Batman: The Movie – a cult bad-movie masterpiece with a daring and subversive edge
Leslie H Martinson, “Batman: The Movie” (1966) In an age when comic book superheroes were treated with the respect and dignity they deserved, this film –…
Psychedelia
French and French-language Films
Sans Soleil: a pretentious and confusing film that plays a stupid joke on its audience at its end
Chris Marker, “Sans Soleil” (1983) Picture yourself receiving a letter from a long-time friend who has been living and travelling for many years in Japan, Iceland…
The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover: a parable on the decline and fall of neoliberal British society and culture
Peter Greenaway, “The Cook, the Thief, his Wife and her Lover” (1989) Straight away viewers can tell there’s much more simmering away in this story about a…
My Winnipeg: an intriguing blend of memoir, documentary and surreal dark fantasy in a paean to a little city on the prairie
Guy Maddin, “My Winnipeg” (2007) An unusual blend of memoir, documentary and dark fantasy, Guy Maddin’s “My Winnipeg” probably does more to promote his home city,…
Italian and Italian-language Films
Allegro Non Troppo: a suite of animation shorts of breath-taking imagination and originality, and much food for thought
Bruno Bozzetto, “Allegro Non Troppo” (1976) A spoof of and tribute to Walt Disney’s famous “Fantasia” film, “Allegro Non Troppo” is noteworthy mainly for its six…
British Films, North American Films
The Man Who Fell to Earth: a satire on US cut-throat capitalist society and how it alienates, controls and dehumanises people
Nicholas Roeg, “The Man Who Fell to Earth” (1976) For a film with hardly much plot and maybe too much soft-core pornography, “The Man who Fell…
The Man We Want to Hang: a subjective if not very experimental homage to Aleister Crowley
Kenneth Anger, “The Man We Want to Hang” (2002) After over 20 years in which he made no films, the American cult underground film director Kenneth…
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…
A Tattooed Life: underrated yakuza character study expressing anti-nationalist nihilism
Seijun Suzuki, “A Tattooed Life / Irezumi Ichidai” (1965) A surprisingly touching and quite emotional drama, told in a traditional way, this is an underrated yakuza…
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…