foreign movie junkie

i had a sick day today. if you took a snapshot of me it'd be of me in bed with a wad of toilet paper, and snot running down my nose. so i've spent the day lazy-ing around and spoiling myself by watching movie trailers. it makes me happy :) i can talk foreign/documentary/indie movies all day. once i had a conversation that lasted an hour in the parking lot talking about movies. i grew up with a mom who loves action movies. i've probably seen every jackie chan movie out there. in high school when everyone watched old school or american pie. i'd go to the foreign section in blockbuster and rent amelie. it's not that i hate regular movies...i'm just in love with culture. i learned about regular orphan children roaming around japan in the movie nobody knows, or german aesthetic in run lola run, and human anguish from the middle east in turtles can fly, and from the african movie tsotsi. when all my friends were getting into twillight i was getting into the kite runner. maybe growing up in a different country made me be this travel/culture junkie. but i can't help it i'm in love with the different ways people live, dance, EAT. if i'm not busy getting my passport stamped...well then i'm busy watching foreign movies. here's some i'm dying to see:


Your Life in 65.

Truly one of the most charming and beautiful films to come out of Spanish cinema in the past year, YOUR LIFE IN 65 is a bittersweet story of love, friendship and death. Twenty-something mates Francisco, Ignacio, and Dani meet for their Sunday rituals: a paella, a dip in the sea. After spotting an obituary for a schoolmate, they decide to attend the funeral. They realize it wasnt him. Confusion turns to coincidence as they meet a couple of young women who will disrupt their perfect summers day.With an attractive cast, a witty script, playful pop soundtrack featuring music by the obligations, snowglobe, javier alvarez, and beautiful Barcelona as backdrop, Your Life In 65 treats its subjects with the lightest touch.



The Wedding Song

Nour and Myriam, 16, have been friends since childhood. They share the same house in a modest neighbourhood where Jews and Muslims live in harmony. Each one secretly desires the other girl's life: while Nour regrets that she doesn't go to school like her friend, Myriam dreams of love. She is envious of Nour's engagement to her cousin Khaled, a sort of fantasy of the charming Arabian prince that they both share. Unfortunately, Khaled cannot find work. The engagement lingers and the prospect of a carnal union grows more distant. In November 1942, the German army enters Tunis. Pursuing the policies of the Vichy regime, the Nazis impose a heavy fine on the Jewish community. Tita, Myriam's mother, no longer has the right to work. Crippled with debts, she decides to marry her daughter to a rich doctor. Myriam sees her dreams of love suddenly fade away. An official selection at the Palm Springs International Film Festival & New York Jewish Film Festival.



Mother

Hye-ja is a single mom to 27-year-old Do-joon. Her son is her raison dêtre. Though an adult in years, Do-joon is naïve and dependent on his mother, and a constant source of anxiety, often behaving in ways that are foolish or simply dangerous. Walking home alone one night down a nearly empty city street, he encounters a young girl who he follows for a while before she disappears into a dark alley. The next morning, she is found dead in an abandoned building and Do-joon is accused of her murder. Thanks to an inefficient lawyer and an apathetic police force, Do-joons case is quickly closed, but his mother refuses to let this be the end of the story. Trusting no one, Hye-jas maternal instincts kick into overdrive, and she sets out to find the girls killer and prove her sons innocence.



North Face

Based on a true story, North Face is a suspenseful adventure film about a competition to climb the most dangerous rock face in the Alps. Set in 1936, as Nazi propaganda urges the nations Alpinists to conquer the unclimbed north face of the Swiss massif — the Eiger — two reluctant German climbers begin their daring ascent. From Music Box Films

p.s. today would have been a good day to have a dog to keep me company.