For this Sunday Kino Night, we’re starting off with Hellzapoppin’ (1941), the highly-acclaimed cult classic meta-musical about a group of comedians who want to turn their romantic play into a movie, but are sick of romance clichés, so they spend the whole runtime mocking love-story conventions and breaking the fourth wall. According to critics, this film may hold the all-time record for most jokes in a movie. It has become a cult movie in recent years due to its highly self-referential and anarchic structure; it was a major influence on Mel Brooks’ filmography, containing much of the DNA of The Producers, Blazing Saddles, Spaceballs, etc. This is by far the best-known and best-regarded film of otherwise-undistinguished director H.C. Potter. Excellent reviews everywhere for this one, so we’ll give it a shot. After that, since The Raid (2011) was a hit on Friday, we will watch its even-better-reviewed and more-ambitious sequel, The Raid 2 (2014). This time, the protagonist, Rama, goes undercover to infiltrate the Jakarta criminal underworld. Uh-oh, he’s going too deep. Will he end up kicking a bunch of people in the face? Probably. This film is one of the highest-rated action films of the 2010s and the highest-rated Indonesian film on Letterboxd (though, as with the first, the director is Welsh transplant Gareth Evans.) Let’s check it out.

We’ll start at 9PM EST on Hextube, right here:

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

Be there, comrades!

Letterboxd:

• Hellzapoppin’: https://letterboxd.com/film/hellzapoppin/
• The Raid 2: https://letterboxd.com/film/the-raid-2/

Doesthedogdie.com links:

• Hellzapoppin’: Sorry, nothing on DTDD or IMDB.
• The Raid 2: https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/20625

CWs for Hellzapoppin’:

• Slapstick violence.
• Problematic ethnic caricatures.

CWs for The Raid 2:

• Protagonist is a cop.
• Blood and gore.
• Fist fights.
• Torture.
• Cutting of flesh.
• Decapitation.
• Bloody nose.
• Gun violence.
• Police brutality.
• Strangulation.
• Stabbing.
• Broken bones.
• Drug use.
• Drug addiction.
• Profanity.
• Misogyny.
• Squashed heads.
• Finger mutilation.
• Death by falling.
• Eye mutilation.
• Death of parent.
• Audio gore.
• Misophonia.
• Anxiety attacks.
• Claustrophobia.
• Shaky cam.
• Flashing lights.

Links to movies:

• Hellzapoppin': https://vimeo.com/904843687
• The Raid 2: https://vimeo.com/904650484

For this edition of Saturday Anime Night, the people demanded more Sailor Moon, and so, we’re continuing on, with episodes 7 through 12 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 downfall of Jadeite and the beginning of the Nephrite arc. After that is French slapstick fairy-tale cartoon The King and the Mockingbird (1952/1980), concerning a bird that uses all of his wits to end the reign of terror of a tyrannical king. It originally released in incomplete form in 1952, and, in that form, was a major influence on the work of Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. Director Paul Grimault eventually completed it, and the whole film was released in 1980; this is by far his best-known work, and his only feature. It is often considered the best animated French film of all time, so let’s give it a whirl.

We’ll start at 9PM 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
• The King and the Mockingbird: https://letterboxd.com/film/the-king-and-the-mockingbird/

Doesthedogdie.com links:

• Sailor Moon: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103369/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg
• The King and the Mockingbird: https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/46347

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 King and the Mockingbird:

• Cartoon violence.
• Deaths of animals.
• Animal abuse.

Links to movies:

Forthcoming. I have the files, but the most convenient way to upload them is to replace one of the earlier videos while a later video is playing.

For this Friday Movie Night, we’re starting off with Opening Night (1977), starring Gena Rowlands as a struggling stage actress whose personal problems all come to a head right before the premiere of her big new show. Lay off the booze, ok? It’s not helping things. We haven’t watched any John Cassavetes films yet, despite his renown, and this is supposed to be one of his best. It is currently ranked #198 on Letterboxd’s Top 250 films of all time. Rave reviews for this one, so let’s give it a shot. After that is The Raid (2011), one of the most critically-acclaimed action films of the 2010s. A cop goes into a Jakarta drug lord’s death-trap lair and single-handedly ends the War on Drugs by kicking and stabbing people in various martial-arts duels. The premise makes my eyebrow raise a bit, but hey, it’s an action movie, I guess it comes with the territory. It’s Indonesian, too (in fact, only its sequel is rated higher among Indonesian films on Letterboxd), so we can check off one more country. However, the director is Br*tish import Gareth Evans. This is his best-known film.

We’ll start at 9PM EST on Hextube, right here:

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

Be there, comrades!

Letterboxd:

• Opening Night: https://letterboxd.com/film/opening-night/
• The Raid: https://letterboxd.com/film/the-raid-2011/

Doesthedogdie.com links:

• Opening Night: https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/176492
• The Raid: https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/41524

CWs for Opening Night:

• Domestic violence in the play-within-the-film (but not the film’s narrative.)
• Alcoholism.
• Alcohol abuse.
• Blood.
• Self-harm.
• Death of teenager.
• Cheating.
• Jump scares.
• Ghosts.
• Ableist language.
• Someone is hit by a car.
• Blood and gore.

CWs for The Raid:

• Protagonist is a cop.
• Blood and gore.
• Fist fights.
• Pregnancy.
• Cutting of flesh.
• Decapitation.
• Bloody nose.
• Gun violence.
• Police brutality.
• Strangulation.
• Stabbing.
• Broken bones.
• Drug use.
• Drug addiction.
• Profanity.
• Misogyny.
• Squashed heads.
• Finger mutilation.
• Death by falling.
• Eye mutilation.
• Death of child.
• Someone wets themselves.
• Audio gore.
• Misophonia.
• Anxiety attacks.
• Claustrophobia.
• Shaky cam.
• Flashing lights.

Links to movies:

• Opening Night: https://vimeo.com/904649090
• The Raid: https://vimeo.com/904650484

For this Sunday Kino Night, first up is The Taste of Tea (2004), a comedy about a Japanese family in rural Japan, among whom is a mom who is a secret anime nerd, and a little girl being stalked by a giant version of herself. Just look at the picture on Letterboxd. Absurdist comedy ensues, along with some surrealism, for good measure. It is the best-known and best-regarded film of director Katsuhiro Ishii, who is otherwise not known for much in the West. High praise for this one across the board, and it’s both the length and genre (i.e., comedy) to be a good complement for the other movie tonight, so we’re watching it. After that is another entry in the God Damn the UKKK canon, with Babylon (1980), a British drama about a young black British man who has to endure poverty, family squabbles, and racism while living on the worst island on Earth. The director is Franco Rosso, who is a true one-hit wonder; none of his other films (which are mostly documentaries) have accrued any notoriety whatsoever. Great reviews for this one, so let’s check it out.

We’ll start at 9PM EST on Hextube, right here:

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

Be there, comrades!

Letterboxd:

• The Taste of Tea: https://letterboxd.com/film/the-taste-of-tea/
• Babylon: https://letterboxd.com/film/babylon/

Doesthedogdie.com links:

• The Taste of Tea: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0413893/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg
• Babylon: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080406/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg

CWs for The Taste of Tea:

• Discussion of sex. Not depicted.
• Toilet humor.

CWs for Babylon:

• British people.
• Objectification of women.
• Racism.
• Racist slurs.
• Profanity.
• Smoking.
• Drug use.
• Child abuse.
• Swastikas.
• Stabbing.
• Interracial violence.

Links to movies:

Forthcoming. I have the files, and will upload shortly.

For this edition of Saturday Anime Night, we're continuing on from last week, with episodes 7 through 12 of the definitive magical-girl anime, Sailor Moon (1992)! 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 introductions of Sailors Mercury and Mars. After that is British animated nuclear-war drama When the Wind Blows (1986), concerning an elderly couple who finds themselves in the center of shit going down when a nuke drops on their quiet English town. Pretty much Threads (1983), but as a cartoon. This film reunited most of the creative staff from the Christmas special The Snowman (1982), including director Jimmy T. Murakami; this is his magnum opus. Oh, and the soundtrack is by David Bowie and Roger Waters. Great reviews for this one, so let’s check it out.

We’ll start at 9PM 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
• When the Wind Blows: https://letterboxd.com/film/when-the-wind-blows/

Doesthedogdie.com links:

• Sailor Moon: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103369/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg
• When the Wind Blows: https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/12583

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 When the Wind Blows:

• Death of dog.
• Death of sheep.
• Someone struggles to breathe.
• Someone is burned alive.
• Nuclear explosion.
• Blood.
• Death of parent.
• Vomiting.
• Claustrophobia.
• Sad ending.
• Car crash.

Links to movies:

Forthcoming. I have the files, but the most convenient way to upload them is to replace one of the earlier videos while a later video is playing.

For this Friday Movie Night, we’re starting off with the Chinese WW2 drama Devils on the Doorstep (2000), concerning a Chinese peasant who is forced to host a Japanese prisoner and his translator. Will the townspeople tolerate having to care for their enemy, or will they decide enough is enough and kill them? Time to find out. This is one of the highest-rated Chinese films on Letterboxd, and the best-known and best-regarded film of director Jiang Wen. Looks neat; let’s watch. After that is What’s Up, Doc? (1972), a screwball comedy from Peter Bogdanovich (Paper Moon [1973], The Last Picture Show [1971]) starring Ryan O’Neal and Barbra Streisand as a bumbling pair of singles who get their luggage mixed up. Hilarity ensues, along with romance. Excellent reviews everywhere for this one, so let’s give it a whirl.

We’ll start at 9PM EST on Hextube, right here:

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

Be there, comrades!

Letterboxd:

• Devils on the Doorstep: https://letterboxd.com/film/devils-on-the-doorstep/
• What’s Up, Doc?: https://letterboxd.com/film/whats-up-doc-1972/

Doesthedogdie.com links:

• Devils on the Doorstep: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0245929/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg
• What’s Up, Doc?: https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/24875

CWs for Devils on the Doorstep:

• Nudity.
• Decapitation.
• Blood and gore.
• War crimes.

CWs for What’s Up, Doc?:

• Stalking.
• Joke about sexual assault (which is not depicted, but mentioned.)
• Kidnapping.
• Bath scene.
• Car crash.
• Gun violence.

Links to movies:

• Devils on the Doorstep: https://vimeo.com/902434651
• What’s Up, Doc?: https://vimeo.com/902436068

For this Sunday Kino Night, we’re starting early, so that I can fulfill a request for legendary reggae-album-with-film-attached The Harder They Come (1972), the first Jamaican feature film ever. Jimmy Cliff stars as a struggling reggae singer who turns to crime to make ends meet, including selling weed and killing cops. The soundtrack is frequently included on lists of the best film scores of all time. It is the only feature film of director Perry Henzell; he is a true one-hit wonder. Sounds cool; let’s watch. After that is The Hill (1965), a British WW2 film set in a disciplinary British prison camp where sadistic guards make lives a living hell for their court-martialled countrymen. God Damn the UKKK: The Movie. This is one of the better-regarded movies of Sidney Lumet, who is best-known for 12 Angry Men (1957). The premise sounds neat, so let’s give it a whirl. Last is Miss Lonely (1985), also known as Lonely Heart, a fantasy-romance from renowned Japanese auteur Nobuhiko Obayashi, whose films have recently been gaining more exposure in the West. Thus far, we have watched House (1977), His Motorbike Her Island (1986), and The Rocking Horsemen (1992) from his catalogue, and all were good, so let’s cross one more off the list. Miss Lonely concerns a high-school boy, unlucky in romance, who suddenly comes across his dream girl, but then starts to suspect she might be a literal ghost. Is she real? I guess we’ll find out. Great reviews for this one.

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

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

Be there, comrades!

Letterboxd:

• The Harder They Come: https://letterboxd.com/film/the-harder-they-come/
• The Hill: https://letterboxd.com/film/the-hill/
• Miss Lonely: https://letterboxd.com/film/miss-lonely/

Doesthedogdie.com links:

• The Harder They Come: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0070155/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg
• The Hill: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059274/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg
• Miss Lonely. Sorry, nothing on DTDD or IMDB.

CWs for The Harder They Come:

• Nudity.
• Sex.
• Gun violence.
• Stabbing.
• Blood and gore.
• Alcohol abuse.
• Smoking.

CWs for The Hill:

• British people.
• Picture of topless woman.
• Beating of prisoners.
• Racist slurs.
• Profanity.
• Smoking.
• Alcohol abuse.
• Prison.

CWs for Miss Lonely:

• Woogin’.
• Ghosts.
• Sexual innuendos.
• Incest subtext.
• Gaslighting.
• Hallucinations.

Links to movies:

• The Harder They Come (will be replaced by Miss Lonely once it's done): https://vimeo.com/899073961
• The Hill: https://vimeo.com/900296208

For this edition of Saturday Anime Night, the people demanded more Sailor Moon, and so, we’re going right back to the source, with episodes 1 through 6 of the definitive magical-girl anime, Sailor Moon (1992)! I’m not promising we will continue further, since even just the first season (46 episodes) is a big commitment, but we’ll give the show a try and see how things go. This will be 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 follow junior-high girl Usagi as she receives her sailor powers and proceeds to kick some monster butt, while falling in love with the mysterious young dreamboat Tuxedo Mask. These are all solo episodes, as the other sailors take awhile to show up. After that, by request, is Kubo and the Two Strings (2016), another highly-regarded stop-motion film from Coraline (2009) studio Laika. Kubo lives in a vaguely Asian village, awakens an evil spirit, and can defeat it only by finding his dead dad’s magical suit of armor. Questing ensues. Great reviews for this one, so let’s check it out.

We’ll start at 9PM 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
• Kubo and the Two Strings: https://letterboxd.com/film/kubo-and-the-two-strings/

Doesthedogdie.com links:

• Sailor Moon: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103369/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg
• Kubo and the Two Strings: https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/13023

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 Kubo and the Two Strings:

• Stalking.
• Domestic violence.
• Child abuse.
• Deaths of animals.
• Bugs.
• Cutting of flesh.
• Someone almost drowns.
• Eye mutilation.
• Death of parent.
• Ghosts.
• Crying baby.
• Broken fourth wall.
• Misgendering.
• Ableism.
• Blood.

Links to movies:

Forthcoming. I have the files, but the most convenient way to upload them is to replace one of the earlier videos while a later video is playing.

For this Friday Movie Night, we’re starting off with the cult classic sci-fi The Man Who Stole the Sun (1979), concerning a nerdy Japanese teacher who decides to build a nuclear bomb to extort the government into allowing The Rolling Stones to play in Japan. Jokerification ensues. The director, Kazuhiko Hasegawa, directed only one other, lesser-known film; he is a one-hit wonder. Great reviews for this one, so let’s check it out. After that is Bound (1996), the Wachowskis’ highly-regarded directorial debut, concerning a pair of ladies who decide to be gay and do crime while framing shitty men. Chicks Rock: The Crime Thriller. Looks cool; let’s watch.

We’ll start at 9PM EST on Hextube, right here:

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

Be there, comrades!

Letterboxd:

• The Man Who Stole the Sun: https://letterboxd.com/film/the-man-who-stole-the-sun/
• Bound: https://letterboxd.com/film/bound/

Doesthedogdie.com links:

• The Man Who Stole the Sun: https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/15745
• Bound: https://www.doesthedogdie.com/media/8991

CWs for The Man Who Stole the Sun:

• Animal abuse.
• Deaths of animals.
• Gun violence.
• Blood.

CWs for Bound:

• Domestic violence.
• Gaslighting.
• Alcohol.
• Someone is held underwater.
• Someone is physically restrained.
• Implied sexual assault (not depicted.)
• Someone struggles to breathe.
• Choking.
• Amputation.
• Head squashing.
• Tooth damage.
• Unconsciousness.
• Finger mutilation.
• Torture.
• Death of parent.
• Kidnapping.
• Cheating.
• Shower scene.
• Drooling.
• Audio gore.
• Misophonia.
• Anxiety attacks.
• Claustrophobia.
• Obscene language.
• Shaky cam.
• Flashing lights.
• Misgendering of lesbian woman.
• Homophobia.
• Homophobic slurs.
• Objectification of female characters.
• Sex.
• Nudity.
• Blood and gore.
• Gun violence.

Links to movies:

• The Man Who Stole the Sun: https://vimeo.com/899073961
• Bound: https://vimeo.com/900296208

For this Sunday Kino Night, we’re starting off with The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967), one of the highest-rated French films and one of the highest-rated musicals on Letterboxd. It follows a pair of sisters who leave their hometown of Rochefort to find romance, which leads them to become carnival singers. Bizarre msical antics that may or may not have been fuelled by cocaine then ensue. Oh, and there’s an axe murderer on the loose. And Gene Kelly’s in it too? Okay, fine, we’ll check it out. This is arguably the magnum opus of director Jacques Demy, who also did The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964), which we previously watched. It is currently ranked #142 on Letterboxd’s Top 250 films of all time. After that is Haru (1996), a highly-acclaimed romance about a lonely Japanese pair who meet on an online movie forum and begin a relationship via email. Whoa! Crazy! On top of its Literally Us qualities, this movie is a prime 90s time capsule, being the first movie about internet romance. It is the best-known and best-regarded work of director Yoshimitsu Mira, who is otherwise not really known for anything in the West.

We’ll start at 9PM EST on Hextube, right here:

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

Be there, comrades!

Letterboxd:

• The Young Girls of Rochefort: https://letterboxd.com/film/the-young-girls-of-rochefort/
• Haru: https://letterboxd.com/film/haru/

Doesthedogdie.com links:

• The Young Girls of Rochefort: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0062873/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg
• Haru: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0115431/parentalguide?ref_=tt_stry_pg

CWs for The Young Girls of Rochefort:

• French people.
• Singing.
• References to virginity.
• References to prostitution.
• References to sex.
• Violent mentally-ill person.
• Smoking.
• Alcohol abuse.

CWs for Haru:

• References to sex.
• References to prostitution.
• Alcohol abuse.
• Smoking.
• Stalking.
• Sexual harassment.

Links to movies:

Forthcoming. I have the files, and will upload shortly.