Prague Club

Cellular --USA, 2004. David R. Ellis, director. Kim Basinger, Chris Evans, William H. Macy, Eric Christian Olsen, Jessica Biel, Jason Statham star. The screen story is by Larry Cohen, who wrote Phone Booth. The idea is quite similar, but flipped around. A random stranger is caught on a mobile phone trying to help a kidnapped woman who doesn't know where she is. The police don't take his situation seriously so has to try to help her on his own while his battery slowly runs out. A nice, old-fashioned thriller with a few new gimmicks.	Chorists --France, Switzerland, 2004. Christophe Barratier, director. Gerard Jugnot, Francois Berleand, Jean-Baptiste Maunier star. In French with Czech subtitles. In France in the late 1940s, a teacher hopes to use music to reach problem children at a strict boarding school. One child with a fine voice poses his most difficult challenge.
My Mother Likes Women --Spain, 2004. Daniela Fejerman, Ines Paris, directors. Leonor Watling, Rosa Maria Sarda, Maria Pujalte, Silvia Abascal, Eliska Sirova star. In Spanish and Czech with Czech subtitles. Partly filmed in the Czech Republic. When the mother of three daughters suddenly becomes a lesbian, the daughters try to thwart her new relationship. The new girlfriend is a pianist from Prague, and part of the film involves the lover's trip home. Leonor Watling, as one of the daughters, carries most of the movie, but the story never fully realizes its potential.	Open Water --USA, 2003. Chris Kentis, director. Blanchard Ryan, Daniel Travis star. See Review, this page.