Funny Games (English language version): an ultimately empty and boring remake that misses the point of violence in American films
Michael Haneke, “Funny Games (English language version)” (2007) Austrian director Michael Haneke originally had wanted
Tag: Horror
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Peter Weir, “The Plumber” (1979) Originally made for television, this low-budget film combines the psychological
Oldboy: arthouse film trappings cannot disguise a flimsy plot, flat characters and an empty message
Chanwook Park, “Oldboy” (2003) When I saw this film the first time over a decade
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
The Manchurian Candidate: a layered and intense film on the abuse of power
John Frankenheimer, “The Manchurian Candidate” (1962) At some point during the Korean War in 1952,
Memoria: a tight closed narrative loop with no chance of forgiveness or redemption
Elísabet Ýr Atladóttir, “Memoria” (2013) A creepy psychological character study, “Memoria” is very depressing to
The Backwater Gospel: a darkly grim Gothic satire on religious fanaticism, mob rule and the fear of death
Bo Mathorne, “The Backwater Gospel” (2011) In a total running time of just over nine
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
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
Blancanieves: silent Gothic melodrama of a brief summer of shining innocence before a long winter of fascism
Pablo Berger, “Blancanieves” (2012) In the style of old 1920s expressionist silent films, Berger’s “Blancanieves”