• James Fotopoulos – Christabel (2001)

    James Fotopoulos2001-2010ExperimentalUSAVideo Art
    Christabel (2001)
    Christabel (2001)

    Prolific underground filmmaker Fotopoulos’ enigmatic setting of the Coleridge poem, using both 16mm and digital film to create a shifting, layered visual accompaniment. From the linked review:

    “Those unfamiliar with the source material needn’t be intimidated. Reacting to another artist’s work, Fotopoulos creates something intrinsically his own. Christabel might be interpreted as the account of a young woman’s dream-thoughts as she nears adulthood, and the four sections of the film (structured to accompany each fragment of Coleridge’s poem) guide her to different levels of introspection. Each layer is charged with specificity, forging connections on multiple levels: corporeal, familial, religious, daemonic, and sexual. The young woman, Christabel, struggles through the blending worlds of waking life and soul-possessed visions….Christabel exists in vibrant, painterly counterpoint to the purposefully bleak, stark minimalism of Fotopoulos’ narratives, Back Against the Wall and Migrating Forms.”Read More »

  • Ron Ormond – 39 Stripes (1979)

    1971-1980CultExploitationRon OrmondUSA
    39 Stripes (1979)
    39 Stripes (1979)

    The true story of Ed Martin, former chain gang convict who converted to Christianity in prison in 1944 and formed the HopeAglow Prison Ministries. Ron Ormond’s dramatized version of Ed’s life in prison follows him swinging on a hammer in a chain gang, remembering his life of squalor and petty crime, finding Jesus through the persistence of his future wife Alfreda, and helping other inmates find salvation through his preaching in the prison chapel. The 39 stripes refer to the Jewish tradition of flogging criminals just short of the fatal 40 lash mark.Read More »

  • Just Jaeckin – Emmanuelle (1974) (HD)

    Just Jaeckin1971-1980EroticaFrance
    Emmanuelle (1974) (HD)

    Emmanuelle is a 1974 French drama film directed by Just Jaeckin. It is the first installment in a series of French softcore pornography films based on the novel Emmanuelle. The film stars Sylvia Kristel in the title role about a woman who takes a trip to Bangkok to enhance her sexual experience. The film was former photographer Just Jaeckin’s debut feature film and was shot on location in Thailand and in France between 1973 and 1974.Read More »

  • Idrissa Ouedraogo – Samba Traoré (1992)

    Idrissa Ouedraogo1991-2000African CinemaBurkina FasoDramaThriller
    Samba Traoré (1992)
    Samba Traoré (1992)

    Quote:
    Samba Traoré had left his village years ago to seek his fortune in the big city. He has found only unemployment and rootlessness. As the film begins, he is part of a filling station holdup in which his partner is killed but Samba Traoré, determined, takes the money at gunpoint.

    He returns to his village, hides the money, and lets out that he has been successful and now wants to live at home. He resumes old friendships. He marries. His impulses run away with him as opportunities arise to spend more and more of the money. At first people just think he did well in the city. Then they think he did amazingly well. Then they think that they never dreamed anyone could make so much money. Finally his trail becomes so obvious that the police hear of him.Read More »

  • Darko Bajic – Pocetni udarac AKA Kick-Off (1990)

    Darko Bajic1981-1990DramaYugoslavia
    Pocetni udarac (1990)
    Pocetni udarac (1990)

    A group of students with varying family backgrounds begin to question their lives and the hypocritical values of their corrupt socialist society. Their decision to follow their own ideals brings them in disrepute with those closest to them. Their support of one another finally brings them to realise a friendship based on loyalty and belonging.Read More »

  • Éric Rohmer – L’ami de mon amie AKA My Girlfriend’s Boyfriend (1987)

    Eric Rohmer1981-1990ArthouseFranceRomance
    L'ami de mon amie (1987)
    L’ami de mon amie (1987)

    Quote:
    In Paris outskirts Blanche, a young clerk, befriends Lea, a girl livelier than she is. Lea is going steady with Fabien who is a friend to Alexandre who is going steady with Adrienne but is however loved by Blanche. Somehow a way has to be found to get out of this emotional chaos!Read More »

  • Alexandre Arcady – Hold-up (1985)

    1981-1990ActionAlexandre ArcadyCrimeFrance
    Hold Up (1985)
    Hold Up (1985)

    Synopsis
    Criminal genius Grimm devises a seemingly foolproof plan to rob the Montreal Central Bank. By disguising himself as a clown and passing off his accomplices Georges and Lise as two of the hostages, he manages to smuggle two million dollars out of the bank without anyone noticing. The get-away proves to be somewhat more difficult though…

    Déguisé en clown, Grimm dévalise la banque de Montréal. Il prend 32 otages, dont parmi eux 2 sont des complices. Le casse réussit, mais intervient Larsky, un rival, ainsi que la police, qui vont nuire au braquage parfait effectué par Grimm…Read More »

  • Stanley Donen – Once More, with Feeling! (1960)

    1951-1960ComedyRomanceStanley DonenUSA
    Once More, with Feeling! (1960)

    Like Carole Lombard, the glorious British comedienne Kay Kendall was one of those rare actresses who successfully combined high glamour and low comedy. By all accounts, Kendall, like Lombard, was daffy and boisterous in real life, a charming madcap. And, like Lombard, she died tragically young. Kendall’s last film, Once More, with Feeling! (1960) showcases her gift for knockabout physical comedy, as well as her sophisticated elegance in the story of the tempestuous relationship between an egocentric conductor and his common-law wife. Yul Brynner plays the maestro Victor Fabian, who’s caught in flagrante delicto with a worshipful fan by his harpist partner, Dolly (Kendall). After Dolly leaves him, his career suffers, and many professional and personal complications ensue before they realize they can’t live without each other.Read More »

  • Ken Loach – The Gamekeeper (1980)

    Ken Loach1971-1980DramaUnited Kingdom
    The Gamekeeper (1980)
    The Gamekeeper (1980)

    Quote:
    A simple tale of a year in the life of a Gamekeeper. From the troubles involved in rearing the pheasants and dealing with predators (poachers and foxes). The gamekeeper shows us all the good things about living so close to nature. The end of his year comes with the organised shoot. He has the sudden pressure of dealing with a lot of people, (beaters, the guns and “the master”) and ensuring that everyone has a good day and stays safe.Read More »

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