The Phoenix Film Critic’s Favorite Cult Classics

For four years, I’ve reviewed films for The Phoenix. What started as an outlet to voice my love for filmmaking became a way for me to spotlight and critique film as a professional-ish writer. 

Instead of using this last “Up to Parr” to highlight my most favorite movies — “Back to The Future,” “The Thing” — I’d rather champion a few lesser known films. For casual filmgoers, cinephiles and anyone craving original features, I invite you all to take a chance on these underviewed classics. 

“Deathtrap”

Director Sidney Lumet might be known for his seminal court drama “12 Angry Men,” but his most unsung film is confined to a conspiracy-laden cabin in the Hamptons in New York. 

Playwright Sidney Bruhl (Michael Caine) finds himself in a rut of failed Broadway shows when former student Clifford Anderson (Christopher Reeve) seeks him out to revise a fresh mystery script — “Deathtrap.” 

Sidney invites Clifford to his East Hamptons estate, where the writer plots to claim the script for himself. As they discuss fictitious murder laced with real intent, Sidney’s wife Myra (Dyan Cannon) attempts to ease tensions before an actual death results.

Based on the stage play by novelist Ira Levin, “Deathtrap” revels in witty wordplay. Between conversational niceties an overhanging tension looms as the lavish home is lined with murder props — nooses, axes and crossbows. 

While the trio reminisce on mystery-narrative beats, the film remains remarkably unpredictable. The aforementioned plot is merely the first act — to spoil the story would be a disservice to the mystery.

“Deathtrap” is a delightful cat-and-mouse black comedy deserving of a spot among the ranks of “Clue” and “Knives Out.”

“Deathtrap” is available to stream on Sling TV and Plex.

“Drowning by Numbers”

With the aesthetics of “Moonrise Kingdom” and a plot akin to “Gone Girl,” director Peter Greenaway’s “Drowning by Numbers” harbors depth beyond measure.

More fable than film, the British drama follows three generations of wives within the same family who consecutively drown their husbands. Whether due to adultery, disgust or boredom, each wife conceals their crime by courting the town coroner, Madgett (Bernard Hill).

“Drowning by Numbers” is a feast for the eyes. Trained as a painter, Greenaway (“The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover,” “The Draughtsman’s Contract”) captures every shot with dynamic color, spanning the vivid blues of seaside shores to the rose golds of roaring fires and autumnal oranges of wooden, English furnishings.

Greenaway’s idiosyncratic commitment to detail aids the hypnotism. Numbers one through 100 are physically hidden throughout. As characters obsess over repetition and numerical games, viewers are invited to play along with the I Spy of catching each number tucked away on screen.

The film compares life itself to a game where players can’t help but fall into cyclical patterns, composing a darkly humorous spectacle framed more meticulously than any Wes Anderson film.

“Drowning by Numbers,” rated R, is available to stream free on Tubi.

“Barry Lyndon”

Stanley Kubrick is a renowned filmmaker, but his most daring epic is his least lauded. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this December, “Barry Lyndon” is a Victorian odyssey that breaks down the myth of meritocracy.

Victorian-era everyman Redmond Barry (Ryan O’Neal) becomes embroiled in the Seven Years’ War after joining the British armada to escape imprisonment for murdering an officer. As Barry climbs the ranks of high society, his ambition overtakes his luck, crashing his status.

Based on the novel “The Luck of Barry Lyndon” by William Makepeace Thackeray, Kubrick (“The Shining,” “2001: A Space Odyssey”) frames a picturesque film around an inconspicuous protagonist. Starting as a lower lord, Barry comes from neither poor nor extravagant beginnings, yet he narrowly survives each battle and marries rich through the lonely Lady Lyndon (Marisa Berenson).

Barry’s rise is a consequence of circumstance alone, being in the right battles at the right times and meeting the right people on his European trek. It’s only after accruing wealth and power that misfortune befalls the otherwise ordinary man.

Every shot of “Barry Lyndon” is gallery-worthy. From the rolling greens of Ireland to the candlelit mansions of France, the unassuming lead is constantly contrasted by a setting saturated with decadent design.

“Barry Lyndon” is available to stream on YouTube.