It starts straight away with our young hero trying to shoot a bullet into his head. No explanation whatsoever is given as to his motives – moviegoers in the Germany of 1931 obviously did not need any. He is disturbed by a burglar and puts a contract on himself, so to speak. The burglar tells him that he will hit him in the near future and dutifully makes a cross on his back with a piece of chalk – not unlike the ‚M’ in Fritz Lang’s movie of the same year. With the cross on his back the young hero goes to a nightclub – and falls in love with a young girl. Of course he tries to rescind from the contract and desperately looks for the burglar, only to learn that he had passed on the job to a subcontractor! Not just any subcontractor, but the very same Jim, the man with the scar, as he solemnly declares.Read More »
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Robert Siodmak – Der Mann, der seinen Mörder sucht AKA Looking for his Murderer (1931)
Robert Siodmak1931-1940ComedyCrimeGermanyWeimar Republic cinema -
Ing K. – Censor Must Die (2014)
2011-2020DocumentaryIng K.Thailand

Quote:
When Shakespeare Must Die, a Thai film adaptation of Macbeth is banned by the Thai government as a threat to national security, the film’s producer treks through the corridors of power to un-ban his Shakespearean horror movie–from the Cultural ministry to the Senate and the National Human Rights Commission, all the way to the Administrative Court where he is suing the government for abuse of power. Wherever he went, amidst political upheaval, his director followed with a camera. The resulting reality cinema is the living story of a struggle for justice and human dignity, for freedom of expression, which Thai filmmakers do not have. A dark cinematic record of democracy in action, in all its farcical, obscene and heartbreaking details.Read More » -
Alain Robbe-Grillet – Le jeu avec le feu AKA Playing with Fire [+ Commentary] (1975)
Alain Robbe-Grillet1971-1980ArthouseEroticaFrancePhilippe Noiret plays a rich, Parisian banker whose daughter, Carolina, is kidnapped by a ruthless organization. They threaten to have her abused by the sadistic clients of a brothel they run if Father doesn’t pay the ransom on time.Read More »
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George Archainbaud – The Return of Sophie Lang (1936)
George Archainbaud1931-1940DramaUSA

In order to give up her life of crime and go straight, renowned jewel thief Sophie Lang fakes her own death and retires to London.Read More »
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Sandra Kogut – Três Verões (2019)
2011-2020BrazilComedyDramaSandra KogutOver a trio of summers, a caretaker for luxury condominiums relies on her resourcefulness and her eye for opportunity to take advantage of whatever comes her way as her employers are caught in major corruption scandals.Read More »
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Jacques Rivette – Céline et Julie vont en bateau: Phantom Ladies Over Paris AKA Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974)
Jacques Rivette1971-1980ArthouseFantasyFranceWhiling away a summer in Paris, director Jacques Rivette, working in close collaboration with his stars and coconspirators Juliet Berto and Dominique Labourier, set out to rewrite the rules of cinema in the spirit of pure play—moviemaking as an anything-goes romp through the labyrinths of imagination. The result is one of the most exuberantly inventive and utterly enchanting films of the French New Wave, in which Julie (Labourier), a daydreaming librarian, meets Céline (Berto), an enigmatic magician, and together they become the heroines of a time-warping adventure involving a haunted house, psychotropic candy, and a murder-mystery melodrama. Incorporating allusions to everything from Lewis Carroll to Louis Feuillade, Céline and Julie Go Boating is both one of the all-time-great hangout comedies and a totally unique, enveloping cinematic dream space that delights in the endless pleasures and possibilities of stories.Read More »
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Zivorad ‘Zika’ Mitrovic – Nevesinjska puska AKA Thundering Mountains (1963)
Zivorad 'Zika' Mitrovic1961-1970DramaWarYugoslaviaYugoslavian Cinema under TitoBased on real events – Herzegovina Uprising of 1875–77 against the Ottoman Empire.
More info hereRead More »
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Paulo Rocha – O Desejado ou As Montanhas da Lua AKA Les montagnes de la lune (1987)
Paulo Rocha1981-1990ArthouseCultPortugalQuote:
This visually striking drama is taken from the classic Japanese novel Tales Of Genji by Marasaki Shikibu. Set in modern Portugal, Joao (Luis Miguel Cintra) is a left-wing political leader and ladies man with a bright future. His ex-wife Isabel (Manuela de Freitas) both loves and hates him as Joao plays on her wavering emotional state. He is sent to Italy to retrieve wayward family member Antonia (Caroline Chaniolleau), the beautiful young woman with a terrorist boyfriend. Joao is forced to recognize his feelings as the political and amorous climate changes around him.Read More » -
Roland Joffé – Play for Today: The Spongers (1978)
1971-1980DramaRoland JofféThe Wednesday Play & Play for TodayTVUnited KingdomSet against the backdrop of Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II, the play depicts a single mother’s struggles in this highly polemical and unremittingly bleak diatribe against government welfare cuts from the poor and disabled. The derogatory term ‘spongers’ is used by British tabloid press to describe people who are dependent on welfare support, however the play presents the case of a family who desperately need the help.Read More »






