The Scarlet Empress (1934), The Lower Depths (1957), The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years (1988), Blind Beast (1969), The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964), The Great Gatsby (1974), Quartet (1981), Somewhere (2010) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Decadence movies.
Storyline: Young Princess Sophia of Germany is taken to Russia to marry the half-wit Grand Duke Peter, son of the Empress. The domineering Empress hopes to improve the royal blood line. Sophia doesn't like her husband, but she likes Russia, and is very fond of Russian soldiers. She dutifully produces a son -- of questionable fatherhood, but no one seems to mind that. After the old empress dies, Sophia engineers a coup d'etat with the aid of the military, does away with Peter, and becomes Catherine the Great.—John Oswalt <jao@jao.com>
Plot Keywords: noblewoman, duke, mother-in-law, count, husband, ruler, emotional ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: In medieval Japan, aging Rokubei, his younger wife of four years Osugi and her uncle run a tenement complex at the bottom of a cliff, the complex which from the naked eye at the top of the cliff looks like nothing more than a rubbish heap. The tenants are a group of down-and-outers with some who operate on the far side of the law. Nonetheless, the tenants are close knit community in wallowing in their collective misery, those who care who know their lives will never get better as long as they stay there. The landlords have no compassion for the tenants, they mockingly only stating that the tenants will be given a favorable standing in a future life for any good deeds done around the tenement. The recent arrival of Kahei, a mysterious elderly man, affectionately referred to as Grandpa, who spins tales of the unknown, provides at least hope that there is a better life out there somewhere. Sutekichi, a thief who arguably is the leader among the tenants, and Osugi are carrying on an affair behind Rokubei's back. Although he has previously professed his love for her, the words were more an empty platitude. He begins to have feelings for Osugi's younger sister, Okaya, who works for her sister cleaning up the tenement under her watchful eye. Okaya does not know if she can trust the words of anyone who lives in the complex, while Osugi, who knows of Sutekichi feelings for Okaya, begins to have feelings of jealousy. Osugi and Sutekichi work toward their own goals at the expense of others within the complex.—Huggo
Plot Keywords: landlady, thief, sister, husband, actor, gambler, striking ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Documentary showcase, what life was like for the music artists living during the Los Angeles Heavy Metal scene in the mid and late 1980s.
Plot Keywords: alice cooper, groupie, rock star, musician, nightclub owner, hedonistic, outlandish ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: A blind sculpter kidnaps a beautiful young model and takes her back to his home. He and his mother live in a warehouse that he has turned into a surreal tribute to the senses. It is filled with huge sculptures of body parts and the female form. He is obsessed with exploring the senses to the fullest. At first, the model only wants to escape from this bizarre scene, but eventually she succumbs to his strange vision and even surpasses his obsession.—Fred Cabral <ftcabral@hotmail.com>
Plot Keywords: sculptor, mother, model, hedonistic, shocking, disturbing, dreamy ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Intent on securing peace and prosperity throughout the mighty Roman Empire, the wise diplomat, Emperor Marcus Aurelius, calls together the local governors from all over the Empire, after conquering the Germanic tribes. With this in mind, Marcus has decided to turn over his crown and the much-coveted imperial throne to General Livius, instead of choosing his corrupt son and logical successor, Commodus. As a result, high treason and blind ambition lead to the death of Aurelius by poisoning, paving the way for a new era of oppression, endless machinations, and rapid decline. Now, as darkness prevails on the outskirts of the Empire where the Roman legions struggle to subdue the invading hordes, delusional Commodus declares himself a god, and no one is safe; not even Aurelius' daughter, Lucilla. Can anyone stop the fall of the Roman Empire?—Nick Riganas
Plot Keywords: soldier, emperor, heir, daughter, senator, barbarian, thrilling ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Nick Carraway, a young Midwesterner now living on Long Island, finds himself fascinated by the mysterious past and lavish lifestyle of his neighbor, the nouveau riche Jay Gatsby. He is drawn into Gatsby's circle, becoming a witness to obsession and tragedy.
Plot Keywords: socialite, millionaire, veteran, beautiful woman, husband, melodramatic, sad ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: It's 1927 Paris. Following the conviction of her art dealer husband, Stephan Zelli (Anthony Higgins), for theft for which he was handed a one-year prison sentence, Marya Zelli (Isabelle Adjani), originally from West India, moves in with her acquaintances, expatriate Brits H.J. (Sir Alan Bates) and Lois Heidler (Dame Maggie Smith). Marya knows that H.J. in particular has more in mind than just providing her lodging out of the goodness of his heart. From behind bars, Stephan encourages Marya to move in with them, not knowing H.J.'s intentions. Marya agrees in part because she, being a foreigner, cannot get work and would thus become destitute otherwise. She learns she is the latest in a long line of lodgers. She also learns that H.J. and Lois' marriage is not all that it appears on the surface. The Heidler's hold on Marya becomes stronger when they convince her that Stephan not only has no money, but has no future in France after his release. Their collective lives become more complicated when Stephan is released from jail and tries to figure out what he's going to do with his life to regain the high standard of living to which he became accustomed.—Huggo
Plot Keywords: wife, husband, art dealer, art collector, painter, waif, bleak ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Hollywood actor Johnny Marco, nested in his luxury hotel of choice, is a stimulated man. Drinking, parties and women keep a creeping boredom under wraps in between jobs. He is the occasional father of a bright girl, Cleo, who may be spoiled but doesn't act it. When Cleo's mother drops her off and leaves town, Johnny brings her along for the ride, but can he fit an 11-year-old girl into his privileged lifestyle?
Plot Keywords: actor, daughter, father, party girl, mother, stripper, dreamy ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: This documentary depicts the rise and fall of Michael Alig, who arrives in New York City from Indiana and becomes a renowned club promoter. Notorious for their outlandishness, his parties become increasingly debauched and drug-fueled, as does Alig himself. When drug dealer and club regular Angel Melendez is found dead, evidence eventually points to Alig and one of his roommates as the killers. The film features interviews with Alig and others in his world, along with dramatized reenactments.
Plot Keywords: club promoter, club kid, writer, drug dealer, disturbing, uneasy, new york city ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Eddie (Sean Penn) is a confused and reckless man with a group of equally problematic friends. His roommate, caustic and sleazy Mickey (Kevin Spacey), is sleeping with Eddie's love, Darlene (Robin Wright Penn), because he can. His buddy Phil (Chazz Palminteri) is prone to violent rages that worry Eddie. All of them ruminate on their lives while consuming drugs and alcohol. Another friend, Artie (Garry Shandling), eventually arrives with a young date (Anna Paquin) who is ready for a fun night.
Plot Keywords: casting director, roommate, friend, lover, hitchhiker, stripper, dark ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: Mockumentary about the unexplained disappearance of a fictitious up-and-coming movie producer.
Plot Keywords: filmmaker, missing person, agent, amusing, confident, los angeles, seaside ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: The Jolly Boys, a group of London booze hounds, are stunned to learn that charter member "Spider" Dale (Andy Serkis) is marrying his girlfriend, Annie (Rebecca Craig). Hoping to scuttle the engagement by capturing footage of his friend's epic partying, "Des" Dixon (Milo Twomey) films Spider's last months of freedom. Taking the form of an amateur video, this comedy follows the Jolly Boys, who soon realize that yet another member (Sacha Baron Cohen) is set to be married.
Plot Keywords: young man, fiancée, best man, groom, friend, bachelor, hilarious ...
Movie Details Click Here!Storyline: After a nationwide casting search including college campuses across the country--Arizona State University, University of Oklahoma, University of Vermont, University of Wisconsin at Madison, University of Georgia, Texas Tech, Boston University and Washington State University--the filmmakers cast a unique collection of real people ready to explore reality's barriers beyond the limits of television, while on the ultimate Spring Break vacation, with surprising results. Designed to be the first true reality feature film, six camera crews followed the cast--made up of 16 American college students--and filmed their exploits as they immersed and indulged in the Spring Break revelry of Cancun, Mexico. Filmed 24 hours a day over the course of a week in March 2003, the movie was shot on location and reveals the students' exploits through interviews and planned group activities, as well as through their own spontaneous adventures.—Sujit R. Varma
Plot Keywords: college student, party girl, virgin, beach bum, twin, ladies' man, amusing ...
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