The Secret Art of Dr. Seuss
(Random House, 1995)
A collection of unconstrained flights of fancy: art for art’s sake, featuring some of the characters that inhabited Geisel’s picture books, but presented in surreal (and often quite adult) Dalí-esque compositions — or sculptures! — owing no allegiance to storylines or considerations of audience.
Jackie Chan’s First Strike
dir. Stanley Tong (1996)
A light and loosely scripted action comedy that takes Jackie Chan to Australia in pursuit of a stolen warhead. Although nothing special by and of itself, the movie is worth watching for Chan’s bedazzling and impish do-it-yourself stunt-work and martial arts sequences.
Men at Work
dir. Emilio Estevez (1990)
Critically panned for representing the oncoming glut of 90s turkeys, Men at Work actually belongs to the oeuvre of 80s classics: pointless but utterly endearing, with much of its value resting in incidental details; a film that grows better with each rewatch.
A Pelican at Blandings
by P. G. Wodehouse (Barrie & Jenkins, 1969)
Though less satirically relevant nowadays, Wodehouse’s novels of the (farcically characterised) idle rich retain their charm, not least of all by way of a prose style that in tone both adopts and parodies the lifestyle, romping with indifference, self-indulgence and Machiavellian remove.
The Matrix
dir. the Wachowskis (1999)
This cyberpunk martial arts neo-noir SF classic swept the cinemas upon release (unlike Wild Wild West, which Will Smith inexplicably preferred when choosing between lead roles) and holds up well in retrospect, using CGI prudently to stylise action scenes beyond human normal.
The Super-Roo of Mungalongaloo
by Osmar White, ill. Jeff Hook (Wren, 1973)
There is something delightfully enthralling — and quintessentially Australian — in Osmar White’s tale of Scotsman Angus McGurk’s intrepid expedition into the perilous heart of the Dreaded Deadibone Desert, this fanciful undertaking gaining impetus through the punchy illustrations of acclaimed newspaper cartoonist Jeff Hook.
Beverly Hills Cop
dir. Martin Brest (1984)
Character driven and more tightly scripted than many action comedies of the time, Beverly Hills Cop nevertheless soared as much on the strength of its soundtrack as the likeable sass of Eddie Murphy’s jeans- and sneakers-wearing, culturally confrontational police detective Axel Foley.
Lucky Luke: The Bounty Hunter
by Morris & Goscinny, trans. Erica Jeffrey (Cinebook Ltd, 2010)
[from Chasseur de primes, Dargaud Editeur Paris, 1972]
One could argue that Lucky Luke (‘the man who shoots faster than his own shadow’) lacks the personality of Goscinny’s Asterix characters, but there’s no denying the humour derived from pitting his laidback cowboy aplomb against a frontier bounty hunter’s grasping wiles.
Jonathan Creek, Series 2
by David Renwick (BBC, 1998)
Series Two showcases quality guest stars and perfectly pitched mysteries: perplexing enough to flummox investigative journalist Madeline Magellan (played with distinctive moxie by Caroline Quentin), yet fully satisfying when unravelled by magician’s consultant Jonathan Creek, whom Alan Davies embodies with shaggy-dog sangfroid.
Agaton Sax and the Haunted House
by Nils-Olof Franzén; illustrated by Quentin Blake (Andre Deutsch, 1975)
Bolstered by Blake’s zesty drawings, Franzén gives YA readers the perfect introduction to crime fiction. His irrepressibly competent Swedish detective Agaton Sax, along with the harried, hapless Inspector Lispington, form a memorable duo fighting the bumbling wiles of the international criminal fraternity.