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
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
KILL IT AND LEAVE THIS TOWN
Animated madness from 2020 Poland that may or may not have something to say about that country’s political situation
TV Flashback: MANUEL ON THE ISLAND OF WONDERS
A “children’s film” that’s less-than-childish in its orientation
2020: Bedlam in Print
Here, in the early days of 2021, is the latest edition of my annual Bedlam in Print overview
2020 in Review: News, Passings, Discoveries
Bedlam was indeed the word for 2020 and (as of January 10) 2021 as well
RED GRASS
A novel as puzzling and bizarre as nearly any I’ve read, filled with enigmas I’m told will come clear on subsequent readings