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Nessuno mi pettina bene come il vento - [No One Can Brush My Hair Like The Wind]
Peter Del Monte, 2014
Drama
DVR - Filmbox Arthouse


From IMDb:
The difficult relationship between a woman writer who lives in solitude and a young girl who comes bursting into her life.
Acted well enough and competently made without ever offering anything out of the ordinary. Unfortunately though the tale really struggles for credibility and isn't particularly fulfilling.





Kiraware Matsuko no isshô - [Memories Of Matsuko]
Tetsuya Nakashima, 2006
Comedy, Drama, Musical, Mystery
DVD


From IMDb:
When Matsuko dies of murder, her nephew Sho gets to progressively unveil many details of her mysterious past, discovering she wasn't only a forgotten outcast but led a very interesting yet bizarre life.
Sometimes a little childish with an oversaturated look that isn't overly appealing at times, yet is filled with vibrant colours that often are. The tale is a tad drawn out in places but for the most part is paced rather nicely and certainly manages to draw the viewer in - aided a lot by a compelling performance from Miki Nakatani as the titular Matsuko. It does get a little overly sappy at the end and the emotional journey probably won't touch a nerve with everyone but imo is a very effective one for those it does.


+



Toll Bar
Zhasulan Poshanov, 2015
Drama
DVR - Filmbox Arthouse


From IMDb:
Rauan works at a parking lot in a prestigious residential area. Aidar passes him daily in his luxurious car.
Socio-economic drama, supposedly based on a true incident, that somewhat belabours its theme and although just under an hour in length still contains a little padding. It's not badly made or acted though and remains watchable throughout imo.


+



Qing shao nian nuo zha - [Rebels Of The Neon God]
Ming-liang Tsai, 1992
Crime, Drama
DVR - Filmbox Arthouse


From IMDb:
Within the urban gloom of Taipei, four youths face alienation, loneliness, and moments of existential crisis amidst a series of minor crimes.
Slice-of-life drama that isn't always the most engaging, not helped by the limited use of dialogue in the first three-quarters which makes it difficult to really connect with any of the characters. It does gradually coalesce though and the final quarter is a far better experience. The type of film that will likely improve for a second watch (and probably rate a little higher), but sadly for me first time around it certainly felt all of its runtime and then some.





Simón del desierto - [Simon Of The Desert]
Luis Buñuel, 1965
Short, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
DVR - Filmbox Arthouse


From IMDb:
Simon, a deeply religious man living in the 4th century, wants to be nearer to God so he climbs a column. The Devil wants him to come down to Earth and is trying to seduce him.
Enjoyable enough piece that has some amusing moments dotted throughout, is nicely made and one can certainly see how it could cause offence to some but for me it was sadly somewhat underwhelming. I think for once I actually wanted more surrealism or heightened absurdity .... or perhaps prior familiarity with the Python team simply worked against it slightly.


+



Gunpoint
Earl Bellamy, 1966
Western
DVR - Film4


From IMDb:
A young, determined sheriff and his posse chase a gang of murderous train robbers, and a kidnapped woman into New Mexico.
Audie Murphy vehicle that is pretty standard fare but he's always watchable and the supporting cast generally give good enough assistance to make it a reasonably entertaining watch.





Kamihate shouten - [Kamihate Store]
Tatsuya Yamamoto, 2012
Drama
DVR - Filmbox Arthouse


From IMDb:
A woman run a store in a tiny seaside hamlet near the cliffs where people come to commit suicide.
Somewhat bleak and unhurried tale that's well enough acted, quite nicely put together and personally I found it strangely compelling even if I'm not really sure what, if anything, it was trying to impart.


+



Ddongpari - [Breathless]
Ik-joon Yang, 2008
Crime, Drama
DVD


From IMDb:
A bitter loan shark strikes a friendship with a troubled schoolgirl as he faces his own troubled past with his abusive father.
No frills. Exceedingly sweary. Somewhat violent. Full of quite nice portrayals of broken folk. My type of movie. Think the final minutes could have been a little better managed though as for me they don't have the amount of impact they really ought.


+



Pelle erobreren - [Pelle The Conqueror]
Bille August, 1987
Drama
DVR - Filmbox Archive


From IMDb:
When his wife dies, Lassefar (Max von Sydow) takes his 12-year-old son, Pelle (Pelle Hvenegaard), from their home in Sweden to Denmark in search of a better life.
Period piece that evokes its era nicely and benefits from good central performances as father and son. The tale of life as an immigrant underclass is generally well enough told and maintains interest, though it does feel a little episodic in places and one wonders whether the dynamic between Erik and the farm manager would really have been tolerated.





Sputnik
Egor Abramenko, 2020
Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
DVD


From IMDb:
The lone survivor of an enigmatic spaceship incident hasn't returned back home alone-hiding inside his body is a dangerous creature.
Starts nicely to create intrigue and creates some decent atmosphere in places with what is to me always an interesting concept. Sadly though it leans far too heavily into the trope of Russian militarisation, diluting the 'man v alien' narrative I would have preferred, and it all kinda fizzles rather than explodes.


+



I've had Breathless on my watchlist for a while. I'm not sure if you remember Sane but he was a big fan.
Pretty sure Sane was still around when I joined but don't think he was that active and can't say we ever spoke. I'd definitely say you should give Breathless a watch before the FL countdown deadline if you get a chance - I don't think it would necessarily be in with a shot at your ballot but I do think you would at least appreciate aspects of it.



Tremors
Ron Underwood, 1990
Comedy, Horror
DVD


From IMDb:
Natives of a small isolated town defend themselves against strange underground creatures which are killing them one by one.
Sophisticated - yeah.....no. Deeply philosophical - certainly not. Mentally challenging - not on yer Nellie. Groundbreaking - no doubts, in a way. Pretty simple to keep up with - ten-four on that. Hammily acted - I should say so. Entertaining - in the main yes. Just what the doctor ordered when you're ever so slightly off yer boobies on sedative.


+



That elusive hide-and-seek cow is at it again
Tremors
Ron Underwood, 1990
Comedy, Horror
DVD


From IMDb:

Sophisticated - yeah.....no. Deeply philosophical - certainly not. Mentally challenging - not on yer Nellie. Groundbreaking - no doubts, in a way. Pretty simple to keep up with - ten-four on that. Hammily acted - I should say so. Entertaining - in the main yes. Just what the doctor ordered when you're ever so slightly off yer boobies on sedative.


+

"Groundbreaking" grabboids.
Nice.



"Groundbreaking" grabboids.
Nice.
Glad to be of service.



Diva
Jean-Jacques Beiniex, 1981
Music, Thriller
DVD


From IMDb:
Two tapes, two Parisian mob killers, one corrupt policeman, an opera fan, a teenage thief, and the coolest philosopher ever filmed all twist their way through an intricate and stylish French-language thriller.
Sadly looks a little dated in places now and the hitmen really are little more than caricatures, however I'll always crush a little on Wilhelmenia Fernandez whilst watching (which helps makes the in-film obsession believable) and even though I'm not a fan of operatic singing in general I think the piece at the centre of proceedings is perfectly chosen and accessible even to degenerates like me. The plot may feel a little over-the-top whilst imo the visuals try just a little too hard to be stylish but for me it still remains an entertaining enough, visually enjoyable affair.





Ghaedeye tasadof - [Bending The Rules]
Behnam Behzadi, 2013
Drama
DVR - Filmbox Arthouse


From IMDb:
The Rule of Accident is about a group of theatre students who are trying to prepare and present a piece of theatre.
Drama in which the social commentary is strong (perhaps a little too strong in places imo) but there are some quite nice naturalistic moments between the young cast and all told I found the tale reasonably engaging even if it does bog down a little at times.


+



I noticed in Movie Tab that you watched Pather Panchali and House on the Edge of the Park, but I didn't see them here. What did you think?
I found Pather Panchali somewhat of a disappoinment to be honest, knowing how talked about as a revered classic it is but I found it somewhat lacklustre in terms of its story. I do think he did a remarkable job with the cast though considering they were non-professionals. Still enjoyed it enough to give it a
+ but personally I preferred the tale in Aparajito to PP (though I'd guess I'm probably in the minority on that). Haven't sought out The World Of Apu yet to round out the trilogy and most likely won't now before the countdown deadline hits.

The House On The Edge of The Park is a tawdry affair but that's not necessarily a bad thing in my book - unfortunately though if anything I'd prefer it to be grittier/grimier than it actually is and some of the acting isn't that good in it. It's only a
fillum for me - great premise, less than great execution. I might still seek out Deodato's Phantom Of Death at some point but I can't say I'm holding out any particularly high hopes for it at this stage.