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

Wednesday, September 4, 2024

298. Symbol (2009)

Country: Japan Directed by Hitoshi Matsumoto Although Symbol is the definition of a film that has zero artistic value and you can easily call it not only "bad" but also idiotic, I think that still has a place in a list like this because as soon it unfolds you want to watch it with the addictive way that you want to watch a reality show, moreover it's quite weird and this weirdness makes it somehow interesting. Dont try to find anything deep on it: the plot vaguely reflects the stages of human life and even the stages of human history and that's all

Tuesday, September 3, 2024

297. Rainy dog (1997)

Country: Japan Directed by Takashi Miike One of the most memorable early films of Takashi Miike, where,as usually does, blurs the line between a commercial and an artistic approach with some occasional sparks of genius here and there. Many weaknesses, many things that we have seen countless times before, however the film has some moments of real magic that you can't ignore. Moreover the feeling of rainy Taipei never has captured so beautifully: you almost have the illusion that you are there

Friday, June 21, 2024

296. Suzaki paradise, red light district (1956)

Country: Japan Directed by Yuzo Kawasima The film that Kawasima himself, a director that was a very important influence for Shohei Imamura,loved the most among the 50 movies that he directed, Suzaki paradise is one more black and white film of the era, reflecting the ethical dilemmas, recession, fight for survival and desperation of post war Japan. Not a masterpiece but without a doubt a compact, very well constructed ,balanced movie with a vivid realism and a solid plot that keeps you interested from the first frame to the last

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

295. Ring : Kazenban (1995)

Country: Japan Directed by Chisui Takigawa The first and totally unknown internationally adaption of Koji Suzuki's novel it was a TV horror film that without doubt deserves a mention. It's the most faithful version to the book and it has many raw and unrefined elements that makes you feel somehow tensed up. Dont expect too much but if you liked the famous version of The Ring you should watch this one as well as its approach on the story is also interesting