Category Archives: foreign

silent horror film

“The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari” Fully Restored Silent Horror Film

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The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari

A Nightmare World of Shadows and Madness

I enjoy watching quality silent horror films, particularly those by German Expressionists. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari captures the chilling essence of horror through captivating cinematic perspectives.

Directed by Robert Wiene and written by Carl Mayer and Hans Janowitz, the 1920 German film centers on a young man named Francis. He remembers a terrible incident at the Holstenwall annual fair involving him, his friend Alan and his fiancée, Jane.

The Birth of Psychological Suspense in Silent Film

Francis and Alan attended The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari exhibit at the fair. A mysterious psychiatrist shows how Cesare has been sleepwalking for most of his life.

The doctor has Cesare show his clairvoyant powers. Alan asks Cesare about his future, and Cesare tells Alan that he will die before dawn. Alan tries to shake this off as if it were nothing.

But the following day, Francis finds Alan dead and suspects Cesare of killing him. Francis spies on Dr. Caligari and Cesare to prove who killed Alan.

The next night, Cesare is about to stab Jane in her bed, but grows infatuated with her when he realizes how beautiful she is. Instead of murder, Cesare abducts Jane.

How the Movie Inspired Gothic and Noir Storytelling

The abduction causes a disturbance in the house and awakens Jane’s father. Realizing Cesare had kidnapped his daughter, he and his servants gave chase. Cesare realizes he cannot outrun her father and his servants, so he gently lays Jane down and runs away.

Francis joins the police to investigate Dr. Caligari. Yet, the psychiatrist easily slips away. But Francis follows him into a place for the insane. There, Francis enters the asylum and finds the truth behind the mysterious death and kidnapping.

The original 1920 horror classic is now available on Ultra HD Blu-ray in a meticulous 4K restoration by the F. W. Murnau Stiftung. Also included is a new orchestral score by Emmy-winning composer Jeff Beal.

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari Blu-Ray also includes the documentary Caligari: How Horror Came to the Cinema, a restoration demonstration, and audio commentary by composer Jeff Beal.

Symbolism Hidden in the Distorted Sets and Designs

Film aficionados believe The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari jolted the postwar masses and catapulted the German Expressionist film movement into history.

The plunge into the mind of insanity that severs all ties with the rational world. A nightmare realm in which light, shadow and substance create a world in which a demented doctor and a carnival sleepwalker perpetrate a series of ghastly murders in a small community. Wiene delivered a well-crafted horror film.

Psychological Horror Before Hollywood

Wiene was a German screenwriter, director and producer during the silent era. His best-known movie is The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. He also wrote and directed other films of various genres and styles.

Because he was of Jewish descent, he fled Germany into exile in Paris, France, where he died at age 65 in 1938.

Wanda at her best in Where's Wanda?

“Where’s Wanda?” Dark Comedy

Apple TV, comedy, episodic, foreign, mystery,
Where's Wanda?

The Series Balances Humor and Suspense

Apple TV says that Where’s Wanda? is its first German-language series. It’s a dark comedy that follows Dedo and Carlotta Klatt as they desperately try to locate their missing 17-year-old daughter, Wanda.

The Mystery Behind Wanda Klatt’s Disappearance

Wanda disappeared months ago without a trace. The police fail to find her, and the family takes matters into their own hands. They obtain surveillance devices with the help of their tech-savvy son, Ole.

Secrets Hidden in the Town of Sundersheim

The Klatt family even disguise themselves as employees of an electrical company so that they can bug their neighborhood and half their suburb. As they investigate the disappearance of their daughter, they secretly spy on their neighbors to find out what goes on behind closed doors. None of their neighbors is who they pretend to be.

La Maison a French series

“La Maison” Storyline

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La Maison, Foriegn series

High fashion meets high stakes in this behind-the-curtain look at how an iconic fashion house is thrown into scandal and reinvention by a viral video featuring star designer Vincent Ledu, played by Lambert Wilson, leaving his family’s iconic and legendary haute couture house, LEDU, hanging by a thread.

Perle Foster, played by Amira Casar, Vincent’s former muse still in his shadow, collaborates with visionary next-generation designer Paloma Castel, played by Zita Hanrotto, to save, evolve and renew the century-old Maison LEDU. Taking advantage of Vincent’s demise, Diane Rovel, played by Carole Bouquet, the ruthless CEO of the powerful Rovel luxury group, launches an offensive to acquire what she sees as her most important prize: Maison LEDU. To achieve her goal, anything is fair game, as this is more than acquiring just another brand — it’s about revenge.

Familia De Medianoche

“Familia De Medianoche (Midnight Family)” Storyline

Apple TV, drama, episodic, foreign, true stories, , ,

Inspired by the award-winning documentary of the same name, “Midnight Family” follows Marigaby Tamayo, an ambitious and gifted medical student by day.

She spends her nights saving lives aboard her family’s privately owned ambulance in sprawling, contrasted, and fascinating Mexico City.

Along with her father, Ramón, and her siblings, Marcus and Julito, Marigaby serves a population of millions by tackling extreme medical emergencies to make a living.

Pachinko Season 2

“Pachinko” Season 2 Storyline and Images

Apple TV, drama, episodic, foreign, , ,

The upcoming second season of Pachinko is the award-winning, globally acclaimed sweeping drama series created and executive-produced by Soo Hugh. The eight-episode series plays to the audience in three languages—Korean, Japanese, and English.

Pachinko Season 2

The trailer debuts a new moving cover of Coldplay’s Viva La Vida by global superstar Rosé of the record-breaking K-pop group BlackPink. In addition to debuting as the series’ trailer anthem, Rosé’s cover is also featured in the Pachinko season two finale. 

Based on the New York Times bestselling novel of the same name, Pachinko is a sweeping and deeply moving story of love and survival across four generations, told through the eyes of a remarkable matriarch, Sunja.

In season two, the parallel stories pick up in Osaka in 1945, where Sunja is forced to make dangerous decisions for her family’s survival during World War II, and in Tokyo in 1989, where Solomon explores new, humble beginnings. 

The first season received 11 international awards, including a Peabody Award, an American Film Institute Award, a Critics Choice Award and a Gotham Independent Film Award. Season two stars Lee Minho, Yuh-Jung Youn, Minha Kim, Jin Ha, Anna Sawai, Eunchae Jung, Soji Arai, Junwoo Han, and Sungkyu Kim.

“Housekeeping for Beginners” A Quietly Political Film

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Filmmaker Goran Stolevski delivers a story exploring the universal truths of family, both the ones we’re born into and the ones we find for ourselves.

Visual Style and Realism

Gradually, we learn in Housekeeping for Beginners that Dita never wanted to be a mother. Yet circumstances force her to raise her girlfriend’s two daughters, tiny troublemaker Mia and rebellious teen Vanesa.

Samson Selim stars as Ali, Vladimir Tintor as Toni, Anamaria Marinca as Dita and Sara Klimoska as Elena in director Goran Stolevski’s HOUSEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS, a Focus Features release. Credit: Viktor Irvin Ivanov / © 2023 FOCUS FEATURES LLC.

Complex Relationships That Drive the Narrative

The story turns into a heartfelt drama. A battle of wills ensues as the three continue to butt heads and become an unlikely family that must fight to stay together.

The foreign language film with subtitles features Anamaria Marinca, Alina Serban, Samson Selim, Vladimir Tintor, Mia Mustafa, Dzada Selim, Sara Klimoska, Rozafë Çelaj, and Ajse Useini.

Director Goran Stolevski on the set of his film HOUSEKEEPING FOR BEGINNERS, a Focus Features release. Credit: Viktor Irvin Ivanov / © 2023 FOCUS FEATURES LLC.

Goran Stolevski’s Intimate Filmmaking Approach

“I’ve always been drawn to moments that feel ‘found’ or ‘discovered’ as opposed to ‘staged.’ A lot of my filmmaking background has, from necessity, been built around shoestring budgets and skeleton crews. I’ve embraced this reality, developing a ‘verité’ style that has now become an important element of my work. I am a big believer in working with what’s there, rather than against it — assessing the means at my disposal and shaping the most exciting imaginable story around them,” explains Stolevski.

Films by Goran Stolevski:
Of an Age
You Won’t Be Alone
Would You Look at Her