The Warrior

Year: 2001
Director: Asif Kapadia
Writers: Asif Kapadia, Tim Miller
Rating: 8.5/10

Meandering and minimal Indian take on the historical personal epic with an underlying hint of mysticism.

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room

Year: 2005
Director: Alex Gibney
Writers: Alex Gibney, Peter Elkind, Bethany McLean
Rating: 8/10

An in-depth and overall well-crafted look at the criminal practices of Enron.

Paris Is Burning

Year: 1990
Director: Jennie Livingston
Writer: Jennie Livingston
Rating: 9/10

Superb documentary concerning the gay/trans nightlife (BALLS) of the late 1980s.

American Fabulous

Year: 1991
Director: Reno Dakota
Writer: Jeffrey Strouth
Rating: 8.5/10

While the entirety of the film is Jeffrey Strouth recounting his exploits in the back of Cadillac, he is a fantastic storyteller.

Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Year: 1964
Directors: Kizo Nagashima, Larry Roemer
Writer: Robert May, Romeo Muller
Rating: 8/10

Excellent claymation, as well as a Christmas classic.

Modesty Blaise

Year: 1963
Director: Joseph Losey
Writer: Evan Jones
Rating: 9.5/10

Over-the-top female version of James Bond which makes for a more interesting and ridiculous 60s b-movie than any Bond movie.

Promrtheus' Garden

Year: 1988
Director: Bruce Bickford
Writer: Bruce Bickford
Rating: 9/10

An intricate, intense, and hallucinatory journey through claymation extravaganza; excellent Fairlight CMI-sounding sountrack as well!

Zardoz

Year: 1974
Director: John Boorman
Writer: John Boorman
Rating: 9/10

Surreal and thoughtful science fiction; what's not to love about Sean Connery's lack of acting (and pants) when coupled with a great 1970s sci-fi story complete with Nietzschein overtones?

The Omega Man

Year: 1971
Director: Boris Sagal
Writers: John William Corrington, Joyce Hooper Corrington, Richard Matheson (novel)
Rating: 9.9/10

Superb post-apocalyptic science fiction; not quite perfect due to the fact that only half the soundtrack is excellent.

The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years

Year: 1988
Director: Penelope Spheeris
Writer: Penelope Spheeris
Rating: 8.5/10

Well constructed and fantastically humorous documentary concerning hair metal, regardless of the bias shown.

Das Blaue Licht (The Blue Light)

Year: 1932
Director: Leni Riefenstahl
Writer: Béla Balázs
Rating: 9/10

Superbly shot fairy tale-esque story.

Il Gatto a Nove Code (The Cat o'Nine Tails)

Year: 1971
Director: Dario Argento
Writer: Dario Argento
Rating: 8.5/10

An excellent giallo, but the ending is a little anti-climactic.

Permanant Vacation

Year: 1980
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Writer: Jim Jarmusch
Rating: 8.5/10

A dreamy and dreary stroll through New York City in 1980.

Batman And Robin

Year: 1997
Director: Joel Schumacher
Writers: Bob Kane, Akiva Goldsman
Rating: 7/10

Entertainingly campy b-movie; the director seems to have gleefully twisted a standard Hollywood comic-book movie into a hilarious one-liner caricature of the genre.

Blade Runner

Year: 1982
Director: Ridley Scott
Writers: Hampton Fancher, David Peoples
Rating: 10/10

One of the best science fiction films made.

Our Brand Is Crisis

Year: 2009
Director: Rachel Boynton
Writer: Rachel Boynton
Rating: 9/10

Provocative documentary that chronicles an American consultant group aiding an unpopular Bolivian presidential candidate in the 2002 election.

The Toxic Avenger

Year: 1984
Directors: Michael Herz, Lloyd Kaufman
Writers: Lloyd Kaufman, Joe Ritter, Stuart Strutin
Rating: 9/10

Everything a great b-movie should have is in this violent, gross, and raunchy black comedy.

The Backyard

Year: 2002
Director: Paul Hough
Writer: Paul Hough
Rating: 8/10

Documentary about the phenomenon of backyard wrestling; limited in scope but provides some fascinating character studies.

Play Time

Year: 1967
Director: Jacques Tati
Writers: Jacques Tati, Jacques Lagrange, Art Buchwald
Rating: 10/10

Superbly detailed, borderline surreal, meandering meditation on modern life.

Kôkaku kidôtai (Ghost in the Shell)

Year: 1995
Director: Mamoru Oshii
Writer: Kazunori Itô
Rating: 9.5/10

Highly stylized cyberpunk thriller; as usual, stay away from English dubbing.

Psycho

Year: 1960
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Writer: Joseph Stefano
Rating: 9/10

Deftly directed psychological thriller; set many horror standards.

Liquid Sky

Year: 1982
Director: Slava Tsukerman
Writers: Slava Tsukerman, Anne Carlisle
Rating: 9/10

The ultimate New Wave fetish b-movie; marred (or improved?) by the complete use of a Fairlight CMI for the soundtrack.

Hana-bi (Fireworks)

Year: 1997
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Writer: Takeshi Kitano
Rating: 9.5/10

Minimalist and heavily visual work that goes far beyond "cop drama".

Plan 9 From Outer Space

Year: 1959
Director: Edward D. Wood Jr.
Writer: Edward D. Wood Jr.
Rating: 8/10

I have seen many movies far worse than this supposed "Worst Movie of All Time"; it's a highly entertaining late 50s sci-fi/horror that doesn't take itself too seriously - or perhaps it does!

Warts And All: The Films Of Danny Plotnick

Year: 2008
Director: Danny Plotnick
Writers: Danny Plotnick et al.
Rating: 8.5/10

Collection of Plotnick's short films that spans the late 1980s to the early 2000s; most are fantastically shot and imagined on Super8 and 16mm film, a few aren't so hot.

Flesh for Frankenstein

Year: 1973
Directors: Paul Morrissey, Antonio Margheriti
Writers: Tonino Guerra, Paul Morrissey
Rating: 9/10

Engrossing and well-made "B+++" horror film; excellent juxtapositions of 'high' and 'low' cinema.

The Octagon

Year: 1980
Director: Eric Karson
Writers: Paul Aaron, Leigh Chapman
Rating: 3/10

Chopsocky that starts off promising because it makes no sense, and Chuck Norris' thoughts reverberate inside his head like it's a cave; however, it soon beings to make sense and becomes more and more mediocre as it progresses.

Kyûketsuki Hantâ D (Vampire Hunter D)

Year: 1985
Director: Toyoo Ashida
Writer: Yasushi Hirano
Rating: 8.5/10

While the plot is quite cheesey, the art is quite stylish, and how can you go wrong with a post-apocalyptic future with supernatural baddies and a hero with a hand that speaks and eats?

Orgazmo

Year: 1997
Director: Trey Parker
Writers: Trey Parker, Matt Stone
Rating: 7.5/10

Nicely done "super B" comedy; some of the jokes fall a little flat.

Umirayushchii Lebed (The Dying Swan)

Year: 1917
Director: Yevgeni Bauer
Writer: Zoya Barantsevich
Rating: 8/10

Excellent visuals and above average direction, but the story leaves something to be desired.

Demolition Man

Year: 1993
Director: Marco Brambilla
Writer: Peter M. Lenkov, Robert Reneau, Daniel Waters
Rating: 7.5/10

Entertaining post-apocalyptic sci-fi mish-mash; a bit of the ridiculous Hollywood action hero going on, but also has some interesting elements.

Sumerki Zhenskoi Dushi (Twilight Of A Woman's Soul)

Year: 1913
Director: Yevgeni Bauer
Writer: V. Demert
Rating: 7.5/10

Somewhat cumbersome and vaguely existential love story; one of Bauer's first films.

Death Code: Ninja

Year: 1987
Director: Godfrey Ho
Writer: Godfrey Ho
Rating: 8/10

Chopsocky flick that is so inept that it seems to become a Dada-ist re-edit of three different films; excellent John Carpenter / Tangerine Dream ripoff soundtrack as well!

F For Fake

Year: 1974
Director: Orson Welles
Writer: Orson Welles, Oja Kodar
Rating: 9.5/10

Fluidly paced and excellently executed mixture of documentary, observation, and commentary.

Class of 1984

Year: 1982
Director: Mark L. Lester
Writers: Tom Holland, Mark L. Lester, John C.W. Saxton, Tom Holland, Barry Schneider
Rating: 0.5/10

Drowning in the bland depths of mediocrity; watch Class of 1999 instead.

A Zed & Two Noughts

Year: 1985
Director: Peter Greenaway
Writer: Peter Greenaway
Rating: 10/10

Fantastically surreal and meandering analysis of life, death, humanity and film; superb visuals a la Johannes Vermeer throughout.

The Sea Wolf

Year: 1993
Director: Michael Anderson
Writers: Andrew J. Fenady
Rating: 6/10

Made-for-TV adaptation of a Jack London novel; worth it for seeing Charles Bronson in a more "intellectual" role than usual.

Class of 1999

Year: 1990
Director: Mark L. Lester
Writers: Mark L. Lester, C. Courtney Joyner, Bradley Gregg
Rating: 8.5/10

Over-the-top cyberpunk action-thriller with hilariously great lines and acting.

Home Alone

Year: 1990
Director: Chris Columbus
Writer: John Hughes
Rating: 8.5/10

Pure, liquified Hollywood entertainment; but executed very well.

The Mosquito Coast

Year: 1986
Director: Peter Weir
Writer: Paul Schrader
Rating: 7.5/10

Decently directed and highly entertaining adventure flick concerning a crazed inventor attempting to create his own society in the jungle; Harrison Ford's second best role.

Na Srebrnym Globie (On The Silver Globe)

Year: 1988
Director: Andrzej Zulawski
Writer: Andrzej Zulawski
Rating: 6.5/10

A promising philosophical sci-fi that quickly becomes mired by its extreme length, frenzied soliloquies, borderline nonsensical plot, and unruly direction; worth watching to the end in a masochistic sort of way.

24 Hour Party People

Year: 2002
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Writer: Frank Cottrell Boyce
Rating: 4.5/10

Some good information, mostly awful direction and terrible narration.

Sedmikrásky (Daisies)

Year: 1966
Director: Vera Chytilová
Writers: Vera Chytilová, Ester Krumbachová, Pavel Jurácek
Rating: 8/10

Interesting and entertaining Dada-ist romp into Cold War-era Czechoslovakia.

The Amityville Horror

Year: 1979
Director: Stuart Rosenberg
Writer: Sandor Stern, George Lutz, Cathy Lutz, Jay Anson (novel)
Rating: 7/10

Showed great promise for a classic horror flick, but muddles about without drawing together several of the main plotlines (or what could have been plotlines).

Carrie

Year: 1976
Director: Brian De Palma
Writer: Lawrence Cohen
Rating: 6/10

Based upon a Stephen King novel; some memorable scenes, but the unsteady pacing and general directorial sloppiness bring it down to to 1970s B-movie horror.

Head Cleaner

Year: 2008
Director: Tall Reed
Writer: Tall Reed
Rating: 9/10

Avant garde video collage; the first half is almost nauseating in its effectiveness, but the VHS clippings that follow fall short.

Sweet Movie

Year: 1974
Director: Dusan Makavejev
Writer: Dusan Makavejev
Rating: 7/10

Some great surreal moments, but ultimately fails to transcend its reliance upon shock value.

Ivan Groznyy I (Ivan The Terrible Part I)

Year: 1944
Director: Sergei Eisenstein
Writer: Sergei Eisenstein
Rating: 9/10

Sweeping historical epic with many compelling portrait shots.

Sneakers

Year: 1992
Director: Phil Alden Robinson
Writers: Phil Alden Robinson, Lawrence Lasker, Walter F. Parkes
Rating: 7.5/10

Entertaining, if a bit Hollywood, cyberpunk-esque detective-thriller.

Christine

Year: 1983
Director: John Carpenter
Writer: Bill Phillips
Rating: 9/10

Based on a book by Stephen King about a malevolent car - sounds like a terribly cheesy basis for a horror movie, but John Carpenter somehow makes it into a classic.

Anthology Of Surreal Cinema Vol. 1

Years: 1924, 1926, 1928
Directors: Rene Clair, Germain Dulac, Fernand Leger, Marcel Duchamp
Writers: Rene Clair, Antonin Artaud, Fernand Leger, Marcel Duchamp
Rating: 1/10

Collection of 4 avant-garde shorts; content-wise, they are excellent, but this release's film quality is awful, and 3 out of the 4 soundtracks are non-original and terrible.

**Watch the "Avant-Garde" collection instead

Warum läuft Herr R. Amok? (Why Does Herr R. Run Amok?)

Year: 1970
Directors: Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Michael Fengler
Writers: Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Michael Fengler
Rating: 9/10

Minimal and disturbing modern everyman portrait.

Tenebre

Year: 1982
Director: Dario Argento
Writer: Dario Argento
Rating: 9.5/10

Spectacular and engaging giallo, Argento in peak form; superb soundtrack.

Overnight

Year: 2003
Directors: Tony Montana, Mark Brian Smith
Writers: Tony Montana, Mark Brian Smith
Rating: 6.5/10

Does well to illustrate Troy Duffy's personality, but not as powerful as it could have been due to poor direction and editing.

Made In Sheffield

Year: 2001
Director: Eve Wood
Writer: Eve Wood
Rating: 8/10

Diminutive in scope, but has in-depth interviews and footage; necessary if interested in late 1970s English post punk.

L'uccello Dalle Piume Di Cristallo (The Bird With The Crystal Plumage)

Year: 1970
Director: Dario Argento
Writer: Dario Argento
Rating: 7.5/10

Early Argento: Definitely building up to his later work, but is still engaging and entertaining.

Cane Toads: An Unnatural History

Year: 1988
Director: Mark Lewis
Writer: Mark Lewis
Rating: 8.5/10

Delightfully humorous documentary concerning the invasion of Australia by the large and warty cane toads.

Blue Sunshine

Year: 1976
Director: Jeff Lieberman
Writer: Jeff Lieberman
Rating: 6/10

Promising b-movie horror flick that ultimately fails to overcome its own shoddiness.

Qui êtes-vous, Polly Maggoo? (Who Are You, Polly Maggoo?)

Year: 1966
Director: William Klein
Writer: William Klein
Rating: 7.5/10

Very interesting combination of satire, documentary, and fantasy; however, becomes bogged down after the half-way point.

Apocalypse Now

Year: 1979
Director: Francis Ford Coppola
Writers: John Milius, Francis Ford Coppola, Joseph Conrad (novel)
Rating: 9/10

Fantastic modern epic; "Heart of Darkness" transposed to the Vietnam War.

Fando y Lis (Fando and Lis)

Year: 1968
Director: Alejandro Jodorowsky
Writers: Alejandro Jodorowsky, Fernando Arrabal (play)
Rating: 9.5/10

Piercing Surrealist masterpiece; gritty without seeming amateurish.

Le Nottit di Cabiria (Nights of Cabiria)

Year: 1957
Director: Federico Fellini
Writers: Federico Fellini, Ennio Flaiano, Tullio Pinelli
Rating: 9/10

Superbly cynical look at modern love and neuroses; great cinematography.

Shakhmatnaya goryachka (Chess Fever)

Year: 1925
Directors: Vsevolod Pudovkin, Nikolai Shpikovsky
Writer: Nikolai Shpikovsky
Rating: 8.5/10

Amusing and well-made short; title is self-explanatory.

The King of Kong

Year: 2007
Director: Seth Gordon
Writer: N/A
Rating: 9/10

Highly entertaining nerd documentary.

Konets Sankt-Peterburga (The End of St. Petersburg)

Year: 1927
Directors: Vsevolod Pudovkin, Mikhail Doller
Writer: Nathan Zarkhi
Rating: 4.5/10

Some interesting scenes; overall a poorly done, fast-forwarded mish-mash of Russian history from a decidedly Communist slant.

Zemlya (Earth)

Year: 1930
Director: Aleksandr Dovzhenko
Writer: Aleksandr Dovzhenko
Rating: 7.5/10

Excellent visuals and deft direction, but its propaganda aspects bring it down.

Die 3 Groschen-Oper (The Threepenny Opera)

Year: 1931
Director: Georg Wilhelm Pabst
Writers: Bertolt Brecht, Béla Balázs, Léo Lania, Ladislaus Vajda
Rating: 8/10

Almost more of a play than a musical; very interesting singing and overall well done.

Repo Man

Year: 1984
Director: Alex Cox
Writer: Alex Cox
Rating: 10/10

Perfect 1980s science fiction / punk film; "proto-cyberpunk"?

Kikujirô

Year: 1999
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Writer: Takeshi Kitano
Rating: 10/10

Spectacularly meandering journey [mostly] through rural Japan.

Smultronstället (Wild Strawberries)

Year: 1957
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Writer: Ingmar Bergman
Rating: 9.5/10

Elegant and skillfully executed meditative examination of an old doctor's life.

Viridiana

Year: 1961
Director: Luis Buñuel
Writers: Julio Alejandro, Luis Buñuel, Benito Pérez Galdós
Rating: 3/10

Tawdry 1960s drama with a only few interesting scenes.

John Carpenter's The Thing

Year: 1982
Director: John Carpenter
Writers: John W. Campbell Jr. (story), Bill Lancaster
Rating: 9.5/10

Rivaled only by Alien as one of the best sci-fi horror films.

The French Connection

Year: 1971
Director: William Friedkin
Writers: Ernest Tidyman, Howard Hawks, Robin Moore (book)
Rating: 9/10

Well-executed gritty cop drama.

Giulietta degli Spiriti (Juliet Of The Spirits)

Year: 1965
Director: Federico Fellini
Writers: Story: Federico Fellini and Tullio Pinelli. Screenplay: Federico Fellini, Tullio Pinelli, Ennio Flaiano, and Brunello Rondi.
Rating: 10/10

Spectacular; Fellini's masterpiece indeed?

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.

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".

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!

La Jetée

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

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

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."

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.

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.