Planet B-Boy is an excellent documentary about Hip-Hop dancing, music, the hip-hop protagonists and their life style. The guys in the doc are, no doubt, completely sporty, dedicated youngsters, that burn long hours every day on rehearsing movements, jingle jangling and choreography which originated in athletics, breakdance, martial arts and disco.

People from all over the planet gather in Germany and push themselves to get the title of Best Hip Hop group in the world, as representatives of their home countries. The prize is not monetary, the drive is purely honor – to go back to their countries of origin, and let the world know who is simply the best at this field. Many may think that this is a western “thing”, but it is amazing to see how this culture impregnated many young kids of Japan and Korea. It is also astonishing to see the amounts of adrenaline and energy that the dancers convey to the spectators, how esthetically they perform, with rhythm being primordial and acrobatics crucial. Be ready to feel the thrill.

Life Apart brings us a view into the life of the Hassidic Jews in the United States: how Hasidics arrived to America in the first place, how do they live their day-to-day life, interact with society and preserve their tribute. During the most antisemitic times in Europe, the Hasidim sought a place where they would be able to live peacefully and thrive as a community, far from persecution and pogroms. At first, and before World War II, the US did not strike them as a place where they could live freely on the one hand, and preserve their Jewish identity and heritage, as it was passed on from the old Eastern European Hasidic communities – on the other. This was, in their eyes, due to two main reasons: First, American freedom seemed too strong to cope and second, the American way of life expected a person to assimilate within it. And so, many of the Hasidic leaders that visited the US before the beginning of the WWII, advised not to relocate to America, for the strength of the required assimilation was impossible to overcome. Nevertheless, this documentary presents a post-Holocaust Hassidic community, formed by those who survived the Holocaust and their descendants, “making it” in America, the Hassidic way – recreating, reuniting their old communities that were left behind, after the attacks of the Cossacks, Slavs, Communists, Catholics and Protestants. Eventually, they find in the US a liberal land, that permits them to keep their faith and perform their rituals together as a group, without dreaming the American dream. They have no need for Harvard or Yale, they do not seek fortunes, they focus on studying, on their kids’ education, and on rehabilitation. After the passage of half a century, America has proven to be a good adoptive parent for European Hassidism. Score: 7

This was a surprise. Silip or also known as the Daughters of Eve is Philippine funny movie for it starts with a “Viking” logo and you think, well, this looks like a porno movie but it is really not. The first scene is more than revolting watching a guy sacrificing a bull, really, and you don’t see at the end no commitment saying the film was made without causing any pain to animals or something like it. At the beginning you would feel you are on one of those unbearable Hindu village movies of the trillions Bollywood produces, but as you get into “what is the language they mumble?”, well it is Filipino. If I had to classify this movie it would be erotica the category I would place it in. Here is a story of a redneck philipino village and the sexual experiences of 3 young girls among religious creeds and predicaments. Score: 4.

A perfect collage of esthetically perfect  moving pictures from all over the globe, with no script, just observe: religious rituals, urban activity, progress, tribes, environment,…Among the slow and fast motion pics, this doc will take you to far Asia from Burma, India, Cambodia and Laos, Japan and China. A masterminded series of eagle’s eye cameras, others static long hours of waiting in a trypod to gather enough material to nurture the expected effect of people in a metropolis behaving like ants. This piece of art has as much of the experimental as of the mystical opening, with its astonishing in beauty filmed material, whatever questions you might come up with. All and all a fact is conveyed here: no need for noises as scripts for they will just destroy so much beauty meant to be admire only by looking.

Nanking was the capital of the Republic of China in 1937 at the time that the Imperial army of Japan arrived, during one of the Sino-Japanese wars. The Japanese take the city and deliberately kill tens of thousands of prisoners, some soldiers some others not. Women will be systematically raped. This is a black and white film, created with all detail to resemble the period, actors are obviously, dealing with a Chinese movie, anonymous to westerners. This picture describes how the Japanese behaved during these wars with the Chinese, for which, by the way, I think there are still officially open cases at the UN reopened for the victims, those women raped then. Score: 5.7

Last Stop 174 or Ultima Parada 174 in the original Portuguese is a brazilian drama, similar to those we saw such as “Cidade de Deus” or “BOPE”, even share common actors with the latest. Nevertheless, Brazil seems to be filled with dramatical and real life stories as this one. Two kids from the fabelas, under the same name: one is separated from his mom while a baby and the other lost his mom on an armed robbery. Both will find themselves fighting for surviving in the brutal streets of Rio de Janeiro. Destiny will make the two youngsters meet and start “working” together on a bike, robbing other motorists waiting in street crossings until they both decide to split leaving the protagonist homeless. On a last shot, the kid will try to give it a last try by visiting his pseudo girlfriend or her almost mom, as every drama, you are expecting a fatal blow to arrive, and this one is no different. Score: 5.

Obviously the most used word in Baader Meihof is scheize. Apart from all the politics involved in this movie, it´s an action movie about this left wing German terrorist group of the 70´s Red Army Faction (RAF), its terrorists acts, their way of planning, thinking, collaborating with other terrorist groups, etc,… Action is mediocre, actors are not something and the story is one of blood, brain washing and westerners-trying-to-find-something-to-fight-for youngsters but chose the wrong cause shaking hands with others blood thirsty terror groups like the Palestinians ones of the 70´s.  Nominated for 2 Oscars, well, we all know how much politics and few arts are involved with the winning of this little statue nowadays. Score: 5

Trade is an appalling movie about human trafficking between the US and Mexico. The protagonist is a  youngster living in Mexico City dumpsters who makes his way into the US following the traces of the captors of his sister, Adriana, a 13 year old. The kidnappers belong to a sex traffickers net based in both sides of the Mexican-American border supported by wealthy American pedophiles. Adriana’s only hope is Veronica, a polish woman, also her, captured as she entered US soil at the airport, while her trip friend was instantly killed from a passing car, trying to scape her fate of being selled as flesh. Jorge, the 17 year old brother will follow the whole process of transferring aliens into the States, fighting his way into the  border “tunnels” of Rio Grande and will persuade an American citizen to help him out.  The end of the story I leave it up to you to discover.  Score: 6.5