I haven’t done one of these in awhile. This is when I showcase four movies available at the time of posting that any cinema snob should watch. I was going to go more mainstream, but decided to swing to the totally opposite side and go with experimental/underground movies. The upside is, that means they are short. The downside is, you may or may not have any idea what’s going on. Please don’t let that stop you from soaking these films up anyways. It’s well worth it. Never stay away from films such as these because you are afraid of a turned up nose and someone saying, “Clearly you just don’t understand.” Hogwash! Sometimes something as simple as letting images wash over you can be an amazing experience.

Oh, and for those who know. I’m not putting it here this time. Maybe for Mother’s Day, but right now we’ll leave him and that particular film out.

La chambre (1972, dir. Chantal Akerman) – Last year we lost Belgian director Chantal Akerman. She is probably best known for her film Jeanne Dielman (1975), but prior to that she came to America and made some experimental films. I’m taking a guess, but this is probably the most watched of those films. The movie takes place in an apartment as the camera does 360 pans. The woman in the bed is Akerman herself. I’m not going to try and explain this one. It’s only about 10 minutes. Just make sure to pay attention to her, the degree to which the camera pans, and anything else that seems important to you. These are all films meant to be interpreted by you, not by someone else for you.

Wavelength (1967, dir. Michael Snow) – Michael Snow is an experimental filmmaker from Canada. This is definitely thee Michael Snow movie. I know I can’t force you to, but really try to not mute it. The sound is important even if it is annoying. This one I can tell you a little about. If I recall correctly, the point is that unlike most films where people are the characters that pass through the sets, the film wants you to spend so much time with the set itself that it becomes the character. At least that’s what I remember a book telling me once. Regardless, this is essentially viewing for a cinema snob. You’ll find it on list after list after list.

Zorns Lemma (1970, dir. Hollis Frampton) – No idea what the stuff is at the beginning nor at the end means. I’ll leave that to you. However, what takes place in between I think I can explain. Put simply, it’s a film that slowly, but surely replaces the written alphabet with the language of images. If you keep that in mind while you watch it, then I believe you will enjoy it.

Rose Hobart (1936, dir. Joseph Cornell) – Ah, this is the experimental for Hollywood Snobs like Gary. To make this movie, director Joseph Cornell reedited and reworked footage from the 1931 film East Of Borneo to…I don’t really have a clue. I’ll just borrow from IMDb and say the obvious. It’s the footage put together in order to highlight the actress in the title of the film. Once again, essentially viewing here. The film the footage is from on the other hand is interesting, but it’s not something I would seek out unless you’re big into anything pre-code.