“Mars Attacks!” (1996) is a satirical alien invasion film directed by Tim Burton and starring a surprisingly large cast of familiar actors. It’s easy to forget that Burton, now a friend of the establishment, once made films with a misanthropic subversive element. This is in full view in Mars Attacks! which (similar to Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers) embraces its inherently xenophobic premise and pushes it over-the-top to skewer society’s most cherished institutions (ie. government, media, religion, and business). The movie bombed when first released but perhaps it was just a little ahead of its time?
Watch the full film here.
Carnival of Souls is a 1962 American independent horror film starring Candace Hilligoss. The film was produced and directed by Herk Harvey for an estimated $33,000. Carnival of Souls did not gain widespread attention when originally released as a double feature with The Devil’s Messenger. Today, however, it is regarded as a cult classic. Its plot follows a young woman whose life is disturbed after a car accident, finding herself drawn to the pavilion of an abandoned carnival.
Set to an organ score by Gene Moore, Carnival of Souls relies more on atmosphere than on special effects to create a mood of unease and foreboding. The film has a large cult following and is occasionally screened at film and Halloween festivals. It has been cited as an important influence on the films of both David Lynch and George A. Romero.
Paul Verhoeven and Edward Neumeier, the writer/director team behind the original Robocop returned a decade later with an equally satirical vision mocking while paying homage to propagandistic and militaristic Hollywood tropes: “Starship Troopers” (2007). The story follows a new recruit and his circle of friends as they go through training and onto the battlefield in a war against hostile aliens. It’s a story told countless times before and since but rarely with as much self-awareness and overtly fetishized fascism.
Welcome to Terminal City-one of only five livable places left on Earth.
Telegenic Mayor Ross Glimore (Peter Breck, The Big Valley, Shock Corridor), is king of all media, and rules as a virtual dictator. To maintain his grip on power he must stage an election, and for that he needs fresh fear. Enter Alex Stevens (Mark Bennett), a fed-up, cynical newspaper delivery boy who happens to witness Glimore run over one of his own supporters in his car, and leave the scene of the accident.
Glimore and his Rove-wellian henchman Bruce Coddle (Jello Biafra) hatch a plot to brand Alex “the #1 terrorist threat” (based on his connection to rock’n’roll music which, along with meat, is banned) to cow Terminal City into submission and steal another tabloid election.
Alex flees underground, where he stumbles into a resistance movement led in part by his newfound friend Beatrice (Lisa Brown), and a fugitive brain-damaged goalie from the Glimore-owned hockey team, unforgettably portrayed by two-time Genie Award® winner Germaine Houde (Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Les bons Débarras 1980, Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Un Zoo la Nuit 1987).
Alex finds himself caught up in a plot to bring Glimore down, with the not-so-secret police (D.O.A.’s Joe Keithley and pro-wrestling legend Gene Kiniski) hot on the trail.
“The Red Elvis” (2007) is a German documentary directed by Leopold Grün about the life and legacy of Colorado-born singer Dean Reed who, after a promotional tour in Chile, fell in love with the culture and became involved in anti-imperialist politics around the world. Through archival footage and interviews the film explores Reed’s unique personal and professional journey which was tragically cut short by his mysterious death in 1986 at age 47. Some of the circumstances surrounding Dean Reed’s death suggest it may be more complicated than the narrative presented in the film.
“Cutter’s Way” (1981) is a thriller directed by Ivan Passer starring Jeff Bridges, John Heard and Lisa Eichhorn as a trio who get embroiled in a conspiracy when Richard (Bridges) witnesses the disposal of a body. When Richard becomes implicated in a related murder he turns to loose cannon Cutter (Heard) and wife Mo (Eichhorn) for help. Cutter becomes obsessed with finding the true killer and begins to suspect local oil tycoon J.J. Cord. Knowing such men are rarely if ever brought to justice, Cutter must find his own way to prove his friend’s innocence and make the true criminal pay.
“Sars Wars” (2004) is a Thai horror-comedy (aka “splatstick”) feature directed and co-written by Taweewat Wantha. When people infected with a “Type 4” strain of the SARS virus from Africa start turning into zombies, the Health Ministry attempts to contain the outbreak within one Bangkok apartment building. At the same time, a sword-wielding superhero and his mentor must rescue a kidnapped schoolgirl from a gang hiding out in the same building before it’s demolished by the government. Sars Wars delves into similar territory as Evil Dead 2 and Dead Alive, though it makes those films seem subtle and restrained in comparison.
Watch the full movie here (click “cc” button on bottom right corner of video window to activate English subtitles):
“The Grey” (2011) is an existential survival thriller directed and co-written by Joe Carnahan. The other co-writer was Ian MacKenzie Jeffers, who wrote the short story “Ghost Walker” which was adapted for the screenplay. Liam Neeson stars as the leader of a group of oil men who, after their plane crashes in Alaska, are pursued by a pack of grey wolves. The simplistic plot is given emotional depth with great acting from Neeson and the screenplay’s philosophical allusions.
After the Crash 