In recent years we had a fair amount of biopics, historical, or based on true story movies about the film industry, what is happening behind the scenes and in the lives of artists during, after or in-between productions. Most of those films are conventional in nature, following recipes that have been around since the creation of Cinema, while others use creative new ways to tell stories that audiences might already know. Of course, the most recent example of such films is Tarantino supposedly penultimate film, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, a period piece mixing real events or people and pure fabrications, that somehow falls in the middle. It is, in part, a fairly standard representative of this “genre” despite ingenious additions and, it comes with a twist. (Well what did you expect from QT!?)
Another example that will completely fall into the second category is Salvador Simó’s Buñuel in the Labyrinth of the Turtles, also released this year. Inspired by the stories of how Buñuel made his second documentary, the filmmaker created an aptly animated feature which allows for dream sequences worthy of the surrealist maestro. And so, we will focus on movies closer to that later types, films that are more than a mere Hollywood pastiche patting itself on the back, rehashing myth and legend; projects that are not your typical or straightforward artist biography. Thus, the following 10 films from all over the world offer unique, noteworthy, or rarely explored perspectives on the subjects.
1. One Cut Of The Dead
One Cut Of The Dead is Shinichiro Ueda 2017 Japanese zombie film, that changed everything for a lot of people, became an instant cult-classic, and one of our favorite movies! The film, made as part of a small workshop, is the kind of project that shows us that there are still ways to revolutionize the industry and surprise audiences even with a low budget and no big names. The film is of many genres and is a genre of itself, but it is sold as a typical midnight-madness type crowd-pleaser with zombies and mayhems. However, past the first act, it is more than meets the eyes, offering a delirious yet grounded comedy surprising everyone.
It is hard to talk about One Cut of the Dead without spoiling it, but in few words, it is the story of the extremely low-budget production of a zombie flick. The cast and crew are waiting for the shoot to begin when suddenly things get real. One Cut of the Dead delivers mind-blowing twists after twists, each scene more unexpected than the previous, and provoking hysterical reactions until the final shot comes and “kills” the audience with laughter. Again, each act, side of the story, or, films-within-the-film pertain to very specific categories or genres in their purest form: comedy, horror, drama, action, and what could very well be a mockumentary. In the end, it is the ultimate blend for maximum entertainment.
