acm's - Favourites List
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The Happiness of the Katakuris (2001)Katakuri-ke no kôfuku
One of the most original and innovative films of recent years, 'The Happiness of the Katakuris' combines the most unlikely of genre elements to create the most highly unpredictable and truly unforgettable film of all time! The Katakuris are an average family whose dream is to own a successful country inn. But soon things begin to go wrong and all of their guest begin to drop dead in the most bizarre of circumstances. Desperate to ensure the success of their business, they agree to keep the deaths quiet and resort to burying the bodies in the forest behind the house...Filled with surreal musical numbers, disturbed animated characters, killer zombies and an array of gruesome deaths, this delirious black comedy has to be seen to be believed. - Director:
- Takashi Miike
- Cast:
- Kenji Sawada, Keiko Matsuzaka, Shinji Takeda
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Welcome to the Dollhouse (1995)Faggots and Retards / Middle Child
Dorky Dawn Weiner (Heather Matarazzo), New Jersey seventh-grader, couldn't get a break if you sent it FedEx. Sometimes hated, often reviled, seldom understood, Dawn tries in vain to put on a happy face as she struggles through what looks to be a long puberty. Her geeky brother is a computer nerd, her pampered little sister is a ballerina wannabe, her only friend a runty neighbour the other kids call "faggot"; and she's got a paralysing crush on the high school heart-throb who sings in a stunningly awful rock band, The Quadratics. But Dawn does find moments of grace amidst her daily tribulations and soon begins to wonder if life might not be better outside New Jersey... - Director:
- Todd Solondz
- Cast:
- Heather Matarazzo, Christina Brucato, Victoria Davis
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Zatoichi (2003)Zatôichi
Cult filmmaker Takeshi Kitano's dazzling new film is a thrilling tale of swordplay and adventure set in 19th Century Japan. Zatoichi is a blind wanderer whose humble facade disguises his prodigious skills as a master swordsman, gifted with a lightning fast draw and strokes of breathtaking precision. Arriving in a remote mountain town, he finds its people terrorised by the ruthless Ginzo gang and their mighty samurai ronin Hattori (Tadanobu Asano), who mercilessly dispose of all who get in their way. With his legendary cane sword at his side, Zatoichi's path is destined for many violent confrontations... - Director:
- Takeshi Kitano
- Cast:
- Takeshi Kitano, Tadanobu Asano, Yui Natsukawa
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At 14, school friends Steve 'Lips' Kudlow and Rob Reiner made a pact to rock together forever. Their band, Anvil, went on to become the 'demigods of Canadian metal', releasing one of the heaviest albums in metal history, 1982's Metal on Metal. The album influenced a musical generaton including Metallica, Slayer and Anthrax, that went on to sell millions of records. But Anvil's career took a different path - straight to obscurity. Anvil The Story of Anvil is a timeless, and at times hilarious, feel good tale of survival and the unadulterated passion it takes to follow your dream. Directed by Sasha Gervasi, we follow the band as they attempt one last shot at the big time with their thirteenth album 'This is Thirteen' and a calamitous European tour. You don't have to be a metal head to love Anvil. This is an inspirational, heart warming and uplifting tale of two best friends who refuse to give up on their dream. Metal on Metal forever! - Director:
- Sacha Gervasi
- Cast:
- Robb Reiner, Steve 'Lips' Kudlow, Tiziana Arrigoni
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May 1985 - Peru. Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, ambitious young mountaineers, set off to scale the hitherto unclimbed West Face of Siula Grande, a remote and treacherous peak in the Peruvian Andes. Simpson and Yates reach the summit but shortly after starting the descent, an accident turns their daring expedition into a desperate fight for survival. Based on Joe Simpson's international bestseller, Touching The Void documents one of the most extraordinary true stories of human endurance of our time. Made by Academy Award winning director Kevin MacDonald, this gripping, inspiring film combines dramatic reconstructions of the fateful climb and interviews with the two men it nearly killed. - Director:
- Kevin Macdonald
- Cast:
- Simon Yates, Joe Simpson, Brendan Mackey
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The Killing: Series 1 (2007)"Forbrydelsen"
Sarah Lund is looking forward to her last day as a detective with the Copenhagen Police department. She is supposed to move to Sweden with her fiancée, but everything changes when a 19-year old girl, Nanna Birk Larsen, is found raped and brutally murdered. Along with detective Jan Meyer, Sarah is forced to be ahead of the investigation, as it soon becomes clear that Lund and Meyer are chasing a very intelligent and dangerous murderer. Local Politician Torels Hartmann is in the middle of a hard election campaign to becomes the new mayor of Copenhagen when suddenly, evidence links the city hall to the murderer. But is he really the murderer? At the same time, the girl's family and friends struggle to cope with their loss. Over the course of twenty days, suspect upon suspect is sought out as violence and political pressures cast their shadows over the hunt for the killer. - Director:
- Birger Larsen
- Cast:
- Sofie Gråbøl, Kai Selliken, Torsten Jansen
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You, the Living (2007)Du levande
One of the funniest and most original films of the year, this absurd and surreal comedy from acclaimed director Roy Andersson takes an amusing left-of-centre look at a delightfully eccentric assortment of characters. Through a series of brilliantly entertaining sketches, Andersson observes with empathy and wry humour the highs, lows and tragicomic happenings that affect their everyday lives. Shot with highly distinctive visual flair, this unique and universally resonant snapshot of modern life is both touching and laugh-out-loud hilarious. - Director:
- Roy Andersson
- Cast:
- Elisabeth Helander, Jörgen Nohall, Jan Wikbladh
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Ginger faced, caravanning enthusiast Chris (Steve Oram) wants to show his new girlfriend Tina (Alice Lowe) his world and he wants to do it his way - on a journey through the British Isles in his beloved caravan. Up until now Tina has led a sheltered life with her over protective mother, but there are things that Chris wants her to see - the Crich Tramway Museum, the Ribblehead Viaduct, the Keswick Pencil Museum and the rolling countryside that accompanies these wonders in his life. But it doesn't take long for the dream to fade. Litterbugs, noisy teenagers and pre-booked caravan sites, not to mention Tina's meddling mother, soon conspire to shatter Chris's dreams and send him, and anyone who rubs him up the wrong way, over a very jagged edge... - Director:
- Ben Wheatley
- Cast:
- Alice Lowe, Sara Dee, Kenneth Hadley
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Of Horses and Men (2013)Hross í oss
Winner of the Best New Director award at the San Sebastian Film Festival, Benedikt Erlingsson's critically acclaimed debut feature 'Of Horses and Men' is a darkly comic country romance about the human streak in the horse and the horse in the human. Set in the stunning Icelandic countryside, love, death and sex become interlaced in this playful, affectionate yet unflinching portrait of a remote valley community as seen from the horses' perspective. - Director:
- Benedikt Erlingsson
- Cast:
- Ingvar Eggert Sigurðsson, Charlotte Bøving, Steinn Ármann Magnússon
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In a happy suburban neighbourhood with its well-kept gardens and white picket fences, sits a black house with a dead lawn! This is the secret hideout of Gru (Steve Carell), who, with his army of excitable little yellow minions, plans to Take Over the World. Armed with his arsenal of shrink rays, freeze guns and battle-ready vehicles for land and air, Gru is accustomed to defeating all who stand in his way. But the arrival of three little orphaned girls, and their determination to make him their Dad, threatens his reputation as a Super-Villain! - Director:
- Pierre Coffin
- Cast:
- Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Russell Brand
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While on vacation in Los Angeles, Walter, the world's biggest Muppet fan, his brother Gary, and friend Mary uncover the diabolical plot of a greedy oil millionaire to destroy the Muppet Theatre. Now, the Muppet-loving trio must reunite, Kermit, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear and their friends to stage the greatest Muppet telethon ever and save their beloved theatre. - Director:
- James Bobin
- Cast:
- Amy Adams, Steve Whitmire, Jason Segel
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Pierrepoint (2005)Pierrepoint: The Last Hangman / The Last Hangman
"Pierrepoint" is the gripping and dramatic true-life story of Albert Pierrepoint (Timothy Spall), Britain's most notorious hangman. Following in the footsteps of his father and uncle before him, Albert joins the 'family business' in 1934. Living a secret life as a master hangman, as well as a humble grocery deliveryman and loyal husband, Pierrepoint's reputation as the most highly regarded executioner in the land results in him executing some of Britain's most infamous murderers including Derek Bentley and Ruth Ellis (Mary Stockley), and also the Nazi war criminals convicted at the Nuremberg Trials. But the media coverage from these shatters Pierrepoint's closely guarded anonymity turning him into a minor celebrity. As his two lives collide, and public opinion turns against capital punishment, Pierrepoint troubled by his notoriety is ready to give it all up, but fate has other plans in store for him. - Director:
- Adrian Shergold
- Cast:
- Timothy Spall, Juliet Stevenson, Eddie Marsan
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Even more compelling today than when it was first released, Sidney Lumet's 'Network' is a wickedly funny, spot - on indictment of the TV news media. Winner of four Academy Awards including Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress and Best Screenplay (Paddy Chayefsky), this searing satire stars Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Peter Finch and Robert Duvall. When longtime news anchor Howard Beale (Finch) is fired, he suffers a violent, on - air breakdown. Ironically, his angry rantings boost his sagging ratings - much to the surprise and delight of the UBS brass. Subsequently rehired and reinvented as the "mad prophet of the airwaves", he soon becomes a pawn of ruthless programming executives who milk his madness for every share point it's worth. Of course, when the "prophet" ceases to be profitable, something has to be done about Beale, preferably on camera, before a live studio audience... - Director:
- Sidney Lumet
- Cast:
- Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Peter Finch
- Formats:
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Wrinkles (2011)Arrugas
Based on the award-winning comic by Paco Roca, 'Wrinkles' portrays the poignant and charming friendship between Emilio and Miguel, two elderly gentlemen shut away in a care home. Recent arrival Emilio who is m the early stages of Alzheimer's is helped by new roommate Miguel to avoid doctors discovering his ongoing deterioration. In order to avoid ending up on the feared top 'lost causes' floor, Miguel employs all kinds of elaborate and comical stunts throughout their tedious day-to-day routine. This struggle helps shape a genuine and strong relationship between the two of them, because although for some their lives are coming to an end, for Emilio and Miguel it is just beginning. This astonishing story of humanity, friendship and the fragility of old age will make you laugh and cry in equal measures. - Director:
- Ignacio Ferreras
- Cast:
- Álvaro Guevara, Tacho González, Mabel Rivera
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Before Saul Goodman met Walter White, he was struggling attorney Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk). In this prequel to the Emmy winning series Breaking Bad Jimmy teams up with 'fixer' Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) and begins his transformation from optimistic underdog into Albuquerque's most notorious legal legend. Michael McKean stars as Jimmy's brilliant, uncompromising brother, Chuck. - Director:
- Thomas Schnauz
- Cast:
- Bob Odenkirk, Jonathan Banks, Rhea Seehorn
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