Monthly Archives: December 2015

Masques / Masks (1987) Claude Chabrol, Philippe Noiret, Robin Renucci, Bernadette Lafont, Comedy, Crime

Masques (1987)
Roland Wolf wants to write a book about a TV game-show host, the hail-fellow-well-met Christian Legagneur, who invites Wolf to his country estate, promising several days of lengthy interviews. But Legagneur’s laughter and easy intimacy are empty of content for a book, and he’s constantly dashing off, promising Wolf more time later. Wolf seems to have his own mask: he’s brought a gun with him, and he’s curious about a woman who was a recent guest at the estate. There’s also Legagneur’s godchild, Catherine, recovering from mental illness, and hovered over by Legagneur and his secretary. As Wolf digs through desks, he discovers a murderous plot.
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Night of the Ghouls (1959) Edward D. Wood Jr., Kenne Duncan, Duke Moore, Tor Johnson, Horror

Night of the Ghouls (1959)
Follow-up to Ed Wood’s “Plan 9 from Outer Space” about the walking dead, It opens in a cemetery. Criswell, the “real” medium, rises from his coffin to tell us of “monsters to be despised.” Dr. Acula (Kenne Duncan) is a phony medium aided by Valda Hansen, a bogus ghost, and big Tor Johnson, wearing rags and horrible scar makeup as Lobo. The doctor swindles people by pretending to contact dead relatives, but then accidentally succeeds in reviving a bunch of corpses that bury him alive! Sat unreleased for 23 years because Wood couldn’t pay the lab bill!
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Timebomb (1991) Avi Nesher, Michael Biehn, Patsy Kensit, Tracy Scoggins, Action, Drama, Sci-Fi

Timebomb (1991)
When someone tries to murder watchmaker Eddy Kay, the incident triggers a barrage of nightmares and flashbacks into a past that isn’t his own. Fearing for his sanity, Eddy contacts psychiatrist Dr. Anna Nolmar for help. Anna thinks he’s hallucinating until another attack proves the dangers are all too real. The two of them go on the run, trying to discover the truth about Eddie’s past and true identity before it kills them.
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Skyggen af Emma / Emma’s Shadow (1988) Søren Kragh-Jacobsen, Line Kruse, Börje Ahlstedt, Erik Wedersøe, Comedy, Drama

Skyggen af Emma aka Emma's Shadow (1988)
Emma (Line Kruse) is an eleven year-old only child from a wealthy Danish family. Emma’s parents seem more interested in their own interests than in her. One evening when Emma overhears her mother talking about how tragic it must be to have your child kidnapped, Emma decides to stage her own kidnapping. She soon meets Malthe, a kind-hearted, child-like, naïve sewer cleaner who literally stumbles on to her. She convinces Malthe that she is a Russian princess whose family is being chased by Bolsheviks, so Malthe lets Emma stay with him in his very modest abode. After being “kidnapped” for a few days, Emma decides to return home. But, just as she is about to return, she overhears a couple of servants talking about how her parents don’t seem to be very upset over her dilemma. She then returns to Malthe and a close bond soon develops between Emma and Malthe. Meanwhile, the police are finally called and begin their investigation. Emma writes a ransom note for $2000, and her father pays it.
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Nachthelle (2015) Florian Gottschick, Anna Grisebach, Benno Fürmann, Vladimir Burlakov, Drama, Mystery

Nachthelle (2015)
A drama with a supernatural edge, this genre-crossing gem finds two couples visiting a home from their past, and sexual tension that brings out the worst in each other. Long-buried grudges resurface and it seems unlikely the couples will return intact. Faced with an outcome that will upset their delicate balance of happiness, the world offers them a bizarre opportunity to correct it.
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Return From the River Kwai (1989) Andrew V. McLaglen, Timothy Bottoms, Nick Tate, George Takei, War, Drama

Return From the River Kwai (1988)
A group of war prisoners has spilt blood, sweat and tears to construct a bridge over the river Kwai in Thailand. Just when the bridge is ready, an American bomber arrives and destroys it. Camp commander Tanaka wants to set an example and orders that some of the prisoners must be executed. Just in time major Harada arrives with orders that the healthiest prisoners must be transported to Japan by train and boat. A treacherous journey since the allied forces keep a close eye on railroads and practically own the seas. The prisoners are thinking of plans to escape. Meanwhile the American bomber has been shot down and its pilot, Leyland Crawford, is being rescued by the indigenous people, the Meo. The Meo have formed a resistance group against the Japanese, led by the British colonel Grayson.
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