Under the Skin
MA15+
UK, 2013
Genre: Sci-Fi
Language: English
Director: Jonathan Glazer
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy McWilliams, Michael Moreland
What's it about?
Scarlett Johansson stars in this atmospheric sci-fi movie as an otherworldly woman travelling through Scotland to seduce Scottish men. Her conquests cannot believe their luck when they are picked up by such a sexy creature, but the one-night stand they're expecting turns into something quite different (and a lot more painful).
[link title="Under the Skin: Scarlett Johansson & Jonathan Glazer interview " url="node/17190"]
[link title="Under The Skin Review" url="node/6308"]'The Playlist' podcast: Let's talk about that time Scarlett Johansson played an otherworldly serial killer
Tokyo Tribe
MA15+
Japan, 2014
Director: Sion Sono
Starring: Ryôhei Suzuki, Riki Takeuchi, Shôta Sometani
What's it about?
Outrageous, crude and weirdly comic, Tokyo Tribe reclaims the yakuza genre, martial arts fight scenes and dirty dystopian futures from Western cinema, in the style of a hip hop musical. In a futuristic Tokyo, territorial street gangs form opposing factions collectively known as the Tokyo Tribes. The simmering tension between them is about to boil over into all-out war, and the gangs are forced to unite in the fight against a power-crazed Yakuza with diabolical intentions.
RoboGeisha
MA15+
Japan, 2009, comedy/action/sci-fi
Director: Noboru Iguchi
Starring: Naoto Takenaka, Aya Kiguchi, Hitomi Hasebe
What's it about?
Two sisters are given a kick-arse makeover in order to become cyborg assassins. Their weapons of torture are unique and effective and the girls take sibling rivalry to new heights in a bid to outdo each other as killing machines. There is also a major plot point involving a robot castle, which should give amateur DIY enthusiasts some food for thought.
2046
M
Hong Kong, 2004
Genre: Drama
Language: Cantonese, Mandarin, Japanese
Director: Wong Kar Wai
Starring: Tony Leung, Ziyi Zhang, Faye Wong
What's it about?
In this unofficial sequel of In the Mood for Love by acclaimed director Wong Kar Wai, Chow (Tony Leung), a writer living in a hotel in Hong Kong in the '60s, is trying to escape the painful memories of a failed liaison. He distracts himself by working on a tragic science fiction love story set in the year 2046 and by sleeping with as many women as possible. That's until he meets his match in escort Bai Ling (Ziyi Zhang), who lives next door in room 2046. Another stunning, moody film by Wong Kar Wai.
[link title="2046 Review" url="node/2765"]
20th Century Boys
MA15+
Japan, Thailand, 2000
Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Mystery
Language: Japanese
Director: Yukihiko Tsutsumi
Starring: Teruyuki Kagawa, Etsushi Toyokawa, Toshiaki Karasawa
What's it about?
Based on a popular Japanese manga series, this epic sci-fi fantasy trilogy begins in 1969 when young Kenji and his friends spend their holidays recording their apocalyptic fantasies in their 'Book of Prophecies'. Years later, a grown-up Kenji is working a menial job. However, when an old classmate dies, a strange series of events is sparked that come straight out of their childhood imaginings.
She Killed in Ecstasy
MA15+
Spain, Germany, 1971
Genre: Horror
Language: German
Director: Jesus Franco
Starring: Soledad Miranda, Ewa Strömberg, Howard Vernon
What's it about?
This erotic horror tale by exploitation genius Jesus Franco stars his muse Soledad Miranda as the widow of a young doctor who kills himself after a medical committee terminates his research into human embryos, considering it too inhumane. She seeks revenge on those who drove her husband to his death by luring each member of the committee into compromising situations and then killing them one by one.
SBS On Demand: Jesus Franco double bill
Gantz
MA15+
Japan, 2014
Genre: Action
Language: Japanese
Director: Shinsuke Sato
Starring: Kazumari Ninomiya, Ken'ichi Matsuyamaa, Yuriko Yoshitaka
What's it about?
Based on the manga series of the same name by Hiroya Oku, this dark Japanese sci-fi franchise follows two teens, who after coming to the aid of a drunken man on the subway tracks, wake up in a room dominated by a mysterious black sphere, Gantz. They soon find themselves equipped with shiny black assassin suits and heavy weaponry, and ordered by Gantz to go on an alien-hunting mission, which will see the survivors being able to return to their normal lives.
