In this run-of-the-mill crime drama, Bernard Giraudeau is Daniel Chetman, someone who wants to leave the life of violence he knew in his neighborhood — and cannot do so because his nemesis, a strutting street gangster now involved with organized crime, continues to terrorize the inhabitants of Chetman’s turf. After much spilled blood, a parade of ugly underground types, and various sexual scenes, Chetman reduces the forces of evil to a reasonable level of opposition — but who knows if the neighborhood will be different in the end.Read More »

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It’s 1964 and Seijun Suzuki continues to work harder than any other director doing the rounds. Working from a novel by Aoyama Koji he tells the story of Ogata Kikuji (Kobayashi Akira) – a former Yakuza member, now on the straight and narrow. One year ago he rescued a woman named Oshige (Matsubara Chieko) from the clutches of his Yakuza boss and shortly after they wed; for his insolent behaviour a quiet assassin called Yoshimura (Kawaji Tamio) is sent to take care of Kikuji, who is now living under the roof of reformed gangster and innkeeper Ihei (Takashina Kaku). Meanwhile, Kikuji keeps his relationship with Oshige a secret, even shielding his marriage from Manryu (Kubo Naoko) – who has taken quite a liking to him and wishes to escape her depressing situation, brought on by years of having to put up with unscrupulous men.Read More »

Berlin-based filmmaker Jochen Hick explores the long shadow left by Paragraph 175 in his fascinating documentary My Wonderful West Berlin (Mein Wunderbares West-Berlin)…
“Many victims died before the rehabilitation process started,” Hicks notes. “That is a very sad feeling, that Germany waited until most of them had passed away.”
Drawing on rare archival footage predominantly focusing on West Berlin’s gay male community from the 50s until the late 80s, the film illuminates a vibrant socio-political network that thrived despite police and political harassment. https://www.sbs.com.au/topics/sexuality/mardigras/article/2018/02/22/subverting-paragraph-175-queer-life-my-wonderful-west-berlinRead More »

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How we cling to age old patriarchal traditions ,though in a new globalized world, society needs to move on and invent new ways of thinking.Read More »

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In the summer of 1924 Claude Friese-Greene, a pioneer of colour cinematography, set out from Cornwall with the aim of recording life on the road between Land’s End and John O’Groats. Entitled The Open Road, his remarkable travelogue was conceived as a series of shorts, 26 episodes in all, to be shown weekly at the cinema.

Claude’s experimental colour process failed to reach a large audience owing to heavy flicker and colour fringing. Following on from the BBC’s recent documentary The Lost World of Friese-Greene, the BFI National Archive has restored a special compilation of highlights from the journey, using digital intermediate technology to remove the technical defects of the original.Read More »

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In this video release of a 1983 episode from the critically acclaimed PBS series Soundstage, oddball comedian and satirist Andy Kaufman is featured in one of the last performances before his untimely death in 1984. Considered by some critics and fans to be a Dadaist, and known for blurring the borders between his stage persona and his “true” personality, Kaufman inflicted a brand of humor that was unique, sometimes slipping beyond comedy into performance art — or mental illness. Here his format is the late-night talk show, and his sidekick is a marionette of his alter ego, obnoxious dive-lounge comedian Tony Clifton. Also included in the show: Kaufman reprises his Foreign Man character, impersonates Elvis Presley, seems to expose guest Dr. Alex Schorr as a fraud, and apparently has a genuine argument with his former girlfriend Elayne Boosler. — Steve BlackburnRead More »

Synopsis:
Renowned actress/singer Takamine Mieko stars as titular heroine Nobuko, a spirited young teacher working in a conservative school. Based on a novel by Shishi Bunroku, the film follows her experiences as she challenges the school with her liberal thinking and teaching methods.Read More »

A scientist who has perfected a new bio-weapon, is attacked and lies in a coma. A newspaperman tries to unravel the mystery as three murders are committed by poison, all related to a set of bejeweled statues.Read More »