Macha Meril Movies

Intermittent sexual encounters and a sleazy group of protagonists provide some interest in this otherwise undistinguished story about avarice and love. A chain of similar events begins when a young woman decides to bilk her middle-age "sugar daddy" of some money. She is temporarily living with him while his family is out of town and pretends she needs an abortion. So he plays on the sympathies of a lonely widow he keeps dangling on a romantically tinted string and gets the funds under false pretenses. The money then goes to his girlfriend but does not stay in her hands long because her young boyfriend needs it for his own purposes. The girlfriend does not know that those purposes involve another woman, and the boyfriend does not know that he is being bilked. And so the beat goes on.... ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

Roger Vadim directs his ex-wife Brigitte Bardot once again in this conventional film about an innocent young woman, Genevieve (Bardot), who ends up on the losing side of a relationship with an alcoholic -- at least for awhile. Genevieve is a typical, introverted, middle-class woman who would like to be a homemaker and live relatively well. Instead, she goes to a small town to receive an inheritance, and by accident she walks into the wrong room in her hotel. And just in time. The alcoholic Renaud (Robert Hossein) who occupies the room has tried to kill himself with an overdose of sleeping pills. Genevieve saves his life, and the two soon strike up a dysfunctional relationship. Renaud degrades her in every way he can, yet she remains true to her honest feelings for him. The question, in the end, is whether Renaud will ultimately change for the better or Genevieve for the worse. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

A married couple presents their separate views on the state of their marriage in this domestic drama. The two segments are titled ""My Days with Jean-Marc" and "My Nights with Francoise." ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this western, the sixth in the European-produced "Winnetou" series, Old Surehand and his Apache sidekick Winnetou endeavor to capture the outlaws who killed their friend the wagon master. To do so, Winnetou volunteers to guide the leaderless wagon train across the treacherous Indian land himself. Sure enough, they encounter Navajos, but fortunately Winnetou manages to get them safe passage until an avaricious oil swindler tries to cheat local settlers out of their land and ends up killing the Navajo leader's son. Naturally the Indians assume that Winnetou has betrayed them and go to war against the settlers. Fortunately, Surehand rides to the rescue. He is accompanied by the swindler whom he captured. Peace is restored. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This light comedy finds an inept reporter keeping his job only because his uncle owns the paper he works for. He is assigned to cover the story of a woman giving birth to sextuplets on a small island off the coast of France. The gullible reporter is given a false story, by a social worker, that Martians have landed on the island. When he prints the story, the island is besieged with visitors and curiosity seekers. Among the visitors are two beings from another planet who really believe their interplanetary brethren have arrived. The sextuplets are born, but the reporter is fired. He missed two really big scoops that have the newborns taken away in a spaceship by their father, a real alien. A giant dinosaur-like creature emerges from the watery depths of the ocean to see what all the fuss is about. The reporter and babies are long gone and the disinterested monster gives the island one last look before going home. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

Belle de Jour dramatizes the collision between depravity and elegance, one of the favorite themes of director Luis Buñuel. Catherine Deneuve stars as a wealthy but bored newlywed, eager to taste life to the fullest. She seemingly gets her wish early in the film when she is kidnapped, tied to a tree, and gang-raped. It turns out that this is only a daydream, but her subsequent visits to a neighboring brothel, where she offers her services, certainly seem to be real. This illusion/reality dichotomy extends to the final scenes, in which we are offered two possible endings. Thanks to a question of copyright and ownership, Belle de Jour disappeared from view shortly after its 1967 release, not even resurfacing on videotape. When it was reissued theatrically in 1994, many critics placed the perplexing but mesmerizing film on their lists of that year's best films. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The logical consequences of unrestrained hedonism are explored in the sensationalistic Italian drama La notte dei fiori. A woman pop star and her decadent entourage disport themselves in a country estate, making love, playing psychological games, and finally, committing multiple murders. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

In this French fantasy/comedy, the Maoist Chinese, by some miracle, have occupied Paris (and France) overnight. The patience of these stern, work-oriented and quite puritanical communists is finally completely worn down by the quarrelsome, cynical and decadent French, who cannot cooperate properly even when they are willing. Unappreciated, ignored, and thoroughly disgusted, the Chinese soon pack up and leave. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

The film that has become the master work in Italian horror maestro Dario Argento's canon, Deep Red holds up brilliantly despite the plethora of copycat slasher films it inspired in the years to follow. The film opens with a flashback murder shown from the perspective of a child while an eerie nursery rhyme plays. Cut to the present, pianist Marc Daly (David Hemmings) witnesses the murder of a psychic while chatting with his drunken pal, Carlo (Gabriele Lavia). While the police investigate, Marc joins forces with attractive reporter Gianna (Daria Nicolodi). Once Marc realizes that he is a target for the killer, he seeks help from Giordani (Glauco Mauri), a professor of the paranormal, who soon becomes one of the killer's victims. Marc's research leads him to an abandoned house where he discovers a secret room that hides a corpse. Before he can call the cops, he is knocked out and awakens to find the place in flames while Gianna holds him. Racing to the neighbors to call for help, Marc discovers an important clue that leads him to a nearby school where he finally finds the killer's identity. The madman attacks him, but the police arrive to save Marc. Though the case appears to be solved, Marc comes to the disturbing realization that one piece of the puzzle remains. ~ Patrick Legare, All Movie Guide

Angela is the crippled daughter of two separated but still-feuding parents. In this Rainer Werner Fassbinder film, the wealthy parents are both induced to come to their country vacation house with their lovers in tow. For years, they have tried to make Angela feel guilty for having driven them to seek comfort outside their marriage, though ironically there is some indication that their dalliances may have had a hand in the accident that caused her condition. In this unpleasant milieu, they begin playing a truth-telling game called "Chinese Roulette," which leads to even more distasteful revelations and recriminations.. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Gregor (Maurice Ronet) is a rich, charming womanizer who has been married three times. Perhaps he is not quite charming enough, because his ex-wives have it in for him. They conspire together to find just the sort of girl who will happily ruin him. Once they find her, they make sure the two get together. Things work out just according to plan, except for one thing: Gregor is happy to lose it all for love. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Local Italian rock 'n roll dancing stars Rosario Biccica and Rodolfo Banchelli are featured in this movie which follows them throughout Italy as they compete in dance championships. In an homage to Saturday Night Fever, the lead performers play themselves: blue-collar kids whose tedious lives are spiced by the excitement they get on the dance floor. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

Robert #1 is played by Charles Denner, while Robert #2 is played by Jacques Villeret. Beyond their common name, the two Roberts are as different as night and day. Oh, there is one more resemblance: both Roberts are lonely, and both hope to meet suitable mates through a computer dating service. As they await the arrival of their new dates, Robert et Robert become fast friends. Of the three favorite film subjects of writer/director Claude Lelouch--romance, crime, and politics--Robert et Robert falls firmly into the first category. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide