Guy Maddin quartet of short films: a unique style and vision at work
Guy Maddin, “Fancy, Fancy Being Rich” (2002), “My Dad is 100 Years Old” (2005), “Spanky: To the Pier and Back” (2008), “Send Her to the ‘Lectric Chair” (2009)…
Fantasy
French and French-language Films
Orpheus: visually lovely meditation on triumph of love over death, the role of the artist and life in Vichy France
Jean Cocteau, “Orpheus / Orphée” (1950) Intriguing re-telling of the famous ancient Greek legend set in post-WW2 Paris, this film combines surrealism, fantasy, situation comedy or…
Ghostwatch: very funny hoax documentary that blurs reality and fiction, and raises issues about authenticity
Lesley Manning, “Ghostwatch” (1992) Subject of a post on Adam Curtis’s BBC blog, this BBC hoax drama is quite a laugh to watch. Hard to believe…
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 by Studio Ghibli are of a high standard both technically and…
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 evolution that the human species was demonstrating on planet Earth, the…
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”, a short film, comes this proper full-length surrealist feature by Buñuel…
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 to shock and surprise despite having been made over 80 years,…
Rabbit’s Moon: two very different films in mood and themes in spite of superficial similarities
Kenneth Anger, “Rabbit’s Moon” (started 1950: long version 1972, short version 1979) Based on a Japanese myth about a rabbit on the moon, this film comes…
Fireworks: an ambivalent and powerful celebration of sexual attraction, submission and sadomasochism
Kenneth Anger, “Fireworks” (1947) Quite a remarkable debut film this is from a 17-year-old Kenneth Anger which is a coming-of-age piece recreating a dream he had:…
Lucifer Rising: a heartfelt expression of Aleister Crowley’s Thelema philosophy
Kenneth Anger, “Lucifer Rising” (1981) Begun some time in the 1960s but not fully completed until 1981, with the music soundtrack having to be revamped completely,…