Scanners

Goodness, I first got this on VHS secretly bringing it home so the wife wouldn't see it. Very much of its time and unfortunately it has not survived the passing years too well; looks rather dated nowadays.
♥ ♥ ♥

Party Monster

Pretty dire stuff. I really could not relate to these bizarre characters and got bored half way through. Grotesque - as intended.
Seth Green's excellent performance was its only saving grace.
♥ ♥

Lebanon

Billed as "Das Boot" in a tank. Certainly captured the intensity and claustrophobia of the tiny cab. As the crew come increasingly under physical threat the emotional temperature rises almost to an unbelievable pitch.
Watch it!
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

The Islanders: Christopher Priest

Christopher Priest has always been a favourite. This is his most recent - and possibly final - work.
Not really a novel, more a related collection of short-stories tied together with the theme of an imaginary groups of islands and presented as a gazetteer. The narrative is fairly fractured as a result but there are some terrific gems; and some of the threads introduced at various times come and go, never being wholly resolved. Some of the inventiveness create ideas or scenes or bizarre imaginary works of art of such power they almost become memories or real events. Exceptional!

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

My Architect

I think one of the BBC channels broadcast this a while back.
Basically a documentary on the architect Louis Kahn by his "son". Kahn was certainly an oddball in his personal life and attempting to explore it at this distance is both admirable and fascinating; for his son (the film's creator) and us (the audience) there is no resolution, no comprehension - ending up asking more questions than it answers. But that's OK, we get enough insight into Kahn to appreciate the man even if we cannot really figure him out.
And curiously that lack of resolution is mirrored exactly when dealing with his architectural achievements. Not successful in the way many of his contemporaries where but leaving a legacy of creations which are spectacular and wonderful. Expecting to comprehend his creativity is as illusive as divining his personal motivations. The best we can do is gaze in wonderment at the contributions he has made to our world either its fabric or the people he has touched.
If architecture is a passion for you then this film is a gem; watch it.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Coffee and Cigarettes

A collection of shorts cobbled together to make a full-size film. None of the pieces related to one another - other than the "coffee and cigarettes" of the title. Don't take it too seriously otherwise you will miss what wit there is. Very verbal enhanced by some careful editing. Most of the situations work quite well.
Don't worry if you miss it, the world won't stop.
♥ ♥ ♥

Black Book

Second time around and it is still damned good.

A war movie about the Dutch resistance. At least I think that is what it is about: could also be about betrayal or survival or deceit even. And of course it is that complexity and multi-layered story that make it so watchable.
 
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥