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 ago, I was impressed with its style and colour and the…
Horror
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…
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, a platoon of American soldiers is betrayed by their Korean interpreter who…
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 watch. The single protagonist, Vincent, is a young alcoholic and drug…
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 minutes, this raw and stark animation is a superb comment on…
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…
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…
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” is a witty, layered and lavish Gothic retelling of the fairy-tale…
Italian and Italian-language Films
The Case of the Bloody Iris: trashy serial killer entertainment set in a changing Italy during the early 1970s
Giuliano Carnimeo, “The Case of the Bloody Iris” (1971) Known also as “What are those Strange Drops of Blood on Jennifer’s Body?”, this flick is representative…
Shadow of a Doubt: innocence, a happy family and insular small town America menaced by an outside force
Alfred Hitchcock, “Shadow of a Doubt” (1942) A dark film that explores the potential for violence beneath the patina of an apparently happy family, “Shadow of…