Knight and Day (2010)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2010
	Director: James Mangold (Identity, 3:10 to Yuma, The Wolverine)
	Actors: Tom Cruise (The Firm, Oblivion), Cameron Diaz (Charlie's Angels 1-2), Peter Sarsgaard (Green Lantern, Orphan)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Comedy, Action
	Conditions of visioning: 30.03.2014, SD VOD, Home cinema
Synopsis: June (Diaz) gets unwillingly involved with Roy (Cruise) in a super-spy chase.
Review: The whole movie plays on the contrast between the superman super-spy agent and the regular (but cute) girl who just want to go to her sister's wedding. Apart from this attractive concept, I didn't find the movie particularly interesting neither as a spy movie, nor as a romance, a comedy or an action film.
Rating: 4 /10

The Sum of All Fears (2002)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2002
	Director: Phil Alden Robinson (1 episode of the Band of Brothers TV-series)
	Actors: Ben Affleck (Paycheck, Armageddon), Morgan Freeman (Deep Impact, The Shawshank Redemption), Ian Mongrain, Bridget Moynahan (I, Robot, Lord of War)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 29.03.2014, DVD, Home cinema
Synopsis: CIA analyst Jack Ryan (Affleck) becomes involved in the investigation about a nuclear threat, while Russia appears to become unstable.
Review: I think to remember reading that this was a good thriller, so I bought this cheap second-hand DVD edition when I saw it. The image quality is very poor, but this aside, it is indeed an excellent thriller, if you like this kind of CIA / political / nuclear threat / super agent movie. I am surprised I never saw it before. I admit the title is a bit pompous. I can't remember another movie mixing all those elements, the Bourne movies don't have the political element, neither have the 24 TV-series, that is the closest I can think of especially when Jack Ryan ( = Jack Bauer) seems to be all around and the only man that can save the world (the only annoying part in the movie). The writings of Tom Clancy must have inspired the TV-series. Of course another movie in the same style is also adapted form Tom Clancy, also starring Jack Ryan (played by Alec Baldwin): The Hunt for Red October. What surprised me most in the story is how far it went. The nuclear war threat escalation is very believable and the dialogs and action very well written. Affleck, Freeman, Cromwell and Moynahan all play very well.
Rating: 8 /10

Thor: The Dark World (2013)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2013
	Director: Alan Taylor (Terminator: Genesis)
	Actors: Chris Hemsworth (The Cabin in the Woods, Red Dawn), Natalie Portman (Black Swan, Star Wars 1-3), Tom Hiddleston
	Country: USA
	Genre: SF
	Conditions of visioning: 27.03.2013, SD VOD, Home cinema
Synopsis: When Jane Foster (Portman) is possessed by a great power, Thor (Hemsworth) must protect her from a new threat of old times: the Dark Elves.
Review: Although I own most of the Avengers super-hero movies in Blu-ray, I preferred to watch this one in VOD, and I even settled for SD as I couldn't get it in HD. Standard Definition made me miss the details is the actions scenes, but anyway it was probably good enough to assess the quite poor quality of this movie. It is darker and less flashy than the first one, but it is still ridiculous in many aspects: the Asgardians, protector of the Nine Realms, still dress in flashy armor, fight with swords and drink beer in taverns (!). The coincidences are too much: among 6 Billion humans it is Jane Foster who gets possessed, and the next Realm convergence happens... in 2 days! I still prefer the way the nordic mythology of Thor was introduced in the Stargate SG-1 TV-series. During 15 minutes it looked like Star Wars II, especially the kiss scenes along the lake between Nathalie Portman and the would-be king of the galaxy. Deja Vu. Loki is present but fortunately he is not the main villain, that would have started to be redundant.
Rating: 4 /10

Far East Film Festival 2006

In preparation to the visit of JoRafCinema to the Far East Film Festival from April 25th to May 3rd (link), I wanted to share with you my experience of this film festival that I follow since 2006. 

The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2014
	Director: Wes Anderson
	Actors: Ralph Fiennes, Tony Revolori
	Country: USA
	Genre: Comedy
	Conditions of visioning: 12.03.2014, Schauburg
Synopsis: The adventures of Monsieur Gustave, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting and the battle for an enormous family fortune -- all against the back-drop of a suddenly and dramatically changing Continent.
Review: The movie is full of humour showing black humour, absurd situations and pictural humour. The absurdity of these times in Central Europe is more humourfull than the absurdity related by Franz Kafka in his stories. Wes Anderson claims being inspired by Stephan Zweig for this movie and this makes this author the next on my booklist. The History is turned into ridicule with a huge amount of great actors in small caricatural roles with very caricatural dialogues, especially for Ralph Fiennes. They all embody these roles perfectly. For each actor or scene there is one historical/psychological innuendo/reference. This makes an efficient comedy but relatively constrained so that there is no big surprise once you got presented the characters. The directing is also fun especially with the mixing of animation and real acting.  On top of it, there have been two shorts shown before the main movie. Directed for Wes Anderson by an assistant Youyou Yang. These are also creative even if not blowing and therefore deserve a good place in JoRafCinema! Shortcut A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMLeqxuYzsw and  Shortcut B  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4ed4SMQm8k
Rating: 7 /10

My Neighbour Totoro (1988)

	Also Known As: Tonari no Totoro (original)
	Year of first release: 1988
	Director: Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke)
	Actors: Hitoshi Takagi, Noriko Hidaka, Toshiyuki Amagasa
	Country: J
	Genre: Animation, Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 24.03.2014, Blu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: A father and his two daughters move to the countryside, while the mother is sick in a hospital. The girls start to explore around the house.
Review: I think this is my favorite Miyazaki movie among the ones I have recently watched in Blu-ray. Although it contains in background the very serious theme of the sick mother in the hospital and the father having to raise his daughters alone, the movie is otherwise very lighthearted, and I think more oriented towards kids than his other movies are. No mention of war or any bad guys. Just two little girls having innocent fun. The apparitions of Totoro are rare (no more than four in total) but I fell in love with this cute character. I need to buy a doll of it. The quality of the drawings, the colors, the shadows, the animation and the sound effects are at the top of what Studio Ghibli could do, and the movie doesn't look at all 25 years old. My only criticism would be against the ear-piercing high-pitched voices of the girls. Doesn't make you want to have kids.
Rating: 8 /10

Dead Snow 2: Red vs. Dead (2014)

	Also Known As: Død Snø 2 (original)
	Year of first release: 2014
	Director: Tommy Wirloka (Dead Snow, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters)
	Actors: Vegar Hoel (Dead Snow), Amrita Acharia, Carl-Magnus Adner, Jocelyn DeBoer
	Country: N
	Genre: Horror, Comedy
	Conditions of visioning: 22.03.2014, CINEMA theater, MFFFN14
Synopsis: Martin (Hoel) is the only survivor from an attack of undead nazi soldiers that decimated all of his friends. The attack is not over. He has to stop them.
Review: I liked the first Dead Snow already by Tommy Wirkola who then directed Hansel and Gretel in the USA. It was a cheap but efficient zombie movie like Evil Dead but with the cabin in the mountains instead of in the wood, because of course it takes place in the north of Norway. It is obvious that Wirkola learned a lot since his first movie, and got a much bigger budget. Dead Snow 2 is very very funny. There are countless bloody situations and original ideas: killing two young moms and their babies with a tank rocket, calling an American Zombie Squad to the rescue ("sorry but I do not speak the language of Thor"), the hero exchanging arms with his archenemy and gaining his powers to revive the dead, using bowels to syphon gas out of a bus, and much much more.It is only a pity that this enormous well of ideas dries up towards the end. Still I would highly recommend it if you like this genre. Probably the best "nazis are back, dead or alive" movie (compared to the first Dead Snow, The 25th Reich, Frankenstein's Army or Iron Sky), and the best horror comedy I have seen in a while. The funny tagline for this movie "Heil Five!" couldn't match the one of the first: "Eins, Zwei, Die!"
Rating: 8 /10

Snowpiercer (2013)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2013
	Director: Joon-ho Bong (Memories of Murder, The Host)
	Actors: Chris Evans (Captain America 1-2), Tilda Swinton, Jamie Bell (King Kong), Ed Harris (A History of Violence), John Hurt (1984), Kang-ho Song (Memories of Murder, The Host)
	Country: ROK, USA, F, CZ
	Genre: SF
	Conditions of visioning: 23.03.2014, CINEMA theater, MFFFN14
Synopsis: In a world covered by ice, the last survivors of humanity struggle with the established order in a high-speed train.
Review: I have heard some years ago already about this American movie by the Korean director Bong Joon-ho (from whom I loved Memories of Murder), and I bought and read the French graphic novel from which it is inspired (Le Transperceneige). The story of a post-apocalyptic frozen future and the clash of classes in a high-speed train that never stops is interesting although barely believable. I read a review saying that Joon-ho made some choices betraying the original material and more fitting his style, but that overall the movie was good. I rather agree to this. Only key elements of the original material are kept: the train, the revolt going from tail to head, the constructor of the train and the engine, the clash of classes. The characters and the general story are different, but I find that the adaptation of a graphic novel too short for a movie was well done. I feared a too long movie (it does last 2h10) typical of Asian films, but it turned out that the American  production countered effectively the Korean tendencies of the director, delivering in the end a well-balanced movie, including the violence and no-compromise that maybe only a Korean actor could provide. Chris Evans is hard to recognize when he doesn't play a good-looking super-hero (Captain America or The Torch in The Fantastic Four), but he played well. Bong Joon-ho managed to place his favorite Korean actor Kang-ho Song (who doesn't speak English) in this American movie. I thought at first that it was useless, but it actually gives another point of view and a different character for the viewer to identify with.
Rating: 6 /10

Viva la libertà (2013)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2013
	Director: Roberto Andó
	Actors: Toni Servillo, Valerio Mastandrea, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi
	Country: I
	Genre: Drama, Comedy
	Conditions of visioning: 17.02.2014, Schauburg
Synopsis: The head of the opposition party in Italy disappears. His wife and his deputy find by casualty his twin brother and take him as substitute to save the party. Their styles are drastically different.
Review: The plot is simple and could not have looked so realistic as in Italy. Once the story is credible, the reality explodes. The reality of our perception. The superficiality of our society. The mercilessness of the career-oriented people, even your own family. The acting of Toni Servillo is amazing! And Valerio Mastandrea is also excellent. The scenes plots and their sequence are perfect. Nothing superfluous nor missing. The movie has a lot of energy to explain the absurdity of politics. The movie itself is merciless against ourselves and this is the good point! Roberto Andó makes me laugh about myself and my society.
Rating: 8 /10

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)

	Also Known As: Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo / Le bon, la brute et le truand
	Year of first release: 1966
	Director: Sergio Leone
	Actors: Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef, Eli Wallach
	Country: I, E, D
	Genre: Western
	Conditions of visioning: 09.03.2014, Bluray
Synopsis: A bounty hunting scam joins two men in an uneasy alliance against a third in a race to find a fortune in gold buried in a remote cemetery.
Review: My home cinema light is just built and for the first try I wanted a cinemascope movie, to enjoy the large picture. The first cinemascope I had in mind is this classical by Sergio Leone. A masterpiece! The roughness of the cowboys, the American History, the happy life (family at the beginning, etc), the quest for money. Great music on the great scenes where suddently no word is necessary to explain the story nor to transmit the emotion. The picture building is not so complex but uses all the simple means possible, in the street and inside building for the sake of the suspense in the quest; with a lot of close-ups on actor's faces. The movie is long, but as there is no useless scene, this feels exactly as long as it should be.
Rating: 10 /10

Fruitvale station (2013)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2013
	Director: Ryan Coogler
	Actors: Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz
	Country: USA
	Genre: Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 10.03.2014, Schauburg, Sneak Preview
Synopsis: The purportedly true story of Oscar Grant III, a 22-year-old Bay Area resident, who crosses paths with friends, enemies, family, and strangers on the last day of 2008.
Review: The death of Oscar Grant III brought weeks of riot in California. The life of Oscar Grant III did not interest anyone. For sure! A low class Black guy who just tries to live with his American-Mexican girlfrien, who has difficulties to find a stable job apart drug dealing, who likes drinking with friend by going out. Who is representative of a generation because he is common for his generation. The directing is very neutral not as a documentary. It shows the action, the smiles, the worries, but does not take party for anyone. What is good knowing the violence generated by the murder of this young guy. The political goal is achieved via this neutrality. The daily life of the LA police is not touched at all.
Rating: 6 /10

The Sacrament (2013)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2013
	Director: Ti West (The Innkeepers, Cheap Thrills)
	Actors: Kate Lyn Sheil, Joe Swanberg, Amy Seimetz
	Country: USA
	Genre: Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 22.03.2014, CINEMA theater, MFFFN14
Synopsis: Two journalists set out to document their friend's search to find his missing sister who has joined a community.
Review:  Like in his last movie The Innkeepers (that I liked, see the review), Ti West takes his time to set the stage. In both movies he actually takes about one hour to do it! Meanwhile the actors chat and you learn to about their characters without really knowing where this is going. This could be boring if the dialogs were not so well written. In particular in The Tournament this introductory hour culminates with an interview of the leader of the community named "Father" and played by a charismatic Gene Jones. While we are tempted to think about a sect, the good sides of the community are shown, as to force us to think differently. The interview of the leader is also very well done to distort our thoughts. at some point the viewer doesn't know what to think, and whether the brother may end up joining the community, or one of the journalists. The ending, inspired by a true story, is all different. The Sacrament is shot as a found footage movie (i.e. all images are pretended to have been shot by the actors), and one think I didn't like is that on many occasions it can obviously not be the case. The angles and cuts could never have been done with the only two cameras they have. Note that Ti West also knows how to shoot fast and efficiently as he participated to both recent anthologies The ABCs of Death and V/H/S.
Rating: 7 /10

A long way down (2014)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2014
	Director: Pascal Chaumeil
	Actors: Imogen Poots, Pierce Brosnan, Toni Colette, Aaron Paul
	Country: GB
	Genre: Drama, Comedy
	Conditions of visioning: 03.03.2014, Schauburg, Sneak Preview
Synopsis: Four persons meet on New year's eve by trying to commit suicide from the top of a building.
Review: With such an interesting plot, one expects more lows and highs. And finally we get a movie very balanced if not too much. Relatively flat even if the noticeable acting of Imogen Poots improves the full picture. The four roles are presented in a clever way but there is no tie to the viewer.
Rating: 3 /10

Witching and Bitching (2013)

	Also Known As: Las brujas de Zugarramurdi (original)
	Year of first release: 2013
	Director: Alex de la Iglesia (Accion Mutante, 800 Balas, El Crimen Ferpecto)
	Actors: Hugo Silva, Mario Casas, Pepón Nieto
	Country: E, F
	Genre: Comedy, Horror
	Conditions of visioning: 22.03.2014, CINEMA theater, MFFFN14
Synopsis: An odd gang of bank robbers escapes towards France. They will commit the mistake of stopping at Zugarramurdi, legendary witches village.
Review: This may well be the best movie by Alex de la Iglesia to date. I didn't like so much the last I have seen from him: The Last Circus and didn't know what to expect from this one. He didn't disappoint me, and I enjoyed it as much as when I first saw his other movies. Actually Witching and Bitching looks like a condensed version of the best that Alex de la Iglesia can do: fun Horror like in El Dia de la Bestia and Accion Mutante, Comedy (and oppression of men by women) like in El Crimen Ferpecto, references, action and father-son relationship like in 800 Balas, and a well-written story like in The Oxford Murders. And the mix is explosive. Unlike his other movies that slow down at some point and may disappoint in their ending, I found that Witching and Bitching never stops surprising and delivering crazy and original ideas. The constant analogy between witches and women in general (obviously not to take seriously) is hilarious, like when the young witch betrays her family to save the hero, he asks about his friends and she replies: "what, you prefer to be with your friends than with me?", followed by an impossible discussion during which the man is trapped whatever he says: "I don't know what to say but I will say whatever you like!". The dialogs are exchanged extremely quickly, and often I could only try to follow the sub-titles without even watching the image. The movie experience must be even better for fluent Spanish speakers. As he already did in the past, de la Iglesia doesn't hesitate the show his gorgeous wife Carolina Bang in the most sexy poses. I hadn't seen yet the half-squaw haircut fit someone so well.
Rating: 9 /10

Enemy (2013)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2013
	Director: Denis Villeneuve (Polytechnique)
	Actors: Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko, Source Code), Mélanie Laurent (Inglorious Basterds, Now you See me), Sarah Gadon (Antiviral, Cosmopolis)
	Country: CDN, E
	Genre: Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 23.03.2014, CINEMA theater, MFFFN14
Synopsis: A troubled history teacher (Gyllenhaal) seeks out his exact look-alike after spotting him in a movie.
Review: I had read some good about the director Denis Villeneuve for his Polytechnique, after I have watched Mars & Avril from his brother Martin. And now I think I should see his recent Prisoners with Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal also. Strangely enough I can recognize a certain common style between Enemy and Mars & Avril, a kind of common love for the abstract. Enemy fully relies on Jake Gyllenhaal, and he is then allowed to show us his full potential, playing two characters with very different personalities. He is very good as the depressed teacher, and very convincing as well as the actor. His expressions, look and posture allow you to tell immediately which character is on screen. Good point for him. The way the movie is shot is very good as well. It has a certain oppressing atmosphere hard to describe, partly due to the constant overcast weather. The story is very intriguing. Many movies have been done about doubles or twins, often comedies, but this one is actually closer to Dead Ringers (Faux Semblants in French), directed by another Canadian David Cronenberg. I liked trying to follow the story and always wondering what would happen next. I can understand the ending can frustrate some people. I cannot tell too much about it, but the question you must ask when watching the movie is: what is it with the spiders?!? I found this website that has an interesting theory. Careful, massive spoilers in it. Below you will find in full size a poster for the movie much nicer that the one I had first.
Rating: 7 /10

The Green Inferno (2013)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2013
	Director: Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel 1-2)
	Actors: Lorenza Izzo, Ariel Levy, Daryl Sabara
	Country: USA
	Genre: Horror
	Conditions of visioning: 23.03.2014, CINEMA theater, MFFFN14
Synopsis: A group of students travel to the Amazonian forrest in order to prevent the destruction of a primitive village.
Review:  An homage to the cannibalsploitation movies of the 70's-80's (in particular Cannibal Holocaust) by the trendy Eli Roth (directed Cabin Fever and Hostel 1-2, played in Piranha 3D and Inglorious Basterds, produced The Last Exorcism and Grindhouse, and personal friend to Quentin Tarantino). In preparation I have watched Cannibal Holocaust in the excellent Blu-ray edition by Shameless Entertainment Video. The Green Inferno is not at the level of its model. In retrospect I have even raised the rating of that one in order be actually fairer. It was sold to the public as bloody, gore, sexy and fun. I saw mainly blood and that's all. I think the movie fails because it tries to cover too many genres: I takes one hour to get to the horrific heart of the movie while trying to convey its environmentalist message. It is not bloody fun like I would expect from Eli Roth (only a few moments are such), nor sexy. There is also the hint of a message againt capitalism and globalisation but it falls flat. The only good thing may be the rather nice colorful images of the tribe. Note that unlike too many movies at the festival that are not really premiere, this one was shown six months before its US release, which is also why I cannot find an official poster. I guess the producers try to create a buzz in festivals around the movie before releasing it. I doubt that it will work out.
Rating: 3 /10

Wolf Creek 2 (2013)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2013
	Director: Greg McLean (Wolf Creek, Rogue)
	Actors: John Jarratt (Rogue, Jango Unchained), Ryan Corr, Shannon Ashlyn
	Country: AUS
	Genre: Horror, Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 23.03.2014, CINEMA theater, MFFFN14
Synopsis: Backpackers in Australa are chased by a crazy gunman.
Review: Greg McLean made a remarkable debut in 2005 with the original Survival movie Wolf Creek, and followed with the good crocodile movie Rogue (featuring Sam Worthington just before Avatar). You can see in this long-awaited sequel that he has gained movie-making knowledge and budget since that time. What is good about Wolf Creek 2 is that the story is different than in the first one that was taking place mostly at the madman's farm. It would have been too easy to make just another kidnapping/torture/escape movie, but here you get more surprised by the turns of events, a bit like Jeepers Creepers 2 was surprising. The gunman (wonderfully played by John Jarratt and his sadistic laugh) is now indeed presented like the boogeyman in Victor Salva's movie, or like Dr Satan in The House of the 1000 Corpses, with some hints of the killer in the excellent German Urban Explorer. What disappointed me is that the movie ends up like a kidnapping/torture/escape and I don't like when those scenes last too long, especially when it is done in an ultra-realistic way like it is here. Maybe I am too old for this stuff.
Rating: 5 /10

Unstoppable (2010)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2010
	Director: Tony Scott (The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, Top Gun)
	Actors: Denzel Washington (Deja Vu, Crimson Tide, The Book of Eli), Chris Pine (Star Trek 1-2), Rosario Dawson (Deathproof)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Action, Thriller
	Conditions of visioning: 21.03.2014, Blu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: When a freight train is moving at high speed without conductor, the railway company tries everything possible to stop it.
Review: This must be the favorite movie of Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory, as it is all about trains! The unstoppable train reminds of Speed of course but as it is based on real events, it is actually more of a catastrophe movie without a bad guy, shot like a thriller in the recognizable style of the late Tony Scott (it is his last movie as director). Indeed there are some high-speed cars and helicopters, and cameras mounted on them to deliver exciting views of the chase. And it succeeds: I have never seen trains shot like this in a movie (I am more thinking about the metro in Die Hard 3, Pelham 123 or at the end of Speed). This turns a subject that could have been dull into an exciting "thriller". The price to pay is that some scenes are not credible: the conductors are depicted like FBI agents when they prepare a train, and the story presents as bad guys (because you need to have them) the directors of the railway company who think only about profit. Denzel Washington is at ease in this role, and Chris Pine is OK for the first time I see him outside of Star Trek.
Rating: 6 /10

Lincoln (2012)

	Also Known As: -
	Year of first release: 2012
	Director: Steven Spielberg (Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park)
	Actors: Daniel Day-Lewis (In the Name of the Father), Sally Field (Stay Hungry), David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Inception, Looper), Tommy Lee Jones (Men in Black 1-3), James Spader (Stargate)
	Country: USA
	Genre: Drama
	Conditions of visioning: 19.03.2014, Blu-ray, Home cinema
Synopsis: The story of the last four months of American president Abraham Lincoln (Day-Lewis), trying to end the civil war and pass the amendment to abolish slavery.
Review: As often with movies that received Oscars, it took time for the price of its Blu-ray to go down, but I have finally bought and watched it. To make short, I would say that Lincoln is possibly the best movie one can make about this period of American history, told from the point of view very close to the president. Daniel Day-Lewis deserved his Oscar for being so immersed in his role. I didn't know much about his career not about the life of Lincoln, but the meeting of both make a strong impression on me. Not only the way he talks and reacts, but also how he walks and tells stories. The movie is quite typical from Spielberg, with always (too) perfect lighting, costumes, sets, slow camera motions and things happening in the background of the scene. He made the interesting choice of focusing his movie on the 13th amendment only, while the book he adapted it from tells much more about Lincoln's life. Another interesting choice is to deliberately avoid showing key scenes in order to stay at the level of the characters and their reactions: we see very few battle scenes (except the crude introduction a la Saving Private Ryan, maybe to underline a recurring pattern in American History), we miss the signature of the Southern surrender, and the assassination. But you have to be well awake to follow the movie, and English subtitles helped a lot, as there is a large amount of debate and discussions in formal English language.
Rating: 8 /10