• Samba Gadjigo & Jason Silverman – Sembene! (2015)

    2011-2020African CinemaDocumentaryJason SilvermanSamba GadjigoSenegal

    Quote:
    In 1952, Ousmane Sembene, a dockworker and fifth-grade dropout from Senegal, began dreaming an impossible dream: to become the storyteller for a new Africa. SEMBENE! tells the unbelievable true story of the father of African cinema, the self- taught novelist and filmmaker who fought, against enormous odds, a 50-year battle to return African stories to Africans. SEMBENE! is told through the experiences of the man who knew him best, colleague and biographer Samba Gadjigo, using rare archival footage and more than 100 hours of exclusive materials. A true-life epic, SEMBENE! follows an ordinary man who transforms himself into a fearless spokesperson for the marginalized, becoming a hero to millions. After a startling fall from grace, can Sembene reinvent himself once more?Read More »

  • Alf Sjöberg – Karin Månsdotter (1954)

    1951-1960Alf SjöbergDramaSweden

    After failing to arrange a marriage with Elizabeth Tudor of England, king Erik XIV of Sweden needs a wife and children to secure his throne, fast. He falls in love with Karin Månsdotter, a very beautiful young girl, but of lowborn stock. The King’s secretary sees a chance to secure the good opinion of the populace, to act as a counterweight to the rich noblemen who always seek more influence. A marriage is made, but the king is not fully at his wits at a time when it is most needed…Read More »

  • Fred F. Sears – Escape from San Quentin (1957)

    1951-1960CrimeDramaFred F. SearsUSA

    Plot:
    Singing star Johnny Desmond (Calypso Heat Wave, China Doll) goes dramatic in this Sam Katzman production. Desmond plays convict Mike Gilbert, who goes on the lam with fellow prisoners Gruber (Richard Devon, The Undead) and Graham (Roy Engel, Rogue River) when he finds out his wife is divorcing him and feels he has nothing to lose. While hiding from the law, Gilbert falls in love with Robbie (Merry Anders, Tickle Me, The Quick Gun), his ex-wife’s sister. Through Robbie’s influence, Gilbert decides to go straight, but his cohorts aren’t quite so willing to reform. Like most Sam Katzman productions of the era, this was loosely based on a true story. Directed by Fred F. Sears and featuring an original score by Laurindo Almeida. Newly remastered. From Warner Brothers Website!Read More »

  • Ewald André Dupont & Lewis Seiler – Hell’s Kitchen (1939)

    1931-1940ClassicsDramaEwald André DupontLewis SeilerUSA

    Plot:
    Hell’s Kitchen gives the reform school potboiler The Mayor of Hell the full Dead End treatment and brings a tyro Ronald Reagan along for the ride.Read More »

  • Edward F. Cline – Go Chase Yourself (1938)

    1931-1940ComedyCrimeEdward F. ClineUSA

    Plot:
    THE LUCILLE BALL RKO COMEDY COLLECTION VOL. 1
    Long before she was crowned the queen of TV, Lucille Ball reigned as the “Queen of the Bs” for RKO Pictures, appearing in over 43 films in under a decade. Although she had yet to find her niche, Lucy’s prodigious talents, grace and charm as a performer found her much in demand across a wide variety of movies. This collection brings together three rarely seen cinematic treasures from Lucy’s RKO days, giving modern audiences a chance to witness a star on the rise. 3 Films on 2 DVDs.Read More »

  • John Farrow – The Invisible Menace (1938)

    USA1931-1940John FarrowMysteryThriller

    Quote:
    Army Private Eddie Pratt smuggles his new bride into camp in hopes of having a happy wedding night. Instead they discover a murder. Colonel Rogers of Army Intelligence arrives to take over the case. The prime suspect, Jevries, is well-known to Rogers, who sets out to get a confession from Jevries even though there are plenty of other suspects. In the end, Eddie’s bride Sally surprisingly turns the tables on the culprit.Read More »

  • Dragovan Jovanovic – Devojka sa Kosmaja AKA Girl from the Mountains (1972)

    1971-1980Dragovan JovanovicDramaWarYugoslaviaYugoslavian Cinema under Tito

    The relationship between a man and a girl shortly after the start of the war and the arrival of the Germans. He goes to Chetniks, and there he disappears without a trace, and she,after much torture and solitude, begins to search for him not thinking in those moments of what horrors war can bring.Read More »

  • Larry Blamire – The Lost Skeleton Returns Again (2009)

    2001-2010ComedyLarry BlamireSci-FiUSA

    Quote:
    Jerranium 90, a “little rock” that made all the papers, is buried deep within the Amazon. And everybody wants it, including crooked importer Handscomb Draile, slimy Gondreau Slykes, cheap crook Carl Traeger and evil scientist Dr. Ellamy Royne.Read More »

  • Johnny Ma – Huo zhe chang zhe (2019)

    2011-2020ChinaDramaJohnny Ma

    Chinese-Canadian writer-director Johnny Ma follows his 2016 feature debut, Old Stone, with this touching drama. Zhao Li is the manager of a rundown theatre on the outskirts of Chengdu, China, inhabited by a small troupe that performs the art of Sichuan opera to disinterested audiences night after night. When she receives a notice of demolition for the theatre, Zhao Li hides the news from everyone else, fearing that the threat of their home’s destruction could spell the end of their close-knit family. As she struggles to search for a new theatre for them to work and live in, elements of Sichuan opera and its fantastic characters slowly begin to seep into Zhao Li’s world.Read More »

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