BBBB (out of 5) Andy Lau was recruited by a gangster boss as a teenager, sent into Hong Kong’s police academy to be a mole within the ranks and help keep criminal business prosperous. Tony Leung was expelled from police training as a young man as part of a covert operation to send him behind the lines … More Infernal Affairs (Mou Gaan Dou)
BB (out of 5) The title is the name of a ship that brings refugees to a newly forming Israel following the devastation of life for Jews in Europe during World War II. People barely clinging to survival arrive in a land already overcome with strife, shot at by the English while all around them … More Kedma
0 (out of 5) Often referred to as The Room for gay movies, this is bad to the point of being awe-inspiring. A couple await news of changes made to laws regarding same-sex marriage, prepared to leave for a trip to Hawaii to tie the knot provided it is legally possible. Things don’t go well and Arthur has … More Ben & Arthur
BBB.5 (out of 5) Director Duncan Roy fictionalizes his own wayward youth in this intelligent and affecting drama. Matthew Leitch is terrific as a teenager from dowdy Essex who escapes his father’s sexual abuse through fantasizing about being an aristocrat, a world he witnesses through his mother as she serves lunch daily to members of the … More AKA
BB (out of 5) French citizen Romain Duris decides to take advantage of the Erasmus program, an exchange that allows European citizens to study elsewhere on the continent, pursuing his goals of a post-graduate degree in the field of economics in Barcelona, Spain. Upon his arrival he is hosted by a fellow Frenchman and his beautiful … More The Spanish Apartment (L’Auberge Espanole)
KEN LOACH Bil’s rating (out of 5): BBBB. United Kingdom/Germany/Spain, 2002. Alta Films, British Broadcasting Corporation, Road Movies Filmproduktion, Scottish Screen, Sixteen Films, Tornasol Films. Screenplay by Paul Laverty. Cinematography by Barry Ackroyd. Produced by Rebecca O’Brien. Music by George Fenton. Production Design by Martin Johnson. Costume Design by Carole K. Millar. Film Editing by Jonathan Morris. Cannes Film Festival 2002. Toronto International Film Festival 2002. Just shy of … More Sweet Sixteen (2002)
BBB (out of 5) Moments of hilarious spontaneity almost overcome a weak script in this delightful romantic comedy. Nia Vardalos plays Toula, a geeky Chicago waitress who works at her father’s Greek restaurant until the day she decides to spiff up her looks, boost her confidence and start up a career of her own in travel … More My Big Fat Greek Wedding
