“A Better Tomorrow Trilogy” (1986) Action Written by: John Woo, Chan Hing-ka and Leung Suk-wah Directed by: John Woo Featuring: Ti Lung, Leslie Cheung, Chow Yun-fat, Emily Chu, Waise Lee and Kenneth Tsang Ken: “You don’t like my rice? What’s wrong with with it? It’s beautiful to me, but to you, rice is nothing… to us,…

“Bullet in the Head” (1990) Action Running Time: 136 minutes Written by: John Woo, Patrick Leung and Janet Chun Directed by: John Woo Featuring: Tony Leung, Jacky Cheung, Waise Lee and Simon Yam Paul: “Today I saw a soldier kill a man and I learnt something. In this world, we can do anything if we have…

“Invasion of the Body Snatchers” (1978) Science Fiction Running Time: 136 minutes Written by: W. D. Richter Directed by: Philip Kaufman Featuring: Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Leonard Nimoy, Jeff Goldblum and Veronica Cartwright Dr. David Kibner: “We came here from a dying world. We drift through the universe, from planet to planet, pushed on by the…

“Henry & June” (1990) Drama Running Time: 136 minutes Written by: Philip Kaufman and Rose Kaufman Directed by: Philip Kaufman Featuring: Fred Ward, Uma Thurman, Maria de Medeiros, Richard E. Grant and Kevin Spacey June Miller: “I’ve done the vilest things – the foulest things – but I’ve done them… superbly.” There are films that become notorious because of their subject matter, films that earn their reputation through genuine artistic achievement, and films that occupy an intriguing space somewhere between the two. Philip Kaufman’s Henry & June belongs firmly in the third category. Released in 1990, this ambitious period drama explores the intertwined lives of writers Anaïs Nin and Henry Miller and Miller’s wife, June, against the bohemian backdrop of 1930s Paris. It became a landmark in American film history as the first motion picture to receive the MPAA’s NC-17 rating, a distinction that inevitably drew attention to its erotic content while sometimes overshadowing its more interesting artistic ambitions. Imprint Films’ limited-edition Blu-ray offers collectors an opportunity to revisit this unconventional work in high definition, with a presentation that gives the film’s atmospheric cinematography and carefully constructed period detail a welcome home-video showcase. The Australian boutique label has included a new interview with leading actress Maria de Medeiros, alongside the theatrical trailer and a television spot. The package is attractive, although the supplementary material is relatively modest for a film with such a fascinating production history and cultural legacy.  The film: desire, literature and the search for identity Set in Paris in 1931, Henry & June follows Anaïs Nin, a married woman whose outwardly comfortable existence conceals a growing dissatisfaction with her life. Her marriage offers stability, but she yearns for something more intellectually stimulating, emotionally liberating and creatively fulfilling. Her introduction to the American writer Henry Miller opens a door into a world of artistic rebellion, sexual experimentation and unconventional relationships. Miller represents a particular kind of bohemian freedom. He is ambitious, provocative, frequently selfish and seemingly unconcerned with conventional respectability. His writing is raw and confrontational, reflecting a personality that challenges social expectations as readily as it challenges literary conventions. Through him, Anaïs encounters possibilities that her previous existence has largely kept at a distance.…

“Victory” (1996) Drama Running Time: 99 minutes Written by: Mark Peploe and Frederick Seidel Directed by: Mark Peploe Featuring: Willem Dafoe, Irène Jacob, Sam Neill and Rufus Sewell Capt. Davidson: “Where ever he is, she really did save his life. She taught him how to love. That was her victory.” There is something particularly satisfying about…

“The Trigger Effect” (1996) Drama Running Time: 94 minutes Written & directed by: David Koepp Featuring: Kyle MacLachlan, Elisabeth Shue, Dermot Mulroney and Michael Rooker Annie: “Boys, if you can’t play nice, we’re not gonna have any more of these little sleepovers.” There is something particularly unsettling about The Trigger Effect. It is not a film that…

“Killer: A Journal of Murder” (1995) Drama Running Time: 90 minutes Written & directed by: Tim Metcalfe Featuring: James Woods, Robert Sean Leonard, Cara Buono, Ellen Greene, Robert John Burke and Steve Forrest Carl Panzram: “I don’t want to be alive. I want out of these clothes. I want out of this body. I want out…