5/10 (Average)
Robert Parrish’s Journey to the Far Side of the Sun is a British science fiction film of average quality. The first two thirds are well done before the final act kicks into gear with all its hokeyness and painfully glitzy camera work. The central “idea” is on the surface an intriguing one Continue reading
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tyIuMTONuo
The brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière were two of the earliest and most influential film directors. La Charcuterie Méchanique (1895), considered one of the earliest “sc-fi” films of all time, predicts the mechanical butcher. A rather simple machine “transforms” a pig into Continue reading
7/10 (Good)
The famous French director Bertrand Tavernier has produced some remarkable films (Coup de Torchon and Life and Nothing But for example). A Sunday in the Country is considered by many to be among his best. My opinion is more tempered — if you’re in the mood for a minimalist family drama in the beautiful French countryside without much “drama” Continue reading
5/10 (Bad — but definitely watch if you’re a B-film sci-fi fan)
I think the most important lesson I learned from the hilariously (occasionally) bad 50s sci-fi alien monster caper It! The Terror from Beyond Space is that in future female scientists and doctors still serve coffee and lunch… Continue reading
8/10 (Very Good)
Guy Maddin’s first feature film is a spectacle to behold. A classic sort of frame story devolves (positively) into a dreamlike wandering in an alternative Iceland, with strange preachers, bark fish, a woman discovered on the shore wrapped in nets, young girls floating down rivers in coffins… Maddin manipulates silent black-and Continue reading
8/10 (Very Good)
Atomic Cafe (1982) is a scathing documentary on the atomic age created from archival film from the 40s-early 60s. The scope of the material is extensive: military training films (often the most morbidly hilarious and poorly acted of the bunch), television news, various other government-produced propaganda films Continue reading
8/10 (Very Good — heed the various caveats…)
2010, up for a best Foreign Film Oscar (Greece)
Giorgos Lanthimos’ Dogtooth (2009) is probably the strangest film ever nominated for an Oscar. The film treads a fine line between black comedy and excruciatingly/twisted dark drama. I found myself drawn into its bizarre otherworldly Continue reading
7/10 (Good)
Multiple works by the famous Japanese novelist Kôbô Abe were turned into successful movies by Hiroshi Teshigahara (the most well known is A Woman in the Dunes which was nominated for two oscars, including best director). So while browsing the internet looking for other films inspired by Kôbô Abe’s works Continue reading
6.75/10 (Average — worth watching for those interested in foreign silent films)
Bed and Sofa (1927) was directed by Abram Room and remains his most well-known film. It tells the story of a ménage à trois (a very daring plot for Soviet cinema in the 1920s) between one woman (Liuda) and two men (Volodia and Kolia). Continue reading
Science Fiction and Other Suspect Ruminations 