PG-13 (MPAA) in Foreign DVDs & Videos

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The first feature film to emerge from Iraq after the American-led take-down of Saddam Hussein, Bhaman Ghobadi's TURTLES CAN FLY is a profoundly moving reminder that war spares nobody--not even a child--in its horrid wake. Between the borders of Iran and Turkey, the residents of an Iraqi Kurdistan village wait anxiously for the violent arrival of the United States military. Satellite (Soran Ebrahim) is an ambitious adolescent who organizes the clearing of minefields and helps to install equipment that brings news from the outside world to his sheltered community. Meanwhile, three orphans are wandering aimlessly. Agrin (Avaz Latif) is intent on ditching the helpless three-year-old that she and her armless brother Henkov (Hirsh Feyssal) have been caring for. Henkov has the gift of premonition, yet unfortunately all of his visions point towards a tragic end. As the planes arrive and Saddam is removed from power once and for all, these innocent children must still confront the bleak reality that awaits them. Casting nonprofessional actors with actual war-inflicted handicaps and deformities, Ghobadi's film breathes with an immediacy that makes it impossible to ignore. The heartbreaking performances of the children only add to the film's power. In refusing to choose a political side and instead taking a humanitarian approach to the subject matter, Ghobadi has delivered a deeply touching condemnation of war that deserves to be seen by audiences all over the world.

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From the creator of LA CAGE AUX FOLLES comes a tasty comedy of (table) manners. Pierre and his snobbish friends enjoy a cruel tradition, hosting dinner parties and seeing who can bring dullest, most idiotic guest. Pierre is confident he has found a real champion in Francois, an accountant whose favorite hobby is making matchstick models of famous tourist attractions. But the tables turn when Pierre gets stuck in his apartment for the weekend with Francois, and is forced to dine on his just desserts.

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When a financially strapped former symphony cellist, now making a meager living by playing at funerals, gets pressured into a paper marriage with a friend's single-mother niece, his roving-eye bachelor life is turned upside-down. The beautiful young woman immediately abandons her new husband and her five-year-old son, and the unlikely duo struggles to adjust to their new lives in Prague on the eve of 1989's Velvet Revolution. Winner of the Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film. Academy Award: Best Foreign Language Film.

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A memorable entry in the genre of inspirational pedagogical films, THE CHORUS is an uplifting tale of a masterful teacher who put his heart into his work and changed the lives of his students forever. With a soundtrack of boys' singing, the lovely music of this film is the glue that will stick to viewers long after watching it. Set in 1940s rural France, at a school for poor boys who are delinquent or orphaned, the story feels timeless in the way that it captures a crucial moment in the lives of the boys involved. Ranging from early elementary school level to junior high, the boys struggle for independence and self-expression. They defy authority, especially when it comes from their brutally unfair and abusive headmaster, Rachin (Francois Berleand). And in general, because they feel neglected by their families, or don't have any family at all, there is something disjointed and sullen about the boys. Only after their teacher, Clement Mathieu (Gerard Jugnot), shows them that he will guide them, befriend them, and teach them by peaking their curiosity, not by insisting or punishing, do they begin to change. The choir he forms, and the songs he teaches the boys, become a source of pride for them, allowing them to rise above the confines of their meager and stifling school, and dream of a bright future. Director/writer Christophe Barratier has created a moving and beautiful film with more than a few life lessons hidden within. The music, written by Bruno Coulais, features the angelic voice of Jean-Paul Bonnaire, who plays Morhange in the film.

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The sequel to WINGS OF DESIRE, in which a number of angels, forbidden to interfere with the affairs of humans, watch suspended over the streets of post Cold War Berlin as a tale of intrigue unfolds, has an excellent soundtrack which features tracks by Lou Reed and U2.

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Yuya Yagira was named Best Actor at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival for his moving portrayal of the older brother trying desperately to support his three younger siblings in writer-director Hirokazu Kore-eda's masterful work NOBODY KNOWS. Kore-eda (MABOROSI, AFTER LIFE) also produced and edited the film, which was nominated for the Palm d'Or and was Japan's entry for the Academy Awards. Yagira stars as Akira, a determined and resourceful 12-year-old boy forced to take care of Kyoko (Ayu Kitaura), Shigeru (Hiei Kimura), and Yuki (Momoko Shimizu) every time their mother, Keiko (Japanese pop star and TV actress YOU), goes away for extended periods of time. Akira does the shopping, Kyoko does the laundry, Shigeru causes trouble, and Yuki is endlessly cute. However, in order to remain in their new apartment, the three younger children are not allowed outside or else the landlord, who does not know they live there, will evict them. Akira tries to teach his sisters and brother, as none of them attends school, with varying success. They have no friends, save for Saki (Hanae Kan), an offbeat outsider. When Keiko disappears and the money starts running out, the children are faced with severe problems, and tragedy lurks. Kore-eda based this powerful tale on a true story of abandoned children, and he has filmed NOBODY KNOWS with a documentarian's eye, lending it added reality that makes it that much more heartwarming and, ultimately, heartbreaking.

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Javier Bardem gives a remarkable, unforgettable performance in Alejandro Amenabar's gripping drama about dying with dignity, THE SEA INSIDE. Thirty-five-year-old Bardem plays 55-year-old Ramon Sampedro, a Galician who broke his neck as a young man and has spent more than a quarter of a century as a quadriplegic, confined to bed. Reflecting on his past and considering his future, he chooses to die, petitioning the courts for permission to be euthanized. His radical decision sets off controversy throughout Spain--as well as in his own house, where his family and friends all have different opinions on the fate he has chosen. While Ramon's father (Alberto Gimenez) and brother (Celso Bugallo) refuse to help him die, and his nephew, Javi (Tamar Novas), tries to understand his uncle's decision, Ramon is surrounded by women who virtually fight over him--Rosa (Lola Duenas), a single mother of two who visits him to talk about her difficult life; Manuela (Mabel Rivera), his sister-in-law who takes care of his daily needs; Gene (Clara Segura), who works for the Death with Dignity organization; and Julia (Belen Rueda, in a powerful film debut), a married lawyer with a secret of her own. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2004 Venice Film Festival, THE SEA INSIDE is a special film with marvelous acting, a strong soundtrack, a moving story, and an enchanting visual style that features poetic shots of the countryside as Ramon dreams he can fly.

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Acclaimed Hong Kong New Wave director Wong Kar-Wai presents a kinetic, offbeat look at his city in these two stories. The first concerns a young woman (Brigitte Lin) who has been double-crossed in a heroin deal and her budding romance with a lovelorn cop (Takeshi Kaneshiro). The second deals with another officer (Tony Leung) whose girlfriend has left him and the young waitress (Faye Wong) who tries to help him without his knowledge.

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The disastrous effects of French colonialism are examined through the paradigm of a young girl's coming of age in French West Africa in Claire Denis' astonishing first film. As France, a woman traveling alone in Cameroon, slips into a dreamy and distant flashback, scenes of a makeshift existence come into focus. France's father, a district governor, and her fragile mother are living a relatively peaceful if somewhat strained existence when a plane carrying a gaggle of French imperialists and their entourage makes an emergency landing near their house. An ex-priest, a white plantation owner and his African concubine, and a newlywed couple are forced to stay with the family. The convergence of this motley crew forces tensions and troubles that were bubbling barely below the surface to silently erupt. Sexual tensions, as well as social and class struggles, explode, with expansive vistas of Cameroon as an astonishing yet innocent backdrop. The heat, the landscape, and the underlying and eroticized tension converge as the noble and austere houseboy, Protee, becomes the focus of France's memories and regrets.

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It is a tradition in the Hong Kong film community for actors and directors to donate their time and the profits from a film in order to raise funds for various causes. TWIN DRAGONS was part of an effort of the Hong Kong Directors Guild to build a new headquarters. Ringo Lam and Hark Tsui split the director's job and Jackie Chan splits the lead in two by playing twins separated at birth. They are brought back together when the nonviolent concert pianist John Ma comes to Hong Kong and becomes involved in the life of his streetfighting twin, Boomer. Although it is conceived as a comedy and an obvious satire of Jean-Claude Van Damme's own twin brother film, DOUBLE IMPACT, there is plenty of action, including both car and boat chases. A complicated love story develops, with the usual mistaken identity problems, when Tammy (Nina Li Chi) and Barbara (Maggie Cheung) keep wondering why their boyfriend's personalities keep changing. Cheung, who is best known for her stunning performance in Wong Kar-Wai's IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE, plays the foil to both characters with her usual sparkle. Chan provides the well-choreographed fights. Directors Lam, Tsui, and John Woo make cameo appearances.

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In this animated French film, a boy named Champion trains relentlessly for the Tour de France, with the help of his loyal grandmother and overweight dog, Bruno (who loves to bark at passing trains). When the big race comes, Champion and a few of his fellow racers are kidnapped by some box-shouldered thugs who spirit them off to Belleville (a surreal impression of 1930s-1950s Manhattan) where they are forced to pedal as part of a clandestine gambling operation. Bruno and Grandma set out across the sea in a paddle boat to rescue their boy, but once ashore they soon become lost, hungry and penniless--that is, until the frog-eating Triplets of Belleville, former scat-singing jazz prodigies turned experimental musicians, come to their rescue. Filled with inspired, twisted imagery, this nearly dialogue-free film is a crowd-pleaser of unusual power, with the strange, measured pacing of a dream, and a great soundtrack of bizarre, alternate-reality '30s jazz. It also offers a touching and believable evocation of a dog's life. A great throwback to the time before animation became dominated by CGI effects, TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE is a very strange, very loving, and very French salute to obsession, affection, and persistence.

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Another tragic episode of the Holocaust is brought to light in Margarethe Von Trotta's ROSENSTRASSE. In 1943 Berlin, contrary to the laws that were written on paper, intermixed Jews were cruelly separated from their Aryan husbands and wives without warning, and were placed in a holding cell in the Rosenstrasse district. Von Trotta's film begins in modern-day New York City, at a funeral for the beloved husband of Ruth (Jutta Lampe) and father of Hannah (Maria Schrader). Ruth has always been haunted by her past; though she won't talk about it with her conflicted daughter. It's up to Hannah to travel to Berlin to track down the woman who saved her mother's life during WWII and uncover the truth once and for all. In 1943, Lena (Katja Riemann) was a beautiful pianist who was shunned by her father for falling in love with Fabian Israel Fischer (Martin Feifel). But when Fabian was arrested, she did whatever it took to free him. In the meantime, she took in Ruth (Svea Lohde), an eight-year-old whose mother had also been sequestered. As memories from the past begin to resurface in the present, Hannah starts to understand the bitterness that has tormented her mother for years. Von Trotta's sumptuously photographed, deftly woven film tenderly recounts another somber memory from the all-too-recent past.

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Hong Kong satirist Stephen Chow wrote, directed, and stars in this hilarious spoof of sports and kung fu movie cliches. Chow plays "Mighty Steel Leg" Sing, who can kick soda cans through walls, and is a natural soccer star in the eyes of crippled coach Fung (Patrick Se Yin), who is looking to challenge his arch rival Hung, the captain of the aptly named Evil Team. Recruiting Sing and his goofy brothers who all have names like Steel Head, Hook Kick Leg, and Weight Vest (with qualities to match), Hung's team soon rises through the ranks via their supernatural Kung Fu soccer skills. There's also a love interest in the form of a shy girl (Vicki Zhao Wei) who uses martial arts magic in making steamed bread. MATRIX-style digital effects elevate the actor's martial arts skills to ludicrous heights, giving the clichéd story such a giddy, high-octane boost it soars into a comic class by itself. Soccer balls ripple through the air like slo-mo bullets, smashing through walls, and flying thousands of feet in the air. A box office smash in the East, SHAOLIN SOCCER should prove irresistible to open-minded Westerners looking for a laugh-out-loud experience.

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Thoroughly modern in its story, its characters, its urban Tokyo setting, its absurdly funny action sequences, and its understated and ironic self-mockery, TOKYO GODFATHERS is an anime gem from director Satoshi Kon (MILLENNIUM ACTRESS). It is a snowy Christmas in Tokyo and three homeless people--Hana, Gin, and Miyuki--who drift through the streets and alleyways of the city staying warm in the supermarkets and soup kitchens, make up a nontraditional family. Gin is a older man who once had a wife and daughter but lost them and spiraled downward into drinking and drifting. Hana is a flamboyant cross-dressing homosexual who dreams of having a baby. And Miyuki is just a kid--a young girl who ran away from home after a conflict with her father and is still battling familial demons. When the three motley but loving bums find a baby girl abandoned in the garbage on Christmas Eve, they know they've received a true gift. But in their attempts to return the baby to its real mother they go on a wild goose chase all over Tokyo solving mysteries, pursuing criminals, and all the while tackling their own personal problems. According to director Kon, the plot is based on the 1948 Western 3 GODFATHERS directed by John Ford. This immensely entertaining film features a jazzy score of electronic music, excellent illustrations, and superb character development.

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Despite the title, THE ITALIAN is actually a Russian film set at a bleak orphanage in rural Russia. The story opens when six-year-old Vanya Solntsev (Kolya Spiridonov) is introduced to an Italian couple who are hoping to adopt a child. Vanya is a handsome, bright-eyed little boy, and the couple takes an instant liking to him, agreeing to give him a home. It is quite clear to the other children, and to little Vanya, that he is in an extremely enviable position. The adoption by the Italians will take Vanya away from the miserable conditions of the orphanage, where the teenagers run a mini-Mafia, taking candy from the children and doling out beatings whenever anyone withholds money from them. Vanya is nervous, though accepting of his fate, until the mother of another orphan comes to reclaim her son, and she is told he has already been adopted. After she is forced off the premises, the woman commits suicide. When Vanya learns of this, he is desperate to find out whether or not his own real mother is still out there. But the greedy adoption agent, known as "Madam" (Maria Kuznetsova), is determined to give Vanya to the Italians, who will pay her a generous sum for him. With the help of another orphan, Vanya makes his escape. He sets off for the address of the orphanage where his mother first left him, hoping to find some answers. While the plot of the ITALIAN may be small-scale, it packs an enormous emotional punch, and Spiridonov's performance is heartbreaking in its realism. The sight of the little boy racing through the grubby streets is reminiscent of another Italian, the round-cheeked Bruno of THE BICYCLE THIEF. Like little Bruno, Vanya will make your heart race with horror and hope, as he struggles to grasp the harsh realities of the adult world.

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This heart-warmer concerns precocious eight-year-old Valentin (Rodrigo Noya), who lives alone with his grandmother in Buenos Aires in the early 1960s. Longing to be reunited with his absentee mom, Valentin lives with his eccentric grandma (long-time Almodovar star Carmen Maura) and deals with the occasional visits from his reprobate father (director Alejandro Agresti). For solace, Valentin visits a kindly musician (Mex Uritzberea) who urges the boy to hang on to his dream of becoming Argentina's first astronaut. Valentin also develops a bond with Leticia (Juliete Cardinali), one of his dad's young girlfriends. Noya plays his role like a pint-sized blend of Woody Allen, Nanni Moretti, and Audrey Tatou (AMELIE), replete with poignant optimism, wry commentary, and a cupid-like need to play matchmaker for the nicer adults in his life. As engaging as he is, the film gets stolen by the wonderful Cardinali (a TV star in Argentina) who radiates angelic warmth in her too-few scenes. Agresti suffuses the film with well-observed period detail that only hints at the political turmoil of the time (Argentina was in the grip of the infamous "reign of terror" throughout the '60s and '70s). VALENTIN is one of those films that manages to win a viewer's heart without pulling any harsh reality punches.

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Beat Takeshi directs this surprisingly gentle, ultimately uplifting story about faith and hope. Masao (Yusuke Sekiguchi) is a lonely 8-year-old boy who decides to spend his summer vacation looking for his estranged mother, whom he has never met. Kikujiro (Takeshi) is an immature man who has never had any serious responsibilities. When his wife gives him 50,000 yen to travel with Masao, the journey begins. As the two slowly grow to accept one another, they both learn powerful lessons about life and friendship.

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Following up his award-winning martial-arts drama HERO, director Zhang Yimou (JU DOU, RAISE THE RED LANTERN) tells an intricately detailed love story in the swordfighting epic HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, set during the final days of the Tang Dynasty. A mysterious group called the Flying Daggers is a dangerous threat to the government, so police captain Leo (Andy Lau) sends his right-hand man, Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro), undercover to try to find the rebels' location. Jin, a notorious playboy, pretends he is a roving warrior called "Wind" and befriends Mei (Ziyi Zhang), a blind dancer who is believed to be the daughter of the former leader of the Daggers. As he leads her across the countryside, they are "attacked" by government soldiers--but these battles are staged by Leo in order to convince Mei that Jin is on her side. But when a general orders that Mei must be captured at any cost, the fighting turns real, and Jin must decide between his loyalty to his job and his growing love for Mei. Meanwhile, Mei battles her feelings for Jin as well, trying to hide her true self. Zhang's gorgeous, compelling film is filled with beautiful singing and dancing, marvelous costumes, and wonderful locations; the scene in the Bamboo Forest is unforgettable, as is the Echo Game, which Leo and Mei play in the Peony Pavilion. There are also twists throughout the film and by the time the end comes, audiences will be spinning their heads in awe and amazement at the neverending wonders of this special movie. The film is dedicated to Anita Mui, who was to have a starring role before her unexpected death.

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Directed by Pierre Salvadori, this delightful French comedy features AMELIE star Audrey Tautou and the charming Gad Elmaleh (THE VALET). Jean (Elmaleh) is a hardworking employee at one of southern France's elite resort hotels. He is known for his excellent work ethic, but that changes after a chance encounter with sexy hotel guest Irene (Tautou). Bored with her wealthy and much older boyfriend/benefactor, Irene is looking for some excitement. She finds it with Jean, whom she believes to be another guest at the hotel. When she discovers that he is merely an employee there, she is furious, and wants nothing more to do with him. Jean tries to rekindle their affair, but Irene lets him know that she is only interested in men with money--lots and lots of money. Jean is broke and brokenhearted, until he crosses paths with another hotel guest--this one an older woman of considerable means. He soon finds himself living the high life alongside Irene and her own rich patron. But Jean is far more interested in romance than in riches, and the glitzy fun and games quickly come to a head. The film makes the most of its dazzling location, luxuriating in the wealth and beauty of the French Riviera. The story obviously owes a firm tip of the hat to BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY's, and indeed Tautou's effortless grace and style do bring to mind Ms. Hepburn. In the hands of less skilled actors, the plot could have felt a bit flimsy, but Tautou and Elmaleh are so engaging, one can't help but root for them and their romantic hijinks.

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A Czech film from director Vladimir Michalek, AUTUMN SPRING tackles the theme of aging and death with subtle humor in this film, which tips its hat to the free-spirited New Wave cinema. Irrepressible reprobate Fanda (Vlastimil Brodsky) is determined not to go gently into that good night as he enters his eighties. He and partner-in-crime Eda (Stanislav Zindulka) love to pull stunts and gags, such as impersonating wealthy land-buyers, subway officials, and long-lost friends. Unfortunately their abilities are starting to slip due to their advanced age. Hána's long-suffering wife (Stella Zázvorková) meanwhile, is outraged that he is still up to his old tricks when its time to "take life seriously," prepare for their funerals, give up their apartment, and move into a retirement home. This is a warmhearted but unsentimental look into how different people face inevitable demise, and the cast of seasoned seniors pulls it off with great style and humanity. The film is a career capstone for Brodsky. A renowned Czech actor (CLOSELY WATCHED TRAINS, JAKOB THE LIAR), Brodsky committed suicide not long after this life-affirming film was completed. Still, no actor could ask for a more eloquent curtain call; it's a fine, crowd-pleasing little classic, one for which he will surely be long remembered.

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Deals on PG-13 (MPAA) in Foreign DVDs & Videos. Visit BizRate to find the best deals on Foreign DVDs & Videos. See which DVDs & Videos stores have the PG-13 (MPAA) that you want. Read reviews on DVDs & Videos merchants and buy with confidence. Find savings on Chinese Film Classics Collection: An Orphan on the Streets/The Watch [DVD] - Night Watch (Checkpoint; Sensormatic; Widescreen) [Blu-ray Disc].