Film Reviews

From the John Steinbeck book.

A 'dramatic work' from Vernon Chatman (Wondershowzen, Xavier Renegade Angel & Doggyfizzle Televizzle). This new form of entertainment involves work-for-hire adult entertainment companies who turn your script into subterranean gold. Operating on the principle that they'd commit themselves to the script even if it didn't involve pornographic sex, Vernon commissioned pieces from four different companies, all of which form a surreal narrative when played back to back. Existential, sublime & ridiculous, featuring unmistakeable porno production values & shudderingly unseasoned porno actors/actresses - but no actual sex! Chatman's sexworker hirelings applied themselves earnestly to his cerebral text (never suspecting the prank nature of the project).

Gangster Tony Gardner (George Ardisson) receives news that his brother Johnny has been murdered. Watched at every turn by a mysterious figure, Tony manages to make contact with his brother's wife, Leslie (Erika Blanc), and uncovers evidence that a man by the name of Mortimer (Luciano Pigozzi) may be behind the assassination. Tony is able to track him down, but Mortimer is also murdered shortly after. Tony and Leslie must then go to Nairobi, Kenya, to find Johnny's other business partner, as everything seems to indicate that he's the murderer.

Alex Thomas was the man in charge of protecting the president but, when the time came to fulfill his duties, everything just went wrong. His conscience haunted by a bullet and his devotion to his country stronger than ever, Alex teams with seasoned reporter in navigating a treacherous web of lies, unlocking a dangerous conspiracy, and enters into a deadly world in which skilled assassins and highly-trained ex-special ops lurk in every shadow.

Gang of bikers try to save people in a mining disaster.

The Old Man and the Sea (Russian: Старик и море) is a 1999 paint-on-glass-animated short film directed by Aleksandr Petrov, based on the novel of the same name by Ernest Hemingway. The film won many awards, including the Academy Award for Animated Short Film. Work on the film took place in Montreal over a period of two and a half years and was funded by an assortment of Canadian, Russian and Japanese companies. French and English-language soundtracks to the film were released concurrently. It was the first animated film to be released in IMAX. Oscar winning animation of the classic Hemingway story.

Based on Paolo Villaggio's books "Fantozzi" and "Il secondo, tragico Fantozzi", which are popular in Italy, this film tells the story of an unfortunate accountant's life over the course of one year, shown in a variety of sketches, segments and provocative sequences making Fantozzi a very unlucky person indeed.

Swedish documentary film on consumerism and globalization, created by director Erik Gandini and editor Johan Söderberg. It looks at the arguments for capitalism and technology, such as greater efficiency, more time and less work, and argues that these are not being fulfilled, and they never will be. The film leans towards anarcho-primitivist ideology and argues for "a simple and fulfilling life".

Alan Bates recreates his award-winning stage role in director Harold Pinter's 1974 film verson of Simon Gray's play, about a university professor whose private life is in freefall. The cast also includes Jessica Tandy, Richard O'Callaghan, Susan Engel and Georgina Hale.

"Rakka" is the story of broken humanity following the invasion of a technologically superior alien species. Bleak harrowing and unrelenting, the humans we meet must find enough courage to go on fighting.

An experimental film, the last in Peter Kubelka's trilogy of “metric films”. Each frame of Arnulf Rainer is composed of darkness or light and silence or sound.

A disease carried by common cockroaches is killing Manhattan children. In an effort to stop the epidemic an entomologist, Susan Tyler, creates a mutant breed of insect that secretes a fluid to kill the roaches. This mutant breed was engineered to die after one generation, but three years later Susan finds out that the species has survived and evolved into a large, gruesome monster that can mimic human form.

Emma is an attractive girl in her 20s who has been blind for 20 years. A new type of eye operation partially restores her sight, but she is having problems: sometimes she doesn't "remember" what she's seen until later. One night she is awakened by a commotion upstairs. Peering out of her door, she sees a shadowy figure descending the stairs. Convinced that her neighbour has been murdered she approaches the police, only to find that she is unsure if it was just her new eyes playing tricks on her.

60 year old widow and cystic fibrosis sufferer Daisy (Gayle Wells) hooks up with crack addicted lonely ex-cop Rick (Walt Dongo) in a trailer park romance.

Orson Welles' archives of unfinished/never released movies and the last years of his life from the perspective of Oja Kodar (life and artistic partner of Orson Welles in his last years).