Watchmen

Set in an alternate universe circa 1985, the film's world is a highly unstable one where a nuclear war is imminent between America and Russia.

Superheroes have long been made to hang up their tights thanks to the government-sponsored Keene Act, but that all changes with the death of The Comedian (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a robust ex-hero commando whose mysterious free fall out a window perks the interest of one of the country's last remaining vigilantes, Rorschach (Jackie Earle Haley). His investigation leads him to caution many of his other former costumed colleagues, including Dr. Manhattan, Night Owl (Patrick Wilson), Ozymandias (Matthew Goode), Sally Jupiter (Carla Gugino), and her daughter, The Silk Spectre (Malin Akerman).

Heralded for bringing the world of superheroes into the literary world, Watchmen gave the super-powered mythos a real-life grounding that had been missing in mainstream comics to that point. The film adaptation had languished in one form of development hell or another for years after the book's release, with various directors on and off the project, including Terry Gilliam, David Hayter, and Darren Aronofsky, as well as Paul Greengrass, whose eventual dismissal stemmed from budget conflicts with the studio.

Watch the trailer, below, and the movie on SockShare, FileNuke or NowVideo.

 

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Night of the Templar

Here lies a tale of passion, loyalty, deceit, betrayal...and revenge. They were Warriors. They were Crusaders. Under the leadership of the righteous GREGOIRE, this band of brothers in the Holy Order of the Knights Templar selflessly fought back-to-back, defending GOD and the "True Cross." Until one dark night of utter betrayal...

B-Movie Addiction says...

Night of the Templar (alternatively titled 'Knights Templar') is a unique movie to say the least. It's a medieval revenge story wrapped in a modern-day horror mystery wrapped in a suspense thriller. It's somewhat all over the place, and you do need to pay attention to sort out what's what since there are two parallel plot-lines. If you don't, you'll find yourself wondering what the hell is going on.

The story begins in the year 1095 CE, following a leader of a band of templar knights named Gregoire (Paul Sampson) during the crusades. We see him at the pointy end of a sword uttering a curse to the unseen man holding the sword that he will return from the grave to send him and his accomplices to hell. The film cuts between modern day and 1095 as we learn more about the characters and exactly what happened with the Templars.  As the story unfolds, we learn that the reason for the betrayal is as minimal as the acting from the female cast. Greed. Plain old greed. Templars want to get laid and have money while doing it. Gregoire says no. Murder and betrayal follow.

The modern-day plot focuses on a fantasy-weekend getaway to a European castle, almost in a reality TV show format except that there is a looming purpose over it. Everyone starts to recognize that they are the reincarnations of the templars, good and bad, after reading the story over the course of the night thanks to a conveniently placed coffee-table version of the story left out. It's done in a NeverEnding Story-esque style, the guests read the story out loud between scenes of what happened in the past to Gregoire. Surprisingly, the story begins to come alive! People start getting murdered, the first by... *gasp*... someone dressed as a templar knight. The murder mystery begins to kick in when bodies start turning up in slightly stranger ways: a body nail-gunned to the wall, a cook's tongue removed. The difference in methodology between the templar's holy justice and just plain cruel murder gives reason to believe there is slightly more to the tale. And I do mean slightly.

This movie is not really that complex to figure out if you are paying attention. It's shockingly straight forward as it goes on. The host of the weekend, the reincarnated Gregoire, discovers the bodies and without emotional reaction says brilliant phrases such as "great... I have to cook... and clean..." Not to mention right from the beginning he experiences stigmata-type pains of getting stabbed in the back, literally, by his former comrades. The guests take turns in voicing their opinions on whether they would have supported or betrayed Gregoire, letting you figure out who they are or could possibly be rather quickly.

The murder scenes are laughably bad. The actual killing is done slightly off camera while they zoom in on the faces. Despite the lameness, there's something incredibly satisfying in seeing a Scream-style knifing committed by a templar knight. The big battle at the climax is equally is terrible. "I shall cut you ten times! One for each life of excess!" is screamed by Gregoire as he achieves his justice. The fighting is just as corny as the dialogue. The two big matches are between the young knight and a 60 year old priest and a young girl vs. David Carradine. Not really blockbuster action, it's pretty funny and I think it was meant to be. One of the battles is even won through the power of love.

A big part of the strange allure is the strange cast of characters and their actors as well. Udo Kier plays a mysterious priest, whose motives are unclear through most of the movie. Billy Drago plays the chef named Shauna in full drag. Super creepy. Norman Reedus, a.k.a Daryl Dixon from The Walking Dead, makes an appearance as an asshole who enjoys choking himself while receiving fellatio. David Carradine plays the local shopkeeper who has a couple incredibly corny scenes. Awesome to see him in one of his last hurrahs. Paul Sampson has a really unique and awkward screen presence that's strangely addicting to watch. The combination results in a blend of strange awkward creepiness that somehow works.

And with all that said, this review is like the movie itself... All over the place. I actually did enjoy this movie a lot despite the sarcasm. It's allure lies in just how weird it is. From Paul Sampson's strange Boston/Little Nicky accent to his templar speech delivered like an Oprah "...and you get a car! and you get a car!" pointing with his sword at his knights. It's just loveable. A definite guilty pleasure. It looks good too. For an indie film the production quality and camera work is quite exceptional. Interesting semi-twist at the end too, that will give you something to talk about whoever you're watching it with.

Night of the Templar is definitely worth a watch. It will keep you entertained from start to finish. It's a loveable oddity in film, venturing far from the path of Hollywood predictability. Watch the trailer below and the film on PutLocker, WatchFreeInHD, HDPlay or SockShare.

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Fetih 1453

In 1453, the Byzantine capital of Constantinople is surrounded by Ottoman Turks. The city is but a shadow of its former glory due to the empire's ever receding coffers, while the Ottoman Empire continues to grow rich. After years of tolerating the existence of Byzantium, the ambitious sultan, Mehmet II launches his campaign to end the Byzantine Empire and take Constantinople for the Ottomans, resulting in arguably the greatest siege of that age. Watch the trailer below and the film from source one, two or three.

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Coriolanus

Caius Martius 'Coriolanus' (Ralph Fiennes), a revered and feared Roman General is at odds with the city of Rome and his fellow citizens. Pushed by his controlling and ambitious mother Volumnia (Vanessa Redgrave) to seek the exalted and powerful position of Consul, he is loath to ingratiate himself with the masses whose votes he needs in order to secure the office. When the public refuses to support him, Coriolanus's anger prompts a riot that culminates in his expulsion from Rome. The banished hero then allies himself with his sworn enemy Tullus Aufidius (Gerard Butler) to take his revenge on the city.

Watch the trailer, below, and the movie at WatchFreeInHD, HDPlay, NowVideo, Zalaa, or PutLocker.

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Legend of the Fist: The Return of Chen Zhen

Seven years after the apparent death of Chen Zhen, who was shot after discovering who was responsible for his teacher's death (Huo Yuanjia) in Japanese-occupied Shanghai. A mysterious stranger arrives from overseas and befriends a local mafia boss. That man is a disguised Chen Zhen, who intends to infiltrate the mob when they form an alliance with the Japanese. Disguising himself as a caped fighter by night, Chen intends to take out everyone involved as well as get his hands on an assassination list prepared by the Japanese. The movie is set in 1925, most of the cars are from late 1940s to early 1950s. Stars Donnie Yen and Qi Shu. Trailer below, watch it on PutLocker, SockShare (English dubbed), HDPlay or WatchFreeInHD.

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The Great Magician

Set in the 1920s in Northern China, during the period in which feuds between warlords are taking place, one such lord Lei Daniu (Sean Lau Ching-wan), also known as “Bully”, uses butler Liu Kunshan’s (Wu Gang) magic trickery to recruit soldiers to his ranks. Yet what he really hopes to do is win over the affections of his forced seventh concubine Liu Yin (Zhou Xun). When the mysterious Zhang Xian (Tony Leung Chiu-wai) arrives in town with his magic shows, Bully hires him to help impress the disinterested Yin, not knowing that he has just opened up a can of worms. Stars Tony Leung, Zhou Xun and Lau Ching Wan, and directed by Derek Yee. Watch the trailer, below, and watch the movie on HDPlay one or two, PutLocker, or WatchFreeinHD one or two.

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Les Vampires

Les Vampires (French for "The vampires") is a 1915/1916 ten-part silent film serial.

It was written and directed by Louis Feuillade and stars Musidora as "Irma Vep" a femme fatale whose name is a suspicious anagram of "vampire." The serial is set in Paris and follows the exploits of a gang of master criminals (known in the period as an "Apache gang") who call themselves "Les Vampires."

Olivier Assayas 1996 movie Irma Vep, with a story line of a director's attempt to remake Les Vampires, is both an homage to the innovative nature of the original film and a critique of the then current state of French cinema. Read more, or watch the first installment, below, or the playlist of the complete series.

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Pathé Films

Pathé or Pathé Frères films produced by the Pathé Brothers of France.

Founded as Société Pathé Frères (Pathé Brothers Company) in Paris, France on 28 September 1896 by brothers Charles, Émile, Théophile and Jacques Pathé, during the first part of the 20th century, Pathé became the largest film equipment and production company in the world as well as a major producer of phonograph records.

The driving force behind the film operation was Charles Pathé, who had helped open a gramophone shop in 1894 and then established a phonograph factory at Chatou on the western outskirts of Paris. As these became successful, he saw the opportunities offered by new means of entertainment and in particular by the fledgling motion picture industry. Having decided to expand the record business to include film equipment, Charles Pathé oversaw a rapid expansion of the company. To finance its growth, he took the company public under the name Compagnie Générale des Établissements Pathé Frères Phonographes & Cinématographes (sometimes abbreviated as "C.G.P.C.") in 1897, and its shares were listed on the Paris Stock Exchange.

Read more, and watch a playlist of Pathé Films, below, that includes Ferdinand Zecca, Max Linder, Segundo de Chomón and more!

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The Sheik

This movie literally catapulted Rudolph Valentino into ever-lasting fame, but most people have never actually seen the movie. 


You havem't seen it? You're kidding me! Well, it's time you watched The Sheik. Afterward, you won't ask why Valentino is the reigning sex symbol of his era. 


Synopsis: A charming Arabian sheik becomes infatuated with an adventurous, modern-thinking Englishwoman and abducts her to his home in the Saharan desert. I don't want to tell you anymore, it'll ruin the movie for you. Enjoy!


IMDb information Wikipedia information 

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Romeo and Juliet

Shakespeare's classic tale of romance and tragedy. Two families of Verona, the Montagues and the Capulets, have been feuding with each other for years.

Young Romeo Montague goes out with his friends to make trouble at a party the Capulets are hosting, but while there he spies the Capulet's daughter Juliet, and falls hopelessly in love with her. She returns his affections, but they both know that their families will never allow them to follow their hearts.

Watch on NovaMov, SockShare, PutLocker, StageVU or NovaMov below.

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The Taming of the Shrew

Baptista (Michael Hordern), a rich Paduan merchant, announces that his fair young daughter, Bianca (Natasha Pyne), will remain unwed until her older sister, Katharina (Elizabeth Taylor), a hellish shrew, has wed. Lucentio (Michael York), a student and the son of a wealthy Pisan merchant, has fallen in love with Bianca. He poses as a tutor of music and poetry to gain entrance to the Baptista household and to be near Bianca.

Meanwhile, Petruchio (Richard Burton), a fortune-hunting scoundrel from Verona, arrives in Padua, hoping to capture a wealthy wife. Hortensio (Victor Spinetti), another suitor of Bianca, directs Petruchio's attention to Katharina. When Hortensio warns him about Katharina's scolding tongue and fiery temper, Petruchio is challenged and resolves to capture her love. Hortensio and another suitor of Bianca, Gremio (Cyril Cusack), agree to cover Petruchio's costs as he pursues Katharina.

Watch in English on StageVu or StageVu (English, Czech subs),.with Spanish subtitles on YouTube, or in Spanish on YouTube.

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Fahrenheit 451

In an oppressive future, a fireman whose duty is to destroy all books begins to question his task. 451 degrees Fahrenheit is the temperature at which paper bursts into flame. This adaptation of the classic novel by Ray Bradbury describes a future in which independent thought is discouraged and "firemen" burn books. The population is distracted and sedated by a combination of wall to wall interactive television and mind altering drugs. But one fireman begins to read the books he is supposed to burn....

Watch on Sockshare or Putlocker one or two.

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The Four Musketeers

D'Artagnan has become a Musketeer. Protestants hold La Rochelle, and the Queen loves Buckingham, who'll soon send ships to support the rebels. Richelieu enlists Rochefort to kidnap Constance, the Queen's go-between and D'Artagnan's love. The Cardinal uses the wily, amoral Milady de Winter to distract D'Artagnan. But soon, she is D'Artagnan's sworn enemy, and she has an unfortunate history with Athos as well. Milady goes to England to dispatch Buckingham; the Musketeers fight the rebels. Milady, with Rochefort's help, then turns to her personal agenda. Can D'Artagnan save Constance, defeat Rochefort, slip de Winter's ire, and stay free of the Cardinal? All for one, one for all. A star-studded class reprising hit roles, just like The Three Musketeers. Watch on MegaVideo, GorillaVid one or two, daClips, or below on uFLiQ.
 

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The Three Musketeers

The young D'Artagnan arrives in Paris with dreams of becoming a king's musketeer. He meets and quarrels with three men, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis, each of whom challenges him to a duel. D'Artagnan finds out they are musketeers and is invited to join them in their efforts to oppose Cardinal Richelieu, who wishes to increase his already considerable power over the king. D'Artagnan must also juggle affairs with the charming Constance Bonancieux and the passionate Lady De Winter, a secret agent for the cardinal. The star-studded cast includes Charlton Heston, Christopher Lee, Faye Dunaway, Geraldine Chaplin, Michael York, Oliver Reed, Raquel Welch, Richard Chamberlain and Simon Ward. Watch on PutLocker, Sockshare, uFLiQ, or below.

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Angel on My Shoulder

Angel on My Shoulder is a 1946 American fantasy film about a deal between the Devil and a dead man.

Paul Muni gives another classic performance in this wonderful fantasy as a notorious gangster who is murdered by a double-crossing partner. While in Hell, he makes a deal with the Devil, played with relish by Claude Rains, to return to earth... only to double-cross him in the end.

Watch below courtesy of The Internet Archive, or view via Google Video or on YouTube.

 

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As You Like It

In As You Like It a duke usurps his brother's land and power, banishing him and his retinue into the forest of Arden. The banished duke's daughter, Rosalind, remains with her cousin Celia. She has fallen in love with Orlando, but he has his own tyrannical brother to contend with, so he joins those in the forest. 


Rosalind, now banished, disguises herself as a young man, with Celia as her servant, and follows Orlando into the forest. There, nature stirs love's fires in various rustics as well as in those from the court. Phebe, a shepherdess loved by Silvius, is herself smitten with the disguised Rosalind. Can true love find a way, and can brothers be reconciled and harmony restored?

As You Like It stars Sir Laurence Olivier  in his first Shakespeare performance on screen and nearly all the actors involved had performed the play on stage before this. Watch below via The Internet Archive. 

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Throne Of Blood

A ruthlessly ambitious lord, egged on by his wife, works to fulfill a prophecy that he would become Emperor. 

Kurosawa's  Throne Of Blood is a transposition of Shakespeare’s ’Macbeth’ to medieval Japan. After a great military victory, Lords Washizu and Miki are lost in the dense Cobweb Forest, where they meet a mysterious old woman who predicts great things for Washizu and even greater things for Miki’s descendants.

Once out of the forest, Washizu and Miki are immediately promoted by the Emperor. Washizu, encouraged by his ambitious wife, plots to make even more of the prophecy come true, even if it means killing the Emperor...

Watch on Tudou, MegaVideo Part 1 and Part 2,  VeeHD or PutLocker Part 1 and Part 2.

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House Of Flying Daggers

Chinese director Zhang Yimou fuses a martial arts action-drama with a tragic romance in this elegant period piece, House Of Flying Daggers. 

In the year 859 A.D., as the Tang dynasty is beset by rebellion, Leo (Andy Lau) and Jin (Takeshi Kaneshiro) are a pair of lawmen who have been given the task of ferreting out the leaders of a revolutionary faction known as the Flying Daggers.

Working on a tip that members of the group are operating out of a brothel called the Peony Pavilion, Jin arrives there in disguise and is introduced to a beautiful blind dancer named Mei (Zhang Ziyi). After watching Mei's performance following several drinks, Jin drunkenly attempts to have his way with her, and Leo is forced to intervene. After gaining Mei's trust in a game of skill, Leo arrests her and informs her that she'll be tortured if she doesn't tell all she knows about the Flying Daggers. 

Jin responds by helping Mei break out of prison, but he has an ulterior motive -- by following her, Leo and Jin are certain she'll lead them to the Flying Daggers. However, as he helps the blind girl find her way back home, Jin finds himself falling in love with Mei, and isn't certain if he's willing to betray her again.



Watch on StageVU, below, or on YouTube, StageVu French subtitles,  GorillaVid, daClips, VideoWeed or NovaMov. 

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Seven Samurai

A veteran samurai, who has fallen on hard times, answers a village's request for protection from bandits. He gathers 6 other samurai to help him, and they teach the townspeople how to defend themselves, and they supply the samurai with three small meals a day. Seven Samurai culminates in a giant battle when 40 bandits attack.

"The samurai themselves are so richly given life to in the screenplay that little more would have been needed to make them memorable characters, yet the main cast pay off at every turn, and though every one of the seven main actors give in perfect performances (never as I had feared before watching it do you confuse them, even in the chaotic battle scenes), two immortal roles have a particularly resounding effect: Takashi Shimura (Kambei Shimada), who plays the leader of the ragged band of samurai, gives his sage and venerable warrior a god-like intensity that makes the magnetic charisma of his character unquestionable.

One of the easiest leaders to root for in all the history of film-making. Stealing the show however, albeit by a very thin margin, is longtime Kurosawa favorite coworker Toshiro Mifune (Kikuchiyo) as the rogue seventh, the black sheep of the herd, giving the bravura ultimate performance of a lifetime paved throughout with great roles."




"The story follows them and the villagers, equally nuanced and developed, through their encounter, training, eventual bonding and the big inevitable fight for survival. Unlike subsequent very successful remakes (i.e. Magnificent Seven), seven Samurai transcended excellency by having many layers (nothing or no one is white or black: everything exists in shades of gray) and thus being very real and human. Even without the menace, its interpersonal dynamics would have made it perfect human drama, subtle, balancing comedy, intensity, realism, drama and a deep philosophy with astonishing ease, yet the menace does materialize and thus Seven Samurai unleashes its violence in a series of action scenes crafted with such vision and ingenuity as has ever reached an action film (the frenetic battle scenes at the end rather evoke Saving Private Ryan in their relentlessness).

In the end, what made this into solid gold was, at the core, Akira Kurosawa, who would, despite directing many further masterpieces (Throne of Blood, Yojimbo, Red Beard, Dersu Uzala, Kagemusha, Ran), would never top this one. Throughout his life, Kurosawa kept confirming his status as perhaps the greatest director ever. If so, Seven Samurai is the ultimate proof of that truth. One of the very best films ever made and personal all-time favorite." 8 January 2003 | by OttoVonB

Watch on NovaMov, below, or on VeeHD, StageVU or MovShare.

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Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Taiwanese filmmaker Ang Lee took a break from making Western period dramas to fashion this wild and woolly martial arts spectacular Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon featuring special effects and action sequences courtesy of the choreographer of The Matrix, Yuen Woo Ping.

In the early 19th century, martial arts master Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat) is about to retire and enter a life of meditation, though he quietly longs to avenge the death of his master, who was killed by Jade Fox (Cheng Pei-pei). He gives his sword, a fabled 400-year-old weapon known as Green Destiny, to his friend, fellow martial arts wizard and secret love Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh), so that she may deliver it to Sir Te (Sihung Lung). 

Upon arrival in Peking, Yu happens upon Jen (Zhang Ziyi), a vivacious, willful politician's daughter. That night, a mysterious masked thief swipes Green Destiny, with Yu in hot pursuit -- resulting in the first of several martial arts action set pieces during the film. Li arrives in Beijing and eventually discovers that Jen is not only the masked thief but is also in cahoots with the evil Jade. In spite of this, Li sees great talent in Jen as a fighter and offers to school her in the finer points of martial arts and selflessness, an offer that Jen promptly rebukes...

Watch, below, or view on GorillaVid, MegaVideo, StageVU or daClips. 

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