One of the things about living in a country not your own is how aware you become of your own cultural identity and homeland, and how the distance works to allow you to see your country from a different perspective. For instance, one of the first things I had to stop doing when I moved to Poland is stop using “How are you?” as a greeting. In America, the question is often used as a substitution for “Hello” with no particular emphasis on being answered. In Poland, I discovered that when I was walking down the street and used “How are you?” as a greeting, often the people would stop and then proceed to explicitly answer the question: “Not so good, not so good, Christian,” one would begin. This, of course, would never happen in the States, because we are always in the perpetual state of “fine” and “okay”.

This week I’d like to look at some of the movies that have affected me in ways which would’ve been impossible if I hadn’t the experience of living abroad for the last six years.

Take Lost in Translation, for instance. I have yet to meet an expat who doesn’t appreciate this movie. While the love story is perfectly entertaining in its own right, it’s the little details of watching Bill Murray’s character acclimate himself into a clearly-overwhelming culture that makes the movie so effective. The way he holds out his open hand with change for the bartender to pick the correct amount, or the Russian roulette way of ordering from a foreign menu, are good honest examples that make you grin with recognition. Julie Delpy’s 2 Days in Paris does a spot-on job of exploring the strengths and precariousness of a multi-cultured relationship, its opportunities for miscommunication and the joy of defying two overpowering forces of cultural conditioning, that had me and my wife simultaneously laughing and cringing throughout the film’s run time. (more…)

It is going to why another short summary as yet again a total dearth of quality flicks is being released in either the theaters or on DVD this week. Theatrical releases are particularly putrid this week as the only major release is Bangkok Dangerous, which looks like pure utter crap. Here in Minneapolis the only new indie release is Boy A, which at least looks interesting, though I’m in no rush to see it.

As far as DVD releases go, they are pretty dull, with the two mainstream big releases being Baby Mamma and The Forbidden Kingdom. Thankfully, one of my favorite movies of the year so far, The Fall, is being released this week and is easily my pick this week. Please watch it, as it is outstanding. You can read my full review over at Cinema Fusion to give yourself a better idea o what the film is about and why I liked it.

As always trailers are after the break!

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My advice to anyone who isn’t a middle aged woman this week? Stay out of the multiplex. And if you happen to be a middle aged woman, please, try and limit the Cosmos to under a half dozen per screening of Sex and the City. Think of the rest of us who have to deal with you in the really real world.

That all being said their is finally a slate of good movies coming out this weekend. The Rape of Europa looks like a fascinating documentary on how the Nazi’s stole priceless works of art during World War II, and depending on how Hitler viewed the creator of the works, either hid them or destroyed them.

But my big recommendation goes to Tarsem’s The Fall. It is a relatively simple tale of a man and a young girl who are trying to find ways to waste time in a hospital while recuperating from injuries they have suffered. The visuals are spectacular, and the story has surprising depth. I don’t want to say too much, and hopefully I will have my review up over at Cinema Fusion sometime this weekend.

DVD selections are a bit more sparse. Semi-Pro is the big release, and its nice to see proof that release windows are shrinking even further with the Flawless DVD clocking in at around 2 months after its theatrical release. If only they would push good films through that quickly. But my DVD recommendation this week is a little known Japanese action film that looks both utterly ridiculous and completely stupid, Machine Girl. It’s kind of like Planet Terror but with a Japanese school girl and ninjas rather then zombies and Rose McGowan. It just screams guilty pleasure.

As always trailers are after the break!

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