!FREE films FREE!

Where does my love of movies come from?

My father would take us to the movies. Often.

I remember seeing Disney's Fantasia and the Ten Commandments as a child, as well as the re-release of Gone with the Wind.

But Dad also took us to Japanese-language films - historical costume dramas like Chushingura, or the 47 Loyal Ronin. And a very young Toshiro Mifune in a non-costume drama, Stray Dog

We would often see films on the University of Hawaii campus, in the very odd atmosphere of the lecture hall in Bilger, the chemistry building! These included the original Hunchback of Notre Dame with Lon Chaney is one, De Sica's Bicycle Thief - the Italian classic, and Satyajit Ray's The World of Apu, as well as the other two great films of that trilogy - Aparajito and The World of Apu.

Fast forward, and I remember being able to see foreign films on campus up until the early years of our marriage, and these were preceded or followed by ethnic food dinners of French food at the original Le Guignol on Kalakaua Avenue or Portuguese at Lisboa.

Do you love movies as much as I do, especially foreign films with those pesky subtitles? How about FREE foreign films? Online!

If you do, check out the 24 Iranian films available FREE through April 6th, courtesy of asiapacificfilms.com Here's an intro, trailer and summary about one that looks good for the entire family:  And another that is more suited to my noir-leaning sensibilities. I missed this when it screened at the Doris Duke theater.

Even with the availability of FREE movies, I prefer to see them IRL. Where might you find me this weekend? I'll be seeing either Limitless (unbelievable premise, and Bradley Cooper is kinda cute, though I read that De Niro phoned in his performance) or the Lincoln Lawyer. No, I don't care for Matthew McConaughey, though reviews say he is good in this. I do love Marisa Tomei and William H. Macy.

Not sure dad would be up for either of these films; he'd probably rather see the Met performances of either Il Trovatore or Lucia di Lammermoor.