Alexandra Maria Lara Movies

Historically noteworthy as the first Merchant Ivory production that lacked the involvement of longtime producer Ismail Merchant (he died three years prior to this movie's release), director James Ivory's The City of Your Final Destination embodies an adaptation of Peter Cameron's 2005 novel of the same name, written for the screen by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Omar Metwally stars as Omar Razaghi, a young graduate student in the U.S. who wishes to author a biography on the late Jules Gund -- an enigmatic writer who spent his final years with his family in Uruguay, then committed suicide. Omar writes the Gund clan to request permission to pen the text, but is shocked and baffled by the family's refusal to comply. At the urging of Omar's forceful girlfriend, Dierdre (Alexandra Maria Lara), Omar books a seat about the next flight to Uruguay, visits the Gund enclave, and tries to persuade them to change their minds. Present are Gund's gay twin brother Adam (Anthony Hopkins), his widow Caroline (Laura Linney), his mistress Arden (Charlotte Gainsbourg), and his young daughter by Arden, Portia (Ambar Mallman). Omar works on the family members one by one, but runs into extreme difficulty both with Caroline -- a hateful woman bearing deep-seated resentments, who initially refuses to comply with the project at all costs -- and with Adam, who agrees to participate on the condition that Omar perform a dangerous favor in return. Meanwhile, passions begin to stir between Omar and Arden, and Dierdre decides to pay a visit. Unfortunately, The City of Your Final Destination received severely limited theatrical distribution, and failed to make much of a splash at the box office, despite favorable notices from a number of U.S. critics and Ivory's excellent track record. ~ Rovi

Director Uli Edel teams with screenwriter Bernd Eichinger to explore a dark period in German history with this drama detailing the rise and fall of the Red Army Faction, a left-wing terrorist organization that became increasingly active following World War II. Also known as the Baader-Meinhof Group, the Red Army Faction was formed by the radicalized children of the Nazi generation with the intended goal of battling Western imperialism and the West German establishment. Adapted from author Stefan Aust's definitive account of the group that resorted to killing innocent civilians in the name of democracy and justice, The Baader Meinhof Complex stars Moritz Bleibtreu as Andreas Baader and Martina Gedeck as Ulrike Meinhof. Bruno Ganz co-stars as Horst Herold, the head of the German police force faced with the task of bringing the Red Army Faction to justice. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

As the employees at a London restaurant prepare for the arrival of a high-profile Hollywood actor, it quickly becomes apparent that the five women working to make this important meal a success suffer form delusions of grandeur. In the eye of most customers they're three waitresses, a cook, and a dishwasher, but ask these dejected young workers to describe themselves and chances are you'll get an ear-full. Whether discussing weighty issues of love and art, attempting to capture a rat, or contending with a kitchen coup d'état, the workers at this restaurant are always up to something behind the scenes. Later tonight, a famous Hollywood movie star is set to dine at the restaurant, a revelation that sends each one of the imaginative workers into a tailspin of anticipation. Neve Campbell, Shirley Henderson, and Danny Huston star in a film from writer/director Oliver Parker (St. Trinians, An Ideal Husband). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Prolific music-video helmer and award-winning photographer Anton Corbijn makes his feature directorial debut with this biographical drama concerning the late Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis. Based on the book Touching from a Distance: Ian Curtis & Joy Division by the enigmatic singer's wife Deborah Curtis, Control documents the life of a legend who changed the face of modern music but never lived to witness the remarkable impact of his life's work. The time was the late 1970s, and the post-punk explosion was just gaining momentum in England. At the forefront of this movement was a band named Joy Division. Formed in 1976 and first calling themselves Warsaw, Joy Division favored mood and expression over the aggressive stance that had come to define punk rock. The band was championed by Factory Records founder Tony Wilson, and collaborated with producer Martin Hannett on the album that would become their undisputed masterpiece -- 1979's Unknown Pleasures. But despite the band's rising popularity, lead singer Curtis was not in good mental or physical health due a debilitating battle with epilepsy and an extramarital affair, and hanged himself in his Macclesfield home on the eve of the band's first U.S. tour. Newcomer Sam Riley stars opposite Samantha Morton in the film that sets out to tell the definitive story of a true rock & roll legend. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

A shared love of fish leads to a variety of romantic predicaments in this offbeat comedy from writer and director Doris Dörrie. Otto (Christian Ulmen) and Leo (Simon Verhoeven) are two men from Germany who have launched a successful business in which they import koi, the beautiful Japanese fish, for collectors in their native land. While on a business trip to Japan, Otto and Leo meet Ida (Alexandra Maria Lara), a German tourist who is studying fashion design. Ida begins traveling with the two men, and surprisingly develops an infatuation with the rumpled Otto instead of the handsome Leo. When Ida discovers she's pregnant with Otto's child, the two marry, and upon their return to Germany, Ida attempts to join in the business by creating a line of scarves decorated with koi patterns. However, the honeymoon proves short-lived, and Ida's presence creates a rift between Otto and Leo, as the latter sets up his own concern, raising koi with his new bride, Yoko (Young-Shin Kim). Meanwhile, Ida's desire to make good in the business begins to irritate Otto when she becomes chummy with the wife of his most important investor; as he grows apart from Ida, he's uncertain of what to do when Yoko boldly makes it known that she's attracted to him. Der Fischer und Seine Frau (aka The Fisherman and His Wife) received its North American premiere at the 2005 New Montreal Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A crew of construction workers simultaneously initiate a young architect into their midst while literally trying to diffuse an explosive situation in German director Peter Thorwarth's 2003 work comedy, Was Nicht Passt, Wird Passend Gemacht (If It Don't Fit, Use a Bigger Hammer). Crew leader Horst (Willi Thomczyk), with his two underlings Kalle (Ralf Richter) and Kummel (Hilmi Sözer), is ordered by their boss, Werner Wiesenkamp (Dietmar Baer), to work with the young architect Philipp (Thorwarth). Horst takes this personally, especially when the architect starts hitting on Horst's daughter Astrid (Alexandra Maria Lara). Playing a number of humbling pranks on Philipp whilst on the scene of their newest work site, the builders discover an unexpected complication: an undetonated bomb from World War II lying where the foundation of the building is to be laid. Based on the student Oscar-nominated short film of the same name -- and by the same director -- If It Don't Fit, Use a Bigger Hammer was selected as an entry for the 2003 Berlin International Film Festival. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi

Three couples with varying degrees of success in both financial and romantic matters find they know relatively little about themselves or their respective partners in director Doris Dorrie's 2002 film Naked. Successful stockbroker Dylan (Mehmet Kurtulus) and his gorgeous wife, Charlotte (Nina Hoss), host a dinner party at their lavish apartment for two other pairs of friends, the recently separated Felix (Benno Furmann) and Emilia (Heike Makatsch) and the seemingly happy Boris (Juergen Vogel) and Annette (Alexandra Maria Lara). Felix and Emilia had decided to attend the dinner as a couple, though each still has unresolved feelings towards the other. Meanwhile, Annette and Boris are on the verge of becoming engaged, though something seems to be preventing this from happening. As the night goes on, several topics are discussed -- ranging from happy memories from the past to sexual relationships. At the height of the sex conversation, an impromptu bet is made that the two intact couples would not be able to identify their respective lovers by touching their naked bodies while blindfolded. Taking the bet, Boris, Annette, Dylan, and Charlotte strip down and discover more about themselves and each other than they ever intended. Based on the play Happy also written by Dorrie, Naked was selected as a competing film at the 2002 Venice Film Festival. ~ Ryan Shriver, Rovi

Filmed in France, Hungary, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Morocco, and Canada, this ambitious biographical TV miniseries chronicles the life and times of the "Little Corporal" from Corsica who managed to conquer nearly all of Europe within a period of a dozen years. The narrative begins in the mid-1790s, as Napoleon Bonaparte (played, curiously enough, by comic actor Christian Clavier) makes his mark on posterity with spectacular victories in Austria and Egypt. On the home front, Napoleon woos and wins the lovely (and considerably older) Josephine (Isabella Rossellini), but finds time for extracurricular romances with other women, notably Countess Marie Walewska (Alexandra Maria Lara). Ultimately, Bonaparte's ambitions destroy him, first in Russia, then at Waterloo, consigning the general-cum-emperor to live out his life in humiliation and exile. When originally broadcast in France in October 2002, Napoleon ran six hours (plus commercials), with four episodes. For its American presentation on the A&E cable network beginning April 8, 2003, the production was literally sliced in half, shown in two installments with a running time of three hours. What remained was all highlights and few insights, though a few brilliant moments remained, many of these supplied by the supporting cast, which included Gérard Depardieu (who also produced) as Fouche, and John Malkovich as Talleyrand. Thankfully, the full six-hour version was made available in the U.S. on DVD and VHS in 2003. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this satire on office intrigue and middle-class status seeking, Albert (Herbert Knaup) is a ordinary middle-aged finance executive with a wife, Sabine (Andrea Sawitzki), a teenage daughter, Sandra (Alexandra Maria Lara), and a fine home in an upscale suburb of Munich. Just before Albert is about to take his family on a vacation in the South Pacific, his company is put under investigation for fraud, and suddenly a hold is put on his credit card, leaving him stranded at home. However, neither Albert nor his family want the neighbors to know what happened, so they leave their house as if going to the airport anyway, and then sneak back home to hide in the basement for the next two weeks. Able to sneak out only under cover of darkness, Albert discovers his neighbor, Helmut (Ben Becker), is after his job, which will give him plenty to think about when he's not busy trying to drain out the basement after it floods. Suedsee, Eigene Insel was the first theatrical feature from director Thomas Bahmann, who was previously noted for his televsion work. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi