August 10, 2022

Kino Cult YouTube Channel Videos

Below I'll highlight some of the best movies from both these YouTube channels. I'll start with the narrative movies and then list the documentaries. I'll link directly to YouTube. Check 'em out!

Full Movies on the Kino Lorber YouTube Channels:

Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002) and Lady Vengeance (2005) - Two of the films by the great South Korean film director Park Chan-wook that make up his Vengeance Trilogy (the third being Oldboy). The films are not linked narratively but rather thematically.

Russian Ark (2002) - Considered one of the greatest Russian films of all time, this historical drama directed by Alexander Sokurov was filmed in one 96-minute take. Filmed at the Winter Palace of the Russian State Hermitage Museum with a cast of over 2,000. It took four takes to get it right!

The Wanderers (1979) - Philip Kaufman directed this movie about an Italian-American greaser street gang in the 1960s. It features a great soundtrack and has gained a cult following.

A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014) - An Iranian vampire Western written and directed by Ana Lily Amirpour. Set in Iran but filmed in California to avoid censorship, the film received very positive reviews.

Straight to Hell (1987) - Spaghetti Western parody directed by Alex Cox (Repo Man) and starring Sy Richardson, Joe Strummer (from The Clash!), Dick Rude, and Courtney Love. Alex Cox turned down Three Amigos (1986) and made this instead.

Mephisto (1981) - This Hungarian film took home the Academy Award for Best Foreign-Language Film. Directed by Istvan Szabo and based on the novel Mephisto by Klaus Mann.

Hatchet for the Honeymoon (1970) - Classic giallo film directed by Mario Bava about a hatchet-wielding madman who murders young brides. Remastered in HD.

Film Socialisme (2010) and Goodbye to Language (2014) - Two later films by the late great Jean-Luc Godard in his avant garde essay mode.

Highway Patrolman (1991) - Film by director Alex Cox (Repo Man) which he shot in Mexico and is considered by some critics to be one of his best films.

Rhinoceros (1974) - Comedy starring Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder based on a play about residents of a town that are inexplicably turning into rhinoceroses.

Rapt (2009) - Critically acclaimed French drama starring Yvan Attal which was nominated in the French Cesar Awards for Best Film.

Poetry (2010) - Award-winning South Korean film by director Lee Chang-dong who also directed Burning (2018).

The Search for One-eye Jimmy (1994) - Indie comedy written and directed by Sam Henry Kass, and starring some familiar faces including Sam Rockwell, Steve Buscemi, John Turturro, Holt McCallany, Samuel L. Jackson, and Jennifer Beals.

Babylon (1980) - Cult film directed by Franco Rosso about Black British culture and Black Jamaican youth in south London dealing with racial tension and police brutality.

War Requiem (1989) - British film director Derek Jarman's film adaptation of Benjamin Britten's musical piece War Requiem starring Nathaniel Parker as Wilfred Owen in World War I, along with Laurence Olivier in his last performance and even Tilda Swinton.

A Town Called Panic (2009) - A stop-motion animated adventure fantasy comedy family film! This French film was the first stop-motion film ever to be screened at the Cannes Film Festival.

Frightmare (1974) - British horror film directed by Pete Walker about a bloke and his girl that just got out of the insane asylum.

L'Immortelle (1963) - From Alain Robbe-Grillet, the writer of Last Year at Marienbad (1961), comes this bizarre cinematic work shot in Istanbul.

Star Slammer (1986) - AKA Prison Ship. Hilariously bad sci-fi film by director Fred Olen Ray.

Bonneville (2006) - A bland, empty road movie starring Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Joan Allen, and Tom Skerritt.

Full Documentaries on the Kino Lorber YouTube Channels:

The Atomic Cafe (1982) - Classic found footage documentary covering Cold War propaganda on nuclear warfare. A powerful hilarious satire and a must see!

Filmworker (2017) - Documentary on Stanley Kubrick’s assistant Leon Vitali, this movie is considered one of the best Kubrick-themed documentaries.

Fela Kuti: Music Is The Weapon (1982) and Finding Fela (2014) - Two docs on the great Nigerian musician Fela Kuti. One 50-minute one from 1982 with interviews of Fela, and the other more recent one on his life and music directed by Oscar-winning documentarian Alex Gibney.

In the Mirror of Maya Deren (2003) - Documentary about experimental filmmaker Maya Deren who made the hugely influential film Meshes of the Afternoon (1943).

Moments Without Proper Names (1986) - Final film of photographer and director Gordon Parks (he directed Shaft). A beautifully restored self-portrait of the artist.

David Holzman's Diary (1967) - Underground independent autobiographical documentary by James McBride. This mockumentary would influence many filmmakers.

Drew: The Man Behind The Poster (2013) - Fans of movie posters will recognize the name Drew Struzan who did the posters for such films as Star Wars, The Thing, Back to the Future, and much more. This documentary focuses on his career and features interviews with George Lucas, Guillermo del Toro, Steven Spielberg, and others.

The Five Obstructions (2003) Danish documentary directed by Lars von Trier and Jorgen Leth. Von Trier imposes obstructions on Jorgen Leth as he forces him to remake his short film The Perfect Human five times. Crazy 'ol von Trier!

Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction (2012) - Portrait of beloved actor Harry Dean Stanton who was in too many good films to name. The movie features a lot of Harry telling stories along with interviews of David Lynch, Wim Wenders, Sam Shepard, Kris Kristofferson, and Debbie Harry.

Blank City (2010) - Documentary about the New York No Wave scene in the late 70s and early 80s covering the musicians, visual artists, performers, and filmmakers who roamed in the East Village at that time. Jim Jarmusch, John Waters, Steve Buscemi, Debbie Harry, Fab 5 Freddy, and Thurston Moore lend their thoughts on the bygone era.

Nollywood Babylon (2008) - Documentary about the wild world of Nigerian cinema. Learn about this explosive movie industry which is not deterred by small budgets.

Helmut Newton: The Bad And The Beautiful (2020) - Doc about the legendary photographer Helmut Newton featuring tons of his photographs, along with interviews of Grace Jones, Charlotte Rampling, Isabella Rossellini, Claudia Schiffer, Marianne Faithfull, and more.

5 Broken Cameras (2011) - Academy Award nominated documentary filmed by a Palestinian farmer named Emad Burnat who filmed in a West Bank village although his cameras were destroyed.

Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth (1988) - For fans of mythologist Joseph Campbell, you'll enjoy this six-part PBS documentary featuring conversations between Campbell and journalist Bill Moyers.

Much more to explore on the Kino Lorber YouTube channels. And we'll add more movies to this blog post as they're added to their channel. Thank you Kino Lorber!