• John Woo – Laat sau sen taan aka Hard-Boiled (1992)

    John Woo1991-2000ActionCrimeHong Kong

    Quote:
    It is almost impossible to review Hard Boiled and at the same time avoid the bottomless anus-bowl of cliches that surround it. I’m sure it’s been described as “a high octane thrill ride”, and even on the box it says Hard Boiled is “an action fan’s dream”. This is all true, but plain and simple it is just a damn awesome movie. I am at a loss for bad things to say about it. Not many movies get me as pumped up as Hard Boiled does. It uses an arsenal of well executed techniques to draw the viewer into each and every action sequence. Woo also manages to craft these explosive scenes so that he actually makes you feel stupid if you miss something cool. There are many small and beautiful things going on during all of the crimson waterworks that you may not notice the first time through. One image that really stuck out to me was during the first action scene in the teahouse. There is a shot of someone getting blasted in the leg. The bullet goes through a table first, so you get this foreground picture of the table’s leg busting in two as the man’s leg snaps right behind it. It is really fantastic in that it was totally unnecessary.Read More »

  • Lina Wertmüller – In una notte di chiaro di luna AKA Crystal or Ash, Fire or Wind, as Long as It’s Love (1989)

    Lina Wertmüller1981-1990DramaItaly
    In una notte di chiaro di luna (1989)
    In una notte di chiaro di luna (1989)

    Synopsis
    An American journalist works for a French newspaper. He is writing an article about the reaction against people with AIDS, without knowing he is infected too. Once he finds out, he decides to cut off himself leaving his wife and daughter.Read More »

  • Jean Becker – Un nommé La Rocca AKA A Man Called Rocca (1961) (HD)

    Jean Becker1961-1970CrimeDramaFrance
    Un nommé La Rocca (1961) (HD)
    Un nommé La Rocca (1961) (HD)

    Roberto La Rocca (Jean-Paul Belmondo) is an ex-gangster whose friend Xavier (Pierre Vaneck) has been unjustly thrown in prison. Indeed, local gang leader Villanova is the one who framed Xavier. La Rocca confronts the mobster and kills him. Later, while helping his mistress (Beatrice Altariba) to fight off an American gang of racketeers, Roberto is caught by the police and is put in the same prison with Xavier. Then the two volunteer to clear land mines left from the last war, hoping to receive a pardon and to buy a quiet farm.Read More »

  • Jean Rollin – La vampire nue AKA The Nude Vampire (1970)

    Jean Rollin1961-1970FantasyFranceHorrorQueer Cinema(s)
    La vampire nue (1970)
    La vampire nue (1970)

    A young man falls in love with a beautiful woman being chased by sinister masked figures at night. He tries to track her down, and learns she’s being held captive by his father and colleagues who believe she’s a vampire.Read More »

  • Jun Lana – Mga kuwentong barbero AKA Barber’s Tales (2013)

    Jun Lana2011-2020DramaPhilippines
    Mga kuwentong barbero (2013)
    Mga kuwentong barbero (2013)

    Synopsis wrote:
    Newly-widowed Marilou inherits from her husband the town’s only barbershop–a business that has been passed down by generations of men in his family. With no other means of support, she musters the courage to run the barbershop. But–as to be expected–she fails to attract any customers. But a touching act of kindness she extended to Rosa, a prostitute who works in the town brothel, leads to an unexpected opportunity. Rosa, who now considers Marilou a friend, urges her prostitute friends to pressure their male clientele into patronizing Marilou’s barbershop. The men have no choice but to grudgingly oblige out of fear that Rosa will expose their infidelity to their wives.Read More »

  • Josefina Molina – Vera, un cuento cruel AKA Vera, a Cruel Story (1974)

    1971-1980DramaJosefina MolinaSpainSpanish cinema under Franco
    Vera, un cuento cruel (1974)
    Vera, un cuento cruel (1974)

    Alfredo marries Vera, a French girl and they live on his estate in Spain with a butler. Vera dies, and the butler encourages Alfredo’s necrophilia; they pretend that she is still alive. Alfredo decides to return to France, but the butler entombs him, poisons his own sweetheart, and rides off leaving Alfredo to rot in the crypt.Read More »

  • Tat-Chi Yau & Johnnie To – Fai seung dat yin AKA Expect the Unexpected (1998)

    Tat-Chi Yau1991-2000ActionCrimeJohnnie To
    Fai seung dat yin (1998)
    Fai seung dat yin (1998)

    In this “cops and robbers” film, a raid on a jewelry store staged by a band of amateur hold-up artists goes horribly wrong, leading to a shoot-out. The elite Organized Crime Bureau team, headed by Captain Ching King Gen, is poised to go into action at a moment’s notice. Working as a unit, they bring law and order to Hong Kong streets, where they must rely on their courage and skills to survive.Read More »

  • Vicente Aranda – Fata/Morgana (1966)

    Vicente Aranda1961-1970ArthouseFantasySpainSpanish cinema under Franco
    Fata:Morgana (1966)
    Fata:Morgana (1966)

    A man rehearses a lecture he is planning to give, analyzing serial killers. He claims that a woman is soon to be murdered in the city. It is inevitable, he explains, as some people are born victims while others are born to kill. He plans to identify the future victim through a series of photographs of violent acts.

    Fashion model Gim, played by iconic Spanish actress Teresa Gimpera, finds herself alone in a Barcelona that seems almost deserted. She seeks out her lover, Alvaro, for help. On her way to meet him she is harassed by a series of men and followed by a huge and menacing silver truck with blacked out windows. Through a loud speaker on the truck a mechanical voice orders all persons to leave the city immediately.
    Gim finds that Alvaro’s former girlfriend, Miriam, is staying in his house having just returned from London where a terrible but unexplained event occurred. In Alvaro’s “art chamber”, an obviously disturbed Miriam finds a large knife disguised as a metallic silver fish.Read More »

  • Léonce Perret – L’X noir (1915)

    Léonce Perret1911-1920FranceMysterySilent
    L'X noir (1915)
    L’X noir (1915)

    A mysterious evildoer terrifies the French Riviera. That mysterious character, which is hidden under the personality of James Pearce, a diamond-maker, calls himself The Black X. This time, the Black X has noticed the rich jewels of a celebrated singer and, in the company of her henchmen, is preparing to carry out the great robbery.Read More »

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