tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42272314580252809792024-02-19T07:16:03.759-08:00Decayed 9.5mm (At Region Incognito.com)An amateur looking for termites and white elephants.Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.comBlogger362125truetag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-17889792504699174912014-06-14T13:09:00.002-07:002014-06-14T13:09:33.202-07:00The End is the Beginning....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I will be frank and say that this blog will no longer be continued. I feel its a mess with no goal. In its place is the following with said goal...<b> </b><a href="http://cinemaoftheabstract.blogspot.co.uk/2014/06/cinema-of-abstract.html" style="font-weight: bold;">Cinema of the Abstract</a><br />
<br />
None of the reviews from this blog will be removed. But it has no been made into a blog that will hopefully be what I want it to be now.</div>
Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-65695193189526613432014-06-02T13:10:00.001-07:002014-06-02T13:10:02.241-07:00Nuits Rouges (1974)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbE-WviHWrw-16LXqPMMYiudNsoSvdRTJGTEqv-ul502P6u7CploQzdflnoxXfbk07sbxoSk9mmncGro4gwxNt8Xq1cvRgmuuZbFhcEyQzFJdbPhB_DTsBNaaIaPa90Ji_r8qhiPUKlZ8/s1600/NuitsRouges_German.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbE-WviHWrw-16LXqPMMYiudNsoSvdRTJGTEqv-ul502P6u7CploQzdflnoxXfbk07sbxoSk9mmncGro4gwxNt8Xq1cvRgmuuZbFhcEyQzFJdbPhB_DTsBNaaIaPa90Ji_r8qhiPUKlZ8/s1600/NuitsRouges_German.jpg" height="400" width="277" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://s3.amazonaws.com/auteurs_production/<br />post_images/11316/NuitsRouges_German.jpg?1340371135</td></tr>
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<b>Dir. George Franju</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkh779c3POjdQQW-xSoxlN0W-Gx5aR2HG6uEgHP44Nzqa6dEOeIQCZYj_bQ3nLYKqSDtvUp6y-JpfNk3-Hr3nwCg1d5l5daEWKfMSvTWlowJh6y9A5EPPwrXjJKXduqb_gsj6-kDzGM-A/s1600/french_flag.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkh779c3POjdQQW-xSoxlN0W-Gx5aR2HG6uEgHP44Nzqa6dEOeIQCZYj_bQ3nLYKqSDtvUp6y-JpfNk3-Hr3nwCg1d5l5daEWKfMSvTWlowJh6y9A5EPPwrXjJKXduqb_gsj6-kDzGM-A/s1600/french_flag.jpeg" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitu9G6Fb9Z2lp32jK5QCkMZSR-iVK2xZCx5yrRWTDUd3MyJIwq6HF015oNe7rOmgsaiC7MbrbNEQbIaaPOfzrX_uw50WvtdIO9uh9kiX9vbSQN5jh9UVmedMyARug5-hfqpBvXTtQ1DvY/s1600/italian+flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitu9G6Fb9Z2lp32jK5QCkMZSR-iVK2xZCx5yrRWTDUd3MyJIwq6HF015oNe7rOmgsaiC7MbrbNEQbIaaPOfzrX_uw50WvtdIO9uh9kiX9vbSQN5jh9UVmedMyARug5-hfqpBvXTtQ1DvY/s1600/italian+flag.jpg" /></a>Pulp has an inherent artistry
that is badly ignored. You can tell, even if you can't say how, when a story or
a work defies the best of what the word means. No matter how unrealistic the
set piece that takes place is, it makes logical sense within a great work of
pulp as part of the world it builds. A western can satisfy going through all
the usual tropes even as a chamber piece. An animated science fiction work can work
a complete lack of realism with a tangibility. This applies to every genre or
concept. It's mood. <i>Franju</i>, to his
testament, took immense concern with this sort of idea - in an article, <b>The Haunted Void</b> based on an interview
with <i>Tom Milne</i>, he went as far as
dividing the kind of films he did in three categories. The cinema fantastique,
le cinema de l'insolite (the unusual), and le cinema de l'angoisse (anxiety).
In his defined terms, it's the concern of utmost respect for the material
whether it's completely seriousness or a willingness to be silly on purpose
without undermining the importance of the content. That it's about the unusual,
the fantastical, the angst generating, mood and tone. What is not seen but
felt. There are countless ideas in this area, about the notion of emotional
reaction - the fear of the unknown, the uncanny, the erotic or pornographic, to
defined cinematic ideas like <i>Alfred
Hitchcock's</i> bomb-under-the-table metaphor. All of these examples, including
<i>Franju's</i>, and more, are powerful when
done properly. Unfortunately, you don't need to rant about the current climate
to say that these ideas don't get their due. Which is strange to say when there
are countless examples of filmmakers, critics and audiences praising the
concept of pulp and yet it's still neglected in places. Probably because its
dismissed compared to art house films a lot of the time even now. Fitting a
French film I'm reviewing, France has contributed a great deal in this area,
from the auteurist theory to the running joke about them loving <i>Jerry Lewis</i> <i> </i>films, contributing to a
consideration of this area of cinema they deserve praise for as cineastes. French
takes on pulp in their own cinema from what I've seen, for the most part, have
always been rewarding and their reflective tones add as much to them.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9twuMj4tKpTd9yJS5zDnP59v22AvRBdoQgg7AOmHOlz4y6i8Kx8nHyJIARK3BJ25VUYe4PwrP2m_No1YF43rt82j673FtJIHGpjLoMssZtXjEO5TezXLN0S0jmuiCwBYI9OEjqVj7esM/s1600/nuits-rouges-1974-04-g.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9twuMj4tKpTd9yJS5zDnP59v22AvRBdoQgg7AOmHOlz4y6i8Kx8nHyJIARK3BJ25VUYe4PwrP2m_No1YF43rt82j673FtJIHGpjLoMssZtXjEO5TezXLN0S0jmuiCwBYI9OEjqVj7esM/s1600/nuits-rouges-1974-04-g.jpg" height="293" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://image.toutlecine.com/photos/n/u/i/nuits-rouges-1974-04-g.jpg</td></tr>
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This is as much of interest as,
while not connected to his work, co-writer and star <i>Jacques Champreux</i> is the grandson of legendary <b>Les Vampires (1915) </b>director <i>Louis
Feuillade</i>, the same tone of pulp aesthetics celebrated as in his
grandfather's work is here as well. Also interpreted in a longer TV
mini-series, which I am clamouring to see, <b>Nuits
Rouges</b> follows a man without a face (played by <i>Champreux</i>), a man of disguises, head of a secret crime syndicate of
black masked individuals, a thief, murderer and dabbler in illegal activities
to boost his power and wealth. His most distinct trait is a cloth, crimson red
mask, the only visible features uncovered being piercing, sadistic eyes.
Learning of the potential lost treasure of the Knights of Templar, he murders a
historian connected to the subject, and left with nothing, targets his son and
anyone who possibly has clues to the whereabouts of that treasure. By any means
necessary to reach his goal will be done - automated taxis, henchmen including
an alluring femme fatale assistant, even the creations of a deranged brain
surgeon, lobotomised people who can be controlled like walking corpses to
perform assassinations. In his way is the son of the murdered historian, his
girlfriends, a hired detective, the police force, and the greatest threat, a
sect of the Knights' Templar not at all happy with one of their members being
killed. A series of set pieces are loosely connected by this narrative, as if
the film is an entire serial set within a hundred minute feature, the
characters existing to represent their archetypes, absurd situations taking
place, and a knowing humour mixed with moments of ghoulish brutality. A
minimalist work in style. Loose narrative threads that play out in natural
exterior locations and closed-in interior ones, with a muted colour and
aesthetic look baring the use of deep, blood red. White <i>Franju</i> undercut the influence of <i>Feuillade</i>, there is still comparisons to be made with <b>Les Vampires</b> in that both used
straightforward styles, limited use of camera movement if none, but inherently
were dreamlike in tone because of how the content was depicted in such ordinary
environments. So casually do events take place that it pulls one into a logic separate
from conventional reality, with anything from kidnappings to police pursuits
being performed with heightened tones. The characters have enough to them that
you engage with their situations, yet by being minimal in characterisation, it
creates a celebration of this type of plotting for the sake of it. Like his
take on <b>Judex</b>, <i>Franju</i> can make the completely absurd sound in the context of the
film's structure, and the intricate parts of the this content is clearly a Herculean
task in having had to pull off. To be able to make a film that, as pulp,
carries weight to the images and can accept the fantastical into its core
without jarring is enough as it is. It's even more of a challenge if you don't
use a self-reflective, stylised framework to express the content.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Very subtle uses of the camera
are used, a close-up of a small detail given monumental importance. Despite the
lack of camera movement, it frames scenes within rooms and exteriors with a
scope to them that emphasises the events about to take place. Like the best
pulp, one doesn't need to concern yourself with concrete, logical continuity,
instead enraptured by the scenes carefully woven together at the right times so
they build off each other and never become disjointed. Every criminal act is
enthralling in its tenseness, every death stings, every plot point is exciting
in ways not found in boring mainstream films. To be able to make the film as it
is, despite being simple on the surface, the director probably had a difficult
task on his hands with this. The work is a paradox, between classic
turn-of-the-century crime thrillers and the seventies, the cars and technology
of the time mixing with intrigue and suspense from a long gone era. It helps to
add a fantastical picture to the film, more so now decades later, and places <b>Nuits Rouges</b> amongst the genre films of
the era which exist in their own ghostly worlds, Euro pictures that feel alien
even now. Like them too, this had the benefit of a Seventies synthesiser being
used, adding a nice motif and thus proving its out-of-time placement when it
was release was to its advantage. The film's roots lay in an older era in terms
of how the story telling is, but that doesn't make it predictable on the first
viewing nor the second when you know how the story concludes, as the events
seen exist in themselves and, thankfully, have originality and jest to them
that is sorely missing in newer films. It helps too <b>Nuits Rouges</b> avoids having contrived subplots and plotting
additions that usually undermine genre cinema, no pointless romantic story to
speak of for example, and instead lets the spectacle of the main plot, and its
own tangents, engage the viewer.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE9QfkPSrACLTiKzZkb6WEemngzQ01LnaOk04TY53gDY_vIMHMQjmvkGjR52Kk5hQj7cwWVhOWaweC-w-bEX2LjPAebAClusGB84v7BmwYJc77EHZ3UzbN1AijvB1h97LJ0KFvMudnHk8/s1600/f7f73dd9f68b0350f9d294a09c1453b1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE9QfkPSrACLTiKzZkb6WEemngzQ01LnaOk04TY53gDY_vIMHMQjmvkGjR52Kk5hQj7cwWVhOWaweC-w-bEX2LjPAebAClusGB84v7BmwYJc77EHZ3UzbN1AijvB1h97LJ0KFvMudnHk8/s1600/f7f73dd9f68b0350f9d294a09c1453b1.jpg" height="240" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://media-cache-ec0.pinimg.com/736x/f7/f7/3d/<br />f7f73dd9f68b0350f9d294a09c1453b1.jpg</td></tr>
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</div>
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When stripped down to its bare
essentials, like here in <b>Nuits Rouges</b>,
the concept of pulp storytelling is shown to have incredible artistry. Again,
its perplexing to say that this kind of artistry is given its needed due,
through fans of this sort of cinema, and yet is not, dismissed and with most
critical accolades given to the stereotype of the art or morally improving
picture, a dicey world of failed and contrived storytelling when it disappoints,
when it badly needs the rigor of the genre pictures' filmmaking. Admittedly,
pure luck is involved in some of the best of genre filmmaking, and everyone has
encountered it at its laziest and worst. But when it works, the emphasis on a
sound and study craft is lionised in these films the most, one that is badly
ignored when you see how many throwback or homages to older cinema fail so
completely. They are the filmmaking that led to <i>Manny Farber</i> to create the term 'termite art', the 'white
elephants' opposing them not elaborate art films for me, but those films that
are big, unwieldy and overrated movies that the moment you find one flaw
completely destroys their foundations and collapses them, while the termites
work silently and do make a big song-and-dance of their creation finally when
they prove careful or at least rigorous style is the best way forward for the
best films. In comparison to the magic of <b>Judex</b>,
<b>Nuits Rouges</b> is the
meat-and-potatoes of these sort of crime storytelling devoted to completely for
a whole feature, of Machiavellian villains, a grittiness that is nasty but can
given way to humour, and a constant pace where even the dialogue scenes have a
trajectory to them. It manages to be merciless in its violence yet somehow be
appropriate for children to watch according to the British film certificate on
it, a contradiction its perfect craft allows. Its precarious in its plotting,
yet manages to succeed, where the Knights Templar can suddenly be reintroduced
near the end and not undermine what's happened before. <i>Champreux</i> sits in the centre of the creation he helped bring to
life, almost bloodshot eyes piercing through everything in the mask, and managing
to make the character dangerous even after his first scenes have him dressed up
and impersonating an old woman running a sewing materials store. No one around
him is allowed to merely be boring and paper-thin, everyone in a series of
events that leave no random individual being shown onscreen with no
contribution. Even if they exist only to die, it still hurts, good or bad, for
them to kick the bucket. The film proves no illogical concept should prevent a
film being a great piece of art, and a film like this in fact shows the
illogical is a craft that outclasses realism in cinema at its best. Mood, tone,
what makes you jettison trite attitudes like dismissing the reality of a film,
is of the greatest importance in a film like this, verisimilitude that of its
own world with its own logic, not yours you bring as a bias to the film. That
this film can do this without heavy stylisation, which manages to be its own
style, makes <b>Nuits Rouges</b> such a
rare treat to see when, surprisingly, this is not as easy as you'd presume to
film and make.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMo8qeewK8kMHKGM90jOndiovr42cSI8dQbqzoEoVGN2wIqjYokO_1Ig0BKzWtDP2NYGgrHtZJA28bS8WwU6PW9przaBCnDvagl1yaHUgcN8x5tijc93KeE0JDUPwSyi14Nmq42Xd4i9w/s1600/nr07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMo8qeewK8kMHKGM90jOndiovr42cSI8dQbqzoEoVGN2wIqjYokO_1Ig0BKzWtDP2NYGgrHtZJA28bS8WwU6PW9przaBCnDvagl1yaHUgcN8x5tijc93KeE0JDUPwSyi14Nmq42Xd4i9w/s1600/nr07.jpg" height="230" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://nistagmus.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/nr07.jpg</td></tr>
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</div>
Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-60283245373492499222014-05-22T08:00:00.000-07:002014-05-22T08:04:57.055-07:00City of Pirates (1984)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_QGbpV12QRUKizidSzhnjuZCeEUGc68WiPjp1q09dcajHgQF7KFPJtUj2cuzWE8nPTp30Idg4MtjP4DxwJiuVbnUGSO9rSGK7w3SCKUOwwmRWwPl6BQqsNAv9ylgL0o9IFh8bO7gZtE/s1600/vlcsnap-2010-10-02-15h55m18s148.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ_QGbpV12QRUKizidSzhnjuZCeEUGc68WiPjp1q09dcajHgQF7KFPJtUj2cuzWE8nPTp30Idg4MtjP4DxwJiuVbnUGSO9rSGK7w3SCKUOwwmRWwPl6BQqsNAv9ylgL0o9IFh8bO7gZtE/s1600/vlcsnap-2010-10-02-15h55m18s148.png" height="235" width="320" /></a></div>
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<b>Dir. Raoul Ruiz</b></div>
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Nobody can say why
you go chasing a pirate down</div>
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the street but such a
state of affairs makes possible</div>
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a certain number of
anxiety dreams. Was it the pirate,</div>
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you ask yourself, or
was it the paranoia?</div>
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</div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
from 'When the
privateers returned from their pillage' by Steve Spence</div>
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There is no <i>Johnny Depp</i> in eyeliner complaining about why the run's gone in <b>City of Pirates</b>, a film by the late
Chilean director <i>Raoul Ruiz</i>, a film
made to be intentionally difficult to gain cohesiveness over, nor are there
galleons or people walking the plank. A pirate can denote something outside of
law and order, and honestly, it's too literal and tedious to immediately go to <i>Depp</i> when the idea of a place suggesting
pirates is far more mysterious and befitting this film's dreamlike structure. Many viewers will complain that there are no
actual pirates in the film, nor cities of any kind, dismissing the allegorical
versions offered. Personally I wasn't disappointed, the lights that seasonally
brighten up on a bush in a character's "Garden of Allegory"
representing the ones readied for a war between pirates and the country of
Spain, but some may be taken aback by the fact that this never becomes
important for an overall narrative, merely detail in a world to add character,
and that one should be concerned for the battle on this plant when its
discovered Spain has lost. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQo2wOlzg1VgJ_XlEZdz7GaNLo-_binVQP75GW_yqxWKNe6VJJk26J1rdCSGM2UujfzsP0HPgX8Uo4ikpIGVZbwLrCiqpvgYuY3G5xJf_XmaCvBzfCKX-bsWTBfA8B-kT_wsv4jga8Rc/s1600/ruiz5qu7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQo2wOlzg1VgJ_XlEZdz7GaNLo-_binVQP75GW_yqxWKNe6VJJk26J1rdCSGM2UujfzsP0HPgX8Uo4ikpIGVZbwLrCiqpvgYuY3G5xJf_XmaCvBzfCKX-bsWTBfA8B-kT_wsv4jga8Rc/s1600/ruiz5qu7.jpg" height="281" width="400" /></a></div>
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I admit to finding the film a
struggle to sit through in the beginning, but in dealing with the film, the
issue of what I brought to it in terms of residue biases is part of the subject
itself. Isidore (<i>Anne Alvaro</i>) comes
into contact with Malo (<i>Melvil Poupaud</i>),
a young boy who is in fact a killer, descending into a non linear trip that
includes murder and an island where a man Toby (<i>Hugues Quester</i>), owner of the Garden of Allegories, has an entire
family living in his head. It felt too close to the stereotype of pretentious
art cinema originally. But befitting the film, either it was intentional, or
that I fully absorbed the tone of it, and avoided forcing my own subconscious
tagging by narrative cinema onto it.That Ruiz partially improvised the film,
creating dialogue just before shooting scenes, was a dicey thing to do, in
terms of how it would affect the tone of the work, and I'm still at the stage
as a viewer, while falling in love with <b>City
of Pirates</b> by the end, that the opening quarter of difficult films like
this can frustrate me until I acclimatise to them. I've only seen four of
Ruiz's films and one short, from a man who made over a hundred films, shorts
and television work. As well as difficulty in actually seeing his films,
including this one, sadly you can have critical writing be very vague when it
comes to the maze-like nature of his work - like the key needed to unlock the
mystery in the centre of his The <b>Hypothesis
of the Stolen Painting (1979)</b>, the description needed to entice you into
Ruiz's world, rather than make it sound like obtuse navel gazing that'll put
the casual viewer off being curious, is usually missing.</div>
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Yes, many viewers will find <b>City of Pirates'</b> completely disinterest
with linear cohesiveness frustrating and dismiss it, but the film is far from
obtuse. Again for a second review in a row I can reference <b>Un</b> <b>Chien Andalou (1929)</b>,
and how it was made with every rational idea purposely excised from the
finished work. With <b>City of Pirates</b>,
anything that connected together the content in terms of a narrative was removed
during the editing process. Ruiz, and I dare stake this claim, in a film set by
the ocean as depicted in lush almost candy-like colours - hazy burnt pinks,
oceanic blues, blistering oranges - despite seeing little of his work, is an
individual who suits the metaphor of the Chinese boxes well. Even if the
conclusion is there by the end, the greater significance is that the route
through the films seem to be continually expanding as you go along, and
altering into more and more tangents as they go. Like the following too:</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3rV0lQ3n67_WWpda4jsVb0mGEjPBszmLER4CpyjW8sRhu_dlCSlT5vSDQVf-Uz-Gb8qE_7uCd1xwe8fwOrv5sy1lpzWj4W5NQWgZT7dmMASuCkRywIqQ0Uh6RuQV1UCmzofER4N1m_Q/s1600/maze.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx3rV0lQ3n67_WWpda4jsVb0mGEjPBszmLER4CpyjW8sRhu_dlCSlT5vSDQVf-Uz-Gb8qE_7uCd1xwe8fwOrv5sy1lpzWj4W5NQWgZT7dmMASuCkRywIqQ0Uh6RuQV1UCmzofER4N1m_Q/s1600/maze.jpg" height="400" width="380" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
As a film, any plot for it boils
down to the protagonist tagging along with the child as his "fiancée",
after he (or likely she) has murdered her adopting father, only to be pushed
into an increasing sense that she herself is hiding a more homicidal person
within her. What the draw of the film is, the greater importance clearly, is
how this is represented. It's worth remembering too that <b>City of Pirates</b> is a film that's playful in tone. A lot of my
problems with the film disappear when the adoptive father leaves quite
violently, in an unintentional shift in tone, or possibly on purpose. The
beginning of the film is jarring against conventional norms of narrative cinema.
A sentient white ball that bounces by itself, the mother talking to the dead,
random appearance by policemen, and the one unfortunate aspect that was either
Ruiz intentionally mocking pretence or something that flaws the film a little,
the use of actors quoting very descriptive poetry. I'm not a fan of poetry
where elaborate vocabulary for whole verses is common, rather than use of
metaphors, grounded yet imaginative verse, or completely visionary or
intentionally nonsensical wording choices. There is still the poetry in the
rest of the film, usually in duelling voiceover, debating existence and life,
but it's not as problematic. That the more irritating aspects of the dialogue
were all quoted by the father, who is continually offering his adoptive
daughter/live-in maid money as if soliciting sex behind his wife's back, it is
the possibility that its intentional.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It becomes clearer than mood and
fluxations of it drives <b>City of Pirates</b>,
and what appears to be slight and close to pretentious drastically changes if
one remembers what their dreams are like. Far from a cheap defence, it's a
remainder to reconsider the context for viewing a film like this <u>then </u>the
critical opinion. Dreams can have narratives, but they also dispense of any
'rationality' and inherently disregard notions of storytelling which required a
1-2-3 creation of characters and story. In this context, the film works
perfectly. After a beginning stumble, it works as an increasingly darkening
dream. One that is clearly humorous. One that has black humour and purely
unconventional images. The most distinct, in the beginning, is the camera from
inside the father's mouth, looking out between the teeth at his wife inspecting
them. </div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAX8I2zICYyKcNBYZd7qdIUes3-xYUqUJKwCwSmYFu7UnhcHVfxtr4Rn6QXeNQrvOLGaH5FQM-Dm4EuKCd281oPnZ7ya3Jp1k8Y3MEPdbBmVRKj9TLkZMVxr9qmflqgwO2_BXieQgts2U/s1600/vlcsnap-197666.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAX8I2zICYyKcNBYZd7qdIUes3-xYUqUJKwCwSmYFu7UnhcHVfxtr4Rn6QXeNQrvOLGaH5FQM-Dm4EuKCd281oPnZ7ya3Jp1k8Y3MEPdbBmVRKj9TLkZMVxr9qmflqgwO2_BXieQgts2U/s1600/vlcsnap-197666.png" height="296" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">City of Pirates</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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Instantly with this image, you
should realise this is a deliberately absurd work. Especially if you use an
example not from the film like this to emphasis the absurd camera shot - </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNOcX1UHZBcexj6ctO7XCdO0TAp4-kIznFjNdBzy3c4utD_zPbxfi_N9ERv5sBSisN66PZzNgONtkSppeksS2ygNXePipvVXveEJ354pGFQ6zyCQkhmC36IAGEM-sQ0oKR5zeq2VozoY/s1600/Justin+Quinnell+Smiley+Cam.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkNOcX1UHZBcexj6ctO7XCdO0TAp4-kIznFjNdBzy3c4utD_zPbxfi_N9ERv5sBSisN66PZzNgONtkSppeksS2ygNXePipvVXveEJ354pGFQ6zyCQkhmC36IAGEM-sQ0oKR5zeq2VozoY/s1600/Justin+Quinnell+Smiley+Cam.png" height="333" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;"><b>Justin Quinnell's Smiley Cam Research Project</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Large portions of the film are
like this. The protagonist lost amongst a potential lover who offers her
everything from radios to food, to Toby himself, where the mother of the family
inside his head never heard from but only heard of from the other individuals
juggled about from his consciousness. Surrounding this Ruiz is technically
accomplished at making the shots seen have a distinction and a logical,
tangible frame to house these illogical aspects. In dreams, the depth is gained
from the resonance of the images and the events, not the background behind
them. The meaning and emotions felt are already there for you beforehand as, in
deep sleep or day dreaming, you are pulled away from the necessity of having a
rationality to all that you encounter or sense. The difficultly one may have in
trying to gauge with 'difficult' films, books and such materials could easily,
possibly, maybe, be removed if you could go through them as one would encounter
dreams in sleep. Maybe even the poetry I had a bugbear with may have made more
sense in the film's place if I could have fully embraced the film in a resting
state fully open to its content. The film's too deliberate in tone to be merely
random, even if partially improvised, and the film's technical brilliance means
that obvious motifs can exist which string together.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It's darker content reveals
itself to be a fully darkened core to the work rather than mere shades to it. I
can laugh and include the ridiculous juxtaposition of images just before, but parallel
as well in <b>City of Pirates</b> is an incredibly
uneasy film while still being tongue-in-cheek and playful. Nasty in its
violence, the boy floating paper boats made of money in a river of a man's
freshly split blood. Almost Italian giallo in its use of knives and blood
spillage:</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKa9WRK2CeIzZD3uGugxuqB2Ap94uTfTws7shUldZTQb9s17qypXWjxTH2VJOcxk6uP6tmIJdraAZfTXoGUkR1_6MyRmi2cm20GHMMyS-jKg_G0zUk-UwQH-JpqLCcJ2cq6RmWLW1LQqE/s1600/cityofpirates06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKa9WRK2CeIzZD3uGugxuqB2Ap94uTfTws7shUldZTQb9s17qypXWjxTH2VJOcxk6uP6tmIJdraAZfTXoGUkR1_6MyRmi2cm20GHMMyS-jKg_G0zUk-UwQH-JpqLCcJ2cq6RmWLW1LQqE/s1600/cityofpirates06.jpg" height="293" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">City of Pirates</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgASg6M7_LKSIiAJHgFMZxXi0-8LvFg7XJiMSqKCXksl0kzVNFBVLCWiDErB72vFk81K_ThEGWELqJaktY2RUg5Y2p5aALL_zfAW8J-aFnl_m2KiKUd6-6NzxTVbGt_fs2FEYXw40JpDO8/s1600/deep-red.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgASg6M7_LKSIiAJHgFMZxXi0-8LvFg7XJiMSqKCXksl0kzVNFBVLCWiDErB72vFk81K_ThEGWELqJaktY2RUg5Y2p5aALL_zfAW8J-aFnl_m2KiKUd6-6NzxTVbGt_fs2FEYXw40JpDO8/s1600/deep-red.jpg" height="168" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: small;">Dario Argento's Deep Red (1975)</span></b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
With Toby, despite a friendship
taking place, his treatment of Isidore at first, locking her up in a prison
cell, is immensely unsettling. When its changed into a friendly relationship, it's
not a jarring and offensive shift. In dreams, opposites can sleep so much
closer together while in the everyday the idea of them moving into being
different and one-and-the-same equally is disturbing. The same applies to Malo,
the killer boy, sarcastic but with the halo of a cherub. No wonder, when actor <i>Poupaud</i> grew up, you'd want to hug him
in <i>François Ozon's</i> <b>Time To Leave (2005)</b>. But the boy is also a serial
murderer and rapist. Later he takes on the status of a deity for murder, more
of an entity. (Alarmingly <i>Ruiz</i> makes
one of his names <b>Peter Pan</b>.) The
childish innocence of the tone - pirates, bright colours - is hiding a tragic
tale. A woman who lost romance, as she explains her backstory, and, in the
symbolism, may be a killer as well. The film is open to interpretation. You can
argue she's a mass murderer. Argue, with a shot of a man's face reflecting at
her in a mirror, that it's the guilty of a man by proxy of his anima. That
everyone's dead and this is purgatory as viewed as a coastal paradise of hazy,
post-shooting highlighted, eighties colour coding. It's a not a cheat, a con,
for <i>Ruiz</i> not to answer this, to be
intentionally vague. His job here clearly was to make a waking dream. Dreams
inherently have each viewer/listener of them making their own interpretations
of what they mean.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiomMK3alLBEC8ic3n8LRFJQ5RP_TNNp5gUa4EJ9BUMplXFULW3VKTmB4t0fFWdJHxxens8fzX-Ppj6H_EyHFDI0-Q-hZzyo6RADAPC154hwAuxj3QKMIlh0IEyRGlw8ORrhBYAgGZK96o/s1600/city+of+pirates.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiomMK3alLBEC8ic3n8LRFJQ5RP_TNNp5gUa4EJ9BUMplXFULW3VKTmB4t0fFWdJHxxens8fzX-Ppj6H_EyHFDI0-Q-hZzyo6RADAPC154hwAuxj3QKMIlh0IEyRGlw8ORrhBYAgGZK96o/s1600/city+of+pirates.png" height="293" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
There's always been a paradox in
that, structurally, cinema is of audio and visual content. Even when either is
removed, the lack of either and the sense of this takes up the gap left. However,
the paradox, is that narrative is seen as more necessary within films. Narrative
is not inherently of cinema, especially as editing, or lack thereof, is more of
the connection of images in new meanings. Dreams are of the same idea. (So,
fittingly, <i>Sergei Eisenstein</i> and <i>Salvador Dali</i> can exist in the same club
house). Even if a narrative exists, like you wakes up naked in class on the day
of an exam you haven't prepared for, my own experiences in dreaming have shown
that the sensation of progression, through events, is more dictated by the
effect of what happens than a story with a beginning, a middle and an end being
shown. How narrative got to be the main priority in cinema is probably the
result of theatre and novels influencing the material filmed, through either
can remove it from themselves as well. Unfortunately, this means <b>City of Pirates</b> is seen as experimental
because it negates the importance of narrative cohesion. My difficultly with
the film at first is as much a subliminal printing of all the Hollywood films
we see as children. This is important as I had difficulty writing this review -
asking why I suddenly loved the film halfway through, when my mind originally
was numb through the first quarter, and what I got from it when I loved viewing
it. Sensations. The sense of dread, curiosity, wonder. The last image has stuck
with me. Two women talking by a window. A man with a rotting face points a gun
at the side of his skull. The women become skeletons even though without
ligaments, muscle, a tongue or a vocal box they couldn't talk. Death. Unease. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yvHYcGZF6emvG19Mho4zrHnVG63muviI4Zk4VC1Ls5doLEUyKayDXz4mGlxBTOBbQEbpvMItoNg1hVIYBIuBYChYSunUHeJzqQ2BQbes05r9t-TzewBRDD7ZOoFDalt6bKE0dQh8ABQ/s1600/cityofpirates-window-red2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5yvHYcGZF6emvG19Mho4zrHnVG63muviI4Zk4VC1Ls5doLEUyKayDXz4mGlxBTOBbQEbpvMItoNg1hVIYBIuBYChYSunUHeJzqQ2BQbes05r9t-TzewBRDD7ZOoFDalt6bKE0dQh8ABQ/s1600/cityofpirates-window-red2.jpg" height="281" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
A woman lost without love who'd
likely slit her adopted father's throat for a lark and deep seated revenge
against him. Her adopted mother doesn't care about the various murders, and
still loves her. Death still existing from a child, completely against the
notion of childhood innocence. Fittingly comparable to the last film I reviewed
here - <b>The Strange Colour of Your Body's
Tears (2013)</b>. I know too <i>Ruiz</i> was
an exile from Chile when it became a dictatorship. When Isidore is imprisoned,
was that on his mind? Yet he's still playful. A white ball, clearly on a string
above, being spun around the mother's head as if possessed by the dead feels
too whimsical on purpose to be a fault tonally. There is no need for <i>Ruiz</i> to have to divide this from the
serious side of the film, as the viewer should themselves and the film is
structured so these abrupt parings make sense together. The conscious structure
of these irrational pieces was ignored by me at first, which I regret when I
finally noticed and understood them. Rather than hold one's hand, the film lets
you feel when you react to individually in seeing said images. With this film
in particular, it emphasises for me the absurdity of letting narrative being a
driving force when images and sound are the more important factors for a film.
That, and as taking its cues from dreams, it already possesses a cohesiveness,
but that cohesive structure belongs from something, dreaming, where the
rational to have something explain all of itself to you, rather than take from
it what you can, is literally asleep and not allowed to be involved in
experiencing the dreams. With <b>City of
Pirates</b> the point is to experience the sense of dreaming it. The try and
make a narrative out of it makes little sense to do and is patronising to it
and yourself.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
========</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Images, in order, from the following sources:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">1. <span style="text-align: center;">http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_zlc81EWkeDU/TKedkC6nJdI/</span><span style="text-align: center;">AAAAAAAABFU/jyKLN328ND0/s1600/vlcsnap-2010-10-02-15h55m18s148.png</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">2. http://img233.imageshack.us/img233/7813/ruiz5qu7.jpg</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">3. <span style="text-align: center;">http://www.utopia-britannica.org.uk/Assets/maze.jpg</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;">4. <span style="text-align: center;">http://dcairns.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/vlcsnap-197666.png</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">5. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: center;">-bbwrZ9IoKEA/TzLR1daBeII/</span><span style="text-align: center;">AAAAAAAAAC0/wm_XH2UcfZU/</span><span style="text-align: center;">s1600/Screen+shot+2012-02-08+at+11.08.56+AM.png</span></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-align: center;">6. </span>http://deeperintomovies.net/journal/image11/cityofpirates06.jpg</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">7. http://cdn.filmschoolrejects.com/images/deep-red.jpg</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">8. http://s3.amazonaws.com/auteurs_production/post_images/6403/city%20of%20pirates.png?1314026129</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-size: x-small;">9. http://www.jonathanrosenbaum.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/cityofpirates-window-red2.jpg</span></div>
</div>
Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-23442824698362429392014-05-20T16:28:00.002-07:002014-05-20T16:28:29.901-07:00Text Written On The Back of Toilet Cubicle Door In A Sheffield Cinema....<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: center;">
"God is dead - Nietzsche</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Nietzsche is dead - God"</div>
</div>
Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-82588316996185959422014-05-15T09:58:00.003-07:002014-05-15T09:59:49.303-07:00 Top Tens: 2008<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
While looking at this page, in tribute to the highest ranking film on the list, I recommend playing <b>Rivers of Babylon</b> by <i>Boney M</i> in the background. This was the year I really got into cinema as a medium. Ironically, none of the films that got the most critical praise, or most of the ones I liked back then, are on the list below. 2008 is an incredibly strong year, but to have such a list I had to watch a lot of bad and average films to find the gems. It was worth it, but looking at the ten selections (and honorable mentions) below, something like<b> The Dark Knight </b>is so far from my tastes now, regardless of my actually opinion of it, that it feels like an alien language if I was to rewatch it again. Not out of a hipster, elitist attitude, but literally in a completely different mindset at points in what I admire in film making from current critical views of the medium, even in my vacuous entertainment. Genre blurring or taking dramatic stories and depicting them in unconventional ways dominate the list, and if anything, the noughties (sic) was a decade where these two traits were pushed further even compared to the nineties. Sometimes too much but with these ten examples it was done perfectly.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Ranking 2008</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>(In Order as of 15th May 2014)</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIaTujZPb8J2mMo5BBSRVMJd6Y0dCkJgj_ii4H2_udlHUTM9hQhvVS-dVdo1ujFVLuSYB4kVK-I_rA248LK8jD_a6e91WK2I3sWGi6K4N_kXHP56tnKuvV6qa2NV2UEXHlE4SCpNROQGU/s1600/tulpan+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIaTujZPb8J2mMo5BBSRVMJd6Y0dCkJgj_ii4H2_udlHUTM9hQhvVS-dVdo1ujFVLuSYB4kVK-I_rA248LK8jD_a6e91WK2I3sWGi6K4N_kXHP56tnKuvV6qa2NV2UEXHlE4SCpNROQGU/s1600/tulpan+2.jpg" height="257" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tulpan (Dir. Sergei Dvortsevoy, 2008</span>) </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYErt_n18-jH0f-BaG8epqrE0UKNj8EfTxn-KFgsvn3t4oFmOjqpRGw24NVMifeUxfqBYYTlYa70SsUEW7wBTEiCTcTZNqL07JLX58B6Tk1nPCOMkU6NzOJEV42UeNhopN_DwPkhVPz8M/s1600/Waltz-with-Bashir-25763_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYErt_n18-jH0f-BaG8epqrE0UKNj8EfTxn-KFgsvn3t4oFmOjqpRGw24NVMifeUxfqBYYTlYa70SsUEW7wBTEiCTcTZNqL07JLX58B6Tk1nPCOMkU6NzOJEV42UeNhopN_DwPkhVPz8M/s1600/Waltz-with-Bashir-25763_5.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Waltz With Bashir (Dir. Ari Folman, 2008)</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn2ilYIyiPV_t9yxr650xJMc0ygsZV0zAFBxcxaA9CW7rs1vCA0BUL2JcrRTNGkxYpC8rJhEosRMOwgcEi0zBJTv4IPkiFIEuSLxXN4tS3C4P01SAHIJDEKfI54UvAPrcRc1TTd8QxsYU/s1600/vlcsnap-2014-01-09-21h16m41s42.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn2ilYIyiPV_t9yxr650xJMc0ygsZV0zAFBxcxaA9CW7rs1vCA0BUL2JcrRTNGkxYpC8rJhEosRMOwgcEi0zBJTv4IPkiFIEuSLxXN4tS3C4P01SAHIJDEKfI54UvAPrcRc1TTd8QxsYU/s1600/vlcsnap-2014-01-09-21h16m41s42.png" height="158" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Headless Woman (Dir. Lucrecia Martel, 2008)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JS9Y19PSK3wnwRBdG37WSeUYA9ZuqKfGcHWJT-a9653yJGyWw_A5HBwWzqEffm5dUaAgbGVmkalIYYAHE1YNDuZBlPp5JL6_xunAsg1QvtdbSFszppYQKCHuaolbUdDUWlM1tVUh6YU/s1600/historias_extraordinarias_1-avi_snapshot_00-04-04_2010-08-09_16-25-08.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6JS9Y19PSK3wnwRBdG37WSeUYA9ZuqKfGcHWJT-a9653yJGyWw_A5HBwWzqEffm5dUaAgbGVmkalIYYAHE1YNDuZBlPp5JL6_xunAsg1QvtdbSFszppYQKCHuaolbUdDUWlM1tVUh6YU/s1600/historias_extraordinarias_1-avi_snapshot_00-04-04_2010-08-09_16-25-08.jpg" height="301" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Historias extraordinarias (Dir. Mariano Llinás, 2008)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI3ktv-uIMaGSASiD0BrBqBK1QFrrkowyClKqTIihnallUo4SyQ4WDbXZmNRbl6XI1OWasWtIYWSSoA1snJjlL8FgAPIeoR5ufp1rdsjN7VmkGyiBbVBxB2DnzCIy2SG0HO2g4-aF5Igk/s1600/loveexposure6.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI3ktv-uIMaGSASiD0BrBqBK1QFrrkowyClKqTIihnallUo4SyQ4WDbXZmNRbl6XI1OWasWtIYWSSoA1snJjlL8FgAPIeoR5ufp1rdsjN7VmkGyiBbVBxB2DnzCIy2SG0HO2g4-aF5Igk/s1600/loveexposure6.png" height="218" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Love Exposure (Dir. Sion Sono, 2008)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgthnDzl8w-QCaqEiF-D5TN-aFtx4mfYlNxJb4ZrgUcy_5UsBSReU1whK6sfumFVxst5Th-GrQ5lahqeMq3SMAhngUN8Md7dm5nVr1viHQ2OtbIxR2EPHsYKlr_aySLTfXvZ8uuOZWe9dw/s1600/pontypool_1djbloodbooth1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgthnDzl8w-QCaqEiF-D5TN-aFtx4mfYlNxJb4ZrgUcy_5UsBSReU1whK6sfumFVxst5Th-GrQ5lahqeMq3SMAhngUN8Md7dm5nVr1viHQ2OtbIxR2EPHsYKlr_aySLTfXvZ8uuOZWe9dw/s1600/pontypool_1djbloodbooth1.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pontypool (Dir. Bruce McDonald, 2008)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokD9nS_Qhgs8O63HJjkoJc5VC6iAxjHZrD8ua_2suNvr5WdPuNabEeP4_N3gdTCnNxsRKgueeLCNd6ptZ7Qo4AfSsq2Vn0g-xFJ6_6zBDz4C-NiZksHUEtvCiXWlcvZvTZsqlly5Ql1Y/s1600/9020-skycrawlers-550.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokD9nS_Qhgs8O63HJjkoJc5VC6iAxjHZrD8ua_2suNvr5WdPuNabEeP4_N3gdTCnNxsRKgueeLCNd6ptZ7Qo4AfSsq2Vn0g-xFJ6_6zBDz4C-NiZksHUEtvCiXWlcvZvTZsqlly5Ql1Y/s1600/9020-skycrawlers-550.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Sky Crawlers (Dir. Mamoru Oshii, 2008)</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqFLLyoovrtxomvTk80k2IwuofI5PTAeigvma1cRinXMwVlQ0eEW6Jl5-lPFEfgHACTkmW0dOUiNqVdX_AD8zX4-mIcrN_O4CBabGw1p_gZWDAR6SKCLCXcf-J2joXKqDwsk_WCNmWBEM/s1600/35+Rhums+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqFLLyoovrtxomvTk80k2IwuofI5PTAeigvma1cRinXMwVlQ0eEW6Jl5-lPFEfgHACTkmW0dOUiNqVdX_AD8zX4-mIcrN_O4CBabGw1p_gZWDAR6SKCLCXcf-J2joXKqDwsk_WCNmWBEM/s1600/35+Rhums+1.jpg" height="213" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">35 Shots of Rum (Dir. Claire Denis, 2008)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUUOuz0KRv03HY7IFTUp_Q279qz9YzaSPCfQQRcoW8X7lykARJ6plaX5zcJMWmK1VD4TDwYFlpP6Wq2WsUkrQe22929JCXLDbOdBfjz7GAhm0bFv4fKziHmxpodpK-O1EKFTL9Be2IAY/s1600/Episode+7+01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZUUOuz0KRv03HY7IFTUp_Q279qz9YzaSPCfQQRcoW8X7lykARJ6plaX5zcJMWmK1VD4TDwYFlpP6Wq2WsUkrQe22929JCXLDbOdBfjz7GAhm0bFv4fKziHmxpodpK-O1EKFTL9Be2IAY/s1600/Episode+7+01.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kaiba (Dir. Masaaki Yuasa, 2008/Anime Series)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik7pKptSByLy8p9AeTNw_fSGXzjCeKZO09nDfM8vv049M43zgSbtkEtw9aFT5Apoc2dfNvBBSgPLvaSyGEsnHha1Qx7ZQM_lu1_r9LEgycnnGXSK6qWa7ri6k3TuOlYOE0bQCH4wAAuv0/s1600/512px-Blowing_Rock-27527-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik7pKptSByLy8p9AeTNw_fSGXzjCeKZO09nDfM8vv049M43zgSbtkEtw9aFT5Apoc2dfNvBBSgPLvaSyGEsnHha1Qx7ZQM_lu1_r9LEgycnnGXSK6qWa7ri6k3TuOlYOE0bQCH4wAAuv0/s1600/512px-Blowing_Rock-27527-2.jpg" height="250" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Goodbye Solo (Dir. Ramin Bahrani, 2008)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Honorable Mentions (Also in Order of Preference):</b></div>
<div>
<div>
Redbelt (Dir. David Mamet, 2008); Rembrandt's J'Accuse (Dir. Peter Greenaway, 2008); JCVD (Dir. Mabrouk El Mechri, 2008); Not Quite Hollywood (Dir. Mark Hatley, 2008); Vinyan (Dir. Fabrice Du Welz, 2008); Synecdoche, New York (Dir. Charlie Kaufman, 2008); Of Time and the City (Dir. Terence Davies, 2008); Il Divo (Dir. Paolo Sorrentino, 2008) </div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Full List of Films Watched from the Year</b> - <a href="http://letterboxd.com/coheed/list/my-personal-2008-in-film-ranked-best-to-worst/"><b>http://letterboxd.com/coheed/list/my-personal-2008-in-film-ranked-best-to-worst/</b></a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
I didn't include <i>Steve McQueen's</i> <b>Hunger</b> because, honestly, I need to rewatch that film. A part of me wonders if it'll stand up or will lose its power drastically on another viewing.<br />
============<br />
Screenshots, in Order, from the Following Sources:<br />
<br />
http://www.coffeecoffeeandmorecoffee.com/archives/tulpan%202.jpg<br />
http://mmimageslarge.moviemail-online.co.uk/Waltz-with-Bashir-25763_5.jpg<br />
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL9y7xWW6m8X8NaZG0DMMQgaF1H7mjmBztcHXfY40lWaT_8HhpfFO42MobLVINGuO2OSOlzDvYpCV2bHRUAhi0D1AveVrWW4zlUtnb-SoTWiry4vYHUXq5p_eFt_HVt7Au_FEbQW51UAVu/s1600/vlcsnap-2014-01-09-21h16m41s42.png<br />
https://wondersinthedark.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/historias_extraordinarias_1-avi_snapshot_00-04-04_2010-08-09_16-25-08.jpg<br />
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdk2x4G2mHPfiD7Tq6xlObgYdhvPQWpZvb07Va0nSFIHCEKQpe3t73BOXunftYUSjA05scxEbWeemcEkWBgt2lfl4cQvAxP7yjSt1g6-GTrURfmJKl9kaJ2Q_blOJR6LpTXiVrO7DWQWk/s1600/loveexposure6.jpg<br />
https://academicalism.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/pontypool_1djbloodbooth1.jpg<br />
http://www.japanator.com/elephant/ul/9020-skycrawlers-550.jpg<br />
http://kistenet.com/brandon/images/Blog/2009/December/35%20Rhums%201.jpg<br />
http://jessi.gonein60fps.net/S1E1/Kaiba/Episode%207%2001.jpg<br />
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1a/Blowing_Rock-27527-2.jpg/512px-Blowing_Rock-27527-2.jpg</div>
Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-36321276779002806492014-05-11T02:48:00.001-07:002014-05-11T02:48:30.526-07:00Top Tens: 2007<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Ah, a good year. It was 2008 when I got into cinema fully, but judging from this year too -<a href="http://letterboxd.com/coheed/list/my-personal-2007-in-film-ranked-best-to-worst/"><b> if you see the whole list here</b></a> - 2007 was as important. The fact that many films were only getting released in 2008 in the United Kingdom meant that a lot of the films being mentioned below had an impact along with those from the following year. Yes, <b>There Will Be Blood </b>is not this Top Ten, nor <b>Zodiac</b>, but any of the films mentioned here are strong enough by themselves to be included.<br />
<br />
Ranking 2007<br />
(In Order, of Preference, as of 11th May 2014)<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNGKmVPU85fGeHB7FWw3kZ5MvwL-0DvS5p4OlVKHLfAmR9G-L4AgfbVKGONgokZPc4IqWfySEvKSVJOEDhNkdBU3-Kp582IBX1heoVeHxBUrnJHzXjhIUAb1LlJx3WJFoRM-yLsKDPvo/s1600/heartbeat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvNGKmVPU85fGeHB7FWw3kZ5MvwL-0DvS5p4OlVKHLfAmR9G-L4AgfbVKGONgokZPc4IqWfySEvKSVJOEDhNkdBU3-Kp582IBX1heoVeHxBUrnJHzXjhIUAb1LlJx3WJFoRM-yLsKDPvo/s1600/heartbeat.jpg" height="251" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Heartbeat Detector (Dir. Nicolas Klotz)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7w0oXVj-JMhgUpQvpH2rbARs-zNQiV8eVTNNF6ukTp5kjiCFlPNRypWG4Uykjgq72UhBxeQTNXybNIgv3xp4acfazVWAVl48M18AkYNnytrIJeB4qiD4ETv1ZK8iI2h49Inai8PpLgU/s1600/180488_full.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhS7w0oXVj-JMhgUpQvpH2rbARs-zNQiV8eVTNNF6ukTp5kjiCFlPNRypWG4Uykjgq72UhBxeQTNXybNIgv3xp4acfazVWAVl48M18AkYNnytrIJeB4qiD4ETv1ZK8iI2h49Inai8PpLgU/s1600/180488_full.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">My Winnipeg (Dir. Guy Maddin)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe-rXe6guLDXnAM3V9EfWwoAU-IOVrCvBSUd8OJvEGk_jI7RnY21F2c3DPehMAhdhljIp8twEFGtxnfsj8F7deS5m5X4skLLhWooeBdPHYt93WS03J2wy5xVWlAwNpHJ1Bn7v4YCj9vZc/s1600/picture15bs.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe-rXe6guLDXnAM3V9EfWwoAU-IOVrCvBSUd8OJvEGk_jI7RnY21F2c3DPehMAhdhljIp8twEFGtxnfsj8F7deS5m5X4skLLhWooeBdPHYt93WS03J2wy5xVWlAwNpHJ1Bn7v4YCj9vZc/s1600/picture15bs.png" height="232" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">You, The Living (Dir. Roy Andersson)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmex26BbX1GPcCaeLVm2-y_BsOqCH_RA_TrVAWEfEqCwuF3Vjr391fz2WSX7MAhaeuiyfyF8GZ0xdLp0Yk8qKBYkeLjO6eEAGEeXL-iOEGLP5-HAVjtRrrgw0Gnj1HVgwYZZU6hrkYN34/s1600/6452930d15628714aa0567a02c965a49cb0cdae1-700.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmex26BbX1GPcCaeLVm2-y_BsOqCH_RA_TrVAWEfEqCwuF3Vjr391fz2WSX7MAhaeuiyfyF8GZ0xdLp0Yk8qKBYkeLjO6eEAGEeXL-iOEGLP5-HAVjtRrrgw0Gnj1HVgwYZZU6hrkYN34/s1600/6452930d15628714aa0567a02c965a49cb0cdae1-700.png" height="221" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Import/Export (Dir. Ulrich Seidl)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKJPwSwK9ksifTbta4gpm4FG7CCGNfHEI0HC2pqckIRffLUt6QTiDNK7L_isfwCPAmUZUG0p0qbuO-bBF26PaKsequSCGR6YIFQeLmK81eZFUcrCX2kLyu4iFlq3RAljMYL29YEFvGok/s1600/Tp0n9oElypme5z7i2V1APz8Ko1_1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKJPwSwK9ksifTbta4gpm4FG7CCGNfHEI0HC2pqckIRffLUt6QTiDNK7L_isfwCPAmUZUG0p0qbuO-bBF26PaKsequSCGR6YIFQeLmK81eZFUcrCX2kLyu4iFlq3RAljMYL29YEFvGok/s1600/Tp0n9oElypme5z7i2V1APz8Ko1_1280.jpg" height="240" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Man From London (Dirs. Béla Tarr and Ágnes Hranitzky)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOI2jKSDC-JgtHpxLu4pAuIWr9Js7puaFjcm1IirA4G11e1HN136HVORsG5Oz2csH9sNOzs7asmoKRnIdXZbuolDcZShFWywe03Y-LIIxdREXT3P_upAEJWxzlVFMhqDLxBGVC7AqTrTo/s1600/corr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOI2jKSDC-JgtHpxLu4pAuIWr9Js7puaFjcm1IirA4G11e1HN136HVORsG5Oz2csH9sNOzs7asmoKRnIdXZbuolDcZShFWywe03Y-LIIxdREXT3P_upAEJWxzlVFMhqDLxBGVC7AqTrTo/s1600/corr.jpg" height="207" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Correspondances (Dir. Eugene Green/Short)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDa-Wl3kaeNY4cvkk-BQGgYrya_aM1XyILF3lUhFOcWhBiL3-ITHiNvA7iJhkHETr86hh-JSbpep7ec4MMTSwkDUZ9yoil959erqhEByOWyVjvCzuCTawIBrr0Bmxz4G8ZARECzxr2HIY/s1600/ncfomsil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDa-Wl3kaeNY4cvkk-BQGgYrya_aM1XyILF3lUhFOcWhBiL3-ITHiNvA7iJhkHETr86hh-JSbpep7ec4MMTSwkDUZ9yoil959erqhEByOWyVjvCzuCTawIBrr0Bmxz4G8ZARECzxr2HIY/s1600/ncfomsil.jpg" height="181" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">No Country For Old Men (Dirs. Ethan & Joel Coen)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSYS_AdTUy1LQbeqNPBUJEnAOMvq9sWK4faMdrCsKI9DZaEuEs5pHwnzXw1pGlEUfjTvo-CzrkKvqXwF0GTkvvJXYpCeiO7JUl25oG5Ma1pyU_qlvcGbZUEa0ac4YbO5J2XxXOSZmroMs/s1600/screenshot-med-29.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSYS_AdTUy1LQbeqNPBUJEnAOMvq9sWK4faMdrCsKI9DZaEuEs5pHwnzXw1pGlEUfjTvo-CzrkKvqXwF0GTkvvJXYpCeiO7JUl25oG5Ma1pyU_qlvcGbZUEa0ac4YbO5J2XxXOSZmroMs/s1600/screenshot-med-29.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Persepolis (Dirs. Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9RpJqDI0WKuQMO_C-rIDY2Sr9jk13ZkAzrZ99SZGaa7wh_-LQxP0lPM8pgkQ2B8Q5A1oYE0bDiviWLJkw58g2Y3koNi9Q5G57vqdIk-m7okHsonBsuVe8GMrgoKPwK-aw4RtJ2SWm0w/s1600/buddha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb9RpJqDI0WKuQMO_C-rIDY2Sr9jk13ZkAzrZ99SZGaa7wh_-LQxP0lPM8pgkQ2B8Q5A1oYE0bDiviWLJkw58g2Y3koNi9Q5G57vqdIk-m7okHsonBsuVe8GMrgoKPwK-aw4RtJ2SWm0w/s1600/buddha.jpg" height="213" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Buddha Collapsed Out of Shame (Dir. Hana Makhmalbaf)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUL4HrryrrH2soOgyB9GUxCqopn1v1AnSw_tar9N_5p8fI5T2zTvOxXVOQB6bq5LICWu4f3n8hnvwPj-TCfHgXnnDspHQPDHLEoNjuO6uY0eQWHrDImDIepu6uwh5Oy4IjkoHBN05MqOA/s1600/nightwatching_atelier.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUL4HrryrrH2soOgyB9GUxCqopn1v1AnSw_tar9N_5p8fI5T2zTvOxXVOQB6bq5LICWu4f3n8hnvwPj-TCfHgXnnDspHQPDHLEoNjuO6uY0eQWHrDImDIepu6uwh5Oy4IjkoHBN05MqOA/s1600/nightwatching_atelier.png" height="221" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nightwatching (Dir. Peter Greenaway)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Honorable Mention:<br />
XXY (Dir. Lucía Puenzo)<br />
<br />
========<br />
Screenshots, in order, from the following sources:<br />
<br />
https://itpworld.files.wordpress.com/2008/06/heartbeat.jpg<br />
http://cineplex.media.baselineresearch.com/images/180488/180488_full.jpg<br />
http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/3204/picture15bs.png<br />
http://www.ffffilm.com/uploads/bluesoul/snapshots/2009/12/shots/6452930d15628714aa0567a02c965a49cb0cdae1-700.png<br />
http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.tumblr.com/Tp0n9oElypme5z7i2V1APz8Ko1_1280.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAI6WLSGT7Y3ET7ADQ&Expires=1399886922&Signature=uFAIZI%2B6RnvPVfXS6XxbEHzcsjc%3D#_=_<br />
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ZUPqNx0k_jds_Rk4vChGQqP1o1rKZfIaZ3DLBbjGnaphlXUtRMNoJrV7wXQBB7NglQlDhYs8r3wlJ6cKCnLnd4oR2xcijSVRfMX4EwKgjl4PSGxvnzj8RfmE53MGUuXK_5Z_8d9Pn_KY/s1600/corr.jpg<br />
http://static.rogerebert.com/redactor_assets/pictures/scanners/no-country-for-old-men-out-in-all-that-dark/ncfomsil.jpg<br />
http://media.cinemasquid.com/blu-ray/titles/persepolis/801/screenshot-med-29.jpg<br />
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpW9zTzmTq8qzFwTqrKn94abIqjEvunBqtvwA6g9RIIGRtSwSIfXNA_cyTEZWsNrTpnEO8Lgsw1xCsVl-9ai1LC_3HtNFJWYl3tlBinbqvdU3xpLIzMVgFlLOKjVzjztfmecJjy_jS5Bgc/s1600-h/buddha.jpg<br />
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPBK6kJ3u_VscohyBQUlrlVFFH-BhMrunLIrAwES6P-EVt_3etp_vIjeRd7NP8Ul20zmBYfYKJvdCf2f3v2Kzy0hIMEL5_EijN9NoZtPRTGW8JmfVEo7CVTFAivpGy5DHpM-rxFEtoGPc/s1600/nightwatching_atelier.png</div>
Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-5713078904015501162014-05-09T13:19:00.000-07:002014-05-09T13:23:49.958-07:00The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears (2013)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5GEvCCUFGZ_NzbmcT6t96uoLq3RdB1oBUk3tgs8BytUnDrHYcS6NeMnLFU3stOuG2ykjLQV-l6v1bU_E1zWl71BpqWMIji81Bs5EIubhGDj9_KHtq_85pR4NyWjD3eoTDZqUS8ZTOmg/s1600/StrtangeColorPoster-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ5GEvCCUFGZ_NzbmcT6t96uoLq3RdB1oBUk3tgs8BytUnDrHYcS6NeMnLFU3stOuG2ykjLQV-l6v1bU_E1zWl71BpqWMIji81Bs5EIubhGDj9_KHtq_85pR4NyWjD3eoTDZqUS8ZTOmg/s1600/StrtangeColorPoster-1.jpg" height="400" width="296" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://twitchfilm.com/assets/2013/07/StrtangeColorPoster-1.jpg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Dirs. Bruno Forzani and Hélène
Cattet</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAURVSu9YSfhuGVvY2rQwpTuARbeYXqOdINmDMWaKd32Htc0D0yBfjcQNl4PNVDqD8L1K5Bz_-DPv_vyJ7ltB83JqW6kVy0AWtb6jbt5b67FdM-l12Ers5977E3ecB6ZBHbi8O-P1huY/s1600/Belgium+Flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyAURVSu9YSfhuGVvY2rQwpTuARbeYXqOdINmDMWaKd32Htc0D0yBfjcQNl4PNVDqD8L1K5Bz_-DPv_vyJ7ltB83JqW6kVy0AWtb6jbt5b67FdM-l12Ers5977E3ecB6ZBHbi8O-P1huY/s1600/Belgium+Flag.jpg" /></a>As a side note, the viewing of
the second feature length film of the directors of <b>Amer (2009)</b> does come with a strange anecdote of going to see it.
There were tests being run just before a 3.20pm screening, and after some
delay, the first images on the cinema screen were mute clip from <b>The Truman Show (1998)</b>. If <i>Jim Carrey</i> had actually been in an avant
garde psychodrama cribbing from the texts of giallo films from Italy, my head
would've exploded. I have no grief with said cinema just to let the reader
know. The screening was late but all the trailers usually played in front of films
were skipped, and the film was presented to its best as a visual and audio
barrage, so I have nothing to concern myself with. It's just that odd moment is
very memorable.</div>
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<br /></div>
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It's befitting the type of film <b>The Strange Colour of Your Body's Tears</b>
is that this kind of breaking up of cinematic conventions was done by accident
before the film actually started. Done completely sincerely, it nonetheless
takes the conventions of the giallo, a murder mystery story, and inverses them.
Dan Kristensen (<i>Klaus Tange</i>) arrives
back in Belgium from his work abroad, only to find his wife Edwige (<i>Ursula Bedena</i>) is nowhere to be found.
The building complex they are living in is a maze of hidden secrets and
perplexing circumstances surrounding the environment. The fellow occupants have
their own hidden sides, and nothing is what it seems. Joined by Detective
Vincentelli (also played by <i>Klaus Tange</i>),
reality becomes less and less tangible as the walls hide older ones, a killer
is clearly within the building, and the circumstance are so severe Kirstensen
even becomes his own killer, victim and witness at the same time one restless
night. It is not a good comparison to say this is close to an original giallo.
They could be campy, schlocky and significantly different even when they were
stylish and artistic. For all their abstract moments, even <i>Dario Argento's</i>, they had a simple narrative that was followed
closely. <b>The Strange Colours...</b> has
a narrative, unlike <b>Amer's</b> three
segments, but is likely going to be the more difficult of the two for people
because it purposely goes away from what is easily understandable, using
symbolism and outright surrealism for plot points. The film is very
unconventional on purpose, the experimental style of the directors made clearly
apparent again like in their previous work rather than for them to be making a
throwback film. <i>Umberto Lenzi's</i> <b>Eyeball (1975) </b>this is not, a trashy
and wonky Italian pulp film, but violently nasty, pulsating with sex and weird
imagery, as much Art with a capital A and a sensority experience. </div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyac_ifJPCsWKfeiV0ZChN_N6l_ar4DVNa0brJJjSCbfdnkztb_PV-ts2IxVx4s6glk7ZdgYBCSGa3E4llJkKoL5_KTcZxCCINzS8_-QfRRwDWEJ8hfhYwSAugftnyxYztGB2a8gei7OI/s1600/Aping-Bu-uel-a-scene-from-010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyac_ifJPCsWKfeiV0ZChN_N6l_ar4DVNa0brJJjSCbfdnkztb_PV-ts2IxVx4s6glk7ZdgYBCSGa3E4llJkKoL5_KTcZxCCINzS8_-QfRRwDWEJ8hfhYwSAugftnyxYztGB2a8gei7OI/s1600/Aping-Bu-uel-a-scene-from-010.jpg" height="240" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From https://static-secure.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Guardian/Pix/pictures/2014/4/10/1397138290671/Aping-Bu-uel-a-scene-from-010.jpg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It feels right on point that
critic <i>Anton Bitel</i>, in <b>Sight and Sound</b> magazine reviewing the
fillm, suggested this was a treatise on the mind of a psychologically damaged man,
Kristensen's possibly. When the Detective and the protagonist are played by the
same person, it immediately suggests, to paraphrase a title of Video Nasty
film, that this is nightmares of a damaged brain we're seeing. <b>Amer</b>, despite its three separate pieces
that made its whole, had an obvious connective tissue - the growth of a girl
into a woman, puberty and sexuality inbetween - while <b>The Strange Colours...</b> jumps from its narrative tracks to follow
the mental environments of its characters. This is furthered by the trademark
style of the directors, an exceptional and total cinematic flourish. It's not
just the striking use of colours. Or the unconventional use of ordinary
objects. It's the obsession with the smallest of details, amplifying them
greatly. Rarely in films do you get the sound of leather stretched. As the sole
other person in the theatre with me said, afterwards, there was an extensive
use of added sound effects. Concerning one with all the aspects of a film -
visuals, sound, editing and so forth - with as equal care never feels apparent
in quite a lot of cinema when you many movies. Far from giving attention to
itself with this, pushing you away from engaging in the film, it is as
immersive as a dream, no matter how abstract the film around is, all
interconnecting in a way perceived to make rational sense. Instead of becoming
impatient in wanting a standard A-to-B narrative, which is a danger when
viewing a work like this, this has its images and scenes connect together by
themselves in a way that explains what is going on that you have to be willing
to follow on their own accord.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
When the detective has his own
flashback to previous assignment, involving voyeurism and vengeance with red
wrapped "sweets" and rings as claws, that seems to have no connection
to what is originally taking place, it's clear it's not as random as Kristensen
points it out to be in being mentioned as the film goes along. It's just one
part of a clearer connected tissue of moods and ideas. The anxieties and lusts
of a male where his wife interchanges with many other women, sex and death
juxtaposed and combined as the apartment complex becomes a host of a single
mind than a building. Turning an all changing entity of photo-optic tricks in
the opening credits, that can house the most sadomasochistic acts, including an
uncomfortable situation with glass, to the curiosity of a young boy. Never has
the goal that <i>Luis Bunuel</i> and <i>Salvador Dali</i> had in mind with <b>Un Chien Andalou (1929)</b> been a clear
reference point for a film that is also indebted to a specific area of cult
genre cinema, but it's the case with <b>The
Strange Tears...</b>, especially the notion of removing anything that had an
obvious explanation but using a well known narrative structure to construct a
film around this irrational material. Everything has a purpose or is designed
to juxtapose in unconventional ways. It becomes very obvious what has happened
to Edwige, but the reason why it has happened, and the individual involved, who
may be connected to the disappearance of an older man years before, as seen in
someone else's flashback, is left a mystery. And it becomes more and more
obvious as the film becomes more unconventional that the individual responsible
is not necessarily a mere killer, and that something more complicated is going
on. When a box of toys suddenly appear, with spiked wheels and erotic imagery
amongst them, or a chapter on the desires of a woman, likely Edwige's, plays
out involving a bowler hat, stop motion straight from <i>Jan Svankmajer,</i> and an inspired scenario taking place onscreen which
uproots conventions of a chase sequence from giallo or slasher films. Even the
title, a beautiful one, turns out to be a very obvious reference to something
the viewer sees in the end but also hides so many potential signifiers within
it, particularly with the amount of wounds and injuries that are inflicted to
the human body. The previously mentioned scene of Kristensen literally being
duplicated and taking on multiple roles against himself, harming himself,
eventually, long after the film ended, becomes the obvious sign of the hidden
paranoia of his that becomes more obvious as the other scenes play out. </div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyOGbIXydTttrgR3CxyFHwWfCLzSlYL_o96qEq5R07tuLechQmPsi6TNxgbgaeYO_Q3BTVOGpd2ikBq0TVGTps6F_wVJ-rJhpiH_lVt3mQUOY6L-_eJgW4Gq2l09mhrlFIq6MncHbRUxg/s1600/STRANGE-COLOURS-MIDLINE.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyOGbIXydTttrgR3CxyFHwWfCLzSlYL_o96qEq5R07tuLechQmPsi6TNxgbgaeYO_Q3BTVOGpd2ikBq0TVGTps6F_wVJ-rJhpiH_lVt3mQUOY6L-_eJgW4Gq2l09mhrlFIq6MncHbRUxg/s1600/STRANGE-COLOURS-MIDLINE.jpg" height="256" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://diaboliquemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/STRANGE-COLOURS-MIDLINE.jpg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It's not that rare to see
experimental artists use pop culture that is seen as un-progressive and below high
culture for a source of inspiration. Actually, its more common than you'd
think. In most cases it's the reasons the material were criticised for that are
the aspects latched onto by the artists to replicate in their work, <i>Andy Warhol</i> the obvious example. There
is definitely a fan vibe to this film when the protagonist, part of an
intercontinental telecommunications company, has so many main themes from
Italian giallo on vinyl and plays them at convenient moments, the film littered
with tracks taken from the original inspiration and providing the theme of <b>Killer Nun (1978) </b>an expecting resurrection
as a tense and inspired ditty that gets into your head. And <b>The Strange Colours...</b> inherited the
lurid side of the giallo - the nudity, the sexuality, and the linking of death
and said sexuality together that'll be shocking for some viewers. A razor blade
and a woman's anatomy, an image repeated multiple times, is something that you
see at the beginning of the film and lets you in on what to expect for the rest
of the running time. I admit I was concerned the film was going to get silly or
undermine itself with questionable content, especially from a scene early on where
a woman is completed naked on a balcony of the apartment complex for no discernible
reason. But when, around then, it seemed to progress dangerously close to
tasteless, fitting as it references giallo, not a good thing when it's trying
to be a serious avant-garde film too, the equal opportunities attitude to both
genders in what happens takes place and a much more complicated tone is
revealed by the halfway point that prevents it from being mere ultraviolent
softcore. Its a work of pure style, I confess that, but its a gem of this
because it uses its style to create a tone of fear linking with anxieties of
sexuality and violence that gives a depth to the proceedings. Using the ability
of dream logic to transform moods into sensations that are more than enough to
have a profound effect on you. The works that take their influence from
"disreputable" objects tend not to stick with the structures and
meanings of the originals, and transport them into a new context. As Kristensen
becomes more entangled within a situation that becomes more of a cloud over him
for the viewer watching the film, the sense of reality being altered that is
apparent in giallo, where each plot twists changes the rules of how everything
works, is here as well but with a significant difference. Each piece of
information in a giallo, far from a breadcrumb to get one home, is a further
complication in these films, but there's a conventional narrative surrounding
them nonetheless which is not found here. Dropping the conventional narrative,
this is no longer a stylish pulp journey for the sake of twists and turns that
a giallo usually is, but concentrates itself, using the sub-genre's style, on
the sensation of tension and sensuality. While <b>Amer</b> was about female sexuality, this is clearly about male
sexuality. <b>Amer</b> had danger, death
and fetishism, but this feels more chaotic, nastier and paranoid in tone to the
earlier film. They mirror each other, but this one feels the more intentionally
horrific once it gets to its ending, all stemming from a complete lack of
understanding in femininity once you get what its title originally means. You
could argue the reason why <b>Amer</b>
ended as it does is explained in this film like a metaphorical prequel,
although rewatching <b>Amer</b> is a must
for me now.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
After the viewing, when the
lights came up after the end credits finished, I was the sole person in the
screening room, the other individual who watched the film having already left
as (presumably) the end credits rolled, creating a sense of having been dropped
back into real life suddenly. It was startling. With its blasts of sound, heavy
percussion based music cribbed from the original inspirations, visual
manipulations and moments of editing that felt like a knife piercing flesh, it
felt like the sensual overload I went into the screening hoping it would be,
having left me disorientated for a long while after the viewing. The lights of
the nearby bathroom were a heady, sickly yellow of artificial lighting, a
cramped claustrophobic toilet cubicle with a grill behind you when you sit
down. What's behind the grill, something I actually asked myself jokingly but
with curiosity. Complete blackness. Maybe behind it, what was a respectable art
cinema with modern architecture hid a secret or two like is found in the film
when a wall is broken down. While <b>The
Strange Colours of Your Body's Tears</b> doesn't provide intellectual meat to
leave on, its a film that causes you to look and listen carefully around you
when you leave the cinema and step back into the real world, causing one to see
it through senses and emotions. Everything pulsated when I got on the train for
the long way trip home, even though it was a bright English afternoon and no
one was being killed by someone in leather gloves nearby like an <i>Argento</i> film. Probably the reason giallo
was the object of obsession for the directors <i>Bruno Forzani</i> and <i>Hélène
Cattet</i> is that it's the sub-genre where style and what is seen, felt and
heard was so extravagant and obsessed over, from the music to the colours. And
a story of murder and sex is always about sensation too even if it's pure
fantasy. What's truly cinematic is when you can <u>feel</u> a film, not just
look at pretty pictures on a screen. With a success rate of two out of two
feature films, a great segment in the wildly varying (but underrated) <b>The ABCs of Death (2012)</b> and short
features, the duo behind this are few of the only individuals who take
reference from the history of cult cinema seriously and create results that
actually have virtue to it. Not through indulgence, sarcasm, or merely
presuming to replicate the older films, but by turning it into their own voice
even if its divisive and for only a few. It's going to feel like hell for me
waiting for their next film now. Even a short would suffice!</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1tyKJRIYLJq8IlirnwSU8dA4r1wCL_3wH7nsIugEdjwtt9rGd5YmY6oT30G3mU7fHEGN_7SDkM0KOn84pXdaM1NUtQ64BaRifjtM-0oIQnssyUkYVbPpmaMayanqdhKIEf7uUHNW4mQM/s1600/the-strange-colour-of-your-bodys-tears-03-The_S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1tyKJRIYLJq8IlirnwSU8dA4r1wCL_3wH7nsIugEdjwtt9rGd5YmY6oT30G3mU7fHEGN_7SDkM0KOn84pXdaM1NUtQ64BaRifjtM-0oIQnssyUkYVbPpmaMayanqdhKIEf7uUHNW4mQM/s1600/the-strange-colour-of-your-bodys-tears-03-The_S.jpg" height="232" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://www.critic.de/images/the-strange-colour-of-your-bodys-tears-03-The_S.jpg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-27319284484761785942014-05-04T13:57:00.001-07:002014-05-04T13:57:07.589-07:00Sleepless (2001)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-T9CSa_2mJcWoXPs3MB3bHgQrWdtKanQq7SruUzBJFP80Uyyf_M39TKYWPwKk7oStcEqw8TUOf-CtCdQ1LZiNRdbVtjj3XzGAKKKbqSUv4Mql1s8_97v6IxPSS_tM7yBncQEfmk7Bpg/s1600/Sleepless_(2001_film).jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-T9CSa_2mJcWoXPs3MB3bHgQrWdtKanQq7SruUzBJFP80Uyyf_M39TKYWPwKk7oStcEqw8TUOf-CtCdQ1LZiNRdbVtjj3XzGAKKKbqSUv4Mql1s8_97v6IxPSS_tM7yBncQEfmk7Bpg/s1600/Sleepless_(2001_film).jpeg" height="400" width="291" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/6/6a/Sleepless_(2001_film).jpeg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Dir. Dario Argento</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJZ6xbtBkrZplDbHdisoA5Zsy2-q9V3U1RVxqx2I0u_PAmE0q1Q5nQXhj7XoOMfHpS9a06UHA1B5Tbb3S7ujwVIJXWX5vF_0VD3scwdb5gOvvZ0Z4jzGTl0_0XZT2m96Vlh1KX_SJzGM/s1600/italian+flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIJZ6xbtBkrZplDbHdisoA5Zsy2-q9V3U1RVxqx2I0u_PAmE0q1Q5nQXhj7XoOMfHpS9a06UHA1B5Tbb3S7ujwVIJXWX5vF_0VD3scwdb5gOvvZ0Z4jzGTl0_0XZT2m96Vlh1KX_SJzGM/s1600/italian+flag.jpg" /></a>First of all, after <b>Opera (1987)</b>, my viewing of the films
of <i>Dario Argento</i> has been spotty with
a few gaps. Yet to see <b>Mother of Tears
(2007)</b>, haven't seen <b>Trauma (1993)</b>,
<b>The Phantom of the Opera (1998) </b>and <b>Dracula 3D (2012)</b>. Aside from this,
I've seen all the important films of his. All there is left, beyond those
mentioned above, is the obscurer works. If a drop of quality has taken place, it's
not the horrible downward spiral that I've heard others describe his career as
having become. Instead it's a wider issue, beyond even Italy's genre cinema
having declined taking its toll on his aesthetic rigor, but horror cinema in general
being underused. This issue is in fact part of cinema in general, regardless of
there being a climb or decline within it. If you can make a film fully through
how you desired it to be, it'll be a miracle. A director with films under their
belt are not safe from outside factors. Less budgets, cheaper camera, popular tastes
that'll date films etc. <i>Argento</i> is a
working filmmaker, in a profession first, that involves for more production
costs than other mediums, and is an auteur secondly through the fans and
critics, us, that see his films. And there are also times when the audience may
have missed something that wasn't an outside influence or necessarily bad
either. Once having found quite a few of his films, on the first viewings,
dull, which I openly confess to having thought before rewatching those specific
films, I've had a more complicated experience in my admiration for the
director's work, able to see his major work at least twice. <i>Argento</i> has always skirted the schlocky
and absurd in his prime era of giallos and supernatural horror - hockey plots, out-of-the-blue
plot twists, obvious special effects. His films are legitimately great because
of his style and that he can take these potential flaws in any other director's
work and clearly embrace them in a baroque tone intentionally. And it's clear
how <u>deliberate</u> it can be as well. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
He would have seen having his protagonists
be amateur sleuths in trying to solve murder cases, over the police, as
fantastical in nature, but it's clearly done on purpose and I cannot help but
think of the suspense of disbelief that exists in genre, especially crime
stories. Unfortunately the virtues of suspending disbelief and embracing the
clearly unrealistic has been lost on me for some time before now. It's also
been lost in a lot of genre cinema. I blame the desire for realism and logic in
narratives for having done this, even though both of them are mythical
creatures in films purporting to be documents of reality. To embrace suspension
of disbelief, which finds its biggest reservoir within the pulpiest of works,
knowing flagrant in realism, is to intentionally enjoy films (or books, games
etc.) that play within their own made-up realities. Even <b>The Bird With The Crystal Plumage (1970)</b>, <i>Argento's</i> debut and most restrained work, has absurdities within
it. Then he eventually went as far as having a monkey welding a razor blade in
a film a decade later and likely knew how ridiculous it was. <b>The Bird With The Crystal Plumage </b>and <b>The Cat O' Nine Tails (1971) </b>were films
I liked on the first viewing, and the likelihood was that they are the most
streamlined and less-tangent filled films by him. After <b>...the Crystal Plumage</b>, the films became more and more expanded,
more tangent filled and clearly breaking to pieces the narratives they had on
purpose and probably from the haphazard nature of many Italian genre cinema of
the time. The most obvious example of this, was <b>Deep Red (1975)</b> and its extended screwball comedy sequences with <i>David Hemmings</i> and <i>Daria Nicolodi</i>; the fact that most of it was removed from the
shorter English language release of the film more than likely altering how viewers
would react to his film, not seeing how tongue-in-cheek and peculiar he
actually was. Plots in his films were lurid and not logically rigorous, more
inclined to the spectacle of pulp, <b>Four
Flies From Grey Velvet (1971)</b> getting its title from a scientifically
impossible concept to catch the killer straight from sci-fi or Victorian gothic
literature. If there was a peak for this expanding and divisive excess it was
undoubtedly the eighties. <b>Inferno (1980)</b>
is the most abstract film of his, <b>Opera</b>
pulls the carpet under its viewers' feet, and <b>Phenomena (1985)</b> is clinically insane. And that's not discussing
the use of<i> Iron Maiden</i> and <i>Saxon</i> in the mid and late eighties films.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgIaKTfEgBf0xZfG-p2H0eivLZoZi7vEnvzh8QOpAmfKa1kSY-1VeFiteMKi9KicjDaFTIWidebLi0VNUnUpApEPwlZsR92g2BQcBZj0B0wfqCIBvvV55XKg-wH-TD7BDsn0gHSfmodE/s1600/Sleepless2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPgIaKTfEgBf0xZfG-p2H0eivLZoZi7vEnvzh8QOpAmfKa1kSY-1VeFiteMKi9KicjDaFTIWidebLi0VNUnUpApEPwlZsR92g2BQcBZj0B0wfqCIBvvV55XKg-wH-TD7BDsn0gHSfmodE/s1600/Sleepless2.png" height="218" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://projectdeadpost.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Sleepless2.png</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
A film like <b>Giallo (2009)</b> still carries the hallmarks of this auteur. As does
The <b>Card Player (2004)</b>, <b>The Stendhal Syndrome (1996)</b> and, returning
to the film of this review, <b>Sleepless</b>.
I don't see a sudden damnation in mediocrity to the pit of the worst of cinema
fans have proclaimed it to be with him. Filmmaking, even from an outsider who
hasn't picked up a camera, is such a chaotic, arbitrary bastard of a career to
be an artisan in when public taste, money and resources are variable and have such
a drastic effect on the final product. Those who've been championed in horror
cinema especially have been just as effected by this - see <i>John Carpenter</i>, <i>Wes Craven</i>,
<i>Tobe Hooper</i>, <i>George Romero </i>and so forth. Add European directors like <i>Jess Franco</i>, whose career was a roller
coaster. Or go further, and beyond just horror films, like with <i>Takashi Miike</i>, a self proclaimed working
director who, at one point making five films in a year, is clearly dependant on
making films to live and has to do so by following what he will be able to work
on, which is something I am having to accept with my disappointment with his
later mainstream films. Auteurs or people with unconventional ideas are a pain
in the arse for producers to work with, and as new talent exists, older
veterans have ended up being ignored. A director who can keep a rich
filmography usually works with whatever their budget is, even if its low, and
is the equivalent of the mad lord isolated in a tower by themselves, sustained
by those who've cared to listen to them. Yes, <i>Argento</i> and many director are countable for some really bad ideas
in their weaker films - <i>Adrian Brody's</i>
wonky accent(s) in <b>Giallo</b> for starters
- but it's probably hell to get these productions off the ground let alone with
little compromise. We forget as viewers it's a job, which can be as arbitrary
as any other job we have, paid or unpaid.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
A series of murders from 1983
have seemed to begin again many years later. The killer was said to have been a
man with dwarfism, yet the fact that he apparently committed suicide, and the
newest killings follow the originals' traits exactly, suggests that this was
likely wrong. The son of one of the original victims Giacomo Gallo (<i>Stefano Dionisi</i>) is brought back to
Turin, reacquainting himself with a crush of his past and intending to find out
who actually killed his mother. Also brought back in is the original detective
of the case Ulisse Moretti, played by the legendary <i>Max Von Sydow</i>, long retired but bringing himself into the case
again as memories and his desire to close it too returns to him. The film's a
throwback to <i>Argento's</i> first giallo films,
less about who the killer turns out to be, but the labyrinth of the plotting.
Giallo are more inclined to the notion of spectacle - the effect of the
plotting, throwing its protagonists in the deep end, the gory deaths. It's a
nasty film when it wants to be, a strange balance of cruelty and the absurd.
Absurd is the right word. <i>Argento</i> has
a clear bombastic ridiculousness to his work, sincere but winking. The same
here. The spectacle of the first act, where a prostitute inadvertently gets
involved with the killer and an incriminating blue file, shows the director's
virtue of the elaborate. A prolonged set piece on a train. Two women involved.
An inherent creativity to <i>Argento</i>
that, dare say it, was found up to <b>Giallo</b>
for all its failings. This is of course the film where <i>Goblin</i>, the Italian progressive rock band that created haunting
scores for <i>Argento's</i> most well known
films, came back together in some form to create another. The title theme sends
shivers up the spine with the guitar lick that carries it, but again it proves
great metaphor for an intentional, mischievous pomposity in <i>Dario Argento's</i> work. Music to shake the
ground with but embracing excess like a starving man to food. </div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0WTwe-6sgM_yShQmCnm0-S1NtPeC3Dtf0ovdegsGJLV6WUBfOxkSA5ZfpUN_xJZJ7dFT0-5WgpJ1igwVKUxCrU3tosIVsr_usk83Hsjj8p8oYKk4qF-IMk041cZuBNn-hjG8L6qyCvnE/s1600/sleepless2big.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0WTwe-6sgM_yShQmCnm0-S1NtPeC3Dtf0ovdegsGJLV6WUBfOxkSA5ZfpUN_xJZJ7dFT0-5WgpJ1igwVKUxCrU3tosIVsr_usk83Hsjj8p8oYKk4qF-IMk041cZuBNn-hjG8L6qyCvnE/s1600/sleepless2big.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://www.mondo-digital.com/sleepless2big.jpg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The problem with <b>Sleepless</b>, if any, is not to do with
the film's story or structure. His best work, including <b>Suspiria (1977)</b> and <b>Inferno</b>,
is full of lengthy dialogue scenes and expedition. Odd tangents with no
connection to the main plot. My original boredom with a lot of his films was
because he got more excessive with this sort of thing, which I didn't go in
expecting when I wanted lean, taught thrillers. The implausible nature, the
lashings of said exposition, all the tangents, and it's clear, especially here,
that <i>Argento</i> is in adoration of this
as much as making the most stylish or tense work possible. I cannot but
suspect, as we have scenes of <i>Sydow</i>
by himself and his pet tropical bird figuring out old information on the murder
case, explaining it to himself and us the viewers implausibly, that the
director adores and fetishes the junky, over explained tones of a pulp
paperback as much as their heightened tones and the mystery. Once you jettison
the conventions of "good" narrative writing, it's obvious <i>Argento</i> loves the clearly implausible,
the pointless, the all-the-sudden, the inane, and far from a detraction, it
actually here is shown to be one of his best auteurist traits once you embrace
it.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The real problem with this film
is seeing how it occasionally looks daub visually. Thankfully this film has the
style of the older films. But I have to get through the obvious flaw that, from
around this point, and <b>The Stendhal
Syndrome</b>, something was clearly an obsacle he put up as a director or
outside groups forced upon him where his films lost their lustre from the past
films. Not surprisingly it mirrors how horror
cinema became more and more obviously treated like the fast food of the medium,
which effected many of the old auteurs' films. Yes, films were churned out in
the days before I was born, but its feels even more obvious within the last few
decades when directors known for distinct personalities in their work are
minimal. Moments in this film, there are the troubling signs of how cheaper his
films were becoming at least in look if not budget, clearly a compromise from
the films of decades before. When you're a director known for style and
elaborate camera movements, a restriction in making the films is not a good
thing. The good news is that, while it would unfortunately begin to really undermine
his films from <b>The Card Player</b>*, the
style of the earlier films is still here, such as a lengthy tracking shot
following along a carpet to an event that is magnificent. What has to bared in
mind is that, when he started, <i>Argento</i>
was working with <i>Vittorio Storaro</i> as
his cinematographer, who the same year as <b>The
Bird With The Crystal Plumage</b> did the same task with <i>Bernardo Bertolucci's</i> <b>The
Conformist</b>. This is the same in other areas of the film's production, with <i>Ennio Morricone</i> as the composer. The
older eras of horror cinema had a fluidity between actors to technicians
switching between art and pulp cinema, particularly with Italy and Japan,
without bias against either. Unfortunately <i>Argento</i>
has to work with what he has now. With this film though he was still able to
make material that shines. Considering the cinematographer for this film, <i>Ronnie Taylor</i>, shot his film <b>Opera</b>, it makes sense for the style to
be there still. And of course, speaking of acting, there's <i>Von Sydow</i>. <i>Sydow</i> can
leave any film with his stoic dignity shining through, as a great actor able to
be good in even an awful film, as can be proved in seeing him in <b>Judge Dread (1995)</b> with <i>Sylvester Stallone</i>. The transition from <i>Ingmar Bergman</i> to his later films is
surprising, but to bring his gravitas to this film was inspired, and in seeing
him add conviction to the sillier aspects, proves why he's such a good actor.
In fact no one is bad in the film in a jarring way to be honest. The cheesy
English dubbing is far from the worst I've seen and still adds a lot; I'm
endured much, much worse.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwhIT1h0py2anyV5AEJOTfSij8B6gyven54oJw7RnhV30ObgDGK5YpSeTrwXzgoea59X2WPtwSt6gOvURQZHoNBriBd3qfg8cN9dIiwUU_4hZgck9zKrcwYjf2Vuk1R5xFSa1FgRB4Qc/s1600/sleepless-backstage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEwhIT1h0py2anyV5AEJOTfSij8B6gyven54oJw7RnhV30ObgDGK5YpSeTrwXzgoea59X2WPtwSt6gOvURQZHoNBriBd3qfg8cN9dIiwUU_4hZgck9zKrcwYjf2Vuk1R5xFSa1FgRB4Qc/s1600/sleepless-backstage.jpg" height="227" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://hotdogcinema.files.wordpress.com/2012/04/sleepless-backstage.jpg<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The modus operandi of the story
is how a pretty nasty nursery rhyme penned for the film by <i>Asia Argento</i>, the director's daughter and actor/director in her own
right, and from the very Grimm end of children's literature, infects someone
enough to carry out a series of murders inspired by it against women. It's
bizarre, but <i>Argento</i> has revealed in
the bizarre plot ideas for four decades or so now. Taken seriously, as a
director criticised for his violence, the notion of a work corrupting someone
both returns back to the plot of <b>Tenebrae
(1982)</b>, and the result here becoming a playful nod to the more exaggerated
of stories that does nonetheless reflects on this issue even for a lurid plot
thread. <i>Argento</i> did consider the
notion of the dangers of a piece of creative art at least with his work. The
dwarf character blamed for the original murders becomes more of a tragic
figure, ostracised for what he looked like when, frankly, the killers with the
exception of <b>Phenomena</b> have been
normal people hiding corrupted minds. And, without spoiling <b>Phenomena</b>, even that film is a lot more
complicated, for an intentionally silly film, on that matter too. It says a lot
of where the director/co-writer's heart lies in his preferred stories when this
character is said to have been a pulp thriller writer who read aloud his latest
creations gladly to the neighbouring children, the mix of the sick and the fun
apparent especially here in <b>Sleepless</b>.
Length and structure wise, the film does feel stretched, but it escalates
quickly and, surprisingly, closes out its epilogue with end credits playing
over the footage. Abrupt defiantly, but at the same time, it befits the material
as much that it ends with the macabre jolt and soon after finishes so that it
stays in mind. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It's unfortunate <i>Dario Argento's</i> work has dropped in
quality over the years, but it's somewhat of a parody that, the further a
director's career is, the more divisive and in danger of compromise it is. Its
less that directors loss their creativity, too variable in individual cases for
me, and I'd argue that with <i>Argento</i>,
though he may be guilty in his compromise, that clearly the effect of less
resources have plagued these films too. The circumstances to get these films
made were likely to have had a drastic effect on what we would see. It's clear
here as well that the intentionally silly and fun side of the man, even for the
sadistic violence, was made more pronounced in a film like this. Maybe <b>Giallo</b>, with <i>Adrian Brody</i> sucking a whipped cream can nozzle at one point within
it, was actually meant to be a comedy, and <i>Argento</i>
wasn't covering his tracks? I'll see <b>Dracula
3D</b> when it's possible to acquire it, and be baffled by why a giant CGI
mantis was included, but unless he has completely gone mad, I can't help but
think he must have found that mantis people were able to see in a leaked
production trailer to be funny as well as what he wanted for the scene. It
comes apparent that, as well as the potential problems in making these films
that is inherent in the industry, the knowing absurd of the man's work that has
always been there has made itself more obvious as the films continue. As fans
we've probably taken <i>Argento's</i> work
too seriously in tone when they may have been ultraviolent romps in plot twists
and abrupt surprises as <b>Sleepless</b>
is. It makes complete sense of great moments from his first films that were
nonetheless strange. He started with an extended dialogue scene whose punch
line was that someone was sustaining themselves by raising cats to eat, and that
should remind us of this side of the director that we've ignored, and realise
its been in all the films he made afterwards.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Note: * </b>Which makes no sense since <i>Benoît Debie</i>, of <b>Spring
Breakers (2013)</b> and <b>Enter the Void
(2009)</b>, was the cinematographer. I'm baffled by this despite actually liking the
film.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXMhixdQFVxXUwVQbbwrM5EJHHTIpg_0AbhSl0ZXLWI-fysuqf-GHUpKU4GcypJMLRA1V0gprAkyt05Gdug5D1NGWj-4F4p6rhHY5sImzxdmuM6cyHmk3Drt5ua_4Ws0a6NbVtHuwvqA/s1600/sl2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAXMhixdQFVxXUwVQbbwrM5EJHHTIpg_0AbhSl0ZXLWI-fysuqf-GHUpKU4GcypJMLRA1V0gprAkyt05Gdug5D1NGWj-4F4p6rhHY5sImzxdmuM6cyHmk3Drt5ua_4Ws0a6NbVtHuwvqA/s1600/sl2.jpg" height="271" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://www.dvdactive.com/images/reviews/screenshot/2009/7/sl2.jpg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-39154973955670598422014-04-26T05:15:00.002-07:002014-04-26T05:15:31.100-07:00Top Tens: 2006<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Sexuality permeates this year's list, along with drifting away from reality and the presence of some obscure films. Checking the<a href="http://letterboxd.com/coheed/list/my-personal-2006-ranked/"><b> full list of all the films</b></a> I've seen from this year as I go along, you can see that big, acclaimed works have not even got past the label 'Average'. In their place is one of the first films that I saw depict real sex onscreen, which is also one of the sweetest comedy-dramas I've ever seen, and the last feature David Lynch has made of yet, the first of his I ever saw, leading me to wait in hope he comes back for one or two more in the 2010s. An absurdist Norwegian film and a dramatic thriller from Tajikistan, Satoshi Kon's last ever feature film, two entries from the (Sadly) forgotten <b>Destricted</b> anthology on sexuality, and the tasteless genius of <i>Neveldine/Taylor</i> amongst the list.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Ranking 2006</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>(In Order as of 26th April 2014)</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ylwjnqp4H_XRqhk9ofPt_NeIMyKt7NaZUaqVzB4sLdArMEUN13jwE-xsv4D3P6iIrJj5ILrXxdTHyQadrt_m-CXjEhetNR-aTo_dtZcIYaBIgFpWP8j1iQnyatqOCeWIgSGml6yCUrQ/s1600/a06705178937219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ylwjnqp4H_XRqhk9ofPt_NeIMyKt7NaZUaqVzB4sLdArMEUN13jwE-xsv4D3P6iIrJj5ILrXxdTHyQadrt_m-CXjEhetNR-aTo_dtZcIYaBIgFpWP8j1iQnyatqOCeWIgSGml6yCUrQ/s1600/a06705178937219.jpg" height="221" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Shortbus (Dir. John Cameron Mitchell, 2006)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-HeFaKCUlFpOqu5mwy2WYJJVQK4RiKPaaQrwYGfOzp_m2exhW93q5vQ4Py2pMX2KlJTHudQBIZFPvSGz7r2qU_sHr8C2H4_HfX-ORR2_1AC2D7VhKkKHmOmU439ZQvUwFF_HP0bgy4A/s1600/20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8-HeFaKCUlFpOqu5mwy2WYJJVQK4RiKPaaQrwYGfOzp_m2exhW93q5vQ4Py2pMX2KlJTHudQBIZFPvSGz7r2qU_sHr8C2H4_HfX-ORR2_1AC2D7VhKkKHmOmU439ZQvUwFF_HP0bgy4A/s1600/20.jpg" height="216" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">INLAND EMPIRE (Dir. David Lynch, 2006)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbYXX-3gQ6ZaMlGmuB3hv0sXkcrJgoAFj5F5cGbqWBsXtvUhMJjctaMzkLtwFDphTHRZA_b0HnKd0HsU6GaYxrtrQR1YxiDrxhv1Bak-kTxYrcTXJuGSGBEudJLh4qwlAQ8GwbEWy3jI/s1600/20753_Lights-In-The-Dusk-01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjbYXX-3gQ6ZaMlGmuB3hv0sXkcrJgoAFj5F5cGbqWBsXtvUhMJjctaMzkLtwFDphTHRZA_b0HnKd0HsU6GaYxrtrQR1YxiDrxhv1Bak-kTxYrcTXJuGSGBEudJLh4qwlAQ8GwbEWy3jI/s1600/20753_Lights-In-The-Dusk-01.JPG" height="281" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lights in the Dusk (Dir. Aki Kaurismäki, 2006)</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8vBMHFHrj6Fue68vlCzIahXnAKC85F3KzKonoaoca6MwJECTs-llYHqSQhN7j4_yUmvUmQU0yiiGNAEoGs3jMNc-hdC2goYghAj38kuhCFhjWC4eYiMQWD2ETnEe9_iOLiWPfEKEV_jg/s1600/fantasma_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8vBMHFHrj6Fue68vlCzIahXnAKC85F3KzKonoaoca6MwJECTs-llYHqSQhN7j4_yUmvUmQU0yiiGNAEoGs3jMNc-hdC2goYghAj38kuhCFhjWC4eYiMQWD2ETnEe9_iOLiWPfEKEV_jg/s1600/fantasma_01.jpg" height="263" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fantasma (Dir. Lisandro Alonso, 2006)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW1U8CpWMw7Da__pzxyYvCoo9PPhQAkLXcO5O0IeOZMA060anG2HJEGLkwcaa6DCrYJEYNMoyjM5yy_Fw0dBdEz-Vr8MENQS90H6MFBlDBmenpYo4ZRO5eer3WtQSBB4ZDDGoizWhyphenhyphenDpk/s1600/Chev-Chelios-Jason-Statham-in-Lions-Gate-Films-Crank-2006-21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW1U8CpWMw7Da__pzxyYvCoo9PPhQAkLXcO5O0IeOZMA060anG2HJEGLkwcaa6DCrYJEYNMoyjM5yy_Fw0dBdEz-Vr8MENQS90H6MFBlDBmenpYo4ZRO5eer3WtQSBB4ZDDGoizWhyphenhyphenDpk/s1600/Chev-Chelios-Jason-Statham-in-Lions-Gate-Films-Crank-2006-21.jpg" height="238" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Crank (Dirs. Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor, 2006)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTe7h3jzVdlSh_t2LZt4FDViZXWCYdrYRL451FEWVyPQwfjBiNs32FLvc7e6srioobxkdkeVzXK1PGMfJKU8oqv0yTAZ0XwEqgfENF_OFNDSRY-TACdc_dBLk5u_3JSye-6BbtWdzDU2U/s1600/Paprika-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTe7h3jzVdlSh_t2LZt4FDViZXWCYdrYRL451FEWVyPQwfjBiNs32FLvc7e6srioobxkdkeVzXK1PGMfJKU8oqv0yTAZ0XwEqgfENF_OFNDSRY-TACdc_dBLk5u_3JSye-6BbtWdzDU2U/s1600/Paprika-2.jpg" height="207" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Paprika (Dir. Satoshi Kon, 2006) </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNs7jc5uG5HrbXeriKBtmEmuptNCtbfOyJVO6wCnA5Rc_-notXjYVa0StE_c0Vr7DNy9D6xQJZYknrAExxIQ2OZIR9Pd8yIttnM5xC5-Udy4D-2fw4t6WPgh52HkCRbDp8vhV4Sp7oid8/s1600/tgthfyhtd460.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNs7jc5uG5HrbXeriKBtmEmuptNCtbfOyJVO6wCnA5Rc_-notXjYVa0StE_c0Vr7DNy9D6xQJZYknrAExxIQ2OZIR9Pd8yIttnM5xC5-Udy4D-2fw4t6WPgh52HkCRbDp8vhV4Sp7oid8/s1600/tgthfyhtd460.jpg" height="238" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">To Get To Heaven First You Have To Die <br />(Dir. Jamshed Usmonov, 2006)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2vUMsZ8b6kCjCt048Vq2F4T-uTk-VgJnRmmzXZr0yAkJu-d-CDBoJcPt5-kP7Gmq8UrdqAsz0GdQiF4oLdenyQCuD4BE04wowdQUzv3850Zxj9HJH2NPZIZRdR_SKOp2ERcUpXfa7Kc/s1600/den-brysomme-mannen-754684l.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU2vUMsZ8b6kCjCt048Vq2F4T-uTk-VgJnRmmzXZr0yAkJu-d-CDBoJcPt5-kP7Gmq8UrdqAsz0GdQiF4oLdenyQCuD4BE04wowdQUzv3850Zxj9HJH2NPZIZRdR_SKOp2ERcUpXfa7Kc/s1600/den-brysomme-mannen-754684l.jpg" height="230" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Bothersome Man (Dir. Jens Lien, 2006)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPfJNxq7E0DPhQLxcJKb966OZaN2-jTiW77F89rwf90LqyxmwLizTshAC3LTcrUGeFExC06EwKxdcVlLqn2-OIipxc10TqlyqKh9jHltySfxDJRb3bt9B74fHnHp2PlU1FAtUsWjZXxI/s1600/Hoist2_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWPfJNxq7E0DPhQLxcJKb966OZaN2-jTiW77F89rwf90LqyxmwLizTshAC3LTcrUGeFExC06EwKxdcVlLqn2-OIipxc10TqlyqKh9jHltySfxDJRb3bt9B74fHnHp2PlU1FAtUsWjZXxI/s1600/Hoist2_b.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Hoist (Dir. Matthew Barney, 2006) [From 'Destricted']</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyEIbh5bY_ITKSFXr7Lq4CUMmYB2X1Z-e3Ejzh7cl87GKzur3p76fKjeaouFpvWNXdfGEDKWb1ITICIFoggadbz_02ZG3VJknd6OWe9oUpX1OkjK8xMoWQlfaptwgLtnXn5KOdW6CXyM/s1600/6a00d8341c514053ef00e54f6827a58833-640wi.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfyEIbh5bY_ITKSFXr7Lq4CUMmYB2X1Z-e3Ejzh7cl87GKzur3p76fKjeaouFpvWNXdfGEDKWb1ITICIFoggadbz_02ZG3VJknd6OWe9oUpX1OkjK8xMoWQlfaptwgLtnXn5KOdW6CXyM/s1600/6a00d8341c514053ef00e54f6827a58833-640wi.jpg" height="240" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Impaled (Dir. Larry Clark, 2006) [From 'Destricted']</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
========<br />
Images, in order, from the following source:<br />
<br />
http://thumbnails58.imagebam.com/17894/a06705178937219.jpg<br />
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b392/mikekitchell/inland%20empire/20.jpg<br />
http://mmimageslarge.moviemail-online.co.uk/20753_Lights-In-The-Dusk-01.JPG<br />
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_vgIrOz78ywi6Zt8Bz4w8cLXyO_5rn00ITmfSV47-4vKmf4j0V5LwbD6qGqUhyedr3A2iHh2e-MCK9KXyAVaX-h7t4nIxk5xa7HeBwTnIC21DmEyc3TQDfqYWSGiRSa4c-e61iIJpisU/s1600/fantasma_01.jpg<br />
http://wodumedia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Chev-Chelios-Jason-Statham-in-Lions-Gate-Films-Crank-2006-21.jpg<br />
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKexfOz29dASi63M6jl-oh1lehaRpC_zbOW__jfYFHMV25VBj5P9LQ5QjQyML866pZfeFHQZp63PPh1FQ-J4KAU9HL8VGlMPNHyc_ex2-c0KfaKas2x3KBxVoVJedsOXM0Bw4aIfGko9I/s1600/Paprika-2.jpg<br />
http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Film/Pix/pictures/2008/11/04/tgthfyhtd460.jpg<br />
http://vareverta.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/den-brysomme-mannen-754684l.jpg<br />
http://www.anyspacewhatever.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Hoist2_b.jpg<br />
http://arjay.typepad.com/photos/uncategorized/larry_clark.jpg</div>
Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-71187840187943737642014-04-26T04:37:00.000-07:002014-04-26T04:38:30.769-07:00Top Tens: 2005<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
The years 2005 and 2006 are an peculiar pair. Before now I viewed them as weaker years in the 2000s for cinema, although 2005 seemed the stronger between them. I no longer do, but its worth asking why I thought this. For one, both were sandwiched between 2004 and 2007 which, viewing the longer list for 2004 added to my post, and the link I'll add when I get to 2007, were exceptionally strong years themselves. The other issue, if you follow the link for <a href="http://letterboxd.com/coheed/list/my-personal-2005-ranked/"><b>the longer 2005 list here</b></a>, is that films praised strongly critically, as cult films or by the many failed extremely for me when I got to them. Some deserve another chance, as with all the other lists, but it made a more pronouced dent with this year and 2006. That and the fact that, even now in 2014, the United Kingdom had to wait for films from the year before to get cinema releases in the year after, which muddles how one canonises a year in cinema completely a decade or so later.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
What I can say if that, as most of the critically acclaimed films fell by the wayside, the dismissed works of auteurs, termite art (to quote <i>Manny Farber)</i>, and out-of-the-blue surprises turned out to be the films that rose to podium status as this list shows. </div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Ranking 2005</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>(In Order of Preference as of 26th April 2014)</b></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCbBfXnM8BeLC1jZK1Wu-iVdEiZqBj7T9hioufrKY5kLYLYxbfTu_L-F5STZScc7UcxwtRa2ajpilK-GZ0P5_Knyu81CWt5DY61C5eai-gqHBVlO7v65v1mI56DT1lLu6SZ0zU3ndfTuQ/s1600/lazarescu-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCbBfXnM8BeLC1jZK1Wu-iVdEiZqBj7T9hioufrKY5kLYLYxbfTu_L-F5STZScc7UcxwtRa2ajpilK-GZ0P5_Knyu81CWt5DY61C5eai-gqHBVlO7v65v1mI56DT1lLu6SZ0zU3ndfTuQ/s1600/lazarescu-2.png" height="220" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (Dir. Cristi Puiu, 2005) </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioeEmZTxkqF-qZ3VRivb3H7kS7UO0rGfw4CXKV7NGh1t5qHMHZmGrSiqciCIiaSWt8QKvRj0MaXkIh3dcl8mHgJXEVbMcXbfWFr0_4WRKVtnXcLtpc9MEVv6AZDIdTsE9Qa_Q5jXjCA0I/s1600/Lunacy-2005-movie-sileni-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioeEmZTxkqF-qZ3VRivb3H7kS7UO0rGfw4CXKV7NGh1t5qHMHZmGrSiqciCIiaSWt8QKvRj0MaXkIh3dcl8mHgJXEVbMcXbfWFr0_4WRKVtnXcLtpc9MEVv6AZDIdTsE9Qa_Q5jXjCA0I/s1600/Lunacy-2005-movie-sileni-3.jpg" height="268" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lunacy (Dir. Jan Svankmajer, 2005) </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8zDrgoboXXOoNXUZlCUdeddd8lgmbt9dr1pbD9ga9if6SgvY2ERbkfpZ1JitONYyOtM_-YQWpadBxscjsm12_vmrIkidBdymoP7dEAwiGI5QaUtAOs3tbx5eCqNScl7xA4QhjmH7-1g/s1600/f0022370_4b28768337718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP8zDrgoboXXOoNXUZlCUdeddd8lgmbt9dr1pbD9ga9if6SgvY2ERbkfpZ1JitONYyOtM_-YQWpadBxscjsm12_vmrIkidBdymoP7dEAwiGI5QaUtAOs3tbx5eCqNScl7xA4QhjmH7-1g/s1600/f0022370_4b28768337718.jpg" height="256" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Into Great Silence (Dir. Philip Groning, 2005)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJUPJRaUnN-2LKcajzbN8auqcyLhMe3UT9cjY-A2Zy6W4-LwxGAvIaP0kR5vdEi-WZO6KqGvcLQEswqr5ooknJELLdLqCUzegk0d-Vrb0Tn3yJfAg9xSpPcfRrKyIyRwP3jUSBeLN4Xrg/s1600/6a0168ea36d6b2970c017ee7e50a3b970d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJUPJRaUnN-2LKcajzbN8auqcyLhMe3UT9cjY-A2Zy6W4-LwxGAvIaP0kR5vdEi-WZO6KqGvcLQEswqr5ooknJELLdLqCUzegk0d-Vrb0Tn3yJfAg9xSpPcfRrKyIyRwP3jUSBeLN4Xrg/s1600/6a0168ea36d6b2970c017ee7e50a3b970d.jpg" height="215" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Takeshis' (Dir. Takeshi Kitano, 2005)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wt2vTg9iz9sI0PrWA9WbLIDfoYiwd3lRCVFjELdJNInDVHLLt1N1ehY1ZGRjBzdNkFXvyaHH2x0YwksiL7kI0_O7xftNOKWAod8UMUFlwBWPQ2hX0GBMY68cbMDxDvI0-R6oO51INOU/s1600/rabbit-3_2005-run-wrake6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5wt2vTg9iz9sI0PrWA9WbLIDfoYiwd3lRCVFjELdJNInDVHLLt1N1ehY1ZGRjBzdNkFXvyaHH2x0YwksiL7kI0_O7xftNOKWAod8UMUFlwBWPQ2hX0GBMY68cbMDxDvI0-R6oO51INOU/s1600/rabbit-3_2005-run-wrake6.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Rabbit (Dir. Run Wrake, 2005/Short) </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70rIij_f8y0x32PIRax-Q2yLrZKXPrTSa338xjeyppJxqsgnll6yXP1EgnK5LSxFntgHb9dN-_JU3G2yGdXhYjctLBqjWCRa9ucAc5TAT92mgmoRLshQoaMW6L-47YaEhHN47bY4nZfI/s1600/instructions5ti6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg70rIij_f8y0x32PIRax-Q2yLrZKXPrTSa338xjeyppJxqsgnll6yXP1EgnK5LSxFntgHb9dN-_JU3G2yGdXhYjctLBqjWCRa9ucAc5TAT92mgmoRLshQoaMW6L-47YaEhHN47bY4nZfI/s1600/instructions5ti6.jpg" height="177" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Instructions For A Light and Sound Machine <br />(Dir. Peter Tscherkassky, 2005/Short) </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXf6KBfkVcwQaLkyizlX5YqanyiU2m0d43Ot8mZp29SovcTaXM0x3PddHWkL8Ugj6IciqrZRY2FRZU-Bkfoay9PS3veTox5mw8kLWKmMnnED67IGdp7Xwr-i-JL7cDI8rbRhL9EJeAOvU/s1600/avenge-but-one-of-my-two-eyes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXf6KBfkVcwQaLkyizlX5YqanyiU2m0d43Ot8mZp29SovcTaXM0x3PddHWkL8Ugj6IciqrZRY2FRZU-Bkfoay9PS3veTox5mw8kLWKmMnnED67IGdp7Xwr-i-JL7cDI8rbRhL9EJeAOvU/s1600/avenge-but-one-of-my-two-eyes.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Avenge but one of my two eyes (Dir. Ari Mograbi, 2005)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgepSNlXtioWm5HLaJceoZ6c_Vmy3ftRcQTHLLxgo6linjX3fkJzBFtM-nGvXYkSdmv8jXFn30vQUN20shkcoeyKekIp7keuda0k3rTKCdD8pf1XxJU1u0COx76zK1OW5tTTexnSJtYffA/s1600/ad01212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgepSNlXtioWm5HLaJceoZ6c_Vmy3ftRcQTHLLxgo6linjX3fkJzBFtM-nGvXYkSdmv8jXFn30vQUN20shkcoeyKekIp7keuda0k3rTKCdD8pf1XxJU1u0COx76zK1OW5tTTexnSJtYffA/s1600/ad01212.jpg" height="243" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Sun (Dir. Aleksandr Sokurov, 2005) </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttXGUcKgnDgaGy6oA2OSInSsnBIKQNXs-ElsSFa126nDLcxEOIfaGRyEYUwdyCag6Le11pBxxyKLslz8zl83lqJkjBOIbaJvxRoaAs0t3dL8R_Zb_jU8UpU8THbeu7di5Gs7f_2G009M/s1600/248315_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttXGUcKgnDgaGy6oA2OSInSsnBIKQNXs-ElsSFa126nDLcxEOIfaGRyEYUwdyCag6Le11pBxxyKLslz8zl83lqJkjBOIbaJvxRoaAs0t3dL8R_Zb_jU8UpU8THbeu7di5Gs7f_2G009M/s1600/248315_large.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Bow (Dir. Kim Ki-duk, 2005)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjkT88hnOGUbhAGqO_ccZft9eZKVXCCderF-3eCcf9NZZAhwqIPGErOcJBMDmgaIcQzelHB4olnT6urD6EkxU47NB76YDB1iPJsjLDAFmPgJftFXrvq-chyphenhyphentKoEU0d4atXpffYyYdeK8/s1600/Romain&Laura.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAjkT88hnOGUbhAGqO_ccZft9eZKVXCCderF-3eCcf9NZZAhwqIPGErOcJBMDmgaIcQzelHB4olnT6urD6EkxU47NB76YDB1iPJsjLDAFmPgJftFXrvq-chyphenhyphentKoEU0d4atXpffYyYdeK8/s1600/Romain&Laura.jpg" height="267" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Time to Leave (Dir. François Ozon, 2005)</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-64576761334613376702014-04-24T10:36:00.002-07:002014-04-24T10:37:19.400-07:00Top Tens: 2004<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Full list available here - <a href="http://letterboxd.com/coheed/list/my-personal-2004-ranked/">http://letterboxd.com/coheed/list/my-personal-2004-ranked/</a><br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Ranking 2004</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
(In Order of Preference as of 24th April 2014)</div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirzIwgCRDlkzWz961zw2sa7uKus-cQCSH_mK6mSZQ3gPDQskFREwAF6LOGY5htL4WhNAHIzRkpWZ1j5DsZ6fjEIdKy_UvBZgnARpb7-_zftCxnnRNH_wf9fCTETzVrwFq8ZuEN-jhY3g0/s1600/screenshot-med-03.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirzIwgCRDlkzWz961zw2sa7uKus-cQCSH_mK6mSZQ3gPDQskFREwAF6LOGY5htL4WhNAHIzRkpWZ1j5DsZ6fjEIdKy_UvBZgnARpb7-_zftCxnnRNH_wf9fCTETzVrwFq8ZuEN-jhY3g0/s1600/screenshot-med-03.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind <br />(Dir. Michel Gondry, 2004)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsimpG27er0ipvo0qbg6o8s8ltOSgfKo1vpcgNEU3YIt1ZXZ_AfmCScVBrVI7_akV0Ucb7c3f1Pi96PdjIsaZhEqn04FHdwArnHDRepGv-9IwUyigdg1Nnj0sduKq8HIUZxQAkQ9i2H7s/s1600/intruder2004-upwardtreeshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsimpG27er0ipvo0qbg6o8s8ltOSgfKo1vpcgNEU3YIt1ZXZ_AfmCScVBrVI7_akV0Ucb7c3f1Pi96PdjIsaZhEqn04FHdwArnHDRepGv-9IwUyigdg1Nnj0sduKq8HIUZxQAkQ9i2H7s/s1600/intruder2004-upwardtreeshot.jpg" height="170" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Intruder (Dir. Claire Denis, 2004)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBLuaM-aP2vHi0tJ8JpRsM-gMJWvnKa2Ii2JtaOxH848ChUoZPYO1suZ5tgG2OAOFsOvaloVbK_g4V2ErHMos0OrbvJNATBA7-MxpjF8k8WJ3jJ8orXUGbY3y24GbFckJrldRaiA3S_Y/s1600/tropical+malady34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBLuaM-aP2vHi0tJ8JpRsM-gMJWvnKa2Ii2JtaOxH848ChUoZPYO1suZ5tgG2OAOFsOvaloVbK_g4V2ErHMos0OrbvJNATBA7-MxpjF8k8WJ3jJ8orXUGbY3y24GbFckJrldRaiA3S_Y/s1600/tropical+malady34.jpg" height="232" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tropical Malady (Dir. Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2004)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcPhzshnCkDkIiXV6HrGvVjAfVHj9aa9rC6oEdupnt4oKwHh64BJXIO5f8NVxolaVyIvmdA55ZxCM-Wp2HCBRLgXX01N_YMLxTRB0eoQigmC34rLVlH6O0f4vvGumh2uiBAlxVoLGOgY/s1600/dffhj.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcPhzshnCkDkIiXV6HrGvVjAfVHj9aa9rC6oEdupnt4oKwHh64BJXIO5f8NVxolaVyIvmdA55ZxCM-Wp2HCBRLgXX01N_YMLxTRB0eoQigmC34rLVlH6O0f4vvGumh2uiBAlxVoLGOgY/s1600/dffhj.jpg" height="218" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Paranoia Agent (Dir. Satoshi Kon, 2004/Anime Series)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlYPCDfySiq9JoUNpRr3GvnUuExD_pGR1VpI74SUUK7Z4kkGc1DFAL4MVvP1iSpkK95WMO3-XCB2TnXuNUfoD6s71d8bjBWneVjYP-zuk-D0ll20kbArHZbtCcb9-UwNUj9SI3PocV-A/s1600/2046.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWlYPCDfySiq9JoUNpRr3GvnUuExD_pGR1VpI74SUUK7Z4kkGc1DFAL4MVvP1iSpkK95WMO3-XCB2TnXuNUfoD6s71d8bjBWneVjYP-zuk-D0ll20kbArHZbtCcb9-UwNUj9SI3PocV-A/s1600/2046.png" height="168" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">2046 (Dir. Wong Kar-Wai, 2004)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWYx9M6EyxTtkXpY_KfPPTcWojh6Z9gSiZ4f9xoZLx-fm6D22m08gnJa4JiJrenB7m2N1Q5Vpjj81K4nPEnjvZSXpmm75jrpSAXuCfQ7Y7rEhM6oWFNhweZauy6Bk3z0yNuTzxDSfK8E/s1600/original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOWYx9M6EyxTtkXpY_KfPPTcWojh6Z9gSiZ4f9xoZLx-fm6D22m08gnJa4JiJrenB7m2N1Q5Vpjj81K4nPEnjvZSXpmm75jrpSAXuCfQ7Y7rEhM6oWFNhweZauy6Bk3z0yNuTzxDSfK8E/s1600/original.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Le pont des Arts (Dir. Eugène Green, 2004)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnW-Zmi1c9fKpiYENGFq8Jy9bLn6WCqunBDnAY46XSONJBjljB6BXFZFoGPLlslsxy-dghSRYN6qdhkfPBn7LVHoNxsc2DlrJd2WwSbWq6gsFe2P_Br4ea294rM1Cc_JWmS5SYN-1En2k/s1600/Vital-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnW-Zmi1c9fKpiYENGFq8Jy9bLn6WCqunBDnAY46XSONJBjljB6BXFZFoGPLlslsxy-dghSRYN6qdhkfPBn7LVHoNxsc2DlrJd2WwSbWq6gsFe2P_Br4ea294rM1Cc_JWmS5SYN-1En2k/s1600/Vital-04.jpg" height="231" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Vital (Dir. Shinya Tsukamoto, 2004)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUbytlOkU0QOtslkt6_nrBEMSZFMns723kwNoZkVixPyZtmdlueDRSm3CdZBPFnF8J9Jwjl-NqwSpCOIWHa0gCM9ElKWQELrzQvwlMuqEsaADIQactL6dR23mfERVxfMF7cJzSmNb-o8/s1600/Elfen+Lied.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJUbytlOkU0QOtslkt6_nrBEMSZFMns723kwNoZkVixPyZtmdlueDRSm3CdZBPFnF8J9Jwjl-NqwSpCOIWHa0gCM9ElKWQELrzQvwlMuqEsaADIQactL6dR23mfERVxfMF7cJzSmNb-o8/s1600/Elfen+Lied.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Elfen Lied (Dir. Mamoru Kanbe, 2004/Anime Series)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-AX2vMgTSB5D6Gl_BRe7ns6iN0RFKnDOea2c-NmxxcLXo5faR_hafiWLhlfLWoEUaYqD-NSQeF9RhxplQYnsyRFnObSVJ3j8UaKfu4qRlLWI1J6lfrqKmbFxkU1qW1ZZ1DqcXIDzdiI/s1600/10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjK-AX2vMgTSB5D6Gl_BRe7ns6iN0RFKnDOea2c-NmxxcLXo5faR_hafiWLhlfLWoEUaYqD-NSQeF9RhxplQYnsyRFnObSVJ3j8UaKfu4qRlLWI1J6lfrqKmbFxkU1qW1ZZ1DqcXIDzdiI/s1600/10.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nobody Knows (Dir. Hirokazu Koreeda, 2004)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzvcgukYZ43k84g2SSKqGMiY3B3H37YD53gskLDRNAA2zBF9Df7eVv7-dXRiDvkq8uzjJPMsdEbgvGdGb3jWwRwdEFfShftqQpKIg7LwBs7WZgqIgEwUXecmiIbJptFISURHJ4aEfM4tk/s1600/tumblr_n0fbsiHQom1szgp4do2_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzvcgukYZ43k84g2SSKqGMiY3B3H37YD53gskLDRNAA2zBF9Df7eVv7-dXRiDvkq8uzjJPMsdEbgvGdGb3jWwRwdEFfShftqQpKIg7LwBs7WZgqIgEwUXecmiIbJptFISURHJ4aEfM4tk/s1600/tumblr_n0fbsiHQom1szgp4do2_500.jpg" height="268" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Consequences of Love (Dir. Paolo Sorrentino, 2004)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
=======<br />
Images, in order, from the following sources:<br />
<br />
http://media.cinemasquid.com/blu-ray/titles/eternal-sunshine-of-the-spotless-mind/16582/screenshot-med-03.jpg<br />
http://cinemasights.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/intruder2004-upwardtreeshot.jpg<br />
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0P8ZtrZm210hmMi5LIY4r1ar5_gMR7YdriFkTil-SzZKVz2VYFs47zai4YGY28FTNUBIMQhppWoigR4amUuO6ET_rfFVpK8L11V2pK_7ljZ4b-Tut_s5_9mNhMRWPboyPZNiDgYXGF-g/s1600/tropical+malady34.jpg<br />
http://www.obstructedviews.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/dffhj.jpg<br />
http://billsmovieemporium.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/2046.png<br />
http://filmint.nu/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/original.jpg<br />
http://nextprojection.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Vital-04.jpg<br />
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4IFEL1-d86lRETRGDgzMEz_bVdAERrTtqTJCY-IxETLv_6ABLUwrmfoe_8lbpR5ZCaqWy39-eOXHXDHNDzblBaTFqcNQ0-w0WnRrTq5Y7EASoCGnU0yHR6YwUOlboPCk3iKTeFFeaITI/s1600/Elfen+Lied.jpg<br />
http://outnow.ch/Media/Movies/Bilder/2004/NobodyKnows/movie.fs/10.jpg<br />
http://31.media.tumblr.com/d7de3fae624a8395ec3a6487438a01da/tumblr_n0fbsiHQom1szgp4do2_500.jpg</div>
Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-24749157697443244422014-04-23T13:02:00.001-07:002014-04-23T13:02:03.933-07:00Boardinghouse (1982)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXbClnG7-ws7hysxSVKLNDKczKt240yUs8aJwhneAZhrU1nz_a21TeWxktdByz_TsIcI-iMjtP7Va8qcmryrbRhjuLJA00zuOWS01klGxPY6pCoRvB27Dm_R0BhBjO9yiIBbVgbNnTwM/s1600/boarding-house-movie-poster-1982-1020230391.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXbClnG7-ws7hysxSVKLNDKczKt240yUs8aJwhneAZhrU1nz_a21TeWxktdByz_TsIcI-iMjtP7Va8qcmryrbRhjuLJA00zuOWS01klGxPY6pCoRvB27Dm_R0BhBjO9yiIBbVgbNnTwM/s1600/boarding-house-movie-poster-1982-1020230391.jpg" height="400" width="270" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://images.moviepostershop.com/boarding-house-movie-poster-1982-1020230391.jpg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Dir. John Wintergate</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
I have little in the way of life
experience, but in terms of cinema, I can confidently say I've seen things
that'll turn your hair grey. It doesn't matter if its art house or grind house.
Body fluids. Sex. Gore. Random inclusions of clowns. A man turning into a bed
sitting room. Exceptionally low budget films known for having an erratic tone
have the aura for me of being exceptionally weird, particularly those shot on
video, for the potential of odd circumstances, mismatched editing and rubber
mask abuse. So it comes with a surprise that <b>Boardinghouse</b> to be pretty lacking in terms of an off-kilter air to
it. I've wanted to see this film for years, since the bemused thoughts of the host
of a bonus episode of the <b>Mondo Movie</b>
podcast covering it. This is infamous for how strange a film it is. Enticed by
the apparent madness its now that I reach this <b>Boardinghouse</b>, renting out a room for the night, and my
expectations for what was going to happen were too high or not rewarded. In the
tags section to the side of this page, you'll find one called "Cinema of
the Abstract". It's used to compile together films that affect the viewer
in distinct ways, throwing off one's perceptions of cinematic reality. The other type of films placed under the tag
are those so weird they have the same effect to, intentional or not. <b>Boardinghouse</b> was going to get the tag
from what I imagined it to be, but seeing it, it won't now. What the film turns
out to be is what happens when you pad a film out with many dialogue scenes
with no connection to a plot. When the director plays the main male character
who gets to be lusted over and have sex with the female characters. What
happens when it's not the erratic editing you can say is why the film jumps
tone and scenes as it does. That doesn't mean it's boring, but I'll get to the
film as a whole for me as I go along...</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
In a text crawl and spoken
narration that opens the film, on an early eighties computer, the viewer's told
of a boarding house cursed with numerous unexplained deaths over the decades up
to the then-current 1982. The nephew of the last owner to pass away in its
corridors, played by the director <i>Wintergate</i>
himself, the craggier faced cousin of <i>Andrew
Robinson</i>, inherits the building. Immediately he decides to advertise for
beautiful women between eighteen to twenty five to stay there for a rent, and
rather than anyone being immensely hesitant to, many do indeed come, including
a singer played by <i>Kalassu</i>, wife of
the director who gets the most dialogue scenes along with him. The later point
isn't a complaint, but this is definitely a film where those two get a lot of screen
time. <i>Wintergate's</i> character gets to
make love to many women, meditate in his underwear and develop his psychic
powers, which he can use to make a bar of soap spin in the air above the
bathwater he's in, while she develops her own psychic powers and hopes to succeed
with her band. The other women get to muck about and longue by the pool in
their bikinis all day. Unfortunately the gristly deaths are about to start
again, clearly the work of a mysterious being who has escaped a mental hospital
and can kill with psychokinetic powers. They're linked to an evil force in the
boarding house, represented by a red haze generated by a computer effect from that
decade, and odd and hazardous things start to happen. Hallucinations of having
a pig mask for a head and pulling out bloody rat-tampon hybrids from the snout while
taking a shower. Strange noises and maybe glowing eyes at the end of corridor.
Guns randomly going off and objects harming people. Then people start dying,
but only the viewer knows they are. Is one of the women to blame? Is it the
gardener, also played by <i>Wintergate</i>
as a shambling murmuring old man with all the costume department on, who was a
Vietnam War vet and is far from normal? Or is it because of pure evil? Of
course the lives of the characters are just as unexpected thanks to abrupt
tonal shifts, a would-be suitor with dark intentions arriving to meet his
estranged fiancée to a random pie fight breaking out.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTGxxZi_1F9yHmR3lYQl_8KEF6dOWQn61vedDeZMaxQzezh-_XleUxXZKxeSxJpOqAdz72-Y3rjXaH2GH5JJTTmAFDAd0Y5h5jGyh1mHeR_P_OSXZXKtTby5hRG3VRjAI7h7ZZ53C_7rA/s1600/vlcsnap-2012-07-07-23h02m28s206.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTGxxZi_1F9yHmR3lYQl_8KEF6dOWQn61vedDeZMaxQzezh-_XleUxXZKxeSxJpOqAdz72-Y3rjXaH2GH5JJTTmAFDAd0Y5h5jGyh1mHeR_P_OSXZXKtTby5hRG3VRjAI7h7ZZ53C_7rA/s1600/vlcsnap-2012-07-07-23h02m28s206.png" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc445/ObscureCinema101/vlcsnap-2012-07-07-23h02m28s206.png</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It sounds truly bizarre from this
synopsis, but while entertaining, the result feels too much like a desperate
improvisation than something that sucked me into a strange dimension into
itself like Canada's <b>Things (1989) </b>or
an avant garde film that does it on purpose. The first horror film to be shot
on video, it's of the lowest budget and barely attached to the plotline stated
earlier, neither cohesively or consistently forwarding it, drifting in and out
of random tangents. Attempts at humour next to serious horror. A random fight
between two female characters at the pool. <i>Kalassu</i>
accidentally throwing yoghurt on herself when trying her psychic powers. The
editing, for a film that was originally two and half hours long (!?), is haphazard
and furthers the erratic tone by cutting away from plot moments and dialogue abruptly
after they're stated. The tonal shift can be drastic, probably at its furthest
being the flashback of the suitor raping his fiancée intercut with the women lingering
around the pool, leaving a bad taste in the mouth despite the film around it. Around
the psychic killer story thread you have the supernatural force in the house, <i>Wintergate</i> sleeping around, random
conversations, jokes about a drunk man falling over trying to play golf and
many other things. It also includes a gimmick where a specific sound and image,
of a leather gloved hand on a psychedelic background, pop up occasionally to
warn the viewer of the more prosthetics and fake blood heavy incidents that
take place. Far from glorious it does feel disconnected. Moments stand out from
what been said. Further points are added for the unexpected prescience of a
magician during <i>Kalassu's</i> concert at
the climax of the film. But I ended up watching a film which is a lot of
dialogue, many scenes of strange circumstances, but never has a consistent,
marked heightening of the bizarre.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Preference influences this review
too, and I found <b>Boardinghouse</b> to be
a mere diversion. I don't really gravitate to films that are held up for
questionable acting and random shenanigans. I prefer those under the concept of
"bad" filmmaking that end up creating a unique tone to them despite
their technical problems, a consistency to their madness should I say. I've
seen better examples created from the results of cheaper effects, abrupt
editing and the unintentionally bonkers. I've found myself adoring these sorts
of films within the last few years, technical incompetency be damned. Hell, <b>Boardinghouse</b> could grow on me. But at
this moment its too obvious, and not strange enough to fully join any of the
categories of these sort of films I like the most. It's not a film like <b>The
Nail Gun Massacre (1985)</b>, either, where reality inavertedly stumbled into a
cheapie slasher film. Maybe the disappointment is distorting this first viewing
too much, but I want to see films that break any perception of how a film
should be put together. This just vaguely gets to an ending, and is a lot of poorly
spoken dialogue and a few funny moments only.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZgq2EWZDDyAgvOsgA4vlyg5NDmaTiiu_6gjQJpyOmKulibAMuFAbRJ8Jtk8ROiWwP6gdhGCrQOY0boNC_17t4DuIohZFoUXC0Pw6Qj384xP3bvZlFELJNDdpM7Ma8QJs37vwjqyoWMnE/s1600/vlcsnap-2012-07-07-23h03m57s59.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZgq2EWZDDyAgvOsgA4vlyg5NDmaTiiu_6gjQJpyOmKulibAMuFAbRJ8Jtk8ROiWwP6gdhGCrQOY0boNC_17t4DuIohZFoUXC0Pw6Qj384xP3bvZlFELJNDdpM7Ma8QJs37vwjqyoWMnE/s1600/vlcsnap-2012-07-07-23h03m57s59.png" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://i1212.photobucket.com/albums/cc445/ObscureCinema101/vlcsnap-2012-07-07-23h03m57s59.png</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-60644264382355495152014-04-21T09:43:00.001-07:002014-04-24T10:15:32.730-07:00Top Tens: 2003<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Link to the full list of films I've seen from this year at least once - <a href="http://letterboxd.com/coheed/list/my-personal-2003-ranked/">http://letterboxd.com/coheed/list/my-personal-2003-ranked/</a><br />
<br />
Admittedly I see the need to rewatch a few of these films, but its a testament to some of them that a single viewing a long time ago was enough for them to remain burnt into my thoughts. Put aside that I will re-encounter these films, all of them, again some day, and its clear that the 2000s was an incredibly strong decade by itself, not through a lot of the films that were praised in end of decade lists, but those that were off the beaten path.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Ranking 2003</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>(In Order as of 21th April 2014)</b></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PWUJ9UR07u7_-fpXuA371jMJBc5r66zVtBCGJTtRQXdT2Chef1BRA-ags0K_zZ6EYiRs609AjskzmTWjQe0cpxCZkgjGVZoqBOyVc1KE55Hqy0i5phyphenhyphenZBZ9EssBvmtihYL6X3sR2_5U/s1600/gozu.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PWUJ9UR07u7_-fpXuA371jMJBc5r66zVtBCGJTtRQXdT2Chef1BRA-ags0K_zZ6EYiRs609AjskzmTWjQe0cpxCZkgjGVZoqBOyVc1KE55Hqy0i5phyphenhyphenZBZ9EssBvmtihYL6X3sR2_5U/s1600/gozu.jpg" height="221" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Gozu (Dir. Takashi Miike, 2003)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzs7ohHkwA6fP8JmEp-IvMo__z0pf6tk6U1wPuA7OTyu9M5LrWsUtlyzVF-bmZRbGF8ZIa9hpdBmYADH_LiNnmm0-kn7M7bSO1v1CPH7iFgaSJl6nVkXT9HV-rBXReUVNli1PrEXhWnZs/s1600/zatoichi_2003_filmes_06.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzs7ohHkwA6fP8JmEp-IvMo__z0pf6tk6U1wPuA7OTyu9M5LrWsUtlyzVF-bmZRbGF8ZIa9hpdBmYADH_LiNnmm0-kn7M7bSO1v1CPH7iFgaSJl6nVkXT9HV-rBXReUVNli1PrEXhWnZs/s1600/zatoichi_2003_filmes_06.jpg" height="276" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Zatoichi (Dir. ‘Beat Takeshi Kitano, 2003)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4cILUNUH-wtG5PjAoMglJMF39wMWbGwhQbaTIFY-g8zdP-NABpB2cLzT2RsbLKS2chxHwhy8H96R21fRhyphenhyphenvel46xX9VVtgfb4La9pUOlHb72w05BQKnP7IceYFW73ddxl2p_NSOYTfaY/s1600/mondevivant04.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4cILUNUH-wtG5PjAoMglJMF39wMWbGwhQbaTIFY-g8zdP-NABpB2cLzT2RsbLKS2chxHwhy8H96R21fRhyphenhyphenvel46xX9VVtgfb4La9pUOlHb72w05BQKnP7IceYFW73ddxl2p_NSOYTfaY/s1600/mondevivant04.JPG" height="238" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Le Monde Vivant (Dir. Eugène Green, 2003)</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqtOgxpy2vN3DF6RgRjF7Sg9uUXdC_stIIIRxiSEgBWDZQOlgQ7VvWptFNyam_j2ajIUuoJbafdkzu3rCK4pN6Skgj9FvIBceDzpsgx7Zi1Ol6Oj2N_QHM2HuhQSXdckh9a8Z5_qFKuZA/s1600/dogville-940x403.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqtOgxpy2vN3DF6RgRjF7Sg9uUXdC_stIIIRxiSEgBWDZQOlgQ7VvWptFNyam_j2ajIUuoJbafdkzu3rCK4pN6Skgj9FvIBceDzpsgx7Zi1Ol6Oj2N_QHM2HuhQSXdckh9a8Z5_qFKuZA/s1600/dogville-940x403.jpg" height="168" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dogville (Dir. Lars von Trier, 2003)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj642WSmF-Y479WJ4j3ycCXNHe7HrF0Smc6L-uEoljL3yyoksZupMNIw6AI89icI6W_h5c2OIwxojPQWnviUmVzrb0FG2cPQJiNdggnP2Tyae5rYqQoXlH2HCxEXwvgSuJa2JUtLSObdg4/s1600/e2c2a5eff23cbf6111bebd13b100c35c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj642WSmF-Y479WJ4j3ycCXNHe7HrF0Smc6L-uEoljL3yyoksZupMNIw6AI89icI6W_h5c2OIwxojPQWnviUmVzrb0FG2cPQJiNdggnP2Tyae5rYqQoXlH2HCxEXwvgSuJa2JUtLSObdg4/s1600/e2c2a5eff23cbf6111bebd13b100c35c.jpg" height="218" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter…and Spring <br />(Dir. Kim Ki-Duk, 2003)</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifntB_Fp-XzFW1HkDKtPjdHaEC1NnpFcdoZ5jjGYcfPQ-DU0pOM7APprHW3iKDYAxLW_pPgBlmAzyiKE0ooRONJsEcXHUHLa6HsRt3CQAgfKHyR7VJBe8mImO6wB8eRaf1ILD6REj8wMU/s1600/vlcsnap-2009-08-09-00h50m59s139.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifntB_Fp-XzFW1HkDKtPjdHaEC1NnpFcdoZ5jjGYcfPQ-DU0pOM7APprHW3iKDYAxLW_pPgBlmAzyiKE0ooRONJsEcXHUHLa6HsRt3CQAgfKHyR7VJBe8mImO6wB8eRaf1ILD6REj8wMU/s1600/vlcsnap-2009-08-09-00h50m59s139.png" height="215" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Tokyo Godfathers (Dirs. Shogo Furuya & Satoshi Kon, 2003) </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEium43U862htSRRbseIPEwAJKhpQBZ9x-uhzExKQTd7lJgv6tTEXHVNYWeJ9Rje5b-apQSvvwXz2aCQIrKZNTbemd2OMttRV1mGotxoLCbo42kfKIStlU8bT1bfFPAgkippWgu6rw5Gw3g/s1600/thetripl2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEium43U862htSRRbseIPEwAJKhpQBZ9x-uhzExKQTd7lJgv6tTEXHVNYWeJ9Rje5b-apQSvvwXz2aCQIrKZNTbemd2OMttRV1mGotxoLCbo42kfKIStlU8bT1bfFPAgkippWgu6rw5Gw3g/s1600/thetripl2.jpg" height="228" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Triplets of Belleville aka. Belleville Rendez-vous <br />(Dir. Sylvain Chomet, 2003)</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5kBlACBAdGs58PlAeLY131hyjbsRA340_pRPIG8gcxcnn8kJgo8R_fj1PSQXgdq7SBouYB5fR_n3NhC01XpRfw95oXYmZCNryJWgrPuxzndQsupJg0FN_1YqVg2xG2uDaAiIOyc0MppE/s1600/0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5kBlACBAdGs58PlAeLY131hyjbsRA340_pRPIG8gcxcnn8kJgo8R_fj1PSQXgdq7SBouYB5fR_n3NhC01XpRfw95oXYmZCNryJWgrPuxzndQsupJg0FN_1YqVg2xG2uDaAiIOyc0MppE/s1600/0.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">(Daft Punk) Interstella 5555 <br />(Dirs. Kazuhisa Takenouchi, Leiji Matsumoto, 2003) </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5QsgP4vblkfgwVZwat5PBh_kN5IB2Y0_38Ran-zw09YKasGoEaRPNcC8HVVvgD0jTtObt79ilm34t6NmWWwFB2WuJyyi6qJf1L6AJmJQ0dJ1gIrOtcYPrz58IU2-qexGZDGjUP4d0Tw/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-03-03+at+18.32.48.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF5QsgP4vblkfgwVZwat5PBh_kN5IB2Y0_38Ran-zw09YKasGoEaRPNcC8HVVvgD0jTtObt79ilm34t6NmWWwFB2WuJyyi6qJf1L6AJmJQ0dJ1gIrOtcYPrz58IU2-qexGZDGjUP4d0Tw/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-03-03+at+18.32.48.png" height="250" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Cowards Bend the Knee (Dir. Guy Maddin, 2003)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgra39T8uFtjj8Jdt5YclKnSxxw0ZkbKRKLYcCoIYDPK4A83DWO7SV9X8fktodvuyyq1-uJ_FCiv98M62tfZBHZvceeYxxwVvvEIgm0fwbwHVNdGMJyrtcgjCQNbkEAiOyzK3oskVouki0/s1600/FastFilm04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgra39T8uFtjj8Jdt5YclKnSxxw0ZkbKRKLYcCoIYDPK4A83DWO7SV9X8fktodvuyyq1-uJ_FCiv98M62tfZBHZvceeYxxwVvvEIgm0fwbwHVNdGMJyrtcgjCQNbkEAiOyzK3oskVouki0/s1600/FastFilm04.jpg" height="242" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Fast Film (Dir. Virgil Widrich, 2003/Short)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<b><br /></b></div>
<div>
<b>Honorable Mention:</b></div>
<div>
Fear X (Dir. Nicolas Winding Refn, 2003)</div>
<div>
After the initial disappointment of <b>Only God Forgives (2013)</b>, it jars against the fact <i>Refn </i>made a film long before that perfectly captured the uneasy air he was going for.<br />
=========<br />
Images, in order, from the following sources:<br />
<br />
http://cassavafilms.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/gozu.jpg<br />
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYrwsgRv_wT9E78lAGk_ADREqAsy-H1_zOZqpYeufGn7Mh2Na359SITfQrWaK9FywAhkuW0Gyj7gYdjjAVFqsdq2GrRxOh-nBfJnnhAuQbQlsAGPmQMakMbdhMl_D8pCl9roP9kNB4zQT/s1600/zatoichi_2003_filmes_06.jpg<br />
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_LF5v5ECnS3c/TOLd-soi4TI/AAAAAAAAA_w/vg-w0O2DygE/s1600/mondevivant04.JPG<br />
http://www.longpauses.com/wp-content/uploads/2004/05/dogville-940x403.jpg<br />
http://meganandmurraymcmillan.com//HLIC/e2c2a5eff23cbf6111bebd13b100c35c.jpg<br />
http://podcastonfire.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/vlcsnap-2009-08-09-00h50m59s139.png<br />
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZ7GgFsgFAsKeu5cA_pl_XJCE-9ZI2xrdJgY1Lj77EuF4SrK72iJNwLvk5ntWqEDinTuLjc6DDR7HctWgKeL2s9BpQQoli4zYnJ2gg7qTw4UIFGfgugZ8CHNLm0WU3WW2s52HsuM5SE-0/s400/thetripl2.jpg<br />
http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/mjli3hj0ZkM/0.jpg<br />
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJOY2EzeMWJ23952Xwo8gNB-Y8hd6D7ajSxLgyK7qFi_wygFnxVw0gorrUU8ysfx0qOmM6vzK8NwVshYl_ZPrF0QdK1lIR4WJN_cNtrekccua8QitUXRisCYZWN0j0G0LQV0VJVB6HxU0/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-03-03+at+18.32.48.png<br />
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_GtJXfvgaUS0/TPvazP64r2I/AAAAAAAAAlg/WgqG8cUM_tU/s1600/FastFilm04.jpg</div>
</div>
Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-41796092496950243312014-04-17T09:34:00.001-07:002014-04-17T09:34:29.352-07:00Alice's Adventures In Wonderland (1972)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBJzgGySZyeVCbEiko-XNwLh5qQfBp3mvxU-iWRaB1Tg-YM6sdeiKwUZRkYIEUkl9N49Tz_qkIH30ZsEfYyYHxQSzaEGhyphenhyphen7WnMiTHIaoivbFSGrTpamPFvaQ1cEmADHCv-NnAwwWAMQI/s1600/Alice-poster-1972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwBJzgGySZyeVCbEiko-XNwLh5qQfBp3mvxU-iWRaB1Tg-YM6sdeiKwUZRkYIEUkl9N49Tz_qkIH30ZsEfYyYHxQSzaEGhyphenhyphen7WnMiTHIaoivbFSGrTpamPFvaQ1cEmADHCv-NnAwwWAMQI/s1600/Alice-poster-1972.jpg" height="400" width="262" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e5/Alice-poster-1972.jpg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Dir. William Sterling</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6cPPYcefGACIY6HRebrnm6p22sZYPhtu6T8-nr2vhsBjjgY7uQikOfm3EGNVDeIQhVum_xtTXLVhp6JhIqhF5zlhwNa4tl_3v_fWOVX4xptJ3ds1dZHv5qRhv6z-KmSJViandBFi3pEE/s1600/British+Flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6cPPYcefGACIY6HRebrnm6p22sZYPhtu6T8-nr2vhsBjjgY7uQikOfm3EGNVDeIQhVum_xtTXLVhp6JhIqhF5zlhwNa4tl_3v_fWOVX4xptJ3ds1dZHv5qRhv6z-KmSJViandBFi3pEE/s1600/British+Flag.jpg" /></a>Having discussed films inspired
by <i>Lewis Carroll's</i> <b>Alice's Adventures In Wonderland (1865)</b>,
through <i>Roman Polanski's</i> <b>What? (1972)</b>, its befitting to actually
cover an adaptation of the story. With both the story and its sequel <b>Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice
Found There (1871)</b>, I've only experienced them within the last year or so.
Material adapted, referencing or inspired by the stories though have been
something I, along with many, have grown up with. My first encounter was
probably with the <i>Disney</i> adaptation,
but as I desire to find as many adaptations of the story as possible, it has
been adapted in various ways from a <i>Jan
Svankmajer</i> film with stop motion animation to porn. What stands out with
the stories, within this drastically fluctuating body of versions, fan depictions
and takes, is how unconventional they are and how good <i>Carroll</i> was as a writer to make this possible. Nonsensical material
you could read to a child, but its developed as an obsession for many adults,
myself now part of this grouping, because they provoke so many bold, elaborate
ideas and have inspired numerous people. An absurdity, that thankfully
translates into this adaptation, where all the parts in depicting it are as
important to <i>Carroll</i> in showing the
strange. The visual metaphors - playing cards, cats - that anyone can
understand but are skewered. The symbolic and mathematical references. The
dialogue full of puns and incomprehensible phrases that become sonic poetry,
why <b>Jabberwocky</b>, his famous poem, is
as famous. Other readings have been added too, possible because its open to
many interpretations in its nature, a simplistic journey narrative to both
stories that are both about the individual scenarios that Alice encounters on
the way. From the clear satirical tone in the stories - like the farcical court
room trial that takes place in the story - to the reading added by readers of
sexual overtones, allowing British comic book writer <i>Alan Moore</i> and American seventies pornography to be awkward
bedfellows. You can adapt it light heartedly, like in this film, or as a disturbing
work like <i>American McGee</i> has. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Alice's Adventure In Wonderland</b> is a pretty faithful take on the
original, more well known <i>Carroll</i>
story. Alice (<i>Fiona Fullerton</i>) falls
asleep and ends up in Wonderland, full of size changing foods, mock turtles, a
decapitation obsessed Queen of Hearts and enough multicolour, psychedelic
foliage that it's no wonder <i>Jefferson
Airplane</i> were inspired to link the white rabbit to LSD. Probably the draw
for this one, before viewing it, is that, with the all-star British cast, it
includes <i>Peter Sellers</i>, <i>Dudley Moore</i> and <i>Spike Milligan</i>. What makes the existence of <b>Alice's Adventures In Wonderland</b> greater for me too is that it's a
piece of British art that is timeless, can still inspired people and does so
while being a perfect proto-example of one of my favourite areas of artistry,
absurdist and surrealist works. Surrealistic artists, especially the British contingent,
praised <i>Carroll</i> for preceding them,
and anyone, whether the result is good or not, from Poland's <i>Roman Polanski</i> to a Japanese manga
artist, can take a crack at using these stories iconography to create
intentionally odd and weird works. So what a better thing to do, despite a
faithful adaptation being out-of-place next to sex comedies and the likes of
Get <b>Carter (1971)</b>, then to adapt it
within a heyday of its offspring, absurdist comedy that <i>Sellers</i>, <i>Moore</i> and <i>Milligan</i> were part of? Particularly as <i>Sellers</i> is the March Hair and <i>Moore</i> a narcoleptic Dormouse to the Mad
Hatter played by <i>Robert Helpmann</i>. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF0me5XqslUIYTVUl956-TqMdXn-M2aR5ZEBTohtKorf5hE-gA8dZP-Xhw_xvuCKZ8IaKPHZUIysfxWkfvw6TYr6pasbinm4gmfBlT66dn5S2A-qLfRVQzzadyVherT3y56FlH291QJTU/s1600/51997086-jpeg_preview_large.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF0me5XqslUIYTVUl956-TqMdXn-M2aR5ZEBTohtKorf5hE-gA8dZP-Xhw_xvuCKZ8IaKPHZUIysfxWkfvw6TYr6pasbinm4gmfBlT66dn5S2A-qLfRVQzzadyVherT3y56FlH291QJTU/s1600/51997086-jpeg_preview_large.jpg" height="171" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://static2.dmcdn.net/static/video/680/799/51997086:jpeg_preview_large.jpg?20121109133833</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Unfortunately this faithful
adaptation is one that treats its source material with utmost care and respect
as a national treasure...which means that it's too precious for its own good
and ignores the greatest virtue of the stories. Even as quaint, Victorian
English literature, the greatest virtue of the Alice stories are that they're anarchic
and are madder in tone than a box of frogs, more greater in these areas in that
it's done with a precise wit, whimsy and solid structures to the plotting. Most
egregious to the story's original tone is that this is a musical, songs and the
swelling orchestral backing behind them abrupt and too many in appearance, all
really sounding the same. The original story is light hearted, but it's
completely ridiculous too such a pronounced end. There is an unbridled,
uninhibited nature to the stories that makes the polite, gentle tone of the
film a betrayal of the original spirit. One where, along with being a mere
bystander, has Alice back talking to the populous of Wonderland and nothing
makes sense just to be purposely arbitrary to her. If there is a relief from
this, it's that remnants of the original tone thankfully still exist. To do a
faithful adaptation of the story, you have to include some of its best virtues
without question. With its brightly coloured, overexaggerated and artificial looking
Wonderland with giant flowers and tiny doors, it's another example of how the
production designers are unsung heroes who stand out even in awful films. In
fact the whole wholesome tone of the film becomes fittingly bizarre in aspects,
especially the animal costumes actors have to wear and the obvious fake,
shot-at- <i>Shepperton-Studio</i> look of
the setting. If the film dampens the virtues of the story, that doesn't mean it's
completely drained out. The moments of rampant verbal punning, bickering about
the lack of logic and tangents, from the original story, are all amusing, the
Mad Hatter and his compatriots stealing the show because of the actors playing
them.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Yes, it's bad that this wraps the
original material up in cotton wool, but it still survives in some way despite
this. This is why I enjoyed the film nonetheless, but I viewed it as
entertaining especially as an example of someone else adapting <i>Carroll's</i> work in its own way, faithful
adaptation or not. So far the best version has, paradoxically, been the one
that's taken the most liberties while still retaining the tone perfectly, <i>Jan Svankmajer's</i> <b>Alice (1988)</b>, reviewed a long time ago on this blog if you search
the tool bars. I guess not having to work with something that's your own
national heritage gives you advantage. I'll see if this is true as more Alices
go through more Wonderlands in my future viewings. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4wV8xKIYpdtwImEUD6_xhSCZhBpj6k9UQMOlDCqBuabgRHGonBTlpGFy_ICRkm9w4ReR6WurKEEqpfwIMvfuRhnHtDatpYFbVvnhDa12KuIPLh4sZE4TD_bFO8GObfLWEs-Kyx3Iiig/s1600/Alice-White-Rabbit.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn4wV8xKIYpdtwImEUD6_xhSCZhBpj6k9UQMOlDCqBuabgRHGonBTlpGFy_ICRkm9w4ReR6WurKEEqpfwIMvfuRhnHtDatpYFbVvnhDa12KuIPLh4sZE4TD_bFO8GObfLWEs-Kyx3Iiig/s1600/Alice-White-Rabbit.jpg" height="305" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://cinemanostalgia.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Alice-White-Rabbit.jpg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-81682607053798517682014-04-16T12:36:00.001-07:002014-04-16T12:36:36.348-07:00Top Tens: 2002<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Link to the full list available here - <a href="http://letterboxd.com/coheed/list/my-personal-2002-ranked/">http://letterboxd.com/coheed/list/my-personal-2002-ranked/</a><div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I'm taking a gamble on including <b>Phonebooth</b>. I have not seen it in many years, and the worse thing that could happen if that I rewatch it, and my excitement for the film that's sustained my love for it for all these years quickly dissipates. But we'll see in a year or so, if I do rewatch it, if this happens.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Ranking 2002</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>(In Order as of 16th April 2014)</b></div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5ICh2ibnoq5VWU2CBYSJ5cXK_ztow3ILBbwdd3Dpoh0wXkxalL0g7PAlpYMoWUvg1i6vAWNKvaSxB8noCrU5Cd1nNBjPCbJCwNDSXtWfOPKSMKSfE8QPC4kwPdJIIpp0GwnBqIQ_y84/s1600/blissfullyyours1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5ICh2ibnoq5VWU2CBYSJ5cXK_ztow3ILBbwdd3Dpoh0wXkxalL0g7PAlpYMoWUvg1i6vAWNKvaSxB8noCrU5Cd1nNBjPCbJCwNDSXtWfOPKSMKSfE8QPC4kwPdJIIpp0GwnBqIQ_y84/s1600/blissfullyyours1.jpg" height="243" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Blissfully Yours (Dir. Apichatpong Weerasethakul, 2002)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPRgRtxtaOvznHJFpVDM3ctHcQcvNcuoPzldpfvXPXhkoa4t6-MM17cKK8Kfu-uFL-7rFeGfLYn-XWJhSj3VCriXEMRLQqVJT6xVE5VyHgUWWJJy1jSv3dWocXYe8ZqPreALSJ2PaqYQM/s1600/snapshot20110422223850.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPRgRtxtaOvznHJFpVDM3ctHcQcvNcuoPzldpfvXPXhkoa4t6-MM17cKK8Kfu-uFL-7rFeGfLYn-XWJhSj3VCriXEMRLQqVJT6xVE5VyHgUWWJJy1jSv3dWocXYe8ZqPreALSJ2PaqYQM/s1600/snapshot20110422223850.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A Snake of June (Dir. Shinya Tsukamoto, 2002)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt3fIR2GmHwqsVYZOzQQDsX-AkvpaDH3vZrfsXpLOy7ctRFRLM4_ud4kMzQWdQwonitw2407mbGtxKEZFcfTiolk-iho5n64uciSRR_q64LRp5TdDwK8gkqUdb8g0X5ZV_t6JhsalM_ok/s1600/russian-ark-2002-001-man-ascents-stairs-00n-8rc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt3fIR2GmHwqsVYZOzQQDsX-AkvpaDH3vZrfsXpLOy7ctRFRLM4_ud4kMzQWdQwonitw2407mbGtxKEZFcfTiolk-iho5n64uciSRR_q64LRp5TdDwK8gkqUdb8g0X5ZV_t6JhsalM_ok/s1600/russian-ark-2002-001-man-ascents-stairs-00n-8rc.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Russian Ark (Dir. Alexander Sokurov, 2002) </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqh3BZ6BM-B27KmBIlC_BMuE5M6NVtN_bYSOKHtIblK7KVgqow_Xgk-mFvHHrd6JZMRINThjD4KGwALxQ_N4rg7y9F7dWQuj_tL84zs8GhyphenhyphenqFO3J4If5X6M63nuzqk0hO1Jwis0HU3Xc/s1600/dinner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgqh3BZ6BM-B27KmBIlC_BMuE5M6NVtN_bYSOKHtIblK7KVgqow_Xgk-mFvHHrd6JZMRINThjD4KGwALxQ_N4rg7y9F7dWQuj_tL84zs8GhyphenhyphenqFO3J4If5X6M63nuzqk0hO1Jwis0HU3Xc/s1600/dinner.jpg" height="208" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Man Without a Past (Dir. Aki Kaurismäki, 2002) </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE8c19d4UUaWvAPYH8s9UB_Yz4HyKKE2I-n1D_kTkl9Vn-qgYS5j1RZLelKq5NMqZ19vf5tBZlO2Qha6QT2Bx-fzUo030O9qJ0hNUOBIE0da7OT3Z-N5NgZBVjkWbNf10wGHC5xp-Co8s/s1600/dans-ma-paue.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE8c19d4UUaWvAPYH8s9UB_Yz4HyKKE2I-n1D_kTkl9Vn-qgYS5j1RZLelKq5NMqZ19vf5tBZlO2Qha6QT2Bx-fzUo030O9qJ0hNUOBIE0da7OT3Z-N5NgZBVjkWbNf10wGHC5xp-Co8s/s1600/dans-ma-paue.png" height="200" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dans Ma Peau (Dir. Marina de Van, 2002)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-KTwzrgaBh6Avw1Tgi52ar4I_5N6UkQ3WB6SOp3_8TSCJaaxCEY0MzmnnA9qFEOrgeX-xrw5FbstZRo2Uu3sAy6x4vLXjKqtU7i1kE_pfd0hQCEKy1X8dICQyesyV2cRDcuMNgOFz2U/s1600/tumblr_kxr4gjYldb1qb201so1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW-KTwzrgaBh6Avw1Tgi52ar4I_5N6UkQ3WB6SOp3_8TSCJaaxCEY0MzmnnA9qFEOrgeX-xrw5FbstZRo2Uu3sAy6x4vLXjKqtU7i1kE_pfd0hQCEKy1X8dICQyesyV2cRDcuMNgOFz2U/s1600/tumblr_kxr4gjYldb1qb201so1_500.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Porn Theatre (Dir. Jacques Nolot, 2002) </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUH_QYtajbFr9syqEoQG8Ha-a8YTTmdJ1Xmf_NS4nXgElMnOyitLItsxf0HSwda1Byo1b9tamzR0UDP57bKQMo87ipV2CjnW26iHGO8Ur9fqFO0ABzAmz_lN2P_k0CGPDcXAFZRYpQRY/s1600/corpuscallosum5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicUH_QYtajbFr9syqEoQG8Ha-a8YTTmdJ1Xmf_NS4nXgElMnOyitLItsxf0HSwda1Byo1b9tamzR0UDP57bKQMo87ipV2CjnW26iHGO8Ur9fqFO0ABzAmz_lN2P_k0CGPDcXAFZRYpQRY/s1600/corpuscallosum5.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">*Corpus Callosum (Dir. Michael Snow, 2002)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3JregvHOpClhyu8rJr4OpuDfDara2pSSbnxpq0rNxKVtg0AUDp5v3QfKBvF74ceVDGMaCJQBUFoeZiAO9YG6vzU6_xdihEFib8WVyRrV2SCtzfYsQDqBwgFvZfK3QDoNLUDllSkjxTeo/s1600/phone-boothforest.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3JregvHOpClhyu8rJr4OpuDfDara2pSSbnxpq0rNxKVtg0AUDp5v3QfKBvF74ceVDGMaCJQBUFoeZiAO9YG6vzU6_xdihEFib8WVyRrV2SCtzfYsQDqBwgFvZfK3QDoNLUDllSkjxTeo/s1600/phone-boothforest.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Phonebooth (Dir. Joel Schumacher, 2002)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjihRCzmX_DJq6NCQY3UCcsJT6KsyXElmfwpJfyVnVchuWPkaaxxlXQCKYl39MTTtqVR38gwjDUWzRa_Jn0eMTm3HgU_IMlwK7oD-Lqy34R8P-uomuv55Nkyw-qeDK1PtzRGkoBTOAw3XI/s1600/04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjihRCzmX_DJq6NCQY3UCcsJT6KsyXElmfwpJfyVnVchuWPkaaxxlXQCKYl39MTTtqVR38gwjDUWzRa_Jn0eMTm3HgU_IMlwK7oD-Lqy34R8P-uomuv55Nkyw-qeDK1PtzRGkoBTOAw3XI/s1600/04.jpg" height="177" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Dream Work (Dir. Peter Tscherkassky, 2002/Short)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZgbW0tRFWAfrM7u-v15Wog1-CkKvZBDZtimJ6ae3jVUpfl2CbPjCc3B-Aphi1itMZ3SxmLHHAgR18dlDpDWYXipGv1muFbge7I91KNgXB-tyUQDjMJ1mB-wL0KhZyQpCLY-kkKpioLA/s1600/58255767-ff1f-4cd9-b481-bad65343fb2d_625x352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWZgbW0tRFWAfrM7u-v15Wog1-CkKvZBDZtimJ6ae3jVUpfl2CbPjCc3B-Aphi1itMZ3SxmLHHAgR18dlDpDWYXipGv1muFbge7I91KNgXB-tyUQDjMJ1mB-wL0KhZyQpCLY-kkKpioLA/s1600/58255767-ff1f-4cd9-b481-bad65343fb2d_625x352.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">London Orbital (Dirs. Chris Petit and Ian Sinclair, 2002)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<b>Honorable Mentions:</b></div>
<div>
<div>
Come Into My World [By Kylie Minogue] (Dir. Michel Gondry, 2002/ Music Video) </div>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
===============</div>
<div>
<div>
Screenshots, in order, from the following sources:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
http://i191.photobucket.com/albums/z43/sevenarts/cinema/blissfullyyours1.jpg</div>
<div>
http://i1122.photobucket.com/albums/l534/marioirias/snapshot20110422223850.jpg</div>
<div>
http://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/styles/full/public/image/russian-ark-2002-001-man-ascents-stairs-00n-8rc.jpg?itok=q4HKKBig</div>
<div>
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5qlZuQNiM_nH49ZlsvX9LwZ2LS2hKLr4qZU0jFm7_64s0o7E-Adbe63DOoJwpp0bx8Qy8V7Srl4TBRbwC_CaDEbmcdpTs2E6lZvotrO9Z6QeR5csuPSc2AtZ4VA9kC4VT-2RbOOaaLVAW/s640/dinner.jpg</div>
<div>
http://cdn3.whatculture.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/dans-ma-paue.png</div>
<div>
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kxr4gjYldb1qb201so1_500.jpg</div>
<div>
http://deeperintomovies.net/journal/image10/corpuscallosum5.jpg</div>
<div>
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5eWCmS6k5GqSjJuMIhrBazhg9mIlgV87y8cQgkkrGSfBBzf0MCOoyYA2cO5NNwCm2He8hKK8GUWft4qpmiGB63vkCh5oGAnCaI-izkw36onTb0H57xkjFRqabingOgCKUA8FxwmUoK5I/s1600/phone-boothforest.jpg</div>
<div>
http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b392/mikekitchell/dream%20work/04.jpg</div>
<div>
http://static.bips.channel4.com/bse/604x340/london-orbital/58255767-ff1f-4cd9-b481-bad65343fb2d_625x352.jpg</div>
</div>
</div>
Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-22221539587053797802014-04-13T05:34:00.000-07:002014-04-13T05:34:08.284-07:00Top Tens: 2001<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Link to the full list available here - http://letterboxd.com/coheed/list/my-personal-2001-ranked/<br />
<br />
Probably the obvious thing that'll be noticed on both lists so far is that I don't just include feature films, with a TV special appearing on this one. If a work is truly great, it doesn't matter what format it was made for, and if you know of this particular special's infamy I couldn't dismiss it off the list anyway.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Ranking 2000</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>(In Order as of 13th April 2014)</b></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjp9WHCtdA-gLx3sGx-JGS7-n4DfOUam2SNxr_Mg7jxvlsY76CBUCWcfV_lqcln9d-cKnGumg1XPfU3-GeHmJCKhmcegp_RUqnCGmcgrRCoo9y5OpV0Q3i9ptTBVvYTfj3vWLsrNmVDU/s1600/tumblr_inline_mij607lSwt1qz4rgp.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrjp9WHCtdA-gLx3sGx-JGS7-n4DfOUam2SNxr_Mg7jxvlsY76CBUCWcfV_lqcln9d-cKnGumg1XPfU3-GeHmJCKhmcegp_RUqnCGmcgrRCoo9y5OpV0Q3i9ptTBVvYTfj3vWLsrNmVDU/s1600/tumblr_inline_mij607lSwt1qz4rgp.jpg" height="221" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Millennium Actress (Dir. Satoshi Kon, 2001)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-WAQaUXay9OfalFFI-WDuRCCvY1gKDWIky6HKJSCvJ4yrBWp88Vt_GlPaWCqm2wr2OM1e3Hjw0SteesqvpMKZVVovJbe9sP5j8zgAjMlzK-cKUUyOMmO_KrvKgkLDIvw_ClHAzZGcs4/s1600/SuzukiPistolOpera1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_-WAQaUXay9OfalFFI-WDuRCCvY1gKDWIky6HKJSCvJ4yrBWp88Vt_GlPaWCqm2wr2OM1e3Hjw0SteesqvpMKZVVovJbe9sP5j8zgAjMlzK-cKUUyOMmO_KrvKgkLDIvw_ClHAzZGcs4/s1600/SuzukiPistolOpera1.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Pistol Opera (Dir. Seijun Suzuki, 2001)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUjpgnYe0fKOZ8mhTpvSm5TwypbWMTM2ZxCyZYQ7lBjcHireI48oSFyeGN0oUk4DatbcFhlxey9nVBhuxgDJPxB7i0KZP96COtRJqrlQPnwNpqoYK_d0DnB60kd4JN1lz7Q7RLYohZstI/s1600/2441.original.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUjpgnYe0fKOZ8mhTpvSm5TwypbWMTM2ZxCyZYQ7lBjcHireI48oSFyeGN0oUk4DatbcFhlxey9nVBhuxgDJPxB7i0KZP96COtRJqrlQPnwNpqoYK_d0DnB60kd4JN1lz7Q7RLYohZstI/s1600/2441.original.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Ichi the Killer (Dir. Takashi Miike, 2001)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZWOHW2W-aX1IsB7ab28cuXHsFoGGamnUkiqQMhMQ1NvEzq8GKo9wAb1gWnsOWUAczVNDGmxKC5jBywJRV3WP16tOj9hSbRGytzVTOe57S8pNd6Pevui7gEhrt0zdJGiOIvHz1EqFkChA/s1600/best00atanarju.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZWOHW2W-aX1IsB7ab28cuXHsFoGGamnUkiqQMhMQ1NvEzq8GKo9wAb1gWnsOWUAczVNDGmxKC5jBywJRV3WP16tOj9hSbRGytzVTOe57S8pNd6Pevui7gEhrt0zdJGiOIvHz1EqFkChA/s1600/best00atanarju.jpg" height="218" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Atanarjuat - The Fast Runner (Dir. Zacharias Kunuk, 2001)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigIrR_nki6M20biSynfN_N3R0JQxbMPklJXUbAFtfFt-d8Q7y8N2XxL0SXEUuN6Cdacl3AWoRU_drRbHA6AF2g-RSjQPHF4esh9R3fLfvAS5B3DNfksepmIi9fo9NywLV-7n0WzGwWgXc/s1600/snapshot20090101061240.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigIrR_nki6M20biSynfN_N3R0JQxbMPklJXUbAFtfFt-d8Q7y8N2XxL0SXEUuN6Cdacl3AWoRU_drRbHA6AF2g-RSjQPHF4esh9R3fLfvAS5B3DNfksepmIi9fo9NywLV-7n0WzGwWgXc/s1600/snapshot20090101061240.jpg" height="207" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Brass Eye Paedogeddon! Special <br />(Dir. Michael Cumming, 2001/TV Special)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_LFEWWl1j7-biT2hgulAC7vIR3WdfPHAgsh-6LhwN7TwdcFR-c0Que01mbwZmhy54trH336et4Hb43BbW7V3uCJSSK05ZWq2j2QA3AHYUYoVFm-T2umVbnj7QC9T7M8IDYzcYSLPafI/s1600/mulholland_drive_snap_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_LFEWWl1j7-biT2hgulAC7vIR3WdfPHAgsh-6LhwN7TwdcFR-c0Que01mbwZmhy54trH336et4Hb43BbW7V3uCJSSK05ZWq2j2QA3AHYUYoVFm-T2umVbnj7QC9T7M8IDYzcYSLPafI/s1600/mulholland_drive_snap_2.jpg" height="218" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mulholland Drive (Dir. David Lynch, 2001) </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiOtUC9Kg_0tJxq-feOK0pL4-LLf6LJKkThTHq8Oz1Pd8FDNYt7B4rAkns7P7tDj2pIy50rTpN3PqHYvOk-3iUgpdAZCpHOk-W2K0RzOy601GkUfbQjPsnsSa52OBZJOm3C52TLzZQfjg/s1600/Amelie-0008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiOtUC9Kg_0tJxq-feOK0pL4-LLf6LJKkThTHq8Oz1Pd8FDNYt7B4rAkns7P7tDj2pIy50rTpN3PqHYvOk-3iUgpdAZCpHOk-W2K0RzOy601GkUfbQjPsnsSa52OBZJOm3C52TLzZQfjg/s1600/Amelie-0008.jpg" height="168" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Amélie (Dir. Jean-Pierre Jeunet, 2001)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bJjCeou8MeOx23Zl6lFQ0kysJ94wLVwbqnALLwSm3SD1MxP0hFxxyLv1Ws7MFaf7zVj-apZwYZnD8jvdXAZMY3iaev-RTNjzCcqTZFLJmKRdzCiNFhfLSgTywquVKsgx8vhr-rc22kw/s1600/visitorq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8bJjCeou8MeOx23Zl6lFQ0kysJ94wLVwbqnALLwSm3SD1MxP0hFxxyLv1Ws7MFaf7zVj-apZwYZnD8jvdXAZMY3iaev-RTNjzCcqTZFLJmKRdzCiNFhfLSgTywquVKsgx8vhr-rc22kw/s1600/visitorq.jpg" height="293" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Visitor Q (Dir. Takashi Miike, 2001)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_O6ixAl6yLbVIjgRBAkKgzT9K7I4d6TKorD_0By-89ZNKytlC3rpPZV2eGBQ2uPkgRLo0Lm6mqFQFv6zE5Lud625oICSNlP2Kxew-7iMODjhtWXlrB0pgHFHX3t4hWAR2VXbjEzXmRH0/s1600/0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_O6ixAl6yLbVIjgRBAkKgzT9K7I4d6TKorD_0By-89ZNKytlC3rpPZV2eGBQ2uPkgRLo0Lm6mqFQFv6zE5Lud625oICSNlP2Kxew-7iMODjhtWXlrB0pgHFHX3t4hWAR2VXbjEzXmRH0/s1600/0.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Intolerance II: The Invasion (Dir. Phil Mulloy, 2001/Short)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4sdb4Z5Ft8Z5GBiyaVTnvohIzU4GYk6HJ-4Pz4SxMpw71ibAYCs_o15ER1A9KoAJccZds_zGJDfeyhzUgzG6o0uIsm0t8Cosr9RiSvhbeSSQj1G1h_44JPdRG35qfhP0o_pOc-LSRj4g/s1600/la+cienaga+8(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4sdb4Z5Ft8Z5GBiyaVTnvohIzU4GYk6HJ-4Pz4SxMpw71ibAYCs_o15ER1A9KoAJccZds_zGJDfeyhzUgzG6o0uIsm0t8Cosr9RiSvhbeSSQj1G1h_44JPdRG35qfhP0o_pOc-LSRj4g/s1600/la+cienaga+8(1).jpg" height="207" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">La Ciénaga (Dir. Lucrecia Martel, 2001)</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Honorable Mentions:</b><br />
Warm Water Under A Red Bridge (Dir. Shohei Imamura, 2001)<br />
Copy Shop (Dir. Virgil Wildrich, 2001/Short)<br />
Hell House (Dir. George Ratliff, 2001)<br />
Runaway (Dirs. Kim Longinotto & Ziba Mir-Hosseini, 2001)<br />
Star Guitar [By The Chemical Brothers] (Dir. Michel Gondry, 2001/Music Video)<br />
<br />
Any recommendations for films to see would be welcomed.<br />
<br />
=============<br />
Screenshots, in order, from the following sources:<br />
<br />
http://media.tumblr.com/3acc3d2b2e5b38f28c6d831fa80493b9/tumblr_inline_mij607lSwt1qz4rgp.jpg<br />
http://www.rowthree.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/SuzukiPistolOpera1.jpg<br />
http://d3uc4wuqnt61m1.cloudfront.net/films/images/000/002/441/2441.original.jpg?1376692886<br />
http://www.nicksflickpicks.com/best00atanarju.jpg<br />
http://www.eibonvale.co.uk/strangereviews/europe/brasseye/snapshot20090101061240.jpg<br />
http://cdn.wegotthiscovered.com/wp-content/uploads/mulholland_drive_snap_2.jpg<br />
http://screenmusings.org/Amelie/images/Amelie-0008.jpg<br />
http://www.starburstmagazine.com/images/aug2012/visitorq.jpg<br />
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/G-QEqEMNN6g/0.jpg<br />
http://www.filmhafizasi.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/la%20cienaga%208(1).jpg</div>
Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-48376895648154205122014-04-12T13:25:00.000-07:002014-04-13T05:47:09.201-07:00Top Tens: 2000<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<div style="text-align: justify;">
I came across this from a blog that I've been a devoted reader of - <a href="http://lightsinthedusk.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/top-ten-2001.html">http://lightsinthedusk.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/top-ten-2001.html</a>. I felt that for once I should join in form my fellow blogger's lead in putting up my own top tens for each year. This is worth doing as I've been doing a grander scale version of this on <i>Letterboxed </i>for <b>EVERY</b> film I've seen per year, the list for 2000 available here - <a href="http://letterboxd.com/coheed/list/my-personal-2000-ranked-digital-camera-at/">http://letterboxd.com/coheed/list/my-personal-2000-ranked-digital-camera-at/</a>. My choices, if I was to return to this within a year or so, could likely change in some areas, and there are certainly films that may surprise some in their placement on this list that I need to rewatch. But its worth using this for myself too, along with the larger scale list, as a mirror of what my tastes are in cinema, particularly significant recently as I've desired to rid of myself of time wasting activities and wanting to devote my free time to what I actually love. There's no point anymore in wasting hours on films I'm not going to like because they were acclaimed, so it'll better to learn from these lists, going from 2000 to 2013 first, what my tastes actually are. And if they change as time passes, it'll hopefully because I've learnt from this activity and watched films and other work I thought were great.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
===========<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Ranking 2000</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>(In Order as of 12th April 2014)</b></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnORyu_nlr2tkO4DGiiIWqHnEsrB9MprzXHImVO8YkJNipySqDiI2NareGEaKQ9pejgObmd-H4ckbyQCP2KluYCYFDsEM4mZnUB_HNRSoUJuYH1q25r0yl3LYq5Pdcl8KgFBo3SbVoP3o/s1600/PIC02.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnORyu_nlr2tkO4DGiiIWqHnEsrB9MprzXHImVO8YkJNipySqDiI2NareGEaKQ9pejgObmd-H4ckbyQCP2KluYCYFDsEM4mZnUB_HNRSoUJuYH1q25r0yl3LYq5Pdcl8KgFBo3SbVoP3o/s1600/PIC02.png" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Werckmeister Harmonies </span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;">(Dirs. Béla Tarr and Ágnes Hranitzky, 2000)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ56nC-BYYzxqXsWxJ85TbxQuyY3j_fDnw42y9LVrqbGsXk3NXwZrTICpvFppixetuLZG3-z9UGVkV7RIz-UZFFacjgcwwGROY9jqKisKA26vFEm0CP_Ro8dUTcYM_bHPwDEXOoM3w5vk/s1600/Eureka+2000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ56nC-BYYzxqXsWxJ85TbxQuyY3j_fDnw42y9LVrqbGsXk3NXwZrTICpvFppixetuLZG3-z9UGVkV7RIz-UZFFacjgcwwGROY9jqKisKA26vFEm0CP_Ro8dUTcYM_bHPwDEXOoM3w5vk/s1600/Eureka+2000.JPG" height="165" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Eureka (Dir. Shinji Aoyama, 2000)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJ7FstK2YFQfgC5ufLh8w7YrHux3Bcwi4WIgXmTeekh25TSiwR9TbFzzICp60k7MxpqGmMAxz0ugRVUl2aO7Kmd9G19dYruz89RH_tUdSYVlMOIo8UR7YtkUMnD4pbtC3DTdKx365Qus/s1600/3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSJ7FstK2YFQfgC5ufLh8w7YrHux3Bcwi4WIgXmTeekh25TSiwR9TbFzzICp60k7MxpqGmMAxz0ugRVUl2aO7Kmd9G19dYruz89RH_tUdSYVlMOIo8UR7YtkUMnD4pbtC3DTdKx365Qus/s1600/3.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Malice@Doll (Dir. Keitarou Motonaga, 2000)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5btGBa9Fjbq35eIK1Rgs_71NR7wjLLsihnZXv22GIrGemG7QJBH2xYmZSi989jw0yFzi2Ne0LgDzyX9JHSizpPvIRlJjcw6PDxkI0VnYWlN6m6jULXTxDCC1wQaNX95OrzfKXJpCbCo/s1600/Frame+from+the+film+O+Brother+Wherre+Art+Thou+2000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb5btGBa9Fjbq35eIK1Rgs_71NR7wjLLsihnZXv22GIrGemG7QJBH2xYmZSi989jw0yFzi2Ne0LgDzyX9JHSizpPvIRlJjcw6PDxkI0VnYWlN6m6jULXTxDCC1wQaNX95OrzfKXJpCbCo/s1600/Frame+from+the+film+O+Brother+Wherre+Art+Thou+2000.jpg" height="168" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">O Brother, Where Art Thou? (Dir. Joel Coen, 2000)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLZz4kHzms01SlSZTCZqZh7DzK2Fs4Htgg7WLq2kAsfyBEhq8UPC27hQujsmNy7EZHdkm3cVtGvh9mfpJhd5ihZGPefE3-CVSEp3bYAMQt8N0BL1hiOQERTNkvwpvFK4ZELPzgEOZEQ0/s1600/original.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMLZz4kHzms01SlSZTCZqZh7DzK2Fs4Htgg7WLq2kAsfyBEhq8UPC27hQujsmNy7EZHdkm3cVtGvh9mfpJhd5ihZGPefE3-CVSEp3bYAMQt8N0BL1hiOQERTNkvwpvFK4ZELPzgEOZEQ0/s1600/original.png" height="220" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Battle Royale (Dir. Kinji Fukasaku, 2000)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtcw87XtPq4S5WohTUhIxiR5-oF7_tDL8YdYM9NjKFrEGzo_RCv9WjPwHSgAsk_JJx8PvGuSiHumZrSLVCKpne4182tbzH4f2bFTNdJyMwndHY6zNj2OMy8mtrAdUfeyGbCzin03QoJDU/s1600/808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtcw87XtPq4S5WohTUhIxiR5-oF7_tDL8YdYM9NjKFrEGzo_RCv9WjPwHSgAsk_JJx8PvGuSiHumZrSLVCKpne4182tbzH4f2bFTNdJyMwndHY6zNj2OMy8mtrAdUfeyGbCzin03QoJDU/s1600/808.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">In Absentia (Dirs. The Quay Brothers, 2000/Short)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6F5FqVbJ1IJWJPtSFJ_9O8mA-N0vxlAroco2MxeIPu9PfRY_UBvwdPPUqb5y7tmoVjzLj3O4AyLD7DzIV_iAOOxTZKYdAkiay8JrwDTqCfEPipsc5InT7SAkTMZK7I7QX4umBeE_djWs/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-09-17+at+10.23.24.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6F5FqVbJ1IJWJPtSFJ_9O8mA-N0vxlAroco2MxeIPu9PfRY_UBvwdPPUqb5y7tmoVjzLj3O4AyLD7DzIV_iAOOxTZKYdAkiay8JrwDTqCfEPipsc5InT7SAkTMZK7I7QX4umBeE_djWs/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-09-17+at+10.23.24.png" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Monkey Drummer (Dir. Chris Cunningham, 2000/Short)</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoiGX14m9PbgXOmA2_W5N8JyBpsxpLV9CjQ9GTkD5hF97bvPZYGXpXu8a3bef09H_AMJQDCbs-gePgpkVPHrFrdpDp-aaBilg4wjuBngheER4_RSuYc7Il-ISTPu8ZbXp9cmAwsplOfO4/s1600/in-the-mood-for-love-fa-yeung-nin-wa__51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoiGX14m9PbgXOmA2_W5N8JyBpsxpLV9CjQ9GTkD5hF97bvPZYGXpXu8a3bef09H_AMJQDCbs-gePgpkVPHrFrdpDp-aaBilg4wjuBngheER4_RSuYc7Il-ISTPu8ZbXp9cmAwsplOfO4/s1600/in-the-mood-for-love-fa-yeung-nin-wa__51.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">In The Mood For Love (Dir. Wong Kar-Wai, 2000)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdF47S8EBDq2MFWhsSY1vHOF_X5cIOeU0IiFOUczyjtDzc21WLginwNdoKwqKiaDN9tfc72ke4cq1gw_cP8H72QWAg4YSjWPSQtmY-67Zr_JoGuHDii-J0izKJGasoqswjTq-dFDug6aQ/s1600/lindqvist_1_19_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdF47S8EBDq2MFWhsSY1vHOF_X5cIOeU0IiFOUczyjtDzc21WLginwNdoKwqKiaDN9tfc72ke4cq1gw_cP8H72QWAg4YSjWPSQtmY-67Zr_JoGuHDii-J0izKJGasoqswjTq-dFDug6aQ/s1600/lindqvist_1_19_2.jpg" height="232" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Songs from the Second Floor (Dir. Roy Andersson, 2000)</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTr-CIT2dS1LNn4nI5PBdDVQAPX0_AJtXPfE7WRKgBjESgWN2diy4Zf74DGIUG5pzuexpzXAZCvte82BILhJAy9hoxjzZoma9UBsUsgBO55uhA2XWERgLS9zESToLjynQENpigis6icQE/s1600/blackboards-hidden.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTr-CIT2dS1LNn4nI5PBdDVQAPX0_AJtXPfE7WRKgBjESgWN2diy4Zf74DGIUG5pzuexpzXAZCvte82BILhJAy9hoxjzZoma9UBsUsgBO55uhA2XWERgLS9zESToLjynQENpigis6icQE/s1600/blackboards-hidden.jpg" height="241" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Blackboards (Dir. Samira Makhmalbaf, 2000)</span> </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<b>Honorable Mentions:</b></div>
At the Height of Summer aka. The Vertical Ray of the Sun (Dir. Anh Hung Tran, 2000)<br />
Gaea Girls (Dirs. Kim Longinotto and Jano Williams, 2000)<br />
Origins of the 21st Century (Dir. Jean-Luc Godard, 2000/Short)<br />
<br />
Any recommendations for films to see would be welcomed.<br />
<br />
=============<br />
Screenshots, in order, from the following sources:<br />
<br />
http://i943.photobucket.com/albums/ad271/PTA-Dre/PIC02.png<br />
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHXgVpVlt4CkivvDOTEHZUjjW8cacJax2s-vaZhzdphcHI11rFq0S18dvxcL2qVoQVsvVW02qHeyoj_l3aNiZsgIcxNRpkrcCOsKzeLbuPKIR8ghbR8lmkgeQFJVHKHxGRWAxpAdGXHreU/s1600/Eureka+2000.JPG<br />
http://i415.photobucket.com/albums/pp240/movierapture/mm/malicedoll/3.jpg<br />
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3K9I3SC74tE/TqZbKX184iI/AAAAAAAAeqc/m1lhb-SENys/s1600/Frame+from+the+film+O+Brother+Wherre+Art+Thou+2000.jpg<br />
http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/d_morris/10363550/292/original.png<br />
http://apercucinephilia.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/808.jpg<br />
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7cCq8HkfJXT_sIbGvUR4Wla12QIKLo4x46apXUQP-fQQVL3C-_0SE-xiHqB95h-GjRUzTTpP15mm4f6eZD8CzVncnB4_h6PwbPEGCvi044xcq2NzNI9cSyW4puZkmu1USA_fj20z_XME/s1600/Screen+shot+2010-09-17+at+10.23.24.png<br />
http://expresselevatortohell.files.wordpress.com/2014/01/in-the-mood-for-love-fa-yeung-nin-wa__51.jpg<br />
http://simotron.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/lindqvist_1_19_2.jpg<br />
http://cinemasights.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/blackboards-hidden.jpg</div>
Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-73216064219294569422014-04-12T12:58:00.001-07:002014-04-12T12:58:23.330-07:00Killer Barbys (1996)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkYhoWGi1NGfyi89hNcCVJDtsCM0jgM88ALJA82E5CXQkQbpgQQfLIIkQqzDKgpBr5B2qC1YAmnfKo8aQHMyDhMuyr6PNbsXTJdmiOztIhAGbeCT7tgSJ5ghc2eBvBWhK9SoTLDMAgiOA/s1600/51G9788WMCL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkYhoWGi1NGfyi89hNcCVJDtsCM0jgM88ALJA82E5CXQkQbpgQQfLIIkQqzDKgpBr5B2qC1YAmnfKo8aQHMyDhMuyr6PNbsXTJdmiOztIhAGbeCT7tgSJ5ghc2eBvBWhK9SoTLDMAgiOA/s1600/51G9788WMCL.jpg" height="400" width="280" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51G9788WMCL.jpg</td></tr>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Dir. Jesus Franco</b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2X-wvm-9N8oTkjezE0GrC3HqyCNKJku8mo_gQdnDHPPWWtZkxLGB-DR8nYqNokQviNDsdkT7TkhbhLVyTQ9_uaPJsnpO3qumilN489t-qE9KlebKAIUnYFQ5B3-73GhzOEMm-fOMFj0/s1600/Spanish+Flag.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP2X-wvm-9N8oTkjezE0GrC3HqyCNKJku8mo_gQdnDHPPWWtZkxLGB-DR8nYqNokQviNDsdkT7TkhbhLVyTQ9_uaPJsnpO3qumilN489t-qE9KlebKAIUnYFQ5B3-73GhzOEMm-fOMFj0/s1600/Spanish+Flag.png" /></a>Reviewing this, it may actually
cause more damage to the film if I suddenly tried to use film studies glossary
terms of 'style' to describe my enjoyment of it. This'll be a circumvention on
myself since there is always a danger of defending one's enjoyments against
imaginary detractors. Shame as it's called too, but there's no reason for it to
exist. Can't I just admit I enjoyed the film? Why not for once? Admit to being
turned on by the female nudity? I'm a heterosexual male so why not admit it?
Admit to liking the goofy special effects and cheapness compared to other <i>Jess Franco</i> films? Yes, and say that
it's still a <i>Franco</i> film despite
this. There is of course this issue of celebrating something like this subconsciously
to rebel against good taste, politically correct films. But taste's subjective,
I've loved films both progressive and far more so than more celebrated
politically correct films, and even the idea of what is politically correct is
questionable when it doesn't always work in what it was intended to do. The
only shame that exists for me is that the British DVD I viewed it on was
English dub only. While its amusing, it's not seamless to the static noise of
the original film, and is completely awful. Enjoyable so, but embarrassing for
the film's sake. As for the film itself, I feel no shame enjoying it on this
viewing. Honestly, while <b>Killer Barbys</b>
is a drop down from Franco's best, is still memorable and considerably better
than a lot of films like it from other directors.</div>
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<br /></div>
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(Real life) pop punk band <b>Killer Barbys</b>, name modified here
because of Mattel, find their Mystery Van dying on them in the middle of
nowhere. Their trademark are Barbie dolls tied up as van decorations, and on
microphone stands, in improvised tape bondage gear, and the red haired,
scantily clad lead female singer to wave a chainsaw around. She's the heroine,
sometimes dressed in a Spiderman crop top. Two male members, the first with a beard
and long hair, the other, the closest to another key character, with clean
shaven features and has a higher pitched voice in the English dub. Both of them
always go on about sex, the dialogue more ridiculous in the dubbing. The final
two members, a male member and a female dancer, prefer to stay in the van and
actually have sex continually rather than merely talk about it, to the point of
seemingly staying the entire night there in coupling. A mysterious older man,
who passes by the van, says he can get a toll truck for them by the next
morning, and that they can all stay at the castle that he is servant of, that
of a Countess who may be over a hundred years old or more. As established
before the titular band are introduced, staying in this castle is probably a
very bad idea, Lady Bathory reasons why it's so.</div>
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<br /></div>
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A very slim, simple plot - a
common trait of a Franco film - the director concerning himself with mood,
violence and sex. Mood, as with the best work of the director, is all
encompassing. Characters, like the main heroine in this film by the end, find
themselves wandering adrift in corridors and open areas, and very long camera
takes are done that feel longer then they should be. This is my first from the
winter period of the late director, divisive even amongst his fans, where it's
said there was a considerable decline. A period, as co-funded European horror
cinema was dissipating, where Franco was being helped financially by his own
fan base. The lower production quality and, if translated accurately from the
original audio track, dialogue do show this is a bit of a drop from Vampyros
Lesbos (1971) or Succubus (1968). But despite these problems, it's a film like
this that shows me how good <i>Franco</i>
was. The band are picked off one-by-one, leading to the lead singer having to
get out of the castle as the Countess makes her appearance. Along with the
servant, there's another man living in the back, who prepares (clearly rubber mould)
corpses for the Countess to drink the blood of and who has two dwarfs, both
genders, as "children" who help and get the spoils, human ears to
those dolls hanging up in the Mystery Van. The plot has very few twists and
turns within it in terms of the events I've described going any further from
this. What's more important is the content surrounding this thin plot. Sexual
pleasure and blood are the main plot momentums, as is the case with other <i>Franco</i> films. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://www.imcdb.org/i292847.jpg</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
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Some of his key trademarks are
not at their best. The usually exceptional music score is replaced here by a
funny but horrifically dinky keyboard sound - you'd think synthesisers from the
seventies and eighties Euro horror films, ignored for nineties sounds, could've
been relocated, dusted off and used but apparently not. Location use and
creating environments from what he had for his films however is still strong
here. Despite the small plot, what's really of enjoyment is a lurid journey
from one moment of sex or horror to another, and the distinctness of the castle
location helps make the film stand out. Using it as part of his usual dream
logic, where characters are adrift in rooms and almost sleepwalking along
predestined routes, it exists here too. Mist covered hill, near the river, are
still powerful to see even in a weaker film like this. Creepy stuffed animals,
with boggle eyes or made to be like people are lingered over as is the
decorations of the castle's rooms. The abattoir at the back, despite the rubber
bodies, is a sparse and messy space that's riddled with blood everywhere. When
it gets to the point of the heroine finding out what's going on, the film fully
becomes what I love about Franco as a she wanders the hidden rooms of the
castle, a literal chess room with giant chess pieces and matching black and
white tiles, to a room of various body parts and curiosities in jars. This
doesn't last long, but from it the tone of the film is shown, even with the
plot's junky schlock, to be a dreamy one of previous <i>Franco</i> films even if the style is not completely the same as the
before ones. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Regardless of the film's
failings, it's still in my thoughts as a memorable viewing experience. Once I
get past the cheesiness, although I liked the (overused) songs by the band, I
still felt an atmosphere that is shared with the best of Jess <i>Franco's</i> work and is rarely done in
other horror films. The special effects for the blood and gore were absurd but
befitting, the film never taking on a serious tone that would've been deflated
by the obvious failings. The sexuality was honestly appealing too; admittedly I
didn't find a female character running from a man with a scythe while
completely naked titillating, instead seeing it as lurid on purpose, but the
rest of the sexual nature of the film, while also schlocky, was enticing. And it's
worth baring in mind that, for all the criticisms Franco has had levelled at
him for this, the fact that the actress playing the Countess, when she appears
to the band, is not just a beautiful woman but a beautiful older woman suggests
that, perversely, <i>Franco</i> may have had
a more progressive view of sexuality and gender than many other apparently
'progressive' directors. The luridness and the few failings are probably why I
had to start this review as I did, although I give up keeping any un-biased
mask on and admit to having completely enjoyed <b>Killer Barbys</b>. It could be argued to have a cop-out ending - that
its revealed to have been merely fiction with an improvised music video for the
band taking place - but personally it was an emphasis that this was <i>Franco</i> trying to make a fun film. And it
was fun to view. He still had the talent despite the big drawbacks in
production of this compared his sixties and seventies work. I could care less
any more about trying to write intelligent, good taste reviews and I thank <b>Killer Barbys</b>, and my enjoyment of it,
for reminding me that individual taste has completely influenced everything
I've written on this blog. That I've covered many <i>Franco</i> films from before this pretty much says that I've really
found enjoyment in his work even here.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/richardsplash/blog6/killerbarbys_04_zpsa9a9067a.jpg</td></tr>
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Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-11921533563890877262014-04-04T12:51:00.001-07:002014-04-04T14:12:52.660-07:00What? (1972)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://filmfanatic.org/reviews/wp-content/uploads/2007/05/What-Poster.jpg</td></tr>
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<b><br /></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<b>Dir. Roman Polanski</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBL0p3kmzPr-pe5aqyIs3oVNQQSKCK3I981PSlBpyUUrBs73ye43z5qN_3zbt0r0tLvPUiDsRfZMFwFpesETe6v8DXUOAqQ_7ytz5eWHmDHF-tZtcXE55AcPZqJZ_ZCbyFez7QOq9cEI/s1600/italian+flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBL0p3kmzPr-pe5aqyIs3oVNQQSKCK3I981PSlBpyUUrBs73ye43z5qN_3zbt0r0tLvPUiDsRfZMFwFpesETe6v8DXUOAqQ_7ytz5eWHmDHF-tZtcXE55AcPZqJZ_ZCbyFez7QOq9cEI/s1600/italian+flag.jpg" /></a>I admit that rather than dig into
an auteur's canon through the best work, as according to canon, I sometimes end
up drifting to the lesser knowns of their careers or the oddities. Failures and
miscreants. As much as <b>F For Fake (1973)</b>
is a masterpiece from <i>Orson Welles</i>,
usually its <b>Touch of Evil (1958)</b>
after <b>Citizen Kane (1941) </b>in
people's minds while I'm more inclined to dive for the former. My habit
connected to how DVDs are released, snapping on the first time releases of an
obscurity like a dog on fire. Or when rare screenings are shown on TV that are
not easily available. But this habit, because of my peculiar "grab-the-film-in-proximity"
mentality, has meant I've had a new side to the question of what auteurism
means. Rewatching <b>What?</b>, how am I
going to view this as a <i>Roman Polanski</i>
film, as I've only seen a couple, and by itself? What exactly is <b>What?</b> By itself, and why has it got
that title let alone is how it is? Along with <i>Louis Malle's</i> <b>Black Moon
(1975) </b>and <i>Claude Chabrol's</i> <b>Alice Or The Last Escapade (1977)</b>, this
is another European auteur who decides to do something different by riffing on <i>Lewis Carroll's</i> <b>Alice In Wonderland</b>.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
Nancy (<i>Sydne Rome</i>) escapes from a group of men in a taxi, a wide eyed
naive American on vacation in Italy, only to end up at a holiday villa cut off
in its own eccentric world. Legendary Italian actor <i>Marcello Mastroianni</i> is Alex, a former pimp turned masculine lizard
with an eye on Nancy and many peculiar fetishes. There are a pair of British
lads, the third friend <i>Polanski</i>
himself as Mosquito, with his "Little Stinger", a harpoon in a dumb
sex reference. The owner of the villa (<i>Hugh
Griffith</i>) is near death and has the eye for Nancy, as does everyone else,
such a shambolic man who can play Mozart despite arthritis in his hands. Add a
priest, an older American couple, and two women, one usually completely naked,
to the mix and a wacky sex comedy is the result. The villa itself is as much of
a character. Full of art - <i>Francis Bacon</i>
above the bed, <i>Roy Lichtenstein</i>
printed on the carpet - and is placed next to an idyllic coast line. Nancy has
to both deal with the people in the villa and the villa itself - déjà vu,
objects breaking when she just touches them, and more and more of her clothes
being stolen and torn. Honestly <b>What?</b>
is a weird film. I've overused this word, something I've had to kerb, but it
applies for this film. [My <b>Collins Gem</b>
dictionary defines weird as "strange or bizarre; unearthly or eerie"]
Films that I have praised have been defined as weird because they've broken
away from convention; unfortunately I've over the years clouded the term with a
vagueness, as someone whose only actually looked at its meaning in the
dictionary. <b>What?</b> is weird, but unfortunately
it's also slight.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It looks beautiful at least. Two
cinematographers - <i>Marcello Gatti</i> and
<i>Giuseppe Ruzzolini</i> - and the setting
for the erotic farce is perfect for the cinema screen. Expansive ocean. Old Italian
architecture. A tower. Vast corridors.
Passage ways and balconies. To reach a room just above you, where a ping pong
ball has fallen from which Alex has an irresistible urge to crush to hear the
crunching sound, you have to pass through a lengthy journey inside to reach it.
Hidden away in obscurity until a few years back, the premise of <b>What?</b> would have worked beautifully,
and it does stand out as an absurdist work. <b>Alice In Wonderland</b> but as conceived as more directly sexual and
about cross cultural relations, the American in not only Europe but the cinema
of Europe, a Polish director, <i>Rome</i> an
Italian actress of American birth, <i>Mastroianni</i>
and a cross pollination of actors including from Britain. The problems, on a
second viewing, is the execution that is full of flabbiness and vagueness. Its
tone is immediately off, with discomfort, as a comedy when it starts with Nancy
escaping a gang rape in a taxi, which is immediately setting up the film as
prickly in its content. The real life events of <i>Polanski</i> causes a problem when viewing this film because, as an
erotic absurdist piece, the crime he committed in real life, whether you can separate
this from his films or find him completely reprehensible, have a bitter taste
to some of the content in <b>What?</b>. It's
not that Nancy is continually naked or in a state of undress for most of the
film. Nor the kinky and lurid tone. The problems are both how asinine, and
merely crass, the sex jokes are and how insipid Nancy is as a main character. It's
a problem that the opening involves a near-gang rape done in a jokey way, her
backside is continually pinched and she's lusted over by all the men because
she is such a blank individual who doesn't take consideration of what's fully
going on, the only register that of a deer caught in the headlights. Her
submissiveness to Alex is bad not because she's submissive to him but there's
no sense of reasonable depth to it even for a sex farce. The tone that would
try a gang rape as a joke makes this worse . (Such a tricky, discomforting
concept like rape has only been justifiable as a joke, and a good one, from
what I've seen in <i>Pedro Almodóvar's</i> <b>Kika (1993)</b> because the joke is on the patheticness
of the rapist.) </div>
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<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://images10.knack.be/images/resized/119/469/558/521/0/<br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<i>Rome</i> is merely pulled along as Nancy, without any real interest for
herself onscreen for us to care about her. The <b>Alice In Wonderland</b> scenario, depending on the version, is usually
of an onlooker to the scenarios played out, but they can still interact with
what happens with some spirit to them. Mentioning Black Moon, actress <i>Cathryn Harrison's</i> protagonist still
interacts constantly to the events that take place, as does <i>Sylvia Kristel's</i> in <b>...the Last Escapade</b>. Nancy could have worked as a character, a
stereotype of the youth, the American, who believes in expanding her mind - bell
bottom jeans, yoga, travelling the world
- yet has no idea what the old continent of Europe actually is, befitting a
subject for the Polish <i>Polanski</i> if he
was actually at his best. Her asking of someone's Zodiac abruptly to deaf ears
or talking about a philosophy book she's read, she's a caricature of the middle
class youth who believes in improving the world but is pretty useless in
contributing anything of use, which unfortunately is not used enough. Most of
the film is of Nancy in increasingly less interesting sexual scenarios. The
character never progresses enough from her views being bashed by the lustings
of mad perverts. <i>Rome</i> is just a
pretty face, her voice is too thin when you need to depict an extremely naive
woman who slowly realises the place she's in is alien to her. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
It's a film made on a lark, which
would have worked if it was actually daring and chaotic to befit a Wonderland
scenario. It has its virtues indeed, but only really in style and <i>Mastroianni</i>. To see him, who dominated <b>La Dolce Vita (1960)</b> and <b>8
1/2 (1963)</b>, in a tiger suit being whipped is on for the bucket list of
viewing experiences, but even if it wasn't his voice heard in the English dub,
he still brings a damn fine performance physically to the work. Moments where a
better film exists are there. The curtain rail of Nancy's rail falling off and
literally every object is almost against her.
A random moment where her left thigh is painted blue. All of this would
as madness where nothing for her is going to assist her in the villa, as time
repeats over and over again. But the film eventually peters out. After trying
to admire it as a flawed gem, I eventually gave up from when <i>Hugh Griffith</i> is introduced. Eventually the
most the other characters say to Nancy are directions around the villa or how
they admire her breasts, something I found a mere flaw, without any real glee
in the sexual humour like a good bawdy work, but just becomes irritating and
questionable. It adds a creepiness in its lifelessness without even mentioning <i>Polanski's</i> real life events. The tone,
after I stopped deluding myself, is just off, not working at all. The jokes are
obvious or non-existent, the lost potential for this scenario felt, worse when
its director knew how to do the abstract in his darker material. It's a film
that's pleased with itself but fails miserably barring a few virtues. </div>
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It does beg the question of what
an auteur means when this exists in the director's filmography. It's a
fascinating and memorable work, but surely this upsets what <i>Polanski's</i> career means with its
existence? And what does it mean if there are people like <i>Jonathan Rosenbaum</i> who put it amongst his essential films of cinema's
existence? Am I blind? I fully endorse auteurism as a theory, worship at the
shrine of it honestly, but my belief is counter balanced with the realisation
that cinema is both the work of many people and that, no matter much I try,
there'll always be the odd ones out that prevent the theory from being complete
truth. <b>What?</b> eventually drags on,
never progressing in tone like the other films referenced in this review. By
the end it merely finishes. Leaving the film the viewer finally finds out what
the title means, which is, an intended baffling of the audience. "<i>It's the title of the movie!</i>" Nancy
shouts to Alex, leaving in the back of a truck, completely naked, full of pigs,
suddenly breaking the forth wall. It lacks the subversive and abrupt
undermining of it <i>Jean-Luc Godard </i>did
very well in two of his late sixties films, <b>Pierrot le Fou (1965)</b> and <b>Week
End (1967)</b>. Instead it comes off as laboured and missing the point of what
it should be doing with its ideas. <b>What?
</b>sits at odds in a really tumultuous time in <i>Polanski's</i> life, and even without this in the back of my mind, the
film comes off as a bad surreal film. I thought I could appreciate all 'weird'
films, but this one is laboured by its end, proving there is a difference when
one actually has the spontaneity and creativity that make them great. <b>What?</b> as a title perfectly sums it up,
ill-advisedly, in that its title suggests befuddlement in the film because
nothing of interest is explained. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1zQGmUguDK0Nf9-U8OnJvbGGVB7sQLj4ZC9BucswV5PmM7rbTPJDOP6PzLTKcVqtC2o4btyCNrdi3SqExGq0vI4BHobCwXeKAM9rP5zxxcNqPA_eo_TIo_BhKeoSl2XyxTWWdef4R5CE/s1600/what.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1zQGmUguDK0Nf9-U8OnJvbGGVB7sQLj4ZC9BucswV5PmM7rbTPJDOP6PzLTKcVqtC2o4btyCNrdi3SqExGq0vI4BHobCwXeKAM9rP5zxxcNqPA_eo_TIo_BhKeoSl2XyxTWWdef4R5CE/s1600/what.jpg" height="168" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://366weirdmovies.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/what.jpg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-64616869268224436252014-03-29T12:07:00.000-07:002014-04-04T12:58:03.303-07:00A VIdeotape Swapshop Triple Bill: Ninja The Protector (1986)/Robo Vampire (1988)/Beauty and Warrior (2002)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0KlGUCBLyU2_dGFDgDK8Xw8LoiedrNhhxbvHL5T69fL8YLgYtGg5iGFAlcKxR5dGlINxAO-HMOpElvqzg3W4pcMDg03x1oRtEWctA2fX34tfv-9HaGYd_oWFDsLDh69EsZdl9SPUjI4M/s1600/hqdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0KlGUCBLyU2_dGFDgDK8Xw8LoiedrNhhxbvHL5T69fL8YLgYtGg5iGFAlcKxR5dGlINxAO-HMOpElvqzg3W4pcMDg03x1oRtEWctA2fX34tfv-9HaGYd_oWFDsLDh69EsZdl9SPUjI4M/s1600/hqdefault.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/z0FOVncOdJs/hqdefault.jpg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Dirs. Godfrey Ho/Joe Livingstone/Sukma Romadhon</b></div>
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<span style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDiapVzj4b6mvp3JB8NzihDB5Y5GbqypRoeLHMPns1EUYQPQJRE3jIZpC-W8PmSUgEqjxeC1Nk_azc6fku5weR2c5DfWAd5h6ncW0tr-mFzaU5MwBMFGva3md-RE60yj5IrX_0-rIcvdA/s1600/Hong+Kong+Flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDiapVzj4b6mvp3JB8NzihDB5Y5GbqypRoeLHMPns1EUYQPQJRE3jIZpC-W8PmSUgEqjxeC1Nk_azc6fku5weR2c5DfWAd5h6ncW0tr-mFzaU5MwBMFGva3md-RE60yj5IrX_0-rIcvdA/s1600/Hong+Kong+Flag.jpg" /></a></span></div>
<span style="text-align: justify;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDbVkAduydX4lM9LcIzWEmblIkyuKnbr3YPPjNR5pwSpoPgLDyYM_GpjvwifoAI-hUmGYxF-P88kP1YmnMEW22W6MXRxysnGPLpV0GWR4aA_byU-bwRdMyDf_G7saOD-V8BI5sU8fckw/s1600/Indonesian+Flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirDbVkAduydX4lM9LcIzWEmblIkyuKnbr3YPPjNR5pwSpoPgLDyYM_GpjvwifoAI-hUmGYxF-P88kP1YmnMEW22W6MXRxysnGPLpV0GWR4aA_byU-bwRdMyDf_G7saOD-V8BI5sU8fckw/s1600/Indonesian+Flag.jpg" /></a>The following three have a connective tissue to each other. An infamous director and two producers from Hong Kong that have all contributed to taking old films, adding ninjas to them and selling them to Western viewers. The first film is such a work, from <i>Godfrey Ho</i>, who has been covered on this blog before. Here one can find out what happens when a melodrama is mixed with an improvised action film. The next is miscredited to <i>Ho</i>, but can be fully confirmed to have the influence of producer Tomas Tang somewhere within it, who would work with <i>Joseph Lai</i> and <i>Ho</i> at times or at least share a credit on their work. <b>Robocop (1987)</b> as envisioned as the Tin Man fighting hopping vampires used by a drug cartel's guard dogs. As you'd usually expect from cinema. The final review is for what <i>Lai's</i> been doing long past the cut-and-paste ninja films; whether its based on true mythology or not I cannot tell, but its an excursion in the obscurest areas of animation that you can find produced. All together they are a testament to how unpredictable films can be regardless if they were made merely as product.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdIv-DaWQi7JpGhtPopsbim5XX2ihymWoxxaX1VCMSwiG25-ZJsdgyvlEc20DEAEo8dzoyWY0Z7bHfYtGpcFwkcDkXbo_nwEGmQFfDoebUg6YmFvWClObWdz9ZTsIS_9VSw2etN_dseM/s1600/robo_vampire_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkdIv-DaWQi7JpGhtPopsbim5XX2ihymWoxxaX1VCMSwiG25-ZJsdgyvlEc20DEAEo8dzoyWY0Z7bHfYtGpcFwkcDkXbo_nwEGmQFfDoebUg6YmFvWClObWdz9ZTsIS_9VSw2etN_dseM/s1600/robo_vampire_4.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://www.hairballmedia.com/robo_vampire_4.jpg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Ninja The Protector Review - <b><span style="color: #cccccc;"><a href="http://www.videotapeswapshop.co.uk/19759/ninja-the-protector-1986-dir-godfrey-ho/">http://www.videotapeswapshop.co.uk/19759/ninja-the-protector-1986-dir-godfrey-ho/</a></span></b><br />
<br />
Robo Vampire Review - <span style="color: #cccccc;"><b><a href="http://www.videotapeswapshop.co.uk/19816/robo-vampire-1988-directed-by-godfrey-ho/">http://www.videotapeswapshop.co.uk/19816/robo-vampire-1988-directed-by-godfrey-ho/</a></b></span><br />
<br />
Beauty and Warrior Review - <b><span style="color: #cccccc;"><a href="http://www.videotapeswapshop.co.uk/19936/celluloid-wunderkammer-beauty-and-warrior-2002-director-sukma-romadhon/">http://www.videotapeswapshop.co.uk/19936/celluloid-wunderkammer-beauty-and-warrior-2002-director-sukma-romadhon/</a></span></b><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGU9EnzOJYgXMQVVeLqW0h5qN7Er1CtG960BowIKqGY-XLbrEZwgYRaOoGMQWoubdbTDDdmc7x1TIVErx26piAfs6uiKeoAsBivO_UcnpuAMYvQu2xsXx7dxXb0FgrClo5zc8-Ns2L7ac/s1600/hqdefault+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGU9EnzOJYgXMQVVeLqW0h5qN7Er1CtG960BowIKqGY-XLbrEZwgYRaOoGMQWoubdbTDDdmc7x1TIVErx26piAfs6uiKeoAsBivO_UcnpuAMYvQu2xsXx7dxXb0FgrClo5zc8-Ns2L7ac/s1600/hqdefault+(1).jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/2svdEDvyKOs/hqdefault.jpg</td></tr>
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Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-23374807340132727212014-03-28T15:44:00.001-07:002014-04-04T12:58:21.571-07:00Under The Skin (2013)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14lN3K1qEaCNf9dMs-w_3fGTn7dpAx6J2groF8vrXLXNU0DALhjTZZZTD7ionuVpckJ5mYdv1bltGEl2ke94Mz39FyFt8vrN_4FLgVAzHFwOgPul1yMXo9fjVNtP0KyXTuAEBohNyAu8/s1600/Under_the_Skin_poster3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14lN3K1qEaCNf9dMs-w_3fGTn7dpAx6J2groF8vrXLXNU0DALhjTZZZTD7ionuVpckJ5mYdv1bltGEl2ke94Mz39FyFt8vrN_4FLgVAzHFwOgPul1yMXo9fjVNtP0KyXTuAEBohNyAu8/s1600/Under_the_Skin_poster3.jpg" height="400" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://static.squarespace.com/static/51b3dc8ee4b051b96ceb10de/t/<br />52f93fd0e4b0c731199e94a3/1392066515357/Under_the_Skin_poster3.jpg</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Dir. Jonathan Glazer</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLRM32QredTiVlsIxxNRoEafJj6fwk6KDMSOPSiHIJ2-1Q4fr6njiqthkQTdq6aW__CFg4BlXmczVCfTWadGEcgnVG6GtPgHN_nUurQKTkajaN3J_H9ev76-t0H2OoqdESvn44D2YTsE/s1600/British+Flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLLRM32QredTiVlsIxxNRoEafJj6fwk6KDMSOPSiHIJ2-1Q4fr6njiqthkQTdq6aW__CFg4BlXmczVCfTWadGEcgnVG6GtPgHN_nUurQKTkajaN3J_H9ev76-t0H2OoqdESvn44D2YTsE/s1600/British+Flag.jpg" /></a>I find myself seemingly disappointed
with current cinema when yet I've seen plenty of great films being made within
the last few years, regardless of debating whether any of it is canon worthy
material. It doesn't have anything to do with the issues of celluloid film
against digital cameras that are currently of debate - its only a concern for
me in preserving films and whether people making the films can actually use
either properly cinematographically. I've put up with the lack of access to
less mainstream films in cinemas, and it's pointless to whine about
blockbusters when I can avoid them. Probably the issue for me is that, in the
middle of this current era, and used to believing trends within cinema are
distinct, barring a few obvious ones there's few key movements that feel tangible
or actually are worth talking about. Decades on, maybe an older Michael Hewis
can have hindsight and wiser critics who can dig up the best of the 2000s and
early 2010s rather than what's popular in the middle of it. Writing about <b>Under The Skin</b>, I am writing of a buzz,
red hot British film that, while divisive, is getting the British film circles
excited. Still under the brows of <i>Jean-Luc
Godard</i> and <i>Francois Truffaut's</i>
dismissal of British cinema, we have a complex on the subject of our country's
filmic output, both dangerous in championing mediocrity by leaping on any work
that wins an international award, and yet a hope like all of us like myself
have for work that burns itself into cinema's history. The question is, can I
really give a full, final review to <b>Under
The Skin</b> after only one viewing or is this a blind leap for something
different?</div>
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<i>Scarlett Johansson</i> is Laura, a mysterious beauty, clearly a being that
is not human when she takes the clothes and identify of her doppelganger in a
white room. With an unknown motorcyclist guiding and watching over her,
cleaning up aftermaths, she drives around urban Scotland in a white van, a
siren to men leading them to a death in literal blackness. The film caused me
to sit up from the beginning, the first inclination of what virtues this film
has not being the first visuals but the first notes of sound, a modernist score
by <i>Mica Levi</i> that, atonal yet
melodic, unsettling yet alluring, cements the mood before images appear. When
the images do appear, what appears seems to be a doughnut shaped entity
encircling over a ball, a globe, a planet, from the blackness, a light that
turns into the headlight of a motorcycle. A human eye. Against the music, it
becomes tangible and felt fully. But this is within a film that has decided to
also depict a realism of the human world Laura travels around, to the point it
technically qualifies as documentary at points. </div>
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<br /></div>
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The film becomes quasi-documentary
as secret cameras were used to depict the real Scotland, a Hollywood actress
playing a distant being, with a British accent, wandering the streets or
driving on the roads, next to brand stores like <i>Marks & Spencer</i>. When a road is congested by football fans, in
mass and blocking cars from moving, the likelihood you're viewing actual
football fans pass through a film that is made to be fiction is felt, knowing
this production detail immersing. Fiction next to bursts of actual reality are
odd bedfellows but together you can get incredible results onscreen, reality
piercing the fictional and effecting it. This goes as far as some of the men
Laura talks to, in an attempt to lure men to her trap, are actual men randomly
found on the street, who gave permission for the final footage of them to be
used, having a conversation with <i>Johansson</i> with the hesistant pauses and
errs of real conversation. The mixing of this and the unreal sci-fi adds a
unique layering to the film, real ordinary life with the fantastique, giving
one hope that the British environment - of stores, chewing gum covered
pavements, council housing - can intertwine with the supernatural and, forgive
the pun, truly alien.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpU4CrwQ8omjZI6aztV5Vf4N98Ao0XABvAGB7onzJnijZuM5nFwZkyh4nJWZzz8WjFwd6YbnK95Kia7b9e0zsBweQQWeQtM4apyAydoWcFizyT9wV8eYU7iHI8IO0roTpxcQusSHHiwMQ/s1600/under-the-skin-scarlett-johannson-skip.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpU4CrwQ8omjZI6aztV5Vf4N98Ao0XABvAGB7onzJnijZuM5nFwZkyh4nJWZzz8WjFwd6YbnK95Kia7b9e0zsBweQQWeQtM4apyAydoWcFizyT9wV8eYU7iHI8IO0roTpxcQusSHHiwMQ/s1600/under-the-skin-scarlett-johannson-skip.jpg" height="215" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://www.fangoria.com/new/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/under-the-skin-scarlett-johannson-skip.jpg</td></tr>
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Immense appreciation is there for
<i>Johansson</i> for taking this role in the
first place, and that her performance, with a cold tone of voice and minimal
dialogue, is good enough and more so to make it work. The glamour of her
Hollywood work follows her into this, adding to her aloneness, but as the
character develops a distracted empathy for one of her potential victims and
breaks away from the predestined tasks of hers, the sense of an ordinary woman,
onscreen and as a person whose vocation is to act in these works called films,
comes out. Honestly, this ordinariness actually makes her even more beautiful -
unlike Black Widow in <b>The Avengers (2012)</b>
who is a Barbie doll for male geeks, Laura, especially the scenes of seduction,
feels more powerful for the mix of the real actress playing the character and
the role itself she's playing. It also befits the character's duality, the cold
mix of being a complete stranger, where the act of communication is an odd
experience for the entity trying to make small talk, and a person, particularly
when it comes to the last quarter when Laura ventures off into the countryside
away from the motor biker. It would have been a difficult role - minimal or
improvised dialogue, having to use a British accent that had to be convincing,
the non-fiction conversations with people off the streets, the same sort of
distance that <i>David Bowie</i> brought to
his character in <b>The Man Who Fell To
Earth (1976) </b>- and she does so fully. And it's a testament that, for a
minimal amount, the other actors and non-actors stand out as much, especially <i>Adam Pearson</i> as the person that causes
her to break away from the role she's in.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
The welding of the fantastical
and the real is different from many others that do the same, probably because
unlike <b>The Man Who Fell To Earth</b>
this is set in the truly ordinary. It's modernist score sends shivers down the spine,
the distinct moments of the unhuman - bright white room, complete black liquid
- stand out, but the world being depicted involves buses, <i>Tommy Cooper</i>, and baked beans. A moment where the protagonist tries
to connect with the world is done with a black forest gateaux. In fact even the
turning point where she gains struggling emotions involved the mention of the
supermarket <i>Tescos</i>, the banality of
Britain against the unreal creating probably a more abstract tone than for
other films. The banal also becomes alien, the sound design becoming one with
the score, the lights of passing vehicles UFOs on the roads, and the
juxtaposition of these objects with fantastical blurring into one another. Few
films are willing to depict a reality within fantasy itself, or fantasy within
the real, but this one does. If you can put yourself into Laura's position
within the final piece of the narrative, the film becomes as much the story of
how an ordinary environment grows into unknown proportions when there is no
connection to it, slowing grasping to understand. Of course this has potential
feminist readings in how her body is being used as a tool to capture men and
how she tries to escape from this. Ultimately the roles are switched of who is
prey and victim, the same human beings where the sound of a balloon popping
will never sound the same for me again without a creepiness to them. Neither
side is inherently good or evil, just treating each other as mere others. Laura
can blend into a gaggle of women, probably real people being filmed, taking her
along hand-by-hand to a dance club, only for her to be unnerved by the strange
world inside, bleeding red lighting, and music so loud, as someone who hates
loud uncontrolled noise can attest to, that it's no longer music but a sonic
barrage. The normal world is just as unknown as hers. The most disturbing set
piece involves a beach incident that happens in everyday life, not the alien, a
horrifying incident that is made more disturbing when one onlooker is so detached
from the situation, showing how such a everyday accident in more troubling in
happening to anyone.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
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The issue of whether the film
will last in quality is there for this final viewing, but leaving the <i>Showroom</i> cinema in Sheffield, I could
still feel the impact of the images and sound, and they've jarred themselves
into my mind for weeks from that viewing. The discordant string sounds
repeating again and again as I was walking in the afternoon air of the city, a
rich tableaux that will sink in my thoughts and stay there for a while. It will
at least have the virtue of being "total cinema", where every piece
(acting, tone, editing, colour, sound etc.) is considered or in some way as
distinct as the other pieces and all add to one fully immersive work. Very few
films actually care for this, and a big problem with British cinema is that
aspects that build the whole of a film are virtually ignored, but this film
does so. What I feel with <b>Under The Skin</b>
is an unnerved exhilaration. I have never seen any other work by <i>Jonathan Glazer's</i>, even his music
videos; I can't explain why I haven't, but <b>Under
The Skin</b> is encouragement at its strongest to go to them. The individuality
of the film stands out even as a strong, potential entry for the cult British
canon of cinema, causing one to wonder why we can't have more directors follow
these braver ricks more. It's a peculiar entry into the archives of <i>British Film Institution</i> funded work
being made now, as we speak, but only because I wish more people would do this
rather than make the conventional.</div>
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNQuMCjEj5IyT2S3LhVQG9u5qOUc2m9Sm8Q6CXwzbjq4kM0bjxxSDE1GdRXop2p3mBYFhjo3KPZQ-F_91HF4nVqZ5nkn3qGYk2DFsQUBNNkLnM0Yry6G8mBCRp7tbTOGEsdvl-8PnZvI8/s1600/under-the-skin-2013-006-laura-in-fuschia-walking-down-village-lane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNQuMCjEj5IyT2S3LhVQG9u5qOUc2m9Sm8Q6CXwzbjq4kM0bjxxSDE1GdRXop2p3mBYFhjo3KPZQ-F_91HF4nVqZ5nkn3qGYk2DFsQUBNNkLnM0Yry6G8mBCRp7tbTOGEsdvl-8PnZvI8/s1600/under-the-skin-2013-006-laura-in-fuschia-walking-down-village-lane.jpg" height="216" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://www.bfi.org.uk/sites/bfi.org.uk/files/styles/full/public/image/under-the-skin-2013-006-laura-in-fuschia-walking-down-village-lane.jpg?itok=8Y_P_ZO5</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
</div>
Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-31449959839857725022014-03-23T14:29:00.003-07:002014-04-04T12:59:05.351-07:00In The Future There'll Be Plastic Domes On All The Cars: The New Barbarians (1982)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9VMLrRbLyPW14x27RiqEdkyVnbYtpPio-B_CjSIJnU1bzGiXx1qKx7rD3VatUGqZSC0Zhh_Dzh7pBNu50OtJaIBVc5OB-xn0T4sQMhujvEoWw827VaX08EVxAY4JIot8CcGoYOcVh7o/s1600/NewBarbarians.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy9VMLrRbLyPW14x27RiqEdkyVnbYtpPio-B_CjSIJnU1bzGiXx1qKx7rD3VatUGqZSC0Zhh_Dzh7pBNu50OtJaIBVc5OB-xn0T4sQMhujvEoWw827VaX08EVxAY4JIot8CcGoYOcVh7o/s1600/NewBarbarians.jpg" height="281" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>I had to use this instead of a film poster...<br />From http://www.post-apocalypse.co.uk/aus/NewBarbarians.jpg</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<b><br /></b></div>
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<b>Dir. Enzo G. Castellari</b></div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1XOeCAfzF5dB4m1f-IohLcVR8WjycTdAbWSSfDg9ZfewFs85aY7ofaKf_GLFBvO2a8KiauB41Yobtn3oq4-V-iM5Owsa0OvtbirUfxGhiRhOn1u6GuTsgJR3jht-w18eCkWr9oocpuM/s1600/italian+flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM1XOeCAfzF5dB4m1f-IohLcVR8WjycTdAbWSSfDg9ZfewFs85aY7ofaKf_GLFBvO2a8KiauB41Yobtn3oq4-V-iM5Owsa0OvtbirUfxGhiRhOn1u6GuTsgJR3jht-w18eCkWr9oocpuM/s1600/italian+flag.jpg" /></a><span style="text-align: justify;">With </span><b style="text-align: justify;">The New Barbarians</b><span style="text-align: justify;"> I realise why Italian genre cinema would sadly
fritter away by the late eighties, because as the Hollywood blockbusters
travelled around the world, you can see the difference between </span><b style="text-align: justify;">Star Wars</b><span style="text-align: justify;"> and a film shot entirely in a
rock quarry with buggies. Obviously, why would anyone only just like </span><b style="text-align: justify;">Star Wars</b><span style="text-align: justify;"> when you can enjoy both
equally I don't know, but unfortunately back when films like </span><b style="text-align: justify;">The New Barbarians</b><span style="text-align: justify;"> were being made, the
Italian public probably wanted to watch the American imports rather than the
cheap rip-offs made by theirs. Yes, these films were being shown in theatres in
the English speaking world, which would have been awesome to live through, but
this wouldn't last. Unable to keep up with Hollywood, and their virtues ignored
by the end, regardless if they were rip-offs in the first place, these
entertaining and interesting films would dwindle out by the late eighties,
which having seen a few from this period showed how bad it got. The less said
about </span><b style="text-align: justify;">Cruel Jaws (1995)</b><span style="text-align: justify;"> the better. </span><span style="text-align: justify;"> </span></div>
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<br /></div>
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But looking back, even if <b>The New Barbarians</b> wouldn't qualify as
a great film in <i>Enzo G. Castellari's</i>
filmography, its definitely not impoverished as its limited production design
suggests. Set in 2019, after a nuclear apocalypse has passed, it means we've
missed the worse, thus setting this in a fictitious reality, or that I really
need to get a driver's license, learn how to use a laser gun, and arm a car
with spikes and rockets for the impending doom befalling us soon. Within this
scorched earth, an evil group known as the Templers exist led by One, played by
Italian genre mainstay <i>George Eastman</i>;
exceptionally tall physically, a giant decked in smart, menacing white uniform,
bearded and with an evil smile on his face, the psychopathic leader of a group
who desire, after the apocalypse, to eliminate all of mankind in a suicidal
drive. The sight of an all-male group with perms, Mohawks and luscious locks,
driving armed buggies, and dressed between white clad soldiers and Evel Knievel,
would be frightening even before your head came off from the spinning blade
extended out from one of their killing vehicles. They're definitely evil
because One hates books, particularly ripping the New Jerusalem Bible in half.
In their way is Scorpion (<i>Giancarlo Prete</i>),
a Mad Max stand-in who seemed to borrow <i>Robert
Powell</i> 's hair. Since Mad Max had a souped-up car, Scorpion has a similar
looking one too but with a giant chrome skull on the bonnet. It does lose
aesthetic points however for whoever in production design thought a giant
bubble roof on the top which flows lime green in the dark was a good idea. Fred
Williamson is Nadir , the former American football player and star/director of
many exploitation films looking a considerable bad ass even if dressed up in
sci-fi garb, the circlet not stopping the fact that his body armour was
probably designed to be able to fit his machismo. It's strange though to see
him soft spoken and without his trademark cigar. With him also to help Scorpion
is child actor <i>Giovanni Frezza</i> as a
child genius of car mechanics who is deadly with a slingshot; most will
recognise him, blond haired and looking like a mischievous cherub, from <i>Lucio Fulci's</i> <b>The House By The Cemetary (1981) </b>as Bob, infamously given a less
than desired English dubbing.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCdEEANqqH78Y2neObBRSj15yFgcKhD2vXnTcfLPNDgf1tpJ9hh3XY0tY_H4u6NOtkEhtTsa9He0NEHe3GqpO8k9C9uCXjpd_nZO5tTjY02RS6azGFt0ya4qjAkerIuj-NzY_13pPTAgI/s1600/NewBarbarians2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCdEEANqqH78Y2neObBRSj15yFgcKhD2vXnTcfLPNDgf1tpJ9hh3XY0tY_H4u6NOtkEhtTsa9He0NEHe3GqpO8k9C9uCXjpd_nZO5tTjY02RS6azGFt0ya4qjAkerIuj-NzY_13pPTAgI/s1600/NewBarbarians2.jpg" height="175" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://monsterhuntermoviereviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/NewBarbarians2.jpg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
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I've fallen in love with the
Italian genre movies of the seventies and early to mid-eighties. Before the
seventies is a large wealth of potential gems, while for the criticisms I've
made, my love for this area of cinema means I'll still be hopeful for late
eighties and nineties work even despite the lessening quality from a lot I've
seen. There is truly great craftsmanship and art in the best. But those which
are more pulpy or less than perfect are irresistible to me still. Talented
individuals of Italian art cinema worked on these films too, and their creation
developed a unique tone and presentation to them that even makes a ridiculous
film like this stand out. Strong colours. Post dubbed soundtracks. American
stars. Lurid content. Memorable scores, with <i>Claudio Simonetti</i> of <i>Goblin</i>
going mad with a synthesizer here. <b>The
New Barbarians</b> is low budget schlock but I delight in the idea of these
actors playing dress up in quarries. There would be a child-like innocence to
this were it not for the gore and adult content. That with its few resources
its had to try and weave a limited story from what's there, as Scorpion is pursued
by the Templers, is more interesting and entertaining, with its grasps of high
budget cinema, barely reaching the budget ceiling, and accidental absurdisms
that add great layers to it. It helps to that the film cinematographically is
still exceptional despite the nuclear apocalypse being camper vans and buggies
decked out like <b>Robot Wars</b>/<b>Battlebots</b> contestants. The quarries,
when space is shown, are brightly textured and expansive, and there is never a
flabby camera shot or edit despite the narrative side being flimsy. <i>Castellari</i> stands out in Italian genre
cinema, impressive considering the great directors within it from the era. He
shows great love for all the films of his I've seen, regardless of them being
b-movies, caring for the immensely invigorating action scenes but also capable
of making films that go beyond this. Thus <b>Street
Law (1974) </b>is a vigilante film that becomes a lyrical ode to the
complications of taking justice into your own hands, while <b>Keoma (1976)</b> is a sombre, oneiric send off for the spaghetti
western. <b>The New Barbarians</b> is slight
as a story - cars driving around in circles at each other, conventional on-foot
action - but its saved as much by the gifts of his and the crew he worked with
as it is the infectious behind it. The quarries are allowed to feel expansive
at times despite the limited locations and the touch of the film in editing and
look are far removed from lacksidasical but solid. And that its ended up as it
is anyway is much of a joy. From the Templers' costumes to a sex scene in a
tent made of bubble plastic, the absurd decoration of lower budget films stand
out positively for me because, contrary to what would be perceived as taking
away the magic of cinema, knowing it can be made from stuff from your home but
has become an object of a fantasy world is even more magical, as befitting a
medium that started with trick films. For example, realising a communication
van is covered in tinfoil isn't a failing, but instead that it is both this and
a new thing in a future world, a strangeness that's rich. It's only when mere laziness
exists where problems arise. The plot eventually becomes mere construct for
this notion to play out, which doesn't dampen the textual pleasure from it. To
grin. Admire the action, which is still there in spades. To look on in
surprise, at the least expected way a villain 'tortures' a hero, both male, in
a regular genre narrative, one that, were not for a single line of dialogue to
have added an un-PC side to it, would have uprooted archetypes of masculinity
and turned it upside down completely.</div>
<br />
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If you like your silly, post apocalypse
cinema with a plot hanging on a thread bare, this one is worth seeing. Scorpion
is a stock characters, but <i>Williamson</i>
is simply cool and <i>Eastman</i> looks like
he's lording it up as the bad guy, the only regret in the characters being that
the women are just there to look pretty, when really this cinema should always
make an excuse for a tough female as equal to the hero even if she's
stereotypical. You'll find amusement in the laser sounds and the amount of
exploding dummies is something, especially as <i>Castellari</i> likes using slow motion quite a bit. Seeing stunt men do
their best front flips from explosions and cars flipping over is inherently fun
when its shot as considered as here. I cannot dismiss its cheap look in terms
of what is onscreen because how it's shot is still good, if you notice, and I
cannot help but simple enjoy cars driving around each other in mock combat with
bubble roofs on them. In seriousness again, even schlock can have the gift of enthusiastic
craft to them, instantly as much cinema as a great film because, cobbled
together, the obvious faults nonetheless add to the fantasy played onscreen. If you admit the farce of this being a nuclear
wasteland set in a rock quarry with a few cars lying baout, like the creators
probably did before going on professionally regardless and doing your best, you
don't worry about this and find virtue in this less-is-more style. The regret
that films like this became of disinterest back when they were being made is
that, yes, you should be able to enjoy your <b>Star Wars</b> films and these equally, one from the best money can buy
in Hollywood, but the other being an enjoyment from what they were able to do
with limited resources.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSK1h24aZvEiLmrlCx1IjqlQuiJ95JLhjaktolBELbSi8CNatbvAarfitI9tmBwONv3lVGg_HueHj2oLMcg-UbSPgmdq3-sZNRJRdsMX_WUNjNC4BWpERxI1U59BHKd7uRa2hhxlsNdF8/s1600/NewBarbarians1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSK1h24aZvEiLmrlCx1IjqlQuiJ95JLhjaktolBELbSi8CNatbvAarfitI9tmBwONv3lVGg_HueHj2oLMcg-UbSPgmdq3-sZNRJRdsMX_WUNjNC4BWpERxI1U59BHKd7uRa2hhxlsNdF8/s1600/NewBarbarians1.jpg" height="175" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://monsterhuntermoviereviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/NewBarbarians1.jpg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-71058368186767553202014-03-18T12:04:00.002-07:002014-04-04T13:03:28.396-07:00Celluloid Wunderkammer: Call Me Tonight (1986)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Q22-KMlUFRDt6ZORr4kL0etj8spFAz4vL5KW0U8CXJ8s18tKq7UDc8srGu-j1f1pp8Wnt38qATIMBjAJ4zioDx9Hr-8aaYDy04LPNhUOTXvg6fT9xESon7F4PF5V2OBNcmy1QQM6ALw/s1600/CallMeTonightRedux-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2Q22-KMlUFRDt6ZORr4kL0etj8spFAz4vL5KW0U8CXJ8s18tKq7UDc8srGu-j1f1pp8Wnt38qATIMBjAJ4zioDx9Hr-8aaYDy04LPNhUOTXvg6fT9xESon7F4PF5V2OBNcmy1QQM6ALw/s1600/CallMeTonightRedux-1.jpg" height="400" width="396" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://i1091.photobucket.com/albums/i386/jgespi/caratulas/CallMeTonightRedux-1.jpg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b>Dir. Tatsuya Okamoto</b><br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjCPJYX70rtxxlNXKAFrgGG3IzB2AyJfkn84mH309O4ZG9w1ElyTkiOWqpbhUQd5vIMIZlYtH4al7Xt8jTqotV_bRTasL8KhryDW9vqv1JyXIeNVeBbfu7P1vnULOgf8bojaJrwXPZJg/s1600/Japanese+Flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjCPJYX70rtxxlNXKAFrgGG3IzB2AyJfkn84mH309O4ZG9w1ElyTkiOWqpbhUQd5vIMIZlYtH4al7Xt8jTqotV_bRTasL8KhryDW9vqv1JyXIeNVeBbfu7P1vnULOgf8bojaJrwXPZJg/s1600/Japanese+Flag.jpg" /></a><span style="text-align: justify;"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Contrary to the provocative image that I've included at the beginning, this short piece of obscure anime flips the expectations for hentai into how perverse the concept of tentacle erotica is. I've been lucky to discover these fascinating obscurities released straight to video, mainly thanks to the <i>Anime News Network</i> article series <b>Buried Treasure</b> - <b><a href="http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/buried-treasure/">found here</a></b> - and thankfully these works that have never been released on DVD even in their home country have been discovered by Western fans, subtitled by said fans, and made available online. I admit to haven't even see key anime works like <b>Cowboy Bebop (1998)</b> yet seen the likes of <b>Call Me Tonight</b>, my habit for digging deep into the depths of my favourite things sending me to material like this, made back when money was plenty enough for a subversion of anime sexuality, when anime hentai was only birthed within the same decade, to be made. If this material was made available on DVD, when pigs fly, they would be fascinating curiosities for anyone to see.</div>
<br />
<br />
Review Link - <b><a href="http://www.videotapeswapshop.co.uk/19348/celluloid-wunderkammer-call-me-tonight-1986-director-tatsuya-okamoto/">http://www.videotapeswapshop.co.uk/19348/celluloid-wunderkammer-call-me-tonight-1986-director-tatsuya-okamoto/</a></b><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPVKBs78Fuq76GgKnCAK31FhokjwraiumSCTz65SrpMB7sctwV4yt3HLs_ps1fZq__eEI1gsDnjq07v6OnO1DY4jQT62uOA4b1At0ibuZFDyNvT-CFoB0VH1msKTjuGZItPIH-Mca5rh4/s1600/call-me-tonight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPVKBs78Fuq76GgKnCAK31FhokjwraiumSCTz65SrpMB7sctwV4yt3HLs_ps1fZq__eEI1gsDnjq07v6OnO1DY4jQT62uOA4b1At0ibuZFDyNvT-CFoB0VH1msKTjuGZItPIH-Mca5rh4/s1600/call-me-tonight.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://s3.amazonaws.com/auteurs_production/images/film/call-me-tonight/w448/call-me-tonight.jpg</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<!-- Blogger automated replacement: "https://images-blogger-opensocial.googleusercontent.com/gadgets/proxy?url=http%3A%2F%2F4.bp.blogspot.com%2F-jiKYrZzSqCg%2FUyiYMDDFmmI%2FAAAAAAAAD8k%2Ff_RwTKXGzqM%2Fs1600%2FJapanese%2BFlag.jpg&container=blogger&gadget=a&rewriteMime=image%2F*" with "https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCjCPJYX70rtxxlNXKAFrgGG3IzB2AyJfkn84mH309O4ZG9w1ElyTkiOWqpbhUQd5vIMIZlYtH4al7Xt8jTqotV_bRTasL8KhryDW9vqv1JyXIeNVeBbfu7P1vnULOgf8bojaJrwXPZJg/s1600/Japanese+Flag.jpg" -->Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-25639741427133560712014-03-17T13:30:00.001-07:002014-04-04T13:02:36.642-07:00Videotape Swapshop Review: A Chinese Ghost Story (1987)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDXpw6i10ex-yJeBXSFStqJzcVjNzBE4q53_ie2b4QyjXcTnADaGio5n_YfEKF0Ej7RkNsPh54KOt_mSELXnZicIDAo_0lsSOUqAdp6pExw6L9N9P-iOBJkDxK0qQ-3vnvvmtYacyD-A/s1600/A-Chinese-Ghost-Story-1987.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoDXpw6i10ex-yJeBXSFStqJzcVjNzBE4q53_ie2b4QyjXcTnADaGio5n_YfEKF0Ej7RkNsPh54KOt_mSELXnZicIDAo_0lsSOUqAdp6pExw6L9N9P-iOBJkDxK0qQ-3vnvvmtYacyD-A/s1600/A-Chinese-Ghost-Story-1987.jpg" height="400" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://mutantville.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/A-Chinese-Ghost-Story-1987.jpg</td></tr>
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<b>Dir. Siu-Tung Ching</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_eAEeyVfdeLIaDoEgjUPTAfPZF7kG3fn3s-HWxgjJsEf4z6i8rcQNlfIKuA8lwZffNDj-mYgZSzrAtnYI0Nt57-BLSLNrZyIyKir3LgZMlSx1usK2dXc0VNkaB-ITGXhI_VWJNrwtcwI/s1600/Hong+Kong+Flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_eAEeyVfdeLIaDoEgjUPTAfPZF7kG3fn3s-HWxgjJsEf4z6i8rcQNlfIKuA8lwZffNDj-mYgZSzrAtnYI0Nt57-BLSLNrZyIyKir3LgZMlSx1usK2dXc0VNkaB-ITGXhI_VWJNrwtcwI/s1600/Hong+Kong+Flag.jpg" /></a>I've probably been watching too many trashier martial arts movies throughout the last through months. I adore their questionable dubs and erratic tones, but its good to watch one which is crafted exceptionally. Seeing this film again, you can see how much the Hong Kong cinema of the eighties was liable to catch the eye of Western viewers like me. Its also good to go back to this film when the first <i>Siu-Tung</i> film I covered on here was <b>Belly of the Beast (2003) </b>with <i>Steven Seagal</i>. This is not a cheap shot at <i>Seagal</i>, but reading the review below, or actually seeing <b>A Chinese Ghost Story</b>, you can see why I say this.</div>
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Review Link - <a href="http://www.videotapeswapshop.co.uk/19608/a-chinese-ghost-story-1987-director-ching-siu-tung/"><b>http://www.videotapeswapshop.co.uk/19608/a-chinese-ghost-story-1987-director-ching-siu-tung/</b></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj782NyETOGUeNunkd6rNG4h7MVlWSOMiHos4jrvplqbOo-EpsRRQpZEO0EsMm9M6IhhOcnAeUqoGzGK9WRn3Svqv9FHWYJ78cErtk6FDVSKgRuBn1bmyY8fqN-jfdQElIuTaKZT5Uhazo/s1600/GHOST_STORY1-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj782NyETOGUeNunkd6rNG4h7MVlWSOMiHos4jrvplqbOo-EpsRRQpZEO0EsMm9M6IhhOcnAeUqoGzGK9WRn3Svqv9FHWYJ78cErtk6FDVSKgRuBn1bmyY8fqN-jfdQElIuTaKZT5Uhazo/s1600/GHOST_STORY1-1.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v394/Manos99/GHOST_STORY1-1.jpg</td></tr>
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Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4227231458025280979.post-91172589060483938782014-03-16T14:45:00.000-07:002014-04-04T13:05:58.311-07:00Directly Through The Ribcage: Organ (1996)<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnDbtUv4BjQwd29GZElGihdVYHTdjztRZHmV_4z-NWrDGmtGg9-6EJJb_RwOlgfWl1ao306-9X31A4OvdlQQfA7MvzQEhcAg2yAOJx5-XUVNqRIj6KashyphenhyphenpHTWLv0namEtgxicpROL14/s1600/organ_flier02.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNnDbtUv4BjQwd29GZElGihdVYHTdjztRZHmV_4z-NWrDGmtGg9-6EJJb_RwOlgfWl1ao306-9X31A4OvdlQQfA7MvzQEhcAg2yAOJx5-XUVNqRIj6KashyphenhyphenpHTWLv0namEtgxicpROL14/s1600/organ_flier02.jpg" height="400" width="287" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From http://rkummer.files.wordpress.com/2013/11/organ_flier02.jpg</td></tr>
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<b>Dir. Kei Fujiwara</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVuBfll4HCaFkUM8Ur2rsbGmYK3ls9m1DYJMWVeGhR_ivu5UjfmyXTa7yRXXN9T-WOgtuYKUDgqUoYhyUaVYluoRr-FT5_1Eq0URq2Eh6z1HAypw2LVgYzs2SWgGyilI89zjRz-4yKJRs/s1600/Japanese+Flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVuBfll4HCaFkUM8Ur2rsbGmYK3ls9m1DYJMWVeGhR_ivu5UjfmyXTa7yRXXN9T-WOgtuYKUDgqUoYhyUaVYluoRr-FT5_1Eq0URq2Eh6z1HAypw2LVgYzs2SWgGyilI89zjRz-4yKJRs/s1600/Japanese+Flag.jpg" /></a>In the industrial outskirts,
isolated from a social environment, a police detective - tall, swaggering and
confident, even if it means breaking rules - with his partner awaits to burst
an illegal organ harvesting operation. The environment is dark, run down and
moody in the night-time darkness. Inside, a factory environment covered in
plastic sheeting and dulled metal, the film shows a coarseness that feels
rancid even before <b>Organ's</b> more
gristly events. The bust goes badly wrong. His partner, seemed to be dead, goes
missing. Without his limbs and with an infection growing on him, he is locked
up in a secret room of a biology teacher's office. The teacher is the surgeon
who was performing the illegal operations. Slowly disintegrating, a repulsive
pus-infected growth developing around the liver area of his stomach, he has the
compulsion to kill the female students in his school, while a female member of
the staff, a sultry woman who yet views him in contempt as a "hentai"
(pervert), recognises that something is amiss with him. The surgeon, while
hiding this cover, is struggling with his sister (the director <i>Kei Fujiwara</i> herself, medical eye path,
long messy hair, bold facial features, the actor-director radiating a toughness
that is far removed from a shrinking violet) to keep control of the organ
harvesting operation from the yakuza who've hired them. The yakuza seem to feel
that their lucrative business is being threatened, as the twin of the missing
police partner, a youthful man, is searching for him, blatantly sitting outside
their headquarters. The police detective, disgraced and on leave, drunk and
intoxicated by guilt of what took place, abandoning his family to the wolves,
stumbles around the wastelands of industrial Japan also searching for his
partner. </div>
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The film is messy. Bloody and
gruesome. Rust. Puke. Dilapidated buildings and public lavatories. Pustulating,
rotting flesh. Cancerous even. Knife stabbing. Blunt force trauma. Beatings.
Injection by syringe. Nothing in <b>Organ</b>
as it escalates is clean, even the plotting. As each group or person try to
gain control, the result is more brutality and icky body horror. In the police
raid that sets the story plotlines up this tone is set up, the climax a
ramshackle, desperate battle with participants writhing on the floor, and
bottles and syringes being used, people kicking about on said floor and
battering each other in an "operation room" with limited space and
lighting. This tone continues throughout the film - chaotic and desperate. The
lowest ebb in people's lives, the worse cases of isolation, neglect and
madness. Even a struggle involving a samurai sword in an underpass is a
scramble rather than a masterful <b>Zatochi</b>
moment, beginning with a farce involving an old man, and descending in a
brawl where a gun doesn't necessarily win a fight and a car is more
effective. The messiness also comes from the oppressive tone. My original
interest in <b>Organ</b>, many years ago,
was because the director/co-star was the lead actress in <b>Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)</b>, which, after some background reading,
she worked alongside its director <i>Shinya
Tsukamoto</i> doing the cinematography as well as acting with him on-camera. She
only has two directorial features in her filmography, including this one and <b>ID (2005)</b>, but it's still inspiring to
see not only another female director who has a clear voice here, which is still
something lacking even now in the apparently politically correct era, but
doesn't make a safe stereotype of what a film made by female director should be.
In fact, with its electronic/industrial
soundtrack, <b>Organ</b> stands out as one
of those examples, alongside others such as <b>Baise-moi (2001)</b> and <b>Trouble
Every Day (2001)</b>, as films by female directors who push boundaries more so
than many male directors attempting to make provocative films. Targeting themes
that interested the creators and with no ground deemed too violent or sadistic
to prod. <b>Organ </b>is just as oppressive
as many a one by a male director, maybe more so than many. One where moments
that this is a woman's view on this material stands out, how her character is
just as strong as the males, and any sexuality is not titillation but something
extremely provocative. Where the casualness of how someone, just after a
traumatic event happens to them at their lowest, urinates on newspaper on the
floor causes your gut to twist in itself in horror. The similarities with <b>Tetsuo</b> are there - the claustrophobic, muddily
lighted sets, the decay physically onscreen in industrial and urban
environments, and that aforementioned score, but there are clear distinctions
as well. <b>Tetsuo</b> was a sonic assault,
while this is a slow lingering death, which ends with a lack of moral lessons
being learnt and pointless murder. Blood spilt, people abandoned, guilt felt by
some, and evil not being punished. While <i>Tsukamoto</i>
tries to address the nature of human people crushed by society, this is not
even an attempt to address it but to depict this at its worse.</div>
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I confess, those years ago when I
first saw <b>Organ</b>, I utterly despised
it. Returning to it, while positively, I understand why. It is completely
repellent in tone for most of its narrative, continually violent, nihilistic
and lingering on disease and injury in a way more sickening than even some
notorious Japanese gore films like the <i>Sushi
Typhoon </i>works or even <i>Takashi Miike's</i>
more extreme movies. The narrative and tone can also be choppy, erratic and floating
between dreams and half-remembered quasi-psychic links to other events at the
same time. The plotting is admittedly sparse and messy, which effected that
first viewing, but the emphasis is on the images and they stand out. The
message is likely, if one is to be found, about the prolonged effects of
violence physically and mentally on people. The missing police partner becomes
this, a symbol of regret as he takes at the same time the role of another
character's nagging conscious. So are the surgeon and his sister who, told in
flashback, were maimed as children by their mother, while the effects of the
police bust in general leaves all devastated. The violence is gristly yet
strangely compelling. Gristly - such as the bloodless yet painful scene of
someone being pinned to a wall by a small truck. Strangely compelling - sexual
gratification through disease and pain, and an incestuous dream of a butterfly
woman birthing worms as she leaves her cocoon. The <i>David Cronenberg</i> sense of the physical disorders being as much
representative of the characters' states of mind is obvious, though the
nihilism is something idiosyncratic to it, more bleak and nasty than even <i>Cronenberg's</i> work. At times, it evokes <b>Noisy Requiem (1988)</b> - <a href="http://regionincognito.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/nihilistic-love-noisy-requiem-1988.html">reviewed here</a> -
if it was a gore genre movie shot in colour.<br />
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The structure and the pace of the
film is still suspect returning to it. It could be a case that I'm merely
battling between the perceived ideal of a clear filmic structure and my growing
adoration for the completely disruption of these rules by accident or purpose. I
wouldn't be surprised if many find it off-putting in tone and content, as it
ends with a bleak view of humanity. Its film's abrasive, low-res tone, set
against content with the small, closed-in-on characters in a constant state of
damage, is not palatable for people who cannot stand intentionally nasty
material. In utmost respect for <i>Kei
Fujiwara </i>this is a bold way for anyone to make their directorial debut. I want
to see the other film <b>ID</b> and regret
that's the only film that also exists, my view on <b>Organ</b> drastically different as I've come to embrace these chaotic
and unsettling works now as an adult. I was willing to embrace <b>Ichi The Killer (2001)</b> as a young guy,
still powerful and unsettling now, but with a style to its darkness, while this
intentionally sordid creation was too far for me then and tested my patience.
Now it's something legitimately good in extreme Japanese cinema. It's not
surprising in hindsight <i>Fujiwara</i> made
this film, she who starred in a film like <b>Tetsuo:
The Iron Man</b>, and what happens to her character in it, and does to another
character in a dream sequence within it too. She wasn't going into making <b>Organ</b> to present a stereotype of a
female director but instead created something that leaves a nasty, and well
placed, mark deep into the skin and eyes of the viewer. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCl8z1Igi_qgbd_iAJYFiZ31qTuDvf8pe0viVXkgMkMRmJYoF1VTFe2bGQGZcsMsgl7mFJ51XQaxmMt0olWYS5K4w-6-qAq0qV8RQyvU5nm4vy1FYY4r53EXacwqhc7LnbwsXLXoRfP_E/s1600/Organ+6.PNG</td></tr>
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Michael Hewishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16561500562612468808noreply@blogger.com0