Cinema of the World

IMDB

Acclaimed actress Karena Lam (Inner Senses, Truth Or Dare) gives another heartfelt performance in this touching romance which also co-stars Ekin Cheng (Storm Riders, The Duel). Haunted by the death of her lover, Maan (Lam) struggles to live her life anew. She travels to Qingdao, her lover's hometown, to search for the "floating landscape" he mentioned in his final days. There, Maan meets Lit (Liu Ye from Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, Postmen in the Mountains), a local postman who agrees to help her find the place. When Maan realizes that Lit has fallen in love with her, she must choose whether to accept his affection or to remain enclosed in the life of her late lover.

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

IMDB

As if a corruption charge and the prospect of the incoming Chinese government isn’t enough to depress Macau police officer Shing, his bachelor habits are turned upside down by the unexpected arrival of the daughter he never knew he had, in this beautiful elegy to times past and chances lost.

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

Quote:

A group of militant extremists whom we know only by their code names - the days of the week - realize that they've been betrayed by their own organization when a nocturnal weapons raid on a U.S. Army base goes awry. The delicate internal balance of trust and friendship splinters apart. Their already fragile, idealistic young psyches quickly disintegrate into a morass of sexual paranoia, violent recrimination and sadistic torture that completely destroys their ability to function as an organization.

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

Quote:

Directed by Takahashi Banmei, Zen is an elegant and fascinating look into the life and times of 13th-century monk Dogen, founder of the Soto sect in Zen Buddhism. Offering a fairly faithful depiction of what is known of the monk's life, the film follows Dogen, handsomely portrayed by kabuki actor Nakamura Kantaro, from an orphan child inspired by his mother's dying words to a young monk wandering in China where he experiences his awakening. After reaching enlightenment, he returns to Kyoto to spread his teachings of silent meditation, attracting both dedicated followers and fierce detractors who cast him as a heretic. In his travels and teachings, Dogen encounters many different people. Some guide him, some follow him, and some test him, but all become crucial figures in his spiritual journey of peace and meditation. Zen's supporting cast includes Kora Kengo (Snakes and Earrings) as a young monk gone astray, Uchida Yuki (Welcome to the Quiet Room) as a prostitute and aspiring nun, and Fujiwara Tatsuya (Death Note) as the shogun haunted by inner ghosts.

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

The year is 1582. For the first time since the dawn of civilization, Japan has been united under a single leader. For years, the warlord Nobunaga Oda (織田信長) has battled in order to unite the country only to be betrayed and killed by one of his military commanders, Mitsuhide Akechi (明智光秀), shortly before achieving his goal. Mitsuhide is soon after slain (literally during his escape from the battle that claimed Nobunaga’s life) and Nobunaga’s successor, Hideyoshi Toyotomi (豊臣秀吉), takes on the reigns of the military campaign and fulfils his former master’s dream and the country finds itself in a state of peace for the first time in a hundred years. In the capitol city of Kyoto, (check your history books, Tokyo wasn’t always the capitol of Japan) Goemon Ishikawa (石川五右衛門), a veritable Japanese Robin Hood who steals from the wealthy and gives to the poor, roams the streets...

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

Located on the southeast tip of the Korean peninsula is the international city of Busan. A popular vacation spot on the East Sea coast, Haeundae draws one million visitors to its beaches every year. Man-sik, a native of Haeundae, lost a co-worker to a tsunami on a deep-sea fishing trip four years ago. He has never returned to sea ever since. He now leads a simple life running a small seafood restaurant and is preparing to propose to his longtime girlfriend, Yeon-hee. Man-sik’s brother Hyung-sik works as a coast guard. One day, he rescues a female college student from Seoul who promptly, comes on to him aggressively. While these everyday domestic affairs unfold, geologist Kim Hwi, an expert on tsunami research, discovers the East Sea is showing signs of activity similar to the Indian Ocean at the time of the 2004 tsunami. Despite his warnings, the Disaster Prevention Agency affirms that Korea is in no harm of being hit. When he discovers a mega-tsunami is headed straight for the Korean peninsula, he quickly heads down to Haeundae. There he meets up with his ex-wife, who is organizing a cultural event, for the first time in seven years. He also sees his young daughter who is unaware that he is her father. Eventually, Kim gets a call about a deadly oncoming wave, with only ten minutes to spare! While the vacationers and citizens of Busan are enjoying a peaceful, hot summer day, a mega-tsunami is headed straight for Haeundae at 500 miles per hour.

"Pusan International Film Festival" wrote:

Man-sik and Yeon-hee, are unsure as to whether they can overcome past wounds and continue being a couple. Dr. Kim, who cautions against a possible mega-tsunami at Haeundae, collapses in agony springing from an unexpected turn-up of his daughter and divorced wife. Hyoung-sik, after rescuing a woman from Seoul, rides out a ferocious storm to gladden her heart. A tsunami which destroys Haeundae symbolizes the establishment of a typical axis called provocation of conflicts, and later the inner spaces of the couples without anything left behind after all conflicts have ended.

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

Quote:

Dan Pavlides wrote:
This enigmatic, plodding story concerns a man who may or may not have betrayed a resistance fighter in his hometown during World War II. He has supposedly been shot down by the Nazis and wanders into town. Mourning the death of an unseen comrade, he is taken in by the family of the dead rebel. He engages in a superfluous affair and witnesses the lesbian relationship between the man's sister and a female servant. When passions subside, the family has doubts about the reliability of the man's stories. This avant garde feature leaves the viewer to decide if the downed airman is telling the truth or covering up for his deeds leading to the death of the heroic resistance fighter.

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

Quote:

Set in Marseilles, this coming-of-age tale centers on a Lolita-esque teen who is a big tease to a shy Arab kid. Lila is a gorgeous 16-year-old girl who has just moved, with her rather strange aunt, into a poor neighborhood populated primarily by Arab families. The two leaders of the suburb's main gang fall in love with her. One is the film's poetic narrator, a quiet boy with a talent for writing named Chimo; the other is Mouloud, a headstrong punk. One day, Lila dares Chimo to look up her skirt -- if he can handle it -- and by doing so, puts into motion a sequence of raw, devastating events. The ensuing maelstrom that develops out of this romantic triangle reveals the dangers inherent in sexual game playing.

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

Quote:

"Marguerite Duras' Destroy, She Said seems to be a film out of time and out of space, but could only have been made after May, 1968 ... Significantly, it is only this year that she has felt able to write and direct her own film-without any compromises ... It explodes into life, and one is hypnotically captive until the end. The dramatic power of the film, and its way of haunting one for days, are not surprising; what is, however, is the degree of visual virtuosity that Mme. Duras achieves. In short, here is a 'difficult' film which more than compensates for the demands it makes on the viewer."-Richard Roud, The Guardian (Manchester)
" ...Destroy. She Said is a triumph ... In my estimation its glum enchantments constitute a masterpiece."-Elliott Stein, The Financial Times (London)

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

Signs & Wonders is a 2000 psychological thriller directed by Jonathan Nossiter and co-written with British poet James Lasdun (also co-writer of Sunday) was inspired by the Polish surrealist novel, Kosmos of Witold Gombrowicz.

It stars Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling and Deborah Kara Unger. Produced by MK2 in Paris, with Nick Wechsler and Jed Alpert in the USA, it was one of the first larger budget films (reportedly $5,000,0000) to use digital cameras for eventual blowup to 35 MM. Nossiter worked with Tommaso Vergallo (also his chief image collaborator on Mondovino), one of the founders of blowup pioneer Swiss Effects, to create a textured, 1970s' grainy edge look in the transformation from digital to film.

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

Quote:

1957. It is a time of hope and sincere belief that the future will undoubtedly be bright. The Soviet satellite sends clear signals to the world as if saying: "We are here, and we will go even further and higher."
On the earth, in a little sea port, the bright beaming eyes of Konyok and Lara - a simple-hearted restaurant cook and his waitress girlfriend - follow with delight the movement of a satellite above. Their simple romance is broken up by appearance of a mysterious stranger who knows with utter certainty that you cannot run away from this country otherwise than by flying or swimming.
Konyok meets Gherman, who is to become his mysterious friend and rival, in a boxing ring. Punches, blood, and cut lips mark the beginning of the strange relationship of the two young men - one provincial and naïve, the other - a cynical newcomer who knows the world.
All around them there flows the life of a border sea port. Huge foreign vessels arrive with unfamiliar sounds, tastes and smells that are both frightening and alluring. But for a Soviet man it seems sinful even to imagine that somewhere there exists a kind of life and a kind of freedom different from those they have in the Soviet Union.

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

Plot:
Private Investigator Brenner is handling a case at the grill-station "Löschenkohl". There he finds - besides some chicken - also other meat...that doesn't belong in a good meal.

Austrian cinema at its best, 14 March 2009
Author: albert9999 from Austria on imdb:
One awaits a crime thriller that closely follows the book by Wolf Haas and has many intelligent gags but the the viewer is then overwhelmed by a great masterpiece that works on many levels - a sarcastic thriller not unlike Fargo, dark humour, amazing photography that reveals some Austrian reality, an intelligent plot with cool twists, great acting, ironic social criticism etc. This movie is in a row with the Kottan series, Indien, the other Brenner-movies of course, Slumming etc. and reassures one that although Qualtinger is dead his humour is not gone. When viewing this film one gets almost sad by realizing how good Austrian cinema can be, but there is not much support for filmmakers in Austria. I have no idea if this movie can work in a translation, but its worth a try.

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

IMDB

Bronson is a 2009 British biographical crime film directed by Nicolas Winding Refn and starring Tom Hardy. The film follows the life of notorious prisoner Michael Gordon Peterson, who was re-named Charles Bronson by his fight promoter. Born into a respectable middle class family, Peterson would nevertheless become one of the country's most dangerous criminals, and is known for having spent almost his entire life in solitary confinement. Bronson is narrated with humour, blurring the line between comedy and horror. It explores the idea of a man's violence as his alter-ego.'

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

IMDB

It is estimated that there are now more people on the planet at risk from obesity-related diseases than there are suffering from starvation. Western society in the 21st century is eating itself into an early grave but, while the ranks of the overweight and obese are swelling, there is a significant proportion of the population who are apparently immune to this phenomenon.

Horizon sets out to discover what is keeping these people thin. Are some people really able to consume as much as they like without becoming obese? If so, how do they do it?

Ten volunteers have agreed to eat double their normal intake of calories over four weeks to see how their bodies cope with a month-long chocolate, cake and fast-food frenzy.

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

MARY AND MAX is the claymation feature film from Adam Elliot who won an Oscar for his short film Harvey Krumpet.

It was invited to open the Sundance Film Festival this year, an auspicious start for this very individual film which covers 20 years of a pen-pal friendship between Mary Daisy Dinkle – voiced by BETHANY WHITMORE as a child and TONI COLLETTE as an adult and Max, (PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN) a large sized New Yorker who has problems relating to people. This odd couple friendship has loneliness at its core.

Adam Elliot has a unique way of looking at the world. MARY AND MAX is not a film with a strong dramatic arc, it’s a film about details, funny, sad details that encompass the characters in a compassionate embrace.

The film is sublime. It’s funny and insightful as it creates very different worlds for its two characters, and yet it doesn’t shy away from the harsher aspects of the lives of Mary and Max.

BARRY HUMPHRIES narrates and he does it beautifully. The animation perfectly suits the story, it was five years in the making and it’s worth every minute.

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

Description: A young free loving hippy couple Dick (Ray Lovelock) and Ingrid (Ornella Muti) buy a car load of porn in Copenhagen to help fund their holiday in Italy. Once in Italy they find plenty of takers for their product and soon find themselves very flush with cash which they spend like there's no tomorrow, soon they find they are broke again and Dick has the idea to take porno photos of themselves and flog them, but they approach the wrong person and are soon in the custody of the local police who confiscate the pics and give them 24 hours to leave the country. On their way home, their car runs out of petrol and so they knock into a nearby large house, where having received no reply decide to siphon off petrol from a car in the garage. They are confronted by Barbara, the apparently flustered lady of the house who threatens them with the police, but then on hearing their story changes her mind and invites them in for some food and to stay the night. It turns out she is the lonely wife of a NATO colonel and soon all three are involved in some flirtatious sex games, but who is taking advantage of who? Next morning we find out……

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

[User Rating:8.3/10]

Calcutta 1879. Bhupati Dutta (Sailen Mukherjee), a wealthy intellectual edits and publishes a political weekly in English called 'The Sentinel.' His sensitive and beautiful, young wife Charu (Madhabi Mukherjee) spends her time doing needlework and reading Bengali novels. Sensing her loneliness, Bhupati invites her older brother Umapada and his wife Mandakini to live with them. Umapada becomes the manager of the magazine but Mandakini, a rustic and unlettered woman is no companion for Charu. Bhupati's cousin Amal (Soumitra Chaterjee) arrives to spend his vacation with Bhupati. At Bhupati's suggestion, the literary minded Amal helps and encourages Charu with her writing. The two get more and more drawn to each other. Bhupati, busy with the magazine as usual, is unaware of this development...

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

IMDB

In retrospect, it wasn't a very shocking picture, but it might have set up a brouhaha at the time. Ostrich-wise, the censors refused to admit the problem of sexual identity was a common one." - Vincente Minnelli, on Tea and Sympathy

A movie which caused a considerable stir with the Production Code office and the ever-feared Catholic Legion of Decency, Tea and Sympathy (1956), based on a landmark Broadway play, now seems too tame to be deserving of such outrage. As director Vincente Minnelli wrote, "the drama told of a young man at a boys' school who's falsely accused of being homosexual because of his off-beat interests in tennis, "classical" music, and poetry, instead of baseball and dormitory bull sessions." After witnessing the cruel taunting of the other boys, the schoolmaster's wife Laura takes pity on the sensitive student Tom and tries to help him, ultimately offering herself to him in an ending that features one of the most famous last lines of American theater: "Years from now, when you talk about this - and you will - be kind."

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

Plot Synopsis [No Spoilers]

Philip Leacock’s absorbing character study based on the novel by A.J. Cronin dissects the father/son relationship of a minor foreign diplomat with academic qualifications but lacking in human understanding. Beautifully photographed by Christopher Challis and backed by composer John Veale’s airy score, this was Bogarde's second film with young Jon Whiteley, they previously appeared together in Hunted (1952), and director Leacock maintains his tradition of eliciting sparkling performances from child players. The story’s oft-discussed homosexual subtext remains extremely well concealed.

Set on the Costa Brava in Spain, a gentle Spanish gardener, Jose (Dirk Bogarde), befriends Nicholas (Jon Whiteley), the frail 10-year-old son of the household and in doing so falls foul of the boys father, a failed diplomat tortured by his own marital and career inadequacies. The impressionable Nicholas feels smothered by his father's (Michael Hordern) overbearing possessiveness and forges a bond with the gardener who takes him under his wing.[....][britmovie.co.uk]

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

IMDB

From the germanfilmfestival.co.uk:

Quote:
KEBAB CONNECTION
Kebab Connection

"Ethnic comedies don't get much more enjoyable than Kebab Connection... imaginatively directed working off tensions between Turkish and Greek emigrants in Germany. Stereotypes are played thick and fast, but good-natured self-mockery and star Dennis Moschitto's terrific physicality carry the pic..." Variety

Kebab Connection is the crazily comic tale of two restaurants (one Turkish, the other Greek), a frustrated filmmaker, the coolest commercial of all time, intercultural love, forbidden romance and centuries-old Aegean rivalry. And we mustn't forget the local mafia, either! Absolute Bruce Lee fan and young Turkish hip-hopper Ibo wants to make the first-ever German kung-fu film, so he practices by shooting an extremely successful commercial spot for his uncle's King of Kebab take-away. With the restaurant's business sky-rocketing at the expense of the Greek tavern across the road, Ibo becomes the man of the moment. Everything seems to be going his way until his girlfriend Titzi tells him she's pregnant. When she leaves him so that he can figure out exactly what he wants and his traditional dad kicks him out, his uncle promises to help him patch things up if he'll make another commercial for him. But this time, the second spot is a flop. Frustrated, he gives in to the temptations of the rival Greek restaurant-owner across the street (and his beautiful daughter!) and agrees to make a commercial spot for his uncle's worst enemy. Once the mafia gets involved, Ibo can finally put his kung-fu talents to the test.

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

IMDB

synopsis with spoilers:

Serçe Mehmet had been a teacher in a village near Siirt in South-East Anatolia. Bandits had kidnapped his wife, after seven months they returned her dead body, she had committed suicide out of shame. Mehmet then decided to leave the village and to devote the rest of his life to hunting bandits down. Here the film sets in.

In another village, bandits force the villagers to pay them large sums of money, threatening the villagers by killing some of the men and abducting some of the women. Serçe Mehmet arrives, kills several of the bandits, giving himself the name "Azrail". Everybody is afraid of him because of his reputation as a merciless killer.

He frees however a woman who had just been raped. Mehmet takes her back to the village, but her husband, also a teacher, doesn´t want to have her back. The woman implores Mehmet to shoot her, he answers that he will not waste a bullet on her if she doesn´t pay for it first. Since she has no money she collapses in the snow, then she follows Mehmet at a distance. Mehmet helps her after all and even convinces the husband to take her back. (Another woman is raped by the bandits, her husband is forced to sit in the next room, after the bandits have left, he hands her a revolver with which she shoots herself.)

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

IMDB

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

IMDB

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

In a period rich in theoretical discussions opposing different groups debating on such topics as National Cinema, Social Realism, People's Cinema or Asiatic Type Production Styled Cinema, Lütfi Akad gives a top work. Based on a script by Akad and Güney, Hudutlarýn Kanunu (The Law of The Border) confirms Akad's mastery, or Akad's "renaissance" and allows Güney to play an unforgettable part. TurkSinemasi

In 1966, when Turkish cinema was about to set a record with the production of 240 films, Yýlmaz Güney joined the ranks of the new directors by directing his film, "At, Avrat, Silah" (Horse, Woman and Gun). The same year, Lütfi Akad's film "Hudutlarýn Kanunu" (Border Law) was seen as the most important film up to that time. Akad and Güney joined in the writing of the script of this film in which Güney acted in the leading role. TURKISH-CINEMA

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

Synopsis:

Ali grew up as an orphan in a village in Kapadokia and became one of Haceli´s henchmen who is the village´s mafia boss. On his orders Ali killed the young Avanos' son Yasin and went to prison for 15 years. The film starts with Ali being released and returning to the village. He visits Yasin´s grave and then calls on the old Avanos and begs his forgiveness. Avanos refuses, his daughter Zeliha strikes Ali down with a log. Then they carry the unconscious Ali inside and tend to his wounds. Ali takes Yasin´s place and helps the old Avanos on the fields.

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

IMDB

You will see the story of four sailors who were cheated by woman sellers in "A patroness in Laleli". While the sailors was selling the women in Laleli, one of artisan of there said that he would pay one billion for a special girl. After this, three sellers began to debate with each others. They found the girl. But while they were taking on the girl to the customer, they were under attacked and girl was stolen. (IMDb)

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

Quote:

Cazibe is an overage, nice but unmarried girl. The young girl is under constraint because of her mother “Mrs. Füruzan” and her uncle “Behçet who has a secret love”. Cazibe who makes a special close life in her dream room daydreams about her love which went to same school in the past.

One night, Kürşat Who is “real” hero of Cazibe’s dreams gets in Cazibe’s home for hiding. This night, Cazibe things imaginary love is jealous and she sleeps together. The day after, she find a farewell letter and goes into hysterics.

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

This is a rare little gem from Turkey. The quality (and production values) leave a bit to be desired, but it more than makes up for it in entertainment! I have NEVER seen a movie quite like this, and in fact, at times I'm not quite sure if it's meant to be taken serious or tongue in cheek.

Presumably, in a previous film/episode (that from what I've been able to determine, doesn't even exist!), Kilink was killed by his former partner, a doctor, once they discovered some mysterious formula to make the most powerful bombs ever. Now Kilink wants revenge, and to then take over the world!

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

IMDB

Quote:

A story of love, a love with passion, complexity and brutality among three people living in a small village.Aydanur (Nurgül Yeşilçay) is not contented with life's offering, she wants to "break on through".On the other hand Mahmut (Murat Han) stucks in between Aydanur and his wife Songül (Tülin Özen).
"Vicdan tells a story about questioning of conscience over a love story among three.

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

IMDB

Description: Chaw is the name for a man-eating wild boar with a body length of 2m and approximate weight of 410kg. Sameri is a quiet village on the foot of Mt. Jiri in South Korea where no incidents have occurred in 10 years.

One day a mangled human wrist is found and the village of Sameri is placed in fear and severe anxiety. Shortly later another body part is found and then footprints are discovered with bloodstains. Former hunter Il-man Cheon (Hang-Seon Jang) lost his granddaughter and he now suspects her disappearance is tied to the man eating boar. Il-man then gathers some residents to find the boar including Sun-kyeong Kim (Tae-woong Eom), professional animal hunter Baek (Je-mun Yun), and Hyeong-sa Shin (Hyeok-kwon Park). Animal ecosystem researcher Su-ryeon (Yu-mi Jeong) is also enlisted in their hunt.

Comparison to Korea's all time box office champ "The Host", are inevitable, and box office expectations are high. "Chaw" was shot in Seoul and San Francisco, and has been picked up by Hollywood's Variety Fine Cut for release in the United States later this year.

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

IMDB

urreal craziness of the highest order...

As if Jodorowsky met Coffin Joe in Hong Kong and decided to collaborate on a supernatural martial-arts action film. Filled to the brim with visual overload, mystical drama, Buddhist symoblism and dark supernatural atmosphere, this film follows the life of a boxer embroiled in a vengeful feud sparked by the brutal, nearly fatal beating of his brother in a sparring match. He is overwhelmed one night by a vision, an omen as it were, which ultimately leads him towards the realization of his own destiny that takes him along a path of spirituality and a quest for the power and inner peace that may free his lineage from an ages old curse. This scenario is used as a launching point for what is surely one of the most bizarre, chaotic & excessive Hong Kong flicks ever made. Most of the movies effects are obviously low budget but the rather excellent filmwork and audaciously gonzo, over-the-top nature of the imagery far than makes up for any budgetary restrictions. The indelibly weird vibe that permeates the film is, in fact, partially due to it's low-fidelity nature. Those familiar with the "Chinese Ghost Story" and similar fare will be familiar with the themes conjured up by these supernatural Hong Kong action flicks and may know what to expect. But those who are not should get ready for a pretty wild trip down a road full of wild twists of logic that lead through glowing supernatural vistas, magical terrorist attacks, flying eyeball creatures, and wild clashes with demonic entities and manifestations of all sorts. A crazy little nugget of a film that could even be an accidental masterpiece. At the very least, a unique cinematic experience that's probably like nothing else you've ever seen. Virtually impossible to track down and not, as far as I know, offically available. In spite of this, fans of offbeat & mondo cinema should do whatever they can to track this gem down.

Read more / Download links ....>>>>

When a narcotics deal goes sour and a suspect disappears, leaving only his clothes, Tokyo police question his wife and stake out the nightclub where she works. His disappearance stumps the police - until a young scientist appears who claims that H-Bomb tests in the Pacific, evidenced by a "ghost ship" that has turned up in the harbor, have created radioactive creatures - "H-Men" - who ooze like slime and dissolve anyone they touch.

Read more / Download links ....>>>>