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A Woman Under the Influence (1974)
You live the movie instead of watching it.
A woman under the influence is a great movie by one of, if not THE, founders of the US independent cinema. For those who are used to Hollywood movies, it's a completely uncharted territory. The experience you go through watching John Cassavetes' movies like a woman under the influence cannot be explained in words. It is so tense and so real as if you live the movie instead of watching it.
This is why the movie is not for everyone. If you watch movies to get entertained, you definitely do not want to watch movies like a woman under the influence. This is only for those who look for something else.
Sílení (2005)
Not an animation
If you happen to like this movie, you owe it to yourself to watch the hourglass sanatorium.
I think there are enough reviews about Lunacy, but I am surprised that no one has mentioned the influences that the hourglass sanitorium must have had on the director (my guess).
Even after reading several reviews, I'm still struggling to figure out what the director at this caliber has tried to accomplish that had not been done before. Don't get me wrong, the film is beautifully done, the plot, performances, animation, ... are all great, but is there anything else that this movie offers that we haven't seen before? Even if it doesn't, it is still a good movie. For instance, anyone who watches the movie would be left with a strong image of Marquis de Sade, better than any performances seen before.
La ilusión viaja en tranvía (1954)
Mexico's modernization
I looked for this movie all over a few years ago when I finally watched it. Another masterpiece by Luis Buñuel even though he had very little freedom, time and budget when making it. There are a few good reviews on this movie in English (unfortunately, I don't speak Spanish). This masterpiece touches on several crucial subjects: transition of the Mexican society to "modernity" from several angles, perhaps most important ones being separating the workforce from what they make (refer to alienation by Karl Marx), aleniating people from their past, their traditions and heritage, in one word their lives, criticizing the stupid bureaucracy in the modernization process (and the upcoming modern life), showing the real aspects of the ordinary people in a surrealist movie, and the list goes on. There scene where the slaughter house workers get on the train (Min 30:59 ) is perhaps the most famous and effective scene of this not so well known Buñuel's masterpiece.
Maccheroni (1985)
Unfairly Underrated
I'm writing this only because I felt this movie is unfairly underrated maybe because of the horrible review that the Spielberg lover wrote. Also, I was not able to find a semi-decent review. I'm not a film critic, so here is just a few bullet points.
It's not about the plot, that's what the Spielberg lover didn't get about the movie. The plot (and the several subplots) are all the platform to beautifully show the ordinary life in Naples, as said by Mastroianni towards the end of the movie (can't remember the exact translation, but something like beautiful and cruel). In the middle of crisis, an old friendship is so important to Marcelo Mastroianni. The movie brilliantly shows that with all contradictions, life is not too serious in Naples (even as simple as enjoying an icecream like a child), that people manage to have hobbies like writing or directing amateur plays, or how important family is, or how important the religion and traditions are (when though we never get to know how much Mastroianni really believed in them), how connected people are to each other, or enjoying the sunlight at the beach (AND ENJOY WASTING TIME), ..., and how proud they are even if they are poor (not asking or even accepting financial help when they need it most, or saying "but the criminals were from the north" although admitting the situation with crimes in their own city). What about the scene that Mastroianni is picking up the garbage and nagging about the drunks who trash the streets to showing his frustrations towards his beloved drink friend (doesn't he have the same feeling about his city and its people?), .... I would have to go through each and every scene if I want to go on. And, the contrast between the life styles. The first time we see Jack's Hotel room, we see a bottle of hard liquor and bunch of pills by his bed while he is suffering from a headache. What about the time that Jack orders whiskey but Marcello says no not at this time of the day, being him a such and such icecream. How about the openness of the people vs Jack (all he says about his personal life in the entire movie is that he is going through a divorce). And, what about the places, is there anything else left in the Naples that the director didn't show in the movie, but were we aware that we were getting a tour of all these places and neighborhoods, maybe we noticed how bad the traffic is)...
Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma (1975)
A masterpiece about what we all want not to see
There are tons of reviews out there. I would like to mention two points:
1) Pasolini's quote about the responsibility of each artist and each critique ... indicating why he made the movie The way he did it
2) This quote from an article: "Pursuing this line of argument, "Rethinking Salò After Abu Ghraib" examines the overlap between the visual iconography of cruelty in the film and the photographic documentary record of torture at Abu Ghraib, finding a troubling proximity."
Ko to tamo peva (1980)
Serbian bus ride
It's a good movie.
I think there's enough reviews and journal papers discussing the Serbian and Roman elements of the movie as well as its narration.
As a huge Luis Buñuel fan, I cannot resist comparing this movie with Buñuel's Mexican Bus Ride on the 1950s.
The two movies have lots of similarities in terms of theme, structure, etc. one about the Serbian society and the other Mexican society.
If you like who's singing over there, you definitely need to watch the Mexican Bus Ride.