What Are You Watching Right Now?
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — The Soapbox
Madotsuki_the_Dreamer — 5 months ago(October 07, 2025 05:31 PM)
This thread is to post about whatever movies and TV shows you are currently watching or have recently watched.
Recently, I've been trying to watch at least one feature film from every country that has made one. As such, I've watched a lot of films that I would not have watched if not for them having been made in a particular country. Here are just a few of the highlights so far:
Policë për kokë
(2023) - A buddy cop crime comedy from Albania, with a rookie young cop who wants to live up to his dead father's reputation being teamed up with a loose cannon detective who nobody else wants to work with as they aim to shut down a crime ring that goes all the way to the top of Albania's government. No, this is definitely not winning any awards for originality, but, all things considered, it's a decent, well-made film that generally avoids the kind of obnoxious, juvenile humor usually found in American films of this sort. 6/10.
Pensive
(a.k.a.
We Might Hurt Each Other
) (2022) - A lame Lithuanian teen slasher film that piles on the cliches, with a group of partying high school graduates in a remote cabin in the woods (which was previously owned by an unhinged killer) destroying the creepy wooden sculptures that the killer had left there and then predictably being hunted down by a masked killer. Yawn. While made with a certain degree of technical skill, this is just a routine slasher flick with nothing new or interesting to offer. 3/10.
Ayiti Mon Amour
(2016) - This Haitian drama is described on IMDb as such: "A magical fable weaves together the lives of three different people in Haiti five years after a devastating earthquake." Yeah, sure. In actuality, it's just a bunch of random vignettes that alternate between a teenage weeaboo who seems to have some sort of electicity-conducting power, fishermen trying to catch fish, students marching against the government, a writer trying to write a book while his female muse whispers in his ear, a pair of lovers (I think) spouting poetry and dancing, and other randomness. Unfortunately, it all doesn't really add up to much of anything, and the only interesting thing about it is the Haitian setting. And, until I watched this film, I did not know that weeaboos existed in Haiti, so there's that, at least. 4/10.
Before the Rooster Crows
(2016) - A Puerto Rican drama - supposedly a coming-of-age tale - that profiles a 14-year-old girl and the creepy, incestuous relationship that she has with her father, who was recently released from prison. While there are plenty of squirm-inducing moments in this film (and young actress Miranda Purcell turns in a stellar performance as the confused teenage girl), there is no real insight of any sort provided, and the whole thing feels rather pointless and empty. 4/10.
Seven Freckles
(1978) - Another teen coming-of-age drama, this one from East Germany, but a much more conventional (and cliched) story about two young lovers at summer camp who end up playing Romeo and Juliet in the camp play (after lots of melodrama, of course). Standard, run-of-the-mill '70s European schmaltz, of interest only for having been made in East Germany. 4/10.
Children of God
(2010) - A Bahamian plea against homophobia, following two gay lovers - from very different cultural and ethnic backgrounds - who are forced to confront the intolerance of Bahamian society, including a prominent anti-gay preacher who, unsurprisingly, is a closeted gay man himself. While certainly not original and more than a bit preachy, the film is boosted by tender, heartfelt performances and surprisingly fleshed out characters that ring true. 6/10.
Diablo Rojo PTY
(2019) - Panama's first horror film, but definitely not conventional mainstream horror. This is anything-goes surreal insanity that throws a million different crazy things at the wall to create truly WTF cinema that will surely be of interest to cult movie aficionados. There's a neon bus driver, a priest armed with holy water, cannibals in a jungle, witches whose weakness is marijuana smoke, creatures from local folklore, and plenty more random weirdness. Unfortunately, however, while this film is certainly unique, it is not very good, failing to work on any level. The script is very random and frequently marked by jarring shifts in tone. One minute, we're watching telenovela-style melodramatic soap opera and, the next minute, we're watching witches kill and eat a baby. For cultural context (not that it makes much difference): according to local folklore, by the time they are 33, Panamanian witches must commit an act of evil worse than eating a baby. Also, La Tulivieja is a short woman whose breasts are so full that she must drag them around, followed by ants that drink the milk. 4/10.
Cats of Malta
(2023) - In case the title didn't give it away, this is a Maltese documentary about - yep, you guessed it - cats in Malta. We follow cat colonies, cat feeders, artists inspired by the island nation's abundant stray cats, and so forth. The -
ZolotoyRetriever — 5 months ago(October 07, 2025 05:49 PM)
I watched the trailer for
Policë për kokë
, looked interesting. I found the full movie on Tubi.com (WITH English subtitles!
). I will watch it. I'll study the other reviews in your list here and look for some of them, too. Thanks for the post. -
Madotsuki_the_Dreamer — 5 months ago(October 08, 2025 08:14 PM)
Yep, no problem. I also uploaded
Policë për kokë
to Archive.org, if you want to download it:
https://archive.org/details/police_per_koke
(download it to get the subtitles). -
NZer — 5 months ago(October 07, 2025 08:52 PM)
I liked the original movie better, but this is a close second. You get the back story of all the men and why they end up in the arse-end of beyond, ready to risk their lives in transporting old nitroglycerin across 200 miles to put out a fire in the oil field. Edge of the seat stuff!
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NZer — 5 months ago(October 07, 2025 09:23 PM)
I watched it here because I'm not too fussy about everything being in HD and perfect.
https://www.filmboards.com/board/10076740/ -
Paul P. Powell — 5 months ago(October 09, 2025 11:22 PM)
"
Rolling Thunder
", written by the great Paul Schrader. His screenplay for this 'Vietnam-Vet' flick was superb; unfortunately the version shot is a wild distortion and dumbing-down of the original idea. Still interesting though. Stars: William DeVane (nice meaty lead role for him) and Tommy Lee Jones in support. These guys are always a couple of badasses until time took its toll. It's a shame that a star with such screen presence as Devane would up on CBS. He should have had a much larger career.
"The Happiest Days of your Life"
, a '40s Brit-Com starring the incredible talents of Alistair Sim. All about riotous happenings in a rural English public school. This flick is an informal kick-off to a series of four further films starring much the same cast.
"
Trouble in Paradise
" (1932, pre-Code) by the great Ernst Lubitsch; pioneer of verbal, witty, society comedy. Herbert Marshall is a dashing jewel thief; Kay Francis a female pickpocket.
"
History is Made at Night
" an early rom-com set aboard an ocean liner, starring always-suave Charles Boyer and always-dizzy Jean Arthur. Dir by Frank Borzage.
Just finished "
Snow Trail
" (1947, thriller) written by Akiro Kurosawa. A trio of bank robbers are stranded in the Japanese alps. Fabulous.
Paul P. Powell, Pool Player -
Paul P. Powell — 5 months ago(October 11, 2025 03:20 AM)
Kurosawa and Lubitsch are considered pioneers; regarded as auteurs –by anyone who knows anything about cinema.
Meanwhile, Paul Schrader of course is the famous author of "
Taxi Driver".
I guess what I'm saying is: there's nothing gheyer than a film n00b.
Paul P. Powell, Pool Player
