Singapore Sling (1990) - Incredibly lush, beautifully stylized, intensely mannered, utterly repellent. 
This was a title I had some familiarity with though it took a recent mention from a friend and the Live at the Death Factory podcast to nudge me towards it. I found it absolutely magnetic but it is not an easy watch by any stretch of the imagination. It is surprisingly pretty for the amount of bodily fluids on display.
Rome, Armed to the Teeth aka The Tough Ones (1976) - Ferocious "city on fire" style poliziotteschi featuring the incomparable Tomas Milian as an evil hunchback and Maurizio Merli playing his usual maverick cop who just can't take it anymore! Wall to wall action, terrific music, and the Grindhouse Releasing blu-ray is a fantastic set. I should really pick up their The Beyond disc.
Siege (1983) - Incredibly taut Canadian grindhouse thriller. While the cops are on strike - a crew of right-wing vigilantes takes to the streets resulting in a string of murders at a gay bar. The lone survivor hides out in an apartment building and this literally becomes a siege film not unlike Assault on Precinct 13. The new restoration looks amazing - would love to see this in a theater.
Symptoms (1974) - Another moody British masterpiece from José Ramón Larraz. Wonderful autumnal vibes and a fascinating performance from Angela Pleasance (Donald's daughter). It's a slow burn portrait of increasing neurosis but I found it genuinely disturbing in parts.
Images (1972) - I realize that I should have seen this a long time ago - but it's never too late to see a great movie. More neurosis, more autumn/winter countryside (this time Irish), more tweed!
The Black Tavern (1972) - A wintertime kung-fu movie that pits a series of totally wild villains at each others' throats in an attempt to rob a wealthy official. Hidden identities, emergent alliances, inevitable betrayals, cannibalism, hopping corpses, whips within whips, a guy who looks like Elmer Fudd in What's Opera Doc, and seriously gory fight sequences.
The Forbidden Photos of a Lady Above Suspicion (1970) - This frequently gets called a giallo and maybe it is but it's less of a murder mystery and more of a thriller in the vein of Les Diaboliques in my opinion. Either way, it's not terribly explicit but it is a visually and sonically opulent Italian feast to curb your eurothriller cravings. I definitely need to watch Ercoli's other stuff.
Tenement (1985) - Another building under siege movie - this time in the Bronx. I watched a few of Roberta Findlay's 80s movies this past month and Tenement is probably the best of the bunch - though I really did enjoy The Oracle. I'm really hoping to pick up the blu-ray for this one so I can listen to Findlay's commentary filled with her open derision for the cast, her own work, and for those of us who still pursue it.
The Cool Lakes of Death (1982) - I sought out this film - and compelled my film club to watch it - largely based on the title and the cover image. I'm not proud of that but this is a beautifully rendered Dutch period piece with some genuinely surprising moments. Well worth your time.
The French Dispatch (2021) - So far my favorite part about The French Dispatch is that upon hearing about it a couple of years ago I read a bunch of mid 20th Century New Yorker articles and loved them. The film itself didn't connect with me entirely but it's visually impeccable with an outrageous cast and one that I will possibly appreciate more with subsequent watches. Anderson essentially sticks a bibliography in the credits and that's the kind of nerdery that will always speak to me.
New York Ninja (2021) - The maniacs at Vinegar Syndrome found an unfinished ninja movie from the 80s, stitched it together, and recorded all new dialogue and music. It's ridiculous, it's confounding, it's a lot of fun to watch with some pals. I HEART NINJA
Serie Noire (1979) - French Jim Thompson adaptation with an incredible lead performance and expert use of cinematic language. This is darkly comic in parts but not a laugh riot. It is one of many 70s films I've watched and thought that the Coens must have certainly been somewhat influenced by it.
Clan of the White Lotus (1980) - Relentlessly entertaining Gordon Liu/Lo Lieh joint that looks absolutely gorgeous. The fight scenes are so much fun and Lo Lieh hangs out in giant golden dragon bathtub. I'd like to see every movie theatrically but this one would be very, very cool on the big screen.
Five Dolls for an August Moon (1970) - Mario Bava directs a bunch of gorgeous jerks on a Mediterranean island being terrible to each other and dying Agatha Christie style. This isn't necessarily "must-see" Bava, but it's Bava so probably see it.
It's Nothing Mama, Just a Game (1974) - David Hemmings sleazing it up on a Venezuelan hacienda as a rich kid sociopath who subjects local women to a variety of demented ordeals. It's a terrific setting, Hemmings is unnervingly convincing, the rest of the cast is excellent, and the ending kicks ass.
The Mystery of Chess Boxing (1979) - All (Ghost Face) killer, no filler. Mystery of Chess Boxing opens with a terrific credit sequence of kung fu action on a xiangqi board and never takes its foot off the gas for more than a few moments. Who are these people? Why are they fighting? When did that guy get killed? There's no time to answer your impertinent questions - there is only chess and fighting and some comedy fighting and training and more fighting. It can get a little exhausting but I can't complain when I'm having this much fun.
Auntie Lee's Meat Pies (1992) - Karen Black, Ava Fabian, Pat Morita, and Michael Berryman star in a ridiculously fun trashfest that's part Motel Hell and part Dr. Caligari. That's really all I need to say, go watch it already.
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