Tarak Ben Ammar Movies

A naïve Palestinian teen gradually awakens to her people's plight after being raised in an orphanage opened to care for children rendered homeless following the partitioning of Palestine in 1948. Shortly after the state of Israel was created, Hind Husseini (Hiam Abbass) was on her way to work when she noticed more than 50 Palestinian children wandering aimlessly through the streets. Concerned for their well-being, she vowed to ensure that the children were sheltered and well-fed. By the time six months had passed, Husseini had taken in nearly 2,000 orphaned children, and created the Dar Al-Tifel Institute, which operated under the philosophy that peace can only be achieved through education. Enter seven-year-old Miral (Freida Pinto), who was sent by her father to live in the Dar Al-Tifel Institute following her mother's death in 1978. Far too young to comprehend the ongoing struggle between the Jews and Palestinians at the time she entered the institute, Miral remained blissfully ignorant of the conflict taking place just outside her walls until she accepted a teacher's position at a refugee camp at the age of 17. As the reality of the ongoing conflict comes into focus for Miral, she enters into a romance with Hani (Omar Metwally), an outspoken political activist intent on taking back Palestine by force. Seduced by Hani's passion yet uncertain that violence is the answer, Miral begins to weigh the benefits of direct action against the more peaceful and deliberate approach to independence favored by her longtime mentor. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Precocious 11-year-old Paloma (Garance LeGuillermic) befriends prickly, homely janitor Renée (Josiane Balasko) and bears witness to a most unlikely romance in director Mona Achache's adaptation of author Muriel Barbery's best-seller. A young girl prone to deep philosophizing, Paloma is acutely aware of life's disappointments. Her parents hardly acknowledge her existence, and unless things start to look up soon Paloma plans to simply commit suicide. Matronly Renée is the custodian in the building where Paloma lives with her parents. In her spare time, Renée likes nothing better than to curl up with a good book from her extensive personal library. The frumpy building superintendent has just relegated herself to a life alone when courteous Japanese businessman Kakuro (Togo Igawa) moves in and sees something in her that most people don't. But Paloma isn't like most people, and perhaps if the young cupid can find a way to get Renée and Kakuro together, she'll finally have enough evidence to conclude that life is well worth living, despite the daily struggles we must all endure. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Adrien Brody and Penélope Cruz star as legendary Spanish matador Manolete and his tempestuous girlfriend Lupe Sino, respectively, in director/screenwriter Menno Meyjes' tale of love and bullfighting. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Curious filmgoers looking to get better acquainted with the silver screen's most notorious cannibalistic serial killer are sure to get their fair share of shocks and thrills as director Peter Webber teams with author Thomas Harris to explore the early life of well-read psychopath Hannibal Lecter. Based on author Harris' gruesome novel of the same name, Hannibal Rising travels back in time to World War II-era Lithuania, where an impressionable, well-to-do young boy named Hannibal (Gaspard Ulliel) was forced to watch helplessly as his family was massacred and his young sister suffered a terrifying fate at the hands of desperate, famished soldiers. After seeking temporary shelter at the Soviet orphanage that was once his family's home, Hannibal later flees to Paris in search of his long-lost uncle. Though his uncle has passed away, his uncle's beautiful Japanese widow, Lady Murasaki (Gong Li), warmly accepts the frightened orphan into her home. But even the love and kindness of this generous stranger isn't enough to calm the raging storm that is brewing inside this troubled young boy. Plagued by nightmares and determined to seek vengeance on the murderous war criminals who brutalized his family, the profoundly disturbed but academically gifted Hannibal enrolls in medical school in order to hone the skills that will allow him to exact horrific justice. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Two former government agents square off as they search for the most deadly new weapon on Earth in this white-knuckle thriller. Sever (Lucy Liu) was once a top agent with the Defense Intelligence Agency, but she quit when her son was killed in a bungled raid organized by Gant (Gregg Henry), and has sworn to take vengeance against him and his colleagues. When Sever learns that Gant and his team are in possession of a remarkable new weapon -- a microscopic device injected into the victim's bloodstream which is benign until triggered, then kills immediately without leaving a trace -- she is determined to get her hands on it, whatever the cost. However, Gant has turned rogue, and FBI agent Julio Martin (Miguel Sandoval) has been ordered to find him and recover his new weapon. Martin needs the best man he can find for the job, and calls upon Jeremiah Ecks (Antonio Banderas), a former FBI tracker, to do the job. Ecks quit the Bureau when his wife was killed, but Martin informs Ecks that his spouse is actually alive and in hiding, and if he can bring in Gant, she will be returned to him. But Ecks has to face the most formidable adversary of his life in Sever, a master of mayhem bent on revenge. Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever was the first English-language feature from Thai filmmaker Wych Kaosayananda (aka Kaos), whose first feature Fah was a box-office blockbuster in his homeland. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Directed by Martyn Burke, Avenging Angelo centers around the life of bodyguard Frank (Sylvester Stallone) and his client, neurotic socialite Jennifer (Madeleine Stowe). Frank must constantly fight his emotions in order to maintain a strictly professional relationship with Jennifer, who has recently broken if off with her unfaithful husband. Matters are complicated further when Frank accidentally leads the sworn enemies of Jennifer's father, Mafia bigwig Angelo (Anthony Quinn), to her doorstep. Things are looking up for Jennifer, or so she thinks, when she meets Marcello (Raoul Bova), whom she believes to be a novelist. Unfortunately, Marcello is not what he claimed to be, and she finds herself in danger once more. With Frank by her side, she takes on the mob, and eventually, her feelings. Avenging Angelo was the late Anthony Quinn's final role. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi

A handful of young knights are given the grave responsibility of rescuing one of the most sacred relics in Christianity in this lavish historical epic. In the year 1272, the bloody swath of the Crusades has swept much of Europe, and King Louis IX of France dies after a battle in Tunisia. After the king's demise, the Holy Shroud (the cloth with which Jesus' body was believed to have been wrapped following his crucifixion) goes missing, and four young knights who served under him -- Simon of Clarendon (Edward Furlong), Rainiei di Panico (Marco Leonardi), Vanni delle Rondini (Thomas Kretschmann), and Jean de Cent Acres (Stanislas Merhar) -- take it upon themselves to find the shroud . Travelling with the knights is Giacomo (Raoul Bova), an assistant to Rondini who learned from a wicked blacksmith a valuable secret -- a method for making magical swords that cannot be broken. As the knights scour the land in search of the shroud, they encounter Delfinello (F. Murray Abraham), another searcher attempting to find the shroud, who persuades the knights to join him as he sets sail to the Holy Land in his quest. I Cavalieri Che Fecero L'impresa was shot in Italy with an international cast and crew; while the original version was filmed in Italian, an English-language version of the film was also shot with an eye towards an American release. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

If you've seen the theatrical feature Dead Calm or the made-for-TV Adrift, you should have a pretty good idea of what the USA Network TV movie Voyage has in store for you. "Nothing outside but the sea...Nothing inside but the terror" promised the print ads. Eric Roberts, Connie Nielsen, Rutger Hauer and Karen Allen play four passengers on a sailboat in the middle of the Mediterranean. One of the couples owns the boat; the other couple is a pair of psychopaths. Examine the cast and take a guess as to who plays who. Voyage debuted June 2, 1993. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The modest, highly praised, award-winning cinematic production designer Pierre Guffroy is the subject of this reportedly somewhat uneven documentary. Among the notable directors he worked for were Luis Buñuel, François Truffaut, Milos Forman, Jean Cocteau and Roman Polanski; not only that, but he was the designer for many of their most famous films. Some of these gentlemen, as well as actors Nastassja Kinski and Harrison Ford, discuss the man and his work. The designer indicates that though he is looking for very precise effects, he always takes the difficulties of shooting into account, and does not demand impossible shots from the cinematographers. ~ Clarke Fountain, Rovi

This biographical costume drama from director Franco Zeffirelli covers the early life of Arturo Toscanini and stars C. Thomas Howell as the famous composer. When Arturo lands a job with the orchestra of Claudio Rossi (John Rhys-Davies), he soon finds himself bound for a tour of South America and lands in idyllic Rio. Arturo is given the task of convincing the famed prima donna diva Nadina Bulichoff (Elizabeth Taylor) to rehearse for an upcoming show with the orchestra, but in the process, Toscanini attempts to change the minds of both Nadina and her lover, Brazilian Emperor Don Pedro II (Philippe Noiret) on the issue of slavery. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Although the title evokes a swashbuckling adventure, Roman Polanski's Pirates tuns out to be a seagoing tale with a bit of a difference. Captain Red (Walter Matthau) runs a hardy pirate ship with the able assistance of Frog, a dashing young French sailor (Cris Campion). One day Capt. Red is captured and taken aboard a Spanish galleon, but thanks to his inventiveness, he raises the crew to mutiny, takes over the ship, and kidnaps the daughter of the governor of Maracaibo (Charlotte Lewis, soon to co-star in The Golden Child opposite Eddie Murphy). The question is, can he keep this pace up? ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

Considered more as a vehicle to display Jean-Paul Belmondo than as an independent, wartime action story, Les Morfalous rides the crest of the French actor's popularity and delivers a tale that highlights his persona. Belmondo is a member of the French Foreign Legion sent with others to Tunisia in 1943 to recover a fortune in gold from a certain French bank before the Germans get to it. Then the Legionnaires are ambushed by German troops and the few left alive manage to get hold of the treasure but they cannot agree on what to do with their booty. Between their disagreements and the surrounding German army, the action heats up. Belmondo fans will be disappointed that he does not perform any of his famous stunts in this film -- always a drawing card -- and some viewers may find the humor too crude. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi