Acting, cinematography make history come alive
· Sung at churches, weddings and funerals, "Amazing Grace" is a traditional, soft hymn. But it finds its origins in a more controversial issue than faith or religion: Pastor John Newton, a former slave owner, wrote it in the late 1700s as a response to the slave trade. Director Michael Apted's Amazing Grace attempts to capture a part of the history of the song with beautiful cinematography and talented actors. Unfortunately, a confusing and sluggish plotline detracts from the film's overall beauty.
2007's Best Foreign Film earns its Oscar trophy
· The work of director and screenwriter Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck (Dobermann), The Lives of Others provides a powerful glimpse into East Berlin life during the last few years of socialist rule. The film is at different times painful, poignant, enraging and humorous. Simultaneously a political thriller, spy flick and psychological drama, The Lives of Others tests the limits of human goodness as it deftly immerses the audience in the too-recent realities of socialist Germany.
Houston Ballet's Life and Laughter ends on a high note
· The Houston Ballet's delightful winter repertory program, Life and Laughter, saves the best for last.