MV5BZjhkNzVkYjAtMGMzMi00Y2JjLWFkMzgtNjQ3Mzk2YThhZWExXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjc5Mjg0NjU@._V1_SY1000_SX675_AL_.jpg — Border (2018)

**Directed by: Ali Abbasi**
**Starring: Eva Melander, Eero Milonoff, Jorgen Thorsson**
**Rated: R for Some Sexual Content, Graphic Nudity, A Bloody Violent Image, and Language**
**Running Time: 1 h 50 m**
**TMM Score: 4 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Original Story, Makeup, Writing**
**WEAKNESSES: -**

Border (2018)

February 22, 2019

While aiding the police in an investigation, a customs officer who can smell fear develops an unusual attraction to a strange man.

cw 1.jpg — Cold War (2018)

**Directed by: Pawel Pawlikowski**
**Starring: Joanna Kulig, Tomasz Kot, Borys Szyc**
**Rated: R**
**Running Time: 1h 29m**
**TMM Score: 4 Stars**
**STRENGTHS: Cinematography**
**WEAKNESSES: Lack of Emotional Connection**

Cold War (2018)

February 21, 2019

A talented music director and his star performer fall in love but frustrated by Communist controlled Poland’s “requirements” for his art, he and his lover disagree about leaving Poland.

Alita: Battle Angel (2019)

February 15, 2019

A cyborg without memory searches for herself and her place in a violent and chaotic world.

MV5BMTQ5NTg5ODk4OV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwODc4MTMzMDE@._V1_.jpg — Blue is the Warmest Color (2013)

**Directed by: Abellatif Kechiche**
**Starring: Adele Exarchopoulos, Lea Seydoux, Salim Kechiouche**
**Rated: NC-17 for Explicit Sexual Content**
**Running Time: 3 h**
**TMM Score: 5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Writing, Directing, Story, Acting**
**WEAKNESSES: -**

Blue is the Warmest Color (2013)

February 14, 2019

Adele, a young schoolteacher in France, has a life altering awakening when she meets Emma, an artist with blue hair.

MV5BNThmOGEzNWEtNWFkZC00MzgzLTllNjctYjc0YjAzYWY0MTU0XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODA4ODIwNDM@._V1_.jpg — Burning (2018)

**Directed by: Chang-dong Lee**
**Starring: Ah-in Yoo, Steven Yeun, Jong-seo Jun**
**Rated: NR (Suggested R for Some Sexuality and Nudity, and Brief Drug Use and Violence)**
**Running Time: 2 h 28 m**
**TMM Score: 5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Writing, Directing, Themes, Atmosphere**
**WEAKNESSES: -**

Burning (2018)

February 1, 2019

A man runs into a woman that he used to know by chance and they form a tenuous friendship. After the woman returns from a trip, she introduces him to her new mysterious friend.

Roma (2018)

January 25, 2019

A year in the life of a maid living in Mexico City during the 1970s.

The Lobster (2015)

January 16, 2019

In an alternate and twisted modern/future society, single men and women have 45 days in a singles hotel to find a mate whilst attending mixers, dances, and hunts. If they fail, they are transformed into an animal of their choosing.

Tess (1979)

January 3, 2019

Tess Durbeyfield, a young and innocent farm girl, attempts to rise above her meager station by becoming a servant to a distant relation, when she arrives, circumstances much beyond her control drastically change her life.

MV5BMTg1NzQwMDQxNV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDg2NDYyNjM@._V1_.jpg — The Favourite (2018)

**Directed by: Yorgos Lanthimos**
**Starring: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicolas Hoult**
**Rated: R for Strong Sexual Content, Nudity, and Language**
**Running Time: 1 h 59 m**
**TMM Score: 5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Writing, Directing, Characters, Unique Cinematography, Production Design, Acting, Pacing**
**WEAKNESSES: -**

The Favourite (2018)

December 24, 2018

The frail Queen Anne takes advice from her confidant and secret lover Lady Sarah, whom effectively runs the kingdom, until an outsider named Abigail challenges the relationship of the Queen and Lady Sarah, testing it’s strength for her own benefit.

81nKPIXzkUL._RI_.jpg — Dragonslayer (1981)

**Directed by: Matthew Robbins**
**Starring: Peter MacNicol, Caitlin Clarke, John Hallam**
**Rated: PG**
**Running Time: 1 h 49 m**
**TMM Score: 3.5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Story, Production Design, Tone**
**WEAKNESSES: Annoying Protagonist, Predictability (?)**

Dragonslayer (1981)

December 20, 2018

A young sorcerer’s apprentice is recruited by knights from a distant land to slay a dragon.

MV5BZjBhNjQ2NmYtYzMwYi00ZGM5LTgwN2YtOWZkZjZkOTQyNGZlL2ltYWdlL2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjc1NTYyMjg@._V1_.jpg — La Strada (1954)

**Directed by: Federico Fellini**
**Starring: Anthony Quinn, Giulietta Masina, Richard Basehart**
**Rated: NR (Suggested PG-13 for Suggestive Content and Brief Violence)**
**Running Time: 1 h 48 m**
**TMM Score: 4.5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Writing, Directing, Acting**
**WEAKNESSES: -**

La Strada (1954)

December 12, 2018

A jovial girl is sold to a traveling entertainer, and learns to endure life with all it’s ups and downs.

MV5BNzE4ZmVmZDEtNTY0NS00OThhLTkzODAtOTY4MDRhOGU4ZDQwXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTIyNzY1NzM@._V1_SY999_CR0,0,708,999_AL_.jpg — Sawdust and Tinsel (1953)

**Directed by: Ingmar Bergman**
**Starring: Albert Johansson, Harriet Andersson, Hasse Ekman, Anders Ek, Annika Tretow**
**Rated: NR (Suggested R for Some Nudity and Sexual Material)**
**Running Time: 1 h 33 m**
**TMM Score: 4 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Writing, Themes, Directing, Cinematography**
**WEAKNESSES: Pacing (?)**

Sawdust and Tinsel (1953)

December 11, 2018

A poor ringleader for a traveling circus returns home to his wife after three years away, making his mistress jealous and angry.

alex-tsoucas-the-man-who-fell-to-earth-poster-variant-arts.jpg — The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

**Directed by: Nicolas Roeg**
**Starring: David Bowie, Rip Torn, Candy Clark**
**Rated: R**
**Running Time: 2 h 19 m**
**TMM Score: 5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Directing, Writing, Editing, Cinematography, Acting, Unconventionality**
**WEAKNESSES: -**

The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976)

December 10, 2018

An alien poses as a human in an attempt to return to his dying planet, but the distractions of a human woman and the greed of man continually complicate things.

MV5BODhmMDFlNTAtMmQ4YS00MzRkLTlkNTUtMDcyMzkxNmU1YTBjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMzU0NzkwMDg@._V1_.jpg — Cold Water (1994)

**Directed by: Oliver Assayas**
**Starring: Virginie Ledoyen, Cyprien Fouquet, Laszlo Szabo**
**Rated: NR (Suggested R for Some Language and Brief Nudity)**
**Running Time: 1 h 32 m**
**TMM Score: 5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Writing, Characters, Directing, Acting, Cinematography, Soundtrack**
**WEAKNESSES: -**

Cold Water (1994)

December 7, 2018

A rebellious teenage couple finds out that the girl in the relationship is to be sent away, and they decide the only way to escape is to run from their problems.

focus_8c00_Poster France.jpg — Belle De Jour (1967)

**Directed by: Luis Bunuel**
**Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Jean Sorel, Michel Piccoli, Genevieve Page**
**Rated: R**
**Running Time: 1 h 40 m**
**TMM Score: 4.5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Writing, Directing, Acting, Cinematography**
**WEAKNESSES: -**

Belle De Jour (1967)

December 6, 2018

A young Parisian housewife spends her afternoons working as a prostitute in a brothel.

d 4.jpg — Day for Night (1973)

**Directed by: Francois Truffaut**
**Starring: Jacqueline Bisset, Jean-Pierre Leaud, Francois Truffaut**
**Rated: PG**
**Running Time: 1h 55m**
**TMM Score: 5 Stars**
**STRENGTHS: Beautiful Reflection of Reality**
**WEAKNESSES: Glosses Over Tragedy**

Day For Night (1973)

December 6, 2018

Summary

A film crew struggles to finish their film as personal struggles, relationships, scheduling complications, and crises arise.

A Film for Film Makers

I was looking forward to this film as I worked through France for our Road Trip. He's one of the few classic French directors whose films I had actually seen. Well, I watched one, "The 400 Blows," and it was in film school, but I loved it and was pumped to take my next step into his world.
I had heard that it was a delightful, funny, and heartfelt film and I have to say I agree completely with that sentiment. Many people's view of foreign film is of a black and white, subtitled, and slow film but Truffaut shows how ignorant this view is.
A bright airy laughter filled film is only accented by moments of tragedy as a cadre of filmmakers overcome obstacles, even when those obstacles are themselves, in order to create a work of art. Usually, I'm about 50/50 on movies about movies but this one had me because it was more about the process of film making and why it is so addictive to those who do it.

There is no other craft like it and the relationships you form with the people you do it with are some of the deepest and most trust driven you can experience. I met my co-conspirator on True Myth Media, Seth Steele, on the first feature film we ever worked on and it is a frequent struggle for the loved ones of such addicted artists that they feel like they are competing for love with a movie.

This film shows why that is in a whimsical yet technical way, showing the diversity of roles and personalities one encounters on a production. The number of times I thought to myself as watching this movie, "Oh man, that reminds me of so-and-so," is high. It was a bit of a nostalgia trip making me long for home. My home away from home. My cheap hotels, long hours, stolen moments, and the crescendo of wrapping.

What is there to say about the acting, cinematography, and production design? It's a love letter to film making by a master film maker and his team of film makers. Of course, it is wonderful all 'round. It's failures are the failures of romantic poetry. The heart is on the sleeve and no one is ashamed to say how they feel.

When I finished it, I was torn between wanting to write, wanting to find out if there is a production gearing up, or trying to get my family to watch this film. I landed on recommending it to all of you; my film family and friends. For you to see and understand a piece of my passion for film making and hopefully how it mirrors those things for which you have passion.

Author's Bio Page

Review Written By:

Michael Mcdonald

Breathless (1960)

December 5, 2018

A French ne'er-do-well steps up from boosting cars and penny ante crimes when he kills a police officer. As the French police close in he attempts to convince a young American student to skip town with him to Italy.

MV5BMWFjZjRiM2QtZmRkOC00MDUxLTlhYmQtYmY5ZTNiMTI5Nzc2L2ltYWdlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTAyODkwOQ@@._V1_.jpg — Le Samourai (1967)

**Directed by: Jean-Pierre Melville**
**Starring: Alain Delon, Francois Perier, Nathalie Delon**
**Rated: NR**
**Running Time: 1 h 41 m**
**TMM Score: 5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Style, Acting, Directing, Soundtrack**
**WEAKNESSES: -**

Le Samourai (1967)

December 4, 2018

A professional hitman lives a life of solitude in order to keep things simple, but when there is a witness to his latest contract, things get complicated.

71TJJ1zpKFL._RI_.jpg — Hour of the Wolf (1968)

**Directed by: Ingmar Bergman**
**Starring: Max Von Sydow, Liv Ullman, Ingrid Thulin**
**Rated: NR (Suggested PG-13 for Some Disturbing Themes and Brief Violence)**
**Running Time: 1 h 30 m**
**TMM Score: 4 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Story, Acting, Directing, Cinematography**
**WEAKNESSES: Pacing (Maybe? I mean, it’s Bergman, what do you expect?)**

Hour of the Wolf (1968)

November 29, 2018

An artist and his younger pregnant wife retreat to an island, where the husband can paint. While there, the artist confronts secrets from his past that slowly drive him mad.

MV5BMGM4M2Q5N2MtNThkZS00NTc1LTk1NTItNWEyZjJjNDRmNDk5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjA0MDQ0Mjc@._V1_.jpg — The Princess Bride (1988)

**Directed by: Rob Reiner**
**Starring: Robin Wright, Mandy Patinkin, Cary Elwes, Andre The Giant, Wallace Shawn, Christopher Guest, Chris Sarandon, Fred Savage, Peter Falk, Billy Crystal**
**Rated: PG**
**Running Time: 1 h 38 m**
**TMM Score: 5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Pretty Much Everything**
**WEAKNESSES: -**

The Princess Bride (1988)

November 23, 2018

While home sick from school, a young boy’s grandfather reads him a book titled, The Princess Bride.

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Summary

A Film for Film Makers

Michael Mcdonald