Amazon.com: A Glance: Mon Oncle - Tati's first color film is a masterpiece. M. Hulot's simple, uncluttered life is sharply contrasted to that of his sister and brother-in-law, who live in an ultramodern, gadget-laden home reminiscent of those in Buster Keaton's silent classics. Continuous flow of sight gags (including the funniest fountain you'll ever see) makes this easygoing, nearly dialogue-less comedy a total delight. Oscar winner as Best Foreign Film. Aka MY UNCLE and MY UNCLE, MR. HULOT. Original U. S. release ran 110m.
Garden of the Finzi-Continis - "In life, in order to understand, to really understand the world, you must die at least once. So it's better to die young, when there's still time left to recover and live again." --from "The Garden of the Finzi-Continis," the Italian film that won the 1972 Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film
Get Out Your Handkerchiefs - Disarming black comedy about a man who will do almost anything to keep his sexually frustrated wife happy; highly unconventional. Oscar winner for Best Foreign Film.
Home Film Festival - You'll be glad to learn how easy it is to rent by mail the outstanding movies that you read about longingly in newspapers and magazines - festival winners from Cannes, Academy Award-winning foreign films, independent releases, and the best Hollywood has to offer.
House of Yes - Sweet young Marty brings his ingenuous doughnut-shop waitress girlfriend, Lesly, home to meet his family at their opulent Washington D.C. mansion. But the Turkey Day goings-on are considerably less than wholesome, as Lesly discovers the moment she meets Marty's decidedly dysfunctional family, including his asylum-reject twin sister, Jackie-O, whose hobbies include incest and reenacting the JFK assassination with prop blood and her brother as victim. Though a smash at the predominantly independent Sundance Film Festival, this effort was bankrolled by Spelling's sitcom magnate dad, Aaron. Based on the eponymous stage play by Wendy MacLeod.
Housekeeping - Christine Lahti is crazy Aunt Sylvie in 1987's "Housekeeping," a faithful adaptation of Marilynne Robinson's novel. She stores old newspapers and cans, won't turn on the lights, and adopts the requisite collection of stray cats. When her two orphaned nieces move in, the girls find their own lives turned topsy-turvy in this wonderfully offbeat story.
La Strada - starring Giulietta Masina and Anthony Quinn; directed by Federico Fellini A pivotal film for Federico Fellini, this 1954 gem was a deserving Oscar-winner. Anthony Quinn's circus strongman buys the simple-minded Gelsomina to be his wife and assistant. A gentle clown provides the third side of what will become a fateful triangle. This movie doesn't shy away from brutality, yet even at its most tragic, it remains magically lyrical.
Multiple Maniacs - An early effort by cult filmmaker John Waters. This black comedy follows the members of a freak show as they travel around the country robbing and murdering their audiences. The movie represents your only chance to see everybody's favorite transvestite -- Divine -- being raped by a 15-foot lobster.
Swept Away - Lina Wertmuller made her mark on the American audience with this movie of a high-society woman and a low-down sailor marooned together on an island. It's an insightful look at class and sex. Available February 23.
