DVD Collectors Online

A Woman is a Woman, a review by Danae Cassandra

Une femme est une femme (A Woman is a Woman)
Year of Release: 1961
Directed By: Jean-Luc Godard
Starring: Jean-Claude Brialy, Anna Karina, Jean-Paul Belmondo
Genre: Comedy, Romance, Musical

Overview:
With A Woman is a Woman (Une Femme est une femmeA Woman is a WomanA Woman is a Woman finds the young Godard at his warmest and most accessible, reveling in and scrutinizing the mechanics of his great obsession: the cinema.

My Thoughts:
This is a bright, playful, colorful film. It's a musical, too, sorta. Of course, it's also more than a bit absurd, but were we expecting anything else from Godard? I certainly wasn't. It's a film that knows it's a film, and breaks the fourth wall, with characters posing for and talking to the camera, with text on screen to describe emotions, the music cuts in and out seemingly on whim. Still, it's a fun film, more accessible than some of Godard's work that I've seen. The performances of the three main actors are quite good, especially Anna Karina's - she has to practically carry the film, and she does an excellent job at it. That said, it takes a bit to get into the film at first, and some bits can get irritating (why does Emile ride his bike around the dining room? and was there really a need to repeat the book title 'conversation' scene?).

I enjoyed it, but it will be a while before I would want to watch it again. Like any of Godard's work, this is recommended for the art film lover only.

Bechdel Test: Pass, barely

Overall: 3.5/5

(From Within My (Mom's) Lifetime Marathon on February 7th, 2015)

Black Book, a review by Tom

Black Book (2006/Netherlands) IMDb | Wikipedia Warner Home Video (Germany) Director: Paul Verhoeven Writing: Gerard Soeteman (Original Material By), Gerard Soeteman (Screenwriter), Paul Verhoeven (Screenwriter) Length: 140 min. Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35 Audio: English: Dolby Digital 5.1, German: Dolby Digital 5.1 Subtitles: German

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Stars:Plot:
September 1944 - Nazi Occupied Holland'. When her temporary safe house is destroyed by a bomb, the beautiful young Jewish chanteuse Rachel Steinn joins fellow refugees in an attempt to reach safe Allied territory by boat.
Tragedy strikes when a Nazi patrol intercepts their escape, ruthlessly killing everybody onboard including Rachel's family; only Rachel escapes the massacre. Embittered and desperate for revenge, she joins the Resistance where, assigned a new identity as the blond Ellies de Vries, she is charged with infiltrating the German Security Service by seducing senior officer Muntze (Sebastian Koch).
Twenty years in the making, this stunning, sexy war film from the internationally acclaimed blockbuster director Paul Verhoeven ('Basic Instinct', 'Total Recall', 'Starship Troopers') is an epic and moving tale of great courage and fierce emotion - played out against the dying explosive months of WWII.

Awards:
Nominated:

BAFTA (2006)		Film Not In The English Language (Teun Hilte, San Fu Maltha, Jens Meurer, Paul Verhoeven)
British Independent Film Awards (2007)		Best Foreign Independent Film
European Film Awards (2007)		European Actress (Carice van Houten)
Saturn (2007)		Best Actress (Carice van Houten)
Saturn (2007)		Best International Film

Extras:

• Interviews
• Scene Access
• Trailers

I have bought this movie after reading the reviews by Rich and Eric. I enjoyed this movie. Some scenes seemed familiar to me. Maybe I have seen some bits and pieces on TV at some time. But that is doubtful as I haven't watched regular TV for years.
This is one of those movie, where when I read the overview it sounds interesting, but for some reason I am never seem to be in the mood for some. I am glad that I finally came around to it. The 140 minutes went by fast.

Rating:

(From Tom's Random Reviews on October 25th, 2010)

Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon, a review by Tom

08. Lover's Walk (1998-11-24)
Writer: Joss Whedon (Created By), Dan Vebber (Writer)
Director: David Semel
Cast: Sarah Michelle Gellar (Buffy Summers), Nicholas Brendon (Xander Harris), Alyson Hannigan (Willow Rosenberg), Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia Chase), David Boreanaz (Angel), Seth Green (Oz), Anthony Stewart Head (Giles), Kristine Sutherland (Joyce Summers), Harry Groener (Mayor Richard Wilkins), James Marsters (Spike), Jack Plotnick (Deputy Mayor), Marc Burnham (Lenny), Suzanne Krull (Clerk)

I always loved this episode. Spike's return to Sunnydale mirroring his first appearence only this time at a low point of this life. Spike's crying on Willow's shoulder
Making us believe Cordelia died when showing a funeral but then when the camera gets to Buffy and Willow we find out, that Cordelia is okay.
And then concluding with Spike in high spirit again (singing the Sid Vicious version of "My Way"), but with anyone else arriving at a low point.

Rating:

(From Tom's Buffy and Angel Marathon on March 2nd, 2009)