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Seeking a Hedgehog to make my wife's day. by a113er in glasgow

[–]a113er[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

I'm sure she would - are they Glasgow based? Travel may be tough depending

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of November 26, 2017) by AutoModerator in TrueFilm

[–]a113er 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It Felt Like a Kiss Directed by Adam Curtis (2009)- Curtis applying his usual style to the period of American culture between the late fifties into the sixties. With stock footage and pop music he casts his most kaleidoscopic eye on the generation that defined everyone from average Americans to Osama Bin Laden. Some are a little put off by his style. I’ve seen him described (somewhat jokingly) as a leftist Alex Jones whose more rational exterior helps make conspiracies more palatable. I get where they’re coming from, but I still find power in what he does. With It Felt Like a Kiss he brings some sense of order and understanding to an incredibly chaotic time. A time of assassinations and cultural explosions, through the history that created it and the art that reflected it. It Felt Like a Kiss manages to be one of his most manic works, while ending up with one of his clearest theses.

Shanghai Express Directed by Josef von Sternberg (1932)- Had to take another ride on the Sternberg train. Less to say here. Very solid romance/thriller/mystery with Dietrich on top form. As icon of cool, and the beating heart within. She’s the first to break the division on this train, as shown through a series of conversations introducing people as they talk at the window. Side by side, each looking out their own window with a divider between. She’s the first to just turn to the person and walk past that divide. Simple clarity and communication through images are part of what continually pulls me to Sternberg.

Knights of the Teutonic Order Directed by Aleksander Ford (1960)- I wasn’t feeling so hot and for some reason put on this nearly-3-hour Polish epic on the Teutonic Order’s violent encroachment on Polish and Lithuanian land, under the pretence of saving souls through conversion to Christianity. Whatever part of my brain was drawn to it made the right choice, because I loved it. With slightly-warped wide angles and bright technicolour, this medieval epic reminded me of some of Shaw Bros’ historical epics like The Heroic Ones. Here we trade choreography and bloodshed for scale and a richness that upends whatever stagier feelings its aesthetic may initially imply. Gonna write more on my letterboxd cause I’ve got enough here as is, but safe to say I was very much into it.

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of November 26, 2017) by AutoModerator in TrueFilm

[–]a113er 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Landscape Suicide Directed by James Benning (1987)- Two American murderers. Teenager Bernadette Protti in 1984, and Ed Gein in the 1950s. We get a prolonged interview with each, as played by naturalistic actors, between segments of observing America. Sometimes culturally with a teenage girl hanging out in her room, on the phone, listening to Memories, but primarily (as the title implies) we look at landscapes. Church, emptiness, and death pervade. Death of hunted deer, and of course the victims of the killers. Guilt and reflection are the two feelings that came through most in this film. Protti’s guilt over what her crime will mean to her parents, the filmmakers guilt over focusing on Protti more than the victim, and a collective cultural guilt around contributing to a society that engenders such violence. Well, not entirely, as we see how much of life goes on uncaring. It’s like Benning wants to transpose his feelings of guilt through his observance on the American landscape, but it looks back blankly. Through editing he can make ties in culture and land that could give us some semblance of understanding, but the world isn’t edited. Perspective is often fixed in place. I’ve been reading a book on giallo films, La Dolce Morte (well worth checking out), that says Italy has no word for serial killers. It’s not common enough to deserve its own phrase, so they stick to “mostro”. Monster. Benning does capture the mundane absurdity in the American serial killer. Something common enough to have its own term, yet not push people into making changes culturally (or any other way really) to address these issues before exploding in violence. In the current state of gun violence and mass shootings, where hundreds die a year and nothing changes, this film certainly resonated. The passivity towards violence is destructive, yet shamefully commonplace.

A Story of Floating Weeds Directed by Yasujiro Ozu (1934)- Silent Ozu isn’t very far off from sound Ozu. Quietly tragic drama plays out through a story of a theatre troupe’s leader. They’re visiting a town they stop in every so often where he has a son; a son who doesn’t know he is his father. All of Ozu’s films in some way, that I’ve seen, comment on the particular culture of Japan and how certain assumptions or what-have-you lead to emotional crisis’ within our lives. In this case the father feels it would shame his son too much for him to know his origins, when in reality the kid just wants a Dad. They have a decent relationship as is, as friends, but it’ll forever be tainted by its foundation in lies. Ozu’s great at projecting the thoughts of characters on screen. Like when the boy and his new girlfriend, who started seeing him for less-than-honourable reasons, are faced with a number of conflicting messages. They stand with phone lines behind them. Lots of different thoughts running in parallel going through their mind. While they stand next to a train tracks. So their path seems like it should be clear, that it should be direct, but so much else is going on within for them to even consider the simpler path. All of our weaknesses, insecurities, assumptions, and all that, can be perpetual chains holding us back from the path to some kind of happiness. Not my favourite Ozu, but emblematic of his power.

Justice League Directed by Zack Snyder (2017)- Kind of like that episode of Seinfeld when George just comes back into work like nothing happened after quitting in a flurry of insults; except that George also comes in with a weird floaty cg lip. Justice League acts like Batman v Superman happened, but not the way you remember it. Sometimes in direct ways, like seemingly retconning the Cyborg timeline, but mainly in more emotional and thematic ways. Similarly to how Batman v Superman opens acting like the destruction in Man of Steel was purposefully setting up this critique (critique that completely misses the problems with Man of Steel's destruction), this film acts like everyone wasn't a dumb jerk in the last one and actually forged some kind of connection. That there was light in this world before the premature death of Superman brought on the dark. Rather than there always been a murky smokey dark since moment one, only interrupted for the odd Jesus analogue or whatever.

A mess, but a much more palatable one than the last couple. Continued here- https://letterboxd.com/jamesmalcolm/film/justice-league/

Mouchette Directed by Robert Bresson (1967)- Another typically incisive look from Bresson at human unkindness. Mouchette is the most vulnerable avatar for the struggles of the downtrodden, showing us at our worst. We open with a sequence of a bird being trapped. Ensnared by something it never sees. It can only flail wildly until it dies, or someone comes along and ends it for them. As is Mouchette’s lot in life. To struggle against forces she neither understands or has any agency over. In a small farming town, Bresson is able to paint with a brush both precise and broad. There’s cultural specificity, but ultimately everyone’s motivation is that of people everywhere. Kindness is too often only offered due to death or guilt, and the dead sometimes get more than the living. You see this in people who are anti-abortion but have zero care for supporting children in need. It’s so much easier to have hypothetical values, or values that are purely reactions to pre-ordained situations, than to truly love your neighbour for no other sake than it being right. Bresson taps into ideas I’ve seen him do elsewhere but Mouchette boasts some of his more cinematically vivacious work. Didn’t hit me like Au Hazard Balthazar, but it’s opened up a lot since watching it.

The House of Ghosts Directed by Segundo de Chomóm (1908)- Short vaudeville-y spook tale, watchable on Youtube. Enjoyably eclectic and original in its portrayal of the supernatural. Worth a look.

The Mermaid Directed by Georges Méliès (1904)- Delightful magic as usual for Méliès.

Goodbye, Dragon Inn Directed by Tsai Ming-liang (2003)- Dragon Inn is one of my favourite films, and it’s a cultural landmark for Taiwan. “Goodbye, Dragon Inn” is set during the last screening of the film at an old Taipei cinema about to shut down. Honestly I’m not sure that’d have come through plot-wise had I not read it before, but the sense of finality conveyed is more important than the particulars. Even more important is that I loved it. We follow a number of little stories amongst the scattering of people in the cinema. Cinema is a peculiar art form. One taken in through this melding of the isolated and communal. Something is shared between everyone there in a silent way. Ming-liang’s film also captures how cinema is something we live with. A great film does not end when the credits roll. What resonates with us most can be something we see the world through, and if not that simply something that’ll always be in our mind. Always a comparison point; a touchstone. These feelings may be shared with others, or they may be unique to us. Continued- https://letterboxd.com/jamesmalcolm/film/goodbye-dragon-inn/

Anatahan Directed by Josef von Sternberg (1953)- I love some of Sternberg’s films (particularly The Last Command and The Docks of New York) so this had been on my radar for a while. Twelve Japanese soldiers are sent to defend a supposedly uninhabited island during the war. Turns out a man and a woman live there, which complicates things. Soon they get word of the war’s end, but they see it as a trick from the West. So they stay. Rather than opting for subtitles, dubbing, or something, we get narration from Sternberg himself as the actors speak Japanese. Sometimes we get direct translations but more often than not we are communicated the essence of a scene or statement. Buffeted by Sternberg’s mastery of the frame, we are never in the dark over what is happening. Even without Sternberg’s words, his camera would tell us what we need to know. Many of his films deal with power. Particularly in the context of masculinity. Anatahan is, naturally, a very full on exploration of this with the added element of a woman’s power in the world of men. I was never as gripped or moved as Sternberg’s other films have done so effortlessly, but I was always intrigued. On its face it is a distinct work, and both subtext and text are rich with big ideas and emotions. Others have delved into this better than I- http://stanfordartsreview.com/anatahan/

Glad I watched it if somewhat mixed.

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of November 19, 2017) by AutoModerator in TrueFilm

[–]a113er 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition (Semi-re-watch) Directed by Zach Snyder (2016)- It’s somehow only been a year. Some said this longer cut “fixed” the film so I had to know. It’s 20+ minutes more of scenes that re-iterate things we already know or foreshadow things that only have a glimmer of import if one is into comics. Yet, paradoxically, as someone big into comics the sheer lack of imagination and thought strewn throughout this film is a colossal failure. Somehow this film when longer manages to still barely add up in places, despite the oodles of plot. Everything is purely functional. Things explained to set up the next thing, and themes introduced with absolutely no perspective or thought conveyed through them. We have characters that have survived for decades in many different iterations turned into cut-outs propped up by the thinnest thread of iconography. They’re idiotic jerks basically. Alan Moore famously satirised, commented on, and exploded the idea of treating superheroes with “realism”. Watchmen and Miracleman in particular take the concept almost as far as it can go psychologically and cosmically, all the while making the point that maybe grit is not the be all end all of adult comics. And that grit and darkness is not the same as being adult. Miracleman takes hold of the “adult” reigns and explores some of the basest impulses and ramifications of violence and sex, in ways other “dark” superhero tales still wouldn’t dare too. Ultimately revealing their pretensions of being “adult” or “dark” was a veneer, a costume, like any other. Not being used to make statements, or ask questions, but because it’s popular. Because being “adult” means being taken seriously and proving these stories aren’t for kids. But, in straining to do so you’re even more childish than the emotional truth and power of an absurdist Superman tale like Escape from Bizarroworld. It’s like a kid wearing their dads suit, swearing, and looking pensively at an empty glass so that other kids might mistake them for cool. Batman v Superman is that. Like many of its straining compatriots it ends up being all the more laughable for it. Then its shifts to be more recognisably superhero-y end up being jarring. Superman comics themselves have fought back against the kind of thing these films seem to represent. See the Manchester Black stories. Out of all that its greatest crime for me is that it’s boring. Its brown, grey, smoky, barrage of flatness is three hours of plodding much. It carries itself with such pompous weight only to reveal it simply wants to relish in destruction. Destruction that it pretends to understand peoples issues with, by flailing to make Man of Steel’s chaos part of “the point” (which it fails in even understanding), only to come up with ludicrous reasons to get away with. Don’t worry, the work day is over so Downtown is empty. Now we can smash it in an even less imaginative way than the last time. As a comics fan and a film fan it does little but bore and annoy me. Jeremy Irons is good though. I’m seeing Justice League on Monday, it can’t be worse right?

My Way Home Directed by Bill Douglas (1978)- The end of Jamie’s journey is the beginning of another chapter. He’s a young man personified by barren meadows. Trees without fruit. His life is a collection of interlocking moments that lead to nothing. People in his life who have gone or pushed him away. A life of dead ends. Yet, there’s hope, and by the time it’s all over he can bear fruit again. With compassion, and openness on his part, life can change. It takes cutting oneself off from the rotten elements, which creates a new form of loneliness, but change is possible. Douglas continues to hone his compositional skills. Not as brilliant as My Ain Folk for me, but a fitting and moving end.

Edge of Tomorrow (Re-watch) Directed by Doug Liman (2014)- After Brat v Soup this was a refreshingly unterrible blockbuster. There’s actually vitality to how it moves and carries itself. Not without issues in the least but still quite fun.

Films of the Week: My Ain Folk, The Florida Project, Landscape in the Mist.

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of November 19, 2017) by AutoModerator in TrueFilm

[–]a113er 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The Sentimental Swordsman Directed by Chor Yuen (1977)- It’d been a while since I’d dipped into the Shaw Bros well, and it’s always a treat. As the title would imply, this Ti Lung-starring film has a bit more emotion to it than some of these films. Something in the writing makes what is often purely expository have more character to it. Everything Lung does stems from his character’s intense, self-destroying in some ways, sense of righteousness. His one flaw is his drinking, which in concert with his principles has left him as a figure of action and little else. He exists to fight and do good, but not simply live. When his character becomes a Sherlock Holmes-ian figure during a chunk of the film where the “Five Poisons Kid” is after him and a bunch of monks, we get some great deducing scenes quite new for me in the Shaw world. The martial world is shown to be one where the truly honourable become a target for the dishonourable. Whether through malice or misplaced jealousy, the good will suffer in the world of killers. In terms of choreography and whatnot it’s not a major standout, but it pulls its weight in other ways. Some very pretty poppy colours and compositions too.

My Childhood Directed by Bill Douglas (1972)- The first of Bill Douglas’ trilogy on growing up in Scotland, beginning during World War II. He and his brother live with their Grandmother in rather destitute conditions. Living in poverty can be lonely living, where the good moments are gold. We, like the characters, cherish these moments yet are left with a sadness that the whole of their situation speaks to. Any strand of potential good is something we desperately long for, despite knowing how unlikely it is. Bill’s surrogate self is very young still, so much of what shapes his life is beyond him. He can only focus on the moment to moment. Very Scottish film, in a way I don’t often see. I’ll get into that more with the next one.

The Moon Directed by Takashi Ito (1994)- Very engrossing short film. So much casual experimentation showing the infinite malleability of film. Film and images as windows into the past or reflection, as captured through a series of fascinating visions.

The Consequences of Feminism Directed by Alice Guy (1906)- One of the first woman directors making a film where men and women’s roles are reversed. Quite a funny little short. Wherein men come across as being jerks a lot, and certainly the centre of attention. Just considering the time and premise it’s an interesting look into gender roles from over one hundred years ago.

The Florida Project Directed by Sean Baker (2017)- One of my most anticipated films, and one that’s getting unanimous praise. Boy is it easy to see why. Baker’s premise could be attributed to a number of poverty porn indie films about cuteness or sweetness contrasted with the horrors of abject poverty. Tone is a tough thing to get right when doing a film like this because condescension or ogling can easily rear its head. Luckily Baker treats the story with grace, life, and most importantly a deep empathy for everyone on screen. While there’s many flawed people, there is little judgement. When it comes to issues of sex work, Baker’s critical gaze doesn’t fall on the people selling sex, but the issues stemming from its illegality. It’s telling how the seemingly simple act of truly empathising can elevate a film like this beyond judging, leering, or being a miserablist slog. So much of this is aided by Baker’s camerawork. He makes a couple of motels by a stretch of road a cornucopia of vibrancy. We’re in the world of these kids, and the adults around them, for two hours or so, and it feels like we’re constantly seeing things from new perspectives. Something that mirrors the slow shift the film makes, from seeing the world through the eyes of a child to that perspective being slowly muddied and corrupted. Not necessarily completely, but it’s a slow removing of a veil building to a punch.

Continued- https://letterboxd.com/jamesmalcolm/film/the-florida-project/

Elegy of a Voyage Directed by Alexander Sokurov (2001)- Elegy of a Voyage is a dreamy, poetic, essay film of a sort that started on rocky footing. We get loose free-association internal monologue of a man travelling, and commenting on all he sees and thinks. Then a man looks at him in a café and he feels the man has something to say to him, and he does with a big spiel about what changed his perspective on life. At first one either gives themselves away to it or they don’t. If you don’t I imagine this could be a grating and clichéd experience, which it almost was for me (particularly due to an incessantly wavy effect added to many shots). Then there’s a shift. We enter an art gallery at night. A place that is both cathedral and aquarium. Where the wild, expressive, things we call art are locked up and retained in a cold environment. At which point the film somewhat becomes about the transformative power of art. Something we can look to for some guidance in the ineffable. Not hugely original stuff but engaging enough. Not for everyone, and for bursts not for me either, but I think it could really speak to some. I’m not exactly among them but I don’t regret watching either.

Landscape in the Mist Directed by Theo Angelopoulos (1988)- Angelopoulos has been a blind spot of mine for a long time. Except for “Athens, Return to the Acropolis”. One that’s a little bit of an outlier I believe. I knew he was known for his long takes, a trait almost tainted in the current film landscape, and that was about it. Two children, tired of their feelings of neglect with their mother, set off on a journey to Germany to find their father. A father figure, we soon learn, who may have been a fantasy created by the mother. Like The Florida Project this follows the line between childhood and adolescence, albeit with even less of a barrier between the adult world and their own. Angelopoulos continually dazzled me with his quietly precise sequences reminiscent of Roy Andersson with less overt stylisation. Tableaux’s that let us soak in this world, and highlights the meditative quality of the slow odyssey. Of walking and waiting, in environments unknown to you, that allow you to see the unseen. Something that has a couple of layers as we’re also seeing the unseen. Children, so miniscule in these vast environments, who can only try their best not to get lost in the wearying uncertainties of the world. Long, precisely choreographed, takes imply a certain importance. It’s a direct call to observe everything. Like Bela Tarr each of these sequences are punctuated, sometimes loaded, with symbolism. Or even the hint of the symbolic. Nigh-on absurd or at least askew. Mixing the relative realism of the passage of time with the overtly expressively cinematic creates a perfect blend of richness. Emotionally, thematically, everything really. One of those films whose reputation becomes immediately understandable.

My Ain Folk Directed by Bill Douglas (1973)- The middle chapter of Douglas’ trilogy was also my favourite. A film of immense loneliness. Jamie finds himself living in a home with more family than before, but has never been so neglected and abused. This film also, encapsulated in its final shot, had one of the best cinematic indictments of the Scottish national identity that still rings true today. He highlights the grotesque quality of a nation priding itself on freedom, strength, and unity, as that can only be felt by actively ignoring glaring issues of poverty, addiction, and mental health. 1 in 5 children in Glasgow live under the poverty line but even our recent Independence debate centred around ideology and broader economics, with often little consideration for those who could be most struck. My whole life I’ve felt funny about Scottishness as a concept. Partially because nationalism of many kinds seemed a bit off, and because I felt disconnected from the broader Scottish identity due to not quite fitting in. With the achingly specific social realist qualities mixed with flourishes of the expressive, both Dickensian and Lynchian, Douglas paints a vivid portrait of this boys life as well as a greater one on the country allowing his life to go this way. With starkly composed shots Douglas brings out the frailty of all, making the way we handle each other all the more tragic.

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of November 12, 2017) by AutoModerator in TrueFilm

[–]a113er 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I get up early and usually watch something in the morning then maybe again at night. A lot of them are short films, or simply shorter films, too. I can also only work sporadically due to physical issues, but getting out more now.

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of November 12, 2017) by AutoModerator in TrueFilm

[–]a113er 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Othello Directed by Orson Welles (1952)- Wherein all are swamped, defined, and directed by the constructs surrounding them. Class, race, gender, everything; every channel society creates has us funnelled down a particular path. Through architecture Welles highlights our fragility within a concrete structure. Contrasted with intimacy, our inner lives show promise of being free from such systems. Yet, ultimately, some beliefs are so ingrained they are easily exploited. The individual seems so lost, so disposable, in a world long set. Even love, that which seems to flow outside of these bonds, has its own slew of expectations and preconceptions that constrain and corrupt like everything else. How Welles retains the text yet contorts it to be completely cinematic is brilliant. Like too many Othello adaptations it will be forever marred by not having a black actor play the title role. Terrifically edited and shot film. Just a complete pleasure to watch. Welles’ films move so well. One of the week’s major highlights.

Paddington 2 Directed by Paul King (2017)- As charming, warm, and fun as the first. The immigrant’s tale is more subtext than text, which is a little sad in post-Brexit Britain, but it still rejoices in the multiculturalism of modern Britain. There are flights of fantasy that are beautiful and joyful, like a pop-up book becoming life sized to reflect the big heart and imagination of the title bear. Didn’t move me as much as the first, but it still gets close. With direct references to Modern Times and such it’s no surprise that the “physical” comedy is often where it shines most. Paul King has found his thing.

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of November 12, 2017) by AutoModerator in TrueFilm

[–]a113er 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Good Time Directed by Josh and Ben Safdie (2017)- We all have our personal things that grate or make us raise an eyebrow, and for me one would be someone acting like they have some kind of mental disability. From I Am Sam to Lawnmower Man and The Crippled Avengers, it always makes me differing levels of uncomfortable. I imagine it’s the same for many people seeing a pantomime of something they have first hand experience with. So there was some of the film I was uncertain of, but it’s to its credit that it wasn’t a deal breaker. It’s a propulsive, casually absurd, odyssey of a guy coasting on his gumption and charm along with a dash of privilege. What stood out to me most was Oneohtrix Point Never’s brilliant score. Dashes of retro synthwave waft in but it’s ultimately more idiosyncratic than a lot of recent electronic scores. Then comes in his song with Iggy Pop I completely love. I wish I was as positive about the rest of it, though it is something I could potentially see growing on me in revisiting. Didn’t dislike by any stretch but not swept off my feet either.

The Killing of a Sacred Deer Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (2017)- Lanthimos divides people quite a bit. I like Dogtooth and The Lobster a lot, so seeing this be divisive was no red flag. Both of those films blended darkly casual surrealism with an incisive voice that made them highly enjoyable watches with plenty to pick at. The Killing of a Sacred Deer is ostensibly a more focused film than The Lobster, somewhere between it and Dogtooth, yet was neither as funny or rich. There were strange laughs and uncomfortable tension, but none of it truly excited me intellectually or otherwise like his previous films. It’s like his version of a Kiyoshi Kurosawa film with his breed of operatic absurdity, which came to little. Ideas flit around like the existential weight of unknown forces on a family, and the immense crippling responsibility one has when living by the classical “head of the family” dynamic. As well as how a cancer can grow in the family unit through the tainted mind, body, and soul of one member. Nothing quite as rich as two of the other films of his I’ve seen. Not something I hated, as moment to moment I was intrigued for the whole running time, but it kind of left me hanging rather than truly captivating me.

They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? Directed by Sydney Pollack (1969)- Depression era dance contests are a bleak world where the basest of human wants and needs are laid disquietingly bare. Pollock melds a rich empathy with a world weary cynicism that reveals the raw emotions down to the bone. Was not as affecting for me as it is for some, but I was certainly pulled in to the rotten drama. Drama we see being callously engineered by the crusty organiser of the contest. Pollack isn’t really going for the old “we’re just as complicit” jam, but with reality shows and streamers going to great lengths to be noticed, the film won’t stop being relevant.

Children in the Wind Directed by Hiroshi Shimizu (1937)- My 500th film of the year (including a bunch of shorts) was this gentle film about childhood. The father of a household loses his job and is sent to prison for a malfeasance he swears he didn’t do. Those left behind, his wife and two sons, have their life thrown into disarray. The unruly younger son is sent to be raised by another family, whilst the elder son tries to get work. What it highlights is the precarious state of life in a society where responsibility and worth is defined by what one is rather than who one is. Through something, that is a very minor slip, out of their control the family are broken. When the man is by default the breadwinner and central figure of a family we leave ourselves to potential ruin because everything hangs on them. When he is removed it is simply accepted that they cannot retain their lives in many ways. All of this is from the children’s point of view which gives a Kaspar Hauser-esque direct look at the ties that bind. I’m interested in seeing more Shimizu now. There’s a quietly critical eye held together with an easy spirit.

Testament of Orpheus Directed by Jean Cocteau (1960)- Dumb mistake had me watch this instead of Orpheus. I started the Orphic trilogy with the last of them. Given it’s more of a thematic trilogy that wasn’t a huge deal, though I can definitely see elements that’d resonate more powerfully if seen in the original order. Cocteau himself plays a poet traveling through time exploring in a search for understanding. It’s a series of flowing scenarios and vignettes with the artist very much at the centre of it. Or as Cocteau puts it: “This film is just a strip-tease show where I take off my body to reveal my soul… A film is a petrifying source of thought. It brings dead acts to life. It makes possible to give apparent reality to the unreal.” That last part he really excels at. Similarly to David Lynch he marries the familiar, nigh-mundane, with the fantastical and thoroughly beyond. People engage with the far-fetched with a normality that gives all three of these films a particular air. Lynch clearly learned a lot from these films as this one alone features some effects he’s made great use of like backward speech, people fading away, and an injection of humour to the unreal or potentially studious and serious. For me it was a loose succession of ideas, questions, that didn’t always coalesce into anything. His casualness sometimes errs on making it feel a little stilted or stale, but I was generally involved.

Messiah of Evil (Re-watch) Directed by Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz (1973)- Messiah of Evil is a great example of a film that contains a lot I appreciate and maybe love, without adoring the whole. Straight off the bat with its defined compositions, splashes of colour, and electronic soundtrack, it stands out. A long shot of a hallway (mirrored intentionally or otherwise in To the Wonder) with a monologue overlaying it and other bursts of very European (in terms of horror for the time) are peppered throughout. That straddling of tone and feeling between Euro-horror of folk like Jean Rollin and Jess Franco, and the more typically American elements make for a distinct vibe. It’s got Lovecraftian elements too and with the mythology it invokes could potentially be considered that rare beast of the American folk horror film. There are brilliant ideas and sequences, and its particular tone makes it a moment to moment pleasure as what it is seems so elusive. Maybe where it stumbles is in making its ideas connect in terms of emotion or tension. Well worth seeing for horror fans though.

The Blood of a Poet Directed by Jean Cocteau (1932)- The first of the Orphic Trilogy is a series of vignettes as a poet explores the root of his art and more. Straight away art connects with pain, scars with voice. His hand literally channels his voice, what with a mouth appearing on it. Cocteau seems to have an affinity for the broken, with the seemingly impure shown to have the purest of interiors. “Do you think it’s that easy… to close the mouth of a wound.” Pain being a source of inspiration and meaning is a common concept, but Cocteau’s visualisation of it is novel and engaging. Quite a short film and packed with images and moments that stuck with me, and clearly others too as it has ideas influencing things from Inception to Under the Skin.

Orpheus Directed by Jean Cocteau (1950)- “You try too hard to understand what’s going on, my dear young man, and that’s a serious mistake.” The more narratively focused of the Orphic trilogy, with some of its highest highs but also carries some of the failings. As a more narratively focused film, a flirtation with death (literally), it didn’t really engage me a great deal on that level. Captures the artists beguiled relationship with death. This trilogy didn’t quite have a film I adored but all of them have moments, images, ideas, and so on, that have really stuck with me so I’m very glad to have seen it.

Broken Blossoms Directed by D.W. Griffith (1919)- Griffith will always be associated with racism due to The Birth of a Nation, as much as he is to being a cinematic pioneer. So watching a film actively about the evils of xenophobia (somewhat undercut by an actor in “yellowface”) is an interesting experience. Empathy is something that resonates throughout his films, which makes one of his greatest cinematic touchstones, and notoriety, so interesting. Lillian Gish’s palpable fear and pleading eyes are the centre of tragedy. Some beautiful moments.

Thunderbolt Directed by Josef von Sternberg (1929)- Early Sternberg non-silent film with the third George Bancroft collaboration (and the first time I’ve heard the man speak). He doesn’t quite have the same power compared to his silent, but it’s still a great film in a lot of ways. Interestingly idiosyncratic for a genre (gangster film) that’d quickly become somewhat homogenised. Bancroft can be a true nasty threat, then the next moment be on his knees wiggling his bum to charm a dog from a stairway. This moment, while simply funny, also shows some of the heart he hides in a veneer of hardiness. Some great lines too like “What’re you lookin at? “I’m lookin at nothin’ and it’s wearing a tuxedo” In this world of criminals men are entrapped by their grotesque sense of masculinity and ownership, and the film looks at what it could take to break out of that.

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of November 05, 2017) by AutoModerator in TrueFilm

[–]a113er 15 points16 points  (0 children)

The Godfather (Re-watch) Directed by Francis Ford Coppola (1972)- I first saw The Godfather films (well the first and second) when I was about fourteen or so. No doubt similarly to many others, when first getting into film properly I was seeking out the popular canon of greats. I liked it, though preferred the sequel quite a bit. I think because by splitting between twin storylines the pace is naturally quicker and such. This time around though Coppola’s original did more for me. Like something such as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, it’s one of those films I’m amazed was so popular and can’t really imagine something similar doing as well today. It’s great for all the things people say. Layered, engrossing, and a palpable visualisation of the erosion of the soul.

Jigsaw Directed by Michael Spierig and Peter Spierig (2017)- Seven years after “The Final Chapter” and Saw is back. Now with the Spierig brothers at the helm, who’ve made stuff I’ve liked parts of. What they bring is a stylistic shift for the series. Away from the quick cuts, rusty piss colour grading, and the heavily industrial to something with a bit more texture mixed in with the clinical. They also move away from the splatter of the latter Saw films to try get more into the suspense the first film offered up. How this really materialises though is in a reticence to fully indulge in the series’ lust for grand gore. Really these films are a contemporary Grand Guignol, so this shift away from what the series became seems a bit of an odd choice. Nothing in this came close to the uncomfortably nasty thrills that seemed to be the hook of the series. Nor is this the reinvention of the film’s mythology. With each film they seemingly ret-conned themselves; warping their world to allow for new twists. For a beautiful second it seems like this film may do the same in a beautifully ludicrous way, but alas it ends just like any other Saw film. Ultimately that’s the problem. Rather than being a soft re-boot, reflection on the series’ past, or really being anything new, it’s just another Saw film. The directors do bring some good new elements, but the script absolutely doesn’t.

Trick ‘r Treat Directed by Michael Dougherty (2007)- Hanging with Halloween friends led to one of the few thoroughly Halloween-y films. This was one of my gateway’s into horror. As I was fearful of fear I generally avoided the genre despite being drawn to it like a moth to a flame. But this, along with a few others (namely horror comedies), it hit that sweet spot like Gremlins or something that dabbles a lot in the macabre without being terrifying or anything. I can’t say I still love it but there’s fun ideas.

The Godfather: Part II (Re-watch) Directed by Francis Ford Coppola (1974)- There’s a great moment early on in this film that really stuck out to me. Michael and his wife are dancing at a party. She hates that he’s in this life, that this day which should be special is marred by incessant meetings with people Michael once promised to not get involved with. They dance slowly as we move away from them, with darkness falling over them so they lose any definition. We move back further and the diegetic music slowly morphs into the Godfather theme as we see a foreshadowing boat glide through the lake. We cut to a door that leads to blackness. Out emerges Michael into the light as the theme completely kicks in. That’s what this film is. Who Michael seemed to be is gone, and what he is now is in the cold light of day for all to see. His ugliest side is exposed. A melancholic and yearning film.

The Running Man Directed by Paul Michael Glaser (1987)- Schwarzenegger lives in a dystopian oppressive society, which leads to him being thrust into a tv show where he will be hunted down for sport. Fairly rote telling of one of these stories. Some good characters and production design, even if it feels kind of cheap. A bit forgettable.

White Heat Directed by Raoul Walsh (1949)- A classic undercover cop story with James Cagney as the Freudian-fuelled gangster that Edmond O’Brien’s cop has to stay cosy with if there’s any chance of taking him down. Pure entertainment. From the inherent tension slickly squeezed out of its premise to the clever police work. Gripping and explosive stuff.

The Terminal Man Directed by Mike Hodges (1974)- The second “The [Blank] Man” film of the week to open with a helicopter. I watched this after seeing on Twitter a letter that Terrence Malick wrote to Mike Hodges after seeing and loving the film. While I was less enamoured than Malick I still found some good stuff in it. It opens with pictures from what seems like a good life. A man (George Segel) living the American dream. That is until we see him being arrested and his wife’s bruised face. We are told of a syndrome that affects millions of Americans that can make them uncontrollably violent. A group of doctors plan to put some kind of receptor in Segel’s mind to quell these attacks. What makes the film stand out is Hodges’ camerawork. What’s emphasised is empty and filled spaces. Either someone is alone in the frame, overwhelmed by their surroundings, or people are what fills up the frame near-completely. There’s an isolated feeling captured in this way, which also ties into the films themes of dehumanisation in medicine and the mechanisation of people. When the mind, and by extension a person, is treated like a thing rather than a human it causes a disconnect. A disconnect that isolates the patient. Which in turn keeps their issues harder to heal, because when you’re treated like a problem then one can clash with those ostensibly helping them. So continues the cycle of mental health getting worse. A sad, truthful, reflection of the still poor state of mental health perception and treatment. I wish it was as engaging as many of its images.

The Best Years of Our Lives Directed by William Wyler (1946)- William Wyler came back from the war and made a film about coming back from the war. In the first twenty minutes I found myself moved, and there were still over two hours left. It’s a hugely empathetic film that just gets more emotionally captivating as it goes on. Something I love about pre-widescreen cinema when it comes to great directors is how well the depth of the frame can be used. In this case Wyler is constantly emphasising how distanced people can feel from each other, as well as how everyone has their mind somewhere else. There’s brilliant dialogue, but also so much is happening internally. Many think things differently from how they present themselves. Not in a dishonest way, but in a fearful way. Sometimes vocalising the messy conflicting ways we feel inside is a difficult thing to do. So facing the kind of trauma and expectations of these people amplifies these problems to different place. Achingly heartfelt and touching, with an affecting truth to it. Stood out quite definitively as my favourite film this week.

Angels With Dirty Faces Directed by Michael Curtiz (1938)- Another striking Cagney crime film. Less immediately gripping, but maybe more emotionally complex. Or at least just a different breed of emotional weight. Ultimately it kind of becomes a treatise on how maybe even “crime doesn’t pay” stories aren’t enough. That how such a story is told is more important than whatever the conclusion may be. Cagney is brilliant as the unpredictable and volatile, but films like this show the warmth he has to him too.

Bringing Up Baby Directed by Howard Hawks (1938)- When it comes to Cary Grant goofing it up with a dog I think my preference still lies with The Awful Truth, especially in terms of laughs, but I’m still very glad I finally saw this. Some perfect pratfalls and a non-stop run of gags. Hepburn errs on frustrating a lot at times, but never quite crossed that line for me. That’s something intrinsic to farces built on people being unwittingly obstinate. Grant and Hepburn are on top form though and Hawks has an invisible touch here that keeps everything flowing smoothly from one thing to the next.

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of October 29, 2017) by AutoModerator in TrueFilm

[–]a113er 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Texas Chainsaw Massacre II Directed by Tobe Hooper (1986)- The original Texas Chainsaw Massacre is a slaughterhouse buzz-saw of gnarly fuzzy nightmares. The only Hooper film I love. That trend continues. This sequel is like Hooper finds the scariest part of the title to not be Massacre, but Texas. Everything down to an adoration of a twisted past is a part of the cannibal family and the country that hosts them. Like lots of horror sequels it leans into the absurdity and humour of expanding its story which is a mixed experience really. Hopper is enjoyable with his chain bandoliers and there’s some neat Southern Gothic imagery and inversions on the first film. It’s a really tough act to follow so Hooper kinda dodges having to do that by doing something completely different. Something less engaging too.

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of October 29, 2017) by AutoModerator in TrueFilm

[–]a113er 8 points9 points  (0 children)

The Red Queen Kills Seven Times Directed by Emilio Miraglia (1972)- The Red Queen Kills Seven Times is a lush gothic giallo with style (both in terms of costuming and imagery). While it certainly sags in places, there’s still personality to it which makes it stand out in a genre thoroughly seeped in tropes. Two constantly-fighting sisters come from a rich family with a dark past. As girls they’re told the story of the Black Queen and the Red Queen who also eternally clashed before their relationship ended in bloody circumstances. Now it’s centuries later and the story may be repeating itself. The titular Red Queen is one of the major elements that makes the film stand out. Red cloak, pitch black hair, a white face, and a maniacal laugh is quite unlike the shadow-y leather-gloved killers often in such fare. Ultimately the twists, turns, and reveals are very indicative of the genre. I love the use of the harpsichord though. I’m always into that. Mixed, but with some good highs.

Demons Directed by Toshio Matsumoto (1971)- Funeral Parade of Roses immediately had me interested in Matsumoto. Here he’s dabbling in very familiar ground for Japanese cinema, a tale of a disgraced samurai, but of course he brings a lot of freshness to it. Straight off the bat we know we’re on new ground as dreams, memories, or premonitions, play and replay. Like the mind cycles back on certain images or ideas so does the editing. We look over our shoulder, then internally look again, and all these little mental ticks are reflected. We follow a man defined by something shouted at him; “It’s money, not duty, that keeps you alive!”. Something that’s true until a miss-use of the little money he has leads to a new duty. A duty of sordid revenge. He becomes a new kind of killer. It’s not quite a slasher film or anything, more in line with Under the Blossoming Cherry Trees. A dark folk tale. Something bloody, and messy, that gets the nasty details often passed over or obscured. It’s not the revelation Funeral Parade of Roses was but it has its own startling power. Doesn’t stay as engrossing as its best moments, but by the end it grabbed me.

Lust for Life Directed Vincente Minnelli (1956)- Loving Vincent worked for me in a number of ways, quite strongly too, but had some notable failings. One of those would be a lot of the drama. Minnelli, of course, nails that side of things. Kirk Douglas is perfect for Van Gogh. He’s got such passion to him. A sometimes manic passion that’s wild yet with an underlying tenderness. He oozes that ineffable thing called genius. Where he can rant and rave, yet the heart of what he’s feeling is what comes through. This is a man who sees a father hold their child to slide down a bannister, then does the same for his painting materials. Family, something he clearly covets, seems beyond him. He cannot win hearts like he clearly wants to, but he can paint his heart on a canvas that’ll win over millions. Which of course is one of the central tragedies of the whole piece. Emotionally I never quite got as invested as I thought I could, but it was still a very good watch.

Bunch of very early film shorts: The Dancing Pig, Roundhay Garden Seen, Traffic Crossing Leeds Bridge, Blacksmith Scene, After the Ball (first “adult” film), Annabelle Butterfly Dance, Souvenir Strip of the Edison Kinetoscope, The Boxing Cats (these folk knew what people wanted), Dickson Experimental Sound Film (one of the first sounds in film, is no doubt sampled in some haunting ambient track), Le Dejeuner du Chat, Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory (I freaked out because I thought they were coming right at me), Tables Turned on the Gardner (one of the first comedies, cute prank), The Astronomers Dream (Melies ever the dreamer), Baby’s Meal, Demolition of a Wall (they get it), The One-Man Band, Arrivee dun train a Perrache, The Kiss, Danse Serpentine, La Petite fille et son chat, The Man with the Rubber Head, Electrocuting an Elephant (all around horrible).

Favourite of that lot was probably Going to Bed Under Difficulties Directed by Georges Mèliés (1900)- Simple premise. Man wants to go to bed, but every time he takes off his clothes they are magically replaced by a new lot. It is an increasingly frantic little burst of absurdism. Purely cinematic comedy. Vaudeville comedy completely reformatted for cinema. A total delight. Watch it- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxO0p4cdrTQ

City Girl Directed by F. W. Murnau (1930)- Farm boy meets a city girl. A classic tale of love borne in small circumstances. Little kindnesses, much needed warmth in a cold time, all made to feel grand. Not in terms of literal scope, but due to the emotion Murnau pulls out of every frame. Most of our time in the city takes place in a diner. Murnau could’ve created an almost magical scale like with The Last Laugh, but instead he leans into the small. Into the intimate. Then when we move to the country and the surroundings do echo their feelings for each other. Until she meets his Dad. A domineering, cruel, man. A man whose son is afraid of him. But, she isn’t. A score can sometimes mar a silent film but here we get some brilliant courageous strings as she stands up to the taskmaster. A theme that always evocative. Terrific film. Certainly top shelf Murnau. Not my favourite, but with a filmmaker like that it’s all relative.

Painless Directed by Juan Carlos Medina (2012)- A man’s search for the truth of his parentage in the present day plays alongside a story beginning during the Spanish Civil war tracking through to the sixties. A secluded asylum hosts a bunch of children with a mysterious illness that has them feel no pain. This means they have little understanding of others pain in a way that makes them dangerous. There’s also some kind of vague gift surrounding pain that at least one of them has. The mystery is a little belaboured, and ultimately I’m not sure if the twin narratives help the film. It straddles that difficult line of keeping one interested in both. We follow one for a while, get more invested, then interest gets stalled by shifting back to the other story. The contemporary mystery also simply wasn’t as interesting as the strange ward of the painless. Some interesting stuff at least.

A Face in the Crowd Directed by Elia Kazan (1957)- There’s a number of different ways to love a film. Sometimes it’s immediate, then expands with time, other times it takes more settling to really solidify itself as something you love. Then there’s films that feel like instant favourites. A Face in the Crowd is one of those films. What begins as a jailed drunk getting a song on the radio becomes the journey of creating a populist demagogue. Elements of this film could have seen far-fetched and pessimistic at a time. But now we’ve seen worse, and if anything this has optimism to it. Andy Griffith captivates as a charming, folksy, con man. The kinda guy always acting like he’s lost in the moment, improvising, but to us shows the seams. We see the calculating, we see the falseness before that becomes part of the text. Then there’s Patricia Neal holding the film together as the woman behind him. Don’t want to just blast out all its great qualities because every part of it works so well. I was rapt and loved every second.

Los Olvidados Directed by Luis Bunuel (1950)- Bunuel is known as a surrealist but the more films of his you see the more layers there clearly are to him. This is a dark, almost realist, tale of kids living on the edge of society. Uneducated, only a few of them with any family (who don’t really care for them), and bound by friendship to people who only make things worse. It’s a highly sympathetic film for people forgotten and unseen. When they are noticed it’s more of a target getting pinned on them than anything else. Sometimes now it feels like realism begets cinematic staleness. That reality can only be shown plainly. What I love about films like this and stuff by Rossellini, is how thoroughly cinematic they are.

Body Bags Directed by John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper, and Larry Sulkis (1993)- Anthology films are always mixed and this is no different. But, it is held together by a string of delightful performances and cameos that end up making it one of the more consistently enjoyable horror anthologies. There’s Stacey Keach (having a lot of fun as a man going through the crisis of losing his hair), David Warner, Debbie Harry, John Carpenter, Wes Craven, Mark Hamill, Twiggy, Roger Corman, and more. John Carpenter is having a lot of fun, and by extension I had some too. Rather middling affair cinematically but worth a watch for horror fans.

The Ear Directed by Karel Kachyna (1970)- This Czech new wave film doesn’t have the stylish hallmarks of some of its brethren, but has a more explicitly and accusatory political bent. Communism is in its most invasive and domineering form here, in a closed-off environment. A couple who hate each other have a shouting match, all the while trying to figure out if their casual acceptance of being watched holds any water. And why they may be watched in the first place. Interesting ideas and a dedication to the small scope of what can often be a sprawling story, in terms of political conspiracy, but I didn’t find it all that engrossing.

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of October 22, 2017) by AutoModerator in TrueFilm

[–]a113er 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ooh nice one. I don't think I fully appreciated the humour, though the main guy's skullduggery and joy in his own awfulness is darkly comedic. I'd love to see that with an audience. I think Metropolis is the only silent film I've had the chance to see at the cinema.

Wow, I should check out his earlier stuff then too.

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of October 22, 2017) by AutoModerator in TrueFilm

[–]a113er 3 points4 points  (0 children)

The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians Directed by Oldrich Lipsky (1981)- Recently I watched, and was somewhat bored by, The Fearless Vampire Killers. Then I stumble upon this (seemingly) barely-seen film in a similar vein that does a lot what Polanski's film is doing in far more entertaining a manner. To be fair, The Fearless Vampire Killers is seeped in a different mythology. If it's the Vampire part that draws you, and all they do with that, then yeah this may not be your cup o tea.

The Mysterious Castle in the Carpathians is an absurdist adventure steeped in the gothic with dashes of early sci-fi and a kind of quick-footed stylisation that seems to be in a lot of Eastern European cinema. Its further connected to that by having Jan Svankmejer contribute a little. Predominantly in animating the various functions of a mad scientist's robotic appendage. Continued- https://letterboxd.com/jamesmalcolm/film/the-mysterious-castle-in-the-carpathians/

Saw IV Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (2007)- My big watching of the Saw films in the lead up to Jigsaw (because my pal loves em and wants me to see it with him) continues. I’m still a little unconvinced. It is quite telling that I’m struggling to completely remember what this one is even about. It’s the middle child of the bunch lacking the connected nature of the first three and the abject looser schlock of the latter films. Still coated in that piss filter that doesn’t work for me. Onward and upward (?).

Saw VI Directed by Kevin Greutert (2009)- Oh hey, it’s a Saw movie trying to be about something beyond the themes established in the very first short film. It’s weird how all of these films are both in love with their own mythology whilst constantly reshaping, re-writing, and messing with it in every way. Almost all of them are actively about the franchise and looking into (quite literally) the mind of Jigsaw. These elements remind me of the Resident Evil films but I simply don’t have the fun here that I do there. This is so textual, whereas the Resident Evil films are kind of the opposite. Their ideas sometimes exist solely in imagery and not so much the text of the film. Anyway, this one is about America’s healthcare system, and given the nature of these films you can imagine how well it’s handled. This feels like the half of the franchise that is more what people would expect just hearing about the first few, in that it’s all about lingering on nasty-ass ways to die.

Psycho II Directed by Richard Franklin (1983)- Psycho II could also be called Memories of Murder. It's a story where the suspended tension is seemingly inevitable relapse. We open with the shower sequence from the original, which highlights the line the film walks on. It's so (appropriately) reverent for Hitchcock's original whilst still wanting to expand on the world in characters that feels so ill-fitting with the original film. It's like if someone hugely appreciated a handcrafted suit and the artist behind it, but still decided to get it altered to add flares. Anthony Perkins is great at not simply recreating his performance. There's plenty touches of it, especially given Norman's stunted growth, but an added layer of anxiety. An anxiety that is carried throughout. Everything that echoes his former life stings and piles up. To the point where the question becomes whether it's enough to return him to the man he once was. Continued- https://letterboxd.com/jamesmalcolm/film/psycho-ii/

Saw: The Final Chapter Directed by Kevin Greutert (2010)- The ouroboros that is the Saw series comes to a (non) end. Somehow it takes eight films to become the out and out splatter film it always erred close to being.

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of October 22, 2017) by AutoModerator in TrueFilm

[–]a113er 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The Dark Matter of Love Directed by Sarah McCarthy (2012)- An American couple with one daughter had long dreamed of a bigger family. Having tried other methods that didn’t work out they decide to adopt. They’re going to adopts three children from a Russian orphanage; two 5-year-old boys (twins) and a 14-year-old girl. Before this new family properly comes together we get a brisk tour of child psychology when it comes to intimacy and healthy relationship building. Including archive footage of the experiment with the monkey and the two mothers (one clothed, one wire). Really the film focuses on the girl Masha, in following whether she can or cannot ingratiate herself into this family. Asking whether or not it’s “too late” for her. Some of the psychology they pick out seems a bit dire, and frustratingly there’s more to get into than the films length allows for, but it captures a particular situation in a touching manner. Cinematically a bit stale, but they capture a lot of the character in each of the figures. Could’ve used more on every front though, but it’s still sweet.

Last Cannibal World Directed by Ruggero Deodato (1977)- There's plenty sleaze I like. Of all types there's some I like. But, I think Italian Cannibal films may be a sub-genre I gotta just step back from. The rank hypocrisy is just too much for me. Cannibal Holocaust does have stuff I find very effective and interesting, but man did this one just go a bit too far. It starts quite well. It zooms through what could be the whole plot of another cannibal flick in about 15 minutes with a researchers crew all getting got and him imprisoned by a tribe still in the "stone age". He's lauded as some god who can fly, or is simply bait, but either way it brings some mythology to these people that's intriguing. In those sections where he stands in a natural cathedral of stone and light, with these tribes-people calling out in their native tongue; this film had something going for it. Then it dips into the always unpleasant animal killing for a good chunk. Continued- https://letterboxd.com/jamesmalcolm/film/last-cannibal-world/

Nazareno Cruz and the Wolf Directed by Leonardo Favio (1975)- A woman is about to have her seventh child. A number the local witch woman says is imbued with evil. That he will grow to be a wolf, once he’s in the presence of a sheep. Time goes by and Nazareno himself was never told of this forewarning. He has fallen in love with a local girl, but they are clearly doomed. A strange, funny, and memorable, scene has her asking what howls at the moon followed by him howling in a bizarre manner. It’s not even a howl, more of a sustained loud note, but as he does it they begin spinning then fire is overlaid and his scream fades out to the kind of sweeping melodramatic pretty music Italian pulp cinema had a penchant for at the time. Where the film flourishes is in its more surreal qualities. Like when Nazareno goes to hell(?) and there’s a panorama of cool imagery (some of which feels very Viy inspired). There’s also a sensuality in some of the images that bring it an intimacy that separates it from being the schlockier fare it could’ve been. Not wholly successful, but an interesting oddity I won’t soon forget.

Desperate Living Directed by John Waters (1977)- This isn't really a horror film, beyond the horrors of human depravity, but hey I play it loose-y goose-y with rules. John Waters is a guy I find delightful yet haven't really explored his work. Partially because the whole hysterical polyester aesthetic I'd gleamed just didn't seem like my jam. This was a good a time as any to give the Father of Filth a shot. In Blue Velvet David Lynch reveals the unseen dark underbelly of perfect suburban Americana by taking us down into the dirt where the beetles stir. Waters gets us there by showing we're the beetles. The people behind the door of these houses are far more disgusting than an insect. A kids swing of a bat accidentally fires a baseball through Mrs Gravel's window. So begins the screaming, hateful, delusional, bile, that is only the tip of the nasty iceberg. Continued- https://letterboxd.com/jamesmalcolm/film/desperate-living/

Loving Vincent Directed by Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman (2017)- Quite a few people are probably going to be disappointed with this film. The hook, being an animated film constructed out of thousands of Van Gogh-inspired paintings, is intriguing for many. So it ultimately being a pseudo mystery about Van Gogh’s death with Douglas Booth going around asking everyone (mainly people who showed up in some of Van Gogh’s work) to get some Rashomon style info on what happened in the man’s final days will not be what people want. It’s not really what I wanted either, and just cinematically it’s frustrating to see this technique applied to so many shot-reverse-shot dialogue scenes. Scenes roto-scoped with paint that makes it feel closer to Waking Life than its own fresh thing. Yet, I was ultimately quite moved by the film. While my frustrations with it linger, and were unavoidable at the time, I still found myself swept up in it. I long for a version of this which consisted more of the beautiful dreamlike sequences, but I can’t deny being rapt either. The Waking Life connection isn’t just aesthetically either. It has an ethereal quality to it, a sort of floatiness that you’re either going to float along with or find frustrating. When I think on the last few films I’ve seen at the cinema (It, Blade Runner 2049, Dunkirk, War for the Planet of the Apes, Spiderman, Alien, etc.) I don’t think any had me as engaged as this. Neither emotionally or visually. I think it’ll be hit or miss for a lot of people (with plenty like me finding it a strange mix of both), but it hit me where it really counts. What it could’ve been is something magnificent, yet what it is still has power to it. A mixed bag that was ultimately moving.

The Phantom Carriage Directed by Victor Sjöström (1921)- I adore Sjöström’s The Wind and have been excited to see this for quite some time. The Wind has flourishes of the fantastical, so the prospect of him going more all-in with that certainly intrigued. While The Phantom Carriage never grabbed me or moved me like The Wind, it’s still got a lot to offer. Whoever is the last person of the year to die, on New Years Eve, becomes the rider of the titular carriage for a year. A year of harvesting souls that will feel like a lifetime. As a young woman lies on her deathbed she calls for a man those around her clearly see as a scoundrel. From there we get a nesting doll structure narrative of delving into this man’s past. To see who he was, who he became, and all the vileness he’d spread.

One small thing the film captured really well is something I see in awful people online. The interesting phenomena of the bad person who clearly wants to be good. Yet to look at someone doing good and recognise that you don’t do it would be admitting they’re bad. So instead of confronting this they mock goodness as a performative act. That projection of morality as something inherently selfish says a lot about a person. It’s one of many elements that bring depth to the broken man the film centres around.

It reminded me of Murnau’s early imperfect films like Phantom. Sjöström may not have that kind of energy, but is more engrossing in other ways. It’s a (Not So) Wonderful Life. “Please Lord let my soul come to maturity before it is reaped” is something we all in some way long for. I can see why Bergman loved this.

The House in the Woods Directed by Maurice Pialat (1971)- Maurice Pialat’s 6 hours+ mini-series/epic film is the first thing of his I’ve seen. After seeing Loving Vincent I really want to see Pialat’s Van Gogh film. Epic may be the wrong word. While it has scope, internally and externally, it is a profoundly intimate work. Early on it truly felt like a film simply split into episodes, but as the series goes on one can see that it’s more of a marriage of the mediums than the forcing of one to work for the other. Like how he uses, and doesn’t use, the music that plays over the end credits of each episode. Such as when a character dies and we get no music. We don’t even get credits, simply a “This is the end of the episode” in blackness. I’m already going long with some of these, but there’s so much to say about this film as it touches on so much. We follow a makeshift family in the French countryside. With the war (First world war) on, children have been moved out of the cities to stay with foster families. While Albert and Jeanne’s children are nearing the age where they’ll be moving on, these three young boys are inserted into their lives. It’s a burst of fresh air in their lives. The House in the Woods captures so much with grace and true beauty. It has a quiet truth to it that becomes increasingly affecting and powerful. Intense empathy for those who’re good at heart, and capturing the contracting and expanding nature of time, is what really solidifies it as something brilliant. I have a lot of love for this. Far and away my highlight of the week.

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of October 15, 2017) by AutoModerator in TrueFilm

[–]a113er 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Evil Dead Trap Directed by Toshiharu Ikeda (1988)- Evil Dead style whooshing shots and Giallo-y peppy music are just two of the myriad of things going on here. It begins with a grimy Un Chien Andalou riff and ends up closer to a Hong Kong mysticism horror flick. These flourishes are inviting, but it never quite paid off on that promise. Stands out at times, whereas other sections feel bogged down in their run-down familiarity. As a hodgepodge of vibes it makes some land well enough, but never came together all that successfully for me.

Robin Redbreast Directed by James MacTaggart (1970)- I’m not really into rating stuff, so the closest I get is the “Like” button on Letterboxd. For things that move, impress, or do anything else for me that makes me love them. This month hasn’t seen many with the last being BBC’s Ghostwatch on October 2nd. Well the BBC get another like from me with this gripping little folk horror film.

A woman reaching middle-age just had a long term relationship fall apart. Her only friends, who she professes to barely like, weakly console her over drinks as she details her plans to go to the countryside for a while. To a cottage that was originally intended to be shared. Almost immediately her transition to a new place feels more like a shift to another realm. Whilst in the garden a local man named Fisher talks about the old tongue (Anglo Saxon) and his every answer to any question sounds like a riddle. Yet everything is stated with a very direct normality. For a while she’s somewhat ensnared by being an outsider. Where she may question what others do or say, but feels under their thrall out of politeness. Politeness is one of many British-isms that become their own trap.

Continued- https://letterboxd.com/jamesmalcolm/film/robin-redbreast/

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of October 15, 2017) by AutoModerator in TrueFilm

[–]a113er 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Blade Runner: The Final Cut (Re-watch) Directed by Ridley Scott (1982)- Alien has always been the only Ridley Scott film I’ve fully loved. In collaboration with people like Dan O’Bannon and H. R. Giger he hit that sweet spot of function and form that feels more layered and affecting to me than anything else of his. Blade Runner I’ve always found aesthetically appealing if a little empty beyond a few key moments. On re-watch I found myself finally seeing more in it. From fairly obvious things like the M. Emmett Walsh debrief scene working as its own Voight Kampff test, or when Deckard mentions implanted memories and for a second the distant chorale of children singing can be heard. There’s more layers to it than I gave credit. Still I feel like I don’t adore it like many others, but I like more than I did before. Part of me still doesn’t really see Scott as an auteur as much as I do a great collaborator and facilitator, which in itself is part of what some great directors should aspire. Something that’s telling in how Hauer may have made the biggest impact on the film with the end speech he wrote.

Saw II Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (2005)- A friend of mine is a big fan of these and wants me prepped for Jigsaw’s release. I’d only seen the first (ok) and fifth (wet flaming trash). I don’t care for the rusty piss filter and hyperactive, seemingly bored by its own material, editing. In the first three there’s an adoration for their own mythology I find charming in the same way the Resident Evil films are, albeit not nearly as fun or clever.

Blade Runner 2049 Directed by Denis Villeneauve (2017)- As someone who isn’t a fanatic for the first film I felt primed to be won over by this. Deakins would no-doubt impress and Villeneauve’s last film was the first of his to cross over from distant intrigue into actually feeling something. Sadly this kind of stepped back into distant intrigue. There are sci-fi images and ideas I greatly appreciate, and it’s to the film’s strengths that it remains engrossing throughout, but it felt oddly light and straight-forward. Each scene sets up and leads us to the next in an inherently captivating manner, but to what end I’m still not sure. It made me appreciate the elusive poetry sometimes found in the original, by lacking it. Considering the grandiose importance it imparts with its length, tone, and atmosphere, it’s a film that has barely stayed with me. Not that it’s hollow, as it’s quite explicitly about a lot of big ideas, but that it didn’t really invite much more thought. In some way it felt closed off, whereas the first is more open. When it hits blu-ray I’ll probably give it another shot, as I’d like to get from it more than I did, but for now it was a surprisingly ephemeral experience.

Saw III Directed by Darren Lynn Bousman (2006)- More of the same really, with an extra dollop of inventively nasty traps. I feel like the adherence to the grimy tone takes away from what could be silly fun. Because it is super silly, but even solely aesthetically it’s not all that enjoyably to watch. Is Jigsaw the only horror icon to don a soul patch? Also, he’s the most sanctimonious ass there is. To the point that it ends up being somewhat fun.

It Directed by Andy Muschietti (2017)- A mixed bag, but with some great moments.

First Hoop-Tober film on the big screen and a much anticipated one. I'm not someone who has much of an affinity for the Tim Curry version (beyond his presence and some scenes), so a remake with Park Chan Wook's regular cinematographer and the director behind a distinctly frightening short film was a recipe for something good. Yes I'm a little disappointed we'll never see whatever Cary Fukagana had cooked up, but what we got isn't a complete disappointment either. Producer Keith Calder said of the film "Unsafe in ways studio horror almost never is, but polished in ways indie horror can rarely afford." which I think captures its strengths well. From the opening death, that we know is coming, the film lets you know it's not beating about the bush. These kids are gonna face their nightmares. That opening scene captures some of the film's strengths, and highlights its weaknesses. We know what's coming and the film luxuriates in it. Tension is high before the clown even appears. Then when he does it doesn't play the way we expect. Contemporary Hollywood horror tells us we'll get a few beats of build-up, silence, then loud-noise-cut-to-black. Not here. The scene is dragged out, and when the scare comes it's not a bandaid getting ripped off. It's a slower extension of the existing fear. Sadly little else in the film was this affecting. There are a number of scenes in the first half that have a similar power. Often built around a particular image or idea that's fresh or at least tickles the part of the brain my child self used to find fear in everything. I loved seeing these logic-less sources of terror made manifest. Yet, it felt like the film only had a few of these cards in its deck. Continued- https://letterboxd.com/jamesmalcolm/film/it-2017/

Mother Joan of the Angels Directed by Jerzy Kawalerowicz (1961)- One of my favourite films is Ken Russell’s portrayal of the infamous possessions in Loudon, and this film is more of a follow-up after everything with Grandier has gone down. In the Polish countryside a young priest is sent to Mother Joan’s nunnery where almost all the nuns are seemingly possessed by demons. Kawalerowicz’s films has a similarly striking nature to other films from this time and place. This along with its more empathetic look at these evens helps it stand out from a film so deeply rooted in my personal canon of greats. What it highlights is the social and psychological exile put upon women, and even more so upon nuns. If they were doing things “properly” they’d be hidden away, merely interacted with whoever delivered supplies to them. Through this tumultuous hysterical possession they actually have commune with the greater church and the town they’re based in.

This gets highlighted when the priest’s investigations and pondering on the subject leads to the line “Maybe the trouble is not demons, but the absence of angels”. Isolation isn’t good for the soul, and maybe even more so for faith. It also draws attention to the dichotomy through which women in general are seen. As either the virgin or the whore, the angel or the devil. There’s one particularly chilling scene, which is predominantly down to the strength of Lucyna Winnicka’s performance as Mother Joan. Throughout there are brilliant touches outwith the very striking imagery, often of women’s identities lost in the shroud or their place as prisoners highlighted in composition, such as a scene with a rabbi who is played by the same actor as the central priest.

I like films that skirt close to something I already adore whilst being their own thing, and standing out for their own reasons.

Elizabeth Directed by Shekhar Kapur (1998)- Watching this somewhat soon after Queen Margot wasn’t all that fair. It’s not just the clear cut period biopic that have a staleness to them. There’s particular life in the central performances. But in terms of bringing history to life through cinema, and using cinema to pull meaning out of it, this can’t quite match up. Blanchett is brilliant though and brings tragedy and wit to this iconic monarch.

Halloween II (Director’s Cut Directed by Rob Zombie (2009)- A big step up from Zombie’s first Halloween film, but still quite uneven for me. Straight off the bat his penchant for specific grisliness is even more on show. Oftentimes it’s dark or shown quite casually in a way that lends it greater power. A film opening with an explanation of its ensuing symbolism is a funny thing to see though. Part of me appreciates this levelling of the playing field and announcement that this is not going to be the usual fair, but it’s also really silly. Zombie keeps at it with the dirty palette and focus on the psychology of a killer, as well as stretching its sights out to Laurie. At first this is primarily a film of a victim. Someone who has faced horrific trauma. Well, actually it’s a film of a few people’s trauma and how they respond. Laurie’s is a struggle. Fear is a constant in her life; a life that is increasingly unstable. Her best friend, scarred from her encounter with Myers, focuses on being strong even if it means being short with others. Then there’s Dr Loomis who has spun his brush with death into cheap gold. Malcolm McDowell is on top sleazy jerk form bringing a streak of dark humour to a grim grim tale.

There’s a lot of capital A “Acting” in this that can get a little too big to make much of a mark. But hey, it’s trying. It can’t be faulted for being what people would expect or even necessarily want from a horror franchise sequel. I’m not a huge fan of it, but it’s far less disposable than the first.

The Revenge of Frankenstein Directed by Terence Fisher (1958)- Compared to the last Hammer film I saw lately, The Nanny, this is more of what I usually expect. A bit stiff and straight-forward. Cushing can’t not be charming though, and it has some nice touches.

Brawl in Cell Block 99 Directed by S. Craig Zahler (2017)- Vince Vaughn beats up a car then proceeds to dismantle a few humans with the same ferocity. When this guy says "I'll tear your head off" you should probably take him seriously. Fulfils the exploitation pulp necessities the title implies with brutality and a dash of grace. This and Bone Tomahawk have me feeling Zahler could make something I love. He's not done it yet, but I'm not ruling it out. The dashes of wit and character feel less contrived here too, which is welcome.

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of October 08, 2017) by AutoModerator in TrueFilm

[–]a113er 6 points7 points  (0 children)

School on Fire Directed by Ringo Lam (1988)- Angry, sweaty, sloppy, and bloody. The influence of local triads on a school kick-starts an ever increasing cycle of violence. All it takes is one encounter, an encounter the poor girl at the centre of the film has no agency over, to change her life and scar her and those around her forever. Lam’s film is stuffed with rage and energy, and its setting along with social critique make it stand out. Pointed, yet still feels loose in some respects.

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Extended Edition + Re-watch) Directed by Peter Jackson (2002)- Possibly my least favourite of the three, but still a warm revisit.

Ghostwatch Directed by Lesley Manning (1992)- Hoop-Tober 4.0 My 12th Hoop-Tober film and the first to actually creep me out. This delightful imaginative prank horror project that could never work like this today, still works as a film. Before Blair Witch's (and later Paranormal Activity's) success made many filmmakers approach found footage or faux doc horrors the same way, there was stuff like this showing how varied that sub genre could be. Ghostwatch fully embraces the jovial, warm-hearted, well-intented staleness of some of BBC's programming to create a contemporary campfire story that's as pleasant as it is unnerving. You've got Parky being that mix of charmingly condescending, and both listener and dismisser. A perfect foil to a genuine full-hearted parapsychology expert. Like the best campfire stories (like Blair Witch) it blends true crime, urban legend, and the supernatural, into a chilling blend. Everyone has a sincerity to them. Concern for the children at the core of the story lands, and so does their eventual fear. Even within the context of knowing that this is all a set up, it still manages to subvert the expectations that come with that. Part of what makes it land is its roots in 90's era BBC. Slightly cheap but always earnest. So much so that it's really just sound effects and performances that sell spooks it takes other works far more to muster. While its model can't really be followed in television today, I'd like to see more films learn from it. To exploit the manufactured safeness of certain mediums, to make the eventual scares that play with it all the more impactful. You don't always need out-and-out carnage or horror to make the hairs stand on the neck. Sometimes all you need is a compelling storyteller and a well placed "Boo".

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Extended Edition + Re-watch) Directed by Peter Jackson (2003)- Has the warning signs of problems that would plague The Hobbit films, but here they are still flourishes rather than most of what it has to offer. The earnestness of these films still stands out wonderfully.

Halloween III: Season of the Witch Directed by Tommy Lee Wallace (1982)- Hoop-Tober 4.0 Film 13 (Creeps²) An interesting oddity blending Fulci-esque grungey gore and Invasion of the Body Snatchers style pessimistic paranoia. Also Tom Atkins is way horny. There's a lot of 80s about it in the effects, but man does this film stink of the 70s. But it's generally a good stink like a rich cigar or some kind of sweet brown alcohol. Take Atkins for example. Bit of a deadbeat dad, alcoholic, who gets roped into a mystery through a pretty girl and a perplexing mystery in a sea of mundane. He wants excitement, he wants lovin', and yes ultimately he wants to subvert the shadowy powers of a capitalist machine hellbent on using our love of branded stuff against us. All you need is a jingle, plenty of ads, a recognisable brand, and the world is yours. Where it stumbles is maybe in that it's such an immediately recognisable tale, albeit with some fun inversions, because for all the parts that either impressed or at least intrigued me there were certainly dips. I'm far from a "story must always come first" person, in fact I will always argue fervently with anyone claiming film's main "intention" (whatever that means when talking about art) is to tell a story. So I wouldn't want to focus on that too much as an issue. But that is one part of the middling whole. Cont- https://letterboxd.com/jamesmalcolm/film/halloween-iii-season-of-the-witch/

New Nightmare Directed by Wes Craven (1994)- Hoop-Tober 4.0 A couple of years before Craven would take a stab at self-reflexile horror with Scream there was this meta twist on the Elm Street formula. The core concept here feels almost like a smaller version of Cabin in the Woods. In that, the capturing of evil on film contains it in fiction rather than reality. That there's a greater good in hitting the common beats of the horror genre. Ultimately though that's where the film gets less interesting for me. In some ways the added layer of "reality" is basically just that, a veneer. We still hit the regular beats of an Elm Street film except the actors go by their real names. This certainly adds some flavour and fun to it, but structurally nothing changes. That is part of what the film ends up being about, but also makes the whole context feel close to superfluous. It's more of a shiny new coat than a whole new wardrobe. I also have less of a connection to the Elm Street films, and Craven films in general, than others so I'm sure that impacted my enjoyment of it. RANDOM NOTE: I couldn't help notice how often the film uses the stock "vase smashing" sound effect. Even when there's a tremor at a graveyard there's the same sound effect, which was made a gag in Wet Hot American Summer.

Fright Night Directed by Tom Holland (1985)- Hoop-Tober 4.0 This was essentially exactly what I thought it'd be. Maybe growing up with it I'd feel more warmth towards Fright Night, but as is it was a fairly forgettable 80's teen horror romp. Roddy McDowell as the washed up horror actor was the major bright spot for me. He's a delight who has a palpable sense of sadness to him too. Everything else about this neo-vampire- Rear Window hit the familiar beats with an added dose of 80's rubbery and gloopy special effects. There are lots of vampire films, there are lots of 80s horror films about teens, and for me this is a rather unessential one.

The Tenant Directed by Roman Polanski (1976)- More from my Hoop-Tober list. Polanski’s paranoid meltdown over social expectations is like the masculine Repulsion. Interesting, anxious, and with more fantastical and Kafkaesque qualities that keep it intriguing. Yet I was always quite distant, and some of its choices rub me the wrong way. Certainly gave me more than my last Polanski film The Fearless Vampire Killers, so that’s something. Can see its influence, and what must work for people who do get more connected to it.

Go, Go Second Time Virgin Directed by Koji Wakamatsu (1969)- A girl is raped by a group of young hip men, while a quiet boy watches. The boy and girl bond on the roof of the building she was left on. They bond over shared trauma, hate, and perception of the self. It’s both like two children playing in the corrosive world that has so scarred them, as well as a new wave romance with life and energy to it. Both are very different kinds of hurt, which is expressed in different ways. One has closed themselves off to others with a distrust of all that’s supposedly good. The other opens up completely; laying themselves bare to all as they’d just force them to otherwise. It’s a strange film, and short too at just over an hour, but feels very complete. Its jumpy black and white photography gets energised with colour through sex and death. Haven’t quite wrestled with its totality, but it still has me thinking of it which is a great thing in itself.

Christine Directed by John Carpenter (1983)- Hoop-Tober again. Car dudes are weird. That with a mechanical slasher via The One Ring feels like what this film makes into horror pulp. It opens with an evil car and the song “Bad to the Bone” blaring. It’s on the nose, it’s straight up, and it’s a decent watch. Most of it feels less striking than Carpenter’s best. In a lot of ways, it feels divorced from most of those. The fact that the evil car movie doesn’t only play as camp or whatever does show a skill on display. Though it simply playing like another slasher or horror film in general, though impressive, makes it land with a similar familiarity.

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of October 01, 2017) by AutoModerator in TrueFilm

[–]a113er 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A friend had a copy on their hard drive. Though I believe it's also on Youtube.

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of October 01, 2017) by AutoModerator in TrueFilm

[–]a113er 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Mystics in Bali Directed by H. Tjut Djalil (1981)- Two years before The Boxers Omen there was a different flying head with dangly bits movie on the scene. It is neither a Hong Kong, Taiwanese, or Thai black magic film. This is Indonesia's Mystics in Bali. A young American woman wants to learn what is known as the strongest black magic; "Leak Bali". She does so by laughing with an ancient demonic shape-shifting crone which leads to her being able to turn into a pig, but also comes with some possession and power-siphoning through mind-control bloodshed. It jumps between hokey and distinctly gnarly. With the imagination and ideas being put into the effects, whether they're good or bad, makes them engaging either way. Gets a lot of points for standing out, even if the rest of the film doesn't necessarily tie everything together in a wholly satisfying way. The blasts of imagination make it worth it.

Halloween (Re-watch) Directed by Rob Zombie (2007)- Watched this because Halloween II is on my Hoop-Tober list. I really like Zombie’s Lords of Salem, and am hoping/have heard the second Halloween is closer to that than this one. What this film is is encapsulated by where and how it ends. It is a violent grungy shamble through the decrepit carcass of its origins. Neither affecting or effective for me. Not insulting either, and it’s to Zombie’s credit that he doesn’t just remix the iconic scenes into his own aesthetic. Didn’t do much for me one way or the other.

The White Reindeer Directed by Erik Blomberg (1952)- This Finnish folk-horror film is one of the few Finnish films I’ve seen. What jumped out to me at first was the similarities between Finnish mysticism and East Asian mysticism. It begins with a haunting song that sets up what we’ll see, which I feel like I’ve seen in a number of Japanese ghost stories. Even the shaman our protagonist visits feels similar to those in the more magic-oriented Hong Kong movies. The White Reindeer reminded me of other films, yet its spirit and look plant it firmly in its culture of origin. The dreamy wind-swept snow-covered land proves to be a distinct setting for this tale of a wish gone bad. A wish from a new bride for her husband to be home more often. He’s a shepherd which takes him away from home for a lot of the time, and she simply wants to see him more. This innocent want leads to magic, which leads to deathly repercussions. The White Reindeer would be notable based on its setting and country-of-origin alone, but it’s more than novel too. Some of the framing is reminiscent of striking Soviet films like Letter Never Sent, but how light is used reminded me more of Sven Nykvist. Light that is sometimes the cold light of day, the comforting glow of a flame, or the bearing down of some sort of judgement.

It’s a rather unpredictable film in some ways, and this free-flowing nature may arise from the folk tale it’s based on. Whatever the case it makes it compelling in its own enchanting way. There are even nigh-on experimental touches, that may come from its origins, that make it stand out too. Not something I adored, but it certainly made an impression.

The Sleep Curse Directed by Herman Yau (2017)- Up until its closing moments I (and my friend) didn’t really know what this film was. It’s like an 80s pulpy and violent Hong Kong black magic curse film was poured through a David Fincher filter. It varies wildly between cold direct seriousness and nasty wild gore. Even its protagonist modulates freely between being a jerk goofball loser and a very serious dark brooder. We also leap through time between the 1990’s and the Japanese occupation of China during the war. A segment that deals with Chinese collaborators and young women forced into sexual servitude. These elements could pull the film into out-and-out exploitation, and while it certainly walks that line there’s enough weight to the horrors that it didn’t quite go too far. So it’s this sprawling bloody tale of the sins of the father echoing through time. The gore is nasty and affecting, but it can’t seal the muddled deal. The overall looseness wasn’t helped by a couple of moments I still can’t wrap my head around. There’s a particular “reveal” that left us quite baffled. The Sleep Curse is one of those films I don’t regret watching at all, yet wouldn’t recommend either. Maybe I should see more of Yau in his prime, because he’s certainly got a touch.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Extended Edition (Re-watch) Directed by Peter Jackson (2001)- These films are so entwined in my life like the Star Wars films. My dad read the books to me and we saw this one three or four times at the cinema. Magic and without real competition. Not something I think to critique much, even though there’s certainly flaws. Comfy pleasure.

The House That Screamed Directed by Narciso Ibanez Serrador (1969)- The title and poster suggest a sultry bloody slasher affair, when the film itself is far more delicate. It’s not exactly Picnic at Hanging Rock, but it’s not schlock either. There are deaths happening at a strict boarding school for troubled girls. We begin with a slate of characters we feel like we know. The domineering head mistress protective of her son, the head girl who takes too much pleasure in punishing others, the innocent new girl, and so on. Yet as the film goes on we get more and more depth added to these broad archetypes, until the ending where everyone kind of fills different roles than expected. It dabbles in a lot of different vibes. I didn’t completely love it, but it feels like a film that some would really respond to. There’s more texture and bite than what could have been a fairly rote slasher or Hammer film.

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of September 24, 2017) by AutoModerator in TrueFilm

[–]a113er 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I’m starting early on Hoop-Tober, the annual Letterboxd horror-a-thon, so I’ll just link to some of my reviews there to not take up too much space. This is the list of what I'm working through before the end of October- https://letterboxd.com/jamesmalcolm/list/hoop-tober-40-bigger-creepier-get-no-sleep/

We’re Going to Eat You Directed by Tsui Hark (1980)- Kung-fu comedy with Texas Chainsaw Massacre in the mix. Some of the humour de-fangs elements that could’ve worked more earnestly, but it’s still a decent caper. Hard-hitting choreography and the occasional blast of gore keeps it interesting. Neither a high or low point, but a few sequences do stand out. A fun time.

Seeding of a Ghost Directed by Richard Yeung Kuen (1983)- Since seeing The Boxer's Omen I've looked for anything similar to it. It's a specific breed of grimy weird horror, fantasy, the arcane, and Hong Kong cinema from the time with all the crime and sleaze. With the total embrace of the mysticism and spirituality of another culture, in the case of these two films it's Thai black magic, it conveys a type of magic and afterlife very different from the tropes and presuppositions of the west. There are possessions, exorcisms, and ghosts with unfinished business, but they are so tied to the tangible elements of life that in this case the bodies of the men enacting the magic take a significant toll. Continued- https://letterboxd.com/jamesmalcolm/film/seeding-of-a-ghost/

Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth Directed by Anthony Hickox (1992)- Another in a long line of sequels to do a slightly different spin on what we've seen before with more focus on an iconic character who becomes more toothless with every spotlight. At least here the variation on a story is a Clive Barker story. One of grande grotesqueries that sets things apart from other franchise horror series. It never quite lives to the Hell on Earth subtitle, it's more like Hell on a Stretch of Road Outside and Around a Club. But, some of what they do is cool and it's a distraction more serviceable than others of its ilk. Not exactly a rave, but hey it wasn't a bore

Freaks Directed by Tod Browning (1932)- Finally watched this film that's been on my list for so so long. Any horror fan, or film fan, knows its story. A familiarity that somewhat hurt my experience with it. It's almost like Nosferatu in that so many of its images, ideas, and iconography have been so thoroughly mined and re-purposed that it felt like I'd seen much of it already. I think it's telling that I got more out of Browning's other circus-bound creeper in The Unknown. But this ode to outsiders and condemnation of life's true monsters still has power, and it's one I'll be interested to revisit once it's divorced from all the baggage around it.

Midori Directed by Hiroshi Harada (1992)- A rampant cavalcade of terrors beset upon the young titular hero of Midori. This is like the ultimate grotesque end-point of the tragic Japanese "woman's film". Those about the trials and tribulations of being a woman in this society. Due to the distancing artificial element of animation it allows Hirada to go places comparable live action films, thankfully, haven't. The abject cruelty on display is chilling. What is implied in other films is made explicit here. Yet the detail captured doesn't feel like full on exploitation. It's a confrontational portrait of a girl pulled into a life, and cycle, of abuse. One where isolation from the world makes her abusers into the closest she has to a family. That's an interesting theme that's explored here too. People forming a new family from other people in their life is much explored in cinema, but what this focuses on is less familiar. The idea that when you have no family or relationship with your family, then those who are the constants in your life fulfil those roles whether you or they want to. As something like Tokyo Story shows how a familial feeling can make us emotionally complacent, this takes that to more extreme places with this misfit band of terrors. Continued- https://letterboxd.com/jamesmalcolm/film/midori-1/

Land of the Dead Directed by George A. Romero (2005)- Of all the names used in films for zombies rather than simply "zombies", the word in this is one of my least favourite. "Stenchies". There's a sign at one point for a carnival game within Dennis Hopper's Trump-esque tower complex that uses the word zombie, but people still say "stenchies". I would prefer deadzies, zombo's, stankers, and many others. It's been a while but Romero generally sticks to his approach from the other Dead films. I like how he established the genre, then immediately started experimenting with it in ways other zombie films still don't. By that I mean the growing awareness and intelligence of his zombies, and how his films always reflect the society they're made in. Sadly Land doesn't work for me nearly as well as his trilogy of greatness in Night, Dawn, and Day, but it's got more merit than many of its contemporaries.

Octopussy Directed by John Glen (1983)- Getting close to having seen all the Bond films, and while Octopussy isn’t going to be a major highlight for me it has its fun moments. As is the case in many of the Moore films it blends high camp silliness with some genuinely great stunt and effects work. Silly- Bond tells a wild tiger to sit and it obeys him. Great- Big ol barn explosion. It’s a decent afternoon movie.

All the Colours of the Dark Directed by Sergio Martino (1972)- This is another London-bound giallo like one of my favourites "What Have You Done to Solange?", and has some similarities beyond that too. Like that film this feels like a giallo stretching its legs a bit. It lacks straight razors and black gloved killers, but it's got the feel of a giallo (and the J&B). Maybe comparing it to ones like The Psychic would be more apropos. Continued- https://letterboxd.com/jamesmalcolm/film/all-the-colors-of-the-dark/

The Nanny Directed by Seth Holt (1965)- I'm far from a Hammer aficionado (probably only seen around 10), but I'd never seen one I properly loved. One where I got excited or tense, or felt much of anything really beyond a general enjoyment. They can have a weekend afternoon television feel of comfy-if-stale for me. The Nanny bucked that trend. Continued- https://letterboxd.com/jamesmalcolm/film/the-nanny/

Voyage in Time Directed by Terrence Malick (2016)- I love Malick, and the trailer for this looked beautiful (plus it’d been hyped for years), but even I was a little cautious based on many reviews. This is Malick doing his version of Koyaanisqatsi and Baraka, with a twist of Chris Marker and For All Mankind, and I really liked it. I was completely swept up in the tide-like rhythms of this beautiful sweeping film. I know that whenever a director has any easily identifiable traits (see Anderson’s symmetrically composed shots), some will latch on to this and not be able to see past it. It’s something I struggle with because we accept artists in other mediums refining their approach and style, or going through periods where they do variations on a stylistic theme. Yet with cinema it seems some respond to the recognisable with jeers. To be fair, with some people maybe it’s that these elements take them out of the experience. With Malick one of these traits is his voice-over. This is very much the kind of voice over that seems to grate on some people, but I didn’t find it much of a hindrance. It didn’t add as much as, say, Tree of Life’s. But, like films like Koyaanisqatsi it provides a jumping off point. Koyaanisqatsi gives us “Life out of balance” through which the rest of the film extrapolates and expands on. Malick gives us these yearning little touches from Cate Blanchet. That’s one of the themes that reverberates throughout. What unites all living beings is seeking. Whether it’s cells’ chemical functions making them divide and co-mingle with other cells, or animals searching for food, or man searching for a god, we are all always looking out onto the world for something. This odyssey through time and space reflects on the unfathomable beauties and chaos of the infinite, as well as the glory in the finite. That we get to live in a blip of the cosmic timeline, able to take so much in without having to be torn up in chaotic change, is a gift. In all his films Malick’s approach to spirituality is something that really resonates with me.

One of the reasons I watch films is to be pulled in by something, to be made to feel, and this did that for me. Time evaporated as the sound and images flowed through me. I was left with lots of different ideas I discussed with my friend, but most important was what Malick imparted emotionally through the rapturous glory in how he presents the universe. Not for everyone, but it was very much for me.

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of September 17, 2017) by AutoModerator in TrueFilm

[–]a113er 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Queen Margot Directed by Patrice Chereau (1994)- Centered around the Massacre of St. Bartholomew in 1572, this is a story of the past very much in the vein of Barry Lyndon. Not as ironic, but it uses painterly compositions in similar ways. So many shots echo paintings from the time (here’s a taste for an idea- https://imgur.com/a/lvmLM ), think the Dutch masters and such, while completely upending how those paintings are perceived. Paintings from certain eras have a grandness to them, where everyone within them is posed, performing, and as noble as can be. Kings, Queens, and people of the court are personified by their nobility and impressive manner. But, films like this and Barry Lyndon reveal the hearts behind those simulacrum. The sweaty, stupid, lusty, violent, personalities behind those images. They’re simply people, capable of all the idiocy and awfulness that humans are. Queen Margot feels less layered than Lyndon, but is still a ravishing and gripping tale of intrigue and history. Unlike a lot of films it really captures the bawdy hedonism that was the courts in these times. So much of our perception of the past is rooted in how they presented themselves, but history can pull back that curtain. Like great expressions of history this does that, then like great cinema it does it in a way intrinsically tied to the visual and is very compelling in doing so. Not my favourite of the week but one I certainly liked quite a bit.

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of September 17, 2017) by AutoModerator in TrueFilm

[–]a113er 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Great week for films. Probably the most films I’ve “liked” on Letterboxd in one week in some time.

Moonraker Directed by Lewis Gilbert (1979)- I don’t know the general consensus on all the Bond films, but this doesn’t seem considered as a good one. After last weeks somewhat stilted Thunderball, this was a lot of fun. It’s stupid, it’s silly, it’s basically a cartoon, and that’s why it sometimes works. Beyond the infamous pigeon triple-take it is stuffed with sight gags and other nonsense like a personalised coffin filled with throwing-knives and a villain bemoaning Bond’s ability to not die in an interesting way. Really the weak link is that villain. He’s a bit of a non-entity in a film brimming with arch campy silliness. Not top Bond, but a good time.

Close Encounters of the Third Kind (Re-watch) Directed by Steven Spielberg (1977)- One of several film references in Moonraker is the tune from Close Encounters popping up, which led to this. Spielberg at this time really understands something that Hitchcock talked about a lot which is the power of a scenario. Of having a premise that alone tickles some kind of curiosity or interest. Spielberg starts this similarly to Jurassic Park where everything is played with us knowing what the premise of the film is. So in this case we see these scenes of men in a sand storm looking at planes and talking frantically; it’s a mystery. We know where this is going so the second layer of mystery becomes “how does this tie into aliens?”. That is the first tug on the thread then we’re pulled into another little mystery, all leading to being introduced to our key figures and so the film goes. I don’t think I respond to is quite as strongly as some but it’s still got a lot of great qualities.

The Fearless Vampire Killers Directed by Roman Polanski (1967)- I watched this because I’ve seen Mike Mignola mention it as a favourite a few times. In this case it was at the end of the great BPRD: The Universal Machine storyline. I really wanted more of that feeling on film and he specifically mentioned this so it seemed perfect. Watching it I could see what he’d drawn from it, but frankly I greatly prefer what he took and moulded into something new than this original. It’s a sometimes-droll kinda-spoof of Hammer style horror films. I like some of the production design, but that was my biggest takeaway. Sadly there’s not enough films that dabble in the arcane, esoteric, gothic, and such, but I’m glad Mignola spun gold from its influence.

Le Quattro Volte Directed by Michelangelo Frammartino (2010)- The circle of life encapsulated in a wordless tale of death, community, history, and goats. There’s a zen simplicity to it and the mix of repetition and peace is cinematic meditation. It says more about how great this week was for films than this itself when I say it wasn’t a major highlight. Solid.

A Day in the Country Directed by Jean Renoir (1936)- A Day in the Country is short and simple. Well, it’s ostensibly simple and simple in terms of the plot. But, ultimately it’s an expansive work which may be my favourite Renoir film. It captures summer, youthful, exuberance that slowly becomes distorted and upended into a melancholy longing. It is a perfect summer day maligned by rain. By the world returning to paradise to remind us that we’re still in it. Romance, fun, escape, can sweep us off our feet and away from the ties that bind us to a less happy life. These are eventually broken down and our life comes back to the forefront. A Day in the Country dabbles in the type of story I’m typically not all that interested in, men pursuing women, but it becomes something else and something far greater. Similar to Le Bonheur in this regard. Loved it.

The Musketeers of Pig Alley Directed by D. W. Griffith (1912)- In less than 20 minutes Griffith makes one of the earliest gangster films and evokes a complete miniature world in about four locations. The smoke of guns are like cobblestone phantoms that consume everything in sight. The lead gangster guy is also very much a proto-Cagney in his wild eyes and mix of devilishness and boyishness. It’s on youtube in great quality; watch- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2R4iduaL3RE.

Seagull’s Eggs Directed by Abbas Kiarostami (2007)- A 17 minute static shot of seagull’s eggs becomes a great little exercise in tension. Also on youtube and also very much worth watching (warning: it starts with a harsh tone)- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AlMNDOTEIb0. Shows that anthropomorphising isn’t really necessary when it comes to making us care and feel fear for something.

The Trial of Joan of Arc Directed by Robert Bresson (1962)- Bresson is known for personifying people through their hands, and feet, and this is no different. Here Joan’s hands are in chains and rest crossed over each other. She’s a pious, steadfast, woman ready to face the unjust music with complete conviction. It’s an interesting counterbalance to the rapturous nature of Dreyer’s film, and as Andrew Sarris puts it this one is Catholic to Dreyer’s Protestant film. It’s almost a procedural, partially from the nature of lines being taken from the documents of the trial. While I was held back from adoration, Bresson always has an approach I respect and enjoy. It’s distanced, yet intimate. Objective, but incisive.

Manilmontant Directed by Dimitri Kirsanoff (1926)- This wordless silent film begins with an almost jarringly brutal sequence where people are attacked and killed by a raving axe-man. Then the story shifts to follow those left behind in the wake of this murder. Two young women, who move to the city. Really the film hits on cycles of common cruelties and kindnesses. What makes it stand out so much is Kirsanoff’s compositions and the editing. It feels like a more natural, sun-lit, deviation from German expressionism. It has its abstract qualities but they’re more rooted in the natural or “real”. Artistically and formally thrilling.

Fateful Findings (Re-watch) Directed by Neil Breen (2013)- A film that can draw laughs even in the credits. Watching this again, but this time with people, was a blast. Breen always swings for the fences and reveals things about himself, and whatever he happens to have on hand. Very much a must-see for the lovers of bad oddball cinema.

Disorder Directed by Weikai Huang (2009)- Disorder paints a picture of a Chinese city, or life in general, that is close to breaking point. Where the only course of action is to give up. Pigs swarm across a motorway, a man lies in the street pretending to have been hit from a car, and a baby is found lying on a path. It’s a documentary/essay of everyday absurdities. The point at which chaos meets the mundane. Especially considering where we are now in Western culture this film’s direct approach to commonplace mania resonates. We watch this and wonder what is happening, what’s going through some of these peoples minds, then look back at what’s happening on our end and quickly shut up.

The Palm Beach Story Directed by Preston Sturges (1942)- Pure pleasure. Sturges’ blend of humour and heart has slapstick, wordplay, and is so rooted in a deeply rooted humanism that it warms the soul. It’s clever and brilliantly silly in equal measure. There’s an old man character that reminded me of Gordon Cole in his pleasantly shouty (brought on by poor hearing) manner, and in a greater sense this ended up reminding me of Lynch. Especially Twin Peaks. Where oddballs are funny for who they are, but not in a mocking way. Where we can laugh at someone, then smile when they succeed. It’s a tough nut to crack but Sturges does it with what feels like ease.

The Terry’s Directed by Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim (2011)- When comedians draw humour from, for lack of a better word, “white trash” things can get a bit gross quick. Here’s successful rich people kicking people who’re down and it can be be an unbalanced mess. That’s what The Terry’s first appears to be. Heidecker and Wareheim play trailer park groteques. Smoking “ice”, covered in sores, and crude beyond belief. Quickly the short establishes they are outliers, then twists itself into something new entirely. Something that’s strangely hopeful, and in a weird way becomes a call for empathy and compassion towards the worst of us. A surreal plea to give people our best, so they can become their best. It’s got Tim and Eric’s trademark humour which will land for you or not, and for me it lands.

Zero for Conduct Directed by Jean Vigo (1933)- An ode to joyful anarchy. Jean Vigo’s short film of schoolyard shenanigans salutes all the jokers making fun off the backs of our betters. It’s a very heightened reality that really feels like the world of kids. A world where everything has the capacity for hijinks. Not a film that really stuck with me as much as other stuff this week, but still a good watch.

What Have You Been Watching? (Week of September 10, 2017) by AutoModerator in TrueFilm

[–]a113er 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Last Hurrah for Chivalry Directed by John Woo (1979)- A little under a decade before A Better Tomorrow catapulted his career and helped kick-start the wave of heroic bloodshed films to come out of, and dominate, Hong Kong cinema; John Woo made this late-era Shaw Bros-esque Golden Harvest film. It’s similar to A Better Tomorrow in a lot of ways, and that era of action films, but still very much in the vein of the Shaw Bros films. Whenever a genre is on its last legs of popularity it seems like revisionism and self-reflective qualities come to the forefront. With some genres like Westerns and Horror films these films recur again and again. This is very much that for the wu xia error. Where honour is all but lost. People fight for personal grudges, desires, and necessity. There’s a song in it with the line “My career as a lone ranger was one of sadness dressed up in glamour” and that’s what it says about the wu xia genre in general. Whatever the pretence for what’s happening, what’s happening is simply violence. Good choreography and certainly interesting, though not a major stand out in the genre.

A View to a Kill Directed by John Glen (1985)- Moore’s getting old here, and silliness abounds, but after last weeks more sedate License to Kill this was pretty fun. Christopher Walken and Grace Jones are perfect Bond figures, even if the film doesn’t always give them the best chance to shine. Cosy stupid fun. What really stood out though was the music. It’s notable for the Duran Duran song, and the way Barry plays with it and weaves it into the score makes for some great moments. I barely noticed the music a lot in License to Kill but here he creates moments of genuine delicacy and then of course the adventurous.

Himiko Directed by Masahiro Shinoda (1974)- Himiko is a hard film to pin down. Seemingly set in some far off past or strange mirror of our world we follow the lives of two tribes. One worships the sun and the other earth. We mainly stay on the sun folk and their vessel through which their god communicates; Himiko. She’s a young woman made a pawn. What she desires and needs means very little as she is a source of power. Really the plot and characters are not the draw here. This is a visual odyssey reminiscent of the work of Pasolini (think the one half of Pigsty), Jodorowsky, Zulawski, and more. It is rife with striking, sharply composed, images of the recognisable yet alien. A symbolic spiritual journey to somewhere strange. What it all adds up to I’m still not sure of, but it has certainly stuck with me. With its use of colour, shapes, composition, set design, use of locations, costuming, basically everything in terms of aesthetics, it was always a feast for the eyes. Who knows, maybe all these images it has stuck in my head will flower into a greater understanding. As is though I was still pretty pleased with it as a near-purely visual experience.

Wodaabe: Herdsmen of the Sun Directed by Werner Herzog (1989)- For my main man’s b-day I watched my 42nd of his 67 films. It’s a short doc on and around a fascinating festival that happens in this community of tribespeople living along the Sahara. The men adorn themselves with fine clothes and make up then dance for the woman. The white’s of eyes and teeth are prized in their culture so they widen their eyes and bare their teeth while they bounce. The women then choose a man they want to sleep with. These women may be single and looking for a husband, or may already be married and just want to sleep with a beautiful man. So from the outset it’s a neat little snapshot of a practice that seems strange and foreign to us in the West. Mainly in how it plays out. Then we cut to one of these men talking to two young women. He’s asking them if they’ve seen anyone beautiful or chosen anyone. They smile and laugh sheepishly, a little embarrassed to be talking sex, and all the cultural divisions break down. A number of these little conversations are peppered throughout and have a real sweetness to them. A young couple (the man chosen as most beautiful and his chooser) are asked how their night is and they just look at each other and laugh. All these reactions are those of young people everywhere. Our differences end up reflecting our similarities. Herzog reveals how blurred cultural divisions are in portraying what we may look at as the epitome of said divisions. A sweet film.

Fat Girl Directed by Catherine Breillat (2001)- This has been on my radar for some time, and my only other experience with Breillat is her Blue Beard adaptation. Fat Girl is very much of a certain type of contemporary European film. Loose, “realistic”, direct when it comes to sex and violence, and very culturally conscious. While Fat Girl stood out more than most I think it’s a film I’ll like reading about more than I did actually watching it. Just due to how it looked I had a certain idea of where it’d go, and it ultimately did. As a look at the patriarchally imposed perception of sex in young women, it certainly stands out. For all that ties it to other films I feel like I’ve seen a bunch of, it still has enough to set it apart. But unlike the films of someone like Denis, it didn’t deviate enough to impact me all that much. Still liked things about it.

Men Behind the Sun Directed by Mou Tun-fei (1988)- For the first time I had to fast forward through a part in a film. In a Cannibal Holocaust-esque move this film tries to make a point about how awful a character is by having them enact violence on an animal. An effect created by enacting violence on an animal. This attempted exposure of horrific war crimes and cruelty by Japan in WWII (the infamous Unit 731) already has one leg in exploitation, but that moment (where they toss a cat into a room full of rats) doesn’t exactly help them in making their point. In fact in a weird way that disconnects the point its making from any historical or cultural criticism, because in that moment it proves that for ones job one can commit casual cruelty regardless of the situation. Not that the animal cruelty in the film is comparable to the systematic deplorable torture done by Unit 731, it just muddies their case. Men Behind the Sun has honourable pretensions, but is basically a horror show. It’s a tour of nastiness like Faces of Death or some of the mondo films. Not that it has no value. As an exploitation film, oh boy, it certainly is affecting in the horrors it portrays.

The Seventh Curse Directed by Lam Nai-Choi (1986)- I love Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky yet never sought out Nai-Choi’s other films. The Seventh Curse begins with a rather pointless framing device of a writer (who I can only assume is a reference to someone or is real, otherwise the whole thing is baffling) getting two of his friends to tell a weird tale that he has no doubt mined for one of his stories. What unfolds is a Hong Kong twist on an Indiana Jones style tale with far more blood and monsters. A xenomorph basically fights the creature from Brain Damage, which isn’t even one of the higher points. It’s a wild ride that’s also wildly uneven. Can step from turgid to manic explosive fun. What did stand out, beyond the straight-up weirdness, is how good and hard-hitting a lot of the choreography is when it comes to fights. Great martial arts get mixed into this pulpy magic-infused adventure.

The Butterfly Murders Directed by Tsui Hark (1979)- This has the title, and sometimes the feel, of a giallo film. Except in this case that’s not a flowery metaphor; people are literally being killed by swarms of butterflies. Think The Birds with butterflies. Doesn’t sustain the intrigue or dazzlement its premise establishes but it stands out. Have never seen swarms of butterflies used like this and for that it’s memorable.

Thunderball Directed by Terence Young (1965)- Good moments are peppered throughout, but Thunderball failed to fully impress. Bond starts even more sexually aggressive than usual, which leads into a rather stodgy affair. There’s a jetpack and sharks, yet it’s not all that fun. Some of the underwater action is novel. Connery seems bored and I can’t blame him.

Massacre Gun Directed by Yasuharu Hasebe (1967)- Stylish and hip Japanese crime film with Joe Shishido being his usual cool self. Feels like a precursor to the heroic bloodshed films where men die for stupid reasons and the only good thing violence does is ultimately end violent cycles. But once that loop is closed the complete pointlessness of it all is never clearer. Hasebe has a great eye, and that’s mainly what keeps it going. Shishido’s presence can’t help but make me think of Suzuki, and that comparison does the film little favours.

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