Film Reviews

Koreyoshi Kurahara’s ingeniously plotted, pocket-size noir concerns the intertwined fates of a desperate bank manager, blackmailed for book-cooking, and his resentful but timid underling, passed over for a promotion. The marvelously moody Intimidation (Aru kyouhaku) is an elegantly stripped-down and carefully paced crime drama.

Two lads in Edinburgh embark on a non-violent spree of robberies. They dress up in clown masks and act as modern highwaymen, robbing coach loads of tourists in the highlands. In the process they become folk heroes to the locals. Their adventures make for a whimsical and gentle comedy, in the Bill Forsyth vein.

EC Comics-inspired weirdness returns with three tales. In the first, a wooden statue of a Native American comes to life...to exact vengeance on the murderer of his elderly owners. In the second, four teens are stranded on a raft on a lake with a blob that is hungry. And in the third, a hit and run woman is terrorized by the hitchhiker she accidentally killed...or did she really kill him?

The movie is about Sita, the Hindu Goddess from the epic "The Ramayana", who accompanies Lord Rama on a 14 year exile in forest. Sita is abducted by Ravana, the ruler of Lanka. This movie tells the story of Rama and Sita, along-with a biographical account of the director's relationship with her husband. It intersperses events from the Ramayana, light-hearted but knowledgeable discussion of historical background by a trio of Indian shadow puppets, musical interludes voiced with archival tracks by Annette Hanshaw and scenes from the artist's own life. The ancient mythological and modern biographical plot are parallel tales, sharing numerous themes.

On a summer break from college, Ivy, a young epileptic woman, struggles to balance her feelings for her fledgling boyfriend while her friend Al crashes with her for the season.

Frontier peacekeeper Sheriff Galt (Sterling Hayden) faces a crisis of conscience in The Iron Sheriff. In the aftermath of a robbery-murder, Galt follows the trail of evidence directly to his own son, Benjie (Darryl Hickman). Sworn to uphold the law at all costs, Galt is grimly determined to see that Benjie will receive a fair trial without any coercion on his part. But the townsfolk have already decided that the sheriff will try to spring the boy, and a lynch-mob mentality slows festers its way through the community. As the trial proceeds, it becomes obvious that Benjie is going to hang for his alleged crime, but there's still one or two surprises in store.

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE alum and WEEDS star Kevin Nealon focuses his wry wit on such universal issues as aging, having children, and conflict avoidance in this stand-up comedy special featuring a guest appearance by famed comic Garry Shandling.

Mahesh Deshmukh has joined the nation's armed forces as that he can honestly and patriotically serve the country. During his college days he has a run-in with fellow-collegian Mohini. A bet between his friends and himself ends up with him falling in love with Mohini, who subsequently realizes that he indeed has fallen in love with her, and she too reciprocates. Mohini's dad is an alcoholic and wishes that Mohini takes up dancing and prostitution so that he can get his daily dose of alchol. Mohini attempts to take refuge with Mahesh, however, cirumstances tangle Mahesh to such an extent that he is arrested, charged, and sentenced to stay away from Bombay city limits. When Mahesh returns, it is no longer the honest, and patriotic Mahesh, but a gangster named Munna, who has many old scores to settle.

After being captured and tortured by the psychopath Otis, teen cheerleader Riley Lawson escapes and informs her parents, who quickly sidestep sluggish FBI agents and take matters into their own hands. But the Lawsons' revenge plan hits a snag when Otis's unusual brother enters the picture.

Damien and Leito return to District 13 on a mission to bring peace to the troubled sector that is controlled by five different gang bosses, before the city's secret services take drastic measures to solve the problem.

The friendship of a group of young friends struggling with teen sex, drugs, and work is jeopardized by a romantic interest which may turn pals into bitter rivals.

After taking a wrong turn in their car, a young gay Russian couple witnesses what they believe is a vicious gay bashing; their quandary over what to do about it propels them into ever more dangerous territory. For Anton, the burden of what they may have witnessed outweighs Vlad's fear of probing too deeply into the incident. When the police prove indifferent, Anton talks his skeptical lover into launching their own amateur investigation into the incident. Their risky search for the truth has unexpected - and grim - consequences in this suspenseful drama that comments on the ongoing mistreatment of LGBT people in Russia.

Chen Zhen returns to the international compound of China only to learn of his beloved teacher's death. This is compounded by the continual racist harassment by the Japanese population in the area. Unlike his friends, he confronts it head on with his mastery of martial arts while investigating his teacher's murder.

Billy, a struggling young gay photographer (who likes Polaroids), tired of being the "other man", falls in love with Gabriel, a waiter and aspiring musician who is probably straight but possibly gay or at least curious. Billy tries to get Gabriel to model for his latest project, a series of remakes of famous Hollywood screen kisses, featuring male couples, while also trying to win his affections.

In Paris, Pierre and Anne have been living together for a couple of years and they have the eighteen months son Loulou, who stays with the nanny Laurence during the day while they work. Their best friends are the couple Victor and Claire, who also is not married but live together. Out of the blue, Pierre feels Anne estranged with him and sooner she discloses that she is in love with another man. Pierre seems to accept her affair but their relationship rapidly deteriorates, and Pierre becomes violent with her.