Directed by Juzo Itami • 1987 • Japan
Starring Nobuko Miyamoto, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Masahiko Tsugawa
Certainly the most exuberantly entertaining film ever made about the intricacies of the Japanese tax system, this delightful comedy stars Nobuko Miyamoto as a fiercely dedicated tax collector who goes to elaborate lengths to nab a tax-evading hood (Tsutomu Yamazaki) operating a string of adult motels. Director Juzo Itami stages the ensuing battle of wills with breathless verve (and a dash of sex) while cleverly critiquing capitalist greed. The film’s success inspired both a video game and an equally inventive sequel.
Directed by Martha Coolidge • 1983 • United States
Starring Nicolas Cage, Deborah Foreman, Elizabeth Daily
Before there was CLUELESS, there was VALLEY GIRL. Conceived as a teen exploitation cheapie meant to capitalize on the success of the single by Frank and Moon Unit Zappa that ignited a natio...
Directed by Luis García Berlanga • 1963 • Italy, Spain
Starring Nino Manfredi, Emma Penella, José Isbert
This masterpiece of black humor, beloved in Spain but too little seen elsewhere, threads a scathing critique of Franco-era values through a macabre farce about an undertaker who marries an ex...
Directed by Lena Dunham • 2010 • United States
Starring Lena Dunham, Laurie Simmons, Grace Dunham
Lena Dunham got her start making YouTube videos, but she emerged as a major talent thanks to the breakthrough success of this exceptionally sharp comedy, which garnered the twenty-four-year-old writ...
