Cinema Directory

Summary: In this film, a couple, after seeing the lovely job a friend of theirs has done in converting an old mill house into a cozy mansion, moves into an old farmhouse after persuading the current owner, an old man, to leave. When they arrive, he appears to be preparing to leave, but it soon becomes evident that the man has no intention of going to live with his children, and intends to stay in the house. At first, they find his presence unbearable, but when he must go to the hospital, they begin to realize that they care for the feisty old gentleman.

Summary: Alla (Yvgenya Dobrovolskaya) is a single mother who has no home and no money. Caring for her infant is almost impossible, and she feels that she is doing the best thing for her child and for herself when she abandons it in a public toilet, where it is sure to be found and brought to an orphanage. Later, however, she is overcome with guilt, and a priest suggests she get a job in an orphanage in order to deal with. She succeeds in finding one, and is horrified to discover the abusive and threadbare circumstances the children endure there. Rather than assuaging her guilt, thanks to this job she now has a serious case of righteous anger to cope with as well.

Summary: This made-for-television biopic tells the story of phenomenal Rumanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci, a little girl who blew away the judges at the 1976 Summer Olympics by getting an unprecedented series of six perfect scores. Unfortunately, though the games were a dream come true, her subsequent life was a nightmare that culminated in a suicide attempt. Fortunately that was Nadia's lowest point and she was able to make a comeback in time to have a happy ending.

Summary: A poignant and moving urban drama, focusing on the growing problem of sexual assault in Mexico City. Director Sistach fictionalizes the true story of a friendship between two adolescent girls which is torn apart when one of them is brutally raped. Rebellious tomboy Yessica is frequently in trouble at school and at home, with its lower middle-class limitations. She is always at odds with her mother, bullying stepfather, and despicable stepbrother, Jorge. Then Jorge strikes a deal with a friend, helping the man trap Yessica and rape her, in exchange for money. Terrified and ashamed of the attack, Yessica remains silent, seeking comfort in her friendship with innocent and childlike Miriam, from a more stable home, though reared by a poor single mother. Tragedy unfolds as Yessica increasingly relies on Miriam and begins to get the naive girl into trouble, until Miriam finds she is no longer in control of her fate.

Summary: Teenage Mari is sent to an orphanage. It's an awful and unfriendly place to be. But soon two rival leading boys both show up their interest against the girl. Which one should she fall in love with, the good or the bad one ? Unbelivable realistic picture of an orphanage-life in Soviet Union is given. Good acting.

Summary: Three teenage girls in an incomplete triangular relation. The base of the triangle is barely there. At the apex is Marie, a serious, short and lean tomboy with a Belmondo-like facial structure. Her best friend is the physical and psychological opposite: coquette, chubby -- I dare say fat -- and desirous for her first kiss with a boy but not quite ready for her first sexual encounter. Because of her chubbiness, boys don't seem interested and it pains her.

The other leg of the apex is a beautiful "fille fatale" blonde vamp. She is deeply involved in the sport of synchronized swimming performing at competitive level. Marie sees her during a competition at the local public swimming pool. Marie insinuates herself into the life of the vamp using the desire to become a synchronized swimmer as an argument. The vamp has a reputation of being a whore, making out with any young male that orbits around her. Marie is not phased out by that reputation. Put a stress on reputation.

The first half is set up. We get to see a lot of synchronized swimming as we become familiar with the three girls. Eventually the narrative leaves synchronized swimming behind and concentrates on the topsy-turvy relations among the three. That's when unexpected things start to happen.

It is a trademark of French films to drop nuggets of wisdom on the viewer. This one is no exception. Here it is about ceilings and the dying. See the film to learn more.

The director says that the use of synchronized swimming is purposeful. That women-only sport is a metaphor for a girl's life: pretty and feminine on the surface while hard working and competitive underneath. A number of scenes drive this point: elegant moves and smiles for the public, legs kicking ungainly underwater. The title in French is also suggestive: "prieuve", or octopus, suggest an individual having to juggle many pressures simultaneously.

Comments: Real Brothers, Real Music, Not Really Naked.

Summary: The Naked Brothers Band is a 2005 rockumentary/mockumentary on some nine year-old kids, who are members of a band. Originally independent, the movie was later adopted by Nickelodeon. A TV series of the same name premiered on February 3, 2007.

Summary: In Zola's Paris, an ingenue arrives at a tony bordello: she's Nana, guileless, but quickly learning to use her erotic innocence to get what she wants. She's an actress for a soft-core filmmaker and soon is the most popular courtesan in Paris, parlaying this into a house, bought for her by a wealthy banker. She tosses him and takes up with her neighbor, a count of impeccable rectitude, and with the count's impressionable son. The count is soon fetching sticks like a dog and mortgaging his lands to satisfy her whims. She bankrupts him, arranges the debauching of his wife, and seduces his son on his wedding day. What else can she accomplish before she leaves Paris airborne?

Comments: Small Town Girl. Big Time Adventure.

Summary: This movie is about Nancy Drew going to Los Angeles California with her father, who was going there on business. While she was there she happened upon a mystery that involved a murdered movie actress, and her daughter. Nancy found out her her daughter was, when nobody even knew that the actress had any kids, and the actress's daughter inherited all of the actress's money. At the end of the movie, once they got back home, Ned and Nancy kissed for what I think was their first actual kiss, and right after their quick kiss Nancy's father told her that she had a call from some people in Germany, who were talking about the Loch Ness Monster.

Summary: Nancy Drew and Ted Nickerson solve a kidnapping case of a wealthy elderly lady. Ted has to disguise himself as a nurse while Nancy beomse a "widow" in order to locate the lady they are rescuing.

Summary: Nancy Drew and Ted Nickerson solve a murder and save two elderly ladies from losing their family home. The old mansion is complete with a moving wall and a hidden staircase.

Summary: Nancy Drew clears her Uncle Matt of murder charges when she exposes the real murderers. She and Ted find themselves in many dangerous positions such as trying to fly an airplane after the pilot parachuted out and being face-to-face with the murderer.

Comments: You'll Learn To Love Her. Warts And All.

Summary: Emma Thompson stars as a governess who uses magic to rein in the behavior of seven ne'er-do-well children in her charge.

Languages: English

Summary: This engaging Disney feature follows two young children (Johnny Whitaker and Jodie Foster) who run away with their gentle pet lion. With the help of a mountain man (Michael Douglas), they must fend off fierce forest predators, a dangerous drifter, and the authorities.

Comments: De skulle være alene hjemme... bare et par dage!

Summary: Imagine being allowed to decide things all by yourself! That good fortune is what strikes three siblings aged 11, 8 and 5 when their mother lands in jail. This family film depicts both the joys and pitfalls of being home alone. Children can handle more than is generally believed, but there are limits! In the beginning Kasper, Sara and Julie, live on candy and chocolate and are having a marvellous time. They create their own world of play and pleasure, and the children’s welfare officer is sent packing. Kasper, being the eldest, must play the role of provider. Soon, however, money is hard to come by and Kasper tries his hand as a purse-snatcher.

Summary: This documentary is featured on the 2-Disc Deluxe Edition DVD for Léon (1994), released in 2005. It contains an interview with Natalie about being a child star, as well as clips from movies from her child 'career' from Leon up to Star Wars.

Languages: English

Summary: A memorably bizarre screen version of Lewis Carroll's novel 'Alice in Wonderland', mixing one live actor (Alice) with a huge variety of sinister animated puppets, ranging from the complex (the White Rabbit) to the incredibly simple (the Caterpillar, consisting of a sock, a couple of glass eyes and a pair of false teeth). The original story is followed reasonably faithfully, though those familiar with this director's other films won't be the least bit surprised by the numerous digressions into Svankmajer territory, living slabs of meat and all. As the opening narration says, it's a film made for children... perhaps?

Summary: The weird and surreal story of an eccentric old man who is a necrophile, who seeks the dead for love. One day he's forced to take care of his young niece, being her only living relative. The girl soon tries to walk away but is brought back. When she discovers her uncle's passion she's fascinated by it and especially the tenderness with which her uncle indulges.. She begins to sympathise and eventually tries an experiment of her own..

Summary: Five year old Kacka is a sensitive soul with a vivid imagination. In her world, she has been everything from the Golden Star Princess to the Crocodile Huntress. But when a new baby is born to her family, her fantasy world is interrupted as she vies for the attention of her parents.

Summary: A stray kitten is left in a box sitting on the side of the road. While Yoshiro does notice the kitten inside, he decides to ignore it and keep walking. That is until a van hits the box and keeps driving. Concerned for the poor kitten, Yoshiro peers back into the box and finds the kitten alive and well. However, the same cat he decides to take care of that evening gets a little bigger overnight. Yoshiro’s boring, introverted world is about to be shaken up by a feline that has decided to become human. Yes, Yoshiro’s new pet has turned into a catgirl.

Comments: A Beautiful Tale of Endless Adolescence

Summary: Nenè (Leonora Fani), a fifteen-year-old. Optimistic lover-to-be happy days with an inexperienced little boy Sven Valsecchi , look alike Jo (this is the name in original Italian version). Nenè spends their morbid days trying to enlighten the cheery youngster on the futility of love, new erotic experiences, and just about everything else thats good and wholesome in this world (It's really no wonder that this girl drove her father to suicide). She succeeds temporarily and both teenagers embark upon a journey of debauched and degrading sexual abandon with various persons from various walks of life. Eventually, they experience a parting of the ways, however, precocious and toothless Jo decides to have his first sexual relation with Nenè...Don't miss this obscure and rarest masterpiece of the Italian erotic cinema of the 1970s.

Summary: Teenage siblings Nenette and Boni were raised apart as a result of their parents' divorce. Their mother, who doted on her son Boni, has died. He works for an interesting couple as a pizza baker, and is surprised and enraged when his younger sister, having run away from boarding school, suddenly turns up. There's a problem that they must confront.

Languages: Russian

Summary:

Summary: A young boy, home alone, performing a bizarre ritual with a baby; an uneasy, aborted sexual flirtation between a teenage babysitter and an older man; an airport lounge encounter between a businesswoman (played by July) and a young girl. Linked by a lecturer enumerating phobias in a quasi-academic seminar, these three perverse, unnerving scenarios involving children and adults provide authentic glimpses into the queasy strangeness that lies behind the everyday.

Languages: English, French, Spanish

Summary: This was my absolute favorite movie growing up. So much that I made my parents rent it so much that I wore out the video stores copy :). I am so excited that I can now get it for my children.

Languages: English, French

Summary: Today is the biggest day in the super-organized life of uptight overachiever Jane Ryan (ASHLEY OLSEN). She's due to give a major speech at Columbia University for a competition to win a prestigious scholarship to Oxford University.

Meanwhile, her rebellious sister Roxy (MARY-KATE OLSEN) is planning to ditch school and go backstage at a Simple Plan music video shoot in Manhattan, where she'll slip her demo tape to the band's A & R team.

Despite having so little in common and so much emotional distance between them, the adversarial sisters reluctantly journey together to the Big Apple, but their plans go wildly awry when a mix-up involving Jane's all-important dayplanner lands them in the middle of a shady black market music piracy scheme.

Sidetracked, sideswiped and hotly pursued from Chinatown to Harlem by whacked-out truancy officer (EUGENE LEVY) and a wannabe gangster (ANDY RICHTER), Jane and Roxy reluctantly join forces and find unexpected romance with a charming Senator's son (JARED PADALECKI) and a handsome bike messenger (RILEY SMITH).

If Jane doesn't recover her dayplanner - and the crucial speech inside it - she can kiss her college scholarship goodbye. If Lomax finally catches up with Roxy, she'll be drummed out of high school for good.

Roxy and Jane seem to have everything going against them…but anything can change in a New York Minute!

Summary: After the accidental death of her mother, 12 year old Nicki must care for the family particularly her two young siblings. From the story 'Nicky oder die Liebe einar Königin', by Jens Bahre.

Summary: In a town near Salamanca, an eccentric widower, aged 60, is captivated by an imp, a precocious 13 year old. Alejandro is wealthy and alone, passing time with music, chess, and his shotgun. Gregoria (Goyita) the daughter of a weak-willed policeman and his bullying wife, is a budding naturalist who conspires to meet Alejandro. Even though he knows the village is talking, Alejandro spends time with Goyita, on walks, horseback rides, and dinners. He's enchanted and tells his friend the village priest that he's living for the first time. Goyita makes new demands on Alejandro, and he must decide how to be true to his ethics and to this Platonic yet highly-charged relationship.

Summary: In a rural working class community, 13 year old Anka grows up, going through stages of adolescence, dreaming, first love and gossiping with girlfriends. Roughly disturbed by the shame and disgrace of alcoholism - leaves unwashable stains upon the community, that tries to cope with abuse and depression, and the system (including school teachers) who try to avoid the subject. This story was aimed at parents, to give them morally an insight into what happens when a young girl has to deal with the disgrace of an alcoholic father and a mentally instable mother. Very well acted by Grazyna Michalska as Anka.

Summary: AKA "children lose nothing" A miniature movie, kids inhabit the landscape and communicate through the river, the sky, the air.

Languages: English, Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; French, Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono

Comments: The wedding night, the anticipation, the kiss, the knife, BUT ABOVE ALL... THE SUSPENSE!

Summary: Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) marries and murders widows for their money, believing he is helping God do away with women who arouse men's carnal instincts. Arrested for auto theft, he shares a cell with condemned killer Ben Harper (Peter Graves) and tries to get him to reveal the whereabouts of the $10,000 he stole. Only Ben's nine-year-old son, John and four-year-old daughter, Pearl know the money is in Pearl's doll and they have sworn to their father to keep this secret. After Ben is executed, Preacher goes to Cresap's Landing to court Ben's widow, Willa (Shelley Winters). He overwhelms her with his Scripture quoting, sermons and hymns, and she agrees to marry him. On their wedding night he tells her they will never have sex because it is sinful. When the depressed, confused, guilty woman catches him trying to force Pearl to reveal the whereabouts of the money, she is resigned to her fate but the children manage to escape downriver, with Preacher following close behind.

Comments: Be the hero of your own story.

Summary: Anything can happen on Nim's Island, a magical place ruled by a young girl's imagination. It is an existence that mirrors that of her favorite literary character, Alex Rover - the world's greatest adventurer. But Alexandra, the author of the Rover books, leads a reclusive life in the big city. When Nim's father goes missing from their island, a twist of fate brings her together with Alexandra. Now they must draw courage from their fictional hero, Alex Rover, and find strength in one another to conquer Nim's Island.

Languages: Spanish, Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo

Summary: ENT physicians gather at a provincial hotel in Salta. The hotel owner, Helena, is subdued, brittle, avoiding the calls of her ex-husband's pregnant wife. Family dysfunction seems everywhere. Helena's daughter, Amalia, about 14, discusses vocations in a Catholic girls group. Their teen imaginations conflate the erotic, the religious, and the lurid. Amalia notices Dr. Jano, and he notices her. She decides to make him her vocation, she follows him, he rubs against her in a public crowd, he's appalled at his actions. Meanwhile, Helena believes Jano is attracted to her even through he's married. Longing, guilt, scandal, and teen sensuality are set to collide.

Languages: Italian, Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo

Summary: A ripe 19-year-old virgin fights to keep her virtue and retain her free-spirited ways during WW II. Set in an ancient, remote Neapolitan village, Miluzza is the lovely pubescent daughter of the glorious Nunziata, a nymphomaniac who is surprisingly well tolerated by her husband and her normally conservative neighbors. Nunziata and Miluzza lead an idyllic life until the Allies bomb their village. During the shelling Nunziata is killed in a manner that would make Freud proud. Afterward, Miluzza gets work at a tomato sauce factory where the owner, enticed by an accidental peak at her underwear attempts to seduce her in a local hotel. With her reputation thus ruined, life for Miluzza becomes a struggle to fight the gossip mongers and those who would rape here until she encounters Pietro, a handsome wounded soldier who offers her a better life. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Languages: German,

Comments: One family's tale of a homeland lost... and a homeland found.

Summary: A German Jewish refugee family moves to and adjusts to a farm life in 1930's Kenya.

Summary: For six weeks in a young girl's life, she pretended to be a boy in a swim class. Crossing the gender line at 7 provided a strange window into the world of prepubescent masculinity. It's explored with lyrical insight and surreal beauty in this startlingly lovely little drama from Quebec.

Summary: Thirteen-year-old Kerry is repeatedly sexually abused by several adults, including at one point her mother. Her father sets her up as a prostitute. Kerry finally calls Childline and is put in a safe house, where she tries to come to terms with what has been done to her. Based on a true story, with the names changed to protect the real Kerry's identity.

Comments: Something's Cooking This Summer

Summary: A master chef, Kate (CATHERINE ZETA-JONES) lives her life like she runs the kitchen at upscale 22 Bleecker Restaurant in Manhattan--with a no-nonsense intensity that both captivattes and intimidates everyone around her. With breathtaking precision, she powers through each hectic shift, coordinating hundreds of meals, preparing delicate sauces, seasoning and simmering each dish to absolute perfection.

Comments: No rain. No crops. No money. No worries.

Summary: Ten year old Matilda lives an idyllic life on a sheep farm in the Australian bush with her family. She is the mainstay of the local basketball team and the acknowledged pack leader of her class at school. The worst drought in Australia for many years forces her and her parents to settle in Sydney and the pain of adjusting to a lifestyle that she hates almost becomes too much for Matilda - but only almost, because there is always someone worse off than yourself.

Summary: Pas mal ! Bon, ça a un peu vieilli, mais le film est bien tourné et aborde l'amour d'une façon implacable. C'est un amour manqué, puissant et un drame entre une élève et son professeur de philo dont la vie bascule brutalement. A voir ! Pour les fans de Vanessa.

Comments: Ett bestialiskt brott, tre hotade vittnen, tolvhundra maktlösa poliser. Skulle Du våga vittna?

Summary: Johan is a two-fisted Gothenburg cop who finds himself in a shoot-out with jewel robbers. After the smoke has cleared, one robber, shot by his accomplice, and an innocent bystander, are dead. Three witnesses, including Helen, identify thug extraordinaire Leo Gaut as being the dead crook's trigger-happy colleague. Gaut soon threatens the three witnesses, and only Johan, the badge-wearing hero, can save them.

Comments: Kære Gud giv mig et bevis på at du ikke eksisterer...

Summary: Eleven-year old Johanne is sent to a Catholic boarding school. Suffering from homesickness, she explores this strange new world. This adolescent cannot comply with the rigorous demands of faith, and she’s forced to make a difficult decision.

Summary: Imaginez "La Boum", version Pialat… Mais ici, comme presque toujours chez le réalisateur de "Nous ne vieillirons pas ensemble", on hurle, on se fout sur la gueule, on s'insulte, on se déchire. "À nos amours" ne déroge pas à la règle – et Pialat se régale, en décrivant cette famille en pleine crise. Mais tel un coin de bleu dans un ciel chargé, il y a Sandrine Bonnaire : premier rôle, dix-sept ans, un naturel confondant, sensuelle, émouvante, gourmande de la vie. Avec ce portrait d'une adolescente, le réalisateur de "Loulou" adresse une véritable déclaration d'amour à son héroïne ou à son actrice – on ne sait plus très bien ! Ce qui en fait le film le plus renoirien de son auteur. Car derrière la violence des rapports humains, sourd une infinie tendresse, telle la conversation entre le père – Pialat lui-même – et sa fille sur les fossettes de celle-ci… "À nos amours" illustre au mieux la méthode Pialat : mélange d'improvisation et de scènes très écrites, confrontation de comédiens professionnels à des non professionnels, attention quasi documentaire au cadre, au décor, aux personnages, refus du romanesque. Et comporte une des scènes les plus fameuses du cinéma tout court : le retour du père venu régler ses comptes avec les siens. Quand on sait que le père est interprété par Pialat lui-même et qu'aucun des acteurs n'avaient été préalablement mis au courant, l'impact de cette scène en est décuplé. Curiosité : outre l'éclatante révélation Sandrine Bonnaire, on peut reconnaître parmi les comédiens Cyril Collard, futur réalisateur des "Nuits fauves" et également assistant de Pialat ; le scénariste Jacques Fieschi ("L'Adversaire", "Un cœur en hiver") ; Dominique Besnehard, devenu depuis l'agent des plus grandes vedettes françaises. Pour l'anecdote, rappelons également que le scénario retrace la jeunesse de son auteur, Arlette Langman, ex-femme de Maurice Pialat et sœur de Claude Berri. "À nos amours" a reçu le Prix Louis Delluc et deux Césars (Meilleur film et meilleur espoir féminin) en 1983. --"Sylvain Lefort"

Summary: Nos Jours Heureux (In english, Our Happy Days) is a funny, poignant and entertaining romp through French summer camp. The film explores the lives of the young campers and their counselors who have a little growing up to do themselves. Directors Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache have created a bildungsroman in the wilderness where the children experiment, explore and learn a great deal about themselves in the process.

Languages: Latin, Spanish

Comments: Han desaparecido. Pero están aquí y... [nos miran]

Summary: In "Nos Miran", Carmelo Gómez plays Juan García, an excellent detective who has been assigned the Barreiros case, one of the most famous unsolved mysteries in the story of the Police Department: the case of a man who one day simply vanished without leaving a trace. While at first it seems as an easy case of a missing person, the mystery surrounding brings back Juan's memories of his own sister Sara (Eva Llobregat), who as a girl disappeared in eerily similar circumstances, and Juan begins to descent into an spiral of madness and obsession. As Juan's investigation takes him to the field of occultism, his wife Julia (Icíar Bollaín) fears that his husband will face the same fate as the previous Detective in charge of the Barreiros case, Detective Medina (Karra Elejalde), who is now an inmate in the local asylum, unable to say anything else besides "they are watching us".

Summary: An angel is the answer to our prayers.

A “feel good” movie in which an angel answers a widowed father's prayers and comes to earth to be a nanny to his children who have been nothing but trouble since their mother died.

Summary: "Novemberkatzen"- is a name for the weak kittens, born in the autumn to the world and which according to legend have a hard time surviving. Also the eleven-year old Ilse, the youngest one in the family, notices already early that life for her is connected with special difficulties. At the edge of a north german village, yet untouched by modern times, Ilse lives with her mother and two brothers in a community center. Ilses everyday life determine experiences between village school and wood sheds, her small escape place, as well as gossip with the shopkeeper and secretly smoking on the garbage dump. Ilse recognizes soon that she cannot trust adults and seeks confidence and security on the other end of the village with her grandmother. Ilse only trusts the old Lene, who is mentally confused by a war experience and attaches only to the small "Novemberkätzchen".
Translated from German by ALIPTES

Languages: English,

Comments: A summer when four friends made a promise to return anytime they needed each other. Twenty years later, that time has come.

Summary: Four 12-year-old girls grow up together during an eventful small-town summer in 1970.

Summary: (Warm Spring). The story, which is set in countryside in China in the late 1980s, begins with a 7-year-old girl Xiao Hua (Yan Zhang) who has just run away from her abusive foster parents to a nearby village. The villagers just don't care, however, and none of them offers her a shelter until a kind old man (Tian Chengren) decides to take her home. But the old man's daughter-in-law doesn't want her and her indifferent husband doesn't want to interfere.