Author Archives: rarefilm

Loft (1985) Eckhart Schmidt, Andreas Jung, Rebecca Winter, Ralph Schicha, Crime, Horror, Sci-fi

Loft (1985)
Sometime in the near future, set in an apocalyptic, dying world: Raoul and Raphaela, a young and arrogant upper class couple, are visiting an art exhibition of surrealistic paintings, hosted by a group of young anarchists in their bizarre Loft flat. After making love secretly in an empty back room, they suddenly find themselves caught by the aggressive Gang and being tortured both psychological and physical by their diabolical punk leader Furio, who blames “their likes” of being responsible for the war that destroys the earth.
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Infrasexum (1969) Carlos Tobalina, Eroff Lynn, Vincent Barbi, Erotic

infrasexum
A middle-aged man is having problems trying to regain his sexual drive. He leaves behind his old life and tries to discover a simpler happiness through painting and meeting new friends. Wanting to save him from a sexless fate, his friend (director Carlos Tobalina in a supporting role) attempts to solve the mystery of his sexual shortcomings, through any means possible.
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Original Sin / Shinde mo ii (1992) Takashi Ishii, Shinobu Ohtake, Masatoshi Nagase, Hideo Murota, Drama, Thriller, Romance

Original Sin (1992)
Continuing his penchant for directing films in the characteristically Japanese genre he virtually created, director Takashi Ishii here presents yet another stylish rape/thriller. Nami is an attractive woman, and she loves her husband, who runs the real estate agency she works at. One day, during a rainstorm, a mysterious drifter stumbles into her and, following her on her way back to the office, asks for (and gets) a job from her husband, over her protests. Not long after that, Nami and the newcomer are trading amorous glances. When the drifter gets her alone in a model house, he rapes her on the floor. For some reason, this doesn’t offend Nami, and she encourages the socially backward man to take her to bed often. Eventually, the two of them decide to do away with her husband, despite the fact that Nami still loves him.
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Counterspy / Undercover Agent (1953) Vernon Sewell, Dermot Walsh, Hazel Court, Hermione Baddeley, Drama

Undercover Agent (1953)
An auditor comes into possession of an envelope containing prints and drawings which the British government is anxious to obtain and also a great many other people, all of whom try to get them from him by any means. He escapes many of the traps set for him by the villains, but is finally captured and is tied to an operating table where the gang leader is set to do some scalpel work on him.
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Don’t Look Now (1973) Nicolas Roeg, Julie Christie, Donald Sutherland, Hilary Mason, Horror, Thriller, Drama

Don't Look Now (1973)
John and Laura Baxter are in Venice when they meet a pair of elderly sisters, one of whom claims to be psychic. She insists that she sees the spirit of the Baxters’ daughter, who recently drowned. Laura is intrigued, but John resists the idea. He, however, seems to have his own psychic flashes, seeing their daughter walk the streets in her red cloak, as well as Laura and the sisters on a funeral gondola.
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The Bridge / Die Brücke (1959) Bernhard Wickim, Folker Bohnet, Fritz Wepper, Michael Hinz, Drama, War

The Bridge (1959)
Bernhard Wicki’s astonishing The Bridge was the first major antiwar film to come out of Germany after World War II, as well as the nation’s first postwar film to be widely shown internationally, even securing an Oscar nomination. Set near the end of the conflict, it follows a group of teenage boys in a small town as they contend with everyday matters like school, girls, and parents, before enlisting as soldiers and being forced to defend their home turf in a confused, terrifying battle. This expressively shot, emotionally bruising drama dared to humanize young German soldiers at a historically tender moment, and proved influential for the coming generation of New German Cinema auteurs.
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At the Earth’s Core (1976) Kevin Connor, Doug McClure, Peter Cushing, Caroline Munro, Sci-fi, Adventure, Fantasy

At the Earth's Core (1976)
A Victorian scientist and his young American backer set off in their new earth-boring machine with a short test on a Welsh mountain. Unfortunately the thing is rather more powerful than expected and they end up in an enormous cavern at the centre of the earth. Here they find a race of humans enslaved to evil oversized prehistoric birds with extra-sensory abilities. The travellers decide they can be some help, the more so as at least one of the slaves is very eye-catching.
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On an Island with You (1948) Richard Thorpe, Esther Williams, Peter Lawford, Ricardo Montalban, Comedy, Musical, Romance

On an Island with You (1948)
A young navy lieutenant is brought in as techninical adviser on a song-dance-and-swim film being made by screen star Rosalind Reynolds. Having once done a number with her – and been kissed at the end – at a Forces show, the young lad somehow believes she should be his girl. Her boyfriend – and fellow co-star – is just one of those disagreeing.
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