Oblivious Maximus
I am the worm
El Topo and The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (Jodorowsky and Gabriel).
A great read for Jodo and Genesis fans.
A great read for Jodo and Genesis fans.
The Official Movie Thread
- Thread starter Manic Ferocity
- Start date
CiG
Approximately Infinite Universe
Einherjar86
Active Member
LLDoB is such a fucking great album. Thanks for sharing. Makes sense that Gabriel is a Jodorowsky fan.
CiG
Approximately Infinite Universe
NW:
Been needing to watch this one for ages. Enjoy seeing familiar faces, one of the cooler elements of Asian cinema.
Been needing to watch this one for ages. Enjoy seeing familiar faces, one of the cooler elements of Asian cinema.
Oblivious Maximus
I am the worm
I'd really love to read the script Jodo and Gabriel worked on. Just imagine what a film of that album would be like. Jodorowsky is probably the only one that could pull something like that off. Maybe Ken Russell, and this was around the time of Tommy and Lisztomania, but the story of the album actually sounds like a musical version of a Jodorowsky story.
Einherjar86
Active Member
Verdict: I liked it, my wife did not.
I plan on writing a longer response that will likely include spoilers, but for now here are some spoiler-free thoughts:
It's less a science fiction narrative than a Gothic narrative set in space. It called to mind stories like "The Fall of the House of Usher" and Nightwood. I use the term "narrative" loosely; there's very little plot to speak of, and multiple false starts. It's mostly a series of weird vignettes set on a crumbling spaceship, all revolving around themes of isolation, waste, reproduction (or the lack thereof), and cultural taboo. It's a very slow, often non-enjoyable film, which I found appropriate for the subject matter.
Krigloch the Furious
Pants full of poo
Krigloch the Furious
Pants full of poo
Oblivious Maximus
I am the worm
https://deadline.com/2018/10/david-...st-guest-of-honor-atom-egoyan-afm-1202492931/
Sounds like Egoyan back in his element. No mention of Arsinée, though. Surely she'll be in it, though.
no country for old wainds
Active Member
- Nov 23, 2002
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been meaning to do this for a while. not exactly the greatest selection of films in the world but probably a little better than i expected, and the cool thing was that they were more or less all world premieres. i had a good weekend, for the most part.
GLASGOW FRIGHTFEST RANKED
7) Black Circle (Dir. Adrián García Bogliano)
it isn't really fair to rank this at all, as i left the screening after fifteen minutes due to my stomach kicking off and ended up lying on the floor of the theatre's public toilets crying out in agony for longer than i spent watching the movie. from what i saw it seemed like a very retro, very psychedelic exploitation flick in a seventies style (it stars christina lindberg, who was present at the screening... i bet @Oblivious Maximus knows who that is), but i will now forever associate it with pain. PAIN/10
6) Lords of Chaos (Dir. Jonas Åkerlund)
as you might expect from a former bathory drummer who ended up working with britney spears and blink 182, this is guilty of the "poseurdom" it heavy-handedly lampoons (the ugly commercial sheen of the visuals may accidentally be its best ironic joke), too busy alternately pandering to the normies and the gorehounds to bother with any genuine insights or coherent perspective on the norwegian black metal scene. i wish it was way smarter about it, but i didn't mind that it was mostly taking the piss--in fact, i kind of wish it had gone full-on dorky teen poseur comedy, because the scenes when it gets serious are just embarrassing, especially the interminable, ridiculously scripted climax. i'm unsurprised and glad they didn't get the rights to any 2nd wave stuff (mayhem aside), although it's only the presence of sarcofago, tormentor, holy terror, a-ha, grotesque (m)et al that keeps it watchable.
man, i wish sion sono stayed on board, that would've been a fucking trip. it was pretty nuts when a guy started spazzing out and projectile vomiting two rows behind me immediately after dead shot himself in the head (i guess don't watch this if you're epileptic). after my stomach episode the following evening, i could relate. 3/10
5) The Dead Center (Dir. Billy Senese)
prior to the screening senese mentioned in his preview that he was inspired by '70s paranoid thrillers like All The President's Men, The Conversation and The Parallax View, which pricked up my ears, but aside from some cool aerial surveillance shots and the hopeless fatalism of its story arc (its one lingering quality) this is more derivative of The Exorcist III than anything from that era, unfortunately attaining only a smidgen of the personality (as embodied by shane carruth, who should stick to directing) while adopting a few too many of modern horror's bad habits. 4.5/10
4) The Witch: Part 1 - The Subversion (Dir. Hoon-Jung Park)
the writer of I Saw The Devil directs this mash-up of Lucy, Hanna and Superman, a film which starts out as a very charming, surprisingly well-performed, attractively shot small-town drama before unfortunately devolving into a presumably manga-derived generic action/vengeance bore. my dad liked this a lot more than i did, which is funny given he always says he hates watching movies with subtitles. 5.5/10
3) Level 16 (Dir. Danishka Esterhazy)
a trendy but enjoyable YA riff on The Handmaid's Tale with nods to Never Let Me Go and Get Out. the slightly tired, hackneyed feminist allegory (teenage girls, each named after a film star, are groomed by a sterile, insulated "boarding school" to adopt the "feminine virtues" and, spoiler alert, maximise their value as an aesthetic commodity) is surprisingly organic and assured in execution, and despite the glacial pace its tension really worked on me in the moment, but it isn't super interesting in the rearview and it's hard to get excited about a new, talented filmmaker when she seems as brainwashed by the zeitgeist as her characters. i'd give this a minor recommendation to the likes of @Einherjar86 and anyone else who digs their dystopian sci-fi. 6.5/10
2) Freaks (Dir. Zach Lipovsky)
another YA fantasy, this one thrillingly anchored to the hermetic, surreal perspective of a troubled child. the spell it initially casts is akin to something like Paperhouse right down to all the metaphorical rummaging through feelings of loss, grief and longing, but can't quite survive the hand that's played--the corny pretensions toward X-Men allegory complete with sequel-baiting ending, the way it looks worse and worse the more it tries to resemble a blockbuster, the motiveless tonehopping which led to a slightly confused audience laughing at really inappropriate moments. still, it's a superior alternative to mediocrities like Room, Beasts of the Southern Wild, [Insert Superhero Movie Here], and despite its flaws i'd recommend it to anyone who likes the idea of an emotionally fraught, insular, dreamlike fantasy story co-starring old ass bruce dern driving an ice cream truck straight out of philip ridley (by way of Assault on Precinct 13, or maybe that's just me). the first half or so at least is damn good. 7.5/10
1) The Rusalka (Dir. Perry Blackshear)
AKA The Siren, the shittier title they subsequently had to adopt because apparently it's too risky to use a word most english-speaking people would have to google. an old fairy tale made mumblecore: a mermaid lusts after the hot, mute, virginal missionary on the shore while attempting to dodge the grief-stricken scrutiny of another man whose husband she may have lured to his doom. if script is blackshear's weakness (re: his previous They Look Like People, a movie i didn't much like), a mute protagonist allows his direction centre stage, and the low-budget lakeside location-shooting is creatively atmospheric (coupled with an absolutely unearthly score), stirring up this time-worn blend of primordial threat and erotic desire anew. that it's also inclusively compassionate toward a character who would typically be a villain is another string to its bow, and it's also refreshing that its offhand incorporation of homosexuality and disability has no apparent aspirations toward woke pointscoring. 8/10
GLASGOW FRIGHTFEST RANKED
7) Black Circle (Dir. Adrián García Bogliano)
it isn't really fair to rank this at all, as i left the screening after fifteen minutes due to my stomach kicking off and ended up lying on the floor of the theatre's public toilets crying out in agony for longer than i spent watching the movie. from what i saw it seemed like a very retro, very psychedelic exploitation flick in a seventies style (it stars christina lindberg, who was present at the screening... i bet @Oblivious Maximus knows who that is), but i will now forever associate it with pain. PAIN/10
6) Lords of Chaos (Dir. Jonas Åkerlund)
as you might expect from a former bathory drummer who ended up working with britney spears and blink 182, this is guilty of the "poseurdom" it heavy-handedly lampoons (the ugly commercial sheen of the visuals may accidentally be its best ironic joke), too busy alternately pandering to the normies and the gorehounds to bother with any genuine insights or coherent perspective on the norwegian black metal scene. i wish it was way smarter about it, but i didn't mind that it was mostly taking the piss--in fact, i kind of wish it had gone full-on dorky teen poseur comedy, because the scenes when it gets serious are just embarrassing, especially the interminable, ridiculously scripted climax. i'm unsurprised and glad they didn't get the rights to any 2nd wave stuff (mayhem aside), although it's only the presence of sarcofago, tormentor, holy terror, a-ha, grotesque (m)et al that keeps it watchable.
man, i wish sion sono stayed on board, that would've been a fucking trip. it was pretty nuts when a guy started spazzing out and projectile vomiting two rows behind me immediately after dead shot himself in the head (i guess don't watch this if you're epileptic). after my stomach episode the following evening, i could relate. 3/10
5) The Dead Center (Dir. Billy Senese)
prior to the screening senese mentioned in his preview that he was inspired by '70s paranoid thrillers like All The President's Men, The Conversation and The Parallax View, which pricked up my ears, but aside from some cool aerial surveillance shots and the hopeless fatalism of its story arc (its one lingering quality) this is more derivative of The Exorcist III than anything from that era, unfortunately attaining only a smidgen of the personality (as embodied by shane carruth, who should stick to directing) while adopting a few too many of modern horror's bad habits. 4.5/10
4) The Witch: Part 1 - The Subversion (Dir. Hoon-Jung Park)
the writer of I Saw The Devil directs this mash-up of Lucy, Hanna and Superman, a film which starts out as a very charming, surprisingly well-performed, attractively shot small-town drama before unfortunately devolving into a presumably manga-derived generic action/vengeance bore. my dad liked this a lot more than i did, which is funny given he always says he hates watching movies with subtitles. 5.5/10
3) Level 16 (Dir. Danishka Esterhazy)
a trendy but enjoyable YA riff on The Handmaid's Tale with nods to Never Let Me Go and Get Out. the slightly tired, hackneyed feminist allegory (teenage girls, each named after a film star, are groomed by a sterile, insulated "boarding school" to adopt the "feminine virtues" and, spoiler alert, maximise their value as an aesthetic commodity) is surprisingly organic and assured in execution, and despite the glacial pace its tension really worked on me in the moment, but it isn't super interesting in the rearview and it's hard to get excited about a new, talented filmmaker when she seems as brainwashed by the zeitgeist as her characters. i'd give this a minor recommendation to the likes of @Einherjar86 and anyone else who digs their dystopian sci-fi. 6.5/10
2) Freaks (Dir. Zach Lipovsky)
another YA fantasy, this one thrillingly anchored to the hermetic, surreal perspective of a troubled child. the spell it initially casts is akin to something like Paperhouse right down to all the metaphorical rummaging through feelings of loss, grief and longing, but can't quite survive the hand that's played--the corny pretensions toward X-Men allegory complete with sequel-baiting ending, the way it looks worse and worse the more it tries to resemble a blockbuster, the motiveless tonehopping which led to a slightly confused audience laughing at really inappropriate moments. still, it's a superior alternative to mediocrities like Room, Beasts of the Southern Wild, [Insert Superhero Movie Here], and despite its flaws i'd recommend it to anyone who likes the idea of an emotionally fraught, insular, dreamlike fantasy story co-starring old ass bruce dern driving an ice cream truck straight out of philip ridley (by way of Assault on Precinct 13, or maybe that's just me). the first half or so at least is damn good. 7.5/10
1) The Rusalka (Dir. Perry Blackshear)
AKA The Siren, the shittier title they subsequently had to adopt because apparently it's too risky to use a word most english-speaking people would have to google. an old fairy tale made mumblecore: a mermaid lusts after the hot, mute, virginal missionary on the shore while attempting to dodge the grief-stricken scrutiny of another man whose husband she may have lured to his doom. if script is blackshear's weakness (re: his previous They Look Like People, a movie i didn't much like), a mute protagonist allows his direction centre stage, and the low-budget lakeside location-shooting is creatively atmospheric (coupled with an absolutely unearthly score), stirring up this time-worn blend of primordial threat and erotic desire anew. that it's also inclusively compassionate toward a character who would typically be a villain is another string to its bow, and it's also refreshing that its offhand incorporation of homosexuality and disability has no apparent aspirations toward woke pointscoring. 8/10
CiG
Approximately Infinite Universe
6) Lords of Chaos (Dir. Jonas Åkerlund)
as you might expect from a former bathory drummer who ended up working with britney spears and blink 182, this is guilty of the "poseurdom" it heavy-handedly lampoons (the ugly commercial sheen of the visuals may accidentally be its best ironic joke), too busy alternately pandering to the normies and the gorehounds to bother with any genuine insights or coherent perspective on the norwegian black metal scene. i wish it was way smarter about it, but i didn't mind that it was mostly taking the piss--in fact, i kind of wish it had gone full-on dorky teen poseur comedy, because the scenes when it gets serious are just embarrassing, especially the interminable, ridiculously scripted climax. i'm unsurprised and glad they didn't get the rights to any 2nd wave stuff (mayhem aside), although it's only the presence of sarcofago, tormentor, holy terror, a-ha, grotesque (m)et al that keeps it watchable.
man, i wish sion sono stayed on board, that would've been a fucking trip. it was pretty nuts when a guy started spazzing out and projectile vomiting two rows behind me immediately after dead shot himself in the head (i guess don't watch this if you're epileptic). after my stomach episode the following evening, i could relate. 3/10
Jason Reitman should have directed it, with Michael Cera playing Varg (obviously).
TechnicalBarbarity
Poser Disposer
Einherjar86
Active Member
5) The Dead Center (Dir. Billy Senese)
prior to the screening senese mentioned in his preview that he was inspired by '70s paranoid thrillers like All The President's Men, The Conversation and The Parallax View, which pricked up my ears, but aside from some cool aerial surveillance shots and the hopeless fatalism of its story arc (its one lingering quality) this is more derivative of The Exorcist III than anything from that era, unfortunately attaining only a smidgen of the personality (as embodied by shane carruth, who should stick to directing) while adopting a few too many of modern horror's bad habits. 4.5/10
That's too bad. I'll still probably see it eventually, as it sounds like it raises some issues I'm interested in (based on the limited amount I've seen and read).
Haven't even heard of Level 16, I'll check it out.
Oblivious Maximus
I am the worm
One Eye! Or Anita, whichever you prefer, though the former is fucking iconic. Never head of this new film, though.
Regarding Lords of Chaos, I'm surprised at myself how apathetic I am about it. I see some folks getting irritated about how normies are forever going to associate black metal with it, but even still I can't bring myself to care. Probably because I've gotten used to how BM is perceived anyway so yeah. Whatever.
CiG
Approximately Infinite Universe
Church-burning racists vs. an inaccurate hipster flick.
Yeah, probably a better perception than the current one.
Yeah, probably a better perception than the current one.
Oblivious Maximus
I am the worm
rms
Active Member
Stalker is on Criterion Channel, finally gonna watch that one.
Einherjar86
Active Member
More thoughts on High Life (contains spoilers):
https://experimentalitymusings.blogspot.com/2019/04/sex-death-and-black-holes-remarks-on.html
https://experimentalitymusings.blogspot.com/2019/04/sex-death-and-black-holes-remarks-on.html
rms
Active Member
oh my the database for the online criterion is exhaustive. 39 fassbinder! 17 kurosawa! all tarkovsky!
I wish i had this when i was 18.
I wish i had this when i was 18.
