wd 1.jpg — Wings of Desire (1987)

**Directed By: Wim Wenders**
**Starring: Bruno Ganz, Solveig Dommartin, Otto Sander, Peter Falk**
**Rated: PG-13**
**Run Time: 2h 8m**
**TMM Score: 5 Stars**
**Strengths: Cinematography, Dialogue, Direction**
**Weakness: Maybe a Bit Slow**

Wings of Desire (1987)

June 25, 2019

An angel, eternal spirit of observation, grows envious of humanity’s finite existence and corporal nature.

MV5BOTQxN2QwZDctY2Q5OC00MmNjLWI0NTYtNjdjNTA5MDkzNDA5XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTMxMTY0OTQ@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,706,1000_AL_.jpg — Fox and His Friends (1975)

**Directed by: Rainer Werner Fassbinder**
**Starring: Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Peter Chatel, Karlheinz Bohm, Adrian Hoven, Christiane Maybach**
**Rated: NR (Suggested R for Some Graphic Nudity, Sexual Dialogue and Language)**
**Running Time: 2 h 3 m**
**TMM Score: 4 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Most Characters, Writing, Directing, Acting, Cinematography**
**WEAKNESSES: A Few Melodramatic Moments, One or Two Characters**

Fox and His Friends (1975)

June 24, 2019

An ex-carnival worker of middling intelligence wins the lottery and engages in a personal and business relationship with a man born in a higher class than him.

Knife in the Water (1962)

June 13, 2019

A couple picks up a hitchhiker on their way to a sailing trip and decides to bring him along.

91r6ErURNeL._SL1500_.jpg — Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)

Directed by: Hayao Miyazaki
Starring: Christian Bale, Emily Mortimer, Billy Crystal
Rated: PG for Frightening Images, And Brief Mild Language
Running Time: 1h 59m
TMM Score: 4.5 Stars
STRENGTHS: Animation, Themes, Characters, Lots of Fun
WEAKNESSES: Ending

Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

May 29, 2019

A woman must break a curse with the help of demigod, Howl.

The Wind Rises (2013)

May 29, 2019

A fantastical character study of Jiro Horikashi, the man who designed the Mitsubishi Zero Fighter Plane.

MV5BMjllYmQ2OGQtN2IxZC00ODJiLWI4NjQtYmNlZjYzNzUzYjkyXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTAzMTY4MDA@._V1_SY1000_CR0,0,734,1000_AL_.jpg — Climax (2018)

Directed by: Gaspar Noe
Starring: Sofia Boutella, Romain Guillermic, Souheila Yacoub
Rated: R for Disturbing Content Involving a Combination of Drug Use, Violent Behavior and Strong Sexuality, and For Language and Some Graphic Nudity
Running Time: 1 h 37 m
TMM Score: 3 stars out of 5
STRENGTHS: Technical Aspects, Length
WEAKNESSES: Story

Climax (2018)

May 27, 2019

French dancers gather for an all-night celebration and soon learn their sangria is laced with LSD.

Shin Godzilla (2016)

May 22, 2019

When an immense mysterious evolutionarily advanced creature emerges from the sea and begins walking to Tokyo, the government and people of Japan must band together to save their country and the world.

g 1.jpg — Godzilla (1954)

**Directed By: Ishiro Honda**
**Starring: Takashi Shimura, Ahihiko Hirata, Akira Takarada, Takashi Shimura**
**Rated: NR**
**Run Time: 1h 36m**
**TMM Score: 3 Stars**
**Strengths: Theme, Legacy, Soundtrack**
**Weakness: Pacing, Some Poor Effects Shots**

Godzilla (1954)

May 21, 2019

Ships off the coast of one of Japan’s islands are being mysteriously destroyed. When the cause turns out to be an immense fire breathing lizard, all of Japan seems doomed.

Shadow (2018)

April 30, 2019

Two rival kingdoms plot and fight for ultimate victory.

Fellini Satyricon (1969)

April 22, 2019

A series of bizarre events surround a young man’s journey through the hedonistic landscape of first century Rome.

PotC 1.jpg — The Passion of The Christ (2004)

**Directed By: Mel Gibson**
**Starring: Jim Caviezel, Monica Bellucci, Maia Morgenstern**
**Rated: R**
**Run Time: 2h 7m**
**TMM Score: 4 Stars**
**Strengths: Visual Storytelling,**
**Weakness: Certain Shots, The Marketing**

The Passion of The Christ (2004)

April 19, 2019

The story of Jesus of Nazareth’s 12-Hour Passion modeled after the 12 Stations of the Cross.

v 1.jpg — Viridiana (1961)

**Directed by: Luis Bunuel**
**Starring: Silvia Pinal, Francisco Rabal**
**Rated: Not Rated**
**Running Time: 1h 30m**
**TMM Score: 3 Stars**
**STRENGTHS: Themes**
**WEAKNESSES: Dark Point of View**

Viridiana (1961)

March 1, 2019

When Viridiana, a nun on the verge of taking her final vows, is sent home to visit a widowed uncle, he falls in love with her and schemes how he might win her affections. Or force them if need be.

MV5BOTkxN2NkMjEtNjdlMC00OWFlLTlmNDctOTUwOTM1ZDNjOTc4XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTExNjk5Mzc@._V1_.jpg — Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956)

Directed by: Hiroshi Inagaki
Starring: Toshirô Mifune, Kōji Tsuruta, Kaoru Yachigusa, Mariko Okada
Rated: NR
Running Time: 1h 45m
TMM Score: 4.5 out of 5
STRENGTHS: Characters, Story, Themes
WEAKNESSES: Mellow Drama

Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island (1956)

February 28, 2019

Samurai Musashi, by now an accomplished swordfighter, finds himself at odds with Sasaki Jokiro, a ronin swordsman, when they are both considered for employment with the Shogun.

MV5BMDU5ZWE3M2MtZTVhYS00Yjk2LWFkYjQtZDdkNzc1YmJmMGIxXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMjUyNDk2ODc@._V1_SY1000_SX750_AL_.jpg — Tristana (1970)

**Directed by: Luis Bunuel**
**Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Fernando Rey, Franco Nero**
**Rated: PG-13 for Some Thematic Elements and Some Disturbing Images**
**Running Time: 1 h 39 m**
**TMM Score: 4.5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Acting, Writing, Direction**
**WEAKNESSES: Pacing**

Tristana (1970)

February 28, 2019

A young and innocent girl is taken under the wing of an older guardian after her mother passes away, and soon the guardian begins to make advances towards her.

si 1.jpg — The Sea Inside (2004)

**Directed by: Alejandro Amenabar**
**Starring: Javier Bardem, Belén Rueda, Lola Dueñas**
**Rated: PG-13**
**Running Time: 2h 5m**
**TMM Score: 4 Stars**
**STRENGTHS: Themes and Acting**
**WEAKNESSES: None**

The Sea Inside (2004)

February 26, 2019

When a quadriplegic man decides that he no longer wishes to live, those people around him struggle to understand his wishes, their relationships, and his life.

MV5BZjhkNzVkYjAtMGMzMi00Y2JjLWFkMzgtNjQ3Mzk2YThhZWExXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNjc5Mjg0NjU@._V1_SY1000_SX675_AL_.jpg — Border (2018)

**Directed by: Ali Abbasi**
**Starring: Eva Melander, Eero Milonoff, Jorgen Thorsson**
**Rated: R for Some Sexual Content, Graphic Nudity, A Bloody Violent Image, and Language**
**Running Time: 1 h 50 m**
**TMM Score: 4 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Original Story, Makeup, Writing**
**WEAKNESSES: -**

Border (2018)

February 22, 2019

While aiding the police in an investigation, a customs officer who can smell fear develops an unusual attraction to a strange man.

cw 1.jpg — Cold War (2018)

**Directed by: Pawel Pawlikowski**
**Starring: Joanna Kulig, Tomasz Kot, Borys Szyc**
**Rated: R**
**Running Time: 1h 29m**
**TMM Score: 4 Stars**
**STRENGTHS: Cinematography**
**WEAKNESSES: Lack of Emotional Connection**

Cold War (2018)

February 21, 2019

A talented music director and his star performer fall in love but frustrated by Communist controlled Poland’s “requirements” for his art, he and his lover disagree about leaving Poland.

MV5BZDFmNzI3YmItMTMyMy00YjE1LTliYTgtN2Q4M2QzZDE5MTlhXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQxNzMzNDI@._V1_.jpg — Downfall (2004)

**Directed by: Oliver Hirschbiegel**
**Starring: Bruno Ganz, Alexandra Maria Lara, Juliane Kohler, Thomas Kretchschmann**
**Rated: R for Strong Violence, Disturbing Images, and Some Nudity**
**Running Time: 2 h 36 m**
**TMM Score: 5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Acting, Directing, Writing, Perspective**
**WEAKNESSES: -**

Downfall (2004)

February 18, 2019

The final days of Adolf Hitler in his Berlin bunker as told from the perspective of Traudl Junge, his last secretary.

MV5BZDNmYzhiNzgtMTgwZC00Yzg5LWFkN2UtNDlhYmJiMWNhMmFkXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyNTExNjk5Mzc@._V1_.jpg — Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple (1955)

Directed by: Hiroshi Inagaki
Starring: Toshirô Mifune, Kōji Tsuruta, Mariko Okada, Kaoru Yachigusa
Rated: NR
Running Time: 1h 43m
TMM Score: 4 out of 5
STRENGTHS: Characters, Story, Themes
WEAKNESSES:

Samurai II: Duel at Ichijuji Temple (1955)

February 14, 2019

Musashi, ever the wanderer, continues his journey, dueling and gathering knowledge to become a respectable samurai.

MV5BMTQ5NTg5ODk4OV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwODc4MTMzMDE@._V1_.jpg — Blue is the Warmest Color (2013)

**Directed by: Abellatif Kechiche**
**Starring: Adele Exarchopoulos, Lea Seydoux, Salim Kechiouche**
**Rated: NC-17 for Explicit Sexual Content**
**Running Time: 3 h**
**TMM Score: 5 stars out of 5**
**STRENGTHS: Writing, Directing, Story, Acting**
**WEAKNESSES: -**

Blue is the Warmest Color (2013)

February 14, 2019

Adele, a young schoolteacher in France, has a life altering awakening when she meets Emma, an artist with blue hair.

Search the Archives…