1990s

Pachamama is another fine example of Peter Nestler’s extraordinary documentaries. He takes us on an expedition to Ecuador, to the heart of an ancient Indian culture. Although heavily damaged by the Spanish conquerors, many of the old treasures and, more remarkably, many of the old traditions and customs have survived and are still in practice today. It’s a film of quiet beauty and sadness, but of a sadness that is friendly and not bitter; a film about the cultural wealth of a fascinating country. (Ted Roth, -viennale.at)Read More »

Matteo Scuro is a retired Sicilian bureaucrat (responsible mainly for the writing of birth certificates), a widower with five children, all of whom live on the mainland and hold responsible jobs. He decides to surprise each with a visit and finds none as he imagined. The film is a veritable travelogue across contemporary Italy, as Matteo journeys to Napoli, Roma, Firenze, Milano, and Turino to search for each of his children; he even spends one night on the streets among the homeless. Scuro returns to Sicily, visits his wife’s grave, and reports with irony that “stanno tutti bene.”Read More »

Quote:
Tom Tykwer, the young German director of “Deadly Maria,” has a big streak of Roman Polanski in him. His icy, almost mocking portrait of a repressed woman who explodes out of a state of emotional claustrophobia strongly recalls Mr. Polanski’s 1965 classic, “Repulsion.” With its ominous whispering sound effects that suggest inner demons about to emerge, and flashy cinematography in which the camera circles the characters like a beast about to spring, the movie keeps you aware at all times that the director is fiendishly pulling strings.Read More »

A Japanese assassin stranded in Taiwan must take work from a local crime boss to make ends meet when suddenly a woman from his past delivers a son to him.Read More »

Quote:
Shopping takes a look at a subculture unknown outside of the UK. It was banned in the UK, presumably because it might encourage the practice of ram-raiding. It is a very insightful film about a young man’s search for his identity; whether he will continue on a potentially self destructive path and prove himself by ram-raiding, or whether he will brave a different life in a different city with his girlfriend.Read More »

Quote:
Following its initial release, the movie soon became a major cultural touchstone. A lot of Israelis in my age group (say 30-40) who consider themselves sophisticated love “Agfa” dearly. In Dayan, they felt they finally had a Hebrew-speaking Wim Wenders of their very own.Read More »

Quote:
Not a sound, only landscapes, raw sounds… Some births and deaths of bees… Traveling from one to another space, a man looks at them, dreams of them… Sometimes, he remembers his joyful youth. At the end of his travel, he arrives in a colourful market place, but he is alone, isolated in the middle of the organized and cruel society, like the bees.Read More »

Plot Synopsis from IMDB:
In Cleveland, the histrionic and clumsy executive Nelson Hibbert expects to be promoted to president of the Nigel Industries since he is engaged to the owner’s daughter. However, his future father-in-law Mr. Nagel chooses the executive Ken Daly for the position, and Nelson threatens him in front of the board of directors. Later he decides to pay a visit to Mr. Nagel but finds him dead with a knife in his neck. Nelson removes the knife and is covered of blood, becoming hysterical and leaving the office assuming that he is the prime suspect. However, the surveillance cameras disclose the identity of the killer, and while Nelson escapes to Metcaf believing that he is chased by the police, the killer is pursued by the police and tries to eliminate Nelson believing that he is a “super-cop” on his trail.Read More »

Starring Dame Maggie Smith, Dame Judi Dench, Dame Joan Plowright, Cher, Lily Tomlin, Paolo Seganti.

From IMDB:
Semi-autobiographical tale from the early life of director Franco Zeffirelli looks at the illegitimate son (Charlie Lucas as a child, Baird Wallace as the teen) of an Italian businessman. The boy’s mother has died, and he is raised by an Englishwoman (Joan Plowright) in pre-WWII Fascist Italy. Living to each other in Florence, and presided over by an ambassador’s widow (Maggie Smith), a group of Englishwomen live a sheltered existence which they believe is guaranteed personal protection in a tea reception given by Il Duce. However, as war breaks out, the women are interned. Occasionally in this English colony is a wealthy American (Cher), who visits among her travels and marriages to wealthy older men.Read More »