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Post by Jep Gambardella on Feb 7, 2023 22:10:09 GMT
Argentina, 1985 – Oscar-nominated political/courtroom drama from Argentina. Shortly after the end of the military dictatorship, the new democratic government decides to prosecute the former junta leaders for the horrible human rights abuses committed in the “war” against leftist opponents that resulted in the torture, death and disappearance of tens of thousands. But how far can the prosecution team go without risking their own lives, and risking pushing the still-powerful military into scrapping the whole democracy thing?
It's a very well-made movie, with a great performance from the always reliable Ricardo Darin. Of course if one’s knowledge of Argentina doesn’t go beyond Maradona and Messi, the subject matter might not be of great interest. Otherwise, well worth a watch. It’s on Amazon Prime.
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soggy
Sophomore
@soggy
Posts: 722
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Post by soggy on Feb 14, 2023 4:14:42 GMT
Viva Erotica (Tung-Shing Yee and Chi-Leung Law, 1996) In Hong Kong there is a rating called Cat III and while many a movie that people would refer to as mainstream get that rating, it’s most frequently associated with exploitation films and soft-core porn. Viva Erotic is neither of those things, though it is playing with this reputation. The film is about a director who has had two flops. He’s been out of work for a year and is pretty much living off his girlfriend. A producer he’s worked with in the past contacts him about making a new film which he discovers is a Cat III exploitation film. He tries to balance pulling off this type of film, while still holding onto his artistic integrity. The film is a very funny comedy, and manages to be a movie that did indeed achieve that dreaded Cat III rating, yet feel more heartfelt and less sleazy than any other of them I’ve seen. Surprisingly charming all around. 8/10
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soggy
Sophomore
@soggy
Posts: 722
Likes: 1,211
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Post by soggy on Nov 8, 2023 4:57:25 GMT
Limbo (Soi Cheang, 2021) One of the best serial killer/police procedural films I've ever seen. The black and white aesthetic of the film is stunning and almost every scene could be paused just to take in all the details. It really is one of the best shot films I think I've ever seen. This one deserves far more attention. 9/10
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Post by lostinlimbo on May 6, 2024 2:10:54 GMT
Director Ringo Lam would follow up the crime drama ‘City on Fire’ with this heated prison drama; ‘Prison on Fire’. Then the excellent ‘School on Fire’ would round off his (unrelated) back to back fire trilogy. A couple years later Lam would return to this well with a less effective ‘Prison on Fire 2’. ‘City of Fire’ might be the most iconic of the three, but I think it’s the weakest of them, but that doesn’t mean it’s still not a great film. ‘Prison of Fire’ was rather systematic when it came to its story beats, however the pacing never lingers and it’s Chow Yun-Fat who steals every scene when on screen. The affable chemistry with co-star Tony Ka Fai Leung grows, and shapes the plot holding everything together. Ka-Kui Ho (prisoner) And Roy Cheung (prison warden) made great antagonists. Which leads to a few unfortunate events and violent encounters, never making prison life all that easy.
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