Kapsapea: an entertaining parody of action adventure / romance films
Riho Unt, “Kapsapea / A Cabbage” (1993) A stop-animation parody of action adventure films like the Indiana Jones movie series, “Kapsapea” revolves around the travails of…
Comedy
Troll Hunter: comedy horror flick works in popular Norwegian stereotypes and fears of a police state
André Øvredal, “Troll Hunter / Trolljegeren” (2010) Inspired perhaps by the example of “The Blair Witch Project” and “Man Bites Dog” from the 1990s and “Cannibal Holocaust” from…
Australian and New Zealand Films
What We Do in the Shadows: gentle satire and commentary on horror films and social problems
Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement. “What We Do in the Shadows” (2014) Just when you think that everything that can be done in the horror film…
Harvey: a gentle plea for tolerance and the desire to opt out of the rat race
Henry Koster, “Harvey” (1950) This film about a middle-aged bachelor whose only friend and companion happens to be an invisible giant bunny rabbit could have ended…
Australian and New Zealand Films
The Plumber: quirky character study commenting on the gulf between social classes and the sexes
Peter Weir, “The Plumber” (1979) Originally made for television, this low-budget film combines the psychological thriller with cheerful larrikin Aussie black comedy and light commentary on…
Australian and New Zealand Films
The Cars that Ate Paris: oddball comedy horror satire on society and technological fetishism
Peter Weir, “The Cars that Ate Paris” (1974) Acclaimed Australian director Peter Weir’s directorial full-length debut is an oddball comedy horror flick that riffs on a…
German and German-language Films
Love is Colder than Death: a study of nihilism and individuals’ relationships in a mercenary society
Rainer Werner Fassbinder, “Liebe ist kälter als der Tod / Love is Colder than Death” (1969) Gangster films might be an unusual choice for film-makers to…
French and French-language Films
Frantic: a cool and not at all frantic lightweight homage to Hitchcock
Roman Polanski, “Frantic” (1988) For a film proclaiming itself “Frantic”, this suspense thriller is surprisingly cool, calm and collected as it follows its hapless protagonist doctor…
The Wolf of Wall Street: a film of empty and numbing spectacle and comedy sketch
Martin Scorsese, “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013) Adapted from the 2007 memoir by the former convicted stockbroker swindler and current motivational speaker Jordan R Belfort,…
Philomena: a gentle film gingerly side-stepping the exploitation of young women and their children for profit
Stephen Frears, “Philomena” (2013) A gentle film about an elderly woman searching for the son she was coerced into putting up for adoption half a century…