The Science of Sleep
M
France, 2006, comedy/drama/fantasy
Director: Michel Gondry
Starring: Gael García Bernal, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Alain Chabat
What's it about?
French director Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) lets his boundless imagination out again in this movie starring Gael García Bernal as Stephane, an illustrator moves back to Paris for a new job and to live in his mother's apartment. There, he experiences strange and intense dreams, including one relating to his one man show, Stephane TV. His dreaming meddles with his life and creates confusion for the new woman (Charlotte Gainsbourg) in his life.
[link title="The Science of Sleep Review" url="node/4277"]
The Good, The Bad, The Weird
MA15+
South Korea, 2008, action/adventure/comedy/western
Director: Kim Jee-woon
Starring: Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, Jung Woo-Sung
What's it about?
You won't have a second to get bored with this exuberant and hilarious "Kimchi Western", which exploded the box office in Korea in 2008. It tells the story of two outlaws and a bounty hunter in 1930s Manchuria and their dealings with the Japanese army and Chinese and Russian bandits. The Good (a Bounty hunter), the Bad (a hitman), and the Weird (a thief) battle the army and the bandits in a race to use a treasure map to uncover the riches of legend.
Big Man Japan
M
Japan, 2007, comedy/sci-fi/mockumentary
Language: Japanese
Director: Hitoshi Matsumoto
Starring: Hitoshi Matsumoto, Riki Takeuchi, Haruka Unabara
What's it about?
In this over-the-top Japanese movie, Dai Sato is a man down on his luck. He's in his 40s and lives alone. His wife and daughter have left him and his only friend these days is a stray cat. Also, when called upon, he turns into a 30-metre tall giant to defend Japan in true Godzilla-style against a variety of marauding giant monsters. You'll enjoy the warped humour and melancholy at play in the dilemma of the reluctant superhero.
Orgazmo
MA15+
USA, 1997, comedy
Director: Trey Parker
Starring: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Dian Bachar
What's it about?
South Park writer Trey Parker lends his acerbic wit to this outrageous comedy about a naive young Mormon who becomes unwittingly a porn star. Mormon Joe Young is about to get married, but he needs to find money quickly to be able to give his fiancée the wedding of her dreams. By chance, he knocks on the door of a porn movie producer and is recruited as a sex superhero. However, his "talents" are noticed and when the movie becomes a success, he finds a kind of fame that wouldn't sit well with his unknowing fiancée.
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.
I'm So Excited!
MA15+
Spain, 2013, comedy
Director: Pedro Almodovar
Starring: Javier Cámara, Pepa Charro, Cecilia Roth
What's it about?
Pedro Almodovar returns to bawdy comedy with the story of a doomed flight and its panicked crew's increasingly desperate efforts to distract the passengers from the dangers they face. The pilot and cabin crew pull out all of the stops to keep Peninsula Flight 2549 as fun, sexy and enjoyable as possible, while they wait for a solution.
[link title="Pedro Almodovar's raunchy 'I'm So Excited!' satirises Spain" url="node/1605"]
[link title="I'm So Excited! Review" url="node/6244"]
The Cars That Ate Paris
PG
Australia, 1974, comedy/horror/mystery
Director: Peter Weir
Starring: John Meillon, Terry Camilleri, Kevin Miles
What's it about?
Disturbing things have been happening in the small town of Paris, Australia, which no new visitor seem to be able to leave. The inhabitants deliberately cause fatal car accidents, then sells or salvages all valuables from the wrecks as a means of economy, while the crash survivors are used as guinea pigs for medical experiments. Don't miss this Australian gem of dark humour and horror by legendary director Peter Weir (Picnic at Hanging Rock).
Cashback
MA15+
UK, 2006, comedy/drama/romance
Director: Sean Ellis
Starring: Michael Lambourne, Michael Dixon, Stuart Goodwin
What's it about?
Adapted from a short film nominated at the 2006 Oscars, Cashback follows Ben, an art student who develops insomnia following a painful break-up with his ex-girlfriend. He decides to get a job working nights at a supermarket, where he meets colourful colleagues, including Sharon, on whom he soon develops a crush. But hours are long at the supermarket and to make time pass quicker, he retreats into a fantasy world in which he has the ability to freeze time, allowing him to undress female customers and draw them. A clever and whimsical take on teen movies.
[link title="Cashback Review" url="node/4302"]
Coffee and Cigarettes
M
USA, 2005, cult/drama
Director: Jim Jarmusch
Starring: Bill Murray, Roberto Benigni, Steve Coogan, Cate Blanchett
What's it about?
American indie director Jim Jarmusch brings us his signature dry humour and unique dialogues in this intriguing series of 11 unrelated vignettes, where well-known actors (Bill Murray, Cate Blanchett, Steve Buscemi...) and musicians (Iggy Pop, Tom Waits, RZA and GZA from the Wu Tang Clan...) meet in public places to chew the fat on various topics, cigarettes and coffee cups in hand. You'll enjoy taking a cafeine break with these cool cats.
[link title="Coffee and Cigarettes review: Minimal feature flicks some serious butt" url="node/2913"]
Sharknado
MA15+
USA, 2013, horror
Director: Anthony C. Ferrante
Starring: Tara Reid, Ian Ziering, John Heard, Cassie Scerbo
What's it about?
In this production of The Asylum, which specialises in straight-to-video "mockbusters", a freak hurricane hits Los Angeles, causing man-eating sharks to be scooped up in tornadoes and flooding the city with shark-infested seawater. Surfer and bar-owner Fin sets out with his friends Baz and Nova to rescue his estranged wife April and teenage daughter Claudia. The so-bad-it's-good movie reached cult status thanks to Twitter frenzy when it first aired in the USA.
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