John Rabe

Not quite "Schindler's List" but very very close. This German bio-pic is very high on production quality, drama, tension-breaking humor, and excellent acting. It may be very hard to watch for some - the atrocities of war often are.

Ulrich Tukur plays a German business exec who turns superhero to scores of Chinese citizens during the Japanese invasion in the winter of 1937. His connections with both the Nazi party and Siemens Corporation saved countless innocent lives.

After the siege he returned to Germany and was branded a traitor, the journal he kept was lost for decades. This movie is told directly from the pages of his own writings.

Steve Buscemi does his best acting to-date playing a cynical American doctor at the time. He even does a very funny song and dance routine. The rest of the cast is excellent but most of us won't recognize many names.

The dialogue is a mix of English, German, Chinese, and Japanese. It is very easy to keep up.

Watch this movie with someone who thinks they know all the WWII stories.

Paris, je t'aime

Paris, I love you. Movie, you are wonderful too. Back in 2006 Tristan Carné got the idea to combine stories from a variety of talents to show what a great city means to a variety of people. Paris was first on the list. New York came later in 2009. We'll soon see Shanghai and Jerusalem and I hear Rio is in development.

There were so many great names in this I will list only the ones American audiences will be most familiar. Apologies to my many French readers. here are a few reasons to watch this movie:

Steve Buscemi in a subway scene many of us have dreamed of or feared.

Miranda Richardson in a hot red trench coat.

Juliette Binoche who finds a cowboy (Willem Dafoe) to look after her son.

Nick Nolte surprises everyone.

Maggie Gyllenhaal, Bob Hoskins, and Elijah Wood in 3 very odd relationships.

Olga Kurylenko as a very hot vampire.

Natalie Portman best sees Paris though the eyes of a blind man.

Gena Rowlands and Ben Gazzara show us how exs should get along.

Rufus Sewell and Emily Mortimer get a little help learning to laugh together.

There are truly too many other great performances to list here. Be patient and watch all the stories. The point is that everyone we see has an interesting story. And, from time to time our story lines cross.

Watch this with someone who has been to Paris and will delight in seeing it again.