The Skin I Live In: tricked-up film about identity change misses some deep lessons about obsession, control and revenge
Pedro Almodóvar, “The Skin I Live In / La Piel Que Habito” (2011) Georges Franju’s sci-fi
Howl’s Moving Castle: cut-and-paste job of previous Studio Ghibli films masks a conservative message for women and girls
Hayao Miyazaki, “Howl’s Moving Castle” (2005) Up to and including “Spirited Away”, the animated films
Melancholia: meditation on depression and cosmic indifference to humanity waylaid by emphasis on shallow characters
Lars von Trier, “Melancholia” (2011) Fed up with the deadbeat rate of intellectual and cultural
French and French-language Films
Blood Coltan: fact-finding documentary on coltan mining in DRC tells the horror like it is
Patrick Forestier, “Blood Coltan” (2007) Saw mention of this documentary in Arena magazine (December 2011
Antichrist: inquiry into misogyny and battle between rationality and Nature
Lars von Trier, “Antichrist” (2009) Highly controversial for its depiction of sexual violence and mutilation,
French and French-language Films | Spanish Films
L’Age d’Or: cheeky and hilarious attack on religious, social and political repression and corruption
Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali, “L’Âge d’Or” (1930) On the heels of “Un Chien Andalou”,
Un Chien Andalou: a special once-in-a-lifetime visual experience
Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali, “Un Chien Andalou” (1929) Famous surrealist film that never fails
French and French-language Films
Blood of the Beasts: horror, death, poetry and beauty co-exist in slaughterhouse
Georges Franju, “Le sang des bêtes” / “Blood of the Beasts” (1949) An amazing if
Human Resources: documentary on mind control is mind-exploding
Scott Noble, “Human Resources” (2010) What can I say? This two-hour documentary on the history
Silmido: excellent film about a series of incidents in South Korean history that has a universal resonance
Kang Woosuk, “Silmido” (2003) Apparently based on actual incidents, this epic film ought to have