IMPORTANT NOTE: please use a VPN whenever visiting Hextube, or anywhere else on the internet, for that matter. Protect your privacy.

For this Sunday Kino Night, we’re giving some African cinema a try, with the highly-acclaimed Senegalese WW2 film Camp de Thiaroye (1988). It concerns the real-life story of a platoon of West African soldiers who fought for the French during the Battle of France in 1940. Upon their release from German POW camps in 1944, they return to Africa, and the French thank them by locking them up in another prison camp, this time in Dakar. The prisoners mutiny against poor conditions, resulting in the Thiaroye massacre, one of France’s worst colonial atrocities. God Damn the French: The Movie. This is one of the highest-rated African films on Letterboxd, and a classic of Third World cinema in general. The director, Ousmane Sembene, is otherwise best-known for Black Girl (1966), which we should also watch sometime.

After that is The Boxer’s Omen (1983), one of the most renowned cult classics of Hong Kong cinema, an off-the-walls fantasy-action-horror film about a boxer’s quest into a sinister underworld filled with monsters and magic to free his family from an evil curse. Can he punch his way to a happy ending? I guess we’ll find out. This is generally seen as one of the best classic Hong Kong effects films, being particularly noted for its ridiculous amount of gore. It is also the best-known and best-regarded work of director Kuei Chih-Hung, who specialized in this sort of thing.

We’ll start at 8PM EST on Hextube, right here:

https://live.hexbear.net/c/movies

Be there, comrades!

Letterboxd:

• Camp de Thiaroye: https://letterboxd.com/film/camp-de-thiaroye/
• The Boxer’s Omen: https://letterboxd.com/film/the-boxers-omen/

Doesthedogdie.com links:

• Camp de Thiaroye: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0092716/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg
• The Boxer’s Omen: https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/135500

CWs for Camp de Thiaroye:

• Deaths of animals.
• Animal abuse.
• Smoking.
• Colonialism.
• Blood and gore.
• References to sex. Not depicted.
• Alcohol.
• War crimes.
• Sad ending.

CWs for The Boxer’s Omen:

• Nudity.
• Sex scene about 7 minutes in.
• Sexual assault: the aforementioned sex scene, between the protagonist and his love interest, is rather rough. It isn’t explicitly non-consensual, but I’ll put a CW here just to be safe.
• Deaths of animals.
• Vomiting.
• Bodily fluids all over the place.
• Blood and gore.
• Decapitation.
• Spiders.
• Animal abuse.
• Snakes.
• Bugs.

Links to movies:

• Camp de Thiaroye: https://tankie.tube/w/7j3zpjeyGQa6jyTSqhuR4L
• The Boxer’s Omen: https://tankie.tube/w/aZKBGUR1bjGnPbiR88jrR5

IMPORTANT NOTE: please use a VPN whenever visiting Hextube, or anywhere else on the internet, for that matter. Protect your privacy.

For this edition of Saturday Anime Night, the people demanded more Sailor Moon, and so, we’re continuing on, with episodes 61 through 66 of the 1992 series, the definitive magical-girl anime. This is the completely unabridged, unexpurgated, uncensored, Japanese version of the show, including everything that the English dub butchered, altered, and/or cut, which is quite a bit. Tonight’s episodes see the beginning of Usagi and Mamoru’s breakup arc, as well as the revelation of Chibiusa’s origins.

After that is Robot Dreams (2023), a dialogue-free French/Spanish sci-fi story about a dog living in 1980s New York who decides to solve his loneliness by creating a robot buddy. They become the best of friends, but then, oh no, what happens when they have to separate? This one received rave reviews, and was nominated for Best Animated Feature at the Oscars this year. Director Pablo Berger has not done anything else of note so far. It looks neat, so let’s watch.

We’ll start 8PM EST on Hextube, right here: https://live.hexbear.net/c/movies

Be there, comrades!

Letterboxd:

• Sailor Moon: Sorry, not on Letterboxd. Here’s the MAL page: https://myanimelist.net/anime/530/Bishoujo_Senshi_Sailor_Moon
• Robot Dreams: https://letterboxd.com/film/robot-dreams/

Doesthedogdie.com links:

• Sailor Moon: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103369/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg
• Robot Dreams: https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/788220

CWs for Sailor Moon:

• Nudity.
• Objectification of female characters.
• Bath scenes.
• Age-gap romance.
• Panty shots.
• Cutting of flesh.
• Blood and gore.
• Animal abuse.
• Children in peril.
• Smoking.
• Alcohol abuse.
• Sexual harassment of schoolgirls.
• Kissing.
• Deaths of parents.

CWs for Robot Dreams:

• Deaths of animals.
• Sad animal.
• Bugs.
• Decapitation.
• Broken bones.
• Toe mutilation.
• Flashing lights.
• Blood and gore.
• Sad ending.

Links to movies:

• Sailor Moon episode 61: https://tankie.tube/w/o5aZq2AYBcUrMNH1m4NfB7
• Sailor Moon episode 62: https://tankie.tube/w/ufzyJQRMTU2V9hKrp7chQc
• Sailor Moon episode 63: https://tankie.tube/w/8hCxAawazZbTLZFVP6EHTK
• Sailor Moon episode 64: https://tankie.tube/w/3YMavVeLmghpffJvwNs66u
• Sailor Moon episode 65: https://tankie.tube/w/hoU1VEHz3R3vYwX9jTxUgb
• Sailor Moon episode 66: https://tankie.tube/w/xi1MQWEm3GZqefzDB1mF9o
• Robot Dreams: https://tankie.tube/w/iCVBevE94kSE8UxGzmB3cX

IMPORTANT NOTE: please use a VPN whenever visiting Hextube, or anywhere else on the internet, for that matter. Protect your privacy.

For this Friday Movie Night, we’re starting off with The Beasts (2022), a Spanish thriller about a French environmentalist couple in the Galician countryside who like to live in an eco-friendly manner. This lifestyle conflicts with that of their neighbors, who want to clear out the area to make room for wind turbines. A sadistic pair of brothers begins to terrorize the couple, and things spiral out of control from there. This is the best-known and best-regarded film to date of director Rodrigo Sorogoyen. Excellent reviews across the board for this one; let’s watch.

After that is School on Fire (1988), a Hong Kong crime film about a schoolgirl who testifies against the triads in court and finds herself the target of reprisals. The usual over-the-top Hong Kong acton ensues, with guns and blood sprays all over the place. While not Ringo Lam’s most famous film (that would probably be City on Fire [1987]), this is his highest-rated, both by critics and audience. Looks cool; let’s check it out.

We’ll start at 8PM EST on Hextube, right here:

https://live.hexbear.net/c/movies

Be there, comrades!

Letterboxd:

• The Beasts: https://letterboxd.com/film/the-beasts-2022/
• School on Fire: https://letterboxd.com/film/school-on-fire/

Doesthedogdie.com links:

• The Beasts: https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/796544
• School on Fire: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096472/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg

CWs for The Beasts:

• Nudity.
• Shower scene.
• Dead animals.
• Animal abuse.
• Eating of cat meat.
• Profanity.
• Alcohol abuse.
• Drunkenness.
• Someone is strangled to death.
• Beatings.
• Stalking.
• Gaslighting.
• Someone is physically restrained.
• Someone is crushed to death.
• Psychological torture.
• Spitting.
• Violent mentally-ill person.
• Shaky cam.
• Someone is watched without their knowledge.
• Gun violence.
• Sad ending.

CWs for School on Fire:

• Objectification of women.
• Broken bones.
• A girl is forced to strip to her undergarments by a triad boss. No nudity or physical contact in this scene.
• Sexual assault: during the climax, a man rips off a woman’s outer garments with intent to r*pe her, but he is stabbed to death beforehand.
• Cutting of flesh.
• Blood and gore.
• Gun violence.
• Dismemberment.
• Suicide.

Links to movies:

• The Beasts: https://tankie.tube/w/bAef6wydsNfXfRGQFc37qP
• School on Fire: https://tankie.tube/w/j4y4TM8jnNDveHCXG6E74Q

IMPORTANT NOTE: please use a VPN whenever visiting Hextube, or anywhere else on the internet, for that matter. Protect your privacy.

For this Sunday Kino Night, we’re starting with the Japanese thriller The Face of Another (1966), one of the most highly-regarded films of renowned auteur Hiroshi Teshigahara. A man’s face is blown off in an accident, and he has his doctor give him a new face. Uh-oh! He got the Joker face, and starts becoming the mask. His turn toward villainy begins. This is considered one of the all-time classics of Japanese cinema, currently ranking at #248 on Letterboxd’s Top 250 films of all time. Looks neat; let’s watch.

After that is Billy Elliot (2000), a British dramedy about a boy who discovers his love for ballet. The only problem is that he’s from a working-class family during the miners’ strike of 1984, and his father holds some less-than-enlightened views on male dancers. This film received three Oscar nomnations, including for Best Director and Original Screenplay. Director is Stephen Daldry, a perennial maker of Oscar slush like The Hours (2002) and The Reader (2008). However, pretty much everyone agrees this is his best work, and I’m a sucker for labor-themed movies, so we’ll check it out.

We’ll start at 8PM EST on Hextube, right here:

https://live.hexbear.net/c/movies

Be there, comrades!

Letterboxd:

• The Face of Another: https://letterboxd.com/film/the-face-of-another/
• Billy Elliot: https://letterboxd.com/film/billy-elliot/

Doesthedogdie.com links:

• The Face of Another: https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/44583
• Billy Elliot: https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/8914

CWs for The Face of Another:

• Gaslighting.
• Implied sexual assault of woman by Jokerfied protagonist. Not really depicted, though.
• Cheating.
• Mental institution scene.
• Hospital scene.
• Misophonia.
• Body dysmorphica.
• Suicide.
• Shaky cam.
• Ableist language.
• “Sexual content”. Seems pretty non-explicit to me, unless I missed something.
• Incest.
• Sad ending.
• Blood.
• Drowning.

CWs for Billy Elliot:

• Stalking.
• Domestic violence.
• Capitalism.
• Chld abuse.
• Alcoholism.
• Shaving.
• Dementia.
• Blood.
• Death of parent.
• Cheating.
• Destruction of child’s toy.
• Ghosts.
• Spitting.
• Anxiety attack.
• Homophobic slurs.

Links to movies:

• The Face of Another: https://tankie.tube/w/3R1f5syaKp27EonSysQx1J
• Billy Elliot: https://tankie.tube/w/2rd2tKEZqJ9nUTWvtJLarJ

IMPORTANT NOTE: please use a VPN whenever visiting Hextube, or anywhere else on the internet, for that matter. Protect your privacy.

For this edition of Saturday Anime Night, we’re starting early, at 6:30PM, to honor the late Akira Toriyama by watching two selections from his magnum opus. First is Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies (1986), the first Dragon Ball movie; it is a condensed, alternate retelling of the first arc from the show. An evil king seeks the Dragon Balls to wish away his insatiable hunger for food, and Goku and the gang have to stop him. After that we will watch Dragon Ball Z, ep. 125, in which Goku and Piccolo go to driving school. It is one of the show’s most beloved episodes, and probably the most famous of all the anime-only eps.

After that, since the people demanded more Sailor Moon, and so, we’re continuing on, with episodes 55 through 60 of the 1992 series, the definitive magical-girl anime. This is the completely unabridged, unexpurgated, uncensored, Japanese version of the show, including everything that the English dub butchered, altered, and/or cut, which is quite a bit. Tonight’s episodes see the conclusion of the anime-only Makai Tree arc of Season 2, and the debut of everyone’s favorite pink hellspawn, Chibiusa.

Last for the night is The First Slam Dunk (2022), the highly-acclaimed smash hit based on the phenomenally popular 1990 manga of the same name, about a scrappy high-school basketball time who earn a chance to win the national championship. Will they overcome their differences and show those big-city jerks what's what? I guess we'll find out. This was the best-reviewed anime film of 2022, and it finally released on Blu-Ray this week, so we're watching it.

We’ll start 6:30PM EST on Hextube, right here: https://live.hexbear.net/c/movies

Be there, comrades!

Letterboxd:

• Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies: https://letterboxd.com/film/dragon-ball-curse-of-the-blood-rubies/
• Sailor Moon: Sorry, not on Letterboxd. Here’s the MAL page: https://myanimelist.net/anime/530/Bishoujo_Senshi_Sailor_Moon
• The First Slam Dunk: https://letterboxd.com/film/the-first-slam-dunk/

Doesthedogdie.com links:

• Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0142251/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg
• Sailor Moon: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103369/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg
• The First Slam Dunk: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15242330/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg

CWs for Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies:

• Someone is physically restrained.
• Sexual harassment of underage girl.
• Underage nudity played for laughs.
• Gun violence.
• Child endangerment.
• Violence against children.

CWs for Sailor Moon:

• Nudity.
• Objectification of female characters.
• Bath scenes.
• Age-gap romance.
• Panty shots.
• Cutting of flesh.
• Blood and gore.
• Animal abuse.
• Children in peril.
• Smoking.
• Alcohol abuse.
• Sexual harassment of schoolgirls.
• Kissing.
• Deaths of parents.

CWs for The First Slam Dunk:

• Profanity.
• Fistfighting.
• Blood.

Links to movies:

• Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies: https://tankie.tube/w/5kkmF2e3LTpFZz4gXXYY3R
• Dragon Ball Z ep. 125: https://tankie.tube/w/7UFKzutvbkkGF7ro3xdVpG
• Sailor Moon ep. 55: https://tankie.tube/w/ik5CHkadfeHXTwCXEir6Wo
• Sailor Moon ep. 56: https://tankie.tube/w/3u9aDXrHqe7zktsmsVussm
• Sailor Moon ep. 57: https://tankie.tube/w/rBhkBste6M8y5agKAJjB5S
• Sailor Moon ep. 58: https://tankie.tube/w/bjakXHbrm6FzQSYAW9MoWn
• Sailor Moon ep. 59: https://tankie.tube/w/5tnFLC6v2kqgRvtCvCNqq3
• Sailor Moon ep. 60: https://tankie.tube/w/oHtt6vGXFdKtwcoxaY2Pne
• The First Slam Dunk: https://tankie.tube/w/ox6HoYS9ST3aEULhmKwzbW

IMPORTANT NOTE: please use a VPN whenever visiting Hextube, or anywhere else on the internet, for that matter. Protect your privacy.

For this Friday Movie Night, starting at 8PM EST (we're trying an earlier start time this weekend), we’re watching Gangs of Wasseypur: Part 2 (2012), one of the highest-rated Bollywood movies on Letterboxd. Part 1 told the story of a young man (Sardar Khan) in 1970s India who pursues revenge against the mafia boss (Ramadhir Singh) who killed his father. Sardar got old, and his sons grew up, and one of the sons ingratiated himself with Ramadhir. We left off Part 1 in the 1990s, with Sardar being assassinated in an ambush condoned by his various enemies, which include his estranged wife. As with many Bollyword blockbusters, this movie is a whole bunch of things mashed into one, including gritty gangster violence, over-the-top melodrama, action scenes, broad comedy, and musical numbers. Our last foray into Indian cinema, Nayakan (1987), was a hit on Hextube, as was Part 1 when we watched it two weeks ago; this one is on every list of “movies to watch if you’re new to Bollywood” in existence, so we’re giving it a try.

After that is The Set-Up (1949), a classic film-noir about a down-on-his-luck boxer who nobody believes will win his upcoming title fight. He is determined to prove the naysayers wrong, but unfortunately, his manager has accepted a bribe to throw the fight. Scandal! What could go wrong? This is considered a classic of film-noir, combining the genre’s usual cynicism and moral ambiguity into a taut 73 minutes. The director is Robert Wise, otherwise best-known for, uhh, The Sound of Music (1965). His work had some range, apparently. Looks cool, and It’s received rave reviews, so let’s watch.

We’ll start at 8PM EST on Hextube, right here:

https://live.hexbear.net/c/movies

Be there, comrades!

Letterboxd:

• Gangs of Wasseypur Part 2: https://letterboxd.com/film/gangs-of-wasseypur-part-2/
• The Set-Up: https://letterboxd.com/film/the-set-up/

Doesthedogdie.com links:

• Gangs of Wasseypur Part 2: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1954470/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg
• The Set-Up: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041859/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg

CWs for Gangs of Wasseypur Part 2:

• Nudity.
• Sex scene, but no nudity.
• Prostitution.
• Kissing.
• Blood and gore.
• Gun violence.
• Cutting of flesh.
• Stabbing.
• Beating with blunt instruments.
• Genital trauma (offscreen.)
• Someone is tied up.
• Profanity.
• Smoking.
• Alcohol.
• Drug use.
• Broken bones.
• Dismemberment.
• Dead animals.

CWs for The Set-Up:

• Blood.
• Broken bones.

CWs for Out of the Blue:

• Implied incest (not depicted.)
• Nudity.
• Car crash.
• Stabbing.
• Blood and gore.
• Profanity.
• Drug use.
• Homophobic slur.
• Sad ending.

Links to movies:

• Gangs of Wasseypur Part 2: https://tankie.tube/w/hrTXMrMLxSNSnHsbnTvcTz
• The Set-Up: https://tankie.tube/w/mtyy1VbeYdugUxhg2qUfS8

holy fuck

IMPORTANT NOTE: please use a VPN whenever visiting Hextube, or anywhere else on the internet, for that matter. Protect your privacy.

For this extra-long edition of Sunday Kino Night, we’re starting with one of the all-time classic French films, A Man Escaped (1956)! It strips the prison film down to its most basic elements, centering on a French Resistance fighter’s attempt to escape a tiny cell under the eyes of his Nazi captors. The director is Robert Bresson, whose donkey tale Au Hasard Balthasar (1966) we previously watched. This is commonly considered his magnum opus, and is a staple of lists of greatest films; it currently ranks #86 on Letterboxd’s Top 250.

After that is Boy and the World (2013), a dialogue-free Brazilian surrealist peace about a boy who leaves his village to find his absent father, and his subsequent journey through the urban, industrial, consumerist hellscape of the modern world. It received rave reviews across the board, and garnered a nomination for Best Animated Feature at the 2015 Oscars. It is the best-known and best-regarded work to date of director Ale Abreu. We were going to watch this last night, but it started after midnight, so everyone went to bed instead. I moved the showing to this evening instead.

Third up is the highly-anticipated highly-acclaimed new blockbuster, Dune Part Two (2024), the second half of Denis Villeneuve’s adaptation of Frank Herbert’s epic sci-fi novel. We will be watching a camrip. It is decent quality, though a watermark wanders around the screen for the whole movie. That’s just the price we pay for good early rips, I guess.

We’ll start at 7PM EST on Hextube, right here:

https://live.hexbear.net/c/movies

Be there, comrades!

Letterboxd:

• A Man Escaped: https://letterboxd.com/film/a-man-escaped/
• Boy and the World: https://letterboxd.com/film/boy-the-world/
• Dune Part Two: https://letterboxd.com/film/dune-part-two/

Doesthedogdie.com links:

• A Man Escaped: https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/41444
• Boy and the World: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3183630/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg
• Dune Part Two: https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/1070684

CWs for A Man Escaped:

• Suicidal ideation.
• Prison.
• Nazis.
• Torture.
• Claustrophobia.
• Blood.

CWs for Boy and the World:

• Strip club.
• Police brutality.
• Capitalism.
• Chld endangerment.

CWs for Dune Part Two:

• Abusive parents.
• Gaslighting.
• Drug use.
• Deaths of animals.
• Snakes.
• Bugs.
• Someone is physically restrained.
• Cutting of flesh.
• Someone struggles to breathe.
• Throat mutilation.
• Someone is crushed to death.
• Someone is burned alive.
• Someone is buried alive.
• Head squashing.
• Unconsciousness.
• Someone has a seizure.
• Torture.
• Someone falls to their death.
• Stabbing.
• Death of parent.
• Jump scares.
• Trypophobia.
• Vomiting.
• Someone is eaten alive.
• Spitting.
• Destruction of priceless artifact.
• Needles.
• Violent mentally-ill person.
• Sudden loud noises.
• Screaming.
• Flashing lights.
• Fetuses.
• Orientalism.
• White savior narrative.
• Ableist languae.
• Discussion of religion.
• Implied sex.
• Nudity.
• Male character ridiculed for crying.
• Fat suit.
• Sad ending.
• Nuclear explosion.
• Blood and gore.

Links to movies:

• A Man Escaped: https://tankie.tube/w/haXDfWccXLUwUNQbkYnEm4
• Boy and the World: https://tankie.tube/w/5vxfFCU2M9Dc6wFrpHdbLu
• Dune Part Two: https://tankie.tube/w/4wmegiWzySPA1E8nGiLsmh