Christine (1983) - full movie

 

Based on the novel of the same name by the popular American horror writer Stephen King, Christine is an immersive 1983 horror thriller, directed by John Carpenter, about a possessive, jealous and murderous car.

What? A murderous car? Yes, that sounds unbelievable. But watching this cult classic, we were still captivated, thanks to the intriguing build-up of the story (adapted by screenwriter Bill Phillips), the solid cinematography (by Donald M. Morgan), the efficient editing (by Marion Rothman), the appropriate soundtrack with songs from the fifties and mood-enhancing synthesizer music (by director John Carpenter in collaboration with Alan Howarth), and the memorable performance of leading actor Keith Gordon as the akward high school student Arnie.

Arnie is a bespectacled nerd, who is regulated by his parents, bullied at school and ignored by every girl. In the fall of 1978, he notices a "For Sale" sign on a twenty-year-old, rusty car: a red 1958 Plymouth Fury that is almost falling apart and has 97,432 miles on the odometer. Still, Arnie buys the car for $250, restores it to its former glory and calls it Christine. Under the influence of his new car, Arnie gradually transforms from a geeky loser into a tough guy who stands up for himself and his car. While Arnie develops what can only be described as a love affair with his Plymouth, Arnie's schoolmate and only friend Dennis (played by John Stockwell) discovers that the car has a sinister history...

  

Genre: horror / thriller / mystery

Body Heat - full movie

A brooding 1989 neo-noir film by American director Lawrence Kasdan, starring William Hurt and Kathleen Turner.

Genre: neo-noir / crime / romantic drama / erotica 

Moon - full movie

Moon is an excellent 2009 science fiction mystery and the feature film debut of British director Duncan Jones (aka Zowie Bowie, because he's the son of the late pop star David Bowie).

The intelligent, unpredictable and compelling screenplay was written by Duncan Jones and Nathan Parker.

The story is set on the far side of the moon, where the lonely American astronaut Sam Bell single-handedly mans a commercial space station and oversees, with the assistance of his talking computer GERTY, the industrial extraction of Helium-3 from the lunar surface to supply Earth with solar energy. Sam's three-year shift on the moon is coming to an end and he is impatiently looking forward to his imminent reunion with his wife and daughter on Earth, when he gradually discovers that something is wrong on the moon ...

The complex and versatile role of astronaut Sam is brilliantly played by the American actor Sam Rockwell, who carries the entire movie because there are hardly any other actors on screen. That earned him a well-deserved BAFTA Award.

To watch the whole movie, click in the video screen below on the link "Watch on Odnoklassniki".

 

Genre: science fiction / mystery / psychological drama

Tombstone - movie clip

The 1993 western Tombstone by George P. Cosmatos and Kevin Jarre is loosely based on historical events in the turbulent and violent life of the legendary American marshal Wyatt Earp (1848-1929).

The movie clip below features strong performances by leading actor Kurt Russell as the cold-blooded and intense anti-hero Wyatt Earp, and by Billy Bob Thornton in his small but memorable supporting role as the insufferable faro dealer Johnny Tyler. 

During the filming of this scene, Thornton ad-libbed his lines, as he was only told to "be a bully". And he did that brillantly, giving Russell a great set-up and creative feedback for Russel's powerful delivery of his own lines.

Genre: western / biopic

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders - full movie

Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (original Czech title: Valerie a týden divů) is an artistic, taboo-breaking and visually stunning vampire fairy tale, co-written and directed by the quirky Czechoslovakian filmmaker Jaromil Jireš. First released in 1970, the film was part of the so-called Czechoslovak New Wave (which started in the early sixties).

Based on the 1935 novel of the same name by the surrealist Czechoslovakian writer Vítězslav Nezval, and merging gothic horror with folk horror, Valerie and Her Week of Wonders bursts with surrealist symbolism referring to the conflicting emotions of the young maiden Valerie (played by the then 13-year-old Czech starlet Jaroslava Schallerová), who gets her first monthly period (watch her menstrual blood drip on a daisy) and who experiences a (probably imagined) coming-of-age drama, continuously thrown back and forth between her curiosity and diffidence, obedience and rebellion, romance and embarrassment, erotic desires and religious guilt, hope and fear.

The convoluted and somewhat inconsistent plot revolves around Valerie's complex relationships with the other main characters: Valerie's strict and secretive grandmother (played by Helena Anýzová), the sympathetic youngster Orlík (Petr Kopriva), a mysterious vampire called the Constable (played by Jirí Prýmek), the two-faced priest Gracián (Jan Klusák) and the sad village girl Hedvika (Alena Stojáková), who is forced into an arranged mariage with a middle aged man.

But forget the plot and just enjoy the enchanting images, the lyrical soundtrack and the timeless, fairy-tale atmosphere that vibrates between dream and nightmare. Literally a dreamy film, Valerie and Her Week of Wonders should essentially be understood as a feverish dream of the young and impressionable title character. 

If you are a true cinephile, then you'll certainly appreciate this rather obscure gem in the history of cinema.

Genre: fantasy / horror / drama / erotica

The original Czechoslovakian film poster from 1970.

Phantom Thread - trailer

This new movie by the talented American director Paul Thomas Anderson, starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Vicky Krieps and Lesley Manville, is a feverish romantic drama set in the London fashion scene of the 1950's. 

Anderson not only wrote the script and directed, but also took care of the cinematography.

Genre: romantic drama