Thunder Road (1958) Stripped down to stark black and white, this noir about Harlan county whisky runners was helmed by Robert Mitchum, who co-wrote, supposedly directed, and starred as Korean War vet Lucas Doolin. The movie aims to capture authentic hill culture, right down to speech patterns. Its country title song, co-written by Mitchum, and … More Thunder Road (1958)
Flight of the Navigator (1986) Disney desecrated the original ending, according to cult fans, and that’s the complaint most people have about this movie, even those who love it for allowing them to climb aboard a spaceship and fly it wherever they want. David Freeman (Joey Cramer), a genial 12-year-old, gets to do just that. … More Flight of the Navigator (1986)
Mississippi Mermaid (1969) Actually The Siren of Mississippi, Catherine Deneuve is paired with Jean-Paul Belmondo in François Truffaut’s opulent study of a torrid romance, where a wealthy tobacco plantation owner falls in love with a con-artist who marries him to abscond with all his money. When he finally catches up with her, instead of killing … More Mississippi Mermaid (1969)
Black Venus (2010) Yahima Torres deliveres a stunningly brooding performance as the abused and exploited “Venus Hottentot” in this film directed by Abdellatif Kechiche. Based on the real life of Sarah Baartman, Sawtche was bought from an Afrikaner farmer to nurse the children of a Dutch doctor who, seeing the body of his servant as … More Black Venus (2010)
War of the Satellites (1958) In response to the Russian Sputnik, Roger Corman slapped together and directed this tale of an alien force that is determined to prevent nations from launching satellites into space. The aliens have the ability to take the shape of humans and to duplicate themselves. Despite the pasteboard set, with its … More War of the Satellites (1958)
Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday/Les Vacances de Monsieur Hulot (1953) For the sweetness in life and the silliness of human behavior, vacations are our nostalgic scrapbooks. Jacques Tati wrote and directed the amusing satire of middle-class people on vacation. It is a film he revised twice after the success of his original release. Shot at the Hôtel … More Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday (1953)
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)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) Originally optioned by Kirk Douglas, who played the lead in the Broadway production, this study of power dynamics in mental institutions created a defining role for Jack Nicholson, and provided Miloš Forman with his first American job as director. There is no way anybody can forget Louise Fletcher … More One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975)
Tattooed Life (1965) Seijun Suzuki opens with a violent yakuza assassination and concludes with a battle to the death in this highly stylized late work that studies the bond between brothers, one a hired killer and the other an art student. Their journey to escape fate occupies most of the movie. Hideki Takahashi plays … More Tattooed Life (1965)
The King of Jazz (1929–30) Anything with syncopation was regarded at this time as jazz, and in racially segregated America, Paul Whiteman set out to make lively dance music acceptable to white audiences. He commissioned George Gershwin to write a crossover piece that integrated jazz into the classical tradition, and Rhapsody in Blue became the … More The King of Jazz (1929–30)
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