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The Fall, a review by Achim

Title: The Fall
Year: 2006
Director: Tarsem Singh [Tarsem]
Rating: R
Length: 117 Min.
Video: Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital TrueHD, Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo, Commentary: Dolby Digital Stereo
Subtitles: English, French

Stars:
Catinca Untaru
Justine Waddell
Lee Pace
Kim Uylenbroek
Aiden Lithgow

Plot:
Filmed over a period of 4 years in 18 different countries, Tarsem's The Fall is an unforgettable movie experience. In 1920s Los Angeles, Alexandria (Catinca Untaru), a 5-year-old girl hospitalized from a fall, strikes up an unlikely friendship with Roy (Lee Pace, TV's "Pushing Daisies"), a Hollywood stuntman shattered by a near-fatal movie set accident and his lover's betrayal. To pass the time, he tells Alexandria the epic story of Governor Odious and the 5 remarkable heroes determined to defeat him - a dazzling world of magic and myth. Only when the line between reality and fantasy begins to dissolve does Alexandria realize how much is truly at stake. Presented by David Fincher (Fight Club) and Spike Jonze (Adaptation), The Fall is an awe-inspiring, cinematic tour de force.

Extras:
Scene Access
Audio Commentary
Trailers
Deleted Scenes
Featurettes
Gallery
BD-Live



There isn't really much to say for me about this film. The story is held rather simple to make room for the BEAUTIFUL, jaw-dropping imagery. It is, however, not that simple to become entirely boring. Especially in the later part, when story and reality begin to mix there is some inspired moments.

The director is Tarsem who previously made The Cell, which had a boring story but was also full of beautiful images. Almost none of the actors appetared in any other film of my collection. That is not to say they didn't act well. The little girl reaches her limits quite a few times, but all adult actors do a good job.


I found the film to be inspired by Baraka as several locations can be recognized throughout the film.


(if mainly for its beauty)

(From The Fall on July 19th, 2009)

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 TV Pilots marathon, a review by Tom

Gokusen I (2002/Japan) IMDb | Wikipedia (Malaysia) Length: 660 min. Video: Full Frame 1.33:1 Audio: Japanese: Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Subtitles: Chinese, English, Other

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Plot:
Newly graduated Kumiko Yamaguchi wants to make her mark on the Japanese educational system as a teacher. All well and good until she finds out that the school she'll be teaching at has its fair share of troublemakers and rabble-rousers. The ruffians at the school don't frighten her though for she has a secret of her own-she's a fourth generation crime syndicate member and next in line to head it up. She's gone straight and wants to be a teacher though, but she's one person in whose class you don't want to be caught fooling around!


Gokusen
1.01 A zealous teacher goes on a rampage!! (2002-04-17)

I like this live-action adaption even more than the anime. The actors are very well chosen and the comedy works. I always enjoy watching it (have done so multiple times now). The lead actress is the very definition of Hollywood Homely. Supposedly unattractive to the other characters, she is the hottest of them all. Of the main three female characters, I find the one, who is the supposed to be the most attractive, the least attractive of them (of course she still is beautiful).

Rating:

(From Tom's TV Pilots marathon on June 26th, 2011)