A manifesto of sorts for the Czech New Wave, this five-part anthology shows off the breadth of expression and the versatility of the movement’s directors. Based on stories by the legendary writer Bohumil Hrabal, the shorts range from the surreally chilling to the caustically observant to the casually romantic, but all have a cutting, wily view of the world.
You May Also Like
Born into a wealthy family, Xiao-wei lives a carefree life with his loving mother’s care. He enjoys reading picture books written by his favorite author Kauff, especially those works about mermaids. One day, he accidentally takes the wrong bus, arrives at the seacoast and meets a mermaid, Blue. He believes Blue is the embodiment of the character in those picture books. Since then, Xiao-wei’s “normal life,” has become not “normal.”
Comedy short produced by the Construction Safety Association of Ontario, Canada. It demonstrates the dos and don’ts of construction site safety. The film is the last professionally filmed footage of film legend Buster Keaton, shot months before his death from lung cancer on February 1, 1966. He recreates several routines from his youth, as well as some new material for the film. Most notable was his recreation of a gag from his 1918 film The Bell Boy in which he mops the floor using only the tip of the mop, little by little while sitting on the floor.
Manhattanite Ashley is known to many as the luckiest woman around. After a chance encounter with a down-and-out young man, however, she realizes that she’s swapped her fortune for his.
A true story of Samy, native of La Courneuve, who is out of love for Nadia, decides to climb Mount Everest.
A loser enters into a real time game to win which leads him to explore challenges and brings out the hidden secrets from his past.
Based on the classic Chinese novel “Jin Ping Mei,” written during the Ming Dynasty. The novel itself is the first full length Chinese fictional work to depict sexuality in explicit manner. The movie (as well as novel) takes place during 1111-1127 and centers around Ximen Quing, a corrupt social climber and lustful merchant who is wealthy enough to marry a consort of wives and concubines.
Li Er, a 17 year old girl who has great difficulty hearing out of her left ear, is rejected after confessing her love to a boy, Xu yi. Instead the boy is in love with Li Bala, a girl who is in fact in love with Zhang Yang. Li Er befriends Li Bala, who dies due to an accident. As the movie progresses, Li Er overcomes her hatred of Zhang Yang, whom she blamed for Li Bala’s death.
A chronicle of the life of Yasui Santetsu, a 17th century master of go who turned his attention to astronomy and created a new calendar for Japan. Based on the life of Santetsu Yasui (December 27, 1639-November 1, 1715), appointed as the first official astronomer in the Edo Period and would go on to create the Jokyo calendar at the imperial request.
In this biographical film, glamorous yet lonely star Joan Crawford takes in two orphans, and at first their unconventional family seems happy. But after Joan’s attempts at romantic fulfillment go sour and she is fired from her contract with MGM studios, her callous and abusive behavior towards her daughter Christina becomes even more pronounced. Christina leaves home and takes her first acting role, only to find her mother’s presence still overshadowing her.
