I blogged about this: http://mnightrambler.blogspot.com/2013/04/peking-opera-blues-tsui-hark-1986.html

Can't wait to watch this.

My cousin recommended me this film. I asked him what it was about. He told me 'awesome' is what it's about. I watched it. I realized my cousin was idiot.

The sequence where the characters put on the play might be my favorite in any of his films, the play's production values are easy to laugh at but Bunuel makes this segment incredibly human and intimate where fake birds on strings have more significance than a statue of Christ. The streetcar as a device that intercepts all these little conflicts, brings the harmonious description in the v/o to life . Underrated.

How badass does Jimmy look in that still?

Barbara Steele is my favorite.

There is such a distinct sense of environment and place but no real sense of home. Suzuki brings the violence of this lifestyle to the forefront by depicting violence and sexuality being almost inseparable for these women. The code that they live by actually makes anything resembling real passion the girls' enemy. The girls affections for the soldier brilliantly signifies the damaged state Japan was in.

Goofy exploitation movie that actually has ideas that disturbingly hit really close to home these days. The bad guys are basically a secret society of ultra conservative a-holes who's main target is a black politician, they even briefly rant about gun control. Weird little film.

This film ended the Cold War.

Scrosese is a fan of this film and included it in his article listing his favorite guilty pleasures.

Allegedly the first film Luis Bunuel ever saw.

Simultaneously tells a success story and one of murder intertwined with vignettes of young love and even upfront sexuality. Renoir guides the viewer through the mini universe he creates with some of his finest camera work. Characters bounce off each other frantically and Renoir finds humanity amongst all of them. Renoir's use of music, transitions and female independence, struck me as incredibly modern. Masterpiece.

Everyone should see Donkey Skin.

The one film, Rusell's exuberance aside I'd say is his most prestigious work. It's also one of the meanest films I've ever seen. The tortured artist trope has been used dozens of times but the contrasts between fairy tale highs and and mentally ill lows has never been more abrupt, Russell's later composer biopics would somewhat lose sight of the artists work but here art and reality juxtapose in a dizzying fashion.

I wish this could somehow be expanded to a full film. I love it, but it's almost frustrating that what might be Dante's purest work is a mere 20 something minutes. Along with Gremlins 2, showcases that Dante can be wacky and inventive in live action as any animation director. Rosenbaum including this in his 1000 essential films was a bold and badass move.

Attention campers, lunch has been cancelled today, due to lack of hustle. Deal with it...

There's some great ideas here. Sensory memory by use of colors tying together childhood memories with adulthood. Showcasing being a hero as essentially juvenile and cartoony, depicted as just a quest to recapture a handful of happy moments in a lifetime of hardships. Sounds great, but the filmmaker doesn't seem to trust the audience enough for the plot not feel labored during the talkier scenes. A fun experiment.

A film that perfectly appeals to my sensibilities. Unfolds like a pulp crime story that descends into a case study for insanity with bursts of surrealism (with obvious nods to Bunuel). The film's underground quality also gives the film a real settling authenticity to menace the city is filled with. Its also one of the only films where the 'its only a dream' cliche makes the film more unsettling. Masterpiece for me,

Starts as a socially conscious tale (one that takes place in snow globe) of a downtrodden protagonist, detailing her hardships. We're then swept up the into a sequence of childlike freedom where we take pleasure simply in our hero exploring. Finally the film bursts into a fantasy adventure that rivals 'The Thief of Baghdad'. This is all done in 30 mins. Considered a minor film, but I think its a grand achievement.

The film gets a little episodic but each murder sequence is so whimsical I was constantly entertained. The murders have a ritualistic Polanski vibe, much of it comes off more weird than outright horrifying. Many of critics are cliched but Price's relationship with his daughter is actually nicely done and really the film's finest homage to Shakespeare. I wonder how much of the character Price identified with.

Highly entertaining. Lester has very little concern for plot but the energy he conjures up that's a hybrid of choreographed action and madcap comedy is a kind I wish was more prevalent. Oliver Reed gives a lesson in revealing characters through action, while he's not much a sword fighter, seeing him in action tells you all you need to know. The film has an almost Altman-esque quality in its depiction of royalty.

I think this film might have the highest ratio of 5 star ratings among the people I follow. Well deserved.

A rarely spoken about absurdity in this film is that Will Smith's character is a really shitty person. If Michael Bay wasn't so infatuated with making him look cool in purple suits and took an 'It's Always Sunny' approach by being upfront about Mike being a psychotic asshole who ruins people's lives this could have been a really fascinating variation on cop movies. Eh.

Being about the biggest Simpsons fan I had to say this pretty far from the Simpsons in their prime and felt like a less impressive retread of something Maggie's done before( see; "A Streetcar Named Marge") however what it does achieve the Simpsons middle ground between being really endearing even heartfelt and still taking plenty of risks and packs in plenty of jokes for being 5 mins. Worth seeing.

Deadly cycle of love/hate as what the viewer knows of the killer is forged from memories of two wounded love ones. The information/emotions compound in a fashion that's almost scientific but there is nothing detached about the film, whenever the women's testimonials start to feel like info dumps Oshima reminds the viewer how hard it is to exercise this kind of pain. Masterpiece.

Compared to Louie's recent work this one feels like one of his less consistent performances. However 'awesome possum' might be my favorite bit he's ever done, a bit that by itself makes the whole special a must see and bumps the rating up to 4 stars.

Better than Tokyo Drifter for me. While both films display Suzuki's flair I think the brutality and personal tragedies definitely shine more in this piece. The violence in contrast with a setting that feels like a piece of pop art all seems to come from a very angry vindictive place can't help but think it reflects Suzuki's state of mind apparently being in constant state of agitation during his run at Nikkatsu.

Feels like a mash up with TCM and a ritual Kenneth Anger might capture. The events that unfold are as generic as horror movies get but the lack of dialogue, non linear narrative, and bizarre editing makes for a very interesting ozplotation experiment in primal fears and single images. Worth seeing.

Piece of shit. Phil Collins is a terrible man.

One of my ten favorite films.