The Hunger (1983)

The Hunger is a cult classic and very unique vampire film. Refreshingly, the vampire flair seen in most vampire flicks (blood-sucking, fangs, sparkles!) is omitted and replaced with overflowing stylistic and visual flair.

David Bowie is starred alongside of an irresistable Catherine Deneuve, and Susan Sarandon. You can see the glam rock influence of Bowie in the film's style mixed in with the beauty of classical art. Every scene concentrates on visual aesthetics: flowy sheer curtains (particularly during the film's famous lesbian love scene), music video-like photography, and Tony Scott trademark lighting techniques (shining through window blinds). The color pallette is suitably pale with a blue tint. The camera placement is cleverly voyeuristic. There are a lot of long shots that focus on intimate details; a factor in the film's "slow pace" which for some cannot be appreciated. And the make-up artists did a phenomenal job. A complete visual sensation.

The soundtrack is a fantastic mixture of genres from Bauhaus and Iggy Pop, to Schubert and Bach, to ambient, synthesized tracks made with bizarre electronic sounds.

The Hunger was Tony Scott's directorial debut but its art house nature was not received well by critics. There is so much goodness going on in this film, it is a shame that it did not receive more recognition.

The People Under the Stairs (1991)

My favorite of Wes Craven's films, The People Under the Stairs is quite the rare gem. It is super fun to watch and I guarantee that if I had seen it in 1991 it would have been my favorite movie. There is something to be said about the fact that after watching it for the first time over 20 years later I am impressed.

A young boy from the ghetto breaks into his landlord's large suburban home in hopes of saving his family from eviction but finds that once inside, he cannot escape. The bulk of the plot takes place inside this nightmarish, labyrinth-like house owned by a psychotic couple.

The film is classified as horror but to me the experience is more of a fantasy/adventure although it lightly touches upon some horrifying topics (incest/child abuse). It is full of classic, oddball creepiness (cannibalism/booby traps) but the scenes are goofy and innocent enough to be enjoyed even by children.  The acting is great all around and the roles played by the demented couple (Everett McGill and Wendy Robie) are particularly over-the-top. Sean Whalen has an unforgettable role as well.


"Hear no evil, See no evil, Speak no evil"

Drawing Restraint 9 (2005)

Drawing Restraint 9 is a film that is part of a 16 piece project created by the controversial artist Matthew Barney. The film is an elaborate sculpture that explores Japanese traditions primarily focusing on the whaling ritual. It takes place on the Japanese vessel Nishin Maru. It is mostly a silent film but it is accompanied by the most fantastic soundtrack I have witnessed. The main characters (Matthew Barney himself and Björk) are occidental guests who are invited to take part in the ceremonies that take place on the vessel. The film's climax is the most magical love scene I have experienced ever. I would only recommend this film to viewers who are appreciative of experimental art and beautiful cinematography, otherwise one might find it rather boring.