Monday, August 25, 2025

305. Yol (1982)

Country:Turkey Directed by Yilmaz Guney and Serif Goren Even if not without weaknesses, often existed because of the huge challenges that the creators faced during production, Yol is still a masterpiece as it captures, with a powerful, heartbreaking and accurate way, the depressing reality of Turkey during the Evren dictatorship of the early 80's when a military oppression and a suffocative state control were added to a violent patriarchal society that already was suffering from poverty, underdevelopment, low level of education,archaic local laws and behaviours,sexual starvation and lacking of any form of freedom. An all-time classic, an unforgetable landmark for world's sociopolitical cinema

Wednesday, August 20, 2025

304. Emotion (1966)

Country: Japan Directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi Its something disturbingly silly, outdated, pretentious and amaterish in Obayashi's cinema that makes it often almost unwatchable. However,in his unique, messed up world, there are moments where he hits a rare poetical spot, when he captures and ridicules the abdurdity of the human existence with a way that is beyond words and is located in an unknown location. Emotion is one of the films that have more of these captivating special moments even if overall you would probably dislike it

Wednesday, August 13, 2025

303. Nomad (1982)

Country: Hong Kong Directed by Patrick Tam Goofy and of "low taste", also daring and sensual, but for sure unapologetic, Nomad blew some fresh air to the body of Hong Kong cinema in the early eighties. Watching the film today may hit many viewers also with nostalgia: the movie, more or less, illustrates what it means to be young and in love without worrying about anything else in the world. An obvious influence for the young Wong Kar-wai, mainly visually (the visuals of Nomad really stand out) but at many other levels too

Monday, March 24, 2025

302. Ghaysar (1969)

Country:Iran Directed by Masud Kimiai A young man takes revenge killing the ones responsible for the deaths of his brother and sister and Masud Kimiai gets a chance to take us to the baths, tea shops, slaughterhouses, cabarets of pro revolutionary Iran and to show us the possibly most daring and sexual scene of the history of Iranian cinema

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

301. Madhumati (1958)

Country: India Directed by Bimal Roy According to Indian cinema critics Madhumati is one of the most influential Indian films of all time: not only the theme of the movie but also its style gave inspiration to countless upcoming Indian directors. Watching the film almost 70 years later, apart of the usual Bollywood cringe at times, still you can appreciate the beautiful expressionist black and white photography and framing, the noir, goth and paranormal elements, the poetical side of a film that is made for the satisfaction of the most simple audience but still can communicate with a more sophisticated one

Monday, September 23, 2024

300. Death at an old mansion (1975)

Country: Japan Directed by Yoichi Takabayashi A stylish, with many intense, beautiful, well directed moments and an interesting plot,crime film, Death at an old mansion is one of the most notable movies of Takabayashi,a director who never fulfilled the initial high expectations but who rarelly directed boring and average movies either

Thursday, September 12, 2024

299. City after dark (1980)

Country:The Philippines Directed by Ishmael Bernal A legendary film, voted repeatedly as one of the very best Filipino movies ever made, City after dark or Manila by night, as is its alternative title, is a multi-narrative of people connected mostly each other by lies and exploitation, living a rather marginal life, fighting to escape from the poverty, in the ruthless nightlife of unseen, underground Manila. Prostitutes, pimps, drug dealers, junkies, abortions, crimes, gay sex, violence, everything that the Marcos regime of the era tried to hide under the carpet, are exposed here in a bitter drama that played a big part on the evolution of the Filipino cinema to adulthood