• Ki-duk Kim – Yasaeng dongmul bohoguyeog AKA Wild Animals (1996)

    Ki-duk Kim1991-2000AsianDramaSouth Korea

    IMDB:
    Two Korean ex-pats meet in Paris by chance encounter. One a petty thief and wannabe artist/painter (Chong-Hae), the other a tough guy (Hong San). Hong San saves Chong-Hae from a gang of thugs and the two become friends. Seizing an opportunity, Chong-Hae and Hong San perform martial arts stunts on the streets for money. A French mobster spots them and recruits the duo as hit men. While in Paris Chong-Hae falls in love with a statue-performer and Hong San yearns for the affections of a local peep-show stripper. After much backstabbing and being caught-up in murder; the duo find themselves at war with their mobster recruiters and each other. Written by Alex L Read More »

  • Ki-duk Kim – Paran daemun AKA Birdcage Inn (1998)

    Ki-duk Kim1991-2000DramaSouth Korea

    Quote:
    With a red-light district in Seoul being demolished, the residents there find they have to relocate. Jin-a opts to leave Seoul and heads to the eastern city of Pohang. There she takes up residence in a boarding house run by a small family. Besides the parents, there is a daughter attending university and a son in high school. At first Jin-a is very happy there, however she continues to sell her body driving her into confrontation with the repressed daughter, Hye-mi. Things go from bad to worse when Jin-a meets Hye-mi’s boyfriend…

    Read More »

  • Dziga Vertov – Entuziazm (Simfoniya Donbassa) AKA Enthusiasm (The Donbass Symphony) (1930)

    Dziga Vertov1921-1930DocumentaryExperimentalSoviet montageUSSR
    Entuziazm (Simfoniya Donbassa) (1930)
    Entuziazm (Simfoniya Donbassa) (1930)

    PLOT:
    Vertov and his Kino group produced this lyrical documentary on the lives of Coal miners in the Donbas who are struggling to meet their production quotas under the five year plan. Enthusiasm is most noteworthy for it’s creative use of the new sound medium. Vertov liberated the recording equipment from the studio and shot sound on location. He also used common everyday sounds and wove them into what can only be described as a symphony. In fact, after seeing the film Charlie Chaplin wrote: “Never had I known that these mechanical sounds could be arranged to sound so beautiful. I regard it as one of the most exhilarating symphonies I have heard. Mr. Dziga Vertov is a musician.”Read More »

  • Yasuzô Masumura – Kuro no chôtokkyu AKA The Black Express (1964)

    Yasuzô Masumura1961-1970CrimeJapanThriller
    Kuro no chôtokkyu (1964)
    Kuro no chôtokkyu (1964)

    Quote:
    Basically the plot revolves around an endebted entreprenor who sell his fields to a business-man who plan to build an car-factory. Instead of this factory, the fields will prove to be used for the Shinkansen line. Then, the endebted entreprenor will seek back the business-man for get much more money he deserved in this real trade.

    Another not-so subtle critic of capitalism, but some good dark thriller moments and a great&painful strangulation sequence!Read More »

  • Basil Dearden – The Rainbow Jacket (1954)

    Basil Dearden1951-1960DramaUnited Kingdom
    The Rainbow Jacket (1954)
    The Rainbow Jacket (1954)

    A champion jockey is banned from racing so spends his time helping a young lad to
    become the next champion.Read More »

  • Basil Dearden – All Night Long (1962)

    Basil Dearden1961-1970DramaUnited Kingdom
    All Night Long (1962)
    All Night Long (1962)

    Quote:
    Patrick McGoohan and Richard Attenborough star in this powerful psychological drama which deftly re-interprets Shakespeare’s Othello via the beating, syncopated heart of East London’s early-sixties jazz scene. Directed by Basil Dearden, All Night Long features outstanding performances from jazz legends Charlie Mingus, Dave Brubeck, Johnny Dankworth and Tubby Hayes. It is presented here in a brand-new High Definition transfer from original film elements in its original, as-exhibited aspect ratio.

    Wealthy music promoter Rod Hamilton throws an anniversary party for a famous jazzman, Aurelius Rex, and his wife and musical partner, Delia. Music and goodwill flow freely until the arrival of an ambitious musical rival, Johnny Cousin, who – intent on poaching Delia to join his own band – plans to destroy the couple’s relationship over the course of a single night…Read More »

  • Jean Renoir – Sur un air de Charleston aka Charleston parade (1927)

    Jean Renoir1921-1930FantasyFranceSci-Fi
    Sur un air de Charleston (1927)
    Sur un air de Charleston (1927)

    PLOT DESCRIPTION
    French filmmaker Jean Renoir would later remark that he directed the sensual dance fantasy Charleston because he’d “just discovered American jazz.” He also had some stock footage left over from his previous silent success Nana, and decided it would be provident to fashion a new film from these leavings. Even without the benefit of sound, one can hear the jazzy rhythms of Charleston through the exuberant gyrations of an African-American dancer whom Renoir and his star, actress Catherine Hessling, had discovered for this picture. Originally titled Sur un air de Charleston, the film was also released as Charleston Parade in English-speaking countries. In some areas of the US and Europe, the film was greeted with protests from censorship boards who simply couldn’t appreciate the aesthetic value in Catherine Hessling’s near-nude dance numbers.
    ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie GuideRead More »

  • Mai Tominaga – Wool 100% (2006)

    2001-2010ArthouseFantasyJapanJapanese Female DirectorsMai Tominaga
    Wool 100% (2006)
    Wool 100% (2006)

    Synopsis:
    Ume (Kyoko Kishida) and Kame (Kazuko Yoshiyuki) are two elderly sisters who live in a large house packed with discarded items they find while rummaging through trash in their town. One day, the two women find some red yarn and bring it home. That evening, the women discover a young girl (Ayu Kitaura) who has entered their home and knitting a sweater with their red wool. Who is this girl?Read More »

  • Karel Kachyna – Závrat AKA Vertigo (1963)

    Karel Kachyna1961-1970Czech RepublicDrama
    Závrat (1963)
    Závrat (1963)

    Psychological study of Jitka, daughter of a widower. The girl helps her father run a small hotel. A group of geologists is staying at the hotel and Jitka falls in love with one of them, Gaba. However he regards her as only a child, goes out on the town every night and doesn’t think about her. She intercepts the phone calls of the women with whom Gaba has been involved and plays power games with him. His adventurous life means that Gaba also gets into trouble with his boss. It becomes increasingly clear to Gaba that Jitka’s feelings for him are true love. At first he rejects her – she is after all only a child – but gradually starts to feel more for her. However it is too late: Jitka goes to study in Prague and leaves the hotel. The power of the film is in its visual aesthetics. The emptiness of the landscape, accentuated by impressive drilling rigs, is beautifully expressed by the cinemascope format and the high-contrast black & white. This serves to make the loneliness of the characters overwhelming.Read More »

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