The dramatic portrayal of Buddhist lifestyles and spiritual truths is perhaps more  difficult to accomplish in an exciting way than depictions of Western religious practices and stories, because the Dharma is so geared to inner transformation. And while enlightenment or satori may be one of the most profound experiences a human being can undergo, it doesn't exactly translate easily into compelling cinema.

But Simon Augustine's found a list of films, from both the East and the West, that comment in some way upon the teachings of the Buddha, and that are both explicitly about Buddhist subjects, or more subtly so. 

By Simon Augustine

While Hollywood has been churning out toothless remakes of shocker classics like The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Halloween, or lukewarm PG-13 remakes of successful Asian thrillers like The Grudge and The Eye, a generation of filmmakers re-invigorating the horror genre has cropped up in a most unlikely place: France. In a country known more for its frank portrayals of sex and meditations on philosophical ennui, an aesthetic of violence has emerged that, ironically, accomplishes what American auteurs have failed to do - recapture the grit, power, and above all, the danger of American horror in its 1970's heyday. Essentially, what the French have done is up the ante in terms of bloodletting, bringing fresh kineticism and a sense of obscenity to the usual acts of brutality, while still maintaining at least a modicum of existential weight and emotion amidst the proceedings.

by Monica Peck

Buck up, folks. The Pennsylvania primary this week may be the decider of the Democratic candidate in November. It's high time to revisit some fine politically minded movies to stir our electoral souls. And with Jay Roach's Recount out next month (Kevin Spacey movie coming out this year) - one wonders where that film will sit if we revisit this list later. At any rate, here is some required viewing to gear up for another tumultuous election year.

By Monica Peck

When filmmaking and film viewing get out of the hands of studios and distributors, conventional constraints go the way of the bathwater. One recent trend is longer films - even longer versions of previously released films - and with DVD we have a better way of appreciating them. As Filipino filmmaker Lav Diaz explained in a recent interview with Green Cine: "There are different concepts of viewing now. My films are just like paintings that are just there. Nothing changes. You can watch it for eight hours, and you can have a more fulfilling experience. Or you can leave the house, go to work, and when you come home, it is still there."