Jose Mojica Marins
1977
Definitely the weakest of Jose Mojica Marins's films I've seen to date, and I've certainly noticed a trend towards lower quality in his later pictures. Marins doesn't even portray his mad scientist as his well known trademark character "Coffin Joe" in this outing, which is a basic revenge tale straight out of the most mediocre EC comics. Facial disfigurement and infidelity make for the height of a phoned-in effort.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Killer of Sheep
Charles Burnett
1977
This long unavailable and much lauded student film from director Charles Burnett made critical waves on it's release last year - a release made possible by someone flipping the bill for the pricey music clearances to release it legally. Burnett's picture is an unhurried, or exaggerated, examination of black life in Watts with a few trained actors rubbing shoulders with non-actors, and punctuated by divine photography of local children at play. For all the frank and messy life on hand Burnett also imbues a documentary element of mechanized death with the titular patriarch going through his daily routine at a slaughterhouse. By turns humorous, grave, and socially conscious, "Killer of Sheep" deserves it's rep, but I'll admit to never having seen a professional feature of Burnett's or of having been independently interesting by any of his pictures (besides "To Sleep With Anger" (1990)).
1977
This long unavailable and much lauded student film from director Charles Burnett made critical waves on it's release last year - a release made possible by someone flipping the bill for the pricey music clearances to release it legally. Burnett's picture is an unhurried, or exaggerated, examination of black life in Watts with a few trained actors rubbing shoulders with non-actors, and punctuated by divine photography of local children at play. For all the frank and messy life on hand Burnett also imbues a documentary element of mechanized death with the titular patriarch going through his daily routine at a slaughterhouse. By turns humorous, grave, and socially conscious, "Killer of Sheep" deserves it's rep, but I'll admit to never having seen a professional feature of Burnett's or of having been independently interesting by any of his pictures (besides "To Sleep With Anger" (1990)).
The Headless Woman
Lucrecia Martel
2008
It's always a treat when there's a film in theaters from Argentine arthouse star Lucrecia Martel. Her sophomore outing "The Holy Girl" (2004) was enigmatic in extreme with gorgeous camera work and a stylistic sensibility somewhat akin to the Dardennes, and I have yet to see her first feature "La Cienaga" (2001), but am certainly looking forward to it. Her latest is a another distant meditation on character and experience, but this time Martel uses her narrative to make a political statement. Bottle blonde Vero is the dizzying epitome of Argentine upper class complacency, floating through life in a luxury four-wheeler, casually carrying on an affair, and comforting a senile relative fill her days. A hit and run incident with what may be a dog, or child, furthers Vero's opaque and disassociated state. Martel and actress Maria Onetto play a crafty game of cat and mouse with Vero's mental state with an underlying waxing and waning of anxiety. The indictment of the wealth is a strong subtext here with a leisurely bunch of well to do's. Their decadence is expressed in financial interactions with poorer dark skinned shopkeepers and in Vero's presumably incestuous affair. For all it's allegorical oomph though, I still prefer the visual beauty and simplicity of "The Holy Girl" (2004). Looking forward to more Martel.
2008
It's always a treat when there's a film in theaters from Argentine arthouse star Lucrecia Martel. Her sophomore outing "The Holy Girl" (2004) was enigmatic in extreme with gorgeous camera work and a stylistic sensibility somewhat akin to the Dardennes, and I have yet to see her first feature "La Cienaga" (2001), but am certainly looking forward to it. Her latest is a another distant meditation on character and experience, but this time Martel uses her narrative to make a political statement. Bottle blonde Vero is the dizzying epitome of Argentine upper class complacency, floating through life in a luxury four-wheeler, casually carrying on an affair, and comforting a senile relative fill her days. A hit and run incident with what may be a dog, or child, furthers Vero's opaque and disassociated state. Martel and actress Maria Onetto play a crafty game of cat and mouse with Vero's mental state with an underlying waxing and waning of anxiety. The indictment of the wealth is a strong subtext here with a leisurely bunch of well to do's. Their decadence is expressed in financial interactions with poorer dark skinned shopkeepers and in Vero's presumably incestuous affair. For all it's allegorical oomph though, I still prefer the visual beauty and simplicity of "The Holy Girl" (2004). Looking forward to more Martel.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Bad Taste
Peter Jackson
1987
This is one I've been meaning to see for ages, and while not disappointed upon finally viewing, I think "Dead Alive" (1992) remains far superior. Aliens have arrived on Earth with the unwholesome intention of butchering mankind and selling our manbeef to an interplanetary market. The only thing that stands between total galactic annihilation and salvation is a handful of Kiwi commandos. Of course this being an ultra low budget feature the aliens take the form of humans (until their seriously awesome true form is revealed) and there's only really one spaceship to speak of. The big draw here has always been the high gore quotient (gunshot wounds, disembowlings, and splattered brains) and infectious sense of silly fun. I cannot believe that this picture was anything but a blast to work on, or at the very least any hardships suffered by cast and crew must have been totally worth it. Let's hope Jackson makes his return to horror (or at least goofy) cinema post haste.
1987
This is one I've been meaning to see for ages, and while not disappointed upon finally viewing, I think "Dead Alive" (1992) remains far superior. Aliens have arrived on Earth with the unwholesome intention of butchering mankind and selling our manbeef to an interplanetary market. The only thing that stands between total galactic annihilation and salvation is a handful of Kiwi commandos. Of course this being an ultra low budget feature the aliens take the form of humans (until their seriously awesome true form is revealed) and there's only really one spaceship to speak of. The big draw here has always been the high gore quotient (gunshot wounds, disembowlings, and splattered brains) and infectious sense of silly fun. I cannot believe that this picture was anything but a blast to work on, or at the very least any hardships suffered by cast and crew must have been totally worth it. Let's hope Jackson makes his return to horror (or at least goofy) cinema post haste.
Planet of the Apes
Tim Burton
2001
Second Viewing
This is a good place to start in pinpointing Tim Burton's nearly decade long decline from one of cinema's most creative fantasists to one of it's most adequate. With the notable exception of "Big Fish" (2003), everything he's done since (the passable but disappointing "Corpse Bride" (2005), his shrill reimagining of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2005)) has come far short of the caliber of earlier efforts like "Beetle Juice" (1988), or "Mars Attacks!" (1996). This classic sci-fi remake is definitely tedious when viewed alone, but downright lame when compared to the original. Burton's take on the tale of an ape-run world has stock hero Mark Walberg passing through a cosmic wormhole and crashing on a planet where anthropomorphic apes rule over human slaves. Burton ups the action quota significantly and adds more visual detail to the ape's world, but these inclusions come at the cost of a worthwhile and engaging storyline - Burton's film is one of visuals, but the original is a film of ideas. The characters are generally one dimensional, particularly the permanently snarling General Thade, a performance by Tim Roth that grows unintentionally comical midway through the picture. There's a nice conceit that reconciles the conflict and the inevitable "twist ending" is a hoot, but overall the "Planet of the Apes" redux is a great advertisement against remakes.
2001
Second Viewing
This is a good place to start in pinpointing Tim Burton's nearly decade long decline from one of cinema's most creative fantasists to one of it's most adequate. With the notable exception of "Big Fish" (2003), everything he's done since (the passable but disappointing "Corpse Bride" (2005), his shrill reimagining of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" (2005)) has come far short of the caliber of earlier efforts like "Beetle Juice" (1988), or "Mars Attacks!" (1996). This classic sci-fi remake is definitely tedious when viewed alone, but downright lame when compared to the original. Burton's take on the tale of an ape-run world has stock hero Mark Walberg passing through a cosmic wormhole and crashing on a planet where anthropomorphic apes rule over human slaves. Burton ups the action quota significantly and adds more visual detail to the ape's world, but these inclusions come at the cost of a worthwhile and engaging storyline - Burton's film is one of visuals, but the original is a film of ideas. The characters are generally one dimensional, particularly the permanently snarling General Thade, a performance by Tim Roth that grows unintentionally comical midway through the picture. There's a nice conceit that reconciles the conflict and the inevitable "twist ending" is a hoot, but overall the "Planet of the Apes" redux is a great advertisement against remakes.
[REC]
Jaume Balaguero / Paco Plaza
2007
I couldn't have been more done with the first person mock-documentary "Blair Witch" style of horror filmmaking until this came along. The Spanish directing duo of Jaume Blaguero and Paco Plaza hit it out of the park with such finesse and perfection that the film's United States release was suppressed in order for American filmmakers to churn out the English language remake "Quarantine" (2008). A local news program rides along with some firefighters for the graveyard shift and is soon locked into an apartment complex beset by a series of strange crimes thanks to a strict police blockade of the building. As the tenants are picked off one by one they rise up as angry flesh eaters (think the "fast" zombies from "28 Days Later" (2002)), and our hapless reporters are thrust into a dire and unescapable situation. This is definitely the best use I've seen of the format, with the first person Kino eye creating the unsettling effect of constant danger just out of frame. There's also some nice nods to George Romero with a disparate group of people undone by selfish personalities and racial prejudices. The video aesthetic certainly gives the special effects people some leeway but with a combination of prosthetics and lighting the violent ghouls are strikingly effective. This is definitely an outstanding addition to the horror canon.
2007
I couldn't have been more done with the first person mock-documentary "Blair Witch" style of horror filmmaking until this came along. The Spanish directing duo of Jaume Blaguero and Paco Plaza hit it out of the park with such finesse and perfection that the film's United States release was suppressed in order for American filmmakers to churn out the English language remake "Quarantine" (2008). A local news program rides along with some firefighters for the graveyard shift and is soon locked into an apartment complex beset by a series of strange crimes thanks to a strict police blockade of the building. As the tenants are picked off one by one they rise up as angry flesh eaters (think the "fast" zombies from "28 Days Later" (2002)), and our hapless reporters are thrust into a dire and unescapable situation. This is definitely the best use I've seen of the format, with the first person Kino eye creating the unsettling effect of constant danger just out of frame. There's also some nice nods to George Romero with a disparate group of people undone by selfish personalities and racial prejudices. The video aesthetic certainly gives the special effects people some leeway but with a combination of prosthetics and lighting the violent ghouls are strikingly effective. This is definitely an outstanding addition to the horror canon.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
The Jerk
Carl Reiner
1979
This is one of those movies that people have always given me a hard time for not seeing. "What do you mean you've never seen The Jerk, what kind of movie fan are you." I never really had much interest, but after catching a few moments of it on television it became obvious that I really was missing out on something. This is that rare kind of picture tailor made to capture an individual comedian's sensibility, and thus achieving an almost Marx Brothers sense of the absurd and goofy, Steve Martin's masterpiece deserves to be the stuff of Midnight screening legend. The plot hardly matters: a coming of age journey, a rise complete with circus excursion and riches amassed, the requisite love story, hubristic fall, and a happy ending - it's all background noise and props for Martin's schtick. If only the vast output of Saturday Night Live movies (with the exception of "Wayne's World" (1992), which is divine) could be half this good...
1979
This is one of those movies that people have always given me a hard time for not seeing. "What do you mean you've never seen The Jerk, what kind of movie fan are you." I never really had much interest, but after catching a few moments of it on television it became obvious that I really was missing out on something. This is that rare kind of picture tailor made to capture an individual comedian's sensibility, and thus achieving an almost Marx Brothers sense of the absurd and goofy, Steve Martin's masterpiece deserves to be the stuff of Midnight screening legend. The plot hardly matters: a coming of age journey, a rise complete with circus excursion and riches amassed, the requisite love story, hubristic fall, and a happy ending - it's all background noise and props for Martin's schtick. If only the vast output of Saturday Night Live movies (with the exception of "Wayne's World" (1992), which is divine) could be half this good...
Curse of the Demon
Jacques Tourneur
1957
Maybe I'm not watching the right B-movies, but it seems that horror flicks inspired by Satanism are something of a rarity in classic Hollywood cinema. The only other example that comes to mind is Mark Robson's brilliant Val Lewton picture "The Seventh Victim" (1943). This exploration of the malevolent, directed by Jacques Tourneur, who had previously directed for Lewton as well, boasts a massive monster nipping at the heels of a skeptic American psychologist during a stay in soggy old England. Dana Andrews works well as the sober doc, and Peggy Cummins is nice as the hard-to-get love interest, but Niall MacGinnis's mephistophelian Karswell steals the show in being the epitome of a Lovecraftian character in search of dark knowledge. Karswell's got all the occult affectations one could wish for and subtly predicts the style and aesthetic of Satanic icon Anton Lavey. What's more, when he's not siccing hellish demons on his enemies he moonlights as a birthday clown! Tourneur was apparently against any visual depiction of the demon, and the director does a solid job of building atmosphere and mood, most successfully with the grim secret-hiding villagers, but I for one enjoy the giant fire-breathing puppet, and am grateful for it's inclusion.
1957
Maybe I'm not watching the right B-movies, but it seems that horror flicks inspired by Satanism are something of a rarity in classic Hollywood cinema. The only other example that comes to mind is Mark Robson's brilliant Val Lewton picture "The Seventh Victim" (1943). This exploration of the malevolent, directed by Jacques Tourneur, who had previously directed for Lewton as well, boasts a massive monster nipping at the heels of a skeptic American psychologist during a stay in soggy old England. Dana Andrews works well as the sober doc, and Peggy Cummins is nice as the hard-to-get love interest, but Niall MacGinnis's mephistophelian Karswell steals the show in being the epitome of a Lovecraftian character in search of dark knowledge. Karswell's got all the occult affectations one could wish for and subtly predicts the style and aesthetic of Satanic icon Anton Lavey. What's more, when he's not siccing hellish demons on his enemies he moonlights as a birthday clown! Tourneur was apparently against any visual depiction of the demon, and the director does a solid job of building atmosphere and mood, most successfully with the grim secret-hiding villagers, but I for one enjoy the giant fire-breathing puppet, and am grateful for it's inclusion.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Religulous
Larry Charles
2008
Liberal pundit Bill Maher has never been much for subtlety in his take on religion, and this documentary, which smacks something heavy of a vanity project, aims straight for the heart of faith's multitude of wackjob practitioners. Unfortunately the film takes the easy route, picking on the feeble-minded and a host of ludicrous zealots who would look just as stupid in any context. It makes for passable comedy, but our host is smarter than this, and even on his HBO series he at least books conservatives that can keep up with him. Also Maher mostly focuses on razzing "the big three," with nutty Christians, Jews, and Muslims taking the brunt of his assault. Apparently Hindu bashing is out of vogue. For all the cheap shots and buffoonery the film's conclusion is impassioned and sincere with Maher warning against putting nuclear arms in the hands of government officials who believe in "end times," a worthy stance that I agree with. It's an adequate picture with it's share laughs (and scares), but is ultimately a puff piece made by the only guy on the left with the lack of shame to yell as loud as the maniacs on the right.
2008
Liberal pundit Bill Maher has never been much for subtlety in his take on religion, and this documentary, which smacks something heavy of a vanity project, aims straight for the heart of faith's multitude of wackjob practitioners. Unfortunately the film takes the easy route, picking on the feeble-minded and a host of ludicrous zealots who would look just as stupid in any context. It makes for passable comedy, but our host is smarter than this, and even on his HBO series he at least books conservatives that can keep up with him. Also Maher mostly focuses on razzing "the big three," with nutty Christians, Jews, and Muslims taking the brunt of his assault. Apparently Hindu bashing is out of vogue. For all the cheap shots and buffoonery the film's conclusion is impassioned and sincere with Maher warning against putting nuclear arms in the hands of government officials who believe in "end times," a worthy stance that I agree with. It's an adequate picture with it's share laughs (and scares), but is ultimately a puff piece made by the only guy on the left with the lack of shame to yell as loud as the maniacs on the right.
Inglorious Basterds
Quentin Tarantino
2009
The immaculate avatar of Cinematic notation delves deeper into genre ecstasy with a satisfyingly mature WWII revenger complete with Spaghetti Western nods and mission-film tropes. This revisionist take on WWII pits a guerilla gang of Jewish Americans against Hitler's army, while a secretly Jewish young woman running a movie theater in Paris hatches her own plot to stick it to the Krauts. Pitt's scar-necked hilbilly Lieutenant with ragtag gang in tow is the equivalent of cinematic crack, but for better or worse Tarantino proves a lackadaisical pusher man, instead fronting a more ambitious multi-thread yarn, bordering on epic. While the picture left me wanting more action-oriented Basterd madness, it was a fallacy on my part to expect that graphic violence or harrowing thrills would ever steal the spotlight from Tarantino's obsessive expressive rebop dialogue. I certainly enjoyed the picture immensely, but frankly I need to see it again to develop a final opinion. I've found that in Tarantino's work reveals itself best through multiple viewings.
2009
The immaculate avatar of Cinematic notation delves deeper into genre ecstasy with a satisfyingly mature WWII revenger complete with Spaghetti Western nods and mission-film tropes. This revisionist take on WWII pits a guerilla gang of Jewish Americans against Hitler's army, while a secretly Jewish young woman running a movie theater in Paris hatches her own plot to stick it to the Krauts. Pitt's scar-necked hilbilly Lieutenant with ragtag gang in tow is the equivalent of cinematic crack, but for better or worse Tarantino proves a lackadaisical pusher man, instead fronting a more ambitious multi-thread yarn, bordering on epic. While the picture left me wanting more action-oriented Basterd madness, it was a fallacy on my part to expect that graphic violence or harrowing thrills would ever steal the spotlight from Tarantino's obsessive expressive rebop dialogue. I certainly enjoyed the picture immensely, but frankly I need to see it again to develop a final opinion. I've found that in Tarantino's work reveals itself best through multiple viewings.
Monday, September 28, 2009
Shadows and Fog
Woody Allen
1991
Second Viewing
I saw this picture on cable sometime in the late 90's and didn't think too much of it at the time, but was pleasantly surprised when this reviewing proved rewarding. Made a year or two before Allen's eventually ill-fated partnership with Jean Doumanian "Shadows and Fog" takes the ubber-nebbish's love of classic cinema, philosophy, and existentialism, all themes he'd explored before, and remixed them in a fresh, engaging, and thoughtful way. In a quasi London, replete with the eponymous mood setters, Allen's meek clerk tries in vain to meet up with a vigilante mob bent on cowing an at-large serial killer, while simultaneously keeping his nose clean. During his misadventures around the city Allen meets up with a comely sword-swallower (Mia Farrow) who's coming off a bad fight with her main squeeze man/clown - the two find safety in numbers. Thanks to the exaggerated backdrop of mannered lighting and gorgeous sets some of Allen's more frustrating intellectual impulses feel right at home in this fabricated world of ideas (he even cleverly tackles anti-Semitism). The great casting and wide range of interesting actors and celebrities is no surprise for a film made during the director's established period but it's never any less of a treat to see such lavish ensembles. "Shadows and Fog" offers nothing daring, nor does it offer anything new in his ouvre, but it's a pleasant reminder that a fresh coat of paint can go a long way.
1991
Second Viewing
I saw this picture on cable sometime in the late 90's and didn't think too much of it at the time, but was pleasantly surprised when this reviewing proved rewarding. Made a year or two before Allen's eventually ill-fated partnership with Jean Doumanian "Shadows and Fog" takes the ubber-nebbish's love of classic cinema, philosophy, and existentialism, all themes he'd explored before, and remixed them in a fresh, engaging, and thoughtful way. In a quasi London, replete with the eponymous mood setters, Allen's meek clerk tries in vain to meet up with a vigilante mob bent on cowing an at-large serial killer, while simultaneously keeping his nose clean. During his misadventures around the city Allen meets up with a comely sword-swallower (Mia Farrow) who's coming off a bad fight with her main squeeze man/clown - the two find safety in numbers. Thanks to the exaggerated backdrop of mannered lighting and gorgeous sets some of Allen's more frustrating intellectual impulses feel right at home in this fabricated world of ideas (he even cleverly tackles anti-Semitism). The great casting and wide range of interesting actors and celebrities is no surprise for a film made during the director's established period but it's never any less of a treat to see such lavish ensembles. "Shadows and Fog" offers nothing daring, nor does it offer anything new in his ouvre, but it's a pleasant reminder that a fresh coat of paint can go a long way.
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Bob le Flambeur
Jean-Pierre Melville
1956
One of the weaker Melville pictures I've seen to date, "Bob Le Flambeur" is mostly a slapdash of gangster film cliches with a steadfast reverence for style and "honor amongst thieves." Our titular gambler cuts a dashing figure, impeccably dressed, and topped with a silver coiffure, he lives by night throwing away money in games of chance. Thanks to a longstanding losing streak the normally noble Bob is compelled to mastermind a casino heist - the proverbial "final score." For the most part the story plods along predictably with a protege, a police friend, and an underworld snitch, but Melville does a solid job of capturing a sense of place: his Montmartre and Pigalle are as much a part of the film as it's hoods. The picture's greatest asset is the inclusion of a carefree libertine, young and blonde, rapidly integrating herself into a sleazy world of loose morals and cheap thrills. Bob does his best to set her right (gallantry would come natural to this kind of character), but the tart is oblivious to the warnings, taking him for another in a long line of sugar daddies. This complex father/daughter/lover relationship is far more rewarding than the heist itself, muted in tension and disappointing in conclusion. For my money I find the similarly themed "Touchez pas au Grisbi" (1954) to be far superior.
1956
One of the weaker Melville pictures I've seen to date, "Bob Le Flambeur" is mostly a slapdash of gangster film cliches with a steadfast reverence for style and "honor amongst thieves." Our titular gambler cuts a dashing figure, impeccably dressed, and topped with a silver coiffure, he lives by night throwing away money in games of chance. Thanks to a longstanding losing streak the normally noble Bob is compelled to mastermind a casino heist - the proverbial "final score." For the most part the story plods along predictably with a protege, a police friend, and an underworld snitch, but Melville does a solid job of capturing a sense of place: his Montmartre and Pigalle are as much a part of the film as it's hoods. The picture's greatest asset is the inclusion of a carefree libertine, young and blonde, rapidly integrating herself into a sleazy world of loose morals and cheap thrills. Bob does his best to set her right (gallantry would come natural to this kind of character), but the tart is oblivious to the warnings, taking him for another in a long line of sugar daddies. This complex father/daughter/lover relationship is far more rewarding than the heist itself, muted in tension and disappointing in conclusion. For my money I find the similarly themed "Touchez pas au Grisbi" (1954) to be far superior.
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
The Incredible Hulk
Louis Leterrier
2008
I never caught the ill-fated Ang Lee screen debut of Marvel's green meanie but thought I'd get in on the hasty attempt to reboot the potential franchise via an Ondemand lark. This version has Bruce Banner stuck in self imposed exile living a quiet existence in South America while learning to cope with his condition. Unfortunately for him the United States military is hot to unlock the secrets of Banner's blood in order to create super soldiers - enter Tim Roth as an aging Russian-born commando supreme eager to get his hands on some performance enhancing drugs. When Banner (Ed Norton) reunites with former flame Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) it becomes apparent that Norton is a more refined actor than the role requires. His emoting and dramatic gravitas is at odds with his costars' more expected and genre-friendly plasticity. The CG looks great and the action sequences are far more pleasing than Marvel Studios' concurrent release "Iron Man" (2008), though the overall the story is much weaker. I think I might be developing a thing for superhero movies considering the last three that I've seen have all been pretty excellent. I did find Tim Roth's character to be oddly sympathetic during the campus battle scene in which a supercharged but regular-sized Roth single handedly takes on the massive Hulk - the scene innately captures the David Vs. Goliath underdog rooting most audiences have been conditioned for, though I'm sure this wasn't Leterrier's intention.
2008
I never caught the ill-fated Ang Lee screen debut of Marvel's green meanie but thought I'd get in on the hasty attempt to reboot the potential franchise via an Ondemand lark. This version has Bruce Banner stuck in self imposed exile living a quiet existence in South America while learning to cope with his condition. Unfortunately for him the United States military is hot to unlock the secrets of Banner's blood in order to create super soldiers - enter Tim Roth as an aging Russian-born commando supreme eager to get his hands on some performance enhancing drugs. When Banner (Ed Norton) reunites with former flame Betty Ross (Liv Tyler) it becomes apparent that Norton is a more refined actor than the role requires. His emoting and dramatic gravitas is at odds with his costars' more expected and genre-friendly plasticity. The CG looks great and the action sequences are far more pleasing than Marvel Studios' concurrent release "Iron Man" (2008), though the overall the story is much weaker. I think I might be developing a thing for superhero movies considering the last three that I've seen have all been pretty excellent. I did find Tim Roth's character to be oddly sympathetic during the campus battle scene in which a supercharged but regular-sized Roth single handedly takes on the massive Hulk - the scene innately captures the David Vs. Goliath underdog rooting most audiences have been conditioned for, though I'm sure this wasn't Leterrier's intention.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
Battle For the Planet of the Apes
J. Lee Thompson
1973
Unfortunately for the franchise, it's last installment "Battle.." goes out with a whimper undeserving of such a great series. This one finds the rift between ape and man clearly drawn with humans serving as an underclass to their patrician counterparts. The former world of men has crumbled to become underground archaeological strata inhabited by a group of rapidly mutating survivors (these will be the mutants from "Beneath The Planet of the Apes (1970))." Inevitably the paths of ape and mutant cross resulting in the film's titular skirmish. Besides the fierce battle itself, complete with mutant helmed tank and other patchwork war machines, most of the interest comes from the apes discovering their darker side. The final revelation that Caesar's son has been murdered at the hands of a militant rival rends asunder the old axiom that "Ape Shall Not Kill Ape." This last message provides the unsurprising sum total that despite physiological and purported philosophical differences there is just as much capacity for savagery in ape as there is in man.
1973
Unfortunately for the franchise, it's last installment "Battle.." goes out with a whimper undeserving of such a great series. This one finds the rift between ape and man clearly drawn with humans serving as an underclass to their patrician counterparts. The former world of men has crumbled to become underground archaeological strata inhabited by a group of rapidly mutating survivors (these will be the mutants from "Beneath The Planet of the Apes (1970))." Inevitably the paths of ape and mutant cross resulting in the film's titular skirmish. Besides the fierce battle itself, complete with mutant helmed tank and other patchwork war machines, most of the interest comes from the apes discovering their darker side. The final revelation that Caesar's son has been murdered at the hands of a militant rival rends asunder the old axiom that "Ape Shall Not Kill Ape." This last message provides the unsurprising sum total that despite physiological and purported philosophical differences there is just as much capacity for savagery in ape as there is in man.
In the Realm of the Senses
Nagisa Oshima
1976
Easily the most frankly sexual non-porn film I've seen to date. Oshima's notoriously torrid affair puts a tranquilized eye on the obsessed and frequent bedroom frolics of a couple willfully insulating themselves from Japan's rapid pre-war militarization. As much an intellectual challenge as an expressive work of art Oshima attempts to meld human passion with the clinical physicality of bumpin' uglies by combining familiar cinematic romance, with an almost medical sense of anatomy. To say the actors put in courageous performances is an understatement, and unlike the vacant tendencies of hambone pornstars Tatsuya Fuji and Eiko Matsuda believably convey their roles while engaged in constant, extreme intimacy. Compared to this film Chloe Sevigny's much ballyhooed blowing of Vincent Gallo in "The Brown Bunny" (2003) seems far less daring given Oshima's precedent.
1976
Easily the most frankly sexual non-porn film I've seen to date. Oshima's notoriously torrid affair puts a tranquilized eye on the obsessed and frequent bedroom frolics of a couple willfully insulating themselves from Japan's rapid pre-war militarization. As much an intellectual challenge as an expressive work of art Oshima attempts to meld human passion with the clinical physicality of bumpin' uglies by combining familiar cinematic romance, with an almost medical sense of anatomy. To say the actors put in courageous performances is an understatement, and unlike the vacant tendencies of hambone pornstars Tatsuya Fuji and Eiko Matsuda believably convey their roles while engaged in constant, extreme intimacy. Compared to this film Chloe Sevigny's much ballyhooed blowing of Vincent Gallo in "The Brown Bunny" (2003) seems far less daring given Oshima's precedent.
Monday, August 31, 2009
Spider Forest
Song Il-Gon
2004
I never quite understood the rationale behind the whole "k-horror" phenomenon. Being birthed from a waning cycle of Japanese fright flicks it seems that the whole idea is to cash in on a trend that's already passed. This isn't a knock on the movement in general, or any particular film, it just seems counterintuitive to good business. Anyways, Song Il-Gon's psychological freakout is a ghost story, detective mystery, and time traveling riddle all at once. While it doesn't do any of these genres particularly well the film itself is technically very pleasant with a careful, measured aesthetic, good performances, and a pretentious, but achieved gravitas. The twisty paradoxical story involves a jaded documentarian who stumbles on the murder of his boss and coworker while on assignment in a rural area. He is bashed in the head by his colleagues' assailant and lands in a hospital with serious injuries. With little concern for his recovery the now murder-suspect returns to the forest in an attempt to unravel the mystery. Song's creative weaving of narrative and time, an undertaking that often comes off as a cop-out in other films, is admirably elegant here, allowing the director to get away with certain concessions that seem like obvious twists and cliched ghost-story tropes. Inevitably some of the symbols and tricks are corny, but the film remains a good advertisement for how a good director and DP can craft something worthwhile from a weak script.
2004
I never quite understood the rationale behind the whole "k-horror" phenomenon. Being birthed from a waning cycle of Japanese fright flicks it seems that the whole idea is to cash in on a trend that's already passed. This isn't a knock on the movement in general, or any particular film, it just seems counterintuitive to good business. Anyways, Song Il-Gon's psychological freakout is a ghost story, detective mystery, and time traveling riddle all at once. While it doesn't do any of these genres particularly well the film itself is technically very pleasant with a careful, measured aesthetic, good performances, and a pretentious, but achieved gravitas. The twisty paradoxical story involves a jaded documentarian who stumbles on the murder of his boss and coworker while on assignment in a rural area. He is bashed in the head by his colleagues' assailant and lands in a hospital with serious injuries. With little concern for his recovery the now murder-suspect returns to the forest in an attempt to unravel the mystery. Song's creative weaving of narrative and time, an undertaking that often comes off as a cop-out in other films, is admirably elegant here, allowing the director to get away with certain concessions that seem like obvious twists and cliched ghost-story tropes. Inevitably some of the symbols and tricks are corny, but the film remains a good advertisement for how a good director and DP can craft something worthwhile from a weak script.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
The Beast Within
Phillippe Mora
1982
I was initially under the impression that this was your average indie werewolf flick but was immensely pleased to find that it's more of a were-cicada affair. When young Michael MacCleary's illness devolves into violent crime and bizarre visions it's of little surprise to the audience considering the picture's prologue involves a bizarre beast raping his mother during an ill fated pit stop. Michael's strange post-pubescent behavior has got his folks nervous about the real identity of his pater familias, and as they begin poking around the archives of the one-horse-town it's locals become more possessive of their proverbial "dark secrets." Some horror fans may be put off by the slow beginning and build-up, but I found the mystery elements of the first two acts, the hostile natives and the isolated provincial feel, a great potboiler that explodes into a rampage monstrous self-actualization. The highlight setpiece involves the town's loathsome mayor having his head ripped off at the (literal) hands of a vengeful monster.
1982
I was initially under the impression that this was your average indie werewolf flick but was immensely pleased to find that it's more of a were-cicada affair. When young Michael MacCleary's illness devolves into violent crime and bizarre visions it's of little surprise to the audience considering the picture's prologue involves a bizarre beast raping his mother during an ill fated pit stop. Michael's strange post-pubescent behavior has got his folks nervous about the real identity of his pater familias, and as they begin poking around the archives of the one-horse-town it's locals become more possessive of their proverbial "dark secrets." Some horror fans may be put off by the slow beginning and build-up, but I found the mystery elements of the first two acts, the hostile natives and the isolated provincial feel, a great potboiler that explodes into a rampage monstrous self-actualization. The highlight setpiece involves the town's loathsome mayor having his head ripped off at the (literal) hands of a vengeful monster.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
The American Astronaut
Cory McAbee
2001
I was a little unimpressed with the musical aspects of Cory McAbee's out-there DIY space adventure, but am ultimately enthusiastic about the rough black and white cinematography (16mm I would wager), and it's minimalist creation of a science fiction universe with limited means. Like the frequent emphasis on musical numbers, some of the film's eccentricities and quirks are a little rich: a young man on an all male mining town who is revered for having seen a woman's breast feels a bit too much like a failed Guy Maddin flight of fancy. However, the strange shadowing of our hero by the murderous professor Hess (always a step behind) is more interesting, as his destructive raygun renders victims to neat little ash piles. The psychosis of this malevolent doppelganger adds a dark, ultimately madcap angle to this trek across the cosmos. It's a flawed movie for sure, but that's not unexpected for a small auteurist picture with grand vision and limited means. Yet this "littleness" is also from where it derives it's merit.
2001
I was a little unimpressed with the musical aspects of Cory McAbee's out-there DIY space adventure, but am ultimately enthusiastic about the rough black and white cinematography (16mm I would wager), and it's minimalist creation of a science fiction universe with limited means. Like the frequent emphasis on musical numbers, some of the film's eccentricities and quirks are a little rich: a young man on an all male mining town who is revered for having seen a woman's breast feels a bit too much like a failed Guy Maddin flight of fancy. However, the strange shadowing of our hero by the murderous professor Hess (always a step behind) is more interesting, as his destructive raygun renders victims to neat little ash piles. The psychosis of this malevolent doppelganger adds a dark, ultimately madcap angle to this trek across the cosmos. It's a flawed movie for sure, but that's not unexpected for a small auteurist picture with grand vision and limited means. Yet this "littleness" is also from where it derives it's merit.
The Gore Gore Girls
Herschell Gordon Lewis
1972
Second Viewing
This was the first Herschell Gordon Lewis picture I've seen, and though I've only seen a few others since, it remains head and shoulders above the rest. A return to the picture finds it less gratuitously glorious than I remember, but still an eminently enjoyable viewing. A goofy blonde-bombshell reporter hires pimp-like private-eye extraordinaire Abraham Gentry to solve a spate of stripper killings in order to get the scoop. Gentry, a mustachioed sephardic chap with an arsenal of stinging barbs laced throughout his eloquent locution is worth the price of admission alone. The humorous interaction between a dizzy femme partner growing increasingly attracted to this weenie's dubious charms, and his complete lack of interest is an almost Russ Meyer-like cornball side-plot, much appreciated. "The Gore Gore Girls" initially amazed me with it's extreme depictions of violence, and amateurish, but no less effective, use of makeup effects. It's the director's sense of tone that really elevates this above the standard grindhouse fare: silly jokes and cheesecake sexuality combined with an almost cartoonish sense of graphic murder (one unfortunate gal has her face burned on the stove range, and then scraped off hamburger-style with a spatula). My initial viewing took place freshman year of college. I stayed behind in the dorm during a holiday sans roommates. While watching, an extremely liberal and politically active fellow film-student knocked on my door and began watching with me. After a few minutes he asked "so this is basically a movie about killing women?" I confirmed that it was (what else was I going to say?). Offended, he soon left. I thought it was pretty hilarious.
1972
Second Viewing
This was the first Herschell Gordon Lewis picture I've seen, and though I've only seen a few others since, it remains head and shoulders above the rest. A return to the picture finds it less gratuitously glorious than I remember, but still an eminently enjoyable viewing. A goofy blonde-bombshell reporter hires pimp-like private-eye extraordinaire Abraham Gentry to solve a spate of stripper killings in order to get the scoop. Gentry, a mustachioed sephardic chap with an arsenal of stinging barbs laced throughout his eloquent locution is worth the price of admission alone. The humorous interaction between a dizzy femme partner growing increasingly attracted to this weenie's dubious charms, and his complete lack of interest is an almost Russ Meyer-like cornball side-plot, much appreciated. "The Gore Gore Girls" initially amazed me with it's extreme depictions of violence, and amateurish, but no less effective, use of makeup effects. It's the director's sense of tone that really elevates this above the standard grindhouse fare: silly jokes and cheesecake sexuality combined with an almost cartoonish sense of graphic murder (one unfortunate gal has her face burned on the stove range, and then scraped off hamburger-style with a spatula). My initial viewing took place freshman year of college. I stayed behind in the dorm during a holiday sans roommates. While watching, an extremely liberal and politically active fellow film-student knocked on my door and began watching with me. After a few minutes he asked "so this is basically a movie about killing women?" I confirmed that it was (what else was I going to say?). Offended, he soon left. I thought it was pretty hilarious.
The Hurt Locker
Kathryn Bigelow
2008
The best film I've seen so far in 2009, Kathryn Bigelow's hair-rasing Iraq war thriller is at once a triumphant work of art, a psychological analysis of combat, and a mainstream popcorn-muncher. After the death of their squad's IED expert, Sergeant Sanborn and Specialist Eldridge are saddled with a brash replacement (Jeremy Renner), who goes about bomb defusing with a near insane disregard for military protocol and personal safety. Each life-or-death scenario begins with the company's remaining tour time marked on the screen, echoing Sanborn's vocal anxieties and determination to make it out of the desert in one piece. The tense scenarios are unsurprisingly hackle-raising by design, but the back-at-barracks pathos of tough guys scared shitless, boozing and wrestling for escapism is a nice window into the difficulty of downtime and emergence of mental wounds. Rennner's performance is near perfect with his "git 'er done" attitude and unconscious selfishness pitched against subtly conveyed inner turmoil. The recent spate of films regarding Iraq have been about as popular as the war itself, but leave it to Kathryn Bigelow to prove there's a worthwhile film in this landscape after all.
2008
The best film I've seen so far in 2009, Kathryn Bigelow's hair-rasing Iraq war thriller is at once a triumphant work of art, a psychological analysis of combat, and a mainstream popcorn-muncher. After the death of their squad's IED expert, Sergeant Sanborn and Specialist Eldridge are saddled with a brash replacement (Jeremy Renner), who goes about bomb defusing with a near insane disregard for military protocol and personal safety. Each life-or-death scenario begins with the company's remaining tour time marked on the screen, echoing Sanborn's vocal anxieties and determination to make it out of the desert in one piece. The tense scenarios are unsurprisingly hackle-raising by design, but the back-at-barracks pathos of tough guys scared shitless, boozing and wrestling for escapism is a nice window into the difficulty of downtime and emergence of mental wounds. Rennner's performance is near perfect with his "git 'er done" attitude and unconscious selfishness pitched against subtly conveyed inner turmoil. The recent spate of films regarding Iraq have been about as popular as the war itself, but leave it to Kathryn Bigelow to prove there's a worthwhile film in this landscape after all.
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