• Cecil B. DeMille – Samson and Delilah (1949)

    1941-1950Cecil B. DeMilleEpicRomanceUSA

    Synopsis:
    Though his people, the Israelites, are enslaved by the Philistines, Samson (Victor Mature), strongest man of the tribe of Dan, falls in love with the Philistine Semadar (Dame Angela Lansbury), whom he wins by virtue of a contest of strength. But Semadar betrays him, and Samson engages in a fight with her real love, Ahtur (Henry Wilcoxon), and his soldiers. Semadar is killed, and her sister Delilah (Hedy Lamarr), who had loved Samson in silence, now vows vengeance against him. She plans to seduce Samson into revealing the secret of his strength and then to betray him to the Philistine leader, The Saran of Gaza (George Sanders).Read More »

  • Koreyoshi Kurahara – Kaitei kara kita onna AKA The Woman from the Sea (1959)

    1951-1960FantasyHorrorJapanKoreyoshi Kurahara

    Quote:
    “A curious hybrid of taiyôzoku-eiga (“Sun Tribe”) and “girl-diver” genres, Koreyoshi Kurahara’s mermaid tale plays out like no other midnight movie in history – sinister, sensual and ethereal, it unfurls almost in slow motion. Hisako Tsukuba plays a voluptuous, gloomy beauty who likes to feast on fish guts.”Read More »

  • Lamont Johnson – Dangerous Company (1982)

    1981-1990DramaLamont JohnsonUSA

    The true story of Ray Johnson, a convict who spent most of his life in and out of prison until he finally decided to turn his life around.Read More »

  • Bigas Luna – La teta y la luna AKA The Tit and the Moon (1994)

    1991-2000Bigas LunaComedyDramaSpain

    Synopsis:
    This Spanish/French film presents a loving ode to a woman’s breasts and the three men who love them. The fairy tale is told from the viewpoint of 9-year old Tete, who jealous of his new brother’s access to his mother’s breasts, implores the moon to give him a nurturing breast of his own. French cabaret performers Estrellita, the Queen of Stuttgart, and her jealous husband Maurice, come to town with their surprisingly vulgar act. When Tete sees Estrellita, he knows his wish has been granted. Trailer-park electrician Miquel is also very attracted to Estrellita’s charming chest and begins serenade her. Tete gets to sample her charms after he brings her a frog.Read More »

  • Pierre Granier-Deferre – L’Etoile du Nord AKA The North Star (1982)

    1981-1990CrimeFrancePierre Granier-DeferreThriller

    Synopsis:
    Edouard Binet, an aimless Frenchman, has been travelling in North Africa for many years, and is sailing to Belgium. En route, he meets Sylvie Baron. He introduces her to Nemrod Lobetoum, a rich Egyptian carrying valuable jewelry, and Sylvie and Nemrod become friends. Their friendship escalates to love, which makes Edouard jealous. Days later, Edouard arrives at a rooming house owned by Mme. Louise Baron, Sylvie’s mother, wearing blood-stained clothes. It appears that Nemrod was killed on a train after he arrived in France, but Edouard denies any knowledge of what happened. Sylvie suspects that Edouard is responsible for Nemrod’s death, but by now her mother has become Edouard’s ally.Read More »

  • Federico Fellini – Lo sceicco bianco AKA The White Sheik (1952)

    1951-1960ClassicsComedyFederico FelliniItaly

    Synopsis:
    Who would have thought that only moments after arriving at Rome for their honeymoon, the young and pure bride, Wanda, would sneak out of the room, leaving her fastidious groom, Ivan, all alone? Obsessed with the masculine Fernando Rivoli–the hero of her favourite romantic photo-novel, The White Sheik–Wanda plucks up the courage to meet him in person, only to be seduced by the arrogant protagonist, so far away from the hotel and her husband. As a result–perplexed by Wanda’s strange disappearance, and unable to disclose the news to his family–Ivan meanders through the ill-lit Roman streets in search of his wife, on pins and needles, waiting for their eleven o’clock appointment with his uncle and the Papal Audience at the Vatican. What does the new day have in store for the separated newlyweds?Read More »

  • Milos Forman – Horí, má panenko AKA The Firemen’s Ball (1967)

    1961-1970Amos Vogel: Film as a Subversive ArtComedyCzech RepublicMilos FormanPolitics

    Quote:
    A milestone of the Czech New Wave, Milos Forman’s first color film The Firemen’s Ball (Horí, má panenko) is both a dazzling comedy and a provocative political satire. A hilarious saga of good intentions confounded, the story chronicles a firemen’s ball where nothing goes right—from a beauty pageant whose reluctant participants embarrass the organizers to a lottery from which nearly all the prizes are pilfered. Presumed to be a commentary on the floundering Czech leadership, the film was “banned forever” in Czechoslovakia following the Russian invasion and prompted Forman’s move to America.Read More »

  • Miko Revereza – No Data Plan (2019)

    2011-2020DocumentaryMiko ReverezaUSA

    Living in the United States illegally for over 20 years, Miko Revereza takes the Amtrak train from Los Angeles to New York in this critical moment of hostility against migrants in the country he has come to know as home. The journey seems daring, perhaps reckless, yet urgent and necessary.Read More »

  • Mohammad Rasoulof – Baad-e-daboor AKA Head Wind (2008)

    2001-2010DocumentaryIranMohammad Rasoulof

    Plot Synopsis From Allmovie:
    Iran is a nation where the government carefully regulates what its citizens may see on television, read in the newspapers, or access on the internet. However, despite the country’s repressive policies, many people enjoy news and entertainment outside the purview of their leaders, and filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof examines what Iranians are viewing on the sly and how they find it in the documentary Baad-e-daboor (aka Head Wind). In order to watch television programming not on the official approved list, well-to-do Iranians need little more than to purchase a satellite dish, which can easily be hidden on their property (and homeowners can use the defense that unauthorized channels were supposed to be blocked on their system). Read More »

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