DOGME95
“... is a collective of film directors founded in Copenhagen in spring 1995. DOGME95 has the expressed goal of countering “certain tendencies” in the cinema today. In 1960 enough was enough! The “movie” was dead and called for resurrection. The goal was correct but the means were not! The new wave proved to be a ripple that washed ashore and turned to muck. Slogans of individualism and freedom created works for a while, but no changes. The wave was up for grabs, like the directors themselves. The wave was never stronger than the men behind it. The anti-bourgeois cinema itself became bourgeois, because the foundations upon which its theories were based was the bourgeois perception of art. The auteur concept was bourgeois romanticism from the very start and thereby ... false! To DOGME 95 cinema is not individual! Today a technological storm is raging, the result of which will be the ultimate democratisation of the cinema. For the first time, anyone can make movies. But the more accessible the media becomes, the more important the avant-garde, It is no accident that the phrase “avant-garde” has military connotations. Discipline is the answer ... we must put our films into uniform, because the individual film will be decadent by definition! DOGME95 counters the individual film by the principle of presenting an indisputable set of rules known as THE VOW OF CHASTITY. In 1960 enough was enough! The “movie” had been cosmeticised to death, they said; yet since then the use of cosmetics has exploded. The “supreme” task of the decadent film-makers is to fool the audience. Is that what we are so proud of? Is that what the “100 years” have brought us? Illusions via which emotions can be communicated? ...By the individual artist’s free choice of trickery? Predictability (dramaturgy) has become the golden calf around which we dance. Having the characters’ inner lives justify the plot is too complicated, and not “high art”. As never before, the superficial action and the s uperficial movie are receiving all the praise. The result is barren. An illusion of pathos and an illusion of love. To DOGME95 the movie is not illusion! Today a technological storm is raging of which the result is the elevation of cosmetics to God. By using new technology anyone at any time can wash the last grains of truth away in the deadly embrace of sensation. The illusions are everything the movie can hide behind.

DOGME 95 counters the film of illusion by the presentation of an indisputable set of rules known as THE VOW OF CHASTITY:

”I swear to submit to the following set of rules drawn up and confirmed by DOGME95:
1. Shooting must be done on location. Props and sets must not be brought in (if a particular prop is necessary for the story, a location must be chosen where this prop is to be found).
2. The sound must never be produced apart from the images or vice versa. (Music must not be used unless it occurs where the scene is being shot).
3. The camera must be hand-held. Any movement or immobility attainable in the hand is permitted. (The film must not take place where the camera is standing; shooting must take place where the film takes place).
4. The film must be in colour. Special lighting is not acceptable. (If there is too little light for exposure the scene must be cut or a single lamp be attached to the camera).
5. Optical work and filters are forbidden.
6. The film must not contain superficial action. (Murders, weapons, etc. must not occur.)
7. Temporal and geographical alienation are forbidden. (That is to say that the film takes place in the here and now.)
8. Genre movies are not acceptable.
9. The film format must be Academy 35 mm.
10. The director must not be credited.
Furthermore I swear as a director to refrain from personal taste! I am no longer an artist. I swear to refrain from creating a “work”, as I regard the instant as more important than the whole. My supreme goal is to force the truth out of my characters and settings. I swear to do so by all the means available and at the cost of any good taste and any aesthetic considerations. Thus I make my VOW OF CHASTITY.”

Bear in mind that the Vow of Chastity is aimed specifically at the feature-length fiction-film format. Thus, documentaries and short-films cannot be Dogme-certified. This does not mean that documentaries and short-films cannot be inspired by or state its allegiance to Dogme95, it simply means that they cannot by officially certified as Dogme-films. Thus, the line of official Dogme-films will consist solely of feature-length fiction-films.” (from the Dogma95 website www.dogma95.dk)

Dogme Films currently available in the U.S.:
Celebration (Dogme#1)(Denmark) Dir: Thomas Vinterberg
Idiots, The (Dogme#2)(Denmark) Dir: Lars von Trier
Mifune (Dogme#3)(Denmark) Dir: Søren Kragh-Jacobsen
Lovers (Dogme #5) (France) Dir: Jean-Marc Barr
Julien Donkey Boy (Dogme #6) (USA) Dir: Harmony Korine
Interview (Dogme #7) (Korea) Dir: Daniel H Byun
Italian for Beginners (Dogme #12) (Denmark) Dir: Lone Scherfig

also films from the directors who brought you the wave!!
Breaking the Waves (Denmark), Dir: Lars von Trier
Dancer in the Dark (General), Dir: Lars von Trier
Dogville (Demark, France, USA, etc), Dir: Lars von Trier
Element of Crime (Denmark), Dir: Lars von Trier
Five Obstructions (Denmark), Dir: Lars von Trier
Green Butchers (Denmark), Dir: Anders Thomas Jensen
Idiots (Denmark), Dir: Lars von Trier
Insomnia (Norway), Dir: Erik Skjoldbjærg
Kingdom, the (Denmark), Dir: Lars von Trier
Medea (Denmark), Dir: Lars von Trier
Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself (Denmark), Dir: Anders Thomas Jensen/Lone Scherfig
Zentropa (Germany), Dir: Lars von Trier

Lina Wertmuller: Italian Director Extraordinare
Born Arcangela Felice Assunta Wertmuller von Elgg Spanol von Braueich, Lina Wertmuller has been hailed and scorned for her shockingly overt themes of gender domination, subordination in role-reversals and glaring portrayals of the struggles of everyday life through political, societal, and moral filters. Wertmuller is also the first woman director ever nominated for an Oscar for an international film: “Seven Beauties.” Find out for yourself what makes Lina Wertmuller’s films bitingly comical and avant-garde. Available for rent in the Italy section. Bravo!!

The films of Lina Wertmuller:
Ciao, Professore!
A Joke of Destiny, Lying in Wait Around the Corner Like a Bandit
Love & Anarchy
Seduction of Mimi
Seven Beauties
Sotto… Sotto
Summer Night, with Greek Profile, Almond Eyes & Scent of Basil
Swept Away
(Lina Wermuller also co-wrote “When Women had Tails” with Director Pasquale Festa Campanile)

“Hong Kong” Martial Arts 101: A Beginners Guide...
Epics: Good characters mixed with great action:
Once Upon a Time in China 1 - 5
Once upon a Time in China & America
Fantasy with incredible, unbelievable choreography:
Ashes of Time
The Blade
Chinese Ghost Story
Heroic Trio (and Herioc Trio 2: The Executioners)
Lord of the Wu Tang
Swordsman (and Swordsman 2)
Zu: Warriors from Magic Mountain
Must sees for admirers of...
Bruce Lee
Chinese Connection
Enter the Dragon
Jackie Chan
Drunken Master 2
Half a Loaf of Kung Fu
Rudy Ray Moore (as Dolemite)
The Human Tornado
Kick ass action & some beautiful martial arts:
Ashes of Time
The Blade
Bride with White Hair
Chinese Connection
Dragon Inn
Dreadnaught
Drunken Master 2
Fist of Legend
Fong Sai Yuk (and Fung Sai Yuk 2)
Iron Monkey
Super Cop 2
Swordsman (and Swordsman 2)
Tai Chi Master (and Tai Chi Master 2)
Wing Chun

2000 Seen By… Inspired Visions of Doom
French producers, Caroline Benjo and Carole Scotta, in conjunction with La Sept ARTE and Haut en Court, put together 2000 Vu Par…, a visionary program of millennially themed (for those of you who believe the millennium started on 12/31/99 midnight) movies showcasing 10 different directors whose homes range from Manhattan to Mali. Enjoy urban angst vs rural bliss, linguistic politics and revisionist religion, Chinese dance by way of classic Hollywood and sleazy bars of all possible nationalities. Veritable cornucopias of brave new imagery just in time for the actual turn of the millennial screw. (Note: only 8 of the 10 have been released on video) Happy New Year!!
Alain Berliner -The Wall (aka Le Mur) (Belgium)
Laurent Cantet -The Sanguinaires (France)
Ildiko Enyedi -Tamas and Juli (Hungary)
Hal Hartley -The Book of Life (U.S.A.)
Don McKellar -Last Night (Canada)
Tsai Ming-liang -The Hole (aka Dong) (Malaysia)
Walter Salles -Midnight (Brazil)
Abderrahmane Sissko -Life on Earth (Mali)

“Beat” Takeshi Kitano
Date of birth (location) 18 January 1948 (Tokyo, Japan)
Nickname: Take-chan
Trade mark: Short quick bursts of violence.
He is credited as “Beat Takeshi” as an actor, and credited as “Kitano Takeshi” as a director.

Kitano’s original career choice of engineering was derailed when he was kicked out of school for rebellious behavior. He proceeded to learn comedy, singing and dancing from the famous comedian Senzaburo Fukami and while working as a liftboy at a comedy/strip club, he got his big break when the comedian originally scheduled to perform fell ill. Shortly after Takeshi formed the comic duo, “The Two Beats” (his stage name Beat Takeshi comes from this), which became very popular on Japanese television. Kitano started his movie acting career in the gangster film, “Violent Cop”(1989). It was during the making of this film that Kitano also began to direct when the intended director fell ill. Immediately afterwards he set out to make a second gangster movie, “Boiling Point”(1990). In 1994, just after finishing “Getting Any”, Kitano was involved in a serious motor cycle accident. He barely survived, and in an effort to change his way of life he became a painter. In his movies this same cha nge can be seen as asethetics began to play a more crucial role. Movies such as “Fireworks (Hana-bi)”(1997) and “Kikujiro”(1999) are prime examples. The following is a filmography of Beat Takeshi, actor and Kitano Takeshi, director. View and enjoy!
As Actor: Beat
Kikujiro (1999) (Japan)
Violent Cop (1998) (Japan)
Fireworks (1997) (Japan)
Johnny Mnemonic (1995) (Sci-Fi)
Getting Any? (1994) - not available
Sonatine (1993) (Japan)
Boiling Point (1990) (Japan)
Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983) (Britain)

As Director: Takeshi
Kikujiro (1999) (Japan)
Violent Cop (1998) (Japan)
Fireworks (1997) (Japan)
Kids Return (1996) (Japan) not available
Sonatine (1993) (Japan)
Scene at the Sea, A (1992) (Japan) Coming Soon!!
Boiling Point (1990) (Japan)
Scenes by The Sea: Life and Times of “Beat” Takeshi (Documentary)

Hayao Miyazaki
“To enter the world of Hayao Miyazaki is to experience a kind of light-hearted enchantment that is unique in the world of animation. He doesn’t insist, he doesn’t underline, he doesn’t hammer his point home; he seduces us with his magic. And beneath the magic are pointed observations about human nature....” Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times
Castle of Cagliostro (Anime)
Kiki’s Delivery Service (Anime)
My Neighbor Totoro (Anime)
Princess Mononoke (Anime)
Warriors of Wind (Anime)

CinemaScope: Best of the Nineties
CinemaScope is a great magazine dealing primarily with art, international, and independent films. Recently they ranked the top 84 films of the 90’s -- listed here are the top 27 of that list...
1. Breaking the Waves (Int. Misc-Denmark/France) Dir: Lars von Trier
2. Goodfellas (General) Dir: Martin Scorsese
3. Chungking Express (China/Hong Kong) Dir: Wong Kar-wai
4. Safe (General) Dir: Todd Haynes
5. Naked (Britain) Dir: Mike Leigh
6. Flowers of Shanghai (Not Available-Taiwan) Dir: Hou Hsiao-hsien
7. Fargo (General) Dir: Joel Coen
8. Hana-Bi (Japan) Dir: Takeshi Kitano
9. Pulp Fiction (General) Dir: Quentin Tarantino
10. Unforgiven (Western) Dir: Clint Eastwood
11. Dead Man (Western) Dir: Jim Jarmusch
12. L’Eau froid (Not Available-France) Dir: Olivier Assayas
13. The Celebration (Int. Misc-Denmark) Dir: Thomas Vinterberg
14. The Thin Red Line (General) Dir: Terrence Malick
15. Underground (Int. Misc-Yugoslavia) Dir: Emir Kusturica
16. Taste of Cherry (Iran) Dir: Abbas Kiarostami
17. Three Colours: Red (France) Dir: Krystof Kieslowski
18. Crumb (AIF) Dir: Terry Zwigoff
19. Mother and Son (Not Available-Russia) Dir: Alexander Sokurov
20. The Puppetmaster (Not Available-Taiwan) Dir: Hou Hsiao-hsien
21. Through the Olive Trees (Not Available-Iran) Dir: Abbas Kiarostami
22. The Piano (Australia) Dir: Jane Campion
23. Raise the Red Lantern (China) Dir: Zhang Yimou
24. Satantango (Not Available-Hungary) Dir: Bela Tarr
25. Dream of Light (Not Available-Spain) Dir: Victor Erice
26. The Sweet Hereafter (Canada) Dir: Atom Egoyan
27. Three Colours Trilogy (France) Dir: Krysztof Kieslowski

Speaking of tickling the Ivories (but not the Merchant) we offer the Films of Ismal Merchant & James Ivory!!
Autobiography of a Princess (Britian)
Bombay Talkie (India)
Bostonians (General)
Courtesans of Bombay (Britian)
Howard’s End (Britian)
Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie’s Pictures (Britian)
Jefferson in Paris (Britian)
Lumiere & Company (France)
Maurice (Britain-G&L)
Mr and Mrs Bridge (General)
Remains of the Day (Britian)
Room with a View (Britian)
Roseland (General)
Shakespear Wallah (India)
Slaves of New York (General)
Surviving Picasso (Britian)
Wild Party (General)

Eric Rohmer’s Film Series
“What interests me is to show the connections that build up between beings, and the cinema is a marvelous means to sensing what passes between them.” -Eric Rohmer
Six Moral Tales
1962 - Girl at the Monceau Bakery & Suzanne’s Career (France)
1966 - La Collectionneuse (France)
1970 - My Night at Maud’s (France)
1970 - Claire’s Knee (most popular film) (France)
1972 - Chloe in the Afternoon (France)
Six Comedies and Proverbs
1980 - Aviator’s Wife (France)
1982 - Le Beau Marriage (France)
1983 - Pauline at the Beach (France)
1984 - Full Moon in Paris (France)
1986 - Summer (France)
1987 - Boyfriends and Girlfriends (France)
Tales of the Four Seasons
1990 - A Tale of Springtime (France)
1994 - A Tale of Winter (France)
1996 - A Summer’s Tale (France)
1999 - An Autumn Tale (France)

Dusan Makavejev
Yugoslav Dusan Makavejev, author of subversive, anarchical, and provocative cinema made some films that are considered brilliant. Filmed in the years of Yugoslav socialism, he made an impact on the West only at the start of the seventies with the courageous and disturbing WR (Wilhelm Reich): Mysteries of the Organism. With this revolutionary film Makavejev triggered a re-discovery of Reich’s work by new generations and a publishing boom of his books worldwide. Even today, the film is regarded as a masterpiece of subversive cinema. See his other films to find out more about the Man, the Myth, and the Director; a ‘globe trotter’ who is marked by non-conformity and experiences that are always new in different countries.
- Coca Cola Kid (Australia)
- Gorilla Bathes at Noon (Germany)
- Innocence Unprotected (Yugoslavia - International Miscellaneous)
- Love Affair (Yugoslavia - International Miscellaneous)
- Man Is Not a Bird (Yugoslavia - International Miscellaneous)
- Montenegro (Sweden)
- Night of Love (Yugoslavia - International Miscellaneous)
- Sweet Movie (Canada-France/International Miscellaneous)
- WR: Mysteries of the Organism (Yugoslavia - International Miscellaneous)

Pedro Almodóvar
The most internationally acclaimed Spanish filmmaker since Luis Brunüel! Unable to study at Spain’s filmmaking schools because he didn’t have the money and the fact that the schools were eventually shutdown by the Franco government, Pedro experimented on his own with a Super 8 camera. His early films aided in his rise as the star of the counter-pop-culture movement in late 70’s Madrid. The “Almodóvar Phenomenon” has consequentlly reached all over the world… even Urbana-Champaign! Experience it for yourself… rent them all tonight!!
- Bad Education (2004)
- Talk to Her (2002)
- All About My Mother (1999)
- Live Flesh (1998)
- Flower of My Secret (1996)
- Kika (1994)
- High Heels (1990)
- Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down (1990)
- Women On the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
- Law of Desire (1987)
- Matador (1986)
- What Have I Done To Deserve This? (1985)
- Dark Habits (1984)
- Labyrinth of Passion (1982)
- Pepi, Luci, Bon and Other Girls (1980)
(read more about Almadovar and his films on www.imdb.com)

FILMS BY WONG KAR-WAI
If you haven’t seen any of Wong Kar-Wai’s work then check out the cutting edge of cinema with the following films and get in the know!
Ashes of Time - Absolute attention is a must for this ingeniously arranged and beautifully filmed story of a lone swordsman isolated in the desert as he becomes ironically involved with the life stories of several strangers that he encounters.
Happy Together - Marvelous acting and incredible camera-work bring us the intense tale of a gay couple living in Brazil to escape criticism in Hong Kong. Intensity builds as the heartbroken man (Tony Leung) attempts to turn away his wayward and harsh companion (Leslie Cheung).
Days of Being Wild - The first in Wong Kar-Wai’s trilogy is concerned with intertwining strangers and lonely love. The poetic movement of the film gives it an aura of decadence, despair, and hope.
Chunking Express - The second of the trilogy. This film highlights brief encounters and “almost romances” with its humorous energetic movement and fun soundtrack. All combining to create a witty up-beat style that is distinctively Wong Kar-Wai.
Fallen Angels - The final and most innovative of the trilogy. A combination of bizarre camera movement, colors, and music create an unforgettably haunting and beautiful tale of lonely people whose paths cross but do not meet.

ASIAN AMERICAN INDEPENDENT EXPERIENCE
Here are some great films from two cool directors who have earned their way into the critics spotlight. Enjoy the films of Wayne Wang and Ang Lee!
Blue In the Face
Chan is Missing (General)
Chinese Box (General)
Combination Platter (AIF)
Dim Sum (AIF)
Double Happiness (Comedy)
Eat a Bowl of Tea (Comedy)
Golden Gate (General)
The Ice Storm (General)
Iron & Silk (General)
The Joy Luck Club (General)
The Laser Man (China/HongKong)
Living on Tokyo Time (Comedy)
Slam Dance (General)
Smoke (General)
They Call Me Bruce (Comedy)
Tokyo Pop (Comedy)
The Wedding Banquet (Taiwan/G&L)

A LIST OF FRENCH MOVIES REMADE BY HOLLYWOOD (Copyright by EDWIN JAHIEL)
1970s - 1980s - 1990s
1. Beauty and the Beast (Disney 91, from Cocteau’s -uncredited- La Belle et la bete, 1946)
2. Blame it on Rio (1984) (from Berri’s Un Moment d’Egarement, 1977)
3. The Birdcage (1996) by Mike Nichols, with Robin Williams (from La Cage aux Folles, first play then film, by Edouard Molinaro,1978)
4. Breathless (1983) by Jim McBride, starring Richard Gere (from Godard’s A Bout de souffle/Breathless, 1959)
5. Buddy Buddy (81) by Billy Wilder, with Jack Lemmon & Walter Matthau, (from l’Emmerdeur/ A Pain in the A___, first a play by Francis Veber then film by Edouard Molinaro, 1974)
6. Cousins (1989) by Joel Schumacher, with Ted Danson, Isabella Rossellini (from Cousin Cousine by Jean-Charles Tacchella, 1975)
7. Dear Detective (pilot for TV series), 1979 (from same title by Philippe de Broca, 1977)
8. Diabolique (1996) by Jeremiah Chechik (from Les Diaboliques/Diabolique by Henri Georges Clouzot, 1955)
9. Down and Out in Beverly Hills (86) (from Jean Renoir’s Boudu Sauve des Eaux/ Boudu Saved From Drowning, 1932)
10. Greedy (94) (from ????)
11. Father’s Day (1997) from Les Comperes by Francis Veber
12. Happy New Year (1987) (from Lelouch film La Bonne annee/Happy New Year, 1973)
13. Intersection (1994) (from ClaudeSautet’s Les Choses de la Vie, 1969)
14. The Man Who Loved Women, (1983) by Blake Edwards, with Burt Reynolds, Julie Andrews, Kim Basinger (from Truffaut’s L’Homme qui aimait les femmes /The Man Who Loved Women, 1977)
15. Early Edition, TV series announced (1996) from film It Happened Tomorrow (1944) by Rene Clair
16. Diabolique from the film Diaboliques
17. The Man with One Red Shoe (85) (from Yves Robert’s Le Grand Blond Avec Une Chaussure Noire/ The Tall Blond Man with One Black Shoe, 1972)
18. Men Don’t Leave (1989), (from Mizrahi’s La Vie Continue, 1982)
19. The Mirror Has Two Faces
20. Mixed Nuts (1994) by Nora Ephron, starring Steve Martin, Madeline Kahn, Robert Klein, Anthony LaPaglia, Juliette Lewis, Rob Reiner, Adam Sandler (from Le Pere Noe est une ordure, 1982)
21. My Father, the Hero (1994) (from Mon pere ce heros, 1991)
22. Oscar (1991) (comedy with Stallone) (from Oscar, first a play then a French farce of 1957)
23. Paradise (1991, with Melanie (Ugh) Griffith & Don Johnson) (from Le Grand Chemin/The Grand Highway, 1987 by Jean-Loup Hubert)
24. Point of No Return (1993) (from La Femme Nikita, 1990 by Luc Besson)
25. Pure Luck (91) by Nadia Tass, with Martin Short and Danny Glover (from Francis Veber’s La Chevre/ The Goat, 1991, starring Pierre Richard and Gerard Depardieu)
26. Quick Change (1990) (from 1985 French film Hold-Up,starring Belmondo)
27. Reflections on Murder (TV film, 1974, from Clouzot’s Les Diaboliques,1955)
28. Sommersby (1992) (from Le Retour de Martin Guerre/The Return of Martin Guerre, 1982, by Daniel Vigne, starring Gerard Depardieu)
29. Sorcerer (1977) by William Friedkin (from Le Salaire de la peur/The Wages of Fear, 1952, by Henri-Georges Clouzot, starring Yves Montand)
30. Three Men and a Baby (1988) with Tom Selleck, Ted Danson, etc.by Emile Ardolino (from Trois Hommes et un couffin/Three Men and a Cradle, by Coline Serreau, a woman director)
31. The Toy (1982) (from Francis Veber’s Le Jouet , 1976)
32. True Lies (1994) (from Claude Zidi’s La Totale, 1991)
33. Valmont (1989) by Milos Forman (from 18th century novel and partly from Roger Vadim’s Les Liaisons dangereuses/ Dangerous Liaisons, 1959)
34. The Vanishing (1993) by George Sluizer, with Jeff Bridges, Kiefer Sutherland, Nancy Travis, Sandra Bullock - remake of the French-Dutch 1988 thriller The Vanishing, by the same director, George Sluizer.
35. The Woman in Red, The (1984) by (and starring) Gene Wilder, from Un Elephant cat rompe enormement/ in the US -> Pardon Mon Affaire - by Yves Robert)
36. Men Don’t Leave from La Vie Continue see Cannes 93 article in Film Francais
37. Algiers from Pepe le Moko
38. Long Night from Jour se Leve
(check out this wikipedia page for more remakes)

JAPANESE SCIENCE-FICTION (JSF)
If you haven’t spent a Saturday afternoon watching these radioactive wonders whoop each other and the cardboard cities around them, it’s not to late to. Grab some popcorn and a beanbag and give it a try. Watch the grudge match of the millenium as Godzilla takes on the most terrible Monster Zero!
Films in the Godzilla vs Series:
Godzilla vs. Biollante
Godzilla vs. Gigan
Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla
Godzilla vs. Megalon
Godzilla vs. Monster Zero
Godzilla vs. Mothra
Other classics from this section include:
Destroy All Monsters
Mothra
Rodan
Ultraman (10 amazing volumes!)
Zeram
Don’t forget extra butter on that popcorn!

P.S. If you’d rather see animated-power-suit-clad-people whoop each other, then check out our Anime (Japanese Animation) section! It’s the hottest section in the store and we’ve got way more of it (over 1000 titles) than the other kids. Please be careful though, some of it is not suitable for children.

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