRAN in Chicago

Of the films shown at the 2015 25th Annual Festival of Films from Iran held at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, I saw / reviewed the following:

IRAN - Fish & Cat (orig. Mahi va Gorbeh) [2013] - UR would be R - experimental "slasher evoking" film that involves much more than that- 3 Stars
 
IRAN - Manuscripts Don't Burn (orig. Dast-neveshtehaa nemisoosand) [2013] - UR would be R - IRANIAN DISSIDENT Thriller inspired by True Events - 4+ Stars

Additionally, in conjunction with this festival I viewed and reviewed the following film(s):

IRAN - A Cube of Sugar (orig. Ye Habe Grand) [2011] - UR would be PG-13 - Very nice family drama built around preparations for a wedding in a random Iranian provincial town - 4+ Stars



DECEMBER 2014 - FILMS SHOWN AT THE 2013 NEW YORK RUSSIAN FILM WEEK

Of the films that were shown at the 2013 New York Russian Film Week, I recently saw and reviewed the following:

RUSSIA - A Long and Happy Life (orig. Долгая счастливая жизнь) [2013] - UR would be PG-13 - Contemp. Russian Socialist Realist "Western"-style Drama - 2 Stars

RUSSIA - Legend no. 17 (orig. Легенда №17) [2013] - UR would be PG-13/R - "Rocky" / "Brian's Song" like Sports film - 3 Stars

RUSSIA - Me Too! (orig. я тоже хочу) [2012] - UR (would be R) - Comedy - A car load of Russians searches for a ruined church bell tower that takes one to the "Land of Perpetual Happiness" - 3 Stars

RUSSIA - Metro (orig. Метро) [2013] - UR (would be R) - A Russian Hollywood-style "Disaster Film" - 3 1/2 Stars

RUSSIA / MARI EL - The Celestial Wives of the Meadow Mari (orig. небесные жены луговых мари) [2012] - (UR would be R) - Docudrama based on Folktales of the Mari people of the Volga/Ural region of Russia - 3 1/2 Stars

RUSSIA - The Geographer Drank His Globe Away (orig. Географ Глобус Пропил) [2013]  - UR (would be R) - Personalist film about a drunk 40 y.o. who decides to try to give his life purpose - 4+ Stars

Additionally, in conjunction with the films shown at this festival I viewed and reviewed the following film(s):

RUSSIA - Gagarin: First in Space (orig. Гагарин. Первый в космосе) [2013] - UR (would be PG-13) - "The Right Stuff"-like Historical Drama - 3 Stars



NOVEMBER 2014 - 1st CHICAGO ITALIAN FILM FESTIVAL

 Of the films that played at the 2014 (1st) Chicago Italian Film Festival, I saw and reviewed the following:

ITALY - A Small Southern Enterprise (orig. Una Piccola Impresa Meridionale) [2013] (UR would be R) - Comedy - About an ex-Catholic Priest who discovers that you never really become an "ex-priest" - 3 1/2 Stars

ITALY - I Can Quit Whenever I Want (orig. Smetto Quando Voglio) [2014] (UR would be R) - Comedy - about young un(der)employed Italian professionals who start selling "smart drugs" what can go wrong with that idea? ;-) - 3 1/2 Stars

ITALY - The Mafia Only Kills In The Summer (orig. La Mafia Solo Uccide d'Estate) [2013] - Forrest Gump-like Comedy about young Italian growing-up in Palermo in the 1970s-1990s - 4 Stars

ITALY - The Referee (orig. L'Arbitro) [2013]  (UR would be R) - Comedy about ... Calcio / Soccer - 3 1/2 Stars


NOVEMBER 2014 - 26th POLISH FILM FESTIVAL IN AMERICA

Of the films that played at the 2014 (26th Annual) Polish Film Festival in America held here in Chicago, I saw and reviewed the following:

POLAND / ITALY - Foreign Body (Obce ciało) [2014] (UR would be R) - Contemporary film about a Polish woman discerning whether she wants to enter the convent and her Italian boyfriend who loves her - 3 1/2 Stars

POLAND - Jack Strong [2014] (UR would be PG-13) - Biopic about Polish Colonel who became most important NATO spy during Cold War - 3 1/2 Stars

POLAND - One Way Ticket to the Moon (orig. Bilet na Księżyc) [2013] (UR would be R) - Hair/Easy-Rider-like Comedy about Poland 1969 "Summer of Love" - 3 1/2 Stars

POLAND - Stones for the Rampart (orig. Kamienie na szaniec) [2014] (UR would be R) - Harrowing WW II drama about Polish Boy Scouts (teenagers) who join Poland Home Army Resistance - 4 Stars


USA - The Immigrant [2014] - Period Drama about a young Polish immigrant woman coming to the U.S.A. in the 1920s - 3 1/2 Stars
 

OCTOBER 2014 - 50th ANNUAL CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Of the films that played at the 2014 (50th Annual) Chicago International Film Festival, I saw and reviewed the following:

BRAZIL - August Winds (orig. Ventos de Agosto) [2014] (UR would be R) - personalist drama about Afro-Brazilian couple in a village where little ever changes, or ... - 4 Stars

CHINA - Black Coal, Thin Ice (orig. Bai ri yan huo) [2014] (UR would be R) - a contemporary Chinese "Noir" story - 1 Star

CZECH REP / SLOVAKIA / GERMANY - Fair Play [2014] (UR would be R) - personalist historical drama about the doping of women atheletes in Communist lands in 1980s - 4 Stars

FRANCE / BELGIUM - Ablations [2014] (UR would be R) - "David Lynch" like "comedy" about a man who wakes up one morning to be missing a kidney - 2 1/2 Stars

ISRAEL - The Kindergarten Teacher (orig. Haganenet) [2014] (UR would be R) - drama / cautionary tale about middle aged teacher who gets inappropriately involved with 5 year old (!) - 3 Stars

RUSSIA - The Fool (orig. дурак) [2014] (UR would be R) - Allegorical "thriller" about Russia today - 4 Stars

SOUTH KOREA - A Dream of Iron (orig. Cheol-ae-kum) [2013] - visual (documentary) reflection about Man and his Mastery of the Environment - 3 Stars

U.S.A.  - It Follows [2014] (R) - Horror - 19 y/o gets more than she bargained for after first sexual experience - 3 Stars


SEPTEMBER 2104 - 6th ANNUAL ROMANIAN CULTURAL MARATHON

 Of the films that played as part of the 6th Annual Romanian Cultural Marathon that played at Chicago's Facets Multimedia, I saw and reviewed the following:

ROMANIA - I'm an Old Communist Hag (orig. Sunt o babă comunistă) [2013] (UR would be PG-13) - current/post-Communist Era comedy - 4 Stars

ROMANIA - Miss Christina (orig. Domnisoara Christina) [2013] (UR would be R) - Authentic Romanian early 20th Century Vampire / Horror story - 4 Stars


JULY / AUGUST 2014 - 4th ANNUAL CHICAGO FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL

Of the films that played at the 2014 (4th Annual) Chicago Film Festival that played at Chicago's Music Box Theater I saw and reviewed the following:

BELGIUM / FRANCE - Tenderness (orig. La Tendresse) [2013] (UR would be PG-13) - simple divorced adult family drama - 4 Stars

FRANCE - Belle and Sebastian (orig. Belle et Sébastien) [2013] (UR would be PG) - child oriented historical drama set during WW II - 3 1/2 Stars

FRANCE - Violette [2013] (UR would be R) - Biopic about post-WW II bisexual/feminist writer - 3 1/2 Stars


JULY 2014 - CZECH THAT FILM TOUR 

Of the films that played in the 2014 "Czech that Film Tour" that played at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, I saw and reviewed the following:

CZECH REP / SLOVAKIA / NETHERLANDS - Collete [2013] (UR would be R) - Holocaust themed drama - 3 1/2 Stars

CZECH REP - The Don Juans (orig. Donšajni) [2013] - (UR would be R) - romantic comedy of sorts - 3 Stars

CZECH REP - Like Never Before (orig. Jako Nikdy) [2013] (UR would be R) - contemporary personalist drama - 3 1/2 Stars

CZECHOSLOVAKIA - Marketa Lazarová [1967] (UR would be R) - Historical Epic - 3 1/2 Stars

Additionally, I had previously seen and reviewed the following films from the series:

CZECH REP - Honeymoon (orig. Líbánky) [2013] (UR would be R) - Drama at a Wedding - 4 Stars



JUNE 2014 - 12th ANNUAL CHICAGO AFRICAN DIASPORA FILM FESTIVAL

Of the films that played at the 12th Annual Chicago African Diaspora International Film Festival which played at Facet's Multimedia in Chicago in June 2014, I saw and reviewed the following:

EGYPT - Jews of Egypt [2013] - UR (would be PG-13) - Documentary (subtitled) - 3 1/2 Stars

Additionally, I purchased at the Fest (AfricanDiasporaDVD.com) and subsequently viewed/reviewed the following films:

UNITED KINGDOM / BELGIUM / FRANCE - Congo: White King, Red Rubber, Black Death [2003] - UR (would be PG-13) - Documentary (subtitled at times) - 4 Stars

FRANCE / BELGIUM / LUXEMBURG - Kirikou and the Sorceress (orig. Kirikou et la Sorcière) [1998] - Children's Animation of a West African Folktale - 3 Stars (w. Explanation)


MAY-JUNE 2014 - MARTIN SCORSESE PRESENTS: MASTERPIECES OF POLISH CINEMA

Of the films that played as part of Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema that played at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, I saw and reviewed the following:

POLAND - A Short Film about Killing (orig. Krótki film o zabijaniu) [1987] (UR would be R) - Legal Drama - 4 Stars

POLAND - Ashes and Diamonds (orig. Popioł i Diament) [1958] (UR would be PG-13) - Casablanca-like Melodrama about Poland at end of WW II - 4 Stars

POLAND - Eroica [1957] - M.A.S.H. / Catch-22 like Communist-Era "Comedy" about Warsaw Uprising - 2 Stars

POLAND - Innocent Sorcerers (orig. Niewinni czarodzieje) [1960] - UR (would be PG-13) - period young adult oriented Romance - 4 Stars

POLAND - Jump (orig. Salto) [1965] - "Twilight Zone" / "The Shining"-like post-WW II Mystery - UR would be R - 4 stars

POLAND - Mother Joan of the Angels (orig. Matka Joanna od Aniolów) [1961] (UR would be PG-13) - Church Exorcism Drama (like "In the Name of the Rose") - 3 1/2 Stars
POLAND - Night Train (orig. Pociąg) [1959] - Alfred Hitchcock "Strangers on a Train" inspired existential piece - 4 Stars

POLAND - Pharoah (orig. Faraon) [1966] - "Sword and Sandala's" Epic / work of StarTrek-like Speculative Fiction - 4 Stars

POLAND - The Constant Factor (orig. Constans) [1980] - UR would be PG-13 - Personalist / Existentialist Drama - 3 1/2 Stars

POLAND - The Last Day of Summer (orig. Ostatni Dzień Lata) [1958] (UR would be PG-13) - "From Here to Eternity" inspired Minimalist Drama - 3 1/2 Stars


APR, 2014 - 30th CHICAGO LATINO FILM FESTIVAL

Of the films that played at the 30th Chicago Latino Film Festival, I saw and reviewed the following:

BOLIVIA - Insurgents (orig. Insurgentes) [2013] (UR would be PG-13) - Docudrama about Hist. of Indigenous Peoples in Bolivia - 3 1/2 Stars

BRAZIL / USA - Elena [2012] (UR would be R) - Documentary about a young Brazilian acting student's death twenty years ago by suicide in New York - 4 Stars

CHILE / ARGENTINA / GERMANY - Patagonia of Dreams (orig. Patagonia de los Sueños) [2013] (UR would be R) - "Out of Africa" style historical drama about family originally from France seeking to settle, start business in Patagonia in late 1800s - 4 Stars

COLOMBIA - The Eternal Night of the Twelve Moons (orig. La Eterna Noche de las Doce Lunas) [2013] - UR (would be PG-13) - Documentary about Girl's rite of passage to womanhood in Indigenous Village - 3 1/2 Stars

COSTA RICA / VENEZUELA -  Red Princesses (orig. Princesas Rojas) [2013] - UR (would be PG-13) - Personalist / Family Drama set during 1980s Sandinista / Contra War - 4 Stars

GUATEMALA (MAYA) / NORWAY / CUBA - Where the Sun is Born (orig. Releb'al Q'ij / Dónde Nace el Sol) [2013] - UR (would be PG-13) - Magical Realist fable telling story of the Mayas of Guatemala from the Sp. Conquest to present day - 3 1/2 Stars

MEXICO - Stoker of Delirium (orig. Fogonero del Delirium) [2011] - UR (would be R) - Documentary about Mexican Artist - 4 Stars

PERU - Trip to Timbuktu (orig. Viaje a Tombuctú) [2013] - UR (would be PG-13) - Historical Drama  about growing-up during 1980s-90s Insurgency - 4 Stars

PUERTO RICO - For Love in the Caserio (orig. Por Amor en el Caserío) [2013] - (UR would be R) - Teen Love Story in Drug Gang Infested Project - 4 Stars

SPAIN - Here's the Deal (orig. Somos Gente Honrada) [2013] - (UR would be R) - Bittersweet comedy set in context of Spain's recent financial crisis - 3 1/2 Stars


MAR, 2014 - 17th ANNUAL EUROPEAN UNION FILM FESTIVAL IN CHICAGO

Of the films that played at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago as part of the 17th Annual European Union Film Festival in Chicago, I saw and reviewed the following:

CZECH REP - Clownwise (orig. Klauni) [2013] - UR (would be R) - Dramedy - 3 1/2 Stars

CZECH REP - Honeymoon (orig. Líbánky) [2013] (UR would be R) - Drama at a Wedding - 4 Stars 

HUNGARY - Our Women (orig. Nejem, nőm, csajom) [2012] - Romantic Dramedy - 3 1/2 Stars

IRELAND / U.S.A. - Run & Jump [2013] - UR (would be PG-13) - Family Drama - 4 Stars

ITALY - Those Happy Years (orig. Anni Felici) [2013] - UR (would be R) - Family Drama - 1970s Nostalgia Piece - 3 1/2 Stars

LITHUANIA - The Excursionist (orig. Ekskursantė) [2013] - UR (would be PG-13) - Historical Drama - 4 Stars

NETHERLANDS - Tricked (orig. Steekspel) [2012] UR (would be R) - Experimental "user generated" Dramedy - 3 1/2 Stars

SLOVAKIA / CZECH REP - My Dog Killer (orig. Môj pes Killer) [2013] - Racial Prejudice / Dysfunctional Family Drama - 4 Stars

SPAIN - Unit 7 (orig. Grupo 7) [2012] - UR (would be R) - Police Drama - 4 Stars

UNITED KINGDOM - Exhibition [2013] - UR (would be R) - Minimalist/Personalist Drama - 4 Stars


FEBRUARY 2014 - 24th ANNUAL FESTIVAL OF FILMS FROM IRAN in CHICAGO

Of the films that played at the 24th Annual Festival of Films from Iran in Chicago that played at the Gene Siskel Film Center, I saw and reviewed the following:

IRAN EXILES - A Cinema of Discontent [2013] - UR (would be PG-13) - Documentary - 3 Stars

IRAN - The Bright Day (orig. Rooz-e Roshan) [2013] - UR (would be PG-13) - Legal Drama - 3 1/2 Stars

IRAN - The Wedlock (orig. Zendegi Moshtarak-e Aghaye Mahmoodi va Banoo) [2013] - UR (would be PG-13) - Family Drama - 4 Stars


NOVEMBER 2013 - 25th ANNUAL POLISH FILM FESTIVAL IN AMERICA

Of the films that played at the 25th Annual Polish Film Festival in America held here in Chicago between Nov 8-24, 2013 I saw and reviewed the following:

POLAND - Aftermath (orig. Pokłosie) [2013] - UR (would be R) - Noir-ish Historical Drama - 4+ Stars

CZECH REP / POLAND - Burning Bush (orig. Hořicí Keř) [HBO-Europe Miniseries 2013] - UR (would be R) - Historical Drama / Biopic - 4+ Stars

POLAND - Floating Skyscrapers (orig. Płynące Wieżowce) [2013] - UR (would be R) - Drama involving homosexuality - 3 Stars

POLAND - In the Name of ... (orig. W imię...) [2013] - UR (would be R) - Drama about Clergy Sex Abuse - 3 1/2 Stars

POLAND - Papusza [2013]] - UR (would be PG-13) - Biopic about Polish Roma (Gypsy) poet - 3 1/2 Stars

POLAND - Siberian Exile (orig. Syberiada Polska) [2013] - UR (would be R) - Historical Drama - 4 Stars

U.S.A. / POLAND - The Fourth Partition / Czwarta Dzielnica [2013] - UR (would be PG-13) - Documentary about Polish Immigrants to Chicago - 3 1/2 Stars

POLAND / BELARUS - Viva Belarus! (orig. Żywie Biełaruś!) [2012] - UR (would be R) - Drama/Biopic - 4 Stars

POLAND - Walesa: Man of Hope (orig. Wałęsa. Człowiek z nadziei) [2013] - UR (would be R) - Biopic - 4 stars 

UNITED KINGDOM / POLAND - Flying Blind [2013] - UR (would be R) - Drama - 4 Stars

Additionally, I had previously seen and reviewed the following film(s) presented as part of the festival:

CZECH REP / SLOVAKIA / GERMANY - In the Shadow (orig. Ve Stínu) [2012] - UR (would be R) - Noirish Historical Drama - 3 1/2 Stars 




OCTOBER 2013 - 49th ANNUAL CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Of the films that played at the 49th Annual Chicago Film Festival, I saw and reviewed the following:

ARGENTINA - La Paz [2013] - UR (would be R) - Young Adult / Older Family Drama - 3 1/2 Stars

CHINA - Mothers [2012] - UR - Documentary - 4 Stars

FRANCE - Under the Rainbow (orig. Au bout du Conte) [2013] - UR (would be PG) - Comedy - 3 Stars

GERMANY - Wolfschildren (orig. Wolfskinder) [2013] - UR (would be PG-13) - Historical Drama - 4 Stars

POLAND - Walesa: Man of Hope (orig. Wałęsa. Człowiek z nadziei) [2013] - UR (would be R) - Biopic - 4 stars

INDIA - Go Goa Gone [2013] - UR (would be R) - Horror Comedy - 3 Stars

SRI LANKA - With You, Without You (orig. Oba Nathuwa Oba Ekka) [2013] - UR (would be R) - Personalist Drama - 3 1/2 Stars

SWEDEN - Stockholm Stories [2013] - UR (would be R) - Romantic Comedy - 3 1/2 Stars

TAIWAN - Will you still love me tomorrow? (orig. Ming tian ji de ai shang wo) [2013] - UR (would be R) - Gay themed young adult / young family drama - 4 stars

USA - 12 Years a Slave [2013] - R / A-III - Historical Drama - 4 Stars


AUGUST 2013 - 19th ANNUAL BLACK HARVEST FILM FESTIVAL in CHICAGO

Of the films that played at the 19th Annual Black Harvest Film Festival in Chicago that played at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, I saw and reviewed the following:

USA - Babe's and Ricky's Inn [2011] - UR (would be PG-13) - Documentary about a legendary Blues Bar in L.A. - 4 Stars

USA - For the Cause [2013] - UR (would be R) - Contemporary African-American Family / Political Drama - 3 1/2 Stars

USA - The Man in the Silo [2012] - UR (would be PG-13/R) - Hitchcockian Thriller - 4 Stars


JULY 2013 - 3rd ANNUAL CHICAGO FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL

 Of the films that played at the 3rd Annual Chicago French Film Festival which was cosponsored by the French Diplomatic Mission to the United States and played at the Music Box Theater in Chicago in June 2013, I saw and reviewed the following:

FRANCE - Carré Blanc [2010] - UR (would be R) - Existentialist / Sci-Fi Dystopian Drama - 3 Stars

FRANCE - Fly Me to the Moon (orig. Un Plan Parfait) [2012] - UR (would be PG-13) - Romantic Comedy - 4 Stars

FRANCE - You Will be my Son (orig. Tu Seras Mon Fils) [2011] - UR (would be R) - Power Family Drama - 3 1/2 Stars



JUNE 2013 - 11th ANNUAL CHICAGO AFRICAN DIASPORA FILM FESTIVAL

 Of the films that played at the 11th Annual Chicago African Diaspora International Film Festival which played at Facet's Multimedia in Chicago in June 2013, I saw and reviewed the following:

USA - African Independence [2013] - UR (would be PG-13) - Documentary - 4 Stars

FRENCH GUIANA / CANADA / SURINAME - Aluku Liba: Maroon Again [2009] - Drama - 3 1/2 Stars



JUNE 2013 - "CZECH THAT FILM" TOUR in Chicago

Of the films that played in the 2013 "Czech that Film Tour" that played at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, I saw and reviewed the following:

CZECH REP / SLOVAKIA / GERMANY - DonT Stop [2012] - UR (would be R) -Coming of Age Drama - 3 1/2

CZECH REP / SLOVAKIA / GERMANY - In the Shadow (orig. Ve Stínu) [2012] - UR (would be R) - Noirish Historical Drama - 3 1/2 Stars 

CZECH REP / SLOVAKIA - Men in Hope (orig. Muži v Naději) [2011] - UR (would be R) - adult (30-40 something) oriented Romantic Comedy of the Marilyn Monroe vein - 2 1/2 Stars 

CZECH REP - Signál [2012] - UR (would be R) - Lighthearted Comedy about Contemp. Village Life - 3 1/2 Stars

Additionally, I had previously seen and reviewed the following films from the series:



APR, 2013 - 29th CHICAGO LATINO FILM FESTIVAL

Of the films that played at the 29th Chicago Latino Film Festival, I saw  and reviewed the following:

ARGENTINA - A Love (orig. Un Amor) [2011] - Romantic Drama - UR (would be R) - 3 1/2 Stars

BRAZIL - Did You Score? (orig. E Ai... Comeu?) [2012] - Comedy - UR (would be PG-13/R) - 3 Stars

COLOMBIA - Speechless (orig. Sin Palabras) [2012] - Drama - UR (would be PG-13) - 4 Stars

COLOMBIA - Apaporis: In Search of One River (orig. Apaporis: En Busca del Río) [2010] - Documentary about the Amazonian Rainforest - UR (would be PG-13) - 3 1/2 Stars

DOMINICAN REP. - The Devil's Hole (orig. El Hoyo del Diablo) [2012] - UR (would be R) - Horror - 3 1/2 Stars

GUATEMALA / GERMANY - Dust (orig. Polvo) [2012] - UR (would be R) - Drama - 3 1/2 Stars

MEXICO - Tlatelolco, Summer of 68 (orig. Tlatelolco, Verano del 68) - UR (would be R) - Historical Drama - 4 Stars

PARAGUAY - 7 Boxes (orig. 7 Cajas) [2012] - UR (would be R) - Drama - 4+ Stars 

PORTUGAL - Florbela [2012] - UR (would be R) - Drama - 4 Stars

PUERTO RICO - Gold Brooch (orig. Broche de Oro) [2012] - UR (would be PG-13) - Family Comedy - 4 Stars



MAR, 2013 - 16th ANNUAL EUROPEAN UNION FILM FESTIVAL IN CHICAGO

Of the films that played at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago as part of the 16th Annual European Union Film Festival in Chicago, I saw and reviewed the following:

BULGARIA / USA - Faith, Love and Whiskey [2012] - UR (would be R) - Young Adult / Romance - 4 Stars




NOV, 2012 - 24th POLISH FILM FESTIVAL IN AMERICA/CHICAGO

Of the films that played at the festival, I've seen and reviewed the following:

POLAND - Courage (orig. Wymyk) [2011] - (UR would be PG-13/R) - DRAMA - 3 Stars

POLAND - Father, Son and Holy Cow (orig. Święta Krowa) [2011] - (UR would be R) - DRAMA / COMEDY - 3 Stars

POLAND / SLOVENIA / USA - Letters to Santa (orig. Listy do M) [2011] - (UR would be R)  ROMANTIC COMEDY - 3 1/2 Stars 

POLAND - Lose to Win (orig. Nad Życie) - (UR would be R) - YOUNG ADULT ORIENTED / PRO-LIFE DRAMA - 4 Stars 

POLAND - Men at War (orig. Wirtualna Wojna) [2012] - (UR would be PG-13/R) - DOCUMENTARY - 4 Stars

POLAND - The Totentanz. Scenes from the Warsaw Uprising (orig. Taniec śmierci. Sceny z powstania warszawskiego)[2012] - - (UR would be R) - HISTORICAL DRAMA - 4 Stars



OCT, 2012 - 48th CHICAGO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

 Of the films that played at the festival, I've seen and reviewed the following:

BRAZIL - Once Upon a Time Was I, Veronica (orig. Era uma vez eu, Verônica) [2012] - DRAMA - 2 1/2 Stars

BRAZIL - Xingu [2012] - HISTORICAL DRAMA - 3 1/2 Stars

CZECH REPUBLIC - Flower Buds (orig. Poupata) [2011] - DRAMA - 4 Stars

INDIA/USA - Valley of Saints [2012] - DRAMA - 4 Stars

IRAN - Meeting Leila (orig. Ashnaee ba Leila) [2011] - DRAMA - 3 1/2 Stars

ISRAEL - Footnote (orig. Hearat Shulayim) [2012] - DRAMA - 4 Stars

KAZAKHSTAN - Student [2012] - DRAMA - 3 Stars

MARSHALL ISLANDS / USA - The Land of Eb [2012] - DRAMA - 3 Stars

USA - Cloud Atlas [2012] - SCI/FI DRAMA - 3 1/2 Stars

USA - Flight [2012] - DRAMA- 3 1/2 Stars

USA - The Sessions [2012] - DRAMA - 3 1/2 Stars



SEPT, 2012 - LANDSCAPES - A Tour of Recent Turkish Cinema

Of the films that played in this film series that played at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago during Sept. 2012, I saw and reviewed the following:

TURKEY - Honey (orig. Bal) [2010] - UR (would be PG-13) - Drama - 4 Stars



JUNE - JULY, 2012 - CASTLES IN THE SKY - Miyazaki, Takahata and the Masters of Studio Ghibli

Of the films that played at the Castles in the Sky series playing at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago during the Summer of 2012, I saw and reviewed the following:

JAPAN - Castle in the Sky (orig. Tenkû no shiro Rapyuta) [1986] - 3 Stars

JAPAN - Kiki's Delivery Service (orig. Majo no takkyûbin) [1989]

JAPAN - My Neighbors the Yamadas (orig. Hôhokekyo tonari no Yamada-kun) [1999] - 4 Stars

JAPAN - Pom Poko (orig. Heisei tanuki gassen ponpoko) [1994] - PG - 4 Stars



JUNE, 2012 - 10th ANNUAL CHICAGO AFRICAN DIASPORA INT'L FILM FESTIVAL

Of the films that played at the 10th Annual Chicago African Diaspora International Film Festival which played at Facet's Multimedia in Chicago in June 2012, I saw and reviewed the following:

BRAZIL - Abdias do Nascimento [2011] - DOCUMENTARY - 4 Stars 

SWITZERLAND / ALGERIA - Taxiphone (orig: El Mektoub) - DRAMA - 3 Stars

Additionally, I had seen and reviewed the following films prior to their playing at the film festival

EGYPT - Scheherazade Tell Me a Story (aka Women of Cairo) - DRAMA - 3 1/2 Stars

JAMAICA - The First Rasta - DOCUMENTARY - 4 Stars



JUNE, 2012 - NEW CZECH FILMS - U.S. TOUR 2012

Of the films that played at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago as part of the New Czech Films U.S. Tour 2012 organized by the Czech Film Center, I saw and reviewed the following:

CZECH REP - Leaving (Odcházení) - DRAMA - 3 Stars

CZECH REP -  Long Live the Family! (orig. Rodina je Základ Státu) [2011] - DRAMA - 3 1/2 Stars

CZECH REP / GERMANY - Protektor [2009] - DRAMA - 3 1/2 Stars

CZECH REP / SLOVAKIA - The Matchmaking Mayor (orig. Nesvatbov) - DOCUMENTARY - 3 1/2 Stars

CZECH REP / SLOVAKIA - Walking too Fast (orig. Pouta) - DRAMA - 3 Stars



APRIL, 2012 - 28th CHICAGO LATINO FILM FESTIVAL

Of the films shown at the 28th Chicago Latino Film Festival at the Landmark Century Theater and Instituto Cervantes in Chicago I saw and reviewed the following:

BRAZIL - Day of Black (orig. Dia de Preto) - DRAMA - 4 Stars 

BRAZIL - The Craft (orig. Riscado) - DRAMA - 4 Stars

CHILE / BOLIVIA / COSTA RICA - Third World (orig. Tercer Mundo) - DRAMA/SCI-FI - 3 Stars

COLOMBIA - Captive Beauty (orig. Belleza Cautiva) - 3 1/2 Stars - DOCUMENTARY - Concept (0-1 Stars Appropriateness/Morality)

CUBA / DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - 100 Cuban "Sones" (orig. Los 100 Sones Cubanos) - DOCUMENTARY - 3 1/2 Stars

ECUADOR / CHILE - Grandfathers (orig. Abuelos) - DOCUMENTARY - 3 1/2 Stars

MEXICO - Have you seen Lupita? (orig. ¿Alguien ha visto a Lupita?)  - COMEDY - 4 Stars

PUERTO RICO / USA - Under My Nails - DRAMA - 3 1/2 Stars

URUGUAY / ARGENTINA / BRAZIL - Artigas - La Redota (orig. La Redota - Una Historia de Artigas) -  HISTORICAL DRAMA - 3 Stars



FEBRUARY, 2012 - 15th ANNUAL EUROPEAN UNION FILM FESTIVAL IN CHICAGO

Of the films that played at the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago as part of the 15th Annual European Union Film Festival in Chicago, I saw and reviewed the following:

BULGARIA - Avé - DRAMA - 4 Stars

ITALY - Immaturi - COMEDY - 3 1/2 Stars

POLAND - The Christening (orig. Chrzest) - DRAMA - 3 1/2 Stars

SLOVAKIA / CZECH REP - The House (Dom / Dům) - DRAMA - 4 Stars

SPAIN - Cousinhood (orig. Primos) - COMEDY - 2 1/2 Stars



FEBRUARY, 2012 - 2012 PEACE ON EARTH FILM FESTIVAL IN CHICAGO

Of the films that played at the 2012 Peace on Earth Film Festival at the Chicago Cultural Center in the latter part of February, 2012, I saw and reviewed the following:

RUSSIA - Russian Reserve (orig. Русский заповедник) - DOCUMENTARY - 4 Stars

USA - Nuclear Savage: The Islands of Secret Project 4.1- DOCUMENTARY - 3 1/2 Stars



JUNE, 2011 - 9th ANNUAL CHICAGO AFRICAN DIASPORA INT'L FILM FESTIVAL

Of the films that played at the 2011 Chicago African Diaspora International Film Festival which played at Facet's Multimedia in Chicago in June 2011, I saw and reviewed the following:

NIGERIA - Arugbá - COMEDY - 4 Stars

USA - Jesse / Shadows of the Lynching Tree - DOCUMENTARY - 4 Stars



JUNE, 2011 - 9th ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH FILM FESTIVAL in CHICAGO

Of the films shown at the 2011 Chicago Human Rights Watch Festival held at Facet's Multimedia in Chicago in June 2011, I saw and reviewed the following films:

IRAN (Exiles) - The Green Wave - DOCUMENTARY - 4 Stars

USA - Out in the Silence - DOCUMENTARY - 3 1/2 Stars

USA - Mountains and Clouds / The Senators Bargain (How Democracy Works Now) - DOCUMENTARY - 4 Stars



APRIL, 2011 - 27th ANNUAL CHICAGO LATINO FILM FESTIVAL

Of the films shown at the 27th Chicago Latino Film Festival at the Landmark Century Theater and Instituto Cervantes in Chicago I saw and reviewed the following:

PERU - Chungui, horror sin lágrimas... una Historia Peruana (Chungui, a horror without tears ... a Peruvian story)  - DOCUMENTARY - 3 1/2 Stars

PERU - Operación Diablo (Devil's Operation) - DOCUMENTARY - 3 Stars

PUERTO RICO - Elite - CRIME DRAMA - 2 1/2 Stars

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