Cartels (2017) Here’s another macho fantasy about U. S. Marshals caught in the crossfire of Eastern European drug cartels. Evil overlord and martial artist Georges St.Pierre plays insane Salazar, confronted by Steven Seagal in a fat showdown. Critics who complain that Seagal’s in this movie only fifteen minutes miss the point. Everybody knows that when … More Cartels (2017)
Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) A sitcom biopic that honors the free spirit of Radio DJ Adrian Cronauer by replacing him with the manic riffs of Robin Williams in free-style verbal improvisations. Parts of Sergeant Cronauer’s Vietnam experiences – volunteering to teach English to Vietnamese youth, witnessing the bloody aftermath of a Vietcong attack that he … More Good Morning, Vietnam (1987)
Au rendez-vous de la mort joyeuse , aka Expulsion of the Devil (1973) Juan Luis Buñuel co-wrote and directed this horror film in which a house takes possession of its inhabitants and drives them mad. Dominique, the son, prefers playing outside with his toy soldiers, whereas Sophie draws imaginary buildings while her father sketches … More Au rendez-vous de la mort joyeuse , aka Expulsion of the Devil (1973)
L’Argent (1983) Robert Bresson’s last film is an austere study of the bleak Eighties where obsession with money drives youths into gangs of thieves. Their passing of counterfeit money implicates one young man who winds up in jail, with his daughter dying and his wife abandoning him. That act of injustice precipitates him into senseless … More L’Argent (1983)
The Big Parade (1925 silent) Another of King Vidor’s masterpieces, this epic tackles machine guns and gas warfare in the trenches of World War I. John Gilbert stars as the spoiled brat from a rich family who joins up to be with his friends in what they expect will be a great adventure. While stationed … More The Big Parade (1925 silent)
Mysterious Object at Noon (1997–1999) Apichatpong Weerasethakul documents where stories come from. “The Mysterious Object and the Dogfar story had been told and acted by the Siamese Villagers from the north to the south and ended in December 1998.” What results is an innovative deconstruction of narrative itself. Elvis Mitchell wrote, “Mr. Weerasethakul’s film … More Mysterious Object at Noon (1997–1999)
A Blade In the Dark (1983) Heavily indebted to Psycho, this Gallo abandons logic to flow through dreamscapes of horror, imagery that evokes the full trauma of gender, culminating in an unexpected knifeblade every time a woman appears. Originally intended for Italian television, its gore proved so disturbing that it was released as a … More A Blade In the Dark (1983)
The Bird People in China (中国の鳥人) (1998) In this dark comedy, a yakuza is sent into the Chinese boondocks to keep track of a junior executive whose bank wants to ascertain if there’s jade to mine. Takashi Miike directs this anthropocentric fable that becomes a quest for an obscure tribe of Chinese people who have … More The Bird People in China
Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965) A comedy of terror normally associated with Harold Pinter plays fuels the brilliant dialogue of Jack Moran’s screenplay in this Russ Meyer exploitation film that caters to America’s worst fears about female gangs. Go-Go girls on the loose from their Pussycat strip club in Van Nuys, California, cruise the desert … More Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965)
The Monkey King 2 (2016 ) Fans of Marvel superheroes should pay attention to Hong Kong cinema. Based loosely on Journey to the West, this 3-D special effects movie, with action sequences directed by the great Sammo Hung, follows the Monkey King as he protects a young monk on his journey to recover sacred texts; … More The Monkey King 2 (2016 )
