Pluskylang Great Film overall

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Aiden Melton The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

beddie_ell This is a beautifully executed piece. movie art at its highest. the movie stands on its own but still leaves the thoughtful viewer wondering if there is some deeper message. There are many possibilities. So here goes my take. The catalyst that sets the whole plot in motion is a careless women who inherits a house, doesn't pay a bill, ignores the warnings and loses the house when a judgement is entered against the property. The very clear moral is that everyday obligations can become very large and tragic ones if ignored or not properly discharged. The Ben Kingsley character is an Iranian military officer that had to flee Iran when the Shah (a puppet dictator of the US) was deposed in a popular student-led uprising. He struggles to maintain his dignity and pride and support his family in America. Kingsley buys the house at a sheriff sale. Issues abound as to what is right, what is fair, what is just, what is legal and what is humane. Is all this an indictment of the US supporting a despot ruler in Iran to protect its oil interests? Is Iran the house of fog and sand that the US must lose because it ignored the due bill that was the human rights of the Iranian people? The popular overthrow of the US-supported regime in Iran was followed by the installment of the extremist radical Islam theocracy that survives to the present. Civil war in Israel, Lebanon and Syria, nuclear weapon proliferation, world-wide terrorism, and impossible instability in the Middle East ensued. The due bill now is vastly greater than a price of a few million barrels of oil.

Python Hyena House of Sand and Fog (2003): Dir: Vadim Perelman / Cast: Jennifer Connelly, Ben Kingsley, Ron Eldard, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Frances Fisher: Sad and depressing film regarding consequence. It regards what we base our life upon and whether it is worth the consequences that resolve the plot here. Perhaps all would be well had Jennifer Connelly just opened her darn mail but she is depressed after losing her husband and drowning herself in alcohol. She gets evicted and discovers that she owes money but her house was marketed away to a foreign family. She decides to fight to get it back and that is where the problems begin. Much of this could have been avoided if two of the principal characters were not such morons. The ending is unnecessarily tragic and could have been avoided if common sense was used. Directed by Vadim Perelman and starring Connelly who is a wonderful actress but she sustains no sympathy here. It is clear that she suffers depression from a previous relationship but her oversight is practically laughable. Ben Kingsley steals the film with a powerful performance and a reasonable fight. Ron Eldard plays a married cop involved with Connelly who will leave his wife for delusions and pigheaded decisions. Shohreh Aghdashloo plays Kingsley's kind wife who must suffer it all. It may cause viewers to look before they leap because the way may be foggy. Score: 6 / 10

SnoopyStyle Massoud Amir Behrani (Ben Kingsley) and Nadereh (Shohreh Aghdashloo) are Iranian exiles. He is still maintaining a facade of success but is actually working menial jobs. He buys a bungalow at an auction, moves in his family and then intends to flip it. Kathy Nicolo (Jennifer Connelly) was wrongly evicted for $500 of unpaid business taxes. She has been depressed for months after being abandoned by her husband. Sympathetic Deputy Sheriff Lester Burdon (Ron Eldard) tries to help and has an affair with her. It's a desperate struggle for both sides.This is a depressing tragedy. It is unrelenting in its direction. This is expertly laid down by newcomer Vadim Perelman. It does go to a very dark place but it is not coming out of nowhere. One must almost abandon all hope and enjoy this descend into personal destruction.

leplatypus It's a strange movie that this one : Jennifer's attachment to the house, her fragile psychic state, Kingsley's determination are not very believable but there's however a spleen feeling that is engaging : it's not every day that Hollywood takes a look at poverty, homeless or has a gentle depressive girl as main heroin and it's a good thing. Similarly, it happens not in sunny LA but rather chilly Frisco. It's a pity that the house isn't much explained : it's ordinary, tidy and as soon as Jennifer is evicted, it's the best place in the world ! Kingsley shows that he is indeed very talented but like « IR 3 », playing the bad guy is not his best choice.