Arrow @ 10
Top 10 Arrow Picks with Richard Ayoade DEEP RED (1975): Alongside the other Argento’s like TENEBRAE, PHENOMENA and INFERNO. Argento is someone who was always great at creating sequences and mood, and for that I’ll always be drawn to his films – though he never quite seemed to have the attention span for exposition. He really is just one of the best directors of the close-up, and there’ll always be an amazing moment to love in his films. I remember someone saying that they’d rather listen to the sloppiest twenty-minute Jimi Hendrix solo than all of the tight Eric Clapton solos, and I think Argento’s like that.
BLOW OUT (1981): I love this whole era of De Palma, and I would also include SISTERS, OBSESSION and RAISING CAIN within that. The way he uses colour and sound to explore themes, his interest in dissecting dreams and the mechanics of addressing point of view just make him one of the most exciting directors there’s been.
RED SCORPION (1988): By no means the greatest film ever created, but there’s something I find very funny about the rehabilitation of a Soviet man to American values: that political-conversion-themed-action-film genre…I’m sure there’ll be more.
COFFY (1973): I would include this alongside Foxy Brown. There’s still never been anyone like Pam Grier, I think she’s just a brilliant actress. Both those films are really exciting, as is that whole era of early ‘70s grindhouse.
THE ADVENTURES OF BUCKAROO BANZAI ACROSS THE 8TH DIMENSION (1984): This is one that I never would’ve come across without Arrow Video having released it. There’s a Wes Anderson feel to the credits that I’ve always wondered if he was referencing in LIFE AQUATIC.
TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. (1985): This is another one I hadn’t been able to see before Arrow Video released it due to it only ever being available on dodgy prints, despite having always wanted to see it. Again, it’s one of those films that you can’t understand why it isn’t more well-known – and then you see it and you realise how bold the plot directions are and why its audience is so limited. A lot of films Arrow Video release all seem to be taking risks in a way that other films don’t.
THE RED QUEEN KILLS SEVEN TIMES (1972): One of the most haunting scores in any gialli. We actually stole parts of this film’s soundtrack for the start of At the Apollo, an Arctic Monkeys concert movie.
THE HOUSE BY THE CEMETERY (1981): Just to represent all the Fulci. I never have strong memories of the plots in his films, again the main things to enjoy about Fulci are those low camera placements and strange points of view. The opening shot in this for example has always stayed with me.
THE FIFTH CORD (1971): Mainly because of Vittorio Storaro’s cinematography, it’s one of the most beautifully shot of the giallo films.
SIXTEEN CANDLES (1984): I’ve always liked coming of age films, and for me John Hughes has as strong a particular voice and aesthetic as any of the directors included on this list.