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Band of OutsidersGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 05/07/2013 Rating NR Production Year: 1964 Run Time: 95 mins Released By: Criterion Collection Cast: Anna Karina, Sami Frey, Claude Brasseur, Ernest Menzer, Chantal Darget French New Wave master Jean-Luc Godard continues his fascination with dime store novels and American crime films with 1964's BAND OF OUTSIDERS, a free-spirited romp in the same vein as the director's breakthrough smash, BREATHLESS. More traditional than BREATHLESS in its technical execution, BAND OF OUTSIDERS sparkles with freshness and originality--it uses comical, poetic narration by Godard himself, and has a bouncy musical score by Michel Legrand. The performances from Claude Brasseur, Sami Frey, and especially Anna Karina combine satirical melodrama, overflowing hipness, and moving sincerity, giving the film plenty of heart. An irreplaceable contribution to 1960s film, this movie is much more than a mere genre reworking. The story follows two friends, Arthur (Claude Brasseur) and Franz (Sami Frey), who are searching for a way to make a big score. When Franz meets the beautiful Odile (Anna Karina) and she informs him of a large chunk of cash her aunt keeps hidden in her house, the duo are convinced that this is their lucky break. Odile is a sensitive young woman who, out of fear and guilt, opposes their plan, but Arthur and Franz coax her to go along with the idea. When the time comes to pull off the heist, a miscalculation delays the seemingly perfect plan, resulting in a confrontation that has dire consequences. … more less -
Dragon LordGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 05/07/2013 Rating PG-13 Production Year: 1982 Run Time: 94 mins Released By: Miramax Echo Bridge Cast: Jackie Chan, Hui-Min Chen, Hong-Yip Cheng, Chang Chung, Tai Do Dragon (Jackie) and his buddy Cowboy get mixed up in a plot to swipe some valuable Chinese antiques and are forced to kick butt. However, the real attraction here is a number of showstopping set pieces that involve Jackie and Cowboy playing some pretty demented versions of Badminton and Football, all while trying to win the heart of a local beauty. Known variously as YOUNG MASTER IN LOVE, DRAGON STRIKE, and DRAGON LORD, it is still a very worthy entry in the Jackie Chan canon. … more less -
Sin Nombre, TheGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 05/07/2013 Rating R Production Year: 1999 Run Time: 101 mins Released By: Miramax Echo Bridge Cast: Emma Vilarasua, Tristan Ulloa, Karra Elejalde Based on a novel by Ramsey Campbell, LOS SIN NOMBRE (THE NAMELESS) is a stylish and atmospheric horror film from director Jaume Balaguero (DARKNESS). After she goes missing, the body of Claudia's daughter Angela is discovered by the police. Five years later, Claudia is still distraught over the senseless murder when she receives a phone call from a young woman claiming to be her daughter. Bruno, a now-retired cop who was in charge of the original investigation, takes pity on Claudia and decides to help her track down the caller. What they find, however, is shadowy organization known only as "the Nameless" who may have some sort of supernatural power. … more less -
Gate of HellGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 04/09/2013 Rating NR Production Year: 1953 Run Time: 89 mins Released By: Criterion Collection Cast: Machiko Kyô A Japanese warrior demands the hand of a married woman as payment for a great service he rendered in time of conflict. The woman, just as strong willed as he, prefers death to dishonor. Academy Awards: Best (Color) Costume Design. … more less -
Man Escaped, AGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 03/26/2013 Rating Production Year: 1956 Run Time: 101 mins Released By: Criterion Collection Cast: Francois Leterrier, Charles Le Clainche, Maurice Beerblock Avoiding all the clichés of the prison movie genre, Robert Bresson achieves the impossible in A MAN ESCAPED: he presents a highly minimalist depiction of a prisoner plotting a jailbreak, and is still able to evoke incredible suspense despite the fact that the movie frequently consists of little more than a man toiling away quietly in his cell. Neither Bresson's seemingly odd choice of a past-tense title, nor the fact that the film is based on a real WWII event in which a prisoner successfully escaped a German-run jail in occupied France, lessens the film's impact. As in many of Bresson's films, the protagonist is a possessed individual whose mission sustains him. While he may stubbornly continue planning, the viewer sees the potential hazards he may encounter and feels an incredible sense of tension each time his efforts are stalled. Bresson inserts a spiritual element into the prisoner's behavior by emphasizing the ritualistic nature of his daily activities, and by showing how group activity and trust are required to resist the evil, personified by the Nazi captors. Gripping and sublime, A MAN ESCAPED is a cinematic masterpiece. … more less -
TristanaGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 03/12/2013 Rating PG-13 Production Year: 1970 Run Time: 99 mins Released By: E1 Entertainment Distribution Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Fernando Rey, Franco Nero, Jesus Fernandez, Lola Gaos Set in Toledo, Spain in the 1920s, Buñuel's masterful, comic and often erotic study of perversion, hypocrisy and disease explores the twisted relationship between Tristana and her guardian, Don Lope, who takes her in after her mother's death. Lope, an aging libertine who maintains a public image of piety while privately indulging his every desire, finds himself so deeply aroused by the beautiful young Tristana that he cannot resist seducing her. The Catholic hierarchy ignores what Lope has done to her, and preaches obedience to his teachings, causing Tristana to become enraged and begin plotting her revenge. Academy Award Nomination: Best Foreign Language Film. … more less -
Sanshô the BailiffGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 02/26/2013 Rating NR Production Year: 1954 Run Time: 124 mins Released By: Criterion Collection Cast: Kinuyo Tanaka, Eitarô Shindô, Yoshiaki Hanayagi, Kyôko Kagawa This stunning Kenji Mizoguchi masterpiece reaches back to a Japanese folk tale of the 12th century to depict the barbarism of "a dark age, when people didn't know how to be human." The film stars Yoshiaki Hanayagi as Zushiô, the young son of a provincial governor Masauji Taira (Masao Shimizu). A man of outstanding compassion and probity, he impresses on his son the notion that "without mercy, a man is not a man." When the governor's attempts to protect the rights of regional farmers clash with the goals of the feudal regime, he's sent into exile, and forced to leave his family behind. A few years later Zushiô, his mother, Tamaki (Kinuyo Tanaki), and sister, Anju (Kyôko Kagawa), begin a long journey to reunite with Masauji, only to be waylaid be kidnappers en route. The bandits sell Tamaki to a brothel on an isolated island and the children to corrupt official Sanshô (Eitarô Shindô) as slaves. As the years pass, Anju lapses into passivity while Zushiô becomes hardened by the brutality that has become their lot. One day, while escorting a dying slave outside the confines of their camp, they plan an escape. In what may be his finest film, the director again uses the great cinematographer Kazuo Miyagawa (UGETSU), shooting scenes of the most intense emotion from a distance in long, magnificently composed sequence takes, suggesting the transience of all worldly suffering, and fulfilling the Nabokovian dictum of art as "beauty plus compassion." … more less -
Miserables, LesGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 02/19/2013 Rating NR Production Year: 1957 Run Time: 188 mins Released By: Olive Films Cast: Jean Gabin, Bernard Blier Victor Hugo's monumental masterpiece is staged in this Italian production. When Jean Valjean is caught stealing food and sentenced to a workfarm for 18 years, he is released from prison unrehabilitated until a bishop's kindness transforms him. He becomes a model citizen and a small town mayor, only to discover he can't get escape the unforgiving law. … more less -
Narayama Bushi-KoGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 02/05/2013 Rating NR Production Year: 1958 Run Time: 98 mins Released By: Criterion Collection Cast: Kinuyo Tanaka, Teiji Takahashi, Yuko Mochizuki A fusion of Japanese Kabuki and modern film techniques, this adaptation of Shichiro Fukazawa's 1956 novel depicts the moving tale of a 69-year-old woman's traditional journey from her poor village to the summit of Mount Narayama to die. 1983's THE BALLAD OF NARAYAMA is Shohei Imamura's acclaimed remake of the film. … more less -
That Obscure Object of DesireGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 01/29/2013 Rating NR Production Year: 1977 Run Time: 104 mins Released By: Criterion Collection Cast: Fernando Rey, Carole Bouquet, Ángela Molina, Julien Bertheau, Milena Vukotic Luis Buñuel's last film is a celebration of the vigor of sexual obsession and the sovereignty of the subconscious. From the instant Mathieu (Fernando Rey) lays eyes on Conchita (played by both Carole Bouquet and Angela Molina), he cannot help but pursue this beautiful and unknowable young woman. She remains just outside his grasp, teasing him with the promise of fulfilled desire while always, finally, denying him the pleasure he wants. As Mathieu becomes more distraught, he resorts to extreme emotional blackmail by threatening to have her deported from France. Meanwhile, the Revolutionary Army of the Infant Jesus, an anarchic guerrilla group, is blowing up everything in sight. Nominated for two Academy Awards including Best Foreign Language Film, THAT OBSCURE OBJECT OF DESIRE is darkly humorous. Themes of sexual obsession and failed machismo in an atmosphere of civil upheaval recall Buñuel's earlier films like THE CRIMINAL LIFE OF ARCHIBALDO DE LA CRUZ and THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE. Employing his characteristic surrealistic tricks, Buñuel taunts the audience by using two actresses who look alike to play the female lead. The result is a tongue-in-cheek comedy of manners that embodies the familiar themes and extreme characters that Buñuel obsessively portrayed in films throughout his career. … more less -
Ivan's ChildhoodGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 01/22/2013 Rating NR Production Year: 1962 Run Time: 95 mins Released By: Criterion Collection Cast: Nikolai Burlyayev, Valentin Zubkov, Ye Zharikov Visionary Russian filmmaker Andrei Tarkovsky's first film, MY NAME IS IVAN, is a powerhouse of visual and emotional impact and a portend of many themes Tarkovsky would develop throughout his legendary career. Ivan (Nikolai Burlyayev) is a 12-year-old boy roaming the destroyed landscapes of World War II Russia along the German front. Between Ivan's ecstatic dreams of his missing family and his mud-and-blood-encrusted reality, the viewer learns that Ivan's father, mother, and sister were killed by Germans and that since then he has gone into service as an intelligence scout for the Russian army. Ivan's shocking bloodthirsty hunger for revenge is juxtaposed with the innocence and earthbound lyricism of his dreams and memories, creating a portrait of a stolen childhood and a bleak future. Protected and loved by his makeshift family of stoic army officers, Ivan resists being taken out of the army and forces his way back into another scouting mission, putting himself directly in the line of fire. Tarkovsky underscores this wartime drama with a compelling poetic vision through the use of evocative black-and-white cinematography as well as stunning sound and production design. Each element plays a significant part in this brilliant film, based on Vladimir Bogomolov's novel IVAN. … more less -
Tin Drum, TheGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 01/15/2013 Rating R Production Year: 1979 Run Time: 163 mins Released By: Criterion Collection Cast: David Bennent, Mario Adorf, Angela Winkler Novelist Günter Grass assisted in this brilliant film adaptation of his groundbreaking novel, which depicts the significant events in German history since the turn of the century as seen through the eyes of a bizarre child. In this allegorical film, a three-year-old boy observes the hypocrisy of the adult world and decides to remain a child forever by not growing any taller. His primary efforts to communicate consist of glass-shattering screams and banging on his tin drum. But as this unusual lad matures, and the events leading up to the onslaught of Nazism come to a head, he proves to have a keener perception of life than those around him. Volker Schlondorff's powerful drama deservedly won an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. … more less -
Mardock Scramble: The Second CombustionGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 01/01/2013 Rating Production Year: 2011 Run Time: 61 mins Released By: Section 23 Set in the glamorous world of high stakes gambling, this sequel to the cyberpunk anime film MARDOCK SCRAMBLE: THE SECOND COMBUSTION continues the story of Rune Ballot, a girl who's still looking for answers about her hidden past, even after being rescued by Doctor Easter from a brutal attack by Dimsdale Boiled. Fed up and ready to bring their mission to a head, Rune and the Doctor decide to go on the offensive. … more less -
Blue Angel, TheGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 12/04/2012 Rating NR Production Year: 1930 Run Time: 120 mins Released By: E1 Entertainment Distribution Cast: Marlene Dietrich, Emil Jannings, Kurt Gerron, Rosa Valetti, Hans Albers This Josef Von Sternberg film, based on Heinrich Mann's novel PROFESSOR UNRAT, made Marlene Dietrich a star and began a tumultuous relationship between star and director that spanned Sternberg's most creative period. The film stars Emil Jannings as Dr. Immanuel Rath, a provincial prep school teacher who becomes incensed when he learns his boys have become infatuated with Lola Lola (Dietrich), a cabaret singer. Heading to the Blue Angel, a nightclub, to catch his pupils, Rath instead becomes bewitched by the sensuous Lola himself, beginning an obsession that drives him to the depths of despair. Visionary, haunting, and emotionally unrelenting, THE BLUE ANGEL stands as Sternberg's crowning achievement. Filmed in both German and English simultaneously, this is the German version, which is considered superior to its English language counterpart. … more less -
Purple NoonGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 12/04/2012 Rating NR Production Year: 1960 Run Time: 117 mins Released By: Criterion Collection Cast: Alain Delon, Marie Laforet, Maurice Ronet, Bill Kearns, Erno Crisa Sent to Italy to retrieve Philip, an American industrialist's wayward son, Tom Ripley, a charming young man whose social skills allow him to insinuate himself into most any situation, finds his target and gets seduced by Philip and his decadent lifestyle. Deciding to take Philip's father's money as far as it will go, Tom begins to make himself a part of Philip's circle of privileged friends in Europe. However, when Tom's money is cut off and Philip begins to tire of his company, Tom resorts to desperate measures to retain his new lifestyle. An acclaimed adaptation of Patricia Highsmith's 1955 novel THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY. … more less -
Tell No OneGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 12/04/2012 Rating NR Production Year: 2008 Run Time: 125 mins Released By: Music Box Films Cast: Francois Cluzet, Kristin Scott Thomas, Marina Hands, Marie-Josee Croze, André Dussollier TELL NO ONE starts off innocently enough: sunlight streams through the trees at a gorgeous summer home as an Otis Redding song plays. But the ominous title is apt: the events in this French thriller based a Harlan Coben novel soon turn dark. Happily married couple Alex (François Cluzet) and Margot (Marie-Josée Croze) go for a swim, but their idyllic evening is interrupted by a brutal attack. Alex is knocked unconscious, and his wife is murdered. Almost a decade later, that night still haunts Alex. He receives an email pointing him to a link to a live webcam, where he sees a woman who looks remarkably like his dead wife turn and stare into the camera. Hope and confusion mount, but a discovery at the crime scene causes Alex to become the prime suspect in his wife's death, a murder that was thought to have been solved years ago. When TELL NO ONE played in its native France, it picked up four César awards, the country's equivalent of the Oscar, and it's easy to see why. Director Guillame Canet (who also plays a small role in the film) has crafted a taut, well-told film. TELL NO ONE's narrative journey is filled with numerous twists and turns, but the audience is content to be along for the ride with Canet at the wheel. There are elements of Hitchcock and THE FUGITIVE, but the film never feels like a rip-off of the classics. It's a gripping, entertaining tale that features solid performances, especially from Canet (L'ENFER) and Kristin Scott Thomas in a supporting role. … more less -
Bleach the Movie: Hell VerseGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 12/04/2012 Rating NR Production Year: 2010 Run Time: 90 mins Released By: Viz Media, LLC. … more less -
Berserk: The Golden Age Arc - The Egg of the KingGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 11/27/2012 Rating Production Year: 2012 Run Time: 76 mins Released By: Viz Media, LLC. An epic trilogy gets underway in this sweeping medieval adventure that finds lone-wolf fortune hunter Guts recruited into a mercenary group dubbed "The Band of the Hawk," but questioning the impetus of the team's leader Griffith following a decisive victory on the battlefield. Meanwhile, a dark storm begins to gather on the horizon. Based on the bestselling manga by author Kentaro Miura (NOA, KING OF WOLVES). … more less -
WeekendGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 11/13/2012 Rating NR Production Year: 1967 Run Time: 104 mins Released By: Criterion Collection Cast: Jean Yanne, Mireille Darc, Jean-Pierre Léaud The master of the French New Wave indicts consumerism and elaborates on his personal vision of Hell with this raucous, biting satire. A nasty, scheming bourgeois Parisian couple embarks on a journey through the countryside to her father's house, where they pray for his death and a subsequent inheritance. Their trip is at first delayed, and later it is distracted by several outrageous events and characters including an apocalyptic traffic jam, a group of fictional philosophers, a couple of violent carjackers, and eventually, a gross display of cannibalism. By the time the film concludes, their seemingly simple journey has deteriorated into a freewheeling philosophical diatribe that leaves no topic unscathed. With WEEKEND, Jean-Luc Godard reaches an impressive plateau of film originality, incorporating inter-titles, extended tracking shots, and music to add an entirely new grammar to film language. The result is a deeply challenging work that will most certainly invigorate some viewers just as much as it will as frustrate others. Standout highlights include a jarring, sexually graphic opening monologue shot with a roaming camera and blaring musical accompaniment, and the infamous traffic jam scene, where an endless parade of cars sit bumper to bumper amidst burning cars, picnics, and honking horns. The work of a true artist and pioneer, Godard's WEEKEND is a landmark film that hasn't aged or lessened in impact over time. … more less -
Naruto: Shippuden - The Movie: The Will of FireGenre: Foreign Films Release Date: 10/23/2012 Rating Production Year: 2009 Run Time: 90 mins Released By: Viz Media, LLC. Cast: Chise Nakamura, Junko Takeuchi, Satoshi Hino … more less
