• Otar Iosseliani – Sept pièces pour cinéma noir et blanc aka Letter from a Filmmaker. Seven Pieces on Black & White Cinema (1983)

    Arthouse1981-1990FranceOtar IosselianiShort Film
    Sept pièces pour cinéma noir et blanc (1983)
    Sept pièces pour cinéma noir et blanc (1983)

    PLOT: “Before we started work on the film “Les Favoris de la Lune” , I tried to capture on film my first impressions of the city and the people who inhabit it. This etude of Paris, slightly shortened, was shown on television.” – Otar IoselianiRead More »

  • Hisayasu Satô – Yume de aimasho AKA Wonderland (1996)

    1991-2000EroticaHisayasu SatôJapan
    Yume de aimasho (1996)
    Yume de aimasho (1996)

    A family begins to change when they move to a town that was once complete forest.Read More »

  • Yasujirô Ozu – Banshun AKA Late Spring (1949)

    Yasujiro Ozu1941-1950AsianDramaJapan
    Banshun (1949)
    Banshun (1949)

    Quote:
    Shukichi is a professor, a widower, absorbed in his work. His unmarried daughter, Noriko, runs his household for him. Both are perfectly content with this arrangement until the old man’s sister declares that her niece should get married. Noriko is, after all, in her mid-20s; in Japan in 1949, a single woman that old is approaching the end of her shelf life. His sister warns the professor that after his death Noriko will be left alone in the world; it is his duty to push her out of the nest and find a husband who can support her. The professor reluctantly agrees. When his daughter opposes any idea of marriage, he tells her he is also going to remarry. That is a lie, but he will sacrifice his own comfort for his daughter’s future. She marries.Read More »

  • Yasujirô Ozu – Tôkyô monogatari aka Tokyo story (1953)

    Yasujiro Ozu1951-1960ClassicsDramaJapan
    Tôkyô monogatari (1953)
    Tôkyô monogatari (1953)

    東京物語

    They one hot beautiful summer day joyfully left home
    She one hot sad day stumbled sideways
    He strangely found himself back home
    one of those so beautiful noisy hot summer days one saysRead More »

  • Yasujiro Ozu – Ohayô aka Good Morning (1959)

    Yasujiro Ozu1951-1960Amos Vogel: Film as a Subversive ArtComedyDramaJapan
    Ohayô (1959)
    Ohayô (1959)

    Quote:
    “Sooner or later, everyone who loves movies comes to Ozu. He is the quietest and gentlest of directors, the most humanistic, the most serene.” — Roger Ebert

    It took long enough, but I sampled my first Yasujiro Ozu film, Good Morning (Ohayo), and will soon indulge myself with as many of his works as I can locate. At one time, his films were thought to be “too Japanese” and weren’t available in the West, but if Good Morning is any indication of his craft and appeal, Ozu deserves a much wider audience. It’s a film that works at multiple levels, and only artistic geniuses like Shakespeare have been able to pull off such a universal work that works with both down to earth people and with the upper levels of critical audiences equally.Read More »

  • José Luis Borau – La Sabina (1979)

    José Luis Borau1971-1980DramaSpain
    La Sabina (1979)
    La Sabina (1979)

    English scholar visits a small Spanish town in the Andalusian mountains to investigate the disappearance of another English scholar long ago. He learns of the legend of Sabina, a mysterious dragon woman who becomes his obsession.Read More »

  • Friðrik Þór Friðriksson – Niceland (Population. 1.000.002) (2004)

    Friðrik Þór Friðriksson2001-2010DramaIceland
    Niceland (Population. 1.000.002) (2004)
    Niceland (Population. 1.000.002) (2004)

    Synopsis: Jed and Chloe, in their early 20’s, live a very simple life in the city. They love each other, find happiness in the smallest things and plan to get married. One day the death of Chloe’s cat triggers inconsolable sadness and a deep confusion in the meaning of life for both Jed and Chloe. Chloe’s tears keep her home but Jed begins a fruitless search for the meaning of life, hoping he can bring back Chloe’s smile. Alone at night he sees a tramp Max on TV whom he believes may hold the key. Jed visits him in the city dump. The awkward duo starts a journey that unexpectedly brings newfound hope to both men and Chloe.Read More »

  • Kamen Kalev – The Island (2011)

    Kamen Kalev2011-2020BulgariaDrama
    The Island (2011)
    The Island (2011)

    Sophie and Daneel, both in their early thirties, are a close and passionate couple living in Paris. Sophie initiates a surprise journey to Bulgaria. Daneel explicitly refuses to go, but Sophie insists and finally convinces him to leave. When they arrive, Sophie discovers that Daneel was born there…
    After a few hours spent on the crowded beaches, Daneel leads Sophie to an almost abandoned island lost in the Black Sea. Once there, Daneel discovers pregnancy tests in Sophie’s luggage. The heat and the strange few inhabitants soon alter their own behaviors, and the island slowly reveals hidden fears that question their love. To get through it all, they have to take a leap into the unknown.Read More »

  • Ian Thuillier – Ghost Blues: The Story of Rory Gallagher (2010)

    2001-2010DocumentaryIan ThuillierUnited Kingdom
    Ghost Blues The Story of Rory Gallagher (2010)
    Ghost Blues The Story of Rory Gallagher (2010)

    Directed by Ian Thuillier this film is a portrait of the late lamented musician Rory Gallagher, it investigates the timeless qualities of the ‘gentleman’, his music and the unique approach of this authentic guitar hero. His contribution to rock music has had a significant impact on both musicians and music fans around the world, despite his untimely death at the age of 47. The film features rare tracks from Rory’s formative years with his first band, Taste, and through his 25 year solo career as he single-handedly spearheaded the Irish rock movement, blazing a trail for other Irish rock bands including Thin Lizzy, U2, etc. With featured contributions from those who knew him best; Donal Gallagher (his brother and manager), Bill Wyman, Cameron Crowe, and his former band members to those who he inspired to become music greats themselves; The Edge, Johnny Marr, Slash.Read More »

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