Stalker: immersive film of beauty and ugliness, self-doubt and renewal of faith
Andrei Tarkovsky, “Stalker” (1979) For Western audiences used to fast action science fiction movies, “Stalker”
Tag: Road Movies
Ashik Kerib: flat plot and hammy acting wreck ethnographic survey / travelogue of Azerbaijani culture
Sergei Parajanov and David Abashidze, “Ashik Kerib” (1988) The last completed film by Georgian /
Chinese and Chinese-language Films
Princess Iron Fan: first Asian full-length animated movie is an overstretched “short cartoon”
Wan Guchan and Wan Laiming, “Princess Iron Fan” / “Tian Shan Gong Zhu” (1941) This
Midnight Cowboy: satirical character study of two men pursuing their particular American Dreams
John Schlesinger, “Midnight Cowboy” (1969) Over forty years ago when this movie was released, it
Crash (dir. David Cronenberg): dark comedy satire on Western obsession with technology and material culture
David Cronenberg, “Crash” (1996) Based on the eponymous 1973 novel by J G Ballard, this
Rich and Strange: romantic comedy needs Hitchcock’s obsessions to make it richer and stranger
Alfred Hitchcock, “Rich and Strange” aka “East of Shanghai” (1931) One of a group of films
French and French-language Films
Wages of Fear: mesmerising film about character, motivation and meaning of existence in an uncaring universe
Henri-Georges Clouzot, “Wages of Fear” (1953) On paper, this movie’s plot looks so simple, even
Gasland: intelligent and unassuming documentary on fracking
Josh Fox, “Gasland” (2010) Written, filmed, narrated and directed by Josh Fox, this documentary is
Borat movie tells more about film-makers’ biases and prejudices than those of its subjects
Larry Charles, “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan” (2006)
Latin American Films (Spanish language)
The Motorcycle Diaries: road trip through South America is a hard slog
Walter Salles, “The Motorcycle Diaries” (2004) A film about two guys in their 20s riding on