SENSITIVE SPOTS
A little-known example of Central European science fiction, set in the far-off year 1998
RED DAWN
“Better dead than red” cinema got a memorable 1980s rethink in RED DAWN, a “what-if?” narrative about a Russian invasion of the US
THE WAR GAME
A profoundly shattering, staunchly reality-based look at the effects of a possible nuclear war on Great Britain
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
THE FARMER
A revenge-themed grindhouse item from 1977 that appears to have had Important Cinema aspirations
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
CAT’S EYE
A three-parter from the eighties, scripted by Stephen King, that should be better.
DEEP WATER
Patricia Highsmith’s novels don’t generally make for good movies, and that rule holds true with the 2022 Hulu production DEEP WATER
THE YIN AND THE YANG OF MR. GO
“The beam really works. Who will it strike next time? Perhaps it could even be you!”
THE BURNING BUDDHA MAN
Cut-out animation, H.R. Giger-esque grotesquerie and Buddhism—an irresistible combination, I say