Andrei Tarkovsky's haunting classic Stalker (Сталкер) (1979) is a must-see for cinephiles.

If you've played the video game S.T.A.L.K.E.R., you already have a sense of the 'feel' of this film as both are based on Arkady and Boris Strugatsky's 1972 novel Roadside Picnic. Those two also wrote the screen play, which diverges from the book.

Infused with visual callbacks to Soviet gulags and the Chernobyl disaster, the film is about a stalker. For a price, the he will guide interested pilgrims from the crumbling and polluted normal world, past guards and hazards, and into the "Zone" where a wellspring of small life is overtaking the decaying creations of man. A dystopian normality is replaced with aberrant physics, harrowing obstacles both mental and physical, and most importantly with a chance to reach "The Room" where one's desire might be granted...for a sacrifice. That is the trek, but the story is about the men, specifically, as titled, the Stalker.

The stalker has a family, he's fresh from jail and is about to risk a return if he isn't killed, first. His inner journey is more important than the physical one and is described as much with ambient sound and water as with action and dialog. With a writer and professor in tow, the stalker again undertakes the pilgrimage despite concerns from his wife. His desire for the Zone itself and the money he'll make outweigh his wife's concerns, but not his love for her and their child. Will it be worth it? Is he doing more harm than good? Does anyone know and can anyone choose a better path? Filled with loaded imagery and motiff from faith and love to war and cynicism, this film slowly reflects on a variety of conflicting ideas without forcing any single principle to be the sole answer (though one could argue that there's a theme).

The movie is available through various library subscriptions, youtube, HBO, and will air on TCM (Turner Classic Movies) on Sunday Night/Monday Morning October 27 2025 at 2:00am EDT. Find a long block of empty time to give it a try.

Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy (1970)/ 智取威虎山 / Zhi qu wei hu shan

This film is complete propaganda, but that's okay. It's not like the U.S. and other countries didn't have propaganda movies (I'm looking at you, Private Buckaroo). The possible difference here is that rather than studios 'choosing' to support our troops and getting free help from the military, here the government -- specifically Mao's wife, Jiang Qin, who was highly influential in the Cultural Revolution -- was explicitly looking to create "eight model operas". This was the first of the set. Several were shown each year -- even in small villages -- and attendance may not have been exactly compulsory, but it was easier to go than explain why you did not. Because of the close-to-national attendance, this may be the most watched film of all time with a supposed view count of over seven billion views before the internet expanded its reach.

Based on a novel from the 50s, Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy and directed Xie Tieli, the film is basically a filming of the opera with close-ups and a variety of shots and camera work to keep it from becoming overly static. Set during the civil war in 1946, the opera follows a detachment of the People's Liberation Army in Manchuria searching to eliminate a group of bandits which are hiding in well fortified camps in the mountains. Along the way, we meet bandits, soldiers, and common people who may be suspicious at first, but soon see the correctness of Mao's plan, and are eager to help the army get rid of the bandits.

The music and action is traditional and as it would be seen on a stage with evocative set design. When the story calls for riding a horse, the dancing denotes riding and horse whinnies are heard in the distance of the orchestra, but no horse is onstage. When there is fighting, the dance become acrobatic with leaps and lifts to connote feints and conflicts. Throughout, the message is how the People's Army is making things better, and how ready the public is to work hard to make a better tomorrow.

While the spectacle is initially thrilling, viewers are unlikely to stay transfixed as they see the same sort of thing over and over. The beginning is heavy with dialog that may require a quick rewind to read the subtitles, but there are points that the film drags. The resolution is satisfying, but a forgone conclusion. This might not be the greatest film ever made, but since it is probably the most viewed, it is worth seeing if only for historical reference.

Oh, one other thing: Musician Brian Eno used the same title for one of his albums.

But people in China certainly seem to think this is an example of AI. China Digital Times reports that it wasn’t just the same-sex image that was altered, but the distributor did also cut out some straight sex scenes from the film... As one user implies, the AI is a more sophisticated and “terrifying” form of censorship because smart viewers have figured out ways to get around obvious censorship or can tell the difference, but that’s much harder with AI. Here’s a smattering of some of the comments, sarcasm implied on the last one:

...in the future, we won’t even be able to tell if we’re watching the original film or not.

...This is nauseating because it not only interferes with the integrity of the plot, it disrespects the sexual orientation of the actors....

...Awesome! Next, let’s use one-click AI to re-release “Brokeback Mountain,” “God’s Own Country,” “Lan Yu,” and “Happy Together” as “restored” hetero romances...

Based on the book Simulacron-3 published in 1964, Rainer Werner Fassbinder directed the 2-part miniseries, Welt am Draht (World on a Wire), in 1973 for German TV, but wow! It coulda shoulda been movies from the start. Criterion describes it this way:

With dashes of Stanley Kubrick, Kurt Vonnegut, and Philip K. Dick, Fassbinder tells the noir-spiked tale of reluctant hero Fred Stiller (Klaus Löwitsch), a cybernetics engineer who uncovers a massive corporate conspiracy.

This was three years before Star Wars and nine years before its closer cinema relative, Blade Runner. More importantly, it was sixteen years before the Berlin Wall came down, so there's an intensely Cold War feel to story despite some easing of tensions and attempts to make peace with 'the other side'. Viewers can weigh how much they want to think of the story as parable and how much they want to just watch some early science fiction.

There isn't much action and the pacing may be too slow for many modern viewers, but it remains an amazing expression of talent for what Fassbinder could make of a limited budget and sweeping concepts. The confusion and tension want space to develop. And sure, the helmet is cheesy compared to the sleek CGI creations we'd get today, but by 1970s standards, it was pretty spiffy. Rather than concentrate on such details, sit back and fall in to a world of lies and suspicion. It is very long. You will appreciate that it is in two parts. Turner Classics Movies lists it under Sunday night, but gives its time in Eastern Daylight (NYC time) as: 2:15am-6:00am EDT Monday Sept. 29. It is also available through various online sites and for purchase at various stores.

Side note: The credit music is Albatross by Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac (before he left it and their sound changed).

1935 had some great movies, with the 1936 Academy Awards giving Oscars for some important films including: Mutiny on the Bounty, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and The Informer, so it is no surprise the only Ocsar "The Lives of a Bengal Lancer" could claim was for 'Best Assistant Director'. Films that were nominated but got nothing included: Les Misérables, Top Hat, David Copperfield, and Captain Blood. The quality of that competition speaks to how good 'Lancer' is (or at least was for the time).

From wikipedia:

Critic Otis Ferguson said he was "taken by the show, imperialism and all." Andre Sennwald of The New York Times said the film "glorified the British Empire better than any film produced in Britain for that purpose." Sennwald added that Paramount's "Kiplingesque" movie "ought to prove a blessing to Downing Street." The film proved so popular in the United States that it spurred a series of imperial films that continued throughout the decade and into the next decade.

Like actual warfare, most of the film is spent far from the battlefields. There are scenes discussing strategy, hanging out in the barracks, doing chores and so on, This is sure to bore the modern audience that expects action movies to be an orchestrated ballet of adrenaline and destruction. Instead, there is a lot of talk about what sort of leader the Colonel is. There is fighting and some other action, but the film is examining a group of men at different stages of life, how they act and how they see one another.

So complain about the Imperialism, complain about the grammar of the title, "The Lives of a Bengal Lancer", and complain that the only thing it shares with the source book is its title, but give the film credit for being a groundbreaking 'talkie' adventure.

There's a certain joy to seeing Jeff Goldblum at the start of his career, Donna Summer at her peak, and The Commodores in funky disco threads. For these reasons, Thank God It's Friday is a cult classic. The reasons it stayed cult rather than gaining greater popularity? Well, it isn't a good movie. It is duller than it should be, filled with ethnic and gay stereotypes, stiff acting, and not much of a script. There isn't enough music and what is good gets cut off. Last Dance deserved a better vehicle. Of the songs by The Commodores in the film, they should have showcased Brick House instead of Too Hot Ta Trot. Still, it can be fun to look back at an exploitative period piece trying to cash in on the success of Saturday Night Fever.

I'm not going to tell you much about this film. This is the third in a trilogy by director Roy Andersson. The first being Songs from the Second Floor (2000), then You, the Living (2007). It is a grey absurdist reflection of our struggle through existence and death. The colors are mostly a palette of greys, indirect light, and no shadows. It has a discernible Swedish feel and exemplifies slow cinema.

While some of my personal favorite films are slow cinema, this particular entry won't be at the top of my list. It wasn't bad, but the Guardian liked it more than I did. I felt there was more style and technical skill than substance. The lack of of defined plot did not bother me, but I did want to hear more philosophizing from its characters than simply being shown what their struggles were. Of course, one of the most known mantras of film making is "Show, don't tell" but here, without a plot, some telling would have been welcome for this viewer.

You don't need to see the earlier films to try this one out, but I do recommend picking a quiet contemplative night for it... and if you were only going to watch one of the three, I'd recommend You, the Living.

Indy is the star of “Good Boy,” and he is a dog. The 73-minute horror movie, which freelance reviewer Rafael Motomayor called one of the year’s best, is centered entirely on his point of view as something very bad happens at his house.

For possible comparison, remember Baxter from 1989 with its four legged star and a runtime of 82 minutes.

@[email protected] posted the Brit List of upcoming fall TV, so I looked for what was coming to the U.S. (rfustrated that Mitchell & Webb have a show I won't get to see immediately). The U.S. list has a lot of cross over with only ONE item coming over the airwaves: “DMV” (October 13, CBS). The rest are streaming/cable. Archive: https://archive.ph/AFZHT

The 1939 version of Beau Geste with Gary Cooper et al was a formative film in my youth and it will air on TCM Thursday August 28th at noon eastern, OR you can watch it any time here: https://archive.org/details/beau-geste-1939

The 1939 version is the second movie adaptation of this story from British novelist P.C. Wren. The first version from 1926 is silent, so I do not expect a modern audience to put up with it despite the NYT claiming the first superior to the second their review of the second's release from 1939:

On the whole, it is perhaps an unfortunate thing for Beau Geste the Second that Beau Geste the First was so distinguished, for Mr. Wellman's film seems dominated by the tremendous shadow of its predecessor. But it would be a mistake on that account to assume that the current generation will not find the current "Beau" a stirring piece of cinema, worth more than all the combined photostatic copies which followed the first and alas! preceded the second.

Forget that! The passing years have proven that the 1939 version is just as much a classic as its predecessor.

This action/adventure film is something of an adult fairy tale, but one suitable for most grade school children. There are some very upsetting scenes, that may scare the youngsters, but it will also fire them up against the villany. It is packed with archetypal characters of a Lady in Distress, Chivalrous Knights (though not literally), Evil Overlords, Brotherhood, and unfortuantely, Foreign Heathens (which the modern audience will recognize as particularly insulting because the colonizers are the invaders -- but just go with that 'Brits are the Best' presumption until after the story concludes). I can't recommend it enough.

• Chpt 1 audio (Deutsch): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8e2or8ze_4
• Chpt 1 audio (English): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mb8yJeASgho
• English info: https://pluralistic.net/2025/07/21/martin-mensch/#horbuch

I didn't know where to post this, so feel free to remove if it is inappropriate here. I don't represent the author, Cory Doctorow, I just like him and figured his kickstarter might not get much German attention... which I do not speak. I can recommend the English print version of Red Team Blue and its sequel, The Bezzle, but my favorite of his is Walkaway.

We asked The Atlantic’s writers and editors: What’s a film adaptation that’s better than the book?

The article explains why they consider the movies Jurassic Park, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Devil Wears Prada, The Social Network, and Clear and Present Danger each to be better than their source material.

To commemorate the late director's films, Turner Classic Movies will will run a program they've titled "REMEMBERING DAVID LYNCH", which is a subset of some of his films with a bit of commentary before and after some of them. The below times are for Eastern Daylight Savings Time.

• 8:00 PM The Straight Story (1999) -- not available in Canada
• 10:00 PM Blue Velvet (1986)
• 12:15 AM Wild at Heart (1990)
• 2:30 AM Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992)
• 4:45 AM Eraserhead (1977)

I wouldn't normally post this sort of advertising/hype. but @[email protected] recently mentioned Lynch was a as a favorite director, so I thought folks might want a heads up. Other upcoming themes will include a look at the cinematography of Joseph Ruttenberg on July 25th and a Francis Ford Coppala thing on the 31st. Of possible other note, they're doing pre-code Robert Mongomery flicks on the morning of July 14th: Lovers Courageous (1932), Private Lives (1931), Untamed (1929), Love in the Rough (1930), The Divorcee (1930), When Ladies Meet (1933). TCM links: July overview pdf / daily schedules.

More info with lower quality image: https://alchetron.com/Live-at-the-Village-Vanguard-(Dizzy-Gillespie-album)