October 10, 1995

Cool Devices (1995) ****

Japanese hentai at its best. It consists of 11 "operations". "Operation" 3 is divided into 3 episodes: "Lover Doll", "Winter Swimsuit" and "Enema". Episode "Slave Warrior Maya" is divided into 2 "operations" (8 and 9).

"Curious Fruit" 

An innocent girl named Ai is lured by her curiosity into the underground world of bondage, rough sex, sado-masochism and exhibitionism. The experience transforms the girl, who embraces the lifestyle.

"Sacred Girl"

A reclusive young man and his sister live in a mansion, where the young man frequently hosts sex parties, which he watches in his room via a network of surveillance cameras.

"Lover Doll"

A female rabbit is held in a cell as sexual slave. Soon, a Catgirl enters her room and has sex with the rabbit through the cell. Later, a man comes in and punishes the Catgirl for wandering off. 

"Winter Swimsuit"

A couple has sex in a public bath house in the middle of winter. A reluctant girl is fondled, has her bathing suit cut off to expose her erogenous zones, and is coerced into performing various sex acts. 

"Enema"

A girl is coaxed into having sex in a bathroom. The ensuing sex acts culminate in anal sex which cures her constipation. 

"Kirei"

On a tropical island, two girls called Rui and Kirei are on vacation. As time progresses, they notice that there is something unusual with the natives and the beautiful butterflies that inhabit the island. As they begin to notice these oddities, they begin to have sex with each other and the natives.

"Slave Girl Marino"

Marino, a virgin, is captured by the dominatrix Saki and her master, who spend the episode training Marino to be their sex slave, a process which involves Marino being forced to perform various sex acts and submit to the demands of her masters. 

"S+M Queen Saki"

This episode is a continuation of "Slave Girl Marino", with the same characters. It takes place during a sex party. 

"Yellow Star"

Ayana's mother remarries a famous detective, who had been investigating the distribution of an illegal drug, called "yellow star", which is a mild hallucinogen, paralyzing agent, and aphrodisiac. The detective is buying a steady supply of the illegal drug so he can sexually abuse his stepdaughter. Ayana kills her stepfather and returns to a normal life with her boyfriend, Kohei. In the final scene, Ayana waits in a park for her boyfriend, but is abducted by the distributors of "yellow star" who force her into another round of sex with them. The character designer for this episode was Yasuomi Umetsu. It can be seen as a precursor to "Kite".  

"Slave Warrior Maya"

A story of Maya Misutani, an average Japanese teenager who is transported to another world, where she meets two lizard-like creatures who convince her to take all of her clothes off. She is then sold into slavery to Lord Estilgar, and used in experiments to turn her into a sex slave. She escapes and evades recapture by using a hidden power within herself to slaughter her opponents. This display of power gets the attention of two warring human and alien factions. Maya is recaptured, subjected to more sexual experiments, and is transformed into a hermaphrodite. Maya is then transferred to a dominatrix who is given instructions to break her will and turn her into a sex slave. In captivity, Maya meets another slave, Leyna, who is not used for sex. They escape, but are quickly caught. 

"Binding"

Masaki is on a train, dreaming about a woman he has never met. When he wakes up, he finds that his belongings have been stolen and that he is stranded. Masaki follows the woman who stole his things, which leads him to her mansion, where she lives with a group of other women. Masaki stays the night and soon realizes that the oldest woman is the mistress of the house and the younger women are her slaves. This leads to his voyeuristic observation of various sexual acts, before actually engaging in sex with several of the residents. Eventually there's an earthquake which destroys the house, though Masaki and one of the girls manage to escape. 

"Fallen Angel Rina"

Pop idol Rina is renowned for her amazing stage shows and musical talent, which gets her noticed by a new production company, Angel Productions. At one of her concerts, she learns that her father has suffered a medical emergency, and has been hospitalized. The manager of Angel Productions approaches her about switching to their company, and after learning her father owes the company a substantial amount of money, she agrees to sign on with them. It turns out that AngelPro also works in the flesh peddling business, and under the guise of giving her a "new image", her new managers subject Rina to public humiliations. She is taken to a sex shop pretending to be a porn actress and masturbates in a porn cinema. Later, she's auctioned off at a BDSM auction as a sex slave for 580 million yen. Six months later she returns to her career as a singer. During her performance, Rina strips naked and begins masturbating with her microphone. The final shot shows the all male audience rushing the stage and crowding around her as she smiles vacantly, with a tear streaming down her cheek.

Episodes:

"Curious Fruit" ***
"Sacred Girl" ***
"Lover Doll" ***
"Winter Swimsuit" ***
"Enema" ***
"Kirei" ***
"Slave Girl Marino" ***
"S+M Queen Saki" ***
"Yellow Star" ****
"Slave Warrior Maya" ***
"Binding" ***
"Fallen Angel Rina" ***

Wrony (1995) ****

Palookaville (1995) ****

Waterworld (1995) ****

Le Hussard sur le toit (1995) ****

Get Shorty (1995) *****

Brilliant black comedy about a Miami gangster who wants to become a Hollywood producer.

A Comedia de Deus (1995) ****

Antonia's Line (1995) ****

Braveheart (1995) ****

12 Monkeys (1995) ****

Excellent sci-fi thriller starring Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe and Brad Pitt. It presents a genuinely frightening vision of the future.

To Die For (1995) ****

Nicole Kidman is terrific in this black comedy about an ambitious woman who gets away with murder. Or does she? The last image gives "freeze frame" a whole new meaning.

The White Balloon (1995) ****

A stubborn little girl wants to buy a goldfish, but she encounters countless obstacles on her way to the market. A simple, quiet masterpiece. One of the best films about children.

The Thief And The Cobbler (1995) ****

Stylistically, this is one of the greatest animated films ever made. Edward Summer called it "a modern reinterpretation of Persian design: succulently colorful, whimsically minimal in character design, phantasmagorically rich in background detail". Unfortunately, the film (whose production started in 1968) was taken away from director Richard Williams, re-edited by Fred Calvert and released by Miramax in August 1995 as "Arabian Knight". It was a monumental flop, due to a wrongheaded marketing campaign which advertised it as a Disney-like fairy tale musical for children (similar to "Aladdin"), while in fact it's a sophisticated, avant-garde cult movie for adults. The re-editing seriously weakens the plotline, but Richard William's magnificent animation and background art remain intact. Songs:

"She Is More" **
"Am I Feeling Love" *
"Bom Bom Bom Beem Bom" **
"It's So Amazing" *

Sense And Sensibility (1995) ****

A superlative adaptation of Jane Austen's first novel. Witty, moving and very well made.

Fallen Angels (1995) ****

This is the most gorgeous looking of all Wong Kar-Wai's films - and that's saying something. It's a veritable orgy of wide-angle photography and manic montage. It features an assortement of colorful characters, including a wandering hitman (Leon Lai), a mute ex-con (Takeshi Kaneshiro) and a bevy of bad-hair-day damsels in distress in sexy oufits.

Clueless (1995) ****

Superb film starring Alicia Silverstone as the most popular student in a Beverly Hills high school. She's gorgeous, blonde, fashion-conscious and always ready to help a friend in need. Loosely adapted from Jane Austen's novel "Emma", this movie is like a delicious candy slowly melting in one's mouth.

The Blade (1995) ****

This violent and gory swordpic about revenge is one of Tsui Hark's best films. Relentlessly kinetic, the film rejects standard heroic formulas in favour of existential despair and nihilism. Made as a response to Wong Kar-Wai's "Ashes Of Time", it's a orgy of hysterical camera movement, vivid homoeroticism and bloody mayhem. The artiest gorefest or the goriest artflick, your pick.

Babe (1995) ****

Wonderful film about a little pig.

Forgotten Silver (1995) ****

A mock documentary about that forgotten pioneer of cinema, Colin McKenzie. Colin Who ? Hilarious from start to finish. An extraordinarly imaginative film. 52'

Rumble In The Bronx (1995) ****

Terrific stunts in this entertaining Jackie Chan's actioner. It's supposedly set in Bronx, but there are some magnificent mountain scenery in the background.

Casino (1995) ****

La Fille seule (1995) ****

September 9, 1995

Good Men Good Women (1995) ***

Taiwanese film about an actress who plays a role of a resistance fighter persecuted by the Kuomintang government.

Wild Side (1995) ***

Tales From The Crypt: Demon Knight (1995) ***

Living In Oblivion (1995) ***

Leaving Las Vegas (1995) ***

Fresh Acconci (1995) ***

Four Rooms (1995) ***

The Doom Generation (1995) ***

Showgirls (1995) ***

Kids (1995) ***

Desperado (1995) ***


A Midwinter's Tale (1995) ***

Some desperate actors are preparing a theatrical performance of "Hamlet" in an old country church. Released as "In The Bleak Midwinter" in United Kingdom.

A Little Princess (1995) ***

An excellent adaptation of Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic children novel about an orphan girl mistreated by a evil schoolmistress. Superb in every respect.

Latcho Drom (1995) ***

Musical ethnographic film about the Gypsies. ***

Judge Dredd (1995) ***

Sylvester Stallone plays a vigilante cop in this s-f action film, based on a popular comic strip. It's quite violent, but also very humorous.

La Haine (1995) ***

Hard-hitting drama about race riots in France.

Grajacy z talerza (1995) ***

Bajkowo-klechdowy swiat Jana Jakuba Kolskiego przedstawiony jest w tej surrealistycznej komedii o starym wiesniaku (Franciszku Pieczce), ktoremu nie spieszno umierac.

A Goofy Movie (1995) ***

Papa Goof wants to spend some quality time with his teenage son. Songs:

"After Today" *
"Stand Out" *
"On The Open Road" **
"Lester's Possum Park"
"Nobody Else But You"
"I & I" *

GoldenEye (1995) ***

A fine James Bond film with spectacular action sequences. Pierce Brosnan's first, and best, 007 movie. Izabella Scorupco is the smartest Bond girl ever (a computer expert) and one of the most beautiful as well, but it's Famke Janssen who steals the movie as Xenia Onatopp, one of the best Bond villains of all time.

The Englishman Who Went Up A Hill, But Came Down A Mountain (1995) ***

Hugh Grant is an English cartographer, who perturbs a calm Welsh village by announcing that their beloved mountain is in fact only a hill. But the faith can move mountains and the villagers find a way to correct this grave injustice.

Denise Calls Up (1995) ***

Witty and very original comedy that consists entirely of phone conversations. A calls B, C calls A, A puts B on hold, C tells A to say hello to B. A puts C on hold to tell B that C said hello. And so on and so forth. Boring ? Never. The film pulsates with energy. Dialogues are brilliant. Until the very last scene, there are never two people in the same frame.

Crumb (1995) ***

Excellent documentary about the famous underground cartoonist.

Crimson Tide (1995) ***

High-voltage action film about a mutiny aboard a US nuclear submarine during an international crises.

Before Sunrise (1995) ***

A romantic drama starring Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy as two young tourists in Vienna who spend a night together visiting the city. Seen alone, it's a cute little film, but it becomes much more than that after seeing its two sequels, "Before Sunset" (2004) and especially "Before Midnight" (2013).

Muthu (1995) ***

Pretty crazy Bollywood epic mixing martial arts and musical comedy

Under The Domim Tree (1995) ***

A sequel to "The Summer Of Aviya" (1988), set in an Israeli orphanage circa 1953. The children are mostly Holocaust survivors dealing with deep traumas.

Troublesome Creek: A Midwestern (1995) ***

Directed by Jeanne Jordan and Steven Ascher. Banks versus Iowa farmers, the 1990's. The film is available (to buy or rent) here on YouTube.

Toy Story (1995) ***

The first computer-animated feature is a winner. It has a great story, memorable characters, exciting action scenes and amusing gags. Songs:

"You've Got A Friend In Me" **
"Strange Things" *
"I Will Go Sailing No More" *

Swimming With Sharks (1995) ***

The year 1995 belonged to Kevin Spacey. He won an Oscar for "The Usual Suspects" and was equally memorable as the creepy villain in "Seven". But he gave his greatest performance in "Swimming With Shark", playing a tyrannical film executive.

Something To Talk About (1995) ***

Excellent comedy about marital tensions. Dennis Quaid plays Julia Roberts' philandering husband. Kyra Sedgwick steals the film as her groin-kicking sister.

Smoke (1995) ***

William Hurt, Harvey Keitel, Stockard Channing and Forest Whitaker star in this low-key, very profound drama set in New York City.

The Sixty Million Dollar Man (1995) ***

Stephen Chow stars in this absolutely crazy comedy from Hong Kong that parodies everything from "Pulp Fiction" to "Terminator 2".

Shanghai Triad (1995) ***

A lush period drama about Chinese gangsters.

Cold Comfort Farm (1995) ***

Wonderful British comedy about an effervescent flapper girl straightening out her hopelessly backward country cousins. Imagine a Jane Austen heroine (an overconfident and compulsive matchmaker) in the world of D.H.Lawrence or Thomas Hardy.

La Cité des enfants perdus (1995) ***

Bizarre drama about an old man stealing little children's dreams. Breathtaking visuals, mind-boggling script, superb sets, brilliant direction, bizarre performances, erratic pacing, weak continuity - an uneven and very flawed masterpiece.

The Brothers McMullen (1995) ***

Very witty and intelligent film about three commitment-shy brothers. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival.

Batman Forever (1995) ***

Riddler (Jim Carrey) and Two-Face (Tommy Lee Jones) join forces to defeat Batman (Val Kilmer), but the caped crusader can count on help from Robin (Chris O'Donnell) and sexy Dr Chase Meridian (Nicole Kidman). Jim Carrey easily steals the film from everyone else.

Assassins (1995) ***

Sylvester Stallone, Julianne Moore and Antonio Banderas star in this action movie about professional hit men trying to knock each other off. Sly's cool, understated performance contrasts sharply with Banderas' manic overacting.

Apollo 13 (1995) ***

Excellent drama based on the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission in 1970. Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon and Bill Paxton play the three US astronauts stranded in space.

The American President (1995) ***

Delicious comedy about a widowed President of United States (Michael Douglas) falling in love with an environmental lobbyist (Annette Bening).

Amateur (1995) ***

Cold and calculating black comedy about a nymphomaniac nun (Isabelle Huppert) and a porno actress (Elina Lowensohn), who are chased by vicious mafia killers. Weird, often brilliant film.

Salaam Cinema (1995) ***

An Iranian director is holding auditions.

Peace Hotel (1995) ***

Powerful, allegorical film from Hong Kong. It begins as a black comedy, and ends as an existential drama.

Nixon (1995) ***

Controversial film about Richard Nixon.

Nine Months (1995) ***

Hugh Grant is an expectant father in this modest, but amusing comedy. The film also stars Julianne Moore, Robin Williams, Tom Arnold, Jeff Goldblum and Joan Cusack.

Les Misérables du XX siècle (1995) ***

A loose adaptation of Victor Hugo's greatest novel. Its action takes place during World War II.

Mighty Aphrodite (1995) ***

Enjoyable film starring Woody Allen as a sports writer befriending the biological mother of his adopted son.

Land And Freedom (1995) ***

A young British Communist comes to Spain to fight against Franco, but soon finds out that Stalinists are more eager to slaughter fellow Marxists and anarchists than defend the Republic against fascism. A fascinating history lesson.

Il Postino (1995) ***

Bittersweet film about an Italian postman who befriends a famous poet, Pablo Neruda.

Rhythm Thief (1995) ***

Excellent indie pic about a street vendor.

Les Rendez-vous de Paris (1995) ***

French comedy about innocent and not-so-innocent flirting among attractive young Parisians. Great dialogues.

Priest (1995) ***

Controversial drama about a gay priest. The film presents a confrontation of two visions of Christianity: the hard, dogmatic and unforgiving religion of the Old Testament and the compassionate, loving and forgiving faith of the Gospel.

Pocahontas (1995) ***

A Native American princess falls in love with a dashing English settler in 1607's Virginia. Pocahontas is the sexiest Disney heroine ever (Tinkerbell included). Songs:

"The Virginia Company" *
"Steady As The Beating Drum" *
"Just Around The Riverbend" **
"Listen With Your Heart" *
"Mine, Mine, Mine" **
"Colors Of The Wind" ***
"Savages" **

Persuasion (1995) ***

A faithful adaptation of Jane Austen's last novel. A quiet, very understated comedy of manners.

Angela (1995) ***

August 8, 1995

Deux fois cinquante ans de cinema francais (1995) *

Michel Piccoli discusses the centennial of cinema with Jean-Luc Godard.

Elisa (1995) ***

Le Rocher d'Acapulco (1995) **

Interesting French film about a young girl encouraged into prostitution.

Nelly et M.Arnaud (1995) **

Interesting French film about a young woman (Emmanuelle Beart) and her friendship with an older man (Michel Serrault).

Un Indien dans la ville (1995) **

A French "Crocodile Dundee", starring Thierry Lhermitte as a Parisian stock-broker, whose son (raised among Amazonian Indians), comes for a visit. It was later remade as a Hollywood film, "Jungle 2 Jungle", starring Tim Allen.

Gazon maudit (1995) **

Vulgar, but enjoyable sex farce starring Victoria Abril as a young housewife torn between her lesbian lover (Josiane Balasco, who also directed) and her cheating husband.

En avoir (ou pas) (1995) **

Well directed film about two young people.

Les Trois frères (1995) *

Une farce assez debile.

Poussieres de vie (1995) *

Depressing film set in a Vietnamese labor camp for Amerasian children, left behind by their American fathers after the fall of Saigon in 1975.

Coute que coute (1995) *

Documentary about a food company facing bankrupcy.

La Ceremonie (1995) **

A psychological thriller directed by Claude Chabrol.

N'oublie pas que tu vas mourir (1995) *

A French drama about AIDS, love and heroism.

Adultère, mode d'emploi (1995) *

Marital infidelities, drugs, job contracts - a boring mess.

Le Bonheur est dans le pré (1995) **

Amusing comedy about a middle-aged man (Michel Serrault) trying to find a new life.

L'Amour conjugal (1995) **

Interesting film about love and revenge.

L'Appat (1995) ***

July 7, 1995

El Perquè de tot plegat (1995) ***

El Elefante y la bicicleta (1995) ***

Entre Marx y una mujer desnuda (1995) ***

The Star Maker (1995) ***

Lady Into Lassie (1995) ***

Roula (1995) ***

Twist (1995) ***