Mandabi (1968) Governmental bureaucracy ought to help the disenfranchised for whom it was created, but the opposite is almost always the case, whether in Senegal, or in any other country. Ousmane Sembène wielded his fimmaking techniques to capture complex issues of religion, marriage, language, and developing class differences within his newly independent nation. Makhourédia … More Mandabi (1968)
Our Man in Havana (1959) Carol reed masterfully adapted Graham Greene’s sardonic novel about foreign meddling in Cuba. Alec Guiness bumbles into a plan to deceive a British Agent into believing patterns from his vacuum cleaner are plans for a massive rocket lanching pad. What begins in farce, ends in brutal tragedy. Shot on location … More Our Man in Havana (1959)
High Life (2019) Claire Denis hurtles the Garden of Eden into outer space in this underrated meditation on what it means to be human in an inimical universe. A group of criminals have volunteered to be sent toward a black hole in order to see if energy can be drained from it for earth. Among … More High Life (2019)
Sparky’s Magic Piano (1987 animation) Inspired from 1947 78-RPMs, when Capitol Records invented Sparky, an imaginative child for whom inanimate objects come to life. For every boy who would prefer playing baseball to practicing the piano, this later short was a delight. The animation was produced and written by Alan Liningston, and directed by Lee … More Sparky’s Magic Piano (1987 animation)
Easter Parade (1948) Irving Berlin proposed this concoction of his songs, and the Hollywood system rescued the production from disaster to become a sentimental classic. Fred Astaire was recalled from retirement to replace Gene Kelly, who had broken his ankle, for the pleasure of working with Judy Garland. Peter Lawford sings about umbrellas, and Ann … More Easter Parade (1948)
Awakenings (1990) Apparently the human body is not built to last forever, and the cruelest thing that has been happening to many friends my age is Alzheimer’s. Penny Marshall’s film, based on the work of Oliver Sacks, concerns using L-Dopa to waken catatonic patients who suffered from encephalitis lethargica. Admittedly this is not the same … More Awakenings (1990)
Rasputin, the Mad Monk (1966) There’s noting quite like history transformed into horror, and this production cast Christopher Lee in his most commanding performance. As he crawls across the floor to avenge his assassination, his hypnotic eyes bulge in fury as if a preying mantis ever had eyes. Here’s a religious creature who can outdrink, … More Rasputin, the Mad Monk (1966)
Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985) William Hurt won an Academy Award for his performance as Molina, a gay man recruited to spy on his cellmate, Raul Julia as Valentin Arregui, a revolutionary activist against the Brazilian military dictatorship. Based on the banned novel and subsequent theatrical play by Manuel Puig, Héctor Babenco directed this … More Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985)
The Cat from Outer Space (1978) The Cold War didn’t stop Ted Key from satirizing both sides of the conflict in this family-friendly Disney cult classic about a cat from outer space who crash lands on earth, with ridiculous results. Norman Tokar directed an ensemble cast of comic actors, including the great Harry Morgan as … More The Cat from Outer Space (1978)
Dheepan (2015) Who has the right to sanctuary? Jacques Audiard directed this Palme d’Or picture that studies the experiences of three Tamil refugees who flee Sri Lankan civil war to seek asylum in France. Having stolen their identities from passports of dead people, Antonythasan Jesuthasan, a Tamil author and former Tamil Tiger, stars as a … More Dheepan (2015)
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