Quote:
Shortly after Stanley Kubrick had completed his first film for RKO – the short subject Day of the Fight (1951) – the studio offered him a follow-up project for their Screenliner series which specialized in short human-interest documentaries. The subject of their proposal was the Reverend Fred Stadmueller, a priest at Saint Joseph’s Church in Mosquero, New Mexico. Known to his parishioners as the “Flying Padre” because he owned a small, single-engine plane that allowed him to visit his church members who were spread out over a four thousand mile area, Stadmueller was an inspiration to the mostly Spanish-American farmers and ranchers who made up his congregation.Read More »

After discovering a mysterious artifact buried beneath the Lunar surface, mankind sets off on a quest to find its origins with help from intelligent supercomputer H.A.L. 9000.Read More »

After his wife, Alice, tells him about her sexual fantasies, William Harford sets out for a night of sexual adventure. After several less than successful encounters, he meets an old friend, Nick Nightingale – now a musician – who tells him of strange sex parties when he is required to play the piano blindfolded. All the men at the party are costumed and wear masks while the women are all young and beautiful. Harford manages to find an appropriate costume and heads out to the party. Once there, however, he is warned by someone who recognizes him, despite the mask, that he is in great danger. He manages to extricate himself but the threats prove to be quite real and sinister.Read More »

Probably the best interview with a film director ever.
“This is one of the finest, if not the finest, documentary on Welles’ career. What makes this stand out from the rest is the huge amount of interview footage that shows Welles to be good-natured, open, and incredibly funny. He has lots of great stories about his career (one which involves him attending a party for L.B. Mayer with a rabbit in his pocket – absolutely hilarious) and each one is a joy.

The documentary skips around his career a bit, breaking his career up not chronologically but more by sections of films he directed and films he appeared in. It will make you want to go out and see them all again, and even hunt up the rare ones like “The Immortal Story”.

Also included are good interviews with Charleton Heston, Anthony Perkins, Jeanne Moreau & John Huston. By the way, did you know that Welles turned down a role in “Caligula”? There are more juicy tidbits to be heard.

I don’t believe that this title is available on video in this country (I may be wrong), but it does play from time to time on television. Seek it out! “(imdb)Read More »

Nine closely related episodes featuring the erotic escapades of a young New York heiress and the people associated with her.
Wealthy heiress Pauline (Pauline LaMonde) is bored with the “cold detachment” her Husband shows during sex and spends her time in various sexual encounters with other men, and women.
Pauline writes about her experiences to a woman named Gypsy, mysterious opium smoking, Tarot Card dealing ex lover of Pauline’s (who talks directly to the viewer about Pauline and their times together).
As Gypsy reads the letters we see Pauline’s encounters and learn about her history…..Read More »

Deep in the heart of Central Asia lies one of the world’s most secretive countries – Turkmenistan. Run by a crazy dictator whose megalomania has spawned a personality cult to rival that of Chairman Mao, this unlikely desert republic has earned itself a grim reputation as “the North Korea of Central Asia.” But since no one is usually allowed in or out, the truth about Turkmenistan is impossible to separate from the rumours and the legends. Until now.

Posing as a tourist who has come to Turkmenistan for a stag weekend, Waldemar Januszczak goes undercover in this bizarre and sinister country to separate the facts from the fiction. And he’s taken his camera with him…Read More »

Review:
Arturo’s (Arturo Puig) world is peopled by the living and the dead, as well as other figures who can only derive from his overheated imagination. Meanwhile, he is attempting to revive his flagging marriage to Graciela (Graciela Borges) while coping with the demands of his mistress who persistently applies weird colored dyes to her pubic hair. Throughout the movie, no matter what the scene, the action is interrupted by the mugging of a popcorn salesman (Alejandro Urdapilleta) who appears for no discernible reason. This movie was banned by Argentine authorities for its (relatively brief) nudity and depiction of sexual encounters. – Clarke Fountain, All Movie GuideRead More »

Bab’Aziz, AKA The Prince Who Contemplated His Soul, is the story of a blind dervish named Bab’Aziz and his spirited granddaughter, Ishtar. Together they wander the desert in search of a great reunion of dervishes that takes place just once every thirty years. With faith as their only guide, the two journey for days through the expansive, barren landscape. To keep Ishtar entertained, Bab’Aziz relays the ancient tale of a prince who relinquished his realm in order to remain next to a small pool in the desert, staring into its depths while contemplating his soul. As the tale of the prince unfolds, the two encounter other travelers with stories of their own, including Osman, who longs for the beautiful woman he met at the bottom of a well, and Zaid, who searches for the ravishing young woman who fled from him after being seduced by his songs. A fairytale-like story of longing and belonging, filmed in the enchanting and ever-shifting sandscapes of Tunisia and Iran.Read More »

Claudio is a blue-collar builder, almost blissfully happy with his ordinary family life, with his wife and two children. Then, tragedy strikes and Claudio sets off on an obsessive quest to become rich and successful by taking on an almost impossible-to-complete contract to construct an apartment block in record time. Claudio uses all his own, his friend’s and his family’s resources to try and succeed, while in fact coming closer and closer to disaster and ruin. Anchored by an intense and very impressive performance by Elio Germano (Romanze Criminale, Quo Vadis Baby) as Claudio, Our Life is a gritty, yet warm and human story. Almost like an Italian Ken Loach, director Daniele Luchetti depicts authentically working class life in Italy and the struggles of one man to rise above the corruption and compromises that beset him. Following on from Luchetti’s acclaimed previous film My Brother is an Only Child (premiered at LFF 2007) this is another arresting film; powerfully emotive, cinematic and satisfying. —BFI

Cannes Film Festival 2010: Best Actor (Elio Germano, ex-aequo)
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