Following the success of Silence of the Lambs, movie and TV audiences have been treated to many pale imitations, most of which have failed to excite or provide any serious dramatic interest
Alexander Sokurov's THE SUN
I have no idea how factually accurate this movie about Emperor Hirohito’s emergence following Japan’s defeat in WWII is. As a movie, though, it is engrossing, thoughtful, and occasionally, visually dazzling.
Rob Zombie's THE HAUNTED WORLD OF EL SUPERBEASTO
My biggest complaint about this feature length “adult” cartoon is not about gratuitous sex and violence — that’s Rob Zombie’s whole point — it’s one very simple but unmistakable fact:
Val Guest's DAY THE EARTH CAUGHT FIRE
Val Guest’s businesslike direction and matter-of-fact approach to depicting extraordinary circumstances in a near-documentary style here yield a still-watchable and very entertaining thriller that takes place in London in the early 1960’s.
Robert Brousseau's “RACE”
This is the “intergalactic pod race” story you get from people who don’t read enough good science fiction.
Val Guest's QUATERMASS 2 (ENEMY FROM SPACE)
This mixture of British horror and sci-fi from 1957 is thoughtful and at the same time scary.
Park Chan Wook's THIRST
Plot summary:
* Devout priest volunteers for medical experiment
* Becomes lustful vampire as a result
* Sex/violence/building-hopping/tragedy/ensue
Christian Alvart's PANDORUM
Plot summary:
Outer Space Zombies.
Dziga Vertov's THE MAN WITH A MOVIE CAMERA (Chelovek s kinoapparatom)
This 1929 silent film by Russian director Vertov is a masterpiece of fluid editing and visual storytelling.
Steven Spielberg's CATCH ME IF YOU CAN
“Oh yeah, this is what the credits for an Otto Preminger comedy would look like!”
Jack Arnold's IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE
Back in 1976 I was taking a driving tour of California, my first.
“Imaginarium” is an inventive and fun film that becomes more engrossing as it unfolds.
Peter Jackson's HEAVENLY CREATURES
Once more DVD technology comes through by making available an older film no longer in general theatrical release, this time Peter Jackson’s 1994 HEAVENLY CREATURES.
Peter Jackson's THE LOVELY BONES
In THE LOVELY BONES director Peter Jackson returns to the more intimate blending of emotion and fantasy that characterized earlier films like HEAVENLY CREATURES.
Ricky Gervais & Matthew Robinson's THE INVENTION OF LYING
What a subversive little film this is. And sweet. And funny. And unexpected.
Hayao Miyazaki's PONYO
This is some of Miyazaki’s best work. It’s enchanting, touching, sentimental, funny, and occasionally, simply astonishing. Miyazaki has a gift for capturing the honesty and wonder of childhood yet he does so without sugarcoating or pandering.
Nina Paley's SITA SINGS THE BLUES
I was mesmerized and entertained by this animated film. Paley intertwines the classic Ramayana with a modern love story, old blues songs, and lively comments on Indian culture by talking shadow puppets.
Fumihiko Sori's VEXILLE
This movie has plot holes galore, the graphic concepts and technologies are derivative, and the characters are oddly un-engaging. Still, it moves along at a very fast clip, the story itself is unusual, and some of the action sequences are spectacular.
The Hughes Brothers' “THE BOOK OF ELI”
This film breathes life (of sorts) into the post-apocalyptic-road-warrior genre. Denzel Washington is one seriously cool dude as he slashes his way West on foot through a blasted landscape with his secret personal cargo.