While you can always rely on Hallmark and other channels to provide a frankly overwhelming number of new Christmas movies each year, the streaming services have all been slower to crank out their own Yuletide romcoms and North Pole-centric misadventures. This year there are a solid half-dozen options among four streamers, starring plenty of familiar faces going through the usual holiday hijinks in suburbia: Christmas cards, delayed toy delivery, body swaps. If you’ve seen it before, you can expect it again with pretty paper and a bow!
I’m gonna warn you now though, there are no bonafide modern classics in this year’s batch, but neither are they all lumps of coal. The ones that tackle the debate of Santa’s existence do so in ways unique from one another, and the movies on this list that are most successful are the ones that get super myopic about...
I’m gonna warn you now though, there are no bonafide modern classics in this year’s batch, but neither are they all lumps of coal. The ones that tackle the debate of Santa’s existence do so in ways unique from one another, and the movies on this list that are most successful are the ones that get super myopic about...
- 12/14/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
“The Claus Family 3” is a movie written and directed by Ruben Vandenborre. It stars Jan Decleir, Mo Bakker, Kürt Rogiers, and Bracha van Doesburgh.
Yes, Netflix is also faithful to its inevitable cinematic Christmas appointment, and to prove it comes this now-classic film from recent years, “The Claus Family 3”. This film is overflowing with Christmas spirit and features fantastic landscapes.
It may not be a film for everyone, but if you’re someone who radiates Christmas spirit, we’re sure you’ll love this movie.
Enjoy it.
Plot
Noel and his grandson are on a Christmas trip while the granddaughter discovers the secret ball that transports them to the North Pole. While Noel is delivering gifts in Mexico, he is imprisoned, so his grandchildren will have to overcome their differences and distribute the presents together.
About “The Claus Family 3”
If you’re someone who finds Christmas overwhelming,...
Yes, Netflix is also faithful to its inevitable cinematic Christmas appointment, and to prove it comes this now-classic film from recent years, “The Claus Family 3”. This film is overflowing with Christmas spirit and features fantastic landscapes.
It may not be a film for everyone, but if you’re someone who radiates Christmas spirit, we’re sure you’ll love this movie.
Enjoy it.
Plot
Noel and his grandson are on a Christmas trip while the granddaughter discovers the secret ball that transports them to the North Pole. While Noel is delivering gifts in Mexico, he is imprisoned, so his grandchildren will have to overcome their differences and distribute the presents together.
About “The Claus Family 3”
If you’re someone who finds Christmas overwhelming,...
- 11/8/2023
- by Alice Lange
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
What does an American singer-songwriter owe famed Belgian actor Jan Decleir? Apparently, an appreciation for the Dutch language. In 2006, San Francisco Bay Area native Amelia Ray spent three months studying Dutch at the University of Amsterdam. She was struggling to learn the language until she discovered the film Karakter in the university’s media library. In short order, Ray unearthed newfound motivation to study through a love of Decleir’s acting.
In the Oscar-winning 1997 film Karakter, Decleir stars as the cold-blooded bailiff Dreverhaven. The role earned him Joseph Plateau and Paris Film Festival best actor awards.
“I was struck by his ability to command entire scenes without uttering a word and his gift for portraying an overwhelming feeling of vulnerability,” Ray, who studied film at Howard University, says. “His films helped sustain my interest in learning Dutch, and I vowed to write a song letter to him one day.”
For years,...
In the Oscar-winning 1997 film Karakter, Decleir stars as the cold-blooded bailiff Dreverhaven. The role earned him Joseph Plateau and Paris Film Festival best actor awards.
“I was struck by his ability to command entire scenes without uttering a word and his gift for portraying an overwhelming feeling of vulnerability,” Ray, who studied film at Howard University, says. “His films helped sustain my interest in learning Dutch, and I vowed to write a song letter to him one day.”
For years,...
- 2/17/2023
- by Music Martin Cid Magazine
- Martin Cid Music
Television networks are unveiling holiday-themed content and programming, including classic holiday films, live specials and more.
For example, The CW will once again air the beloved animated classic “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer” on Nov. 26 at 9 p.m., as well as on Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 22 at 8 p.m. It also brings back “Silent Night – A Song For The World” on Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. and again on Dec. 23 at 8 p.m.
Read a full list of holiday programming below. (More programming will be added to the list as networks announce titles.)
“The Claus Family” – When his grandfather suddenly falls ill, holiday-hating Jules learns of his family’s magical legacy and realizes he’s the only hope to save Christmas. Starring Jan Decleir, Mo Bakker and Stefaan Degand, “The Claus Family” is directed by Matthias Temmermans and written by Temmermans and Ruben Vandenborre.
“Love Hard” – Hopeless romantic but perpetually single L.
For example, The CW will once again air the beloved animated classic “Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer” on Nov. 26 at 9 p.m., as well as on Dec. 18 at 8 p.m. and Dec. 22 at 8 p.m. It also brings back “Silent Night – A Song For The World” on Dec. 4 at 8 p.m. and again on Dec. 23 at 8 p.m.
Read a full list of holiday programming below. (More programming will be added to the list as networks announce titles.)
“The Claus Family” – When his grandfather suddenly falls ill, holiday-hating Jules learns of his family’s magical legacy and realizes he’s the only hope to save Christmas. Starring Jan Decleir, Mo Bakker and Stefaan Degand, “The Claus Family” is directed by Matthias Temmermans and written by Temmermans and Ruben Vandenborre.
“Love Hard” – Hopeless romantic but perpetually single L.
- 10/6/2021
- by Katie Song
- Variety Film + TV
Dfw International presenting the project at the online Cannes market.
Prolific Belgian actor Jan Decleir has signed on to play Santa in Christmas film The Claus Family, which Dutch FilmWorks International is presenting at the Marché du Film Online this week.
Decleir is perhaps best known as the star of Dutch drama Character, which won the Oscar for best foreign-language film in 1998, and cult thriller The Memory Of A Killer.
He is seen in this first-look photo from the film [see left].
Production on The Claus Family was originally set to take place in Belgium throughout March but shooting was postponed in...
Prolific Belgian actor Jan Decleir has signed on to play Santa in Christmas film The Claus Family, which Dutch FilmWorks International is presenting at the Marché du Film Online this week.
Decleir is perhaps best known as the star of Dutch drama Character, which won the Oscar for best foreign-language film in 1998, and cult thriller The Memory Of A Killer.
He is seen in this first-look photo from the film [see left].
Production on The Claus Family was originally set to take place in Belgium throughout March but shooting was postponed in...
- 6/23/2020
- by 57¦Geoffrey Macnab¦41¦
- ScreenDaily
The debut feature from Kenneth Mercken triumphed in a field of eight projects.
Coureur, directed by Kenneth Mercken and produced by Eurydice Gysel and Koen Mortier of Czar Film, has won the best project pitch at the inaugural NeXT in Ghent.
The Flanders Image event invited eight projects in development — all backed by the Flanders Audiovisual Fund — to pitch to the international industry in attendance.
Of Coureur, the industry jury said they were “especially impressed with Kenneth’s personal point of view in his own father-son story, and how he can tell this story of the cycling world from a very inside point of view in a unique way… We think it’s a film that will be quite personal to his experience but also can appeal to wide audiences.”
Ace and Lites donate $11,000 (€10,000) in facilities spend to each award winner. The prize also includes a media spend for advertising.
Details of the...
Coureur, directed by Kenneth Mercken and produced by Eurydice Gysel and Koen Mortier of Czar Film, has won the best project pitch at the inaugural NeXT in Ghent.
The Flanders Image event invited eight projects in development — all backed by the Flanders Audiovisual Fund — to pitch to the international industry in attendance.
Of Coureur, the industry jury said they were “especially impressed with Kenneth’s personal point of view in his own father-son story, and how he can tell this story of the cycling world from a very inside point of view in a unique way… We think it’s a film that will be quite personal to his experience but also can appeal to wide audiences.”
Ace and Lites donate $11,000 (€10,000) in facilities spend to each award winner. The prize also includes a media spend for advertising.
Details of the...
- 10/11/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
TV sales arm to mark first anniversary at Cannes content market.
Wild Bunch TV will launch a trio of new series at the upcoming edition of Mipcom Oct 17-20, its second time at the content market since launching last year.
It will kick off sales on Belgian-produced, bittersweet romance and road trip Tytgat Chocolate about a mentally-challenged, chocolate factory worker who sets off in search of his girlfriend after she is deported back to Kosovo.
The Flemish-language series is written and directed by Marc Bryssinck and Filip Lenaerts. Brussels-based deMENSEN – which previously made Beau Sejour and Highway of Love – produced the series for Vrt.
The quirky drama stars Jelle Palmaerts alongside other members of Belgium’s Theater Stap, a company of mentally-challenged professional actors.
Flemish stars Els Dottermans and Jan Decleir also feature in the cast.
Israeli dramas
Wild Bunch TV has also picked up sales on Israeli director-writer Keren Weissman’s psychological drama Mama’s Angel...
Wild Bunch TV will launch a trio of new series at the upcoming edition of Mipcom Oct 17-20, its second time at the content market since launching last year.
It will kick off sales on Belgian-produced, bittersweet romance and road trip Tytgat Chocolate about a mentally-challenged, chocolate factory worker who sets off in search of his girlfriend after she is deported back to Kosovo.
The Flemish-language series is written and directed by Marc Bryssinck and Filip Lenaerts. Brussels-based deMENSEN – which previously made Beau Sejour and Highway of Love – produced the series for Vrt.
The quirky drama stars Jelle Palmaerts alongside other members of Belgium’s Theater Stap, a company of mentally-challenged professional actors.
Flemish stars Els Dottermans and Jan Decleir also feature in the cast.
Israeli dramas
Wild Bunch TV has also picked up sales on Israeli director-writer Keren Weissman’s psychological drama Mama’s Angel...
- 10/4/2016
- ScreenDaily
Marleen Gorris' sightly absurdist, slightly magic realist movie about a strong woman who takes charge in a rural Dutch community is a fable about a kind of matriarchal utopia -- where decisions are made with patience and understanding, the weak are protected and women aren't abused. It's an Oscar winner for Best Foreign film -- the first directed by a woman, Antonia's Line Blu-ray Film Movement 1995 / Color / 1:78 widescreen / 103 min. / Antonia / Street Date April 19, 2016 / 39.95 Starring Willeke van Ammelrooy, Els Dottermans, Dora van der Groen, Veerle van Overloop, Esther Vriesendorp, Carolien Spoor, Thyrza Ravesteijn, Mil Seghers, Jan Decleir, Elsie de Brauw, Reinout Bussemaker, Marina de Graaf, Jan Steen, Catherine ten Bruggencate, Paul Kooij, Fran Waller Zeper, Leo Hogenboom, Flip Filz, Wimie Wilhelm. Cinematography Willy Stassen Film Editors Wim Louwrier, Michiel Reichwein Original Music Ilona Sekacz Produced by Gerard Cornelisse, Hans de Weers, Hans de Wolf Written and Directed by Marleen Gorris...
- 6/4/2016
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Exclusive: New films by Dominique Deruddere, Alfonso Zarauza and Chus Gutiérrez are among five new titles acquired by Cologne-based Media Luna New Films ahead of Cannes’ Marché du Film.
There will be market premieres of:
Belgian director Deruddere’s ninth feature, the romance Flying Home, starring Jamie Dornan, Anthony Head, and Jan Decleir, was released by Kfd in Belgian cinemas on April 2.
Zarauza’s dark comedy The Aces, with Spanish actors Lola Dueñas, Luis Tosar and Juan Carlos Vellido, Miguel de Lira, competed in Malaga’s Spanish Film Festival last month.
One of Spain’s foremost women directors, Gutiérrez cast more than 200 professional dancers including world champions for her salsa musical romance Ciudad Delirio between a dedicated Spanish dancer and a beautiful Colombian salsa dancer.
Mexican director Jorge Pérez Solano’s second feature, the drama La Tirisia, starring Amores Perros’ Gustavo Sanchez Parra.
Fellow countryman Jack Zagha’s road movie comedy One For The Road with three 80-year-olds...
There will be market premieres of:
Belgian director Deruddere’s ninth feature, the romance Flying Home, starring Jamie Dornan, Anthony Head, and Jan Decleir, was released by Kfd in Belgian cinemas on April 2.
Zarauza’s dark comedy The Aces, with Spanish actors Lola Dueñas, Luis Tosar and Juan Carlos Vellido, Miguel de Lira, competed in Malaga’s Spanish Film Festival last month.
One of Spain’s foremost women directors, Gutiérrez cast more than 200 professional dancers including world champions for her salsa musical romance Ciudad Delirio between a dedicated Spanish dancer and a beautiful Colombian salsa dancer.
Mexican director Jorge Pérez Solano’s second feature, the drama La Tirisia, starring Amores Perros’ Gustavo Sanchez Parra.
Fellow countryman Jack Zagha’s road movie comedy One For The Road with three 80-year-olds...
- 4/25/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Director Hilde Van Miegham’s “Madly in Love” has been picked as the opening film at the 37th Ghent Film Festival.
The romantic comedy focuses on the turbulent love lives of four women living together, played by Veerle Dobbelaere, Wine Dierickx, Marie Vinck and Aline Van Hulle. Their male counterparts are Koen De Bouw, Koen De Graeve, Kevin Janssens, Jan Decleir and Huub Stapel.
The Belgian film festival runs from Oct. 12-23.
The romantic comedy focuses on the turbulent love lives of four women living together, played by Veerle Dobbelaere, Wine Dierickx, Marie Vinck and Aline Van Hulle. Their male counterparts are Koen De Bouw, Koen De Graeve, Kevin Janssens, Jan Decleir and Huub Stapel.
The Belgian film festival runs from Oct. 12-23.
- 8/26/2010
- Moving Pictures Magazine
Director Hilde Van Miegham’s “Madly in Love” has been picked as the opening film at the 37th Ghent Film Festival.
The romantic comedy focuses on the turbulent love lives of four women living together, played by Veerle Dobbelaere, Wine Dierickx, Marie Vinck and Aline Van Hulle. Their male counterparts are Koen De Bouw, Koen De Graeve, Kevin Janssens, Jan Decleir and Huub Stapel.
The Belgian film festival runs from Oct. 12-23.
The romantic comedy focuses on the turbulent love lives of four women living together, played by Veerle Dobbelaere, Wine Dierickx, Marie Vinck and Aline Van Hulle. Their male counterparts are Koen De Bouw, Koen De Graeve, Kevin Janssens, Jan Decleir and Huub Stapel.
The Belgian film festival runs from Oct. 12-23.
- 8/26/2010
- Moving Pictures Magazine
TORONTO -- Canadian movie distributor Cinemavault Releasing International on Monday said it has acquired the international rights to U.S. filmmaker Joseph Greco's indie feature "Canvas", which stars Joe Pantoliano and Marcia Gay Harden.
Toronto-based Cinemavault Releasing will begin shopping the drama next month in Berlin. Greco wrote and directed the film based on his own childhood memories growing up with a schizophrenic mother.
"Canvas", shot in 2004 in Hollywood, Florida, picked up the audience award for best feature at the 2006 Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. It is Greco's feature film directing bow.
Producer credits on "Canvas" belong with Sharon Lane, Adam Hammel, Lucy Hammel, Joe Pantoliano and Bill Erfurth.
Other movies represented by Cinemavault Releasing include Steve Buscemi's "Interview", the Sienna Miller starrer based on an original film by the late Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh; "Spinning Into Butter", produced by and starring Sarah Jessica Parker; and Pieter Kuijpers's "Off Screen", a thriller starring Jan Decleir and Jeroen Krabbe.
Toronto-based Cinemavault Releasing will begin shopping the drama next month in Berlin. Greco wrote and directed the film based on his own childhood memories growing up with a schizophrenic mother.
"Canvas", shot in 2004 in Hollywood, Florida, picked up the audience award for best feature at the 2006 Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. It is Greco's feature film directing bow.
Producer credits on "Canvas" belong with Sharon Lane, Adam Hammel, Lucy Hammel, Joe Pantoliano and Bill Erfurth.
Other movies represented by Cinemavault Releasing include Steve Buscemi's "Interview", the Sienna Miller starrer based on an original film by the late Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh; "Spinning Into Butter", produced by and starring Sarah Jessica Parker; and Pieter Kuijpers's "Off Screen", a thriller starring Jan Decleir and Jeroen Krabbe.
- 1/15/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
- Foreign Spotlight: Memory of a Killer A young girl prostituted by her own father, an aging hitman with Alzheimer, a sexually charged widow, a corrupt Baron and two diverse detectives all clash heads in the vicious, cold blooded thriller Memory of Killer. Containing a little Belgium twist, this is definitely Flemish director Erik Van Looy’s homage to the American thriller with an extra effort to gain popularity beyond his national audience. Angelo Ledda (Jan Decleir) is the aging hitman forced to write down everything of importance on his arms due to his battle with Alzheimer. But unlike Memento, he uses a marker that can easily be wiped clean to leave no trace. Against his own judgment he takes on a mission that eventually leads him into the world of pedophilia. Ledda, a hitman with a heart of gold, grows a conscience and falls out of love with murder,
- 8/25/2005
- IONCINEMA.com
COURMAYEUR, Italy -- Belgian film The Alzheimer Case was the big winner at this years Courmayeur Noir in Festival, walking away with the best film award. Alzheimer, directed by Erik Van Loo, is a political thriller following the pursuits of a veteran hit man who is stricken midjob with the symptoms of Alzheimers disease and a change in his moral constitution. Jan Decler, who plays the hit man, was awarded the Napapijri award for best actor. Set in the Italian Alps, the 14th edition of the seven-day film and fiction festival held in Courmayeur wrapped Sunday night. The festival is directed by Italian film industry veteran Giorgio Gossetti. The five-member jury presided over by Stuart Kaminsky bestowed its special jury award to Liu Fen Dou for his film Green Hat.
- 12/15/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"Character", this year's Oscar winner for best foreign film, was originally reviewed Oct. 24 at the AFI Film Festival in Los Angeles. Sony Pictures Classics has the film in limited release.
A winner at the Golden Calf Awards, the Dutch equivalent of the Oscars, Mike van Diem's ambitious directorial debut is based on a celebrated novel by F. Bordewijk set in 1920s Holland. The performance by Belgian actor Jan Decleir as a monstrous civil servant and evil parent is a standout in the engrossing but downbeat tale of an illegitimate child's frustrating youth and young adulthood in the shadow of his powerful father.
Co-starring Fredja van Huer, Victor Low and Hans Kesting, van Diem's well-paced, richly mounted "Character" begins and ends with the circumstances surrounding the suspicious death of Decleir's chillingly remote and unforgiving character. He opposes his industrious bastard's business enterprises and otherwise appears to have an unapologetic mean streak, both toward his own flesh and blood and the poor people he evicts with such grim enjoyment.
One longs for his comeuppance, but the director does not deny him a shred of humanity while his beleaguered offspring is pushed to the breaking point and contemplates the ultimate revenge.
A winner at the Golden Calf Awards, the Dutch equivalent of the Oscars, Mike van Diem's ambitious directorial debut is based on a celebrated novel by F. Bordewijk set in 1920s Holland. The performance by Belgian actor Jan Decleir as a monstrous civil servant and evil parent is a standout in the engrossing but downbeat tale of an illegitimate child's frustrating youth and young adulthood in the shadow of his powerful father.
Co-starring Fredja van Huer, Victor Low and Hans Kesting, van Diem's well-paced, richly mounted "Character" begins and ends with the circumstances surrounding the suspicious death of Decleir's chillingly remote and unforgiving character. He opposes his industrious bastard's business enterprises and otherwise appears to have an unapologetic mean streak, both toward his own flesh and blood and the poor people he evicts with such grim enjoyment.
One longs for his comeuppance, but the director does not deny him a shred of humanity while his beleaguered offspring is pushed to the breaking point and contemplates the ultimate revenge.
- 3/31/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Today
THE GAME BAG (IL CARNIERI)
5 p.m., Mann's Chinese
(also 2:30 p.m. Monday, Monica)
Three Italian tourists on a hunting trip to the Balkan peninsula run into more trouble than they ever imagined when they get caught up in the Serbo-Croatian war.
Travelers Renzo (Massimo Ghini), Paolo (Antonio Catania) and Roberto Roberto Zibetti) press on toward a game reserve despite rumors of unrest in Yugoslavia. When their guide misses a rendezvous, they enlist the aid of the hunter's daughter, Rada (Paraskeva Djukelova), to guide them.
Following a hunting accident, they seek medical aid in the city, are rousted by local police officials and forced to flee to a once-luxury hotel with dozens of other refugees. Sniper fire blasts the hotel constantly. The irony of hunters becoming prey is not lost on the party.
"The Game Bag", directed by Maurizio Zaccaro, effectively paints the picture of war-torn city streets, hopeless refugees and grim civil war with the pathos of relatives torn apart by conflict.
Vivid photography, believable characterizations and a claustrophobic tale make this a worthwhile feature. The Italian film, subtitled, is likely to get good play in foreign-language venues.
Michael Farkash
THE BIG EMPTY
8:15 p.m., Monica
(also 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Monica)
It's always a pleasure when a genre gets a thoughtful twist. "The Big Empty" takes us on a bleak spin into the world of a private detective, a case of marital infidelity and the question of faith.
In this oddly stylized, sometimes dryly funny production, Lloyd Meadows (James McManus, who also wrote the script) is an alienated waiter who becomes an alienated private eye. His romantic ideals pretty much dissolve as the cases that come his way turn out to be ugly ones -- like getting the goods on unfaithful partners.
When Jane Danforth (Ellen Goldwasser) steps into his life, he finds himself attracted to her innocence and looks -- with the darker side of him torn between shattering her illusions and protecting her. Was her husband, Peter (Pablo Bryant) faithless, or is it all a misunderstanding?
Lloyd probes deeper and deeper into the couple's lives, his alliances continually shifting as some disturbing secrets are manifested.
Viewers will find themselves captivated by the plight of these three characters, even though the stylized acting work at times is so-so.
The story is rough and could benefit from more judicious editing, but director Jack Perez is someone to watch with this ambitious, worthwhile venture. Production values are decent, and music (credit Jean-Michel Michenaud) is truly interesting.
There's a good chance that this film will be one of those to make it out of the festival circuit and gain some attention from art house audiences.
Michael Farkash
Sweet Jane
10:45 p.m., Monica
(also 6 p.m. Sunday, Monica)
Taking its title from the Lou Reed song and its thematic cues from "Midnight Cowboy" and "Trainspotting", screenwriter Joe Gayton's ("Uncommon Valor", "Bulletproof") feature directorial debut nevertheless has something fresh to offer thanks mainly to its lead performances.
As Jane, a heroin addict who barely survives an overdose only to be informed she's HIV-positive, the always interesting Samantha Mathis does her most adult work to date. Meanwhile, Joseph Gordon-Levitt ("3rd Rock From the Sun"), in the role of a 15-year-old in the advanced stages of the disease who picks Jane as his guardian angel, is similarly impressive.
While the salvation motif is somewhat shopworn, the young actors infuse the production with an affecting vitality.
Michael Rechtshaffen
Saturday
PERFECT MOMENT
12:15 p.m.,
Hollywood Galaxy
(also 6 p.m. Thursday, Monica)
"If you were to die tomorrow, what moment would you most remember and how did it change your life?" More than 80 people are asked that question in "Perfect Moment", and the answers are often poignant and affecting.
Writer-director Nicholas Hondrogen, in his classy, disturbing but overlong documentary, notes that all profits are to be donated to AIDS assistance, although AIDS is only one of the preoccupations expressed here.
In the documentary are images of birth, realized mortality and rape. Composer Philip Glass and others remember the birth of their children as electrifying moments; broadcaster Larry King recalls the heart attack that changed his life; and a Los Angeles actress recalls the details of her terrifying rape.
The filmmaker also turns the camera on himself, moving nude about his apartment, expressing doubts about his film, philosophizing and even setting up some visual images -- including showing a gasping fish out of water to bring home a point about suffering.
"Perfect Moment", which won the Audience Awards at the 1997 Slamdance International Film Festival, focuses on a number of fascinating personalities. Nevertheless, the documentary could benefit from a little judicious cutting. We'd probably take more away with us if there were less voices presented.
Michael Farkash
HANDS ON A HARDBODY
1:30 p.m., Monica
(also 3 p.m. Tuesday, Hollywood Galaxy)
While the title may certainly sound provocative, the hardbody in question is actually a shiny new Nissan pick-up truck and the hands belong to two dozen Longview, Texas, hopefuls determined to take it home at the end of a grueling endurance test.
S.R. Bindler's amusing and unexpectedly stirring documentary keeps tabs on a select grouping of the competitors who must keep at least one hand on the object of their desire at all times, not counting brief hourly food and bathroom breaks. Three days later a dazed and confused winner will emerge, but along the way we get to know some of the annual contest's livelier participants.
Serving as an unofficial guide is former winner and return competitor Benny Perkins, who offers up such morsels of wisdom as "When you lose your mind, you lose the contest" with the centered tranquility of a Zen master.
Michael Rechtshaffen
MARQUISE
2:10 p.m., Mann's Chinese
(also 10 a.m. Sunday, Hollywood Galaxy)
Films about the theater are many, and, unfortunately, tend to be filmed as if they were stage presentations. Such is the aesthetic of "Marquise", a sprawling look into the backstage world of Moliere.
Centered around Marquise (Sophie Marceau), a beautiful wench who wins her way into the fabled French troupe using her dancing prowess, not to mention her pelvic gyrations, "Marquise" is certainly no marquee production. Static, verbose and distended, this French film is mired in the conventions of the stage musical. Always populated by a screenful of highly costumed yowlers, "Marquise" is a mishmash of overblown characterizations. Its feeble plottings are generally advanced by desultory dialogue, usually shouted out in turn by a bevy of background characters.
Undeniably, it does provide an educational and amusing glimpse into the inner court of Louis XIV and a peek into the less-than-sparkling incandescence of Versailles.
Duane Byrge
LOVER GIRL
7:45 p.m., Monica
(also 8:45 p.m. Tuesday, Monica)
Destined to outrage some viewers but winning points for its frank approach to a sticky subject, "Lover Girl" is a tight and well-realized comedy-drama about a runaway 16-year-old-girl (Tara Subkoff) seeking shelter and eventually employment from a tough woman (Sandra Bernhard) who manages a massage parlor where sexual activity is de rigueur. At first the lead, whose adventuresome mother has vanished, appeals to her wild sister (Kristy Swanson), but she is quickly rebuffed and seeks a friendly port elsewhere.
Subkoff is superb as the affable new girl who doesn't follow strict orders to stay away from the clients when she hangs around the parlor. One thing leads to another and she becomes a clandestine employee, but her bonding with Bernhard's character makes her jealous sister come looking for work and jumping at the chance to earn good money. Soon, both siblings end up briefly (and uncomfortably) in the same room with a customer prepared for action and the rocky extended family begins to unravel.
The ensemble cast is amply fleshed out and the lead's eventual disenchantment with all around her is preordained. But the film's end is a bit too precious given the often acidic nature of the ongoing conflicts and heated rows she's caused.
Nonetheless, "Lover Girl" is a strong feature debut from filmmaking duo Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse and could find an enthusiastic following in limited release with the proper handling.
David Hunter
REAL STORIES OF THE DONUT MEN
10:15 p.m., Monica
(also 5 p.m. Monday, Monica)
A Latino filmmaker's skirmish with the authorities over his illegally parked car leads to a goofy voyage down the rabbit hole in "Real Stories of the Donut Men" -- Donut Men is a reference to policemen.
Juan Pelotes (Randy Gatica), after a beating by police, trips into strange territory that has only a marginal relationship to reality. Life for him turns into a sort of underground comic book, with cleverly subversive philosophizing.
In writer-director Beeaje Quick's black-and-white film, Juan suddenly becomes a computer hacker, disables the police computer, and arranges for two anarchistic punk rockers to be set up as motorcycle cops.
For a full day, the two punk rockers throw their weight around -- director Quick playing Officer Homes, and Ignacio Alvarez playing Officer God. The two cops are deadpan, mean, and on a counter-culture rampage of absolute power. They enforce street punks' right to play their boom boxes loudly. They harass beautiful women. They beat up innocent squares.
Some of the high jinks are on target, some are muddled misses. It's clear that the director is spoofing the bureaucracy, but many of his points of view are murky.
This is the stuff of midnight art house venues, where "Real Stories" may have limited cult appeal. For the viewer in search of a giddy alternative film, with Three Stooges sensibilities in the mix, there's some funny stuff.
Michael Farkash
PUNCHING THE CLOWN: A PORTRAIT OF HENRY PHILLIPS
10:30 p.m., Monica
(also 2:15 p.m. Thursday, Hollywood Galaxy)
More mockumentary than documentary, this portrait of Los Angeles-based satirical singer-songwriter Henry Phillips is at its best when it sticks to the latter.
The fictionalized portions, in which director Gregori Viens plays Phillips' affected French buddy Fabrice, aren't half as amusing as the pair apparently think they are. But "Punching the Clown" (a euphemism for a notorious solo activity) is most effective when it lets the singing do the talking.
Phillips' edgy songs, captured in black-and-white live performance footage, are actually quite good in a Tom Lehrer-meets-Lenny Bruce kind of way, with each innocent, pretty melody effectively counterpointed by a dark, downward spiral of caustic social commentary.
Michael Rechtshaffen
Sunday
ELLES
1:15 p.m., Monica
(also 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Hollywood Galaxy)
It may have enough soapy subplots to fuel a season of "Melrose Place", but what Luis Galvao Teles' "romantic comedy about the female sex" may lack in restrained refinement, it makes up for quite nicely with delectable performances from some of Europe's most fascinating actresses.
Besides looking absolutely terrific, Miou-Miou (as a school teacher who's having an affair with a lovestruck student), Marthe Keller (as said student's hypochondriacal mother and said teacher's good friend), Marisa Berenson (as the proprietor of an exclusive beauty salon) and Carmen Maura (as a busy TV journalist with a faltering marriage) do finely seasoned ensemble work along with the fifth "elle" of the title, singer-dancer Guesch Patti as a hyper chanteuse.
Life should be so glamorous.
Michael Rechtshaffen
BEST MAN
3:15 p.m., Monica
(also 7:15 p.m. Thursday, Mann's Chinese)
In 1976, documentary filmmaker Ira Wohl took home an Oscar for "Best Boy", a moving portrait of his 50-year-old, mentally retarded cousin Philly, whose aging parents were no longer able to care for him at home.
Two decades later, Wohl's equally affecting follow-up finds Philly just as spirited as ever despite the arthritis that has begun settling in on the eve of his 70th birthday. And once again, Wohl isn't exactly an innocent bystander. Having last time made an on-camera push for Philly to move into a group residence, this time he campaigns for his cousin to have his Bar Mitzvah, albeit 57 years late.
Once again Wohl's probing camera reveals a lot about family dynamics -- be it Philly's surrogate group home siblings or his colorful sister Frances, who functions as Philly's primary noninstitutional care-giver and a central figure in her own right.
Michael Rechtshaffen
THE WINGS OF A DOVE
7:30 p.m., Monica
Henry James was never more eloquently saluted than in this sterling adaptation of "The Wings of the Dove", one of his later novels. Scrumptiously realized, this Miramax release is a brilliantly polished work but one that has not been overrubbed as to wear off its human energy.
For those weary of the pretensions of the old-furniture genre -- namely those period classics that have been dusted off for highbrow audiences and presented with the detached dispatch of an elderly major-domo -- this Iain Softley-directed work is an exuberant, refined yet earthy affair.
In this gilded gem, the cast is magnificent. Helena Bonham Carter is aswirl with unresolved passions, while Linus Roache as her intrepid admirer is a keen mix of assertiveness and agony.
Duane Byrge
THE WITMAN BOYS
9:45 p.m., Monica
(also 2 p.m. Wednesday, Mann's Chinese)
For those who couldn't get enough of animal torture in "Gummo" comes "The Witman Boys", a chilly, clinical narrative of two young boys who, in the aftermath of their father's unexpected death, descend into a life of debauchery and sadism. However, this film is an unremarkable, old-stuff yarn that will enlighten no one in this Menendez brothers era.
Set on the eve of World War I in a tiny, Hungarian town, "The Witman Boys" is an icy, expressionistic tale of cunning and cruelty that, perhaps, is Hungary's version of Leopold/Loeb.
While screenwriter-director Janos Szasz ("Woyzek") intelligently lays out the boys' psychopathic proclivities, the narrative is so straightforwardly shaven as to be simplistic.
Duane Byrge
CHARACTER
10:15 p.m., Mann's Chinese
(also 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Monica)
A winner at the recent Golden Calf Awards, the Dutch equivalent of the Oscars, Mike van Diem's ambitious directorial debut is based on a celebrated novel by F. Bordewijk set in 1920s Holland. The performance by Belgian actor Jan Decleir as a monstrous civil servant and evil parent is a standout in the engrossing but downbeat tale of an illegitimate child's frustrating youth and young adulthood in the shadow of his powerful father.
Co-starring Fredja van Huer, Victor Low and Hans Kesting, van Diem's well-paced and richly mounted film begins and ends with the circumstances surrounding the suspicious death of Decleir's chillingly remote and unforgiving character, who opposes his industrious bastard's business enterprises and otherwise appears to have an unapologetic mean streak, both toward his own flesh and blood and the poor people he evicts with such grim enjoyment.
One longs for his comeuppance, but the director does not deny him a shred of humanity while his beleaguered offspring is pushed to the breaking point and contemplates the ultimate revenge.
David Hunter
COST OF LIVING
10:30 p.m., Monica
(also 1:15 p.m. Tuesday, Monica)
A mysterious drifter named Billie finds her journey of fierce independence derailed in a small fishing village, where she runs afoul of a couple of local guys and has her bankroll stolen by person or persons unknown.
In "Cost of Living", Edie Falco brings the character of Billie to compelling life. A woman on the run, scam artist Billie doesn't take nothing from nobody. She's also closed-mouthed about herself. But the more she conceals her past, the more we want to learn about this woman.
That enigmatic, dangerous past starts catching up with Billie as she lingers too long in the town. She's been done wrong by a fisherman and stays for payback. Soon, other dangers are popping up, including the lure of true love.
Falco's hard-edged take on the role of Billie, who must eventually choose between love and survival, is heartfelt and revealing in this character-driven tale. The episodic, stop-start feel of the work does not matter that much as long as we can watch Falco in action.
Despite the memorable characters, director Stan Schofield has assembled an uneven film with too many loose threads. The plot could have been made a bit more twisty. It's unlikely "Cost of Living" will get a wide release.
Michael Farkash...
THE GAME BAG (IL CARNIERI)
5 p.m., Mann's Chinese
(also 2:30 p.m. Monday, Monica)
Three Italian tourists on a hunting trip to the Balkan peninsula run into more trouble than they ever imagined when they get caught up in the Serbo-Croatian war.
Travelers Renzo (Massimo Ghini), Paolo (Antonio Catania) and Roberto Roberto Zibetti) press on toward a game reserve despite rumors of unrest in Yugoslavia. When their guide misses a rendezvous, they enlist the aid of the hunter's daughter, Rada (Paraskeva Djukelova), to guide them.
Following a hunting accident, they seek medical aid in the city, are rousted by local police officials and forced to flee to a once-luxury hotel with dozens of other refugees. Sniper fire blasts the hotel constantly. The irony of hunters becoming prey is not lost on the party.
"The Game Bag", directed by Maurizio Zaccaro, effectively paints the picture of war-torn city streets, hopeless refugees and grim civil war with the pathos of relatives torn apart by conflict.
Vivid photography, believable characterizations and a claustrophobic tale make this a worthwhile feature. The Italian film, subtitled, is likely to get good play in foreign-language venues.
Michael Farkash
THE BIG EMPTY
8:15 p.m., Monica
(also 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Monica)
It's always a pleasure when a genre gets a thoughtful twist. "The Big Empty" takes us on a bleak spin into the world of a private detective, a case of marital infidelity and the question of faith.
In this oddly stylized, sometimes dryly funny production, Lloyd Meadows (James McManus, who also wrote the script) is an alienated waiter who becomes an alienated private eye. His romantic ideals pretty much dissolve as the cases that come his way turn out to be ugly ones -- like getting the goods on unfaithful partners.
When Jane Danforth (Ellen Goldwasser) steps into his life, he finds himself attracted to her innocence and looks -- with the darker side of him torn between shattering her illusions and protecting her. Was her husband, Peter (Pablo Bryant) faithless, or is it all a misunderstanding?
Lloyd probes deeper and deeper into the couple's lives, his alliances continually shifting as some disturbing secrets are manifested.
Viewers will find themselves captivated by the plight of these three characters, even though the stylized acting work at times is so-so.
The story is rough and could benefit from more judicious editing, but director Jack Perez is someone to watch with this ambitious, worthwhile venture. Production values are decent, and music (credit Jean-Michel Michenaud) is truly interesting.
There's a good chance that this film will be one of those to make it out of the festival circuit and gain some attention from art house audiences.
Michael Farkash
Sweet Jane
10:45 p.m., Monica
(also 6 p.m. Sunday, Monica)
Taking its title from the Lou Reed song and its thematic cues from "Midnight Cowboy" and "Trainspotting", screenwriter Joe Gayton's ("Uncommon Valor", "Bulletproof") feature directorial debut nevertheless has something fresh to offer thanks mainly to its lead performances.
As Jane, a heroin addict who barely survives an overdose only to be informed she's HIV-positive, the always interesting Samantha Mathis does her most adult work to date. Meanwhile, Joseph Gordon-Levitt ("3rd Rock From the Sun"), in the role of a 15-year-old in the advanced stages of the disease who picks Jane as his guardian angel, is similarly impressive.
While the salvation motif is somewhat shopworn, the young actors infuse the production with an affecting vitality.
Michael Rechtshaffen
Saturday
PERFECT MOMENT
12:15 p.m.,
Hollywood Galaxy
(also 6 p.m. Thursday, Monica)
"If you were to die tomorrow, what moment would you most remember and how did it change your life?" More than 80 people are asked that question in "Perfect Moment", and the answers are often poignant and affecting.
Writer-director Nicholas Hondrogen, in his classy, disturbing but overlong documentary, notes that all profits are to be donated to AIDS assistance, although AIDS is only one of the preoccupations expressed here.
In the documentary are images of birth, realized mortality and rape. Composer Philip Glass and others remember the birth of their children as electrifying moments; broadcaster Larry King recalls the heart attack that changed his life; and a Los Angeles actress recalls the details of her terrifying rape.
The filmmaker also turns the camera on himself, moving nude about his apartment, expressing doubts about his film, philosophizing and even setting up some visual images -- including showing a gasping fish out of water to bring home a point about suffering.
"Perfect Moment", which won the Audience Awards at the 1997 Slamdance International Film Festival, focuses on a number of fascinating personalities. Nevertheless, the documentary could benefit from a little judicious cutting. We'd probably take more away with us if there were less voices presented.
Michael Farkash
HANDS ON A HARDBODY
1:30 p.m., Monica
(also 3 p.m. Tuesday, Hollywood Galaxy)
While the title may certainly sound provocative, the hardbody in question is actually a shiny new Nissan pick-up truck and the hands belong to two dozen Longview, Texas, hopefuls determined to take it home at the end of a grueling endurance test.
S.R. Bindler's amusing and unexpectedly stirring documentary keeps tabs on a select grouping of the competitors who must keep at least one hand on the object of their desire at all times, not counting brief hourly food and bathroom breaks. Three days later a dazed and confused winner will emerge, but along the way we get to know some of the annual contest's livelier participants.
Serving as an unofficial guide is former winner and return competitor Benny Perkins, who offers up such morsels of wisdom as "When you lose your mind, you lose the contest" with the centered tranquility of a Zen master.
Michael Rechtshaffen
MARQUISE
2:10 p.m., Mann's Chinese
(also 10 a.m. Sunday, Hollywood Galaxy)
Films about the theater are many, and, unfortunately, tend to be filmed as if they were stage presentations. Such is the aesthetic of "Marquise", a sprawling look into the backstage world of Moliere.
Centered around Marquise (Sophie Marceau), a beautiful wench who wins her way into the fabled French troupe using her dancing prowess, not to mention her pelvic gyrations, "Marquise" is certainly no marquee production. Static, verbose and distended, this French film is mired in the conventions of the stage musical. Always populated by a screenful of highly costumed yowlers, "Marquise" is a mishmash of overblown characterizations. Its feeble plottings are generally advanced by desultory dialogue, usually shouted out in turn by a bevy of background characters.
Undeniably, it does provide an educational and amusing glimpse into the inner court of Louis XIV and a peek into the less-than-sparkling incandescence of Versailles.
Duane Byrge
LOVER GIRL
7:45 p.m., Monica
(also 8:45 p.m. Tuesday, Monica)
Destined to outrage some viewers but winning points for its frank approach to a sticky subject, "Lover Girl" is a tight and well-realized comedy-drama about a runaway 16-year-old-girl (Tara Subkoff) seeking shelter and eventually employment from a tough woman (Sandra Bernhard) who manages a massage parlor where sexual activity is de rigueur. At first the lead, whose adventuresome mother has vanished, appeals to her wild sister (Kristy Swanson), but she is quickly rebuffed and seeks a friendly port elsewhere.
Subkoff is superb as the affable new girl who doesn't follow strict orders to stay away from the clients when she hangs around the parlor. One thing leads to another and she becomes a clandestine employee, but her bonding with Bernhard's character makes her jealous sister come looking for work and jumping at the chance to earn good money. Soon, both siblings end up briefly (and uncomfortably) in the same room with a customer prepared for action and the rocky extended family begins to unravel.
The ensemble cast is amply fleshed out and the lead's eventual disenchantment with all around her is preordained. But the film's end is a bit too precious given the often acidic nature of the ongoing conflicts and heated rows she's caused.
Nonetheless, "Lover Girl" is a strong feature debut from filmmaking duo Lisa Addario and Joe Syracuse and could find an enthusiastic following in limited release with the proper handling.
David Hunter
REAL STORIES OF THE DONUT MEN
10:15 p.m., Monica
(also 5 p.m. Monday, Monica)
A Latino filmmaker's skirmish with the authorities over his illegally parked car leads to a goofy voyage down the rabbit hole in "Real Stories of the Donut Men" -- Donut Men is a reference to policemen.
Juan Pelotes (Randy Gatica), after a beating by police, trips into strange territory that has only a marginal relationship to reality. Life for him turns into a sort of underground comic book, with cleverly subversive philosophizing.
In writer-director Beeaje Quick's black-and-white film, Juan suddenly becomes a computer hacker, disables the police computer, and arranges for two anarchistic punk rockers to be set up as motorcycle cops.
For a full day, the two punk rockers throw their weight around -- director Quick playing Officer Homes, and Ignacio Alvarez playing Officer God. The two cops are deadpan, mean, and on a counter-culture rampage of absolute power. They enforce street punks' right to play their boom boxes loudly. They harass beautiful women. They beat up innocent squares.
Some of the high jinks are on target, some are muddled misses. It's clear that the director is spoofing the bureaucracy, but many of his points of view are murky.
This is the stuff of midnight art house venues, where "Real Stories" may have limited cult appeal. For the viewer in search of a giddy alternative film, with Three Stooges sensibilities in the mix, there's some funny stuff.
Michael Farkash
PUNCHING THE CLOWN: A PORTRAIT OF HENRY PHILLIPS
10:30 p.m., Monica
(also 2:15 p.m. Thursday, Hollywood Galaxy)
More mockumentary than documentary, this portrait of Los Angeles-based satirical singer-songwriter Henry Phillips is at its best when it sticks to the latter.
The fictionalized portions, in which director Gregori Viens plays Phillips' affected French buddy Fabrice, aren't half as amusing as the pair apparently think they are. But "Punching the Clown" (a euphemism for a notorious solo activity) is most effective when it lets the singing do the talking.
Phillips' edgy songs, captured in black-and-white live performance footage, are actually quite good in a Tom Lehrer-meets-Lenny Bruce kind of way, with each innocent, pretty melody effectively counterpointed by a dark, downward spiral of caustic social commentary.
Michael Rechtshaffen
Sunday
ELLES
1:15 p.m., Monica
(also 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Hollywood Galaxy)
It may have enough soapy subplots to fuel a season of "Melrose Place", but what Luis Galvao Teles' "romantic comedy about the female sex" may lack in restrained refinement, it makes up for quite nicely with delectable performances from some of Europe's most fascinating actresses.
Besides looking absolutely terrific, Miou-Miou (as a school teacher who's having an affair with a lovestruck student), Marthe Keller (as said student's hypochondriacal mother and said teacher's good friend), Marisa Berenson (as the proprietor of an exclusive beauty salon) and Carmen Maura (as a busy TV journalist with a faltering marriage) do finely seasoned ensemble work along with the fifth "elle" of the title, singer-dancer Guesch Patti as a hyper chanteuse.
Life should be so glamorous.
Michael Rechtshaffen
BEST MAN
3:15 p.m., Monica
(also 7:15 p.m. Thursday, Mann's Chinese)
In 1976, documentary filmmaker Ira Wohl took home an Oscar for "Best Boy", a moving portrait of his 50-year-old, mentally retarded cousin Philly, whose aging parents were no longer able to care for him at home.
Two decades later, Wohl's equally affecting follow-up finds Philly just as spirited as ever despite the arthritis that has begun settling in on the eve of his 70th birthday. And once again, Wohl isn't exactly an innocent bystander. Having last time made an on-camera push for Philly to move into a group residence, this time he campaigns for his cousin to have his Bar Mitzvah, albeit 57 years late.
Once again Wohl's probing camera reveals a lot about family dynamics -- be it Philly's surrogate group home siblings or his colorful sister Frances, who functions as Philly's primary noninstitutional care-giver and a central figure in her own right.
Michael Rechtshaffen
THE WINGS OF A DOVE
7:30 p.m., Monica
Henry James was never more eloquently saluted than in this sterling adaptation of "The Wings of the Dove", one of his later novels. Scrumptiously realized, this Miramax release is a brilliantly polished work but one that has not been overrubbed as to wear off its human energy.
For those weary of the pretensions of the old-furniture genre -- namely those period classics that have been dusted off for highbrow audiences and presented with the detached dispatch of an elderly major-domo -- this Iain Softley-directed work is an exuberant, refined yet earthy affair.
In this gilded gem, the cast is magnificent. Helena Bonham Carter is aswirl with unresolved passions, while Linus Roache as her intrepid admirer is a keen mix of assertiveness and agony.
Duane Byrge
THE WITMAN BOYS
9:45 p.m., Monica
(also 2 p.m. Wednesday, Mann's Chinese)
For those who couldn't get enough of animal torture in "Gummo" comes "The Witman Boys", a chilly, clinical narrative of two young boys who, in the aftermath of their father's unexpected death, descend into a life of debauchery and sadism. However, this film is an unremarkable, old-stuff yarn that will enlighten no one in this Menendez brothers era.
Set on the eve of World War I in a tiny, Hungarian town, "The Witman Boys" is an icy, expressionistic tale of cunning and cruelty that, perhaps, is Hungary's version of Leopold/Loeb.
While screenwriter-director Janos Szasz ("Woyzek") intelligently lays out the boys' psychopathic proclivities, the narrative is so straightforwardly shaven as to be simplistic.
Duane Byrge
CHARACTER
10:15 p.m., Mann's Chinese
(also 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, Monica)
A winner at the recent Golden Calf Awards, the Dutch equivalent of the Oscars, Mike van Diem's ambitious directorial debut is based on a celebrated novel by F. Bordewijk set in 1920s Holland. The performance by Belgian actor Jan Decleir as a monstrous civil servant and evil parent is a standout in the engrossing but downbeat tale of an illegitimate child's frustrating youth and young adulthood in the shadow of his powerful father.
Co-starring Fredja van Huer, Victor Low and Hans Kesting, van Diem's well-paced and richly mounted film begins and ends with the circumstances surrounding the suspicious death of Decleir's chillingly remote and unforgiving character, who opposes his industrious bastard's business enterprises and otherwise appears to have an unapologetic mean streak, both toward his own flesh and blood and the poor people he evicts with such grim enjoyment.
One longs for his comeuppance, but the director does not deny him a shred of humanity while his beleaguered offspring is pushed to the breaking point and contemplates the ultimate revenge.
David Hunter
COST OF LIVING
10:30 p.m., Monica
(also 1:15 p.m. Tuesday, Monica)
A mysterious drifter named Billie finds her journey of fierce independence derailed in a small fishing village, where she runs afoul of a couple of local guys and has her bankroll stolen by person or persons unknown.
In "Cost of Living", Edie Falco brings the character of Billie to compelling life. A woman on the run, scam artist Billie doesn't take nothing from nobody. She's also closed-mouthed about herself. But the more she conceals her past, the more we want to learn about this woman.
That enigmatic, dangerous past starts catching up with Billie as she lingers too long in the town. She's been done wrong by a fisherman and stays for payback. Soon, other dangers are popping up, including the lure of true love.
Falco's hard-edged take on the role of Billie, who must eventually choose between love and survival, is heartfelt and revealing in this character-driven tale. The episodic, stop-start feel of the work does not matter that much as long as we can watch Falco in action.
Despite the memorable characters, director Stan Schofield has assembled an uneven film with too many loose threads. The plot could have been made a bit more twisty. It's unlikely "Cost of Living" will get a wide release.
Michael Farkash...
- 10/24/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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