Description
Title: Skin Striperess (1992)
Alternate Titles: Shuai pi gui, The Skinned Ghost, Sexy Ghost, Jin zhuang gui da gui
Genre: Comedy, Horror
Plot Synopsis: In a desperate attempt to secure planning approval for his resort, Mr. Lau, the owner, offers his starlet, Chi, to an official named Yung. Tragically, Chi suffers a severe accident that leaves her disfigured. Seeking a solution, Lau turns to a black magic practitioner who performs a ritual to restore Chi’s beauty using the skin of another woman. However, the spirit of the victim returns, seeking vengeance, leading to a series of supernatural events that intertwine horror with dark comedy.
Cast and Crew:
- Director: Billy Chan Wui-Ngai
- Writer: Johnny Lee Kwing-Kai
- Cast:
- Lam Ching-Ying as Taoist Lam
- Billy Lau as Mr. Lau
- Chan Wing-Chi as Chi
- Chin Shih-Erh
IMDb Link: Skin Striperess (1992)
Reviews from Letterboxd:
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𝔑𝔬𝔠𝔱𝔲𝔯𝔫𝔞 🌙 – ★★★☆☆ “An indigo-soaked black magic skin suit romp through foggy Hong Kong markets, damp alleyways, neon-lit nightclubs, and tenebrous beaches. The last half-hour delivers the goods with our malefic spirit flying around in a diaphanous kimono delivering black magic kung-fu.”
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More_Badass – ★★½☆☆ “Not nearly enough skin stripping for a movie named Skin Striperess. Director Billy Chan does eventually indulge in some HK occult clashes and Lam Ching-ying magic-fu in the final act, but too little too late.”
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Taylor Heider – ★★½☆☆ “This takes its sweet time getting to the goods. The first hour is a not very funny comedy. But the last act is pretty solid. Great atmosphere with lots of flying ghost girl action.”
Meta Description: “Skin Striperess” (1992), directed by Billy Chan Wui-Ngai, is a Hong Kong comedy-horror film that follows Mr. Lau, a resort owner who, after a tragic accident disfigures his starlet Chi, resorts to black magic to restore her beauty. The ritual’s consequences lead to supernatural vengeance, blending horror with dark comedy.
Title: Woman of Rome (1954)
Alternate Title: La romana
Genre: Drama
Plot Synopsis: Set during the Fascist era in Italy, Adriana, a beautiful yet impoverished young woman, begins her journey as an artist’s model. After a deceitful love affair leaves her heartbroken, she turns to prostitution. Amidst her struggles, she encounters Mino, an anti-Fascist partisan who falls deeply in love with her and seeks to help her find redemption.
Cast and Crew:
- Director: Luigi Zampa
- Writers: Alberto Moravia (novel), Luigi Zampa, Giorgio Bassani, Ennio Flaiano
- Cast:
- Gina Lollobrigida as Adriana
- Daniel Gélin as Mino
- Franco Fabrizi as Gino
- Raymond Pellegrin as Astarita
- Pina Piovani as Adriana’s Mother
IMDb Link: Woman of Rome (1954)
Reviews from Letterboxd:
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Adrian ☕ – ★★★★ “La Romana is a drama with some romance and crime elements. It follows a woman who just tries to be nice, but due to unfortunate circumstances, ends up falling victim to all the men in her life.”
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Bruce Rogers – ★★★☆☆ “Gina Lollobrigida has to contend with every asshat in Rome until she can find the worst to be fully brokenhearted.”
Meta Description: “Woman of Rome” (1954), directed by Luigi Zampa, is an Italian drama that portrays the life of Adriana, a young model turned prostitute during Italy’s Fascist era. The film explores themes of love, betrayal, and the quest for redemption.
Title: Hakuchi: The Innocent (1999)
Alternate Title: 白痴
Genre: Drama, Fantasy, War
Plot Synopsis:
Set in an alternate reality where World War II persists, Japan endures relentless nightly bombings, leaving the nation in ruins. Amidst the devastation, the Media Station stands as the sole surviving structure, serving as the central hub for all of Japan’s entertainment. The story follows Isawa, an assistant director at the Media Station, who becomes entangled in the propagandist machinery that fuels the ongoing war. As he navigates the morally ambiguous landscape of media manipulation, Isawa encounters Sayo, a mute woman, and Ginga, a mysterious performer. Through these relationships, he confronts themes of love, truth, and the pervasive influence of media in a war-torn society.
Cast and Crew:
- Director: Makoto Tezuka
- Writers: Ango Sakaguchi (novel), Makoto Tezuka (screenplay)
- Cast:
- Tadanobu Asano as Isawa
- Miyako Koda as Sayo
- Reika Hashimoto as Ginga
- Masao Kusakari as Kogarashi
- Shunji Fujimura as The Tailor
IMDb Link:
Hakuchi: The Innocent (1999)
Reviews from Letterboxd:
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Stanley Luk – ★★★☆☆
“Pretty damn ridiculous. Not unlike what Obayashi has been doing by re-engaging war memories by way of hyper-stylised artifice, but Makoto Tezuka’s own additional flair lies in his baffling retro-futuristic repositioning of Ango Sakaguchi’s short story into the realms of sci-fi and surrealism.” -
Lee ॐ मणि पद्मे हूँ – ★★★★☆
“Love in the time of war, all hail the new flesh, to die by your side is such a heavenly way to die etc etc etc etc etc.”
Meta Description:
“Hakuchi: The Innocent” (1999), directed by Makoto Tezuka, is a Japanese drama-fantasy film set in an alternate reality where World War II never ended. The narrative centers on Isawa, an assistant director at the Media Station, the sole surviving building in a bomb-ravaged Japan, exploring themes of media manipulation, love, and the quest for truth in a dystopian society.
Title: Desire and Hell at Sunset Motel (1991)
Alternate Title: Любовь и смерть в мотеле Сансет
Genre: Comedy, Mystery, Thriller
Plot Synopsis:
Set in 1955, toy salesman Chester DeSoto and his wife, Bridey, check into the rundown Sunset Motel near Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Their troubled marriage leads Chester to hire a psychotic beatnik named Deadpan to spy on Bridey, who is having an affair with a fellow guest, Auggie. As deceit and betrayal unfold, murder plots intertwine, all under the watchful eye of the voyeuristic motel manager. The film explores themes of infidelity, espionage, and the dark underbelly of mid-century Americana.
Cast and Crew:
- Director: Alien Castle
- Writer: Alien Castle
- Cast:
- Sherilyn Fenn as Bridey DeSoto
- Whip Hubley as Chester DeSoto
- David Hewlett as Deadpan
- David Johansen as Auggie
- Paul Bartel as The Manager
IMDb Link:
Desire and Hell at Sunset Motel (1991)
Reviews from Letterboxd:
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Ziglet_mir – ★½
“ANUS PENUS! –Bridey to Auggie –Actual quote from Desire and Hell at Sunset Motel” -
single white femalien – ★★★☆☆
“ok if i love a good neo-noir the inverse is directly proportional……… i hate a bad one!!!” -
theburkenation – ★★★½
“A completely insane, completely nonsensical, campy, watered-down ‘Lynch orbiter,’ Desire and Hell at Sunset Motel is so crazy it almost needs to be experienced once.”
Meta Description:
“Desire and Hell at Sunset Motel” (1991), directed by Alien Castle, is a neo-noir black comedy set in 1955. The film follows Chester and Bridey DeSoto’s tumultuous stay at a seedy Anaheim motel, unraveling a web of infidelity, espionage, and murder, all observed by a voyeuristic manager.
Title: A Spiral of Mist (1977)
Alternate Title: Una spirale di nebbia
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Plot Synopsis:
Maria Teresa, trapped in an unfulfilling marriage with her impotent lawyer husband, Marcello, finds her life contrasted sharply by the passionate relationship of her friend Valeria. During a hunting excursion, Valeria is mysteriously killed, and suspicion falls upon her husband, Fabrizio. Convinced of Fabrizio’s innocence, Maria Teresa becomes entangled in the ensuing investigation, leading her to confront the complexities of desire, fidelity, and societal expectations. The film delves into themes of marital discord, sexual repression, and the murky nature of truth.
Cast and Crew:
Director: Eriprando Visconti
Writers: Eriprando Visconti, Luciano Lucignani, Fabio Mauri, Roselyne Sesboue, Lisa Morpurgo
Cast:
- Claude Jade as Maria Teresa Sangermano Testa
- Marc Porel as Fabrizio Sangermano
- Carole Chauvet as Valeria Piaget Sangermano
- Duilio Del Prete as Marcello Testa
- Stefano Satta Flores as Renato Marinoni
IMDb Link:
A Spiral of Mist (1977)
Reviews from Letterboxd:
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nikki – ★★★☆☆
“Somewhere bordering on a giallo, A Spiral of Mist is more a slow, meandering mystery with little in the way of violence but much in the way of flesh…” -
Karl – ★★★☆☆
“It’s a rather dull affair but my odd fascination with Porel and the nice cinematography make it entirely watchable.”
Meta Description:
“A Spiral of Mist” (1977), directed by Eriprando Visconti, is an Italian-French drama-thriller exploring the life of Maria Teresa, who, amidst her own marital struggles, becomes involved in the investigation of her friend’s mysterious death during a hunting trip, unraveling themes of desire, fidelity, and societal norms.
Title: The Petrified Forest (1973)
Alternate Title: Kaseki no Mori
Genre: Crime, Drama
Plot Synopsis:
Haruo, a young medical student, becomes entangled in a complex web of relationships and moral dilemmas. Reconnecting with his childhood friend Eiko, who is trapped in an abusive relationship with her employer, Haruo embarks on a dangerous affair. Together, they conspire to eliminate Eiko’s oppressive lover using a lethal poison from Haruo’s university lab. Simultaneously, Haruo’s estranged mother seeks to mend their fractured relationship, adding emotional turmoil to his life. As Haruo grapples with guilt, familial obligations, and the consequences of his actions, the film delves into themes of alienation, moral decay, and the search for redemption in 1970s Japan.
Cast and Crew:
- Director: Masahiro Shinoda
- Writers: Nobuo Yamada (screenplay), Shintarō Ishihara (novel)
- Cast:
- Ken’ichi Hagiwara as Haruo
- Sayoko Ninomiya as Eiko
- Shima Iwashita
- Haruko Sugimura
- Takeshi Kusaka
IMDb Link:
The Petrified Forest (1973)
Reviews from Letterboxd:
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Gavin – ★★★★☆
“One of the bleakest and most pitiful character studies I have ever seen. The titular forest seems to be expansive and impenetrable. The characters are filled with such hatred and hopelessness.” -
Cauls_Apartment – ★★★★☆
“An engrossing… I dunno, crime thriller? It’s hard to pin the genre, I guess, it’s mostly an arthouse take on noir, probably influenced by the European new waves flowing out worldwide at the time.” -
Grant McLanaghan – ★★★★☆
“A surgeon and a cosmetician; poisonous personalities and a deadly toxin; lust and love; science and religion; self-interest and guilt – these are just some of the ingredients contributing to a compelling drama told with the twitchy paranoia of a conspiracy thriller.”
Meta Description:
“The Petrified Forest” (1973), directed by Masahiro Shinoda, is a Japanese crime drama that explores the turbulent life of Haruo, a medical student entangled in a perilous affair and familial strife. The film delves into themes of alienation, moral decay, and the quest for redemption in 1970s Japan.
