HEAD-TO-TOE PORTRAIT OF SUZANNE
An unspeakably demented concoction that could only have been dreamed up by France’s late Roland Topor
TV Flashback: TÉLÉCHAT
A show that spoofed TV newscasts via a surreal universe of animal newsreaders and sentient objects, warping an entire generation of French youngsters
TOPOR AND ME
The only film ever directed by the Dutch actress/artist Sylvia Kristel, and a skilled enough piece of work to make one regret that she didn’t helm anything else
THE BURNING BUDDHA MAN
Cut-out animation, H.R. Giger-esque grotesquerie and Buddhism—an irresistible combination, I say
VIOLENCE VOYAGER
The second feature by Japan’s Ujicha, following the mind-roasting BURNING BUDDHA MAN
MAGIC MIRROR
A worthy, if frustratingly little known, addition to the underground comics scene
A PRAYER FOR HETMAN MAZEPA
With the conflict between Russia and the Ukraine exploding, I say it’s an opportune time to revisit this 2002 feature, which offers a most unorthodox treatment of the skirmish
FANTASTIC PLANET
After THE YELLOW SUBMARINE this is the premiere example of feature-length psychedelic animation
ARENA BRAINS
An avant-garde film in the guise of a music video compilation of a type that was once ubiquitous on VHS
MAD GOD
A dialogue-free depiction of an otherworldly hellscape, peopled almost entirely with stop motion creatures