Tulitikkutehtaan Tyttö aka The match factory girl (1990)

Iris lives a life at no purpose. She works at a factory handling matches, her mother doesn't care about her as she lives with a new man and both they use Iris as a slave. She has to do all the homework and also give them her salary. No one really cares about her and her social life is invisible. She feels alone and looks for someone to love and take care of her. A night she will meet the wrong guy and she will get pregnant. But he fools her and doesn't want the baby either her. And her mother will throw her out of their house. So she will plan her revenge. A story of sorrow and misery. A life that leads to nowhere and a woman who watches her dreams of happiness disappear. A great work from the awarded Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki.

Ballet mécanique - Fernand Léger (1924)

Back at the dada and surrealist films of the 1920s with a work of cubist painter Léger. He uses looping segments and split screens to create a surreal environment. Humans change places with machines as a great result of an experimental and repetitive vision. A short film that reveals its historical importance through fine arts.

Dym aka Smoke (2007)

A bizarre story, full of surrealism from by the director Grzegorz Cisiecki from Belarus. The film contains no dialogue but language of the body as well and interesting photography. It is still enigmatic so you have to push your imagination in order to understand its unique vision!

Buried (2010)

This film is just shocking. Because it delivers fear. Fear of death. A lonely death. A man, Paul IS a track driver who works for an American company in Iraq. After an attack on his convoy, he is being trapped and buried in a coffin. In the middle of nowhere. His only companions a lighter and a mobile phone. Will he survive? He will ask for help but his situation is critical. The bureaucracy doesn't help and his government back in the States doesn't care about him really. They fool him with lies and fake promises they will save him. As time passing by, the hope for survival disappears. And the last efforts of a man to keep in life are going to end soon. An astonishing experience of cinema with just one actor giving a powerful performance full of suspense!

The black hole - Diamond Dogs

Incredible fun from the English Diamond Dogs a few years ago. A guy discovers a black hole during working at the office and his greedy dreams become a trap. Enjoy and lough loud!

Short Film 'The Black Hole' from PHOTOPLAY FILMS on Vimeo.

Le orme aka Footprints (1975)

Back to my favorite Italian Gialli and one of the best psychological thrillers I have ever seen. A powerful, stunning movie with an amazing soundtrack. There is a sense of paranoia on the movie increasing by the time. Florinda Bolkan delivers an excellent performance, as a woman, Alice who has doubts about her past as strange incidents happen in her life. She faces problems at her work and starts being confused after she has watched a sci fi film with some astronauts on the moon. When she finds a torn postcard at her apartment showing a hotel at a place called Garma, she will decide to go there and find the reason of the weird situation she lives. At her arrival there, some people recognize her and she gets more confused as a fact. Tension is all around and soon Alice will drive crazy. Where the limits of her imagination stop? Can she end this journey to the unknown side of her mind? Recommended!

Ghost - Tobias Gundorff Boesen (2011)

A fantastic vision of a young girl looking for her parents after her death. This film is so expressionistic with a touch of horror. Excellent production for Danish director Boesen.

Ghost from Tobias Gundorff Boesen on Vimeo.

Huo Yuan Jia aka Fearless (2006)

This great film is about the life of legendary Master Huo Yuanjia, a man who dedicated his life into martial arts. He is known as one of the best fighters ever lived. He was the son of another great fighter and he wanted to follow his father's steps. But his father wanted to protect him. Finally he entered into the martial arts world and became champion at his home region of Tianjin. But this was never enough for him. Even when he faced personal tragedy, he fought his way out of darkness and into history, defining the true spirit of martial arts. When he looses mother and daughter after a conflict where there was no purpose at all, he leaves Tianjin and releases spirit and body as a new man reborn. He will find the meaning of life and he will come back to inspire a whole nation with his gifted powers. A biographic movie with Jet Li at a great performance, excellent choreography and beautiful pictures!

Shilje sanghwang aka Real Fiction (2000)

Kim Ki-Duk is one of my favorite Asian directors. This time I watched 'Real fiction', one of its earlier works and I think is is a really good one. It reminded of me Lars Von Trier and his unique style in Dogville. It is a low budget film referring to a revenge story. The main character is a street artist, a painter who faces a lot of problems. A local gang humiliates him as well as different customers. Soon his patience will end and the massacre will begin. When he will visit an alternative show in a theater, his life is going to change for ever as a guy will convince him to take revenge on everyone who ever harmed him. A strong story who blends reality with fiction. Finally where is the line between them? Very good work for its budget!

The absolute moment - Louizos Aslanidis (2004)

What is the common between a motocross rider, a black Superman, Thelma and Louise, a desperate man, dancers of Zalongo and some other weird people? They all want to commit suicide. But they have to to pay the ticket because the government needs more taxes and there is a company who has the authority to check the suicides. So this surrealistic and funny short film is so entertaining due to its special vision of the delicate death. Everyone needs his time for achieving a great suicide!

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The Blob (1988)

I haven't seen the original cut of this sci fi cool film back in 1958 yet but this remake of 1988 was quite accomplishing for me. Arborville used to be a small peaceful town until a meteor crashes on the forest nearby. Soon strange incidents happen and a space alien form attacks people. Meg is on a date with Paul but their first contact will have an unexpected end as Meg will witness the powerful germ who kills Paul. So she will try to survive with the help of Flagg, a punk who lives on his own. Soon the killings will become more and soon a special science team sent from government will arrive in town and set it into quarantine. But is this menace came from outer space really or the reason that appeared in Arborville seems to be something else? Gore in high levels, cool special effects and 80s atmosphere are the ingridients for this successful horror flick!

Mighty Antlers (2011)

A strange situation between a car driver and a deer in the deep forest. Finally you have to use your imagination to put an end. An enormous animation full of mystery and fighting.

Mighty Antlers from The Animation Workshop on Vimeo.

Sweetheart (2010)

We know that in the late '50s the Cold War tension was a fact. We are about to see a story where a young lady miss her family after their departure to the city. Soon she will decide to look after for them. But as the rockets fly onto the sky, the suspense is all around. She will arrive at the empty capital, she will meet with some 'survivors'. She will find out the shocking truth about the big escape of humanity and her life will never be the same again. Absolute science fiction from one of the best mystery shorts films I have ever seen! RECOMMENDED!

One man and his dog (2010)

A gentle alien visits the troubled planet earth. He is a galactic peace ambassador and mankind's only hope of salvation. After crash landing in a remote field he is discovered by a dog-loving stranger on the run from the police. So begins a dark and comical tale of mistaken identity and extra-terrestrial tomfoolery!

One Man And His Dog from Jonathan Hopkins on Vimeo.

Jestem aka I am (2005)

Another beautiful film from Poland. Life is too hard for eleven-year-old, Kunde. When his young alcoholic mother abandoned him at an orphanage, he had to face reality and survive on his own. So he decides to escape and go back to his hometown in order to find her again. But the rejection will be done again and things get more and more difficult for him. He will find a shelter inside an old boat and he will meet a young girl who feels the same things, even if she has an ordinary life and belongs to an usual family. Emotions will grow among them but unfortunately this innocent trip through love will take over soon. A poetic story with stunning photography and extraordinary child actors!

Golem (1980)

Polish Piotr Szulkin won the Best Debut Director prize in Polish film festival in 1980 with this accomplishing work. A film so dark and bizarre that will blow your mind. In the near future, a guy called Pernat is trying to work and live by the law. But government and surgeons keep secrets to the people. Pernat seems to be a victim of their biological experiments without knowing that. His ordinary life is full of stange situations and weird people are confusing him as well the police station bureaucracy who suspects him as the man who organised a crime. Pernat is going to discover that society is full of lies and conspiracies everywhere. Nothing seems to be as it looks like. A good film blended with social commentary, satiric approach and black humour and filmed in a special dark orange color.

Chick - Michał Socha (2011)

“Chick” is a humorous true-life story about male-female relations. Infatuation and its consequences are depicted in a ironic way: meeting a guy, dancing, having fun, a sexual act. A man, giddy with the charm of a femme fatale, leaves a room. He is followed by failure and doom. Impressive work with great storyboard!

CHICK from Mayki on Vimeo.

The Maestro (2011)

Can a man rule the world? Is power so deligate? Or imagination can help someone achive a higher lever? A magnificent story from the Australian director Adam Anthony. Excellent photography and artistic view. Enjoy!

The Maestro from Tony Gardiner on Vimeo.

Eye of the storm - Christopher Alender (2011)

One of the greatest music animations. So expressive, so emotional. It's hard to describe it. A lone guy maybe someone who used to love adventure, follows his destiny leading to his doom. Driving his aircraft to the eye of the storm as the song says, his heart feels more and more empty so he leaves behind everything, as waiting for the expected end. A MASTERPIECE!

EYE OF THE STORM | Lovett from Lovett on Vimeo.

Sentô shôjo: Chi no tekkamen densetsu aka Mutant girls squad (2010)

A real slick film from three Japanese directors, Noboru Iguchi, Yoshihiro Nishimura and Tak Sakaguchi. The story is separated to three parts: Awakening - Revolution - Insurrection. Each one is referred to Rin, a college girl who enters the Hilko clan, a mutants force leaded by Kisaragi. His plan is to avenge the human kind and conquer the world. Rin, after her parents killing will find a shelter there and try to understand her roots as being a hybrid mutant and the key between them and humans. She likes Yoshie, another mutant and they will be good friends soon. At the other side, Rei who is loyal to Kisaragi dislikes Rin and tries to find a reason to kill her. When Kisaragi orders Rin to attack at the party of the General of the department of defense Hiroaki Koshimizu and eliminate everybody, the last will try to understand his evil thoughts and soon there will be a confrontation among them. Cheesy as hell, gory and funny, this film is a classic example of the unique style of these three film makers.

Hobo with a Shotgun (2011)

This was an awesome experience. A great film dedicated to the grindhouse / exploitation era of the 70s. With Rutger Hauer at his best. Misery, desperation, grief, pain and blood. This is all you are going to watch. Hobo comes to town. He is tired with life and people. He needs a place for a shelter. But at this new town, only violence, crime and chaos exist. Its creator is Drake, the crime boss who loves to entertain people through fear. His two sons, Slick and Ivan are his assistants. Hobo also will have to fight with pimps, a twisted director who films people fighting each other, a pedophile Santa and other scums. Even police is on the side of Drake. Only a young hooker, Abby will help Hobo and together they will try to survive through this hell. When Hobo buys a pump-action shotgun, justice will rise. Or not? Brilliant,entertaining,a must seen for the lovers of the oldskool!

Sebastian's voodoo - Joaquin Baldwin (2009)

Another great animation with brilliant story. A doll must find the courage to save his pals from their owner, a satanic man who uses them for black magic rituals!

Sebastian's Voodoo from Joaquin Baldwin on Vimeo.

Total Oil - Andre Sarrut (1958)

A bizarre animation or a bizarre advertisement? You decide. The result is the same though, a great and odd production for this era with great electronic score complementing abstract animation. Enjoy!

Artificial Paradise, Inc - JP Frenay (2009)

State of the art experimental animation this is. Showing a future where a major corporation has developed an unique software, based on organic virtual reality, which holds all the lost memories of humankind. A user connects to this database of the forgotten…what is he searching for?

ARTIFICIAL PARADISE,INC. from JP Frenay on Vimeo.

Banshun aka Late spring (1949)

A strong and emotional film from one of the greatest Asian directors, Yasujirô Ozu. A poem for loneliness and deep love. A sad story that transform people and tells us that happiness comes only through effort. Noriko is a young and shy woman who still lives with her father. The important task for her is to look after her father after he became widowed. Her aunt and close friends as also her beloved father are trying to convince her that it is about time to get married and start a new life. But she is not looking for that yet. So her father will find a way to finally change her mind. Although its long duration, this amazing film will fill your heart with emotions through its humanity and extraordinary photography. Classic cinema at its best!