Sunday, January 25, 2009

Jag är nyfiken - en film i gult (I Am Curious: Yellow)

Year: 1967
Director: Vilgot Sjöman
Writer: Vilgot Sjöman
Rating: 6.5/10

Sexual and political themes clumsily handled; far more interesting is the 'film on film on film' idea-play which should have received more attention.

Les Yeux Sans Visage (Eyes Without A Face)

Year: 1960
Director: Georges Franju
Writers: Jean Redon (novel), Pierre Boileau, Thomas Narcejac, Jean Redon, Claude Sautet, Pierre Gascar
Rating: 9.5/10

Great early horror; several archetypal "horror" techniques within.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Halloween

Year: 1978
Director: John Carpenter
Writers: John Carpenter, Debra Hill
Rating: 10/10

Helped define modern horror; essential.

Ernest Goes To Camp

Year: 1987
Director: John Cherry III
Writers: John Cherry III, Coke Sams
Rating: 7.5/10

Almost as great as Jim Varney's magnum opus, "Ernest Goes To Jail".

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Sen To Chihiro No Kamikakushi

Year: 2001
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Writer: Hayao Miyazaki
Rating: 9/10

Surreal animated spirit-world fairy tail, stay away from the Disney (Spirited Away) release of it!

Thursday, January 8, 2009

La Jetée

Year: 1962
Director: Chris Marker
Writer: Chris Marker
Rating: 10/10

Perfect post-apocalyptic time-travel noir "photo-novel".

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Ernest Goes To Jail

Year: 1990
Director: John Cherry III
Writer: Charlie Cohen
Rating: 8.5/10

One of the greats from Jim Varney's cannon of often misunderstood avant-garde comedy, "I'M IN JAAAAAAIIIIILLLL."

Monday, January 5, 2009

Robocop

Year: 1987
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Writers: Edward Neumeier, Michael Miner
Rating: 6.5/10

Entertaining 80s sci-fi, ultimately fails to become a great B movie and falls victim to Hollywood.

Friday, January 2, 2009

Ran

Year: 1985
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Writers: Akira Kurosawa, Hideo Oguni, Masato Ide
Rating: 10/10

Fantastic samurai epic, basis in King Lear and Mori Motonari, perfect dichotomous reversals.

L'Âge d'Or

Year: 1930
Director: Luis Buñuel
Writers: Luis
Buñuel, Salvador Dali
Rating: 8/10

Enjoyable Surrealist foray, some great scenes, some dragging.