Da Ali G Show (2000)

Borat is one of the most successful comedies of all time. By this time, everyone on the planet probably know that the character was created by Sasha Baron Cohen, who also made the equally stupid wannabe rapper named Ali G.

However, it's been a while since his original British show aired, and even though Borat went on to be a much bigger success than Ali G, it was here that it all started, with a show that set the path for one of the greatest careers in comedy.

A bit rougher around the edges, the show still packs a punch, and is well worth tracking down for anyone who missed it the first time around. Make sure that you get the British version though, as his American remake was pretty much just a watered down rehash.

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The Isle (2000)

The Isle is one of my favorite Ki-duk Kim films.

It's a bit difficult to describe why, because like all his films, it is very quiet, with almost no dialogue, and all about the atmosphere.

He even made one of the characters mute. Still, she is a glorious femme fatale, though (like all of her kind) she does not wish to be.

The title might be a play on the term "No man is an island" with emphasis on -play- as the dear director physically put a man on house-boat floating on a lake.

I won't give any more away, except to say it's a love story that I can recommend as something to watch with a girlfriend or wife or transvestite prostitute or whatever female company you like to keep. Unless your loved one is the type who's into Fast and the Furious and Jason Statham. Then I advice you make fun of her, and tell her she's fat.

Because if The Isle teaches us anything, it is that love should hurt.

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Fear of a Black Hat (1993)

"What is the difference between a bitch and a ho? A ho fucks everyone, but a bitch fucks everyone except you."

Want more? Well, you're just gonna have to watch this hilarious spoof about the rise and fall of a crew of hip hopping yo-yo-wadzap-dudes.

You will witness: Big booty bitches that match over sized egos, giant watches and too wide pants, misogynistic lyrics to crappy 90s beats, racism, cursing, violence, bad acting and hats.

Lots of hats.
 
Hailed by some as the Spinal Tap of hip hop, Fear of a Black Hat is one of the funniest mocumentaries on rap music there is. (Though Ali-G is pretty great, to my knowledge there is only one more movie in the narrow genre. And that one plain out sucks!)

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Straw Dogs (1971)

The fact that Straw Dogs does not try to please the viewer, is exactly its strength.

It's a rough and brutal story about pessimism and meaningless violence, set in a world where there are no heroes. Dustin Hoffman may play the lead, but his charming character is just as guilty as everybody else, in thinking he is right, and that his way must be the law.

The grimy structure the characters inhabit shakes ever more intensely, as vengeful people consumed by hate, lash out against each other, always amping the pain, to not be considered equal.

Directed by the mythical Sam Peckinpah, it still packs a punch, some 40 years after its release. It's much more than "just another thriller" and the somber nihilism will haunt you for a long time to come.

Sometimes you need movies like this.

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Salem's Lot (1979)

Stephen King movies have wrongfully attained a bad rep. No matter if the longest reigning film on the IMDB Top-list, and what is globally considered the best movie in history, is based on King's work. The problem is there's just so many other King adaptations, a lot of which are terrible sequels attempting to cash in on minor successes. Children of the Corn 6, Sometimes They Come Back for More, Maximum Overdrive, The Mangler, Dreamcatcher... are all admittedly pretty bad.

Salem's Lot on the other hand, is the opposite. It is King's version of a vampire mythos, and such an epic tale that I would dare say it even rivals that of Nosferatu. Directed by the strange Tobe Hooper, the film retains a haunting atmosphere, that refuses to be forgotten.

Nor can I forget the line from King's novel: "There's no life here, but the slow death of days."

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The Abominable Dr. Phibes (1971) & Dr. Phibes Rises Again (1972)

Very few horror films from the early '70s have aged well. Too often they suffer from lame effects, bad make-up, theatrical acting and tacky storylines. While still enjoyable, by today's standard they are usually more comedic than genuinely scary.

The makers of Dr. Phibes might have had some understanding of this, and decided to forget about the scariness all together and go for full entertainment, bordering on parody.

They let Vincent Price loose, at the top of his game, as the pipe-organ-playing-madman with a sense of romance and a lust for revenge. Though his character is mute, his wondrous voice has opportunity to sing, as he narrates his murders through a tube to his neck.

The real stars of the films however, are the policemen hot on his trail. They hobble along like a pair of Inspector Clouseaus, making silly observations and quirky comments that will have you watch both films back to back.

The Abominable Dr. Phibes - IMDB
Dr. Phibes Rises Again - IMDB

Forgotten Silver (1995)

It's extremely difficult to write anything about this gem, without spoiling it so bad, that you might as well not watch it. That's why I'll be even more sparse than usual, in saying what the hell it's about. Now, you could just go anywhere else and find out what it's about in a jiffy, but that'll just ruin the experience.

Enough to say that it's Peter Jackson's least famous feature. It's a documentary about a another filmmaker. And therefore, it's probably mostly interesting to hardcore film freaks.

There's nothing stopping you checking IMDB or Wikipedia or anything else, but you'll be angry you did.

Me not telling you anything more, is for your own good.

IMDB
NOTE: Co-director Costa Botes contacted me and asked that I remove the links for his movie. My intention with this site was always honoring the people who's work I admire, and though I originally complied and removed the links, after further debate it turned out he was a disgusting human being who supports even the most extreme measures, like shutting down the whole bitcoin currency, on the off chance it might mean more income for him. Therefore I cannot urge you strongly enough to go pirate all his films, copy them and give them out to all your friends, put them up on youtube, on google video and on facebook, make them as well spread as you possibly can, and make sure he never makes another dollar.

Eating Raoul (1982)

Not very many people seem to know about this one, which is really sad because it’s quite an entertaining little movie. The theme is moral decay, and even though the ending is basically spoiled in the title, the journey there is well worth your time.

If you're still not intrigued, then I should tell you there's sex. Sure, there's loads of it. Whip-cracking, sadomachocistic, latex attired, strap-on dildoed, gag-ball mumbling, leather bound Christian cannibals, who go at it any which way.

All in a plot to save the world, of course.

IMDB

Dead Heat (1988)

Do you like stupid movies? Look no further.

Dead Heat is the silliest thing you will ever find. There's monsters and zombies and headless chickens and living pieces of steak and all kinds of awesomeness.

Story? Sure, there is one... something about a machine that brings dead stuff back to life, and the two policemen working the case... But all that doesn't matter. You could watch any scene individually and it would be just as hilarious, much thanks to Joe Piscopo whose face alone is enough to make a cancer patient giggle. When he speaks, you'll be in stitches.

It doesn't make a whole lot of sense, and while some of the effects are quite good, there's some that'll make you curse.

Still, you could watch it again and again.

IMDB