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With this documentary on the plots and sub-plots of the universe of food, Moullet moves away from comedy to become a pioneer of today’s trend to analyze the forms of globalization by looking at a small cultural field. In his survey going from our everyday menu to the exploitation of Third World workers, the genesis in the title provides the basis for this political essay: by following the history of a meal’s ingredients, an intelligent map of the workings of the global world is charted.Read More »

Soviet melodrama based on a story by Alexander Pushkin.

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Vladimir is a young officer who settles in a small town. He falls for Maria, the pretty daughter of a widow from whom he rents a room. Neither are able to commit to each other until he is called away for active duty during the cold winter.Read More »

Letterboxd-Review:
A superb proto-jitsuroku type yakuza film by Junya Sato. Fumio Watanabe (in probably his best role) is a wonderfully cast against type as a crime boss who actually cares for his men and is the first one to barge into fight when rivals come knocking on the door. Powerful political figure Eijiro Yanagi becomes his consultant, after which short tempered rival boss Ryohei Uchida starts feeling the fire under his arse. Things get even more heated after Watanabe takes a Ginza gambling joint from the Chicago mafia with the assistance of machine gun happy lone wolf Noboru Ando. Tetsuro Tamba, Hideo Murota and Rinichi Yamamoto are a detective squad in a desperate battle against red tape while trying to bring the gangs down. The story is fictional, but the film feels like a jitsuroku movie. Sato draws an entire underworld map with cops, gangsters and political players all placed on the same chess table. The film is talkative, but never boring, feels extremely matter of fact, and comes with a fabulous musical score by Masaru Sato.Read More »

Newspaper editor Arthur Sherwood is on a hunting trip when he accidentally stumbles upon a nudist camp in the woods. He is very much shocked by this and decides to send reporter Stacy Taylor to the camp so she can write an expose on the camp and have it shut down. However, much to her surprise, Stacy finds that she enjoys the nudist lifestyle and writes some very positive articles on her experiences, which doesn’t sit well with Arthur. Arthur then decides to join the camp himself and write his own story.Read More »

A 1978 Japanese space opera film directed by Kinji Fukasaku. The film stars Sonny Chiba, Etsuko Shihomi, and Vic Morrow. The film was produced by Toei and cost between the equivalent of USD $5-6 million, the most expensive movie made in Japan up to that time.

In this Star Wars take-off, the peaceful planet of Jillucia has been nearly wiped out by the Gavanas, whose leader takes orders from his mother (played by a comic actor in drag) rather than the Emperor. King Kaiba sends out eight Liabe holy seeds, each to be received by a chosen one to defend the Gavanas. Each recipient, ranging from hardened General Garuda to Gavana Prince Hans to young Terrans Meia, Kido, and Aaron all have different reactions to being chosen.Read More »

A satirical take on the mundane absurdities of life in modern-day Iran, these nine vignettes illuminate the lighter side of enduring under authoritarian rule. Whether choosing a name for a newborn, graduating from grade school, getting a driver’s license, applying for a job, or seeking approval for a film script, if you live in Iran, you best come fluent in Orwellian discourse. Progressing along a rough timeline from birth to death, each story is shot in a static camera angle as a single petitioner negotiates with an authority figure hovering just outside of frame, who is practiced in the language of doublespeak.Read More »

Roommates Alex and Max are very different: Advertising copywriter Alex is a womanize who has no trouble making sexual conquests, while jazz saxophonist Max lacks self-confidence with women. This leads to all sorts of sexual and romantic adventures and entanglements.Read More »

A small town hospital worker who witnessed a brutal rape becomes obsessed with the victim after she lands a job as a nurse at the same hospital where he works, but how far will he go before he finally loses control? Leon Okrasa was there when a young woman named Anna was viciously violated. He works at a hospital in Poland, and when Anna is hired in as a nurse Leon soon finds his fixation taking over every aspect of his life. One night, after climbing into Anna’s apartment though an open window, Leon sits on the edge of her bed, watching silently as she sleeps. What happens next only Leon can say.Read More »

Plot summary:
Known as Mick to some and Mack to others, because he is half Scottish and half Irish, a veteran electro plater has retirement forced upon him, but his bullheaded refusal to take it causes ructions.Read More »