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Watch The Sunset
Tristan Barr & Michael Gosden, 2017
Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller
DVR - Filmbox Arthouse


From IMDb:
In a single afternoon a man comes to grips with the power of his past when his estranged family becomes tangled in its web.
That this is shot in a single-take over various locations is really quite impressive, helped by the camera movements involving a fairly consistent level of fluidity which must have taken ages to work out and coordinate. The downside to that though is that movement is a little ponderous at times in order to enable the camera to keep up with proceedings, but it's not something that impacts too much. Unfortunately, for me, the score has far more of a negative impact, droning and becoming rather grating at times. Also sadly the story isn't particularly strong and, whilst the acting may for the most part be okay, Aaron Walton really doesn't convince in his role at all.


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Il Nido - [The Nest]
Klaudia Reynicke-Candeloro, 2016
Drama
DVR - Filmbox Arthouse


From IMDb:
Cora, a 19-year-old girl, has recently returned to the place where she spent her childhood, Bucco. The arrival of the mysterious Saverio gradually upsets the harmony of the "holy" place, unearthing a crime committed by the villagers 40 years before.
Modest drama with a no-frills televisual style presentation that is well enough acted and although the tale gives up any semblance of mystery a little too early and a few events could have been better written it still manages to retain interest up until the somewhat disappointing ending.


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Nanayomachi - [Nanayo]
Naomi Kawase, 2008
Drama
DVR - Filmbox Arthouse


From IMDb:
A young woman leaves her job and lover in Japan to start a new life in Thailand.
Odd piece that mostly meanders along rather aimlessly, sometimes feeling a little bizarre. Obviously the central character is escaping from something in her former life, one suspects from the flashbacks that it may concern the loss of a former lover but it is never made clear. Both acting and production are somewhat mixed and with no real clarity or depth to the story it ends up being a rather fruitless watch imo.





That elusive hide-and-seek cow is at it again
Nanayomachi - [Nanayo]
Naomi Kawase, 2008
Drama
DVR - Filmbox Arthouse


From IMDb:

Odd piece that mostly meanders along rather aimlessly, sometimes feeling a little bizarre. Obviously the central character is escaping from something in her former life, one suspects from the flashbacks that it may concern the loss of a former lover but it is never made clear. Both acting and production are somewhat mixed and with no real clarity or depth to the story it ends up being a rather fruitless watch imo.



Sounds weirdly like something I might like. Now if can just find it....



Sounds weirdly like something I might like. Now if can just find it....
I very much doubt it but knock yourself out trying it if you do find it .... and please do let me know your feelings on it

Edit: The good news is it's apparently on Amazon Prime if you have that.



Certi bambini - [A Children's Story]
Andrea Frazzi & Antonio Frazzi, 2004
Crime, Drama
DVR - Filmbox Arthouse


From IMDb:
Rosario is 11 years old, he lives in the suburbs with his grandmother, a sick woman who spends time watching TV. He is the leader of a small group who spends his days between games rooms, small crimes and dangerous challenges.
Somewhat grittier in tone than expected from that synopsis, incorporating not just the underbelly of society but paedophilia and the pimping of a minor (presumably the character's own child to boot) intermingled with a coming of age tale. It's both competently made and acted (with a nice central performance from young Gianluca Di Gennaro), though the story would have benefitted from a little more clarity on occasion in the final third.





Chello hongmijoo ilga salinsagan - [Cello]
Woo-cheoi Lee, 2005
Horror, Mystery
DVD


From IMDb:
A cellist is haunted by strange events after a car wreck
Not always the most cohesive of stories (especially first time around) as it throws a little too much confusion into the mix imo whilst the eventual resolution will almost certainly make a few eyes roll, but I don't particularly mind it and it does still manage some decent atmosphere and the odd worthwhile moment along the way.





Gonggongui jeog - [Public Enemy]
Woo-Suk Kang, 2002
Action
DVD


From IMDb:
A detective plays cat-and-mouse with a banker who brutally murdered his own parents.
Not exactly an original tale but one that's perfectly serviceable and, when more serious in tone, is a reasonably entertaining watch. If only it had cut a fair bit of the opening half hour and much of the silliness (which imo only really works when used briefly in a few places) it would have been better. Also no idea why this is only listed as being Action on IMDb?


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Welt am Draht - [World On A Wire]
Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1973
Crime, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Stream - YouTube


From IMDb:
Somewhere in the future there is a computer project called Simulacron one of which is able to simulate a full featured reality, when suddenly project leader Henry Vollmer dies. His successor Dr. Fred Stiller experiences odd phenomena.
Nicely off-kilter presentation with plenty of playful/adventurous imagery and a tale that up until the final twenty minutes or so is a fascinating watch. Especially loved the circuitous routes characters would sometimes take, as if they were rats learning a maze - it does very much presage the reveal at the end of part one but for me it was easily worth that loss just to watch those tracking shots. The final minutes didn't quite add up for me, but as I watched this whilst running a fever and generally feeling like sh*t in my isolation room I'm just gonna assume I must've missed some key detail somewhere along the line.


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Konchű daisensô - [War Of The Insects aka Genocide]
Kazui Nihonmatsu, 1968
Horror, Sci-Fi
Stream - YouTube


From IMDb:
All the insects on Earth become wild and attack humans, causing Armageddon.
Low-budget, hokey, poorly scripted fare with typical over-the-top or wooden acting in places but there's actually also some nice imagery contained within and who can't at least find something to smile about in a movie that has psychedelic insect communication and someone casually firing a rifle at critters to get them off of an H-bomb?


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Violent Saturday
Richard Fleischer, 1955
Crime, Drama, Film-Noir, Thriller
Stream - YouTube


From IMDb:
Three men case a small town very carefully, with plans to rob the bank on the upcoming Saturday, which turns violent and deadly.
Middling affair that suffers from too much fat imo. The heist and events at the Amish farm are nicely presented, with the lack of score at times enhancing things, but for me the forays into the personal lives simply take up too much of the running time. Transfer some of that fat to more emphasis on the build-up to the crime and it would have been a stronger offering.





Welt am Draht - [World On A Wire]
Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1973
Crime, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Stream - YouTube


From IMDb:

Nicely off-kilter presentation with plenty of playful/adventurous imagery and a tale that up until the final twenty minutes or so is a fascinating watch. Especially loved the circuitous routes characters would sometimes take, as if they were rats learning a maze - it does very much presage the reveal at the end of part one but for me it was easily worth that loss just to watch those tracking shots. The final minutes didn't quite add up for me, but as I watched this whilst running a fever and generally feeling like sh*t in my isolation room I'm just gonna assume I must've missed some key detail somewhere along the line.


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Glad you enjoyed it, I always try to mention when I see something that's available on YouTube. A couple of others on there I think you'd like are H-8 and Black Rain.



Glad you enjoyed it, I always try to mention when I see something that's available on YouTube. A couple of others on there I think you'd like are H-8 and Black Rain.
It was one I'd been looking to watch for quite some time but wasn't gonna pay a tenner for a secondhand copy from Amazon (prices have gone markedly up on there of late for me so not buying anywhere near so much these days and I'm not really a 'rentals' person) so was delighted when you mentioned it was freely available on YT. Thanks for mentioning both H-8 and Black Rain are on there too, I shall be checking both of those out too



Kuroi ame - [Black Rain]
Shôhei Imamura, 1989
Drama
Stream - YouTube


From IMDb:
The story of the aftermath of the Hiroshima bombing, based on Masuji Ibuse's novel.
Moving drama that may be a little too on-the-nose in terms of commentary via dialogue at times but that certainly doesn't stop it from being hugely effective. The depiction of the immediate aftermath in Hiroshima may not always be entirely convincing but remains extremely powerful imagery and, imo, the presentation wisely intermingles its timelines in order to not let those scenes become overbearing. The social stigma poured on those who's only crime was to unfortunately be at the wrong place at the wrong time is actually underplayed compared to reality (even if it is constantly referred to) and one would have to worry about anyone unable to empathise with the poor souls at the centre of the tale. The inclusion of Yuichi suffering from general wartime PTSD is somewhat mixed for me, on the one hand it does over-egg the 'wartime horrors' pudding a little but on the other it also allows for part of the later narrative to work that much better and on balance I'd say the latter outweighs the former.


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Caravana cinematografica - [Kino Caravan]
Titus Muntean, 2009
Drama
DVR - Filmbox Arthouse


From IMDb:
On a rainy day, two guys arrive in a small village with film and a projector in their car.
For the most part a somewhat light-hearted tale of officialdom visiting a rural village to further reinforce the ways of Communism and meeting a level of apathy and resistance from those that live there. The type of fare that's been portrayed many times before - usually in the same slightly whimsical way, often involving a romantic attraction between the two factions (as it does here) and though well enough made, scripted and acted all rather unremarkable. What sets this a little apart from the norm are the final few minutes where those representing The State carry out an ugly, reprehensible, brutal act rather than just leaving having achieved very little.





The Little Stranger
Lenny Abrahamson, 2018
Drama, Horror, Mystery
DVR - Channel 4


From IMDb:
After a doctor is called to visit a crumbling manor, strange things begin to occur.
Fairly routine tale that spends far too long in the build-up and has little by way of pay-off to redeem that. It's technically proficient and the acting is generally decent enough but it's all just so pedestrian, largely unoriginal and bereft of any real selling point.





Only Rich Men Get Girls With Great Breasts aka Telesma
Richard Wawman, 2014
Documentary
DVR - Filmbox Arthouse


From IMDb:
Filmed in 20 countries and 20 years in the making - A stunningly filmed portrait of life.
Sometimes fascinating look at the lives, cultures and visual identities of various indigenous peoples around the world. Personally though I could have completely done without the (thankfully generally brief) scenes involving the demise of live animals and for me the chosen soundtrack didn't really fit that well.





Crawl
Hervé Lasgouttes, 2012
Drama
DVR - Filmbox Arthouse


From IMDb:
First-time filmmaker Hervé Lasgouttes puts an aimless young man to the test in a crime-tinged romance set on the stormy Brittany coast.
Watchable but not really very believable slice-of-life drama that feels somewhat disjointed and, much like its central character, fairly aimless at times.


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Undeva la Palilula - [Somewhere In Palilula]
Silviu Purcarete, 2012
Drama
DVR - Filmbox Arthouse


From IMDb:
"Somewhere in Palilula" tells the story of Serafim, a fresh graduate of a medical school, in 60's Romania. He is brought by destiny to the strange town of Palilula.
Surreal spectacle that is clearly allegorical though sadly I'm not well enough versed on Romania to pick up on much beyond the obvious references to the Communist regime that ruled that country. Even taken purely at face value though it's a delightfully bizarre offering with shades of Peter Greenaway - very visual, theatrical by design and with a lovely dark vein of humour running through much of it. Sadly the final third doesn't quite manage to balance the commentary/absurdity as well as that which has gone before, which does drop the rating a little for me, but as a whole imo it remains an entertaining enough watch.


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