Rob and Chris use comics as an excuse to talk about films in the Criterion Collection, a grouping of notable and culturally relevant movies, mostly available in beautiful physical releases, but also on their streaming service – the Criterion Channel. Did you enjoy the very recent (okay, very recent Oversized Hardcover Release) X-Men crossover X of Swords? Maybe check out these films in the Criterion Collection!
If You Liked: Grosteque Existentialism With a Slice of Horror
Then Watch: The Seventh Seal
Chris Eddleman: I watched this movie for the first time last year, during the fall of quarantine, while quietly folding my laundry. Iâm not sure if thatâs the ideal way to take in this film, but it did the trick. Taking place during the Medieval Ages, Ingmar Bergmanâs The Seventh Seal shows us a morally conflicted knight named Antonius Block (Max von Sydow) who is coming to grips with existence and mortality in the wake of his participation in the Crusades.
At the beginning of the film, he is confronted by actual Death (Bengt Ekerot), who challenges him to a game of chess. Block keeps delaying his game with Death as he travels throughout the plague-ridden countryside, meeting a cheery circus family who contrasts the horrors of the world around him. This has been called the greatest movie ever made not a few times, and itâs hard to overstate its impact on the medium. Much like X of Swords, it deals with feelings of large-scale overwhelming fear, as well as the feeling of being a pawn in the machinations of gods.
Robert Secundus: My favorite kinds of stories are those that juxtapose humor and horror, carnivals and crypts, death and laughter. X of Swords is decidedly much more lighthearted than this, but I think itâs doing the same kind of grotesque juxtaposition. Itâs a story about struggling against capricious forces and the real possibility of death just as much as itâs about silly alligator fights and surprise weddings.
If You Liked: Fae Absurdism in a Horror Context
Then Watch: House (1977)
RS: I was trying to think of a movie that captures the manic, fae feeling of X of Swords. The one where everything has a kind of twisted nightmare logic to it, but that logic is only really discernable after the fact, so you have no idea whatâs coming next. The closest thing I could think of (without descending into full surrealism) was House. House is a Japanese haunted house movie. It is not like other haunted house movies. Itâs less a horror story than it is a series of events and images that batter your brain until you begin to feel completely unmoored from reality. âAh yes,â youâll find yourself thinking, âof course the piano would begin to eat people.â
CE: I watched this movie around Halloween last year, and I completely did not understand it. But then, Iâm really not sure thatâs the intention. It doesnât really play by rules, and kind of carts you between absurdities, which are beautifully portrayed at the very least. So yeah, in some ways it definitely reminds me of the âcompetitionsâ in X of Swords with their lack of rules and logic.
If You Liked: Unreliable Narratives
Then Watch: Rashomon
Content Warning: The plot is heavily focused on sexual assault.
CE: A commoner, woodcutter, and a priest wait out the rain under the ruined Rashomon gate, relaying the tale of testimonies in a recent murder and rape, in which a bandit killed a samurai after raping his wife. We are shown from several perspectives the events in question, all of which conflict, leaving us to wonder what really transpired. Rashomon is the ultimate unreliable narrator story. So much so, to become a shortcut phrase in storytelling the same scene from differing perspectives. Rashomon has incredible framing techniques, with very intriguing use of dappled light and shadow. Plus, Toshiro Mifune delivers an absolutely stunning performance as the bandit, playing many different characters in one. X of Swords also has scenes of varying narrators, which this movie uses to great effect.
RS: I think when these epic line-wide crossovers work best they naturally evoke that Rashomon feeling. Not simply because of the different character perspectives but due to the different creator perspectives too. We get to see the same premise, setting, and conflict through the eyes of so many writers and artists.
CE: Definitely! I think it can be done really poorly (see Secret Invasion, and the aliens invading 50 times) but when itâs interesting and a little more restrained, I tend to enjoy it.
If You Liked: Tarot Motifs and Fears of Mortality
Then Watch: Cleo 5 to 7
CE: This movie is probably the biggest reach in terms of its relation to X of Swords, but Iâm going to make a bit of a case. Cleo from 5 to 7 is about a young singer who is forced to confront her own mortality as she awaits cancer results to be delivered at 6:30 PM. The film is structured in short chunks of time as we join Cleo through her evening (from 5-7 pm). Much like X of Swords, this Agnes Varda-directed French Wave film begins with a tarot reading, as the reading pronounces doom upon Cleo, warning of her death. Cleo spends the rest of the film grappling with her own mortality. She also worries about being ignored and downplayed by the men in her life. Itâs not until she meets a soldier on leave from the French-Algerian war she starts to really accept her circumstances.
Itâs a beautifully filmed and acted movie about the meaning of existence and the fragile nature of a mortal life from the lens of a brilliant feminist director. In some ways, X of Swords seemed rather existential, with many of the outcomes of the contexts seemingly random and without meaning. Cleo coming to grips with the chaotic nature, as well as yes, the opening tarot scene (with extra cool overlaid credits) made me think of this film while reading.
RS: I mean, we had to include a tarot movie, right? Itâs such a major part of X of Swordsâ entire aesthetic and framework. And Knight of Cups isnât in the collection (YET).
If You Liked: Dark Humor About the Cruelty of Power
Then Watch: The Ruling Class
Content Warning: The plot features scenes of self-harm.
RS: This might be the weirdest pick on the list but hear me out. The Ruling Class is a musical about an aristocrat who believes he is the second coming of Jesus Christ. But itâs also a dark satire about the British ruling class. Itâs about aristocracy and savior complexes, and how kind or cruel those in power can be. Itâs about struggling with a sense of identity, and how power can warp that identity. Most importantly, itâs a movie that can swerve from slapstick comedy to extreme darkness in moments. That move from humor to darkness is something that I found essential to X of Swords.
CE: I havenât taken in this film but, Iâm really sticking with your observation about how cruel those in power can be. X of Swords shows the cruelty and tragedy of Saturnyne, even with her somewhat benevolent ends, as well as how much power corrupts in the form of Amenthâs ruler Annihilation. Genesis took on the power to ultimately save her people, but in doing so doomed them and Krakoa to suffer from the same power.
If You Liked: Classic Action/Adventure With a Fairy Tale Feel
Then Watch: The Princess Bride
CE: This the biggest gimme in this list, practically a free space on our proverbial Bingo board. Rob Reinerâs The Princess Bride is definitely the most mainstream of these, but that doesnât diminish its inclusion. Itâs a bit of simple romance, but with a story within a story that reminds us of several scenes from X of Swords. Plus, itâs full of wit, infinitely quotable lines, and just enough silliness. This is one of my favorite movies (because Iâm very basic but fun!). If you havenât seen it, but enjoyed X of Swords, give it a watch. Or just give it a watch if you found this article. A guy fights a giant rat. It rules.
RS: The more I think about it, the more interesting it is to think of The Princess Bride in this lightâ because isnât it kind of structured like a Tournament Arc? So much of it is built around these little episodes of unique encounters that all build to something else.
CE: I particularly love how much both of these stories build up their participants. The Princess Bride shows our trio of brigands, each with a unique set of skills. Through subsequent encounters, we see the protagonist of Wesley built up, defeating one enemy after another and showing his true quality. In X of Swords, we have antagonists who also have strange and eclectic powers. Ultimately what our protagonists have to deal with are these threats. Granted, X of Swords is much zanier, but I like your observation on how both stories deal heavily in vignettes.
If You Liked: Just Plain Old Magic and Witches
Then Watch: Haxan
RS: You want magic? Witches? Hereâs a great place to start! Haxan is a weird documentary-pseudo-mockumentary-fictional movie thing from 1922. It depicts the perception of witches and witchcraft in the post-Medieval, Early-Modern period. Itâs weird and wild, and a hoot from start to finish, and itâs in a few ways relatively accurate. I think it makes for a great double feature with House in particular.
CE: This is absolutely an âI need to see it soonâ movie. I think as you said earlier, it tends to deal in little vignettes, even if they arenât one-on-one encounters. Itâs episodic in the way that X of Swords is, but also offers tidbits of information, much like the data pages that X of Swords gives us of the weird inhabitants of Otherworld.
Chris Eddleman is a biologist and co-host of Chrises On Infinite Earths.
Robert Secundus is an amateur-angelologist-for-hire.
