Nathanael Karmitz Movies
- 2009
A tragic accident opens up a rift between a young teen and his older brother in this introspective tale of familial conflict from Israel. There was a time when 14-year-old Zion would have never questioned his 17-year-old sibling, Meir. Then came the accident, and everything changed. Bottling up the secret until it threatens to consume him from the inside out, Zion finally summons the courage to stand up for himself and take responsibility for his own life. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2009
For generations, children around the world have enjoyed the classic fairy tale of Puss 'n' Boots (or, in France, Le Chat botté), the endlessly clever granary cat who uses a wealth of clever ploys (and a magic spell or two) to help his master gain fame, riches and true love with a princess. The story receives a new interpretation in this French-language animated feature from co-directors Jerome Deschamps, Pascal Hérold and Macha Makeïeff, with vocal work by Deschamps (as the feline, Yolande Moreau (as The Queen), Louise Wallon (as The Princess)., and Jean-Claude Bolle-Reddat (as Chambellan, the cat's master). ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jerome Deschamps, Yolande Moreau, (more)
- 2009
Gerard Depardieu, Oliver Marchal, and Asia Argento star in this thriller about a Paris police officer who puts his own career on the line to help his lifelong friend, a crooked narcotics cop who does some drug trafficking on the side. Mat works the night beat in the city, and his best friend Franck works in the drug squad. But after busting the local drug dealers, Franck turns a tidy profit by selling their product at cut-rate prices. When Franck gets in over his head, it's up to Mat to help and old friend by taking matters into his own hands. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gérard Depardieu, Olivier Marchal, (more)
Three siblings must come to terms with their mother's mortality as they decide what to do with her valuable belongings in this warm family drama from filmmaker Olivier Assayas. Hélène Berthier (Edith Scob) is about to turn 75, and her children are gathering at her home in the country for a party. Adrienne (Juliette Binoche) has flown in from New York City, where she lives with her boyfriend, James (Kyle Eastwood). Jérémie (Jérémie Renier) has taken a rare break from his globe-trotting business interests to stop by with his wife (Valérie Bonneton). And Frédéric (Charles Berling), the only one who lives close enough to visit regularly, has also come with his spouse, Lisa (Dominique Reymond). Hélène has inherited a large and valuable collection of art from her brother, and with her health beginning to fail, she approaches Frédéric and asks that he, Jérémie, and Adrienne come up with a plan to deal with the pieces after her death. Frédéric wants to keep the collection together and see if they can persuade a gallery to purchase and present them as a set. Jérémie and Adrienne have other ideas, but as he's pondering a business opportunity in China and she's planning on settling in America for good, they don't have as much influence over the final decision as Frédéric. L'Heure d'Été (aka Summer Hours) was produced in part by the celebrated French art gallery Musée d'Orsay, and was one of a handful of films created to honor the museum in its 20th anniversary year. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Juliette Binoche, Charles Berling, (more)
Fate starts making trouble for a high-spirited young couple in this wildly offbeat French comedy. Dom (Dominique Abel) and Fiona (Fiona Gordon) spend their days as teachers at a grade school in a small town, and by night they motor off to the big city and dazzle the crowds at dance contests with their moves on the floor. After picking up a trophy at a competition one evening, Dom and Fiona are driving home when a man with a death wish dashes into the road. They manage to avoid hitting him, but lose control of their car and end up in a serious accident. The next morning, Fiona discovers she's lost one of her legs, while Dom has suffered brain damage that's causes his powers of memory to go haywire. Plucky Dom and Fiona try to go on with their lives as if nothing has changed, but despite their high spirits and can-do attitude, reality has a habit of getting in the way -- Fiona has a hard time leaning to use crutches and accidentally sets her artificial limb on fire, while Dom's attempts at cooking are hampered by his inability to remember what ingredients he's already put into the mix. Stars Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon also wrote and directed Rumba in collaboration with Bruno Romy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Dominique Abel, Fiona Gordon, (more)
- 2007
Four lost souls in search of a connection are brought together by fate on a quiet Christmas Eve in the feature directorial debut of actor-turned-director Jalil Lespert. It's the day before Christmas, and as bleach-blonde prostitute Helly (Lubna Azabal) wakes up next to an anonymous john, all she can think about is collecting her cash and scoring a fix. Humiliated by her pimp and denied visitation with her son until the following day, Helly collapses into the off-duty cab of unpredictable taxi driver Didier (Benoît Magimel) -- who has recently robbed his place of employment and now seeks to find a suitable female to pose as his fiancée. Generously compensating the damaged Helly for her valuable time, Didier and his temporary bride-to-be soon make their way to the hospital for a brief visit with the cabbie's comatose father. Later, Helly meets up with conflicted lesbian Marie (Bérangère Allaux) before hitting the disco with lonely and unstable bachelor Chris (Sami Bouajila). Years ago, Chris' father committed suicide after being severely criticized by jazz musician Marcus Briggs (Archie Shepp). Now, as Marie attempts to come to terms with her egocentric mother and Chris reels from an emotionally-charged encounter with Briggs, the night begins to fall and the hope for a better tomorrow is all that anyone has to cling to. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Benoît Magimel, Lubna Azabal, (more)
An aimless 20-year-old with a penchant for following the rules receives a mysterious set of instructions that lead him down a path from which he may never return in director Géla Babluani's tense tale of death and chance. Sébastien has come into possession of a train ticket and a mysterious set of instructions. Though he is unsure of exactly what fate awaits him when he arrives at his destination, one thing is certain: these items were most certainly not meant for him. Bored by his uneventful existence and hungering for something new, Sébastien boards the outbound train and takes his first bold steps into an unknown future. But the world can be a cruel and unforgiving place filled with unfeeling men to whom human life means little more than a lost wager, and if Sébastien is to make it through his harrowing journey alive he must keep his wits about him and pray that luck is on his side. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- George Babluani, Aurélien Recoing, (more)
A teenage skateboarder has a run-in with a security guard that results in the man's death. Confused, fearful, and evasive, the teen wanders the streets of Portland as his life takes a turn for the worse in director Gus Van Sant's screen adaptation of author Blake Nelson's grim coming-of-age tome. Alex (Gabe Nevins) is a withdrawn 16-year-old boy who has recently discovered Paranoid Park -- a massive skate park in Portland, OR. The Portland skate punks built Paranoid Park so they could have a place to cruise the concrete without being hassled by the cops. One day, after befriending a local skater and anarchist at the park, Alex decides that a little adventure might be just the thing to help him forget about his problems back home. When Alex and his new friend attempt to hop a train and a security guard gives chase, tragedy strikes so quickly that the two teens are barely able to comprehend what has just happened. In the aftermath of the fatal accident, one man is robbed of life and two teens are left to ponder the consequences of their youthful recklessness. Alex doesn't think that anyone will believe him if he explains how events really unfolded that night, but why would anyone have cause to think he wasn't telling the truth in the first place? As the police launch an investigation into the death and Alex begins to express himself in a deeply personal diary, the audience is able to experience the pain and confusion of adolescence from the perspective of a young boy who was only seeking to escape from reality when suddenly confronted by the concept of mortality. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gabe Nevins, Taylor Momsen, (more)
