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Locked-Down Cinema
Film reviews of all the films I should have seen but didn't...
What do you do if you receive a Christmas present that is a membership to the British Film Institute when there's a pandemic on...?
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Ravi Swami
Dec 12, 20214 min read
"Harold & Maud", Dir: Hal Ashby, 1971
It also depends on watching a film whose effect might linger until the next morning, as is the case "Harold & Maud"...
18 views
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Ravi Swami
Nov 28, 20214 min read
A Bit About Biopics...
Love them or hate them, biopics can vary enormously when they invariably focus on cultural "icons"...
24 views
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Ravi Swami
Nov 14, 20216 min read
"The Snake Girl & The Silver-Haired Witch", Dir: Noriaki Yuasa, 1968
In terms of atmosphere and tone it could have sprung from the hand of Alfred Hitchcock, with it's moodily lit interiors...
24 views
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Ravi Swami
Oct 31, 202110 min read
"Les Bonnes Femmes", Dir : Claude Chabrol, 1960
I knew of Claude Chabrol as a director of the French New Wave but had not watched any of his films upon to this point...
166 views
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Ravi Swami
Oct 23, 20216 min read
"Subway" Dir: Luc Besson, 1985
The film opens with a furious breakneck car chase through Paris as Fred is being pursued by the gangster's henchmen..
478 views
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Ravi Swami
Oct 22, 20213 min read
"Belladonna Of Sadness", Dir: Eiichi Yamamoto, 1973
Controversial, daring, misogynistic, stylish and often deeply disturbing are the words that come to mind after watching the film.
88 views
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Ravi Swami
Oct 22, 20213 min read
"100 Spook Stories / 100 Monsters", Dir: Kimiyoshi Yasuda, 1968
Arrow's title is "100 Spook Stories" (Japanese: Yōkai Hyaku Monogatari) and it is variously titled depending upon the region..
57 views
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Ravi Swami
Oct 16, 20214 min read
"Drunken Angel", Dir : Akira Kurosawa, 1948
Akira Kurosawa's 1948 film "Drunken Angel" marked the first of several collaborations with the actor Toshiro Mifune..
15 views
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Ravi Swami
Sep 25, 20214 min read
"La Haine", Dir: Mathieu Kassovitz, 1995
"La Haine" came up as highly recommended on Apple+ as a breakthrough film for its' director, Mathieu Kassovitz, and for the subject matter..
64 views
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Ravi Swami
Sep 19, 20214 min read
"That Darn Cat", Dir: Robert Stevenson, 1965
Launched with the hugely successful "Pollyanna", Mills soon found herself cast with top billing in a slew of Disney films..
75 views
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Ravi Swami
Sep 7, 20214 min read
"DaiMajin", Dir: Kimiyoshi Yasuda, 1966
The success of "Daimajin" resulted in it being the first in a trilogy, which are all available to view on the Apple TV streamer..
14 views
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Ravi Swami
Sep 6, 20213 min read
"Zazie Dans Le Metro", Dir: Louis Malle, 1960
Zazie (Catherine Demongeot) herself is a bit of a disfunctional tearaway who wastes no time in trying to explore Paris herself...
12 views
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Ravi Swami
Sep 5, 20213 min read
"Lucky To Be A Woman", Dir: Alessandro Blasetti, 1956
However, this is really Sophia Loren's film and she is placed center-stage as a street smart young woman...
43 views
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Ravi Swami
Aug 31, 20215 min read
"Lions Love...& Lies", Dir: Agnes Varda, 1969
Varda used actors who would not normally be cast in Hollywood films and there really is a strong "Withnail & I" comedic vibe...
115 views
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Ravi Swami
Aug 20, 20214 min read
"Good Neighbor Sam", Dir: David Swift, 1964
There are several of her films available on the streaming service including this Jack Lemmon vehicle...
80 views
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Ravi Swami
Aug 4, 20216 min read
"Tove", Dir: Zaida Bergroth, 2020
Watching "Tove", a biopic on a formative part of the life of the children's author and creator of the "Moomins", Tove Jansson..
55 views
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Ravi Swami
Aug 1, 20213 min read
"The Naked City", Dir: Jules Dassin, 1948
I would put it alongside "Lovers and Lollipops" and "The Thief" as examples of films that use the locations of late 1940's and 1950's N.Y..
26 views
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Ravi Swami
Jul 30, 20215 min read
"La Grande Bouffe", Dir: Marco Ferreri, 1973
I watched Marco Ferrari's 1973 film "La Grande Bouffe" (Eng: "The Blow-Out", though it translates more accurately as "The Big Feast")..
226 views
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Ravi Swami
Jul 29, 20214 min read
"Shin Godzilla", Dir: Hideaki Anno & Shinji Higuchi, 2016
Plot-wise the film follows the same general trajectory as the 1954 film - Godzilla rises from the ocean depths...
20 views
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Ravi Swami
Jul 26, 20216 min read
"Rififi", "Bob Le Flambeur", "Big Deal On Madonna St", Dir: Dassin, Melville, Monicelli, '55,'56,'58
As per usual, I watched these three films - all first-time viewings - out of chronological order...
77 views
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Thanks for your interest in Lockdown Cinema. For more information, feel free to get in touch and I will get back to you soon! - Ravi
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London, United Kingdom
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