Le Mot du Cinephiliaque Posted by Michael on April 12, 2016

Mother Kusters’ Trip to Heaven (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1975) Frau Kusters (Brigitte Mira) is preparing dinner late one seemingly ordinary afternoon in her seemingly ordinary kitchen in Frankfurt, Germany. Mrs. Kusters wants to add canned sausages to the stew, her annoying daughter-in-law   read more

Le Mot du Cinephiliaque Posted by Michael on March 16, 2016

(Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1980) Adapted from the Alfred Döblin novel of the same name, the short series of 15 ½ hours is an achievement in storytelling and book adaptation. With the boldness of Herr Fassbinder and his fascination for the History of Germany in the first half of the 20th...   read more

Le Mot du Cinephiliaque Posted by Michael on March 14, 2016

In a Year With 13 Moons (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1978) This drama follows the last few days in the life of Elvira (formerly Erwin) Weisshaupt. Years before, Erwin told a co-worker, Anton, that he loved him. "Too bad, you aren't a woman," he replied. Erwin took Anton at his word....   read more

Le Mot du Cinephiliaque Posted by Michael on March 8, 2016

Veronika Voss (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1982) Munich, 1955: A sports journalist meets Veronika Voss (Rosel Zech), an UFA actress who supposedly had an affair with Goebbels. Now declining, Voss is kept by her "kind" doctor, Dr. Katz, supplying her house, food, clean clothes and her favourite: mor   read more

Le Mot du Cinephiliaque Posted by Michael on March 4, 2016

Lola (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1981) West Germany, late 1950s: Lola is a singing prostitute working in a brothel that the town's bigwigs, even the mayor, like to frequent. To the annoyance of the corrupt construction entrepreneurs, especially a crass man named Schukert, the town's new building c   read more

Le Mot du Cinephiliaque Posted by Michael on March 1, 2016

The Marriage of Maria Braun (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1979) A World War II widow seeks to adjust to life in postwar Germany. Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s films have this in your face quality that few filmmakers have achieved even when trying. When your main character gets married in Berl   read more

Le Mot du Cinephiliaque Posted by Michael on February 29, 2016

In a ceremony hosted by Chris Rock's master hands filled with more humor and gags than before and with a nice pace between the awards and performances and presentations I had a pretty good run at predicting most of the awards. The only half-surprise is the win of Spotlight over...   read more

Le Mot du Cinephiliaque Posted by Michael on February 28, 2016

Even if I haven't been that much active lately on Le Mot du Cinephiliaque I wanted to bring my two cents into the ocean of Oscars predictions lists going on all around. Of all the nominees, I only watched Mad Max: Fury Road, The Revenant, and The Martian. Each film...   read more

Le Mot du Cinephiliaque Posted by Michael on February 12, 2016

The Martian (Ridley Scott, 2015) During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw...   read more

Le Mot du Cinephiliaque Posted by Michael on February 10, 2016

Titanic (James Cameron, 1997) A seventeen-year-old aristocrat falls in love with a kind, but poor artist aboard the luxurious, ill-fated R.M.S. Titanic. With a budget of over 200 millions of dollars, this epic romance disaster movie is one of the most iconic film of the 1990’s for being t   read more

Le Mot du Cinephiliaque Posted by Michael on February 3, 2016

Flight of the Red Balloon aka Le voyage du ballon rouge (Hou Hsiao-hsien, 2007) A little boy and his baby-sitter inhabit the same imaginary world: through their adventures they are followed by a strange red balloon. Taiwan director Hou Hsiao-hsien was asked to pay homage to Albert Lamorisse&#   read more

Le Mot du Cinephiliaque Posted by Michael on February 1, 2016

The Revenant (Alejandro G. Inarittu, 2016) A frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820s fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. The bear, almost everything about The Revenant has been revolving around the famous bear...   read more

Le Mot du Cinephiliaque Posted by Michael on January 29, 2016

Mad Max : Fury Road (George Miller, 2015) A woman rebels against a tyrannical ruler in post apocalyptic Australia in search for her homeland with the help of a group of female prisoners, a psychotic worshiper, and a drifter named Max. In this tale of survival, Max (Tom Hardy) is...   read more

Le Mot du Cinephiliaque Posted by Michael on January 25, 2016

I Was Born, But… (Yasujiro Ozu, 1932) Two young brothers become the leaders of a gang of kids in their neighborhood. Their father is an office clerk who tries for advancement by playing up his boss. When the boys visit the boss' house with their father, they discover that their...   read more

Le Mot du Cinephiliaque Posted by Michael on January 23, 2016

Note : this review is a contribution to Symbiotic Collaborations blogathon hosted by CineMaven’s Essays From the Couch. Takashi Shimura and Akira Kurosawa While Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa doesn’t need an introduction amongst cinephiles, actor Takashi Shimura is a mor   read more

Le Mot du Cinephiliaque Posted by Michael on January 5, 2016

The Ballad of Narayama (Shohei Imamura, 1983) In a poor 19th century rural Japanese village, everyone who reaches the age of 70 has to climb a nearby mountain to die. An old woman is getting close to the cut-off age, and we follow her last days with her family. Japanese...   read more

Le Mot du Cinephiliaque Posted by Michael on December 18, 2015

Here it is the mandatory year end list; my own top 10 of the best music of 2015. Surprise, no Adele! Enjoy and please share your picks! READ MORE   read more

Le Mot du Cinephiliaque Posted by Michael on December 18, 2015

This is a companion piece to my Top 10 albums of 2015. READ MORE   read more

Le Mot du Cinephiliaque Posted by Michael on December 17, 2015

Music Review : Costin Chioreanu – The Quest For A Morning Star (2015, Avantgarde Music) Read More   read more

Le Mot du Cinephiliaque Posted by Michael on December 16, 2015

Music Review : Grave Forsaken – The Fight Goes On (2015, Soundmass) Just like Iron Maiden and New Wave equal the 1980’s, thrash metal more often than not is the same case if not a nostalgia of a time or a form of music once iconic but now a shadow...   read more