Synopsis:
Lo Wei was twenty years into his notable career when he wrote, directed, and co-starred in this tale of a murdered lord, a hired killer who unknowingly becomes friends with his intended victim, a vicious bandit chief, a kind blind woman, and a death duel which explodes into an ambush and then a slaughter. Star Yueh Hua would go on to an exceptional acting career, while Lo himself would give both Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan their “big breaks.”Read More »
Synopsis:
After paying his respects at the grave of a man he accidentally killed, the legendary blind swordsman Zatoichi (played in top form as always by Shintaro Katsu) arrives at a village where the impoverished locals are in mid-celebration. It seems they’ve finally gathered enough money to pay off their heavy tax burden – a great relief to everyone in this drought-stricken area. At first, they invite Ichi to join in their fun. When the money is stolen by a group of samurai thugs, however, the villagers blame Ichi too, thinking that he’s in on the heist. Desperate to clear his name, Ichi swears to find those responsible and return the money. But it won’t be easy. First, Ichi has to investigate a local and much loved boss, who has gone into hiding. Then he’ll have to tangle with those thugs… including one of his toughest adversaries yet – a samurai by the name of Jushiro who wields a dangerous bullwhip as skillfully as a sword.Read More »
Plot Outline: Clara becomes a secretary who must cater to all the desires of the womanizing writer Jérôme, while he tries to write his memoirs.Read More »
In the seventeenth century, Father Suryn arrives in Ludyn, a village on what was then the eastern border of Poland, to perform exorcisms on the Ursuline nuns who are allegedly possessed by the devil. While trying to drive evil spirits out of the body of the prioress, Mother Joan, Father Suryn starts experiencing uncomfortably secular and sensual feelings towards her.Read More »
One of the most powerful documentaries ever made, Oratorio for Prague contains the only footage from the Soviet-led invasion of Prague in 1968. Czech New Wave filmmaker Jan Nĕmec (A Report on the Party and the Guests) began filming with the intention to document Prague Spring, a celebration of the newfound liberalization of Czechoslovakia, but the film’s subject took a dramatic turn when Soviet tanks rolled through the streets. The invasion ended Prague Spring, leaving Nĕmec blacklisted and Oratorio for Prague banned. Read More »
The film was inspired by Jure Kaštelan’s famous war poem Tifusari. Aleksandar Marks’s woodcut-style drawings graphically depict hallucinations of sick partisans marching through wastelands.Read More »
Gonzo (Toshiro Mifune), a member of the Imperial Restoration Force, is being asked by the emperor to deliver official news to his home village of a New World Order. Wanting to pose as a military officer, he dons the Red Lion Mane of Office. Upon his return, his attempt to tell the village about a brand-new tax cut is quashed when the townfolk mistakenly assumes that he is there to rescue them from corrupt government officials. He learns that an evil magistrate has been swindling them for years. Now, he has to help the village, ward off Shogunate fanatics, along with the fact that he can’t read his own proclamations…Read More »
Robert Cannon (Jack Kelly), Fred Vitale (Ray Danton) and Alan Nichols (Andrew Duggan), three men vital to America’s missile program, are en route to Cape Canaveral when a bomb is discovered in a suitcase. Defused by Vitale, the device is turned over to the FBI, which takes charge of the investigation. Assigned to determine if it’s a case of sabotage or attempted murder, Inspector Leroy Gifford (Philip Carey) and his squad race to track down the bomber before he can strike again.Read More »
Jean-Paul Belmondo and Ursula Andress star in another adventure comedy from Philippe de Broca (That Man from Rio), that’s roughly based on a Jules Vernes story of the same title. Belmondo plays a rich man tired of his life who arranges for a hitman to take him out so that his fiancee will get the insurance money. Only, wouldn’t you know it, Belmondo changes his mind. Andress is a fan-dancer who gets mixed up, thinking it’s all a gag. There’s a lot of slapstick, chases, fights, balloon rides, mountain climbing and exotic locales. Oh, did I mention that Belmondo attempts a striptease while in drag?Read More »