2016 is shaping up to be another great year for movie buffs considering the highly acclaimed Deadpool blockbluster and Captain America: Civil War both broke multiple box office records. Superhero film fans in particular will be satiated with more larger-than-life figures hitting the silver screen thanks to Doctor Strange slated for this coming November. Beyond that, we also have Rogue One: A Star Wars Story hitting the screen this December. It’s a promising year indeed, but that doesn’t mean the films of yesteryears should simply be forgotten, which is why we’ve decided to highlight a couple of older movies you need to experience over the weekend.
For this month’s episode of movies you likely haven’t watched but most certainly should, we have for you a woman coping with loneliness, the mischief of two kids who steal a police car, an anthology animation, a retro feel good movie with a lot of violence thrown in and a classic science fiction tale.
Watch some of them with caution; don’t say you haven’t been warned.
1. May (2002)
The story revolves around the titular character May, a socially inept young woman who is so traumatised by her difficult upbringing that she struggles to interact with other people. Her best friend also happens to be a glass-encased doll named Suzie, so you just know May is all about being crazy. “If you can’t find a friend, make one,” May’s mother said as she handed her the doll for her birthday. Yes, definitely crazy.
During her childhood, she had a lazy eye and after fixing it, she attempts to have more social interactions. However, each encounter inches her ever closer to insanity as she struggles with her seemingly endless loneliness. Will May ever become a “normal” person? Or will she finally go bonkers?
2. A Scanner Darkly (2006)
A Phillip K. Dick title, sci-fi fans should be familiar with the title as the movie is based on the very same novel. Set in a future where America has lost the war on drugs, the plot centres around Robert Arctor, a narcotics cop who has been begun to lose his sense of reality after staying undercover for so long. His job is to find out who Donna’s (his love interest) supplier is while spying on his perpetually stoned housemates. But things are more than what they seem as Robert’s superiors seem to have their hands dirty as well…
3. Cop Car (2015)
Two kids (who curse a lot, tsk tsk) stumble across an empty police car. Discovering the keys left in the car and being the naughty fiends that they are, they take it for a joy ride. Breaking a gate, having a near head-on collision with another vehicle and playing with the police radio are some of the antics they pull off before the owner of the police car radios in. Scared and afraid of the punishment that they will receive, the kids decide to return the car unaware that a hostage has been stashed in the trunk.
4. Heavy Metal (1981)
Old school animation at its best, Heavy Metal revolves around the mysterious Loch’nar, a glowing green orb with evil intentions. An anthology of science fiction and fantasy themes from futuristic New York City to deep space, the main characters of each story encounters the Loch’nar in different times, universes and dimensions. With a heavy focus on sexuality and violence, this is NOT a movie for your kids to watch so consider yourself warned.
5. Turbo Kid (2015)
If you like retro-looking movies, this one would be up your alley. Set in a post apocalyptic wasteland where water is scarce, we follow the adventures of The Kid, whose favorite comic book is Turbo Rider. While narrowly avoiding capture from the evil warlord Zeus’s henchmen, he discovers the remains of the real Turbo Rider and arms himself with a set of futuristic armor along with a wrist weapon. The Kid sets out to save Apple, the girl of his dreams who has been kidnapped by Zeus and to end Zeus’s tyrannical rule once and for all.
