Oana Pellea Movies
An athlete recalls his troubled youth while helping to coach a talented but headstrong youngster in this drama from Hungarian filmmaker Szabolcs Hajdu. Miklos Dongo (Miklos Zoltan Hajdu) is a world class gymnast who competed in the Olympics before taking on his current career as a performer with Cirque du Soleil. Miklos has been hired to help coach some contenders for the Canadian Olympic team, and finds himself working with Kyle Manjak (Kyle Shewfelt), an unusually talented young man whose mood swings make him difficult to work with. As Miklos tries to help Kyle focus his talents and come to terms with his demons, he finds himself frequently looking back on his own early career as a gymnast in Hungary -- his brutal coach Puma (Gheorghe Dinica), his domineering parents (Andor Lukats and Oana Pellea), and the grim regimen that led him to run away from home to join an acrobatics troupe. Coaching brings some of Miklos's personal issues back to the surface and he is confronted by the violent side of his nature while training Kyle. Miklos Zoltan Hajdu, who plays Miklos Dongo, is the brother of director Szabolcs Hajdu as well as an Olympic-class gymnast; he's played as a younger man by Orion Radies and Silas Radies. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Miklos Zoltan Hajdu, Orion Radies, (more)
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, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Neve Campbell, Shirley Henderson, (more)
Y Tu Mamá También and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban director Alfonso Cuarón returns to the helm to tell this futuristic tale in which society is without hope since humankind lost its ability to procreate. The year is 2027, and women can no longer give birth. The youngest inhabitant of the planet has just died at the age of 18, and all hope for humanity has been lost. As civilization descends into chaos, a dying world finds one last chance for survival in the form of a woman who has become inexplicably pregnant. Now, as warring nationalistic sects clash and British leaders try to maintain their totalitarian stronghold on the country, a disillusioned bureaucrat (Clive Owen) is brought back into the fold of activism by his guerrilla ex-wife (Julianne Moore). Reluctantly, he takes on the daunting task of escorting Kee (Claire-Hope Ashitey), the refugee who represents humankind's last hope for survival, out of harm's way and into the care of a mysterious organization known as The Human Project. Chiwetel Ejiofor, Charlie Hunnam, and Michael Caine co-star in this adaptation of author P.D. James's gripping 1992 novel. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Clive Owen, Julianne Moore, (more)
French filmmaker Alexandre Aja writes and directs the slasher film Haute Tension, given the English title Switchblade Romance. Best friends Marie (Cécile De France) and Alex (Maïwenn Le Besco) go out to the countryside to visit Alex's parents. However, a homicidal delivery man (played by Philippe Nahon from Gaspar Noé's brutal movies) ends up at their house and starts killing everyone. Alex and Marie fight for their lives with help from several means of weaponry. Switchblade Romance was shown at the 2003 Toronto Film Festival as part of the Midnight program. The film was aquired by US distributor Lions Gate Films in 2004 and quickly put into turnaround as an NC-17 release, though plans for that were scrapped due to a lack of theater support of the controversial rating. Retitled High Tension, the R-rated version is missing one minute of grisly gore and features a redubbed audio track by star Cécile De France. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cécile De France, Maïwenn Le Besco, (more)
