way of the dragon (1970)

AKA Meng long guo jiang. Return of the Dragon. Fury of the Dragon. Revenge of the Dragon.
"What I want, I get. And I want that restaurant!"
Tang Lung (Bruce Lee) arrives in Rome to help run a restaurant and is told the mafia are after the property. Unable to defeat Tang, the gangsters hire the best martial artists they can find to fight him. It is left to Colt (Chuck Norris) to showdown with Tang in the Colosseum.
This starts out as a fish out of water style comedy, but a third of the way through switches to what Bruce does best, action and lots of it.

torso (1974)

AKA I corpi presentano tracce di violenza carnale. Carnal Violence. The Bodies Presented Traces of Carnal Violence.
"They were just dolls."
A serial-killer is on the loose, dismembering beautiful young girls on the Italian University campus. The only clue is a distinctive red scarf. American student Jane (Suzy Kendall) and some friends decide to decamp to an uncle's villa in the country, but unfortunately for them so does the killer.
Beautifully photographed chiller, that provides a number of heart in the mouth moments. An underrated Giallo, that deserves more exposure.

cobra verde (1987)

"I don't trust shoes."
Its Nineteenth Century Bahia, and the bandit Francisco Manoel da Silva aka Cobra Verde (Klaus Kinski) is given the job as overseer on lord Octavio Coutinho's (José Lewgoy) sugar plantation. When Cobra gets all three of Octavio's daughters pregnant, he is sent to West Africa, to buy slaves. Being the only white man in the area brings many pressures and leads to abuse, torture and whilst Cobra reacts by raising a rebel army, it is obvious he is going insane.
The film that broke Herzog and Kinksi's relationship. This is a contemplative piece, with Kinksi using all his brooding majesty to hold the attention.

taxidermia (2006)

"Let's grunt together because lifes too short."
Morosgoványi (Csaba Czene) is a lowly soldier stationed in a remote Hungarian farmhouse during WWII, and spends much time having sexual fantasies about the women who live there. Thirty years later we follow the story of Balatony Kálmán (Gergely Trócsányi), Morosgoványi's son, his fall and attempted rise again, as a professional speed eater. Another thirty years pass and we meet Balatony Lajoska (Marc Bischoff), a taxidermist, who spends his time working or feeding his father, an overweight blob and his equally overweight cats.
Hilariously sick and outrageous but visual feast. The story of three extraordinary stories of three generations. From the opening shots of a man expelling fire from his penis, you know this is going to be something different!

5ive girls (2006)

"The devil is a liar, a trickster, and a thief... but he ain't a Latin major."
St. Marks catholic boarding school takes in five troubled teens, Alex, Mara, the blind Cecilia, Leah and Connie, who are overseen by the strict headmistress Miss Pearce (Amy Ciupak Lalonde) and Father Drake (Ron Perlman). The girls are soon fighting demons and have to uncover the truth about the school...
Run of the mill modern horror, with feisty females kicking demon ass.

plan 9 from outer space (1959)

AKA Grave Robbers from Outer Space.
"Can your heart stand the shocking facts about Graverobbers from Outer Space?"
Aliens land in an LA cemetery and enact 'plan 9' re-animating the dead to take over the world. Who can stop them? Why an intrepid airline pilot who lives nearby that's who!
Classic film from the 'so bad its good' stable. Marvel at the ingenuity of Ed Wood as he makes a passable film for what looks like all of $20.

the girl in the picture (1986)

"I do love her. It's just the word that's wrong."
Alan (John Gordon Sinclair) is a photographer working in a family portrait studio, dreaming of getting further with his art. He lives with Mary (Irina Brook), but the relationship is in a malaise and she splits up with him. Alan tries to find consolation elsewhere, but Mary is never far from his thoughts, but she seems less keen on a reconciliation.
A light, charming and very low key romantic comedy for those who love Bill Forsyth films.

master spy (1964)

"I'd say his only loyalty is to science."
Dr Turganev (Stephen Murray), a Russian scientist makes a claim for asylum whilst in Britain. He is keen to join Dr Pembury (Ernest Clark) and the British government let him as he is working on similar research. But is Turganev really a defector, or does he have other motives to joining Pembury?
A low budget is no hindrance to this cleaver little film, with plenty of plot twists and turns, and features June Thorburn as the lab assistant that Turganev does not want.

thirst (2009)

AKA Bakjwi. Kawaki.
"Those who seek direct communication with God are prone to self-hatred."
Sang-hyeon (Kang-ho Song) is a priest, dedicated to helping others, who volunteers for a secret vaccine project trying to eradicate a deadly virus. Complications ensue and the priest dies following a blood transfusion, but then miraculously revived, he re-enters society as a fated miracle worker. He stays with a friend he has cured of cancer, and it is there that he starts to struggle with new found desires. Especially when he starts to be attracted to the friends wife Tae-ju (Ok-bin Kim) and he descends into a world of sensual pleasures craving blood.
Visually and viscerally stunning horror.

audition (1999)

AKA Ôdishon.
"Kiri kiri kiri kiri kiri kiri!"
Single father Aoyama (Ryo Ishibashi), has not dated since his wife died seven years previously. To help him, his best friend, television producer Yoshikawa (Jun Kunimura), hits on the idea that they should audition actresses for the role of companion. During the auditions Asami (Eihi Shiina) enters, who Aoyama thinks is perfect. But then Aoyama starts learning odd things about her past...
Once seen, never forgotten. A classic Japanese horror that pulls no punches and is all the more disturbing as it suckers you in as a light romantic comedy, until suddenly...

a kind of loving (1962)

"I wish she'd never set eyes on you."
Vic Brown (Alan Bates), is a typical working class young man, just trying to make his way in the world. His world is turned upside down when Ingrid (June Ritchie), a girl he is ignoring rather than chuck, announces she is pregnant. This being 60's Britain, that means only one thing, marriage. To make things worse they have to move in with her mother, as they cannot afford a place of their own. Then the unthinkable happens and she miscarries, and Vic henpecked by his mother-in-law increasingly feels trapped.
A 60's classic kitchen sink drama of the "Angry Young Man" style.

beat girl (1959)

AKA Wild for Kicks.
"Well you've gotta live for kicks, that's all you've got."
Jenny (Gillian Hills) is the rebelious teenage daughter of Paul Linden (David Farrar), an architect who has recently got remarried to Nicole (Noëlle Adam), a young Parisian. Jenny hangs out in coffee bars listening to jazz, and causing trouble to her parents. Especially when she finds out that Nicole used to be a stripper, but then she catches the eye of the lecherous Kenny (Christopher Lee), a local stripclub owner, trouble for Jenny cannot be far away.
Featuring Adam Faith, Oliver Reed and Shirley Anne Field, this is a sleazy and down right grimy look at the beatnik scene of coffee bars and strip clubs. It also features an early score by John Barry soundtracking Soho's grimier side. Just the everyday story of a spoiled little rich girl.

the anniversary (1968)

"Well Terry are you going to please your mother on her anniversary?"
The family gathers for the anniversary of Mrs. Taggart (Bette Davis),a domineering mother who has three sons.
Terry, Henry and Tom (Jack Hedley, James Cossins, and Christian Roberts) all have things they need tell their mother: Tom intends to marry; Terry wants to emigrate to Canada; and Henry is transsexual. Mrs Taggart has one mission in life to keep her sons close to her, and will go to any lengths to do so.
One for Bettie Davis fans, as she trashes everyone and everything, stealing the film with her bitchy self. One liners zing around the set, sit back and watch the battle.

cat people (1982)

"I'm the only one who can touch you. You're the only one who can touch me."
Irena Gallier (Nastassja Kinski) comes to America to stay with her long lost brother Paul (Malcolm McDowell), who is more than friendly with her. As she is sexually awakened she begins to understand that she is a cat person, a race of beings that can only mate with their own kind, as they morph into a panther when sexually aroused. Unfortunately for her it looks like she and her brother may be the last of the breed.
Erotic remake of the much superior 1942 horror. Visually stunning re-versioning, that never matches the original.

machine-gun kelly (1958)

"I didn't want to be public enemy number one!"
Machine-Gun Kelly (Charles Bronson), is a bank robber, who pushed by his moll, Flo (Susan Cabot), decides to up his game by moving into kidnapping. He happens upon a little girl waiting for her nurse and snatches her for ransom, along with her nurse. But things start to unravel when Apple (Richard Devon) makes a play to take over the gang, resulting in one fat mountain lion, and one less gang member.
A fictionalised account of the life of George "Machine Gun" Kelly, that far from eulogising the gangster, shows him as a manipulated and self-loathing thug, and worthy of it. A nicely made small scale noirish thriller, by Corman.

bullet in the head (1990)

AKA Die xue jie tou. Bloodshed in the Streets. Wild Bullet.
"You're pointing a gun on a good friend you've known for more than a decade!"
Three friends (including Tony Leung), happily growing up in the Hong Kong of the late 60's, are thrown into chaos when they exact retribution on a gang member when he tries to mug one of them. The gangster dies and the three try to escape the police and the triad by moving to Vietnam. Unfortunately they end up in greater trouble as Saigon is in the beginings of the termoil that is to become the Vietnam war. As they get more and more embroiled in the events of the day their friendships become tested.
Another classic gangster film from John Woo, this time with a social conscience. The Hong Kong Deer Hunter.

poor cow (1967)

"Oh don't be rotten."
Joy (Carol White) is a working class London girl, who is prone to making the wrong decisions. Having a kid, just as her husband Tom (John Bindon) is sent to jail. She then takes up with a number of 'wrong-uns', including Tom's mate Dave (Terrence Stamp), as she struggles to cope as a single mum.
A mix of drama and psuedo documentary, with Joy telling her story in voice over, living the flip side to Swinging London. This is powerful and gritty view of a lost East End way of life. John Bindon was in real life an associate of the gangland bosses the Krays, and bizarrely Princess Margaret. She probably loved his rough and ready ways, and his trick with a pint of beer!