1990s

Films from the 1990s

Delicatessen

Delicatessen is one movie that tickles me from beginning to end, even though its plot is built around — and this isn’t a spoiler since it’s introduced before the opening credits — cannibalism.

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Delicatessen

Where to watch: Just Watch

Taking a cue from last week’s club pick, I selected Marc Caro and Jean-Pierre Jeunet‘s post-apocalyptic gem to watch. I’ve seen Delicatessen several times, but not in the past 20 years or so.

Delicatessen has its own quirky atmosphere, rich texture, and deliciously dark humor. But it reminds me of the movies of Terry Gilliam (of Monty Python fame and who had a hand in Delicatessen‘s North American release), Tim Burton, and Guillermo del Toro.

Not a moment is wasted; all of the characters and all of the scenes are woven into the cinematic world consisting of a dilapidated apartment building and the tunnels beneath it.

The Hole (1998)

From the opening, The Hole seems awfully familiar. A global pandemic, quarantines, masks, disinfections, toilet-tissue hoarding. It’s so 2020.

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The Hole (1998)

Where to watch: Just Watch

Yet, The Hole was made 22 years ago.

If you’re expecting a moderately-paced movie, you should look elsewhere. Director Tsai Ming-liang takes his time with this one.

And it’s a curious one that you continue pondering long after it’s over.

In a nutshell, The Hole is about two residents who live one above another in a Taiwanese apartment complex, and the relationship that grows between them due to a hole in their floor/ceiling. Lee Kang-sheng plays the man upstairs, while the unnamed woman downstairs is played byYang Kuei-mei.

But that summary doesn’t really do the movie justice.