kuroneko (by kaneto shindo, 1968) - very successful ghost story with wire work and bamboo groves, give a highly theatrical tone by shindo,
in which the ghosts of two murdered women exact revenge upon all and every samurai - except one womans son (and the others husband)
returns from war after three years to a mystery surrounding their whereabouts. what follows seems to discuss the borders between relationships,
the distance between family and duty, sacrifice and progress. incredibly well constructed, very unsettling at times, memorable too.
Redneck County - There are two versions of this film and luckily I was able to pick up a mint Pre-Cert of the sleazy version in a charity shop for £1 Cracking piece of 70s exploitation cinema which made my jaw hit the floor on more than one occasion.
Story of a Cloistered Nun (Storia di una monaca di clausura) - One of the more tamer Nunsploitation titles but I enjoyed it mainly for some rather subtle performances from those involved (Suzy Kendall, Eleonora Giorgi and Catherine Spaak are all good). The score is great as well.
Recently I’ve watched:
Redneck County - There are two versions of this film and luckily I was able to pick up a mint Pre-Cert of the sleazy version in a charity shop for £1 Cracking piece of 70s exploitation cinema which made my jaw hit the floor on more than one occasion.
Story of a Cloistered Nun (Storia di una monaca di clausura) - One of the more tamer Nunsploitation titles but I enjoyed it mainly for some rather subtle performances from those involved (Suzy Kendall, Eleonora Giorgi and Catherine Spaak are all good). The score is great as well.
this seems like an item for ‘my’ little VHS review corner (in the review section)
DEATH RACE 2000 - in light of the remake which is gearing up for production, the wife and I sat down with the Corman produced original.
I’d say the movie has not aged well, but it looked pretty goofy back in the ‘75. Still, its a surprisingly watchable film movie (despite cringe-worthy acting all around!), and perhaps the precursor to the film version of The Running Man (I’m thinking it played a big part in influencing where the film steps away from the short story)
It had been almost 20 years since I saw DR2000 originally and I didn’t remember much so just plain old good fun.
Good trailer for the Jack Hill exploitation favorite, Pam Greer, Sid Haig starring “The Doll House” on the disc too!
It’s a 13 episode anime series, quite possibly the most gentle one I own. The only blood there is is in the first episode, which shows a girl being born from a gooey cocoon and transforming into an angel, growing wings by way of Cronenbergian body horror.
So at first glance you’d expect this to be gothic SF for the adolescents, but from then on the story centers on how this new angel-girl becomes part of the new society she finds herself in, making friends with her fellow angels and communicating with “normal” humans. This happens in a happy-happy joy-joy fashion with a bit of melancholy because of the amnesia all the angels suffer from. So it almost turns into a girly soap series, but then one of the angels disappears and it turns out all the angels have an existence of a few years at most. From then on it becomes a quest for knowledge: why are they there in the first place? What is expected from them? And, when the girl finds out there are multiple possible “endings” for an angel, how do you avoid the wrong ending for yourself and your friends?
It’s a surprisingly satisfying genre mix which tells a simple story in complex surroundings. When you finally discover what the central cause for suspense is going to be, you already feel strongly for all surviving angels and this ups the stakes for the final episodes.
The whole series looks like you’d expect your holiday to a small Meditteranean village to look like, sedate, peaceful, pretty.
And the soundtrack is very good, soothing enough to lull the baby to sleep with yet not boring. In fact I’ve already ordered it.
Watched 300 - missed it in theaters. I was… I don’t know. It wasn’t bad, but I didn’t have the rapturous experience with it many seemed to. Yes, battles were decent, visuals consistently interesting and well-realized, but… eh, I’m sure I’ll see it again.
More catching up to do this week with Zodiac. Trying to temper my expectations, but man - that cast, Fincher, true crime… woo, seems like a dream.
Copies of Right at Your Door, The Swordbearer, and The Last Winter should arrive from abroad this week - really looking forward to all three based on numerous Twitch reactions (and my undying love and loyalty to the great Larry Fessenden).
Finished Potter book 7, the Dario Argento interview for Twitch (which should go up this week) and spent time going around the Hot Fuzz US DVD special features. The UK DVD for Hot Fuzz certainly seems more loaded than the US version but the US Version has the nifty US tour bonus on it where you can see how they handle birthday cake. Edgar looks 14 years old running around in it as well. He clearly must have faked his birth certificate to get out of middle school to start his film career. Ha. Their antics during phone interviews was pretty *#*$ funny! The ladies that walk in towards the end certainly seem jolted. Also nice again to see the now late Alamo Drafthouse Downtown get immortalized some more. It can also be spotted in the opening shot of Tarantino’s Death Proof. I didn’t get to see Hot Fuzz on the big screen with US audiences. I did see it twice in Belgium. At the press screening there it was me and one other person laughing like we were going to die, while everyone else thought we probably had lost our minds. At the general audience screening in Belgium, even though the jokes were coming at a rate the subtitles couldn’t keep up with, the audience laughed and went nuts from beginning to end. Certainly one of the most pleasant film going experiences this year.
Can’t wait to listen to the commentary track.
I have Naked Violence by Di Leo on deck to hopefully watch tomorrow.
Oh… I certainly enjoyed Potter book 7. Certainly the most epic of all the Potter books. Really was trying to think which director should handle it and for the size of it might need an entire directing team or a Peter Jackson onboard. I really didn’t think it could top book 6 but book 7 did. I like 1-5 and the movies are certainly fun and I like them enough but really wouldn’t say love any, but book 6 and 7 to me are just two of the best books I’ve ever read.
kuroneko (by kaneto shindo, 1968) - very successful ghost story…
...incredibly well constructed, very unsettling at times, memorable too.
A-men. Which do you think is better, this one or Onibaba?
not seen onibaba, yet. thing is, and i know this sounds odd (because it kind of does to me) but there’s certain directors who (apart from here) will go nameless as those i intentionally avoid until i feel naturally inclined to see their work, because they’re surrounded by so much automatic opinion. for some instances, this practice also relates to specific famous films that i think are too automatically chosen too. for me, there’s always the chance to find your own way and pick out your own journey, even more so with comparatively more choice (for me) now than in pre-DVD eras.
...because they’re surrounded by so much automatic opinion.
I know what you’re talking about. I had never heard about Onibaba until DVD-Beaver wrote their review, just thought it looked interesting, so when all MoC’s went on sale at Play.com (some time ago, most are back to their usual high price) I bought Onibaba and Kureneko. I saw Onibaba first and was really surprised at how good it was, and how it seemed to not have aged at all.
But part of the reason for liking it may be that “discovery”. If people had kept saying to me “OMG OMG Best movi3 Evar!!1!” I might have been disappointed… So I understand the reluctance.
Because of this there is a select list of titles that I feel I “must” see at some point, yet manage to avoid. movies like “The Sound of Music” and “Gone With the Wind” for example…
You don’t have to watch Onibaba, but maybe I can help take away the hype a bit. This is a mini-review by my schizo other half, who I shall name “evil Ardvark”. He lies, but only occasionally.
”It’s a no-budget movie shot solely in a swamp, showing 3 unsympathetic people being mean to each other. No sets, no costumes except one funky mask, no jokes, nothing.
In short, dreary, drab and boring.
The only reason to watch this is that the youngest one occasionally takes her kit off and looks good doing so.”
Watch it with this mindset and see if you’re disappointed!
...because they’re surrounded by so much automatic opinion.
But part of the reason for liking it may be that “discovery”. If people had kept saying to me “OMG OMG Best movi3 Evar!!1!” I might have been disappointed… So I understand the reluctance.
OMG discussions are easy to ignore, hardest to argue against (not the concept of - the content of) but it’s the academic automatic opinions like akira kurosawa being the best japanese director, or kitano being the best gangster film director, that i think do more limitation / damage.
OMG discussions are easy to ignore, hardest to argue against (not the concept of - the content of) but it’s the academic automatic opinions like akira kurosawa being the best japanese director, or kitano being the best gangster film director, that i think do more limitation / damage.
Again true, but I didn’t mean the OMG literally, but as a general positive vibe which brings as added baggage that you’d have to defend yourself if you happen to NOT like the movie.
So, like I said: Onibaba. Boring piece of exploitation trash, with a laughable lack of production values, a total waste of my time despite the hottie…
A description which is very wrong but a terrific mindset to start watching the film with!
The Barbarian Invasions - I’m always interested in films that examine the last few days of a character’s life…a fascination with how characters are painted right on the edge of their life cycle. Invasions takes the cynical approach towards death, reflecting on the makeup of the modern western world and what made the past the indefinite golden age for most of the characters considered within. There’s a sense of humility permeated throughout the thoughtful and very funny story of Remy on the verbal warpath as the sand in his hourglass runs out. Lots of musing on the shadow of death, suitably emotional expressions and sharp proverbs making it enjoyable but not entirely involving come the end of the line - he settles down to a level of peace but he’s so powerfully sour and unsatisfied that his death is almost a celebration for quite a few wrong reasons.
I’m halfway through Freak Out and I’ve liked it plenty so far…resuming it later this evening.
I’m always interested in films that examine the last few days of a character’s life…a fascination with how characters are painted right on the edge of their life cycle.
I love this particular theme/mode too—- A bit less specifically i really enjoy late-life romances.
I highly recommend Paul Cox’s “Innocence” from about 6-7 years ago;
also, more recently, Sarah Polley’s “Away From Her”
Cracking piece of 70s exploitation cinema which made my jaw hit the floor on more than one occasion.
(in the review section)
