Terror is a Man (1959) I stayed up til 1 a.m. watching this, allegedly the first Filipino monster movie. Scientist on lonely island is trying to evolve a panther into a human. Swathed in bandages, it is at one point set alight by the deranged lab assistant, providing the unique spectacle of a flaming man-cat-mummy. Plods along at a moderate pace, with the startling hourglass figure of the professor's blonde wife as punctuation. Worth seeing once just so you can say you did. 6/10
I tried to watch Bangrajan (2000), a Thai historical epic about an 18th century Burmese invasion of Siam, but sadly the filmmakers were so devoted to being stylish and arty that it was too difficult for me even to decipher what I was seeing. If you are trying to tell a story and to show people images of what is happening, it's better to let them actually see it, not make it all friggin chiarascuro and stuff ya artsy-assed bastards. Dammit!
Jaziereh ahani [Iron Island] (2005) Fascinating Iranian story of a community on a decaying, slowly sinking ship. Does not resemble my daily life or anything I ever saw or experienced, which is what I am looking for in a movie. Amazing to see. 9/10
