1556 – The Faculty (1998)

spacetime coordinates: 1990’s Herrington High School in Ohio

The Faculty is a 1998 American science fiction teen horror film written by Kevin Williamson, directed by Robert Rodriguez, and starring Elijah Wood, Josh Hartnett, Shawn Hatosy, Jordana Brewster, Clea DuVall, Laura Harris, Robert Patrick, Bebe Neuwirth, Piper Laurie, Famke Janssen, Usher Raymond, Salma Hayek, and Jon Stewart.

Haleigh Foutch considers The Faculty as one of the most iconic 1990s teen horror movies: “Yet another win from 90s teen screenwriter in chief Kevin Williamson, The Faculty fused Williamson’s knack for snappy teen drama with Robert Rodriguez’s subversive camp to fantastic results. It’s smart without ever taking itself too seriously and campy without ever losing its cool, drawing proudly from the tradition of classic alien invasion movies and casting them in the 90s teen tradition.” – Influences and legacy – (wiki)

imdb

1554 – First Cow (2019)

spacetime coordinates: Oregon Country, 1820

First Cow is a 2019 American drama film directed by Kelly Reichardt, from a screenplay by Reichardt and Jonathan Raymond based on Raymond’s novel The Half Life. It stars John Magaro, Orion Lee, Toby Jones, Ewen Bremner, Scott Shephard, Gary Farmer and Lily Gladstone. It also features René Auberjonois in one of his final film roles. (wiki)

imdb   /   rt

1545 – Yummy (2019)

spacetime coordinates: 2010’s shady Eastern European hospital for plastic surgery

Yummy is a 2019 Belgian comedy/horror/zombie film directed by Lars Damoiseaux and starring Maaike Neuville, Bart Hollanders, Benjamin Ramon, Clara Cleymans, and Joshua Rubin.

The Eastern Europe language ‘Balkanese’ spoken by the hospital workers is a fictional language created by Lars Damoiseaux’s wife, Lana Macanovic.

---

imdb   /   rottentomatoes

1541 – Pinocchio (2019)

spacetime coordinates: 19th century Tuscany, Italy (the city of Catchfools,  Toyland etc)

Pinocchio is a 2019 Italian fantasy film co-written and directed by Matteo Garrone (tale-of-tales-2015), based on the 1883 book The Adventures of Pinocchio by Italian author Carlo Collodi. (wiki)

imdb

1540 – Wasp Network (2019)

spacetime coordinates: early 1990s > 1997. Cuba / United States

Wasp Network is a 2019 internationally co-produced drama film, written and directed by Olivier Assayas, based upon the book The Last Soldiers of the Cold War by Fernando Morais (based on true story). It stars Penélope Cruz, Édgar Ramírez, Gael García Bernal, Ana de Armas and Wagner Moura. It tells the story of Cuban spies in American territory during the 1990s. (wiki)

imdb

1532 – The Blackout (2019)

spacetime coordinates: Suddenly the entire world, except for the area around Moscow, along with parts of Belarus, Ukraine and Finland (later called the “Circle of Life”) is plunged into darkness. The fate of millions is unknown. Communications are down the rest of the world and only a small number survived in the “circle of life.”. A new border was established . along with a defensive perimeter and reconnaissance groups were sent ot. They realized that there was an attack on Earth, killing almost everything. To defend against the mysterious enemy, they mobilized an army, and outposts were built..

The Blackout (Russian: Аванпост, romanized: Avanpost, lit. ‘Outpost’) is a 2019 Russian (/russian-language) science fiction thriller film directed by Egor Baranov and starring Pyotr Fyodorov. (wiki)

imdb   /  video game   /  sequel

1528 – Faust (2011)

spacetime coordinates: early 19th century Germany

Faust (Russian: Фауст) is a 2011 Russian film directed by Alexander Sokurov. Set in the 19th century, it is a free interpretation of the Faust legend and its respective literary adaptations by both Johann Wolfgang von Goethe as well as Thomas Mann. The dialogue is in German. The film is the final part in a series of films where Alexander Sokurov explores the corrupting effects of power. The previous installments are three biographical dramas: about Adolf Hitler in Moloch from 1999, Vladimir Lenin in Taurus from 2001, and the Japanese emperor Hirohito in The Sun from 2005.

The project, described in 2005 as “loosely based on works by Goethe and Thomas Mann”, was announced by Sokurov in 2005 as “a very colourful, elegant picture with a lot of Strauss music and a smell of chocolate.”

Jay Weissberg wrote in Variety: “The influence of Flemish and Dutch painting on Sokurov’s work has never been clearer than in Faust, with its deep debt to the witchcraft paintings of artists such as David Teniers and Herri met de Bles.” (wiki)

imdb