Fog Of War – 2003

2016/03/13

Our film of the week is a very subtle breed of revolutionary, turning all the common expectations one has from a documentary on their head: it’s subjective, it’s got one point of view, and is uniquely cinematic. Filmmaker Errol Morris grills US Defense Secretary (Japan firebombing and Vietnam War architect) Robert McNamara and the result is spellbinding. A must-see!

The Thing – 1982

2016/03/03

Back in 1982, a seminal, character-based sci-fi film came out and marked a generation – no, it’s not ET: it’s John Carpenter’s The Thing! One of the very best, meanest and smartest horror films in memory, it takes it time building up meticulously, and then it goes apeshit, unleashing Rob Bottin’s horrific practical effects that endure to this day. For all that, though, the real genius is in the oppressive mood and that haunting opening and closing theme.

The Leopard – 1963

2016/03/01

Our mov… no, our FILM of the week is the majestic Leopard, the most beautiful, mostly-interior bound 70mm epic ever made (sorry Tarantino!): though the film throws a few fine Sicilian ones at us, who needs landscapes when you have the faces of Burt Lancaster, Alain Delon and Claudia Cardinale?

Le Silence de la Mer – 1949

2016/01/25

Our film of the week is a subtle masterpiece: in Jean-Pierre Melville’s « Silence de la Mer », an old man and his niece have to share their home with an occupying German officer. They express their protest through a vow of silence. With a lot less blood but more complex emotions, it does for WWII films what « Hateful Eight » did for Westerns, and revealed a new great talent of world cinema, already a virtuoso in his startling debut.

Letter Never Sent – 1959

2016/01/17

While The Revenant tears through screens across the world, it’s time to rediscover the virtuoso man-against-nature classic Letter Never Sent, the apotheosis of Mikhail (Soy Cuba!) Kalatozov’s career. Handheld, long-take wide-angle cinematography has rarely, if ever, been this stunning!

The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp – 1943

2015/12/29

Our end of year viewing recommendation is, inevitably, about friendship and the passage of time, but celebrates the things that stubbornly remain the same. If you haven’t seen The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp before, you’re in for a real treat. It takes courage and skill to make such a poignant, thoughtful anti-war film right as World War II was raging on, but this masterpiece transcends its context and has something touching to say about any era. One of our favorites.

Akira – 1988

2015/12/17

Our film of the week is one of the very best sci-fi fantasy films ever made, a visual spectacle that will make your mind and eyes melt. No, it’s not Star Wars, it’s Akira, the trojan horse through which anime entered Western theaters and consciousness, and the moment we realized animation could be sophisticated, intelligent, and very un-kid-friendly.

The Horse’s Mouth – 1958

2015/12/06

Our film of the week is the Alec Guinness-starring masterpiece « The Horse’s Mouth ». One of Obi Wan’s finest performances in the only film he ever wrote, it’s a beautiful examination of artist’s torments and insecurities, all memorably scored to Sergei Prokofiev’s Lt Kijé.

Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas – 1998

2015/11/23

Here we have a film famously best enjoyed under the influence – and inspired by a book undoubtedly created under the influence. You’d be in for a trip, but also missing out on what a meticulously inventive rollercoaster Terry Gilliam and his fearless stars have crafted.

Matango – 1963

2015/10/31

Happy Halloween! For those of you considering an evening indoor before a flickering screen, we strongly recommend Godzilla-creator Inoshiro Honda’s overlooked masterpiece Matango, aka « Fungus of Terror » or « Curse of the Mushroom People ». Like most Honda films, there’s a tense, eerie and effective nightmare hiding under the shlocky title and advertising, and you can’t help but think this one might have given David Cronenberg an idea or two.