I BELIEVE IN SANTA CLAUS
France was the source of this 1984 Christmas themed atrocity, which is horrendous—albeit quite endearingly so
IF I WERE A SPY
The second film directed by France’s Bertrand Blier was this eccentric black and white noir thriller from 1967
CLOUDS
Filipino horror trash that was apparently marketed as a porno flick in its native land—a designation that isn’t entirely off the mark given the copious sex scenes and trashy overall vibe
MARS AND APRIL
Science fiction from Quebec that isn’t perfect (far from it!) but deserves points for effort
GRANDMOTHERS RECHARGE WELL!
This Czech satire owes more than a little something to Ray Bradbury’s I SING THE BODY ELECTRIC!/THE ELECTRIC GRANDMOTHER, but taken on its own terms it’s pretty good
THE JOURNEY INSIDE
An amalgamation of educational drama and grade-Z science fiction that was the first ever non-documentary film made expressly for IMAX
SCHOOL TIES
This 90s Hollyweird product is pretty good, albeit burdened with a crummy third act. These days it’s best known as an early showcase for quite a few future stars
DEATH RITE
This French-Italian-German co-production, pivoting on clairvoyance and murder, is definitely peculiar, and for that reason alone deserves a look
NIGHT OF THE JUGGLER
This 1980 film has been called the “the sleaziest movie ever released by a major studio,” and I’ll have to concur
PRISON BREAK
PRISON BREAK was directed by Kazuo Ikehiro in 1969, and is widely believed to be the best Yakuza-themed film he and actor Matsukata Hiroki ever made