Flickering Lights

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Original Title: Blinkende lygter Release Date: 2000 Director: Anders Thomas Jensen Netflix Link IMDb Link

A ridiculous comedy of errors perpetrated by a gang of four buffoons played by some of Denmark’s finest actors. With unexpected emotional depth in the form of flashbacks to their harrowing childhoods, Flickering Lights is a surprising comedy. There was one scene in particular (blowing eggs), which was so utterly wrong and took me by such surprise that I actually guffawed and then almost felt guilty about it. There’s just so much weirdness and nonsense packed into this movie that it’s hard to know where to begin. It’s not full of your typical American one-liners, although there are some; the comedy is more situational. I wouldn’t recommend this for the faint of heart, but if you like offbeat comedies, I’d highly recommend it.

Slim Susie

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Original Title: Smala Sussie Release Date: 2003 Director: Ulf Malmros Netflix Link IMDb Link

Slim Susie is a dark comedy of errors with ridiculously over the top characters in a snowball effect of absurdity. The people in this small Swedish village are exaggerated caricatures of small-town life, each with their different foibles. The humor is typically Scandinavian in the sense that its very droll and says as much with actions as with words. A little tragedy, mystery and drama round out the wackiness of the plot, which is vaguely reminiscent a Guy Ritchie film. The narrative is out of sequence from different characters perspectives. Slim Susie is part heist film, part murder mystery, part human drama and altogether enjoyable with some laugh out loud moments.

The Inbetweeners

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Release Date: 2008 Netflix Link IMDb Link

While American television is producing mainly reality and remakes, or remakes of reality, British television is coming up with some great comedy shows. The Inbetweeners is yet another example of the deficit between American and British television. Honestly, something like The Inbetweeners would have a tough time finding its way onto American network television since it is raunchy, surprisingly naughty and funny as all hell. It is most comparable to Freaks And Geeks if you subtract the freaks, add some British humor and replace half the drama with even more comedy. There are two completed seasons and they’re working on a third. If you like Spaced or the English version of The Office, I’d highly recommend this show.

Karaoke Terror: The Complete Japanese Showa Songbook

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Original Title: Shôwa kayô daizenshû Release Date: 2003 Director: Tetsuo Shinohara Netflix Link IMDb Link

Karaoke Terror was surprisingly better than I thought it would be. Perhaps because I really wasn’t expecting much at all. Regardless, it managed to entertain me. It is a very oddball story of dueling murders. Half light-heated, half deathly-serious, it mixes human drama, a little bit of humor, some silliness and some of the oddest Karaoke performances by people who can’t really sing into an amusing mishmash of a film. Based on a novel by Ryu Rurakami who also wrote Audition and Tokyo Decadence, Karaoke Terror is just as twisted, but not quite as serious. If you are a fan of that bizarre Japanese humor, you might enjoy this one too.

Adrenaline Drive

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Japanese: アドレナリンドライブ Release Date: 1999 Director: Shinobu Yaguchi Netflix Link IMDb Link

Cute, clever, engaging and pretty funny, Adrenaline Drive is an entertaining oddball Japanese film. You have to be a fan of that quirky, understated Japanese humor to really enjoy this movie though. There are a couple of minor plot holes but nothing that threw me off track enough to make it an issue. Adrenaline Drive reminds me a lot of Katsuhito Ishii’s Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl. I mean that in a good way. In fact, after watching this film, I threw in my copy of Shark Skin Man and would recommend watching them as a double feature.

Tokyo Zombie

	Rating: 5 out of 5 Original Title: Tôkyô zonbi Release Date: 2005 Director: Sakichi Sato Netflix Link IMDb Link

The hairstyles of its stars, Tadanobu Asano with a gigantic afro and Sho Aikawa with a shiny bald head, pretty much sum up what you can expect from this film; over the top silliness. Full of almost intentionally bad special effects and more zombies than you can count, Tokyo Zombie is a spectacular addition to the zombie spoof genre. If you are expecting a gory horror film, you will be disappointed. It is much more of an offbeat comedy. Starting with the all too familiar zombie epidemic scenario, Tokyo Zombie adds some of its own really creative and wholly original ingredients to the mix, i.e. how electricity is produced in a post-apocalyptic world. If you liked Shaun of the Dead, you should also enjoy Tokyo Zombie. Just thinking about this film puts a smile on my face.

Party 7

	Rating: 5 out of 5 Release Date: 2000 Director: Katsuhito Ishii Netflix Link IMDb Link

Packed full of Japanese humor, Party 7 is delightfully wacky. It’s not nearly as nonsensical and utterly bizarre as Ishii’s Funky Forest but, then again, what is? It falls more on the Shark Skin Man side of his films. Party 7 has the Katsuhito Ishii brand of subtle humor, interesting sets, strange characters and costume design, and a simply unusual story line. With the great Yoshio Harada as Captain Banana and Tadanobu Asano as a twerpy misfit malcontent, Party 7 tosses some of Japan’s best contemporary actors into roles and circumstances you would never dream they’d agree to. From the opening credits, this movie is silly and fun but you have to be a fan of that typically Japanese offbeat humor to get this movie and find the funny. If you like this movie, I also recommend Shark Skin Man and Peach Hip Girl also by Katsuhito Ishii.

Kill!

	Rating: 5 out of 5 Original Title: Kiru! Release Date: 1968 Director: Kihachi Okamoto Netflix Link IMDb Link

Kill! is a parody of the samurai genre. Don’t worry, it was intended as such. Kill! incorporates all of the most commonly used devices in samurai films. It has down and out ronin, trickery, betrayal, corruption of power and, of course, swordplay. Tatsuya Nakadai and Etsushi Takahashi are brilliant as they bounce back and forth off of each other. I found myself laughing out loud at the subtle humor, clever dialog and physicality of Nakadai in this film. It’s quite a switch from his typically brutal, brooding type of role. If you haven’t seen a samurai film before, Kill! would not be the place to start. It takes a base-level knowledge of the genre to be in on the joke. But, if you are a fan of samurai movies, I highly recommend this film. Just don’t take it too seriously.

The Quiet Family

	Rating: 4 out of 5 Original Title: Choyonghan kajok Release Date: 1998 Director: Ji Woon Kim Netflix Link IMDb Link

The Quiet Family is a superbly original black comedy. The cast is excellent with stand-out performances from Min-Sik Choi and Kang-ho Song. South Korea isn’t exactly known for producing black comedies but this one has some really funny moments, even with the language barrier. It does get a little gory which is not unusual considering the subject matter but, no more than your average American film. The only downside is that it does tend to lag in parts but, overall, it is a funny and original movie. If you like The Quiet Family, you should also see Takashi Miike’s whimsical remake, The Happiness of the Katakuris.

Delicatessen

	Rating: 5 out of 5 Release Date: 1991 Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Marc Caro Netflix Link IMDb Link

Mix the visual styles of The City of Lost Children and Amelie together, add some cannibalism, murder, clowns, mole-men and suicide attempts a la Rube Goldberg and you’ve got Delicatessen. Part quasi-horror movie, part social commentary, part love story; Delicatessen creates a universe all of its own. It is brimming with dry wit, physical comedy, surreal subplots and wonderful characters. Delicatessen is an acquired taste certainly not for everyone but it is truly one of a kind.