Monthly Archives: July 2013

Battle of the sexes dressed in Sixties’ Groove, “Femina ridens” [1969 Italy]

Contrary to critics who enthusiastically slap Piero Schivazappa’s “Femina ridens” [Eng. Title: The Laughing Woman] with the ‘sexploitation’ label, it is actually a stylish erotic thriller, with some genuine interest in discussing feminism. The unfortunate tag is perhaps largely to … Continue reading

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Claudia Goytia in “Rojo Orgásmico” [2012 Mexico]

“Rojo Orgásmico” is the first film by Christian González that I’ve come across, even if he appears to have been making films for ever. Perhaps because, as in this case, his films tends to aim at a niche local audience. … Continue reading

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A brief look at “Das Leben ist eine Baustelle.” [1997 Germany]

Having enjoyed watching Good Bye Lenin, I was looking forward to Wolfgang Becker’s earlier romantic drama “Das Leben ist eine Baustelle.” [Eng. Title: Life is All You Get.] – it was after all well received at festivals, and also starred a … Continue reading

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Letting in some fresh air, “Abrir puertas y ventanas” [2011 Argentina]

Milagros Mumenthaler’s début feature, “Abrir puertas y ventanas” [Eng. Title: Back to Stay] is a character study of three siblings coming to terms with familial loss, and trying to fill the vacuum left behind. Marina (María Canale), Sofia (Martina Juncadella), … Continue reading

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Life is a nightmare – “Sílení” [2005 Czech Rep, Slovakia]

  Czech director Jan Svankmajer is renowned for his surreal films and fascinating stop-motion animations that some may find macabre. In his 2005 film, “Sílení” [Eng. Title: Lunacy], he opens the film in person and informs that we’re about to … Continue reading

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