I'm finally getting around to more reader mail - thanks to everyone who's taken time out to write me! I really do appreciate it. Keep those e-mails coming, and if there's anything I feel that others readers would be interested in seeing, I'll stick your questions/comments and my answers/feedback here. Like, for example (now in bold!):

I also heard about those layoffs at Funcom and hope you made it through those okay. Past few weeks couldn't have been fun =/

Nope. You're right. Not fun. It sucks to lose friends and co-workers like this, and it's very easy to feel a bit guilty about getting through okay when other people - good people - don't, but the fact is that we were a little overstaffed for our current situation. After all, we're currently working on just one game. The entire development team was left unscathed, and that's good news for the players. We don't intend to sacrifice quality or our ability to deliver.

But it still sucked. Big time. The fact that this is happening all over the world - in every entertainment industry - doesn't make it any better.

Anyway, I'm actually writing to get some suggestions on good films I should probably see but have never heard of. I guess I'm into a "foreign" phase right now, having just seen and enjoyed Amelie and Run Lola Run, but any good movie will do. I don't really hear about many non-hollywood movies over here but figured you could probably name a dozen good ones easily.

A good dozen? How about a hundred? Okay, okay, a dozen it is - with an emphasis on non-Hollywood flicks (since that's what you asked for!):

Audition. A weird and twisted Japanese flick that'll definitely make you feel something. It ain't pretty, but it's intense, and it's interesting, and it's well made. And worth catching, if you're in the mood for...something different. Don't see it if you'r squimish, though.

The Devil's Backbone. A Spanish-speaking ghost-story. Guillermo del Toro is a great filmmaker, even though his Hollywood-output has been a bit mixed - I enjoyed Mimic, and Blade II kicked arse in a very Blade-ish way (if you didn't enjoy the first one, you won't enjoy the sequel). This one is smaller and more personal, and so more indicative of del Toro's obvious talents. Looking forward to Hellboy and, especially, At the Mountains of Madness (an H. P. Lovecraft novella that I've always wanted to turn into a movie myself).

Chungking Express. Kinetic Hong Kong film - a bit style-over-substance, but a good flick nonetheless, especially if you appreciate the craft of filmmaking.

In the Mood for Love. Another Hong Kong movie, but this one a poetic, slow-moving, and melancholy portrait of the growing love between two lonely people. Beautifully shot and acted - it might not be for everyone, but everyone should still see it.

Princess Mononoke. I've mentioned this one before, but I want to mention it again, 'cause it didn't do too well in the US when it was released. This is a beautiful anime - an example of how the Japanese aren't afraid to use the medium of animation to tell adult, and relevant, stories - and this story will stay with you long after the end credits. The message, as it were, is one that shouldn't be ignored. See it with subtitles and Japanese voice-overs - the dubbed soundtrack is surprisingly good, but the original is always better!

Donnie Darko. It's American, but it ain't your typical Hollywood flick. A time-travelling, dimension-skipping, mindblowing, 1980s-invoking, independently made movie. I love it. So should you.

Mulholland Drive. Again, definitely not for everyone, but if you like David Lynch, this is a no-brainer, and if you don't - then why the hell not?

Vanilla Sky. This is Hollywood, but it's also a woefully ignored and underrated film by Cameron Crowe. So what if Tom Cruise is in it? The man is a better actor than he's given credit for. And this movie blew me away.

Waking Life. Just saw it this weekend, and - oh boy - it's unlike everything you've ever seen before. It might piss you off, or it might just make you go "whoa", and then go off to just think for a few hours. It starts off looking and sounding a bit pretentious, but stay with it - it'll grow on you. Big time.

Memento. A lot of you have probably seen it, but it bears mentioning again. Brilliant, deconstructive filmmaking - and a damn cool story, too. The new Limited Edition DVD is a very well put-together box, with great menus and some cool extra features.

Best in Show. Hilarious mockumentary about a dog show, the dogs, and (especially) their owners. A must-see. Brilliant improvisational comedy.

Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels. Guy Ritchie's first - and best - movie. Violent, funny, and uniquely stylish. 'nuff said.

There you go! Don't say I never do anything for you!

Well, I think you did hype up Sexy Beast a bit more than it deserved but more likely I just don't understand art ;)

No, that's probably not it. A friend of mine, whose tastes match mine 90% of the time, was also disappointed with Sexy Beast after I'd hyped it up. Go figure. It's all a matter of personal preference. I can see how someone wouldn't love it as much as I did, and that has nothing to do with not understanding art! In fact, if you have to "understand art" in order to enjoy a movie, it's not a good movie. It's not accessible. Movies - even when there's an important message to be communicated - are entertainment. That doesn't mean they're always fun to watch, or easy to watch, but they need to keep you intrigued and interested. The second you're glancing at your watch, the movie has failed.

As for Sexy Beast, I just loved the performances, the direction, the dialogue, and the story - but it might also be that I viewed it from a technical and writing point-of-view, and was a bit too dazzled with the methods employed, and the intelligence of the work. Your mileage may vary. So buyer beware - all the suggestions made above are personal ones. There's no guarantee you'll like any of them!

As a little pre-thanks I'll suggest a few things I don't remember you ever mentioning. First there's Farscape, which you must of heard of but never commented on (that I remember). They only sell the DVDs in groups of two episodes for an insane price but maybe you can find better. Also, Supertroopers. It's a small american movie I never heard much about except from friends but it's surprisingly hilarious.

I've seen a few episodes of Farscape - the first four episodes of season one - and I plan to see all of it when I have the time! Friends - and SFX, the best damn sci-fi-fantasy magazine in the whole, wide world - tell me it's brilliant, so it's gotta be. It's been released in box-sets in Europe, seasons one through three.

Supertroopers I've heard of, but I haven't seen it. Thanks for the tip - I'll probably pick it up when it's released on DVD!  ¶ 15:07