Russian Movies

[slim 1,525]

I only found out about this movie a couple weeks ago. We were on the way to see the Golden Compass or some other kiddie movie that's really three parts but only the first part so you're suckered into watching the rest and it's too late to wait for them all to come out before you see the first one and figure out it's only the first one and then have to wait for all of them and wonder what happened- anyway...

I saw the trailer for Eastern Promises and it just clicked. "That's a movie I need to see." Wifey wasn't too interested in watching a "fake Russian movie" about Russian gangsters and since she's always really excited to see Russian gangster movies, we enjoyed a nice PG rated cliffhanger. For those interested though, it was pretty good and it did even feature some Russian language.

I believe it's On Demand right now, so I'll probably watch it soon. If not, my bootleg guy is just a phone call away!

Anybody seen Lions for Lambs or Charlie Wilson's War? Supposed to be some Afghan/Russian involvement in those movies.

And if you haven't seen Syriana yet, you're slipping. (Lord of War and Constant Gardener are also on the list.)

Oh, almost forgot... I enjoyed 3:10 to Yuma. It wasn't your typical cowboy flick, but I liked it all the same.

[slim 1,525]

I watched Eastern Promises yesterday. Good movie. Even my wife liked it. However, I was left saying at the end, "I can't wait for part II to come out."

They closed some of the plot twists and completed the stories but there was one key story that still needs to be told -

"And then what?"

I hope they do add on to this movie and a future version comes out to tie up some of the loose ends and develop the story a little bit more.

[mox 298]

I watched Eastern Promises yesterday. Good movie. Even my wife liked it. However, I was left saying at the end, "I can't wait for part II to come out."

They closed some of the plot twists and completed the stories but there was one key story that still needs to be told -

"And then what?"

I hope they do add on to this movie and a future version comes out to tie up some of the loose ends and develop the story a little bit more.

Agreed, they did leave some of the story just hanging.

Was your wife uncomfortable with the scene where Viggo had to prove he wasn't gay? A couple of my cow-orkers watched it and both said their wives pretty much flipped over that. One of them had to fast-forward through it. I guess I've been desensitized to violence by all those videogames or something. *shrug*

[slim 1,525]

Was your wife uncomfortable with the scene where Viggo had to prove he wasn't gay? A couple of my cow-orkers watched it and both said their wives pretty much flipped over that. One of them had to fast-forward through it. I guess I've been desensitized to violence by all those videogames or something. *shrug*

That kind of thing "would never happen in America" and that's why people here are so repulsed by it. That and we've never seen it. There aren't too many movies here with sex scenes at all so when there is one, especially one that's graphic and somewhat "taboo" many people have a hard time dealing with it. Then you throw in the whole cultural aspect of prostitution, human trafficking, statutory rape, etc., etc., etc., and it's even harder for people here to deal with. Folks in America have never had to witness things like this. It's just not a part of our culture and even in arts and media it's been downplayed to such an extent that most fail to acknowledge it's existence, even choosing to consciously ignore it to the point of denial.

Was my wife uncomfortable? No way. Not that it's a daily occurance in her culture, but she's seen and heard of things like this happening her whole life so to see it in a movie was no big deal, the same as it was no big deal for the your co-workers' wives when there were murders on the movie. People get murdered everywhere, what's the big deal if it's on a movie?

We watched a show on Dateline or CNBC or something like that the other day where they went undercover in Phnom Penh and went to brothels where 9-year-old girls were being pimped to foreign sex tourists. The intent of the show was to do a sting and shut down a few of these brothels, arrest their staff and those that engaged in their services.

After the show, we were talking about it and instead of us feeling appalled and saddened and surprised that this sort of thing was going on we were more perturbed by the film crew's lack of foresight into what would become of these kids now and who was going to fill the void created by them "saving" the kids in the show. Obviously we both didn't want to see these kids in that situation but the reality is they are, and in many parts of the world, that's just the way it is. We ended up with a "stupid Americans" type conclusion on the whole issue because instead of the crew and producers attempting to combat the root cause of the problem and do something about it, they were simply making a story in attempts to "shock" viewers with someone else's reality.

I've heard a lot of TV people say their shows are all about raising awareness and through that awareness we can fix the problems. I haven't heard too many say "this is why the situation is so horrible for these people and in order to change it, we here in America are going to have to sacrifice this." Why don't they say that?

Ratings.

Nobody wants to see a 14-year-old girl get raped by an underworld figure. But show a sting operation where they bust the guy, the pimp, the guy who forged her documents, the corrupt cops who let it happen, and at the end of the day, everyone feels better.

And then it happens again the next day. With a new girl. With a new pimp. With a new shady underworld figure. And it's not because we couldn't bust them all, it's because it's reality.

[Brian & Elena 0]

Just an FYI...most DVD players have codes that you can input into them using the remote control that will allow them to play all region codes of DVDs. They are fairly easy to find on the internet. My in-laws gave me a DVD player here in Russia for my birthday and of course it is a region 5 player. I wanted to play some of my US (region 1) DVDs on it so after finding the code I was quickly able to unlock my player and play all DVDs.

Also you can download subtitles in English for most DVDs and then reburn the DVD on your computer with the new subtitles added in.

HTH

[slim 1,525]

Also you can download subtitles in English for most DVDs and then reburn the DVD on your computer with the new subtitles added in.

HTH

Not with the ancient rig I'm running here at home. I think my cell phone has more virtual memory left. And a DVD burner? You must've bought your computer within the last 5 years. How fancy!

I seriously need a new get-up. What do you guys think is the friendliest for the dual-language and programming issues that we might face? I've heard the Macs are awesome but I don't know if I can ever stop supporting the Gates foundation.

Thoughts????

[mox 298]

I seriously need a new get-up. What do you guys think is the friendliest for the dual-language and programming issues that we might face? I've heard the Macs are awesome but I don't know if I can ever stop supporting the Gates foundation.

Thoughts????

I can't recommend a Mac highly enough. And I'm not one of those Apple evangelists who love Apple just because it's hip and all. I'm all about using whatever works best, and I've recommended Windows boxes in the past.

The ease of use factor on a Mac is through the roof, so if it's important for you to actually use your computer to get things done, rather than screwing with the OS, then definitely consider it. Coming from a Windows world, you'll fumble around for a couple days until you just "get it," but after that you'll wonder how you ever got by without it.

If you game a lot, you might either consider a PC instead, or buying a copy of Windows XP and install it on the Mac as a dual boot. (This is easy and not nearly as frightening as it sounds.) If the only game you play is World of Warcraft, it runs natively on a Mac.

As far as the dual-language functionality on a Mac goes, it's also super easy. Once you set it up (takes about 1 minute), you just click on the little flag on top of your screen to switch between language options. You can also pull up a little graphical keyboard that shows how the keys are mapped for whatever language you're in. And you can buy stickers for your keyboard for cyrillic for pretty cheap. I have them on my keyboard and it's helpful.

If you don't game, you can get a Mac Mini for about $600. Plug your existing monitor, keyboard, and mouse in it, and you're completely set. Wouldn't recommend it for gamers though, the hardware just isn't made for it.

[Chuckles 0]

I concur. Mac compatibilty and software availability are things of the past. I used to hate apples etc. I'm not one of those apple/mac nuts either, but you got to admit when things have changed. I have a vested interest in PC's, but to friends I do not necessarily recommend them.

[slim 1,525]

I guess I'm stuck in the dark ages with a PC or a Mac.

Really, the only things I want in a computer are the ability to surf the web ( ), send and receive e-mails, and print out a document here and there, maybe even with a picture on it.

Gaming, DVD burning, even watching a DVD, all that stuff is cool, but I have absolutely no need for that on my home computer. It would be nice to bootleg some movies off the net, but that's just an added bonus. Right now, I don't even have Power Point or any of that BS so when people send me junk with boobies in a slide show, I can't even view it. No big deal, but when I start typing college papers (someday) they seem to want that stuff in Power Point or whatever. I know it's an easy download and install, but to be honest, I don't even want all that junk on my computer.

It's like my dad with the cell phone I guess. "I want to call someone and have someone call me. I don't need all that fancy-shmancy number storage and camera phone and video game #######. And what the hell would I write someone a message for when I'm on a phone? I'd just call 'em."

I've heard nothing but good things about the Mac. Probably after we win that lottery we'll end up jumping over to the other side. And then we'll start driving a hybrid and drinking triple-mocha low-fat soy decaf lattes, carrying our groceries home in hemp bags, supporting a cause, etc., etc., etc.

Nah, since I'm lazy, I'll just pick the easiest one, and that seems to be the Mac. But we'll see what the boss wants. I'm sure she'll read some post on one of those sites where all the rich Russians say which computer is best. Or, whichever one ends up on Dom2 commercials.

The one we'll end up with, will be the cheapest one!

[mox 298]

The one we'll end up with, will be the cheapest one!

Mac Mini. I'm pretty sure this is a better price point than anything offered by Dell, but I could be wrong. Just keep your existing monitor and keyboard.

For what it's worth, I set my mom up with a Mac, and her requirements are exactly the same as yours, although not so much with the Powerpoint boobies. She's 65 years old, very non-technical, and had it figured out within about a week. The Mac, not the boobies. She loves it, and hates me for ever setting her up with a PC.

When you decide to go to school, you can buy an Academic version of Microsoft Office for much cheaper than the full cost. It's the exact same product as the non-Academic version, you just have to provide proof of enrollment at purchase. I've got the Academic version and it's great.

[Trompe le Monde 1,107]

I am reading this thread with interest, because I am keen to find good Russian movies to watch - not just worthy arthouse stuff that gets a NY-LA release, but movies Russians actually go to see. Unfortunately, I speak no Russian and have no one to explain cultural nuances.

One of my favorite movies of all time is Come and See - it pretty much leaves every other movie made about the horrors of war irrelevant. Whenever I see those "top war movies EVER MADE" things on AMC which declare its really Saving Private Ryan I get the urge to throw my TV out the window.

[slim 1,525]

I'll have to check that one out.

A day without a war flick is like a day without sunshine.....

[eekee 182]

I am reading this thread with interest, because I am keen to find good Russian movies to watch - not just worthy arthouse stuff that gets a NY-LA release, but movies Russians actually go to see. Unfortunately, I speak no Russian and have no one to explain cultural nuances.

One of my favorite movies of all time is Come and See - it pretty much leaves every other movie made about the horrors of war irrelevant. Whenever I see those "top war movies EVER MADE" things on AMC which declare its really Saving Private Ryan I get the urge to throw my TV out the window.

I love Come and See too.

If you have netflix, I would check out their selection of Russian films. There's not much, but they have all of the most famous ones and they all have subtitles.

[mox 298]

Ressurecting the movie thread...

Watched 3 recommended movies over the last couple weeks...

Moscow Does Not Believe In Tears. Cute romantic comedy, much better than I expected. My 16 year-old daughter has watched it 3 times now.

Come and See. Someone here said it was the best war movie they've ever seen. Have to mostly agree. Very powerful, although the very end was a bit silly and sentimental, almost as if the government had made them tack it on.

Night Watch. Actually found this in the bargain bin at Target for $9. The people that put this movie together could teach Hollywood a thing or two about making a really good movie that has not only a plot but believable effects. And I love what they did with the subtitles.

[slim 1,525]

I'm still waiting on Come and See. It's in the queue on MoscowFlix. Shouldn't be too long and I'll be able to jump back on here with a review.

I saw Day Watch and it was pretty good. Like the Matrix only with vampires and a Russian spin. That's not really my kind of movie but I'll sit through and watch it. It's still entertainment!

Last night I watched The Hunting Party (Richard Gere, Terrance Howard) and was thoroughly entertained. It wasn't a Russian movie but it took place in the aftermath of the Kosovo conflict (which is flaring back up again) so it had that whole "it just doesn't make sense" factor those familiar with Russia will understand.