mervyn-verstellung's - Favourites List

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A woman arrives in a sleepy seaside town after receiving unsettling letters from her father, only to discover the town is under the influence of a strange cult that weeps tears of blood and hunger for human flesh.

From Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz, the writers of 'American Graffiti', 'Indiana Jones' and the 'Temple of Doom' and 'Howard the Duck', this dreamy and atmospheric film transposes the post - 'Night of the Living Dead' zombie movie to a surreal small-town American setting, presented through gorgeous Techniscope visuals that echo the stylish European horror of Mario Bava and Hammer. A true cult film, 'Messiah of Evil', which was also released as 'Dead People', has overcome distribution challenges to enjoy growing awareness and high acclaim after decades of word-of-mouth enthusiasm among horror cinema fans and critics around the world.

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In the late 19th century, Denmark regards Iceland as its territory, which extends beyond matters of geography and governance to the spiritual health of the population. So Lucas (Elliott Crosset Hove), a Lutheran priest, is sent by the Church of Denmark to establish a parish.

Ever an optimist, Lucas believes his faith will guide him, even when he is warned of the obstacles, including a people who may be less than welcoming. 'Godland' makes the most of a breathtakingly austere Icelandic landscape in its story of a man on a singular mission.

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"Bones and All" is a story of first love between Maren (Taylor Russell), a young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society, and Lee (Timothée Chalamet), an intense and disenfranchised drifter.

It's a liberating road odyssey of two young people coming into their own, searching for identity and chasing beauty in a perilous world that cannot abide who they are.

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A classic tale is reborn through the inspired imagination of cinematic dream-weaver Guillermo del Toro, directing alongside Mark Gustafson.

Realised through boundary-pushing, breathtakingly intricate stop-motion animation, this dark rendering of the fable of the puppet boy and his maker - which won the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature - daringly transfers the story to Fascist Italy, where the irrepressible Pinocchio gradually learns what it means to be human through his experiences of war, death, and sacrifice. This 'Pinocchio' imbues the oft-told tale with a bold new resonance about living with courage and compassion.

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While staying at an isolated island resort, James (Alexander Skarsgård) and Em (Cleopatra Coleman) are enjoying a perfect vacation of pristine beaches, exceptional staff, and soaking up the sun.

But guided by the seductive and mysterious Gabi (Mia Goth), they venture outside the resort grounds and find themselves in a culture filled with violence, hedonism, and untold horror. A tragic accident leaves them facing a zero tolerance policy for crime: either you'll be executed, or, if you're rich enough to afford it, you can watch yourself die instead.

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"Benediction" explores the turbulent life of First World War poet Siegfried Sassoon (Peter Capaldi / Jack Lowden).

Having survived the horrors of fighting in the First World War, he was decorated for his bravery and became a vocal critic of the government's continuation of the war when he returned from service. His poetry was inspired by his experiences on the Western Front and he became one of the leading war poets of the era. Adored by members of the aristocracy as well as stars of London's literary and stage world, Sassoon embarked on affairs with several notable men as he attempted to come to terms with his homosexuality. At the same time, broken by the horror of war, his life became a quest for salvation, trying to find it within the conformity of marriage and religion. His is the story of a troubled man in a fractured world, searching for peace and self acceptance, something which speaks as meaningfully to us in the modern world as it did then.

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London, 1953. Mr. Williams, played by Bill Nighy, is a veteran civil servant, a cog in the city's stifling bureaucracy as it struggles to rebuild following WWII. After a shattering health diagnosis, it dawns on him he has not been living his life to the full.

Amidst the fog of his paperwork, and his loneliness at home, he yearns to find fulfilment before it's too late. He is encouraged in his search by two younger colleagues - the vibrant Margaret (Aimee Lou Wood) and idealistic new recruit Peter (Alex Sharp) - and a hedonistic stranger, Sutherland (Tom Burke), encountered during a desperate trip to the seaside.

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"Brian and Charles" follows Brian (David Earl), a lonely inventor in rural Wales, who spends his days building quirky, unconventional contraptions that seldom work. Undeterred by his lack of success, Brian attempts his biggest project yet.

Three days, a washing machine, and various spare parts later, he's invented Charles (Chris Hayward), an artificially intelligent robot who learns English from a dictionary and has an obsession with cabbages. What follows is a humorous and entirely heartwarming story about loneliness, friendship, family, finding love, and letting go.

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A tender and undeniably powerful exploration of loneliness and love, 'Vortex' focuses on an elderly couple (played by Frangoise Lebrun and Dario Argento) who spend their days in a Paris apartment. Both love and care for each other, but are grappling with the early stages of dementia.

We follow the couple as they go about their daily routines both together and alone. As everyday tasks become more challenging, forgetfulness shifts to something more troubling and their son (Alex Lutz) struggles to care for them as they enter a vortex of mental and physical degeneration. Compelling and moving in equal measure, this is a departure for Gaspar Noe - but in terms of scope and ambition, it is one of his finest works to date.

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When her husband Samuel (Samuel Theis) is mysteriously found dead in the snow below their secluded chalet, Sandra (Sandra Hüller) becomes the main suspect when the police begin to question whether he fell or was pushed.

The trial soon becomes not just an investigation, but a gripping psychological journey into the depths of Sandra and Samuel's complicated marriage. With conflicting evidence and inconsistent testimony, words are wielded like weapons and shocking truths come to light...

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The Best Picture of 1945 has lost none of its bite or power in this uncompromising look at the devastating effects of alcoholism.

Ironically, this brilliant Billy Wilder film was almost never released because of poor reaction by preview audiences unaccustomed to such stark realism from Hollywood, but the film has since gone on to be regarded as one of the all-time great dramas in movie history. Ray Milland's haunting portrayal of would-be writer's dissatisfaction with his life leads him on a self-destructive three-day binge.

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'Typist Artist Pirate King' is a magical, empathetic, hopeful journey through England and the mind.

When Audrey Amiss (Monica Dolan) and her psychiatric nurse Sandra Panza (Kelly Macdonald) take to the road in an electric car, searching for an art exhibition, they meet all manner of people along the way, and as a friendship develops between them, there is reconciliation with the past.

From director-writer-producer Todd Field comes Tar, starring Cate Blanchett as the iconic musician, Lydia Tar. The film examines the changing nature of power, its impact and durability in our modern world.

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When her young son Minato (Soya Kurokawa) starts to behave strangely, single mother Saori (Sakura Andô) knows that there is something wrong. Discovering that one of his teachers might be responsible, she storms into the school demanding answers.

But as the story unfolds through the eyes of mother, teacher and child, shocking truths begin to emerge.

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One night in his near-empty tower block in contemporary London, Adam (Andrew Scott) has a chance encounter with a mysterious neighbor Harry (Paul Mescal), which punctures the rhythm of his everyday life.

As a relationship develops between them, Adam is preoccupied with memories of the past and finds himself drawn back to the suburban town where he grew up, and the childhood home where his parents (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell), appear to be living, just as they were on the day they died, 30 years before.