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Jean Cocteau died on October 11, 1963, the same exact day that his longtime friend, the French chanteuse Edith Piaf, succumbed to liver cancer not all that far away. Some have even speculated that the news of Piaf’s death was what spurred the heart attack that claimed Cocteau, a beautiful, if melancholic coincidence, if we are to put our full faith into what’s ostensibly rumor, seeing as the famed poet, theater director, and filmmaker often remarked that he was more scared of the deaths of his loved ones than he was of his own inevitable demise.Read More »
An older man consumed by jealousy over his much younger wife decides to venture into the jungle in search of riches without her. When he returns 4 years later, he finds that his mistrust in her may have been well-founded.
This directorial debut by George Sluizer is a major artistic achievement.
Official submission of Brazil to the 1974’s Oscars in the best foreign language film category. As of 2013, Brazil’s only submitted film directed by a non-Brazilian director.Read More »
AMIGO, the 17th feature film from Academy Award-nominated writer-director John Sayles, stars legendary Filipino actor Joel Torre as Rafael, a village mayor caught in the murderous crossfire of the Philippine-American War. When U.S. troops occupy his village, Rafael comes under pressure from a tough-as-nails officer (Chris Cooper) to help the Americans in their hunt for Filipino guerilla fighters. But Rafaels brother (Ronnie Lazaro) is the head of the local guerillas, and considers anyone who cooperates with the Americans to be a traitor. Rafael quickly finds himself forced to make the impossible, potentially deadly decisions faced by ordinary civilians in an occupied country. A powerful drama of friendship, betrayal, romance and heartbreaking violence, AMIGO is a page torn from the untold history of the Philippines, and a mirror of todays unresolvable conflicts.Read More »
Jake died in Vietnam; his family mourned him, then moved on. When he reappears, quite alive, the question is, what must he do and how will his family respond to him?Read More »
Kosaka drops to death while ice climbing with his friend Uozu to see the sunrise on the New Year’s Day. The investigators try to find the cause of the death, then discover that the cut rope was made in the factory for which Uozu’s brother works.Read More »
The ten-year-old boy lived through the events of May 1968 hidden away at his grandparents’ house, surrounded by his uncles and great-grandmother, all bivouacked around a mysterious hideout. Adapted from the novel by Christophe Boltanski.Read More »
Three men break into a bank and are pursued by three other men. The burglars have been at this sort of thing for years; the policemen have only been in their jobs for a few months. Two young men chase a girl because they want to learn how to tango, but soon find themselves caught up in a dance for a fortune – even though a million ain’t worth as much as it used to be. Hard work is hardly ever worth it, but it’s always worthwile keeping oneself occupied, says Bruno Markward to Bubi. In order to help his friend, Bubi trains as a bricklayer so that he can knock a hole through the ceiling. But because women are never easy, Bruno the expert winds up in front of the arch-criminal, Lotz, with whom he has already done time not so long ago in the same Nazi prison. Graf the waiter is caught in bed – but not with his wife. Julian, a trainee police inspector who is definitely still wet behind the ears, loses his friend Bubi and his girlfriend Tina, but because he can run faster, he does manage to catch Lubowitz – the fox with the mask. There is a wonderful canary in a supporting role. Berlin, just after the war, between winter and spring, is backdrop for these city-dwellers who find themselves in difficult but also humorous situations.Read More »
Musical about the “Blue Star,” a struggling jazz band led by pianist Takarada and trumpet player Takashima and their love interests. Done very much in the style of a Fox musical of the same 1940s, complete with an elaborate “History of Jazz” finale.Read More »
Helén and Jenö are waiting for a child and are desperately searching for an accomodation. They eventually sign a contract with an old lady, Szeréna, who lives in a two-family house. According to the contract, they are to pay a moderate rent and they have to take care of her until her death. After the first weeks, Szeréna accuses the couple of trying to poison her and builds a chicken coop on the balcony with the aim of living off the eggs she herself gathers.Read More »
