European Movie Reviews »
Wasabi (2001) Movie Review
I am told by someone “in the know” that French action auteur Luc Besson and his favorite muse, Jean Reno, are celebrated idols in Japan. They are, to paraphrase, “big stuff” over there. What...
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Catch That Girl (2002) Movie Review
If you’re wondering if the new Danish film “Catch That Girl” (or “Klatretosen”) is your cup of tea, consider this one-line synopsis: “Three 12-year olds, desperate for money, decide to rob a bank.” If...
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Dog Soldiers (2002) Movie Review
The new British Werewolves Attack film Dog Soldiers is most interesting for fans of American horror films who have ever entertained this thought: “Gee, I wonder how other countries would approach these [insert film...
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The Lover (1991) Movie Review
Jean-Jacques Annaud’s The Lover is based on a novel by Marguerite Duras, supposedly a semi-autobiography about her early teen years in French-colonized Vietnam, where she met a rich (and much older) Chinaman (Hong Kong...
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The Beyond (1981) Movie Review
Anyone who plans on watching Lucio Fulci’s The Beyond is advised not to eat beforehand or plan on eating right after the viewing. The Beyond is a Zombies Attack film made by the same...
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The Nameless (1999) Movie Review
Jaume Balaguero’s The Nameless is a stylish psychological thriller that owes more than just a cursory homage to the works of American director David Fincher, who has revolutionize the way films are shot with...
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Enigma (2002) Movie Review
Michael Apted’s Enigma is a World War II suspense/mystery and concerns the British’s attempts to break the German code machine called Enigma. The American World War II movie U-571 breached the same subject, but...
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The Princess and the Warrior (2001) Movie Review
Writer/director Tykwer’s follow-up to his breakthrough hit, 1998′s Run Lola Run, is 2000′s The Princess and the Warrior, a film that is not about a princess, a warrior, or a magical fantasyland. The movie...
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Night of the Blind Dead (1971) Movie Review
Spanish auteur Amando de Ossorio’s Night of the Blind Dead fits into a subgenre I like to call Schlock Horror. Schlock Horror movies are so bad that they’re…well, they’re just so bad it’s impossible...
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Zombie (1979) Movie Review
I have a revolving policy when it comes to movie reviews. Depending on the movie in question, I will adjust my review parameters appropriately. Why do I do this? Because I wouldn’t dream of...
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Malena (2000) Movie Review
Malena takes place in the 1940s, as Italy gears up for war with the Allied nations, confident in its superiority and in its righteousness. The film stars the beautiful Italian actress Monica Belluci (Brotherhood...
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Paranoid (2000) Movie Review
Like some people I know, some movies think they’re more interesting than they really are. This is the case with John Duigan’s Paranoid. Paranoid stars Jessica Alba (TV’s “Dark Angel”) as Chloe, an up-and-coming...
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No Man’s Land (2001) Movie Review
The Serbian Conflict, as it’s most widely known, involved various sides for around 8 years in what is the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s. There were the Serbs, the Croats, the Bosnians, and various...
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Croupier (1998) Movie Review
I know a lot of people like the ones that appears in Mike Hodges’ Croupier, a movie about a novelist who takes a job as a casino dealer (or croupier) when he runs out...
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High Heels and Low Lifes (2001) Movie Review
I have very low expectations of movies I’ve never heard of. This may be why I’m usually very surprised by the superior quality of a lot of low-budget films (or independent films) that have...
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Ordinary Decent Criminal (2000) Movie Review
Michael Lynch, the ordinary decent criminal of the title, is an ordinary Irish fellow who happens to make a living as a professional bank (and whatever else you got) robber. He has a big...
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Amelie (2001) Movie Review
On more than one occasion in writer/director Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Amelie a character leaves his motorpad unattended and unlocked for long periods at a time, but it’s always there when he comes back for it....
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Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001) Movie Review
I will be the first to admit that my history is not as sharp or as extensive as I would like it to be, but I am reasonably sure neither the French nor the...
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Snatch (2000) Movie Review
I have only seen two Guy Ritchie movies (he’s made 3 so far) and I can reasonably determine what the third movie will be like: 1) It will have a multitude of characters, some...
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Essex Boys (2000) Movie Review
My knowledge of England and all of its districts, ‘burbs, provinces, or whatever they call them over there, is as extensive as my knowledge of, say, particle physics — which is nonexistent. So, as...
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