The Kinematograph: a familiar and bittersweet story done better by others
Tomek Baginski, “The Kinematograph” (2009) Here is a bittersweet story of a lone inventor labouring to produce the first moving picture with sound and colour only…
Fantasy
Australian and New Zealand Films
Zero: not quite reaching the levels of infinity in ambition and scope
Christopher Kezelos, “Zero” (2011) A heart-warming little short that could have been a lot more than it was with a bigger budget and more ambition, “Zero”…
Tolerantia: a plea for religious tolerance and diplomacy over war
Ivan Ramadan, “Tolerantia” (2008) An animated 3D short made in Bosnia-Herzegovina in 2008, “Tolerantia” is a plea for religious tolerance. Set at the end of the…
North American Films, Northern European Films
Dancer in the Dark: a manipulative film with a conservative and disheartening message
Lars von Trier, “Dancer in the Dark” (2000) Lars von Trier’s one attempt at making a tractor musical is the third and final installment in a…
Kwaidan: a lesson in four parts about having contact with the spirit world
Masaki Kobayashi, “Kwaidan” (1964) Often billed as a horror film, “Kwaidan” is in fact a quartet of fantasy stories of which three were based on traditional…
Royal Space Force – the Wings of Honnêamise: a handsome coming-of-age film about individual and communal redemption
Hiroyuki Yamaga, “Royal Space Force – the Wings of Honnêamise / Ôritsu uchûgun Oneamisu no tsubasa” (1987) A very visually handsome and often stunning film to…
Steamboy: epic cyberpunk film shooting its load too quickly and running out of steam
Katsuhiro Otomo, “Steamboy / Suchimoboi” (2004) A decade in the making, Katsuhiro Otomo’s second full-length film is an epic cyberpunk fantasy that carries a message about…
Suicide Club: gory horror flick intended as interrogation of the state of modern Japanese society
Sion Sono, “Suicide Club / Jisatsu Sakuru” (2002) Famous for its controversial premise, full-on gory presentation and an arresting opening sequence of 54 school-girls jumping off…
Branded to Kill: existentialist yakuza thriller parody of the corporate rat-race and its values
Seijun Suzuki, “Branded to Kill / Koroshi no Rakuin” (1967) After his previous gangster flick “Tokyo Drifter”, director Suzuki fell afoul of his bosses at Studio…
Tokyo Drifter: surreal pop-art gangster flick riffing on corporate loyalty and surviving in a corrupt world
Seijun Suzuki, “Tokyo Drifter / Tokyo nagaremono” (1966) A tale of larger-than-life characters grappling with their consciences and their loyalty to their superiors and the life…