Princess Iron Fan (1941)

Princess Iron Fan DVD

Directed by Wan Guchan and Wan Laiming
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(YouTube)

A fiery mountain in a remote Chinese valley results in drought and other hardships for the local peasants. A monkey king, a pig monk and a stuttering human monk are sent by a spiritual leader to retrieve a magic palm leaf which will extinguish the fire and bring rain. The trio have an assortment of magic powers with which to complete their task, most notably the ability to morph into other animals. They travel to the castle of the princess who has the leaf, but must defeat her husband, the Demon Bull King, who protects her. The first animated feature film from China was influenced by Disney's Snow White and the Fleischer Brother's Popeye and Betty Boop cartoons, including rather strange follow-the-bouncing-ball sing-along segments. It tries to incorporate some eastern religion and politics, unfortunately becoming preachy during those times. The animation is crude, mostly traced rotoscope, but still worth a look for animation buffs.

Blazing Saddles (1974)

Blazing Saddles 40th Anniversary (BD) [Blu-ray]

Warner Bros.
Directed by Mel Brooks
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(Blu-ray, Warner Bros.)

A corrupt attorney general plans to buy cheap land in a dusty western town when the railroad announces it will be coming through. He sends an inept gang of western stereotypes to scare the townspeople away, but instead they demand that the governor, who is in on the deal with the attorney general, send a sheriff to protect them. He sends convict Cleavon Little, a black man, who is met with incredulity and threats. However, with the help of alcoholic gunslinger Gene Wilder, he surprises everyone with his ingenuity in fighting for the town. Satiric western throws in every gag imaginable, including some interesting fourth wall theatrics, but its crude humor too often resorts to racism and sexism. As a result, it hasn't aged well and makes for an uncomfortable viewing experience for most modern audiences.

The End of the World (1916)

Fotorama (Denmark)
Directed by August Blom
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(YouTube)

A Danish astronomer discovers a comet and predicts it will strike the Earth and cause a disaster. A stockbroker conspires with a politician and newspaper publisher to manipulate the stock market. On the fatal day, the wealthy attend a play while the common people stage a revolution. A few survive to start over. The primitive special effects actually hold up quite well today. Fireworks and flares depict the meteor showers, and actual floods and burned out buildings stand in for the devastation. It often looks more like a European city suffering from the effects of WWI (ongoing at the time) than a worldwide disaster, for which it is an obvious metaphor.

Datai (1966)

Wakamatsu Production (Japan)
Directed by Masao Adachi
My rating: 1.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

A gynecologist decides the answer to the problem of unwanted pregnancies is an artificial placenta. He creates one in the back room of his clinic, then uses the living fetus from one of his patients to see if it works. The whole story is told in flashback, since he ends up in jail when the authorities discover it. A poor excuse for an exploitation flick, complete with real human birth footage, sex education diagrams and young women getting naked for their procedures. Classical music tries but fails to give it an air of respectability.

Mongo's Back in Town (1971)

Mongo's Back In Town DVD

CBS
Directed by Marvin Chomsky
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(DVD, CBS/Create Space)

Joe Don Baker is a hit man hired by his brother to kill a rival gang member. He gets involved with runaway teen Sally Field, hoping to make it big in LA but finding herself abused instead. Telly Savalas is a police detective hot on his trail, looking and acting very much like his Kojak character which was still 2 years away. Moodily photographed, very often in driving (if faked) rain, accompanied by a downbeat, synthesizer soundtrack; an effective combination especially considering this was made for TV. Joe Don Baker alone would be enough to give it a look, but also features Martin Sheen and Anne Francis in supporting roles!

Heaven and Earth Magic (1962)

Directed by Harry Smith
My rating: 2 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Cut-out animated photographs of objects and people, arranged and re-arranged in endless possibilities. Dental instruments pop up with regularity, as do cats, dogs, a watermelon, a skeleton, an umbrella, well, you get the idea. Watching all of the various combinations becomes a bit hypnotic after awhile, but with no plot, no soundtrack (only sound effects as random as the objects) and no characters with which to gain some kind of grounding, it's simply a collection of random objects.

A Spring for the Thirsty (1965)

Directed by Yuri Ilyenko
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

Past and present blur for an elderly man in rural Russia. He remembers his young wife, his children and his military service in the war. Many events take place around a well on his property, drawing people from miles around. He builds a coffin and begins to sleep in it, tired of life. A pregnant relative visits, completing the cycle of life and death. It is beautifully filmed in black and white on expansive landscapes. However, lacks a coherent plot, and other than the old man, characters are underdeveloped.

Personel (1975)

Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(YouTube)

A young man gets a job as a tailor at a state run theater. He works with the laborers backstage, but secretly wishes he was with the artists rehearsing for the next production. One day a lead actor berates one of the other tailors about his costume in front of everyone on stage. The laborers meet and discuss what to do about it at a rambunctious meeting. Later, he is called into the ornate office of an executive and asked to lie about the details of his friends confrontation. Uneasy mix of political allegory and backstage drama from the famous Polish director is one of his earliest dramas. It was made for TV, which might explain the attempt to veil the politics. The end result is rather talky and unsatisfying, but still worth a look for Kieslowski fans.

La Salamander (1971)

Forum Films (France)
Directed by Alain Tanner
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb Wikipedia
(YouTube)

A writer and his friend decide to make a screenplay based on a real life incident they hear about. A young woman is accused of shooting her uncle, but she claims it was an accident. They befriend her with the intention of interviewing her, but become entranced by her beauty and rebellious lifestyle. Interesting character study carried almost completely by Bulle Ogier as the young woman, just don't expect much in the way of plot.

Charles, Dead or Alive (1969)

New Yorker Films
Directed by Alain Tanner
My rating: 2.5 stars out of 4
IMDb
(YouTube)

A successful businessman suffering a mid life crisis holes up anonymously in a Geneva motel room. After a few days his family reports him missing. He spends his time sleeping and getting drunk. He befriends a young couple in a cafe and they drive to their remote country house. They invite him to stay awhile and helps paint signs and cooks for them. His teenage daughter occasionally visits and she talks about her involvement with local political activists. His family eventually catches up to him and he is taken away to a mental hospital. Talky and politically dated, but still manages to address the timeless themes of the value and meaning of life in the modern world.