What Movie Are You Watching?

I decided to watch MK Annihilation again tonight. It's still corny but overall delivers as a passable C-grade film. The main characters still feel bonded together as a family and the villians feel united in their evil agenda. Also, while the CGI is terrible especially with the Shao Kahn Liu Kang dragon fight scene, it's undeniable how good it looked by 1997 standards when it came out. None of this can be said about the 2021 MK movie.
 

Cannibal Holocaust -- I love it. I make no apologies for loving it. I certainly understand why people would hate it (the animals killings usually being the big sticking point for many), but I've always found it to be a fascinating and raw piece of film that shows how savage we humans can be. Humanity is way more frightening than any monster or ghoul.


Cannibal Ferox -- Continuing my need for a Cannibal fix. Again, I love it and will never apologize for it. This and Cannibal Holocaust remain the top of the pile of Cannibal films for me.


The Green Inferno -- I'm that one guy who kind of liked this. Everyone else I know hates this film and Eli Roth with a passion, but I've always had a bit of a soft spot for Roth. He certainly doesn't make high brow horror and he is rough around the edges. At worst, he is a fanboy, but I've always enjoyed the passion in his film and I've always thought there is a better filmmaker somewhere in there waiting to get out. But I had fun with this (or as much "fun" as you can have with an Amazon Cannibal movie). I think it's a fun ode to the likes of Cannibal Holocaust and more so Ferox but like most of Roth's films, it is certainly rough around the edges.


Hostel Part II -- Probably Roth's best film and the one that comes close to actually being interesting in the way it depicts both the torturers and their paid for victims. Again, I never hated the Hostel films. I think the first Hostel film is a perfectly fine nuts and bolts schlock gore fest. I liked the first movie well enough for what it was, but the sequel was actually a little more interesting to me because it did actually present both sides of the coin. It was kind of interesting and is probably still Roth's best film.


Addams Family Values -- After my trip down Cannibal-ville and torture dungeons, I needed something a bit lighter to brighten the mood...well as light as you can get with the Addam's that is to say. I've always loved this film. It's the rare case of a comedy sequel being WAY better than the first movie. The summer camp stuff alone is just so worth it. Not to mention Joan Cusack as the wonderfully narcissistic Debbie. Good stuff all around. I've always loved this movie ever since I first saw it as a kid. Probably where I got my dark sense of humor from.
 
I've never minded gore, blood, other human parts in my films, but when it crosses over to torture and depressing, senseless killing, I can't handle it. Just not for me (probably why I'm not a huge horror film fan). Being idealistic and positive, I don't like seeing the negative side of humanity, but I will 100% acknowledge it and know it exists. Just don't like viewing it, it is deeply-disturbing.

Like when Lampwick is changed into a Donkey; that scene NEVER affected me as a child, but re-viewing Pinocchio a few years ago, that scene disturbed me immensely and I still can't not think about it today and feel just utterly depressed. It's not the way it happens or his cries turning into braying as he loses his humanity (which is where most people have issues with this scene), it's the knowledge that a human (or, whatever Coachman is) did this, PURPOSELY, to, "teach the boys a lesson," and/or do it for kicks. I absolutely know what the Disney folks were trying to strive for, Aesop-wise (act like an ass and you'll become, well, an ass, basically), but the motivation and manipulation behind it... just horrifying (and I also know that it is impossible for something like that to happen in real-life, of course),

You said it perfectly, Dan; Humanity is INDEED much more-frightening than any monster or ghoul.

Anyways, we FINALLY watched a movie again, as my wife was able to finish 90% of our kitchen; she will finish the rest on Saturday.

Beverly Hills Cop (1984):

Interestingly, I have never seen more than 2 minutes or so, of these films; I'm not the biggest Eddie Murphy fan and growing up, a lot of the actors in the films were unknown to me (and, the films were quite adult for a kid to watch), thus I just never had an interest.

Eddie Murphy is a cop in Detroit and like how many of these types of films are, he's a, "Cowboy Cop who plays by his own rules. You're great, but you're a loose-cannon!" After a heist gone (comically) wrong, he gets chewed out by his boss and returns to his apartment (in his shitty Chevy Nova lol), only to find his best friend is out of prison and came to visit. He shows German bearer bonds that he took and the two go to a pool hall. After losing money, they go back to the apartment and the friend is killed, while Murphy's character is incapacitated. He then goes to California (Beverly Hills, to be exact, natch) and begins to investigate, while he meets up with another old friend and gets acquainted with the local cops.

Honestly, it isn't a bad film in the slightest and rather enjoyable; my wife liked it quite a bit, which made it more fun to watch as well. Still not a fan of Murphy, but he is absolutely a naturally-funny guy, in the same way Robin Williams, Gilbert Gottfried (not naming them because of Aladdin, but I'm pretty sure they were both hired for that film intentionally for this reason), the Whose Line is it Anyways? guys, etc.; they all are FANTASTIC at improvisation and just rambling off line after line, it is superb to watch and Murphy does just that in this film.

The bumbling, local BH cops do a great job as well and Judge Reinhold looks like he's having a blast the whole time lol. Plot-wise, it isn't the most-difficult or heaviest plot, but it's good-enough for the type of film it is and everything fits well. The acting is also good-enough for the type of film it is and all the major and supporting characters are more-than competent. I don't know if it's just the 80s teased-hair look or what (it's probably why I love my wife's hair when it is all big and curly), but Lisa Eilbacher is VERY attractive in this film (to me); didn't take my eyes off her the whole time she was on-screen and she puts in a solid performance as well.

8/10

Good film, if we have time, will take in the second one this weekend as well. My wife wanted to watch, "Good Luck Chuck," but I can't stand Dane Cook and the premise of the film is bloody-stupid, even for these ridiculous, "romantic comedies of the 2000s."

Thank God those days are over lol

EDIT* Oh yeah! I've never been a fan of the Axel Foley theme, but it is super-catchy indeed and with how much it plays in the film (ie: CONSTANTLY lol), I can see why it is so beloved.
 
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I've never minded gore, blood, other human parts in my films, but when it crosses over to torture and depressing, senseless killing, I can't handle it. Just not for me (probably why I'm not a huge horror film fan). Being idealistic and positive, I don't like seeing the negative side of humanity, but I will 100% acknowledge it and know it exists. Just don't like viewing it, it is deeply-disturbing.

Like when Lampwick is changed into a Donkey; that scene NEVER affected me as a child, but re-viewing Pinocchio a few years ago, that scene disturbed me immensely and I still can't not think about it today and feel just utterly depressed. It's not the way it happens or his cries turning into braying as he loses his humanity (which is where most people have issues with this scene), it's the knowledge that a human (or, whatever Coachman is) did this, PURPOSELY, to, "teach the boys a lesson," and/or do it for kicks. I absolutely know what the Disney folks were trying to strive for, Aesop-wise (act like an ass and you'll become, well, an ass, basically), but the motivation and manipulation behind it... just horrifying (and I also know that it is impossible for something like that to happen in real-life, of course),

You said it perfectly, Dan; Humanity is INDEED much more-frightening than any monster or ghoul.

Anyways, we FINALLY watched a movie again, as my wife was able to finish 90% of our kitchen; she will finish the rest on Saturday.
Oh I totally understand. It's an acquired taste. I'm totally aware that Cannibal Holocaust and the likes are NOT for everyone. And I totally respect anyone's decision not to watch them if they can't handle it or don't want to see it. But I don't know, I guess I just have that depraved need to see it and in this case, it's at least not real. (with the exception of the Animal Killings in CH)

I've always been kind of a gore hound. I was playing Mortal Kombat at 8 years old and watching and laughing at obscenely violent Itchy and Scratchy cartoons at 6 years old on The Simpsons so I guess it came with the territory that I had a penchant for seeking out gore, horror and controversy as I grew older. If someone tells me "you can't see this obscene movie; we forbid you" then you better believe I'll find a way to watch it to make up my own mind on it :D

I draw the line at real life murder videos and such. I have no interest in seeking that shit out. I have seen at least one in my heyday of Shocking Internet Videos. A random beheading video which was enough to make me say "Nope!".

But I look at the most extreme of horror films as being a safe way to explore that side without the guilt of watching someone truly suffer. At least that is how I rationalize it to myself. My sister asks me all the time; "how can you watch that shit?" and I simply answer "it's sheer morbid curiosity...that and it's fake...no one got hurt. It's all props and effects. It's certainly preferable to watching the real thing."

I don't know...if you look at the history of humanity, the Romans were watching the Gladiators fight to death for entertainment at one point in history. By nature, I think we're kind of all savages at heart. I just view the most extreme of horror films like this as a safe way of letting that beast out...for both creator and viewer.

And some people are just happy and content to live their lives never going there...my Best Friend Brad is a perfect example. He HATES torture flicks. He HATES most of the Extreme Horror shit. Is perfectly happy to live his life never going there.

Me? I guess I just always had a sheer morbid curiosity about me and I figure its a way going there in a safe way where no one gets hurt. God, I sound like a psychopath :ROFLMAO: :ROFLMAO:
 
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lol not at all!

Again, I have no issues if it's done in a comedic fashion (like I&S) or MK (that's actually what I think of, when I mention gore; just awesome and hilarious, when a brutality on UMK3 has like 7 femurs, 5 skulls and 13 forearms coming out of 1 fighter lol), but the real stuff... can't.

Dawn of the Dead, for example, I can watch no problem, as there isn't any tourture or senseless killing; all deaths happen due to circumstances or motivations that don't involve sadism.

But Wrong Turn? Hostel? Torture stuff, can't do. Nope.

And mammals/birds/fish too; if they are killed immediately with no suffering, I'm ok, but nothing long and drawn out (I can't watch bull fights, for example).

Insects I'm cool with; there are 90 billion in a 1 km range (lol) and they don't feel pain. Fish don't either, but I still feel bad :(
 
Mortal Kombat was pretty whack. Its not terrible but it does something worse than MK Annihilation which is it manages to be a unremarkable film.

I'm open to a sequel to see if they can get it right next time but I wouldn't hold my breath.
 
Mortal Kombat was pretty whack. Its not terrible but it does something worse than MK Annihilation which is it manages to be a unremarkable film.

I'm open to a sequel to see if they can get it right next time but I wouldn't hold my breath.
We waited 25 years for a reboot and got trash. They ruined any chance of there being anything good in the creators lifetime. Figure their 5 more film plan will spread out over the next 15 years or so, by that time the series creators are seniors, retired or dead. The movie was awful.
 
I have so much to catch up on...but I do want to add my tuppence to Cannibal Holocaust. I must admit that when you take the shock factor away, it's actually a fairly well made film with a point to it. Cannibal Ferox less so (although I am a Lenzi fan). Going back to Holocaust, I do appreciate that the animal cruelty is a sticking point and is one of the few things i'm OK with censorship. I am glad that Deodato did a re-edit a decade ago taking away as much of the animal cruelty as possible. I chose to watch it as it was originally intended (bar one killing which was deemed too upsetting) and I must admit it made me queasy. Pro tip - don't eat chocolate ice cream during the turtle scene!

I'll probably wait until the weekend as I think I have about 30 films to catch up on...pray for me!

EDIT: 29 as of the time of writing!
 
I have so much to catch up on...but I do want to add my tuppence to Cannibal Holocaust. I must admit that when you take the shock factor away, it's actually a fairly well made film with a point to it. Cannibal Ferox less so (although I am a Lenzi fan). Going back to Holocaust, I do appreciate that the animal cruelty is a sticking point and is one of the few things i'm OK with censorship. I am glad that Deodato did a re-edit a decade ago taking away as much of the animal cruelty as possible. I chose to watch it as it was originally intended (bar one killing which was deemed too upsetting) and I must admit it made me queasy. Pro tip - don't eat chocolate ice cream during the turtle scene!

It really is...you take out the overly gratuitous animal killings and there is something to it and I think that's what kept me coming back to it. That and Trash Humpers are still probably my favourite found footage movies ever made though. Why mention Trash Humpers, you ask? Because Trash Humpers is the only found footage movie that feels like it could actually be REAL found footage as it cares nothing about plot and is just all about stitching together random intervals into a nightmarish package that actually makes it feel like it could have been a tape found on a trash heap :D And Cannibal Holocaust is a fascinating blend of fiction and psuedo non-fiction with the whole finding of the footage and debating whether it is something that should be shown to the public.


Donnie Darko -- I haven't seen it in a few years but I ordered the Arrow Blu Ray recently and decided to revisit it. I still much prefer the Theatrical Cut over the slightly obnoxious "explain everything" Directors Cut. I enjoyed revisiting it though. There are things about it that still hold up. I think I've always preferred the theatrical cut because it doesn't hold your hand throughout whereas the Directors Cut has the obnoxious tendency to over explain itself. If you've ever heard Richard Kelly talk about the film, he has a very clear vision of what his interpretation is but the theatrical cut is kind of like this happy accident where it doesn't over explain itself and lets the audience at least have their own interp as to what was going on. Whereas Richard Kelly has one very distinct path of explanation and tries to really hammer that home with the "explain everything" directors cut and I always found that a little obnoxious.

Shame about the rest of Richard's career...the guy really was kind of a one hit wonder. I haven't seen Southland Tales since it first released but I remember thinking that film was an ambitious mess when I first saw it way back when. I thought about buying the Arrow edition of that as well but I just don't have enough fondness for that film to pull the trigger. But I am almost keen to give that one another look to see if I was right or wrong with my first evaluation.

Also...this arrived today

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Pro tip - don't eat chocolate ice cream during the turtle scene!

I wish I hadn't read that: when I was younger (probably around 11 or so), I found a painted turtle at a local pond that some kids had beaten and stabbed (with sticks, I'd imagine) into the holes of the shell and it had died. There was blood everywhere in a 5x5 foot area and it just made me sick to my stomach and incredibly sad/distraught. The images flashbacked to me right now and I still feel so sad for that turtle :( (it was a rather large one too, for a painted turtle).

Funnily though, when I went to Japan and wanted to eat the 5-course softshell turtle meal in Kyoto (my wife didn't want to take part, so we never ended up doing it :(), not ONCE did the above memory come back into my head. Go figure.
Donnie Darko -- I haven't seen it in a few years but I ordered the Arrow Blu Ray recently and decided to revisit it. I still much prefer the Theatrical Cut over the slightly obnoxious "explain everything" Directors Cut. I enjoyed revisiting it though. There are things about it that still hold up. I think I've always preferred the theatrical cut because it doesn't hold your hand throughout whereas the Directors Cut has the obnoxious tendency to over explain itself. If you've ever heard Richard Kelly talk about the film, he has a very clear vision of what his interpretation is but the theatrical cut is kind of like this happy accident where it doesn't over explain itself and lets the audience at least have their own interp as to what was going on. Whereas Richard Kelly has one very distinct path of explanation and tries to really hammer that home with the "explain everything" directors cut and I always found that a little obnoxious.

Still love this film today; we watched 3 films in grade 12 English, during our post-modern unit (Jacob's Ladder, The Butterfly Effect and this) and I loved all three immensely; DD though, is tops.

I let my dad borrow it 2 weeks ago because he hadn't had the ever-important second (in reality, should be third) viewing of the film and he started to understand it a bit more. It was always a feather in my cap that I was one of 2 people in the 2 years I took Grade 12 English (I passed first time around, but since I stayed for another year to bump up all of my marks, in order to make myself more-attractive to universities, I took English twice. Got 77 {B+} the second time around), that actually understood the film and what it was trying to, "portray."

Still a great film though; a wonderful concept that makes you think, great acting all-around, Mad World is just PERFECTLY-placed in that film (heard it on my iPod on my walk to work this morning! :D) and it was good to see P-Schwayz in one last, great role, before he passed (I know he had other roles, but this one stands out as his best, in his final years).

Love the rabbit costume too :D
 
I wish I hadn't read that: when I was younger (probably around 11 or so), I found a painted turtle at a local pond that some kids had beaten and stabbed (with sticks, I'd imagine) into the holes of the shell and it had died. There was blood everywhere in a 5x5 foot area and it just made me sick to my stomach and incredibly sad/distraught. The images flashbacked to me right now and I still feel so sad for that turtle :( (it was a rather large one too, for a painted turtle).

Funnily though, when I went to Japan and wanted to eat the 5-course softshell turtle meal in Kyoto (my wife didn't want to take part, so we never ended up doing it :(), not ONCE did the above memory come back into my head. Go figure.


Still love this film today; we watched 3 films in grade 12 English, during our post-modern unit (Jacob's Ladder, The Butterfly Effect and this) and I loved all three immensely; DD though, is tops.

I let my dad borrow it 2 weeks ago because he hadn't had the ever-important second (in reality, should be third) viewing of the film and he started to understand it a bit more. It was always a feather in my cap that I was one of 2 people in the 2 years I took Grade 12 English (I passed first time around, but since I stayed for another year to bump up all of my marks, in order to make myself more-attractive to universities, I took English twice. Got 77 {B+} the second time around), that actually understood the film and what it was trying to, "portray."

Still a great film though; a wonderful concept that makes you think, great acting all-around, Mad World is just PERFECTLY-placed in that film (heard it on my iPod on my walk to work this morning! :D) and it was good to see P-Schwayz in one last, great role, before he passed (I know he had other roles, but this one stands out as his best, in his final years).

Love the rabbit costume too :D
Oh i'm sorry, I didn't mean to bring up a painful memory. I can never understand animal cruelty. Some might say eating meat is a form of cruelty (which I can't argue against, but that's a different kettle of fish), but sadly I enjoy meat. I wholly support veganism and people moving towards that, but sadly some friends and people I know are so aggressive about it, I almost want to eat a burger out of spite!

@danielmann861 - Intereting thing about Richard Kelly is that I actually quite enjoyed 'Southland Tales'! I think watching it over a decade removed really helped. As for 'Irreversible', it took me 3 years to watch it and whilst it is indeed shocking and offensive, it is actually a well crafted film. I'd be interested to see how the 'straight cut' goes, but I can't imagine it would be half as good. I'm becoming quite the fan of Indicator; their Columbia Noir boxsets are fantastic!
 
@danielmann861 - Intereting thing about Richard Kelly is that I actually quite enjoyed 'Southland Tales'! I think watching it over a decade removed really helped. As for 'Irreversible', it took me 3 years to watch it and whilst it is indeed shocking and offensive, it is actually a well crafted film. I'd be interested to see how the 'straight cut' goes, but I can't imagine it would be half as good. I'm becoming quite the fan of Indicator; their Columbia Noir boxsets are fantastic!

I haven't watched it since it first released. I just remember thinking it was an ambitious mess but for some reason I am kind of keen to go back and revisit it and see if I missed anything at the time. Maybe I should just order that Arrow Blu Ray edition for the hell of it and try again with it because revisiting Donnie Darko did make me keen to go back to it and re-evaluate Southland Tales.

As for Irreversible and the Straight Cut

So I just got done watching the "Straight Cut" of Irreversible. I still largely prefer the original backwards cut. But the experience is largely an interesting one. In its straight cut, it does lose some of the more interesting elements of the original backwards cut. It's far more straight forward in construction. But I think one thing remains about both cuts.

They both tell a senseless tragedy on all fronts. But the final frames of each cut leaves with an entirely different feel.

The final frames of the straight cut are ones of utter despair and bleakness. It's grim as all fuck and it fucks with the mind even more. This time around, I craved for vengeance only to have the final lingering tragedy be that the vengeance in question is perpetrated on the wrong person leaving the senselessness of everything that has transpired to linger. And that's the lingering emphasis of its final tragic occurrence. That's the lingering aftermath that comes from the straight cut. The straight cut punctuates the senseless brutality of everything that has occurred and makes for an even grimmer experience than it was the first time around backwards because of the way it toys with your emotions in the way it reveals itself. And the way it left me craving brutal vengeance to be exacted only for it to end with everyone's life destroyed in a senseless tragedy.

Whereas the reverse cut on the other hand leaves one with an almost bittersweet feel as we the audience realize this couples fleeting moments of happiness hang by a thread and will ultimately be destroyed by the events we have foreseen before them. The tragedy in the reverse cut comes with the final reveal that she was pregnant all along leaving one with an almost in-explainable bittersweet feeling that is less about the craving for vengeance and more about the idea that all happiness hangs by a thread and those fleeting moments of happiness can be destroyed in a heartbeat. Or "Time Destroys All Things."

It's an interesting experience....I still largely prefer the original reverse cut because I like its deconstruction of the rape-revenge narrative a little more so. But damn, that Straight Cut is still grim and bleak as all hell to watch. Maybe even bleaker than it was originally.

It's interesting how just simply playing the same scenes out in a different order really toyed with me and both cuts left me feeling something completely different come the end. It's fascinating. It's why I will always defend the crafting of this movie. Noe may be a provocateur but he is without question a hell of a film maker.
 
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It really is...you take out the overly gratuitous animal killings and there is something to it and I think that's what kept me coming back to it. That and Trash Humpers are still probably my favourite found footage movies ever made though. Why mention Trash Humpers, you ask? Because Trash Humpers is the only found footage movie that feels like it could actually be REAL found footage as it cares nothing about plot and is just all about stitching together random intervals into a nightmarish package that actually makes it feel like it could have been a tape found on a trash heap :D And Cannibal Holocaust is a fascinating blend of fiction and psuedo non-fiction with the whole finding of the footage and debating whether it is something that should be shown to the public.


Donnie Darko -- I haven't seen it in a few years but I ordered the Arrow Blu Ray recently and decided to revisit it. I still much prefer the Theatrical Cut over the slightly obnoxious "explain everything" Directors Cut. I enjoyed revisiting it though. There are things about it that still hold up. I think I've always preferred the theatrical cut because it doesn't hold your hand throughout whereas the Directors Cut has the obnoxious tendency to over explain itself. If you've ever heard Richard Kelly talk about the film, he has a very clear vision of what his interpretation is but the theatrical cut is kind of like this happy accident where it doesn't over explain itself and lets the audience at least have their own interp as to what was going on. Whereas Richard Kelly has one very distinct path of explanation and tries to really hammer that home with the "explain everything" directors cut and I always found that a little obnoxious.

Shame about the rest of Richard's career...the guy really was kind of a one hit wonder. I haven't seen Southland Tales since it first released but I remember thinking that film was an ambitious mess when I first saw it way back when. I thought about buying the Arrow edition of that as well but I just don't have enough fondness for that film to pull the trigger. But I am almost keen to give that one another look to see if I was right or wrong with my first evaluation.

Also...this arrived today

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Yooooo I just got that same Blu-ray of Irreversible. I have the original US DVD release and upgraded to a Blu-ray version a few weeks ago. Then that same week, I saw this bad boy coming out, so I snatched that up immediately.
 
Yooooo I just got that same Blu-ray of Irreversible. I have the original US DVD release and upgraded to a Blu-ray version a few weeks ago. Then that same week, I saw this bad boy coming out, so I snatched that up immediately.
Nice! It's probably the best transfer I've seen thus far. I had it on PAL DVD. Then our local distributor here in Australia released a Blu Ray of it but it ended up being a simple upscale of said DVD which looked shit. But this edition is probably the nicest transfer of it I've seen thus far. Also, the 50 minute documentary on it is a pretty good watch as well. Well worth the import.
 
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Actually, I think that Australian version is the one I picked up originally. I waited forever for a Blu-ray of this, so once I saw that and (finally) got a region free player, I picked it up. My thoughts were always that the film was just really, really murky. So when I watched the Blu-ray initially, I was like, ā€œwell, itā€™s better than the DVDā€. Funny enough, I have two copies of the Australian Blu-ray because Amazon screwed up my return and sent me a replacement instead. Now I have four copies of this atrocious film.

I havenā€™t watched the newest version yet though. Itā€™s one of those films that I have to make sure Iā€™m alone and in the right mindset. I remember watching Harmony Korineā€™s Trash Humpers with my wife when we were still dating, and she almost left me because of that.

*I didnā€™t realize you mentioned Trash Humpers in one of your earlier posts. You, my friend, are my man.
 
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I havenā€™t watched the newest version yet though. Itā€™s one of those films that I have to make sure Iā€™m alone and in the right mindset. I remember watching Harmony Korineā€™s Trash Humpers with my wife when we were still dating, and she almost left me because of that.

*I didnā€™t realize you mentioned Trash Humpers in one of your earlier posts. You, my friend, are my man.

I was dating a girl back in the day and I decided to show her Gummo. This was during my discovery phase of seeking out controversial films and such and I was talking about Harmony Korine's Gummo a lot because it was unlike anything I had ever seen before and I was quite taken by it for some strange reason.

So we watched Gummo...not even ten minutes into the film and I got instant filthy looks from my GF at that time...why? Because of the Cat Killings :D

My girlfriend at the time was very much an animal person and very much a cat person. Needless to say but watching a kid drown a helpless cat in the first ten minutes of that film didn't sit right with her. She watched the whole thing but by the end of it she was looking at me as if to say "why in the fuck am I dating you? And what the hell did you find appealing about this?"

Obviously, the cat killings in Gummo are fake...no animal was harmed or injured in that film -- it's all props and fake unlike Cannibal Holocaust. But yeah, I think that was one of the things that led to my break up with that girl :D

I don't know what it is about Harmony Korine. There's just something about his film making that I find fascinating and sometimes entertaining as all hell. He truly is one of a kind. I genuinely love Gummo. I really loved Julien Donkey-Boy and still think it's his best work (I love Werner Herzog in that film). I really like Trash Humpers. And I really loved Spring Breakers.

Trash Humpers was much the same. It's a found footage movie that actually feels like it could pass for real found footage. It's random as all hell, doesn't really seem to add up to much of anything, but it's fascinating and entertaining as all hell to me in its nightmarish construction.

That has always been my problem with found footage movies. They're too scripted and you can't really buy into the conceit that its something "real." Trash Humpers feels like it could be real with its spontaneous random construction and that's what makes it work for me. Lop off the credits and you could fool someone into thinking it is real found footage.
 
I would not call this a movie per se, but I just finished watching a direct-to-video anime titled Samurai Spirits 2: Asura Zamaden. I enjoyed it and proves that video game adaptations can work. In this case, it was due to focusing on developing a small cast of characters while retaining the dark tone of the games.

Too bad it never received a release outside Japan.
 
OK, so I have so much to catch up on...

1) The Garment Jungle (Robert Aldrich & Vincent Sherman, 1957): This was a cracking hard boiled film noir based in the New York fabrics industry. Some of it was pretty brutal for a a late 50's film! There was also a Three Stooges short called Rip, Sew and Stitch (Jules White, 1953) which has a similar set up, but with much funnier results.

2) Ugetsu (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1953): This is one of those movies that appears on many film buff lists, so was greatful for the opportunity. It was a good film, but I think I watched it on a bad day as I found it kinda boring. I still gave it 4/5 because I could see why it was a great film and had I watched it on a more sympathetic day, I would've gotten more out of it.

3) The White Reindeer (Erik Blomberg, 1952): This is a wonderful, efficient daytime horror that feels more like a Grimm fairy tale. It is about a woman who turns into a murderous reindeer in order to punish awful men. It could've done with a bit of tightening, but the premise and the beautiful cinematography made it all worthwhile.

4) The Iron Rose (Jean Rollin, 1973): By now, i'm getting used to Rollin's pacing and this might be among my favourites (turns out it's one of the least liked films in his imperial phase!). It feels more like a stageplay as most of the film is between two lovers in a graveyard. Probably not the first Rollin i'd recommend, but I got more out of it than others.

5) A Snake of June (Shin'ya Tsukamoto, 2002): This was a pretty cool erotic drama with an interesting cold blue sheen (it could almost be a black and white film)! The story is about an amenable but passionless marriage where the wife is blackmailed to commit sexual acts in order to overcome her inhibitions. Quite an interesting premise; not top-tier Tsukamoto, but a good way to pass 77 minutes.

6) Sansho The Bailiff (Kenji Mizoguchi, 1954): Of the two Mizoguchi films I watched, this one was much better. It was just as depressing, but seemed to move at a sprighter pace than Ugetsu. I'd love to watch more of his films, but they aren't very easy to find.

7) The Great White Silence (Herbert G. Ponting, 1924): This was an astonishing documentary of a British expedition to the North Pole about 1910 or so. I find silent films either are terrible or masterpieces, and it was incredible to see such beautiful imagery that prior to then was never seen. The use of colour was beautiful to the point I took photos during the film as I thought "this would make a great album cover!". One of the best documentaries i've ever seen!

8) Ewoks (Raymond Jafelice & Dale Schott, 1985): This was basically 2x4 episodes stictched together and you know what? It wasn't all that bad. I think I preferred 'Droids' better, but this wasn't the car crash I was expecting. Again, there's a charm to 1980's cartoons that I feel has been lost in modern day animation.

9) Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz (Yasunao Aoki, 1997): I have really gotten into Gundam in the last couple of years and I was very excited to watch Gundam Wing. I never saw it before, but I still put Ā£100 down for the mega boxset...and I was disappointed. I know Gundam is pretty hard to get into, but this was a very confusing show. It also really didn't help that most of the main characters were so fucking unlikeable. With most Gundam shows, they grow on you, but even 50 episodes in, I still thought if half the cast died, I wouldn't care. That said, "Endless Waltz" - set after the end of Gundam Wing - wasn't all that bad. I can't bring myself to watch it again though...

10) The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (Robert Weine, 1920): This is another silent film I really ought to have watched many years ago...it was a great film and completely understand why it is such an important film in the history of cinema. I have to admit it was a little boring at times, but the set design and the atmosphere was wonderful 100 years on!

11) Lips of Blood (Jean Rollin, 1975): My final Rollin film for now and sadly this one wasn't so great. Every Rollin film is slow paced, so the strength of the film is down to atmosphere, setting and acting. Lips of Blood felt like a remix of other Rollin films and felt like it was going nowhere.

12) The Brood (David Cronenberg, 1979): This was a good horror film, but was expecting better from Cronenberg. It felt a bit slow in places, but I think that was down to my expectations. I think I am more fond of latter period Cronenberg, but I still think the atmosphere was good (and the body horror elements were suitably disgusting!)

13) Buena Vista Social Club (Wim Wenders, 1999): This is a cracking little documentary about a group of forgotten Cuban artists getting together to perform in America. I had the album and knew about this for years, but it's still great to see all these forgotten artists get a 2nd lease of life. It helps that the music is incredible too!

14) Sherlock Jr. (Buster Keaton, 1924): This 45 minute silent film is another wonderful Buster Keaton movie. The special effects are still inspiting almost a century on and would have happily had more. You can see a lot of films inspired by this one!

15) Tigerland (Joel Schumacher, 2000): Seeing as this was only a couple of years after 'Batman & Robin' I wasn't expecting much, but this was a genuine surprise. A Vietnam film set in a training camp, it evokes memories of 'Full Metal Jacket', but with less humour. It's a fairly grueling watch, but top acting really helps.

16 - 18) Pusher, With Blood On My Hands: Pusher II & I'm The Angel of Death: Pusher III (Nicolas Winding Refn 1996, 2004 & 2005): Refn's Pusher trilogy is a great watch. What I liked is that Pusher II and III focus on other characters introduced in the first film, but set later in life. All of them are grubby and tough to watch (A Refn trait), but the characters, story, plot and setting are all reasons to watch them. I can't decide which is the best; they all have their pros and cons!

19) Punishment Park (Peter Watkins, 1971): I watched 10 minutes of this about 8 years ago, but no more, so really appreciated the opportunity to see this properly. A mockumentary about various people arrested in Vietnam-era America, this film is absolutely terrifying in that the whole film consists of terrible people in power absuing various civilians for various 'crimes' and subjecting them to years in prison or 3 days in 'Punishment Park'. Without giving anything away, I felt grubby and dirty after finishing this and noticed certain parallels with right-wing politics in modern day life. An essential, but tough watch.

20) Death in the Garden (Luis Bunuel, 1956): The thought of Bunuel doing an adventure film a lĆ” 'The African Queen' sounds delicious on paper, but in reality, it wasn't as good as I hoped. It's still good, but a group of unlikable characters make it a tough watch. I think it's on me for unrealistic expectations.

21) Cruel Story of Youth (Nagisa Oshima, 1960): In this case, I know that Oshima's films are quite dark and miserable, but even I was shocked at how cruel this film was! Once I got over that, it was quite a gripping film that would never have been released in America at the time. There is a saturated look to the feel that is at odds with the dark characters, but I find it works quite well!

22) Labyrinth of Cinema (Nobuhiko Obayashi, 2019): I've only seen one of his films ("House" - a masterpiece), but learning this was his final film before his death meant I needed to watch it. It's 3 hours long, it's very hard to follow, there are so many Japanese subtitles, it's almost impossible to follow (lots of dialogue boxes), but man it was so gripping! It was a sugar rush of a film which is also paradoxically slow. It didn't need to be 3 hours long, but as a swansong, I will let such gripes go. A patient mind is needed for this film, but I found it beautiful in its weird little way.

23) The Lineup (Don Siegel, 1958): My final film in my (first) Columbia Noir boxset and a highlight of the entire set. Based on a radio and TV show, the film has little to do with either of those. After a slow opening, the film ramps up with tension and gripping set pieces. I love how dark these films are! The use of real life locations is a massive highilght. There was also the Three Stooges film Tricky Dicks (Jules White, 1953) which is another entertaining short.

24) Wild Man Blues (Barbara Jopple, 1997): A documentary of Woody Allen's tour with his jazz band in Europe. I actually had the pleasure of seeing him perform at the Royal Albert Hall a few years ago and whilst I went more for the thrill of seeing one of my favourite directors in person, his passion for New Orleans jazz is quite infectious. I can only put up with it in fits and bursts, but this documentary is great stuff; especially seeing his relationship with his wife.

25) When Harry Met Sally... (Rob Reiner, 1989): This is one of those films I feel I should've seen years ago, but never did. I'm ashamed I left it so long, because this was such a lovely film. It was cute, funny, sweet and with just enough acidic bite not to make it too sweet. I miss romantic comedies like this (and I have a massive hankering to watch Sleepless in Seattle again...)

26) God's Angry Man (Werner Herzog, 1980): A 40 minute documentary on a evangelist which is pretty gripping. It's scary that this sort of stuff seems so normal in America (this would never fly in England) and just seeing the man scream at the TV because not enough money was donated sent a chill down my spine.

27) Blonde Venus (Josef Von Sternberg, 1932): Not my favourite Sternberg-Dietrich film sadly. It seems a bit disjointed coming after the masterpiece that is 'Shanghai Express'. Still, some good bits here and there, but for a 90 minute film, felt longer than it was.

28) Psychomagic: A Healing Art (Alejandro Jodorosky, 2019): This was a tough one; this is a documentary based on Jodorowsky's rather extreme method of therapy which involves some interesting practices. One person might be asked to smash pumpkins with his family picture on, another was asked to paint a picture using the blood from her period. I found it a rather difficult watch despite being a big fan of Jodorowsky. The turning point came when a near 90 year old woman felt such depression she wished death on everybody. Jodorowsky's therapy involved her going to a tree in the park and offering water every day as a means of giving something back to the Earth. It was actually quite moving. Jodorowsky is a mad man and in a way, I *get* where he is coming from, but another person might find this documentary hard to stomach.

29) A Scene at the Sea (Takeshi Kitano, 1991): A 'U' rated Kitano film?! Good grief! This is about a couple of deaf mutes who wish to learn to surf. It's quite a beautiful film, but like many Kitano films, it can be tough to adapt to his slow pace. I wish I watched the film on a different day. I will give it another go!

30) Cobra Verde (Werner Herzog, 1987): My final Herzog film and one that I must admit I struggled with. It's a bit hard to explain this one. It wasn't a bad film by any stretch, I think I just wanted to finish this boxset that has been staring me in the face for the last 9 months and watching an obtuse film wasn't the best idea!

31) One From The Heart (Francis Ford Coppola, 1982): Coppola's folly! This is an odd one. I struggled with the rather unlikeable characters, but I fell in love with the set design, the Tom Waits soundtrack and the feel of it all. If the main characters were a bit more relatable, I'd even call this a minor masterpiece!

32) Audition (Takashi Miike, 1999) [RW]: I haven't seen this film in over a decade, but of course, the 'kiri kiri kiri' scene is forever etched in my memory. At the time, I found the pace offputting, but now I think it's an absolute masterstroke; 75% of the film is essentially a romantic drama and then it turns into full on horror. Even knowing what's going to happen, it's still incredibly nervewracking and I tip my hat to Miike for that!

33) Battle Royale (Kinji Fukasaku, 2000) [RW]: Another one I haven't seen for many years, but getting a 5-disc blu-ray edition, I couldn't put it in the backlog. I've never watched the original cut (only the extended edition), but my goodness; this is a film that gets better with age. Barely any scene is wasted; the editing is incredible. What I loved even more is that despite the premise and the violence, how funny and how sweet it is in places; you really care about (some) of the characters and want them to survive. An absolute masterpiece. I know the 2nd film is pretty crap, but i'm kinda looking forward to watching it again...
 
The Pusher trilogy are some of my favorite films ever, with Pusher III and its ā€œaging lionā€ perspective being my number one out of the three (but just barely).
 
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