1990s

from IMDB:
At the beginning of a nightly Alcoholics Anonymous meeting, Jim seems particularly troubled. His sponsor encourages him to talk that night, the first time in seven months, so he does – and leaves the meeting right after. As Jim wanders the night, searching for some solace in his old stomping grounds, bars and parks where he bought drugs, the meeting goes on, and we hear the stories of survivors and addicts – some, like Louis, who claim to have wandered in looking for choir practice, who don’t call themselves alcoholic, and others, like Joseph, whose drinking almost caused the death of his child – as they talk about their lives at the meeting. Written by Gary DickersonRead More »

The first feature ever directed by a black British woman is this ferocious, ambitious, dystopian nightmare influenced by African mythology, the films of Spike Lee, and the music of Public Enemy. A near-future inner-city ghetto implodes under the pressure of racial tensions, poverty, and police brutality, in “a world which doesn’t breathe so much as pant” (Time Out London).Read More »

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The film tells a romantic love story set against the background of Tajik Civil War (1992-1996.) Curfews and bursts of tracer bullets piercing the night hardly seem compatible with a love story. In this strange and dangerous time the men of the city are all into gambling. Everybody gambles with everybody. The situation reaches absurd proportions when the main protagonist wins a young woman from her father. Not knowing what to do, the man decides to take the girl into his shlelter – a cable-car station in the mountains. The war seems far away, but soon it reaches even the apparently peaceful refuge as well. The film conveys the atmosphere of war-torn Dushanbe, the spirit of its citizens strengthened by the hardships and absurdities of the strange war. The film was awarded the “Silver Lion” at the International Film Festival in Venice in 1993, the Grand Prix in Saint Petersbourg – 94, and altogether has been screened at over 30 international film festivals.Read More »

When the son of a gang leader manages to insult the son of a rival gang leader, total war erupts between the rival gangs, and the young hero is forced to do terrible things in order to maintain order and honor.Read More »

A shy maths graduate takes a holiday in Dinard before starting his first job. He hopes his sort-of girlfriend will join him, but soon strikes up a friendship with another girl working in town. She in turn introduces him to a further young lady who fancies him. Thus the quiet young lad finds he is having to do some tricky juggling in territory new to him.Read More »

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Luke is a gay hustler. Jon is a movie critic. Both are HIV positive. They go on a hedonistic, dangerous journey, their motto “Fuck the world”.Read More »

There is usually only one full moon every month, but occasionally there are two – and that second full moon is called the “Blue Moon”. It is said that when a person sees a blue moon and makes a wish, he will be granted a second chance in things. This film is about two young men and a woman who are granted not only a second, but 120 chances. This is because the film is structured in such a way that its five reels of footage can be projected in random sequences every time it is screened and the story will still make sense – the number of possible combinations adds up to 120 times; each time there is a different story, different rhythm and different atmosphere.Read More »

Le petit voleur (1999)

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A young man from the countryside of Marseille comes to the city, hoping to find a job. But circumstances will drive him to become a robber…Read More »

Looking for Richard (1996)

A workshop of William Shakespeare’s Richard III inspires actor-director Al Pacino’s breezy documentary, which aims to make the playwright accessible to contemporary American audiences. Though a noteworthy cast of stage actors and Hollywood stars (including Kevin Spacey, Winona Ryder, and Alec Baldwin) gathers to work on the play, Looking for Richard does not present a straightforward filmed version of the scheming, deformed king’s rise and fall. Instead, Pacino turns the cameras on the rehearsal process and his own exploration of Shakespeare’s history and meaning. Scenes in full costume alternate with readings in street clothes, while interviews gather the opinions on the Bard of everyone from renowned scholars and Shakespearean actors to random New Yorkers. A trip to England allows brief visits to Shakespeare’s birthplace and the Globe Theater, but Pacino’s focus remains on the United States and his desire to prove that American actors can act the plays without mimicking their British counterparts. Clearly a labor of love for Pacino, the film benefits from his passionate persona and direct, no-nonsense attitude; while the performances may vary in quality, the film manifests a refreshingly casual, unpretentious, and enthusiastic approach to Shakespeare. – allmovie.comRead More »