Diqiu zuihou de yewan aka Long Day's Journey Into Night (2018)

After 4 years, I decide to write back as cinema goes stronger than ever. Starting out with a luminous esoteric puzzle, multigenerational and quintessentially human gem, coming from China. A story aggressively enigmatic with fiction characters, trying to survive and remember. A film that David Lynch, Wim Wenders or Christopher Nolan would love to direct. Luo Hongwu tries to find his old love, a mysterious woman appearing at different times and places. His quest is difficult as she moves on every time he gets closer to her. The movie first part is maybe boring on some sequences but the second one reaches immortality in my opinion. Use of 3d is also exquisite and it is recommended for the 2nd part. Audience may won't fully understand it but their heart will be touched deeply. Α must seen for every Asian film fan and not only.

Escape from Tomorrow (2013)

What is actually the definition of cinema? Action, a good script, a better cinematography or a perfect role play? On this experimental as I can say film, maybe you can't find any of these or you may explore some new frontiers. It is all filmed in a Disney entertainment park, where you find Jim and his family try to spend some happy moments together until the father gets a notice that he got fire. After that, he obsesses with two young girls and starts being paranoid. The place seems to be unfriendly for his family and various issues appear in their relationship. The story goes insane more and more, presenting both surreal and horror elements into. A really bizarre film that made my mind move through his stunning black and white video production. So cinema or not, this gem is not for anyone!

The rambler (2013)

This is a strange film for sure. It is a surreal trip into the unknown. Our guide is the rambler, an adventurer that feels he can't stay anywhere but only walking forward. The rambler leaves back his old life after being released from the prison and escape to nowhere. He meets more and more odd people on his way and mess with surreal situations. Alongside with a crazy scientist who thinks he is Frankenstein and experiments with human brain. But not with the best results. He could find love in the hug of a young woman that meet far away at an unknown town but fate plays another game with him. But he can't put it down but always continue his path so his transition to a fearless man will come soon. What is the purpose of all this no one knows though. A crazy gem, not really suggested to masses.

Journey to the unknown - Kerry Laitala (2002)

Kerry Laitala is an experimental film director living and working at the States. Laitala hand-builds her films, manipulating the surface of the celluloid and exposing each frame individually to create works that stand at the edge of both film and art. This is a gem you can find at the Experiments in Terror dvd compilation. I can describe it as an experimental film including herky-jerky shock-editing & startling noises, rather than definite event, to achieve an audience reaction of tension or horror.

Blackaria (2010)

Welcome to the twisted world of François Gaillard and Christophe Robin. They are also directed the incredible 'Last Caress' back in 2010. This is the second film of a package dedicated to neo giallo. Full of bloody murders and naked beautiful women, it is an ode to neo noir and a trip into horror fantasy. A young woman, Angela tries to understand her nightmares asking for advice from her friend Marco, a psychologist. Her neighbor Anna Maria, organizes orgies at her apartment and drives Angela into the abyss of a weird atmosphere. As Angela finds her dead one day, she discovers that a strange thing happens as she looks through the broken glasses of a magic sphere. What happens to the time and who is the freaky killer wearing the red coat? Angela has to find the solution and escape from this situation as the murders lead to her as for the next victim. It was another interesting attempt from the French directors duo, but I think 'Last Caress' was working better as a plot. There are some cool scenes as the eye sliced by the razor, probably influenced by Bunuel. Maybe with a bigger budget and a better scenario we could have a miraculous result as well.

La leggenda di Kaspar Hauser (2012)

Italian director Davide Manuli takes the real old story of Kaspar Hauser and transforms it on its own unique way representing a rare and bizarre film. It's like nothing you have ever seen with its minimalistic form as Manuli explores the boundaries of cinematography and presents an unexpected and difficult gem that is dedicated to the alternative audiences. Kaspar Hauser was a mysterious young man who appeared in Nuremberg in 1828 with lots of physical and psychological problems and died without a reason a few years later. Manuli sets him on an deserted island in the Mediterranean sea, founded by the Sheriff who tries to understand and approach him. Soon the Duchess who rules the place wants to meet him and find out what happens with him and if he is a threat for her kingdom. What is the purpose of his arrival and is he someone special or just another impostor? You should better understand this film if you tried before the older film 'The enigma of Kaspar Hauser' by another great director, Werner Herzog. Manuli also explores the relationship between man and God and you can see some kind of relation between the path of Kaspar and Jesus. Just open your mind and eyes and enjoy a special experience. Can a dj be a God? Vincent Gallo also gives another great performance on a double role as the Sheriff and his brother, the Pusher.

Kurutta ippêji aka A Page of madness (1926)

A forgotten masterpiece that was lost for 45 years and finally discovered back from his own creator in 1971. Then he put an amazing score that really fits and  the result was extraordinary. This film reveals both the frightening and attractive aspects of madness. An old man works as a janitor at a psychiatric hospital. The reason actually for being there was to take care of his beloved wife as also plan to free her. She was a patient there after trying to commit suicide before killing her baby. There is going to be anarchy in the asylum and the old man starts having hallucinations due to the sick atmosphere around him. It is a great example of the perfectionism Japanese are known about even so many years ago. The editing, cinematography and the montage techniques are astonishing. Eisenstein was not alone finally. Enjoy the whole film below.

ReGOREgitated sacrifice (2008)

Lucifer Valentine is trying to become a famous producer and director of horror snuff films. But I think she has to try more. You can't have an obvious ending without a script though. This homemade looking video seems to be more a low budget movie or better say a cheap production than a serious attempt for a gore surprise. The whole film is separated in several sections but the result is about the same on each one. Girls licking each other, naked women pissing around, some of them are the victims ending at a gory way, one is decapitated but the scene is not convincing at all. If you want to try this at last, I am not responsible about your yawns.

A mosca cieca aka The blind fly (1966)

I think that Romano Scavolini is one of the most radical Italian directors ever existed. This almost silent film has been censored and rejected for his violent scenes, even if it was well received at the Pesaro New Cinema in 1966. It contains a quotation from Beckett off-screen at the critical moment. The story sometimes seems like a puzzle where a simple man who is sick from his environment, suddenly starts killing several people near a stadium. There are also moments from his life, discussing with a friend about fear of death and various meetings his beloved girlfriend. This film was never projected and there is no trailer actually. It is dedicated to human behavior and it needs special attention to concentrate and focus about its real purpose. A really rare and lost movie that will give you the creeps with its intense direction and its stunning photography.

Palette Dansante

Do you like old cars and especially Beetles? I adore them. Have a look at this old and strange commercial about them. Surrealism is here. Fantasy too. A painter who lives in a fantastic world sees colors of her palette transform to seven cars. And then every car tells us its story. A fairy tale that relaxes our souls and drives us through Beetle's imaginative roads. Excellent!

Ballet mécanique - Fernand Léger (1924)

Back at the dada and surrealist films of the 1920s with a work of cubist painter Léger. He uses looping segments and split screens to create a surreal environment. Humans change places with machines as a great result of an experimental and repetitive vision. A short film that reveals its historical importance through fine arts.

Dym aka Smoke (2007)

A bizarre story, full of surrealism from by the director Grzegorz Cisiecki from Belarus. The film contains no dialogue but language of the body as well and interesting photography. It is still enigmatic so you have to push your imagination in order to understand its unique vision!

Total Oil - Andre Sarrut (1958)

A bizarre animation or a bizarre advertisement? You decide. The result is the same though, a great and odd production for this era with great electronic score complementing abstract animation. Enjoy!

Der Todesking aka The death king (1990)

A strange story we can find here. This film is separated to seven short stories, each taking place on a different day of the week and dedicating to the cosmogony. In seven days God created Earth and beings and then he committed suicide. Even if the production is not very high, the result is a good movie full of violence and terror. At the beginning we see a man that seems desperate and commits suicide. In the meanwhile he has sent some letters with instructions to other people to do the same thing in order to find salvation. Because he thinks life is meaningless. Then we will witness various situations of suicides and people who are starting to act strange and kill others. It is not the ordinary horror film you will find out there but it is still worth seeing it.

Lightning - Paul & Marlene Kos (1976)

Going back to the roots of experimental cinema we will find Paul and Marlene Kos. This interesting short video focuses on observation of natural phenomena, presenting the obverse of the "If a tree falls in the woods..." conundrum. A simple idea that leads to a stunning experimental short film!

Dom - Jan Lenica & Walerian Borowczyk (1958)

Polish filmmaker Walerian Borowczyk joined forces with renowned illustrator Jan Lenica and together presented 'Dom', a surrealistic film that comprised of hand-drawn images, shots of inanimate objects, and live-action footage, all of which reference disparate motifs: an orange, a glass of milk, a conductor leading an inanimate symphony, and various abstract shapes. 'Dom' was awarded the Grand Prix at the 1958 Brussels Experimental Film festival.

Anemic cinema - Marcel Duchamp (1926)

Here we have Marcel Duchamp, an artist from France who directed this film about surrealism back in the mid 20s. He filmed a spinning spiral design intercut with a spinning disc containing French phrases. I just put an attempt to translate these phrases in English:

Baths of big tea for grains of beauty without surplus of bengué.

The child who suckles a prompter of hot flesh is and does not like the cauliflower of hothouse.

If I give you a penny, you will give me a pair of scissors.

They ask for domestic mosquitoes (half supply) for the remedy of nitrogen on the quotation of azure.

Incest or passion of family, in too much drawn blows.

I know that it will be difficult to make any sense but don't think so much of it. Just enjoy it!

Evangelia Christakou - Sharp (2010)

An attempt to interpret the gaze focused on the female.

A journey for the spectator, with elements of voyeurism as watching through a keyhole, which eventuates in the encounter with the "sharp" side of the female.

This is an excellent work from my friend Evangelia Christakou who lives and works in London!

Directed by Evangelia Christakou

Performed by Evangelia Christakou

Videography by Sofia Kourkoulakou

Music by J.S. Bach

Na srebrnym globie aka On the silver globe (1988)

Maybe you need to watch this extraordinary film twice to understand completely the vision of Ukrainian director Andrzej Zulawski.

It is a film that Polish government banned and Zulawski never recreated it back at its original form.

It is based on the adaptation of "The Lunar Trilogy" written by the directors Uncle Jerry Żuławski between 1901 and 1911 (never published in English but popular in Europe).

In the beginning we find two astronauts being in a ruined palace where primitive humanoids surround them with curiosity.

One of them has found a strange old device which shows the voyage of an earlier space flight to the planet crushing over the mountains.

Half of the crew survived and the rest die one by one.

The astronaut woman is already pregnant and she will bring her first child on a new world.

More children come in life but because the astronauts are getting older at a much slower rate, they become Godlike elders of the newly emerging (from incest) humans.

The second generation grows a new civilization based on Shamanism. The last astronaut named Old man is going to travel back to his comrades death spots and find the meaning of life.

When he will be back things will have been changed.

So the device keeps narrating the story of the past natives to the two astronauts.

Then we watch the second story.

When a new spacecraft is landing on the planet a cosmic traveller from the future is being selected as the messiah by the natives who we come to realize are the descendants of the first mission.

The new Messiah indulges in his Godking status, and deals with the threat posed by winged telepathic creatures called Sherns who kidnap and mate with native women to produce...lizard men?

What follows is espionage, decadence, war, and delirious parade of fantastic and occasionally grotesque images.

This film is a brilliant visual poetry and an interesting anthropological concept with impressive sets and great make-up.

If you ever liked Kubrick's  2001: A Space Odyssey, this is the next stuff for your mind and your eyes!

Kusa-meikyu aka Grass Labyrinth (1983)

A young man, Akira has an obsession about a song his mother used to sing to him while he was a child.

He has a secret passion for the person who seems to be his mother.

But is she his real mother at all?

And what about the nympho who wants to share her feelings with him?

An obscure story where reality is between fantasy and surrealism.

Another work of underground director Shuji Terayama from the 80s.

If you like Luis Bunuel and Peter Greenaway this is your thing from Japan!