Film Reviews

A night like any other in the streets of Hong Kong: in the midst of the tangle of night-owls, cars and vendors, a group of passengers climbs aboard a minibus that is to take them from Mongkok to Tai Po. The group is as diverse as the city: there’s a young man on drugs, an arguing couple, a woman with prayer beads and a girl who has just fallen in love. And behind the wheel sits the chatty driver. But as the bus emerges from a tunnel, everything is suddenly quite still: the streets and buildings are all empty and there’s not a soul to be seen; it’s as if everyone has suddenly been swallowed by the earth. Only the millions of neon lights continue to blink, as if nothing has happened. The eclectic group of passengers seek refuge in a deserted café and discuss what they should do. Then they make an horrific discovery…

A few decades after the destruction of the Inca empire, a Spanish expedition leaves the mountains of Peru and goes down the Amazon river in search of gold and wealth. Soon, they come across great difficulties and Don Aguirre, a ruthless man who cares only about riches, becomes their leader. But will his quest lead them to "the golden city", or to certain destruction?

Tungsten deals with the idea of electricity as a metaphor, the scenery is urban, and the plot is unfolded during a single day. One day in Athens, continuous outages, and a final blackout, caused by the strike of technicians at the electricity company. A day during which, six people's lives are being crossed and diverted.

During World War II, Captain Cassidy and his crew of submariners are ordered into Tokyo Bay on a secret mission. They are to gather information in advance of the planned bombing of Tokyo. Along the way, the crew learn about each other as they face the enemy and some of them lose their lives.

Raise Your Voice is a coming-of-age story centered around a small-town singer, brokenhearted by the death of her brother in a car crash, who had secretly submitted her for a summer session at a performing arts academy in Los Angeles. In the performing arts academy, she experiences a whole new way of life in the big city, far from the small town lifestyle she's used to.

Vicki Maloney is randomly abducted from a suburban street by a disturbed couple. As she observes the dynamic between her captors she quickly realises she must drive a wedge between them if she is to survive.

A young boy lives with his mother on a farm surrounded by deep forest in the remote wilds of the Finnish countryside. From time to time, the boy visits his father - a man of great violence - in prison. Locked in the stable is an unruly horse, the boy´s only other companion. Their simple life is disrupted when a stranger appears, with a note from the father and a bullet in his side. Reluctantly, mother and son offer the stranger refuge.

Hailed as possibly the greatest classical weapons movie ever made and starring world-renowned martial arts master, director and action-choreographer, Sammo Hung. This film showcases some of the most spectacular and intricate weapons duels ever committed to film. Sammo Hung and Lau Kar Wing play dual roles as both masters and students of the sword and spear styles of kung fu. Comic mayhem ensues when the students get kidnapped and the masters must rescue them.

A soldier blinded in war returns home and attempts to adjust to civilian life. Director Mark Robson's 1951 drama stars Arthur Kennedy (Academy Award nomination, Best Actor, for his performance), Peggy Dow, James Edwards, Will Geer, Nana Bryant, Julie Adams, Jim Backus, Richard Egan and Murray Hamilton.

A young daydreamer assumes the identity of a dead martial arts hero and quickly finds himself caught up in a plot by several clans to steal famous martial arts artifacts being transported by an escort company.

Filmed during the German occupation, this French milestone centers around the theatrical life of a beautiful courtesan and the four men who love her. Voted the "Best French Film in History" by the French Film Academy in 1990.

One man wronged by a racist law enforcement system takes a highly unusual route to street justice in this bizarre, expressive urban drama. Definitely not your ordinary '70s blaxploitation feature, Soul Vengeance (released theatrically as Welcome Home, Brother Charles) was one of three feature films Jamaa Fanaka wrote, produced, and directed while studying film production at U.C.L.A. (The other two were Black Sister's Revenge, also known as Emma Mae, and the first installment in Fanaka's popular Penitentiary series). ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

A young, idealistic female Israeli military investigator confronts an elite commander with accusations of unnecessary violence in the Occupied Territories. Her integrity and determination are put to the test as the case proves less black-and-white than it originally seemed.

When Anders Bo begins his new job as a car salesman, he is given the special task of infiltrating the small competing car shop, Holger's Auto during their annual Christmas party and steal their customer file. As Anders Bo romps through the commotion and antics of the celebration, he realizes that his assignment in fact relates to an old family feud and that the odd and funny characters working there might have more to offer than meets the eye - especially Amalie, the beautiful daughter of the owner, Holger. In the middle of Christmas pudding and Christmas cheer Anders Bo suddenly learns to listen to his heart.

In a Parisian porn theater, a cashier, a 50-year-old man and a young projectionist are drawn into a complex love affair.