1980s

  • Toon Wang – Ku lian AKA Portrait of a Fanatic (1982)

    Drama1981-1990PoliticsTaiwanToon Wang

    In 1949 when the Communist regime was established in China, the world-famed painter Ling Chen-kuang, believing his conviction for a new-born society had come true on his motherland, returned anxiously from the U.S., whither he had fled apprehension by lawmen when cracking down on rebellious activities he had actively engaged in out of cynicism and hostility – the feelings evolved from constant haunting by the memories of his childhood miserableness – to the then existing institutions in China. Alas, to his disillusion, the land he had so deeply loved, the society of which he had expected so much, should have turned out to be the hell on earth. Why? The enigma kept obsessing and puzzling him even to his dying moment.Read More »

  • Sumiko Haneda – Hayachine no fu AKA Ode to Mt. Hayachine (1982)

    Sumiko Haneda1981-1990DocumentaryJapan

    Quote:
    Shot in the foothills of Iwate Prefecture’s mystical Mt. Hayachine, the film records a year in the life of the area’s villages and villagers as they prepare for kagura performances, a dance-theater form with origins in religious rituals (now mainly performed for tourists). The film can be enjoyed and processed on many levels: a musicologist’s fascinating glimpse into kagura traditions and performances; an ethnographic portrait of rural life and village hierarchies; and most of all, a study of a key moment in Japanese society, when, even as Haneda filmed, rural lifestyles were exposed to modernity: paved roads, cars, and tv sets. Fittingly, the film’s true beauty comes not through its thesis, but in its attunement to the mountain’s own intricate rhythms. (Pacific Film Archive)Read More »

  • Zalman King – Two Moon Junction (1988)

    Zalman King1981-1990DramaRomanceUSA

    April has just graduated from an exclusive Southern college. She’s just returned home to her family mansion to prepare for her semi-arranged marriage to “the right man”, a man approved by April’s father, a Senator. During a trip to the local fair, April meets Perry, the kind of man she always wanted but never knew. Her parents are aghast, as Perry is exactly the kind of man they don’t want her associating with. April must reconcile the expectations of her family and her fiancée with the passion she feels for Perry.Read More »

  • Ricky Lau – Gui yao gui AKA Close Encounters of the Spooky Kind 2 (1989)

    1981-1990ComedyHong KongHorrorRicky Lau

    SYNOPSIS
    Sammo Hung and Lam Ching Ying star in this misadventure into the world of the undead. This is one on the many films that Sammo and Lam did in Lams Horror/Comedy series of films, They also worked on some other HK classics together both serious and comedy/horror.The film starts with Sifu and Sammo and the girl running and hiding. Sammo and the girl hide in an old building to be almost immediately haunted by a hopping vampire that’s not very friendly, there Sammo smokes opium with the ghoul and the stage is set for monster mayhem HK style with comedy and horror galore. I really liked the sets in this film as well as the special effects, I cant tell much on the story so as not to ruin the plot for you. Read More »

  • Rentarô Mikuni – Shinran: Shiroi michi AKA Shinran: Path to Purity (1987)

    1981-1990AsianDramaJapanRentarô Mikuni

    In the early part of the 13th Century in Japan, warring clans turned the country into a bloody playing field. Ritual execution was the order of the day, and expulsion to the far reaches of the empire–to endure extremes of weather on barely fertile land–was the height of mercy.Read More »

  • Evgeniy Evtushenko – Detskiy sad AKA Kindergarten (1984) 

    1981-1990DramaEvgeniy EvtushenkoUSSR

    Film memoir of the Soviet poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko about his wartime childhood, when he alone reached the station of the Siberian winter, where he was waiting for relatives. The road was unusually long, cold, hungry and angry.Read More »

  • Lina Wertmüller – Un complicato intrigo di donne, vicoli e delitti AKA Camorra (A Story of Streets, Women and Crime) (1985)

    1981-1990CrimeDramaItalyLina Wertmüller

    Quote:
    The vicious drug-related killings of young pre-teen boys are the fuel that moves this mystery-actioner into high gear.
    After Annunziata (Angela Molina) opens up a hostel with her friend Antonio (Daniel Ezralow), she is saved from being raped by a Camorra boss because the gangster gets suddenly killed. The killer escapes before Annunziata is able to see who it was. Following this murder are several others, and always with the same “signature” — a syringe in one of the testicles of the victims. Everyone suspects a drug war is on because the slain men are cocaine-heroin pushers. In a subplot, Annunziata’s young son is forced to run drugs (underage children cannot be prosecuted), making him the next candidate for murder. As the drug dealers continue to be killed off, the identity of the killer – or killers – slowly becomes obvious.Read More »

  • Michael Cimino – The Sicilian [Director’s Cut] (1987)

    1981-1990CrimeDramaMichael CiminoUSA

    From Mario Puzo, the best-selling author of The Godfather, comes the riveting saga of the life, loves and dreams of the infamous Sicilian bandit, Salvatore Giuliano. Directed by the Academy Award winning director of The Deer Hunter, Michael Cimino, this epic motion picture stars Christopher Lambert (Highlander) in the most powerful performance of his career.Read More »

  • Joaquim Pinto – Uma Pedra no Bolso AKA Tall Stories (1988)

    1981-1990ArthouseDramaJoaquim PintoPortugal

    Quote:
    Twelve-year-old Miguel (Bruno Leite) is sent to live with his aunt for the summer at a seaside resort, where he makes friends with Joao (Manuel Labao), an older boy who revels in stories of his sexual conquests of vacationing women. Miguel is also befriended by the maid Luisa (Ines Medeiros). Later, Miguel must defend Joao when he is accused of stealing from his aunt. This is the film debut for director Joaquim Pinto, who used 4 people and 2 1/2 weeks to produce the feature.Read More »

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