I go seek - V. Fessenko (1992)

This is a spiritual trip through surrealism. Childhood games like hide and seek in a different point of view. The animation is some like similar to the paintings of Hieronymous Bosch and Peter Brueghel. An artistic ode to life and death, transformation and reform!

Midnight games - Rinat Gazizov (1991)

This is one of the most surrealistic animations I have ever seen. A man is going to sleep but after midnight his body breaks apart and every part acts individually. So eyes fight with hands and eyes mess up with nose. A very smart idea that comes from Russia back in 1991. Enjoy!

Olympics Monkey movie (2008)

Jamie Hewlett (designer of Gorillaz) and Damon Albarn join forces and present this marvelous animation about the Chinese Olympics in 2008. Excellent storyboard and music that based upon the traditional Chinese folklore 'Journey to the West'. Recommended as well.

Deadline - Bang-yao Liu (2006)

Another interesting gem I found on the net these days. It is directed by Taiwanese director and artist Bang-yao Liu who lives in Taipei. I always like stop motion animations and I found this idea very cool. I hope you will like it too!

En Tus Brazos aka In your arms (2005)

This beautiful animation is about the power of love. The greatest tango dancer of the 20's is stuck in a wheelchair after a tragic accident. Thanks to his wife, he recovers the use of his legs, the time of one imaginary dance, ending entreating passionately "Don't stop, hold me tight".

Yellow - Neill Blomkamp (2006)

This short film was part of a project Adidas created for commercial purposes. Seven different colors gave birth to seven different ideas directed by seven directors. The 'Yellow' film describes the integration between a cyborg and modern society. Excellent effects and sharp direction from Blomkamp who later directed the incredible 'District 9'.

Фантадром 1 - Смех aka Fantadrom 1 - Laughter (1984)

Incredible hand drawn animation from Latvia / ex USSR. It was a concept of thirteen episodes in Latvian national television around 1984. This is the first episode. They were been directed by Janis Rubenis. Fantadroms is a Latvian Soviet animation of the Russian Cosmonaut Agnis and his cohort, catlike robot Indrix XIII in the 21st century. A space and surrealistic animated trip that will spin your head. Check all the series here: 

http://aktracker.com/skynet/youtube/604/fantadrom-ii-1-laughter-smiekli

Gork - John Ross (1989-2006)

This is another cool animation directed with Rotoscope technique between 1989 and 2006. I think it's quite funny and worth seeing it.

Peppermint candy (1999)

This is art cinema for sure. It is a study upon the surface of life and destruction of our humanity. Kim Yong-ho is our hero. He finds some old friends celebrating their reunion after twenty years but he is so broken that he will commit suicide in front of them at a railroad bridge. Then a trip back to his life starts and we will see the purposes of his suicide in reverse motion. Each of the seven periods we are going to watch, is separated by the poetic image of a train running backwards. We will find out why a man can be so mean at his work as a police officer, or his problems that ruined his family. His dreams to be photographer disappeared and his life completely changed after a tragedy happened while he was in the army. His first love with Sun-im, never happened and he distorted the reality and his passions on his mind. Society in these difficult periods in South Korea didn't help him succeed in life at all. A film that contains political and social reports with excellent acting and photography as well. Recommended to everyone who loves artistic and thoughtful cinema!

Tange Sazen: Hien iaigiri aka The secret of the urn (1966)

Samanosuke is the best swordsman in Yagyu clan and he is loyal to it. After the commandment to eliminate a traitor he will loose his one eye and left arm. So he will become a Ronin and change his name to Tange Sazen. Guraku is the leader of another clan and he plots to use the repair of Nikko Toshogu temple to destroy Yagyu clan and obtain Kozekaru's urn, the only treasure that has remained to Yagyu and promises their salvation. After a battle the urn will arrive on the hands of Sazen who wants to protect it for his own reasons. Guraku will send Kaiten, a cold blood killer and chief of ninja assassins to kill Sazen and take the urn. Ofuji and Yokichi, a brother and sister who are thieves will be the allies of Sazen and the epic battle to save the urn and expose the conspiracy will start. It is a great example of Gosha / Chamabara films and a real entertaining one!

Split - Erik Deutschman (1998)

Between madness and reality a man is trying to discover his inner self. What is the purpose of our existence? Is a human made only by blood and bones or is it something bigger that makes us 'human'? Another great short film that approaches the limits between surrealism and horror!

Slave (2010)

In the distant future, human race is under the control of one world government. The regularity of sleep-work is now a fact. Big brother is upon us and no one can escape. The ones who like to be free are being captured and reformed as well. This excellent short is a pure artwork. No words, just amazing cinematography in black and white. It is inspired by 'Zeitgeist'.

E.T.A.(2008)

This is a Danish short animation from Henrik Bjerregaard Clausen & JunkWorks Productions. Using a clever plot it keeps the suspense in high levels. The animation is amazing and the effects so cool! So what about your space coffee?

И через тысячу лет aka Even in a thousand years (2010)

Another short film dedicated to the one thousand eyes that shared my vision about cinema. A romantic short story from Russia that shows us the meaning of true love.

1000 friends - Rainer Wolf & Tobias Kappert (2010)

Over a thousand eyes have viewed my blog. Thank you so much. I am not going to end this like the guy of this film. I believe in real life and real people!

Tokyo! (2008)

Three great directors meet and present their cuts into a three sections awesome film. Michel Gondry's "Interior Design" is the first part that is surrealistic and refers on the difficult view of life Japanese youth have. A couple decides to move on Tokyo. But they will face various problems, from finding a job to understand better each other. The girl will experience a transformation to a chair. A symbolic statement into her psychological position as she feels more and more alone. Leos Carax's "Merde" is the second story and it is about a maniac creature who terrorizes citizens of Tokyo with his weird behavior. He eats money and flowers and suddenly becomes extremely violent and kills some people. Then he will be arrested and a lawyer from France will defend him on the court as he is one of the three people worldwide who can communicate with the creature. The refers to Godzilla are obvious. Bong Joon-Ho's "Shaking Tokyo" is coming to complete this amazing storytelling in another way. Teruyuki Kagawa is living alone last ten years. It was his decision being isolated and he enjoys that. Until one day he will have eye contact with a girl who delivers him a pizza. So he will be in love and try to find her again. But can a hikikomori (someone who decides to isolate from other people) to understand the feelings of an android? And what happens when the girl decides the same situation for her? I think these directors did their best to support the multidimensional screening of life in Tokyo presenting the human relationships, the transformation and the anarchy between people!

In a better world (2010)

Christian and Elias are going to the same school and become friends when the first helps the second to confront another kid that threatens him. Christian can't stand his mother's death from cancer and starts being aggressive against everyone. He acts like a psychopath in order to pay back whoever thinks he deserves that. His father doesn't know about his strange behavior and can't imagine what is going to happen. Anton is Elias's father, a doctor who works at an African refugee camp where a warlord kills people just for fun. He will be in position to stop that but he will never be the same again. His relationship with Elias mother Marianne is cold after their divorce but they will communicate better after the tragical incidents that will take place soon at their small town, somewhere in Denmark. It is a story that gets better and better and the plot is quite good. It won the Oscar for the foreign language film this year!

Kiru aka Kill! (1968)

Genta is a vagrant and a yakuza who arrives at a small town. Hanji is an ex farmer who arrives there too and he has a dream to become a samurai. His skill as a swordsman are not perfect yet, but he is strong as Hercules. He will become friend with Genta and they will involve into a complex game of murder and betrayal among local nobles. Ayuzawa is the evil brain who tricks on his own men and send them to death. Tetsutaro is one of the team and along with his fellow co fighters they will have to stand upon the army and some ronin that Ayuzawa sent against them. Genta as ingenious he is, he will discover the conspiracy and will help the seven samurais who are trapped over the mountains. Hanji will also find the truth and as he likes Genta he will help him against Ayuzawa. Kiru is a great film that blends drama with action and comedy with suspense. It is a masterpiece at its genre!

ZombieWestern: It came from the West (2007)

This is a great hand-puppet animated short film from Denmark. Inside a big cave full of graves of famous Western film contributors as John Ford and Sergio Leone, an Indian magician tries to save his tribe from the doom. At a small saloon in the middle of the desert we will find Virgil, a shy young man and his father Jack who is a racist against the Indians. Virgil is being fooled by two tough cowboys Eddie and Hank. We can see reports in famous western film actors as Clint Eastwood when the first zombie attacks the saloon. The dead were brought back to life due to a ceremony of the Indians in order to protect themselves from the Dark Butcher, a menace who terrorized them. I like puppets especially when they involve into a horror story like this.

Viy (1967)

A Cossack is never afraid of anything. This is what Khoma Brutus the philosopher uses to say. Along with his two friends Khaliava - the theologian and Gorobetz - the orator, they all are monks and seminarians at the church. One night they will find shelter into a place where an old witch lives. She will fall in love with him but his scoffs on her, she will want to revenge him. So she will haunt him and pretend the dead daughter of a noble in order to kill him. When Khoma will be ordered to arrive there and prey over her, he will find himself into a church where Hell appears and demons, monsters, the witch and the mighty Viy want him dead. This film is based on a little known story by Nikolai Gogol and contains really good special effects for its era and a great sense of humor.

You've got a friend - Ilana Yahav (2009)

This is the extraordinary technique of sand animation. Nothing remains still as time passes. Fantasy is the only frontier for the artists!

Harvey - Peter McDonald (2002)

Can someone find the true love? What about emotions when a couple cannot be together after all? This is a dark and atmospheric short film from Australia where love meets hate, terror meets fantasy and a man is trying to find his other half without caring for the feelings of his beloved one. True inspiration full of symbolism with a taste of depression!

Pasta for War - Zach Schlappi (2000)

A war has begun. Pasta troopers are ready to fight for their liberation against being eaten. So Rigatoni as troopers, Cannelloni as tanks and Tagliatelle as aircraft are the main elements of pasta's army. The battle is already started but Toni, a rigatoni is thinking of avoiding it. A smart animation with a funny touch about the 1930 propaganda of World's wars I and II.

The Cove (2009)

As I love all the animals I wanted to write about this amazing documentary that won so many prizes all over the world and is dedicated to the survival of the dolphins. It is about the massacre that takes place in Taiji, a small town in Japan with government, the fishermen and media hide the story from the masses. Over 23.000 dolphins used to be captured and slaughtered at a small cove over there every year. Only a few were being survived and sold to aquarium shows around the world. So the old trainer of the well-known show 'Flipper' Ric O'Barry with his group of activists tries to expose the shocking truth of animal abuse and the danger of eating the dolphins. But his mission is difficult as the area is heavily guarded. But nothing can stop Ric and his attempt to save these lovely and clever animals. A great production with the message of loving all God's creatures as ourselves!

Journey to the seventh planet (1962)

We are in the year 2001 (deja vu?). Human civilization is peaceful and the main quest is to conquer the other planets of our solar system. Uranus is the only planet left and a spaceship of United Nations is traveling towards it. But when the shuttle arrives on the surface, the brave astronauts will face a paradox situation. An alien form who looks like the alien on the 'Brain from planet Arous' has a satanic plan to fool the humans and destroy our planet. The idea is to reproduce the thoughts and the memories of our fellow heroes. This story reminds me of the 'Solaris' but similarities stop there. Can they survive from the evil trap and escape from Uranus? This was a cheap production with simple effects and an entertaining story. If you want to spend some time watching a classic sci fi b movie this is my proposal!

Inugamike no ichizoku aka The Inugami family (1976)

This is one of the extraordinary films of legendary Japanese director Ichikawa Kon that is between a family murder mystery and supernatural suspense. It is based on Yokomizo Seishis epic work and it is your stuff if you like the good thoughtful Asian cinema. Inugami Sahei is the founder of Inugami pharmaceuticals, a company that is not so legal as people think. When he passes away, his three past wives will wait for their place into his will. But they are surprised finding out that he put another person, Tamayo in the contention of his inheritance. But Tamayo has to follow Sahei's order to marry on of his grandsons, Sukekiyo, Suketake, or Suketomo. When they start being murdered, investigator Kindaichi arrives at the town and tries to solve the mystery. But he will discover the shocking family secret!

Der 90. Geburtstag aka Dinner for one (1963)

James the butler becomes alcoholic after following the 'Same procedure' for a long time. His role is to act like the six friends of an old woman who wants to celebrate with them as the years pass away. This is one of the best short comedies I've seen in my whole life so I want to share it with you. Enjoy it as well!

Incendies (2010)

Destiny is always unpredictable. And sometimes it keeps secrets that surprise people. After their mother's death Jeanne and Simon who are twins are trying to find their missing brother without know who he is at all. They found about his existence from notary Jean Lebel who is responsible about her will. So they will have to travel to a Middle Eastern country in order to discover their roots and their lost relative. But will they be strong enough to face the truth in a land of never-ending wars? This extraordinary Canadian film was nominated for the foreign language Oscar prize. Lubna Azabal was very good on her role as well Mélissa Désormeaux-Poulin and Rémy Girard. A film you don't want to miss!

Hoznosti dialogu aka Dimensions of dialogue - Jan Svankmajer (1983)

A three-part depiction of various forms of communication. 'Exhaustive Discussion' depicts three heads (made up of fruit, kitchen utensils and writing implements respectively) endlessly devouring and regurgitating each other. 'Passionate Discourse' shows two clay figures romantically intertwined, and the problems with dealing with the end product of their passion, while 'Factual Conversation' shows two animated heads playing a bizarre variant of the old scissors-paper-stone game.

Bitter Feast (2010)

Hopefully my blog is not about cooking and tasting food. Because maybe i could have tasted the rage of a crazy chef as in this movie. The celebrity cook Peter Grey looses his job and his show on the television after the blogger JT Franks criticizes him in a bad way. So he will pay him back. He kidnaps him and penetrates him as a dog. He has trials for him in order to let him survive. The chef becomes a maniac who is the hunter as the blogger becomes the prey. When an investigator will try to help him, he will also be a target for Peter. Soon Jt's girlfriend Katherine will join him in the cell and together they will try to escape from this death trap. Actually I liked this film because I think the portrait of the killer cook was realistic and the act was quite good. Maybe the end will be lame for some people but what the hell? Taste this different revenge film and look for the answer yourself!