tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23057273325943831472024-02-19T02:57:34.395-08:00The Kinetoscope ParlorMoving Your Pictures Since 1889Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09807707408479752678noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2305727332594383147.post-71701172913665391582009-02-10T16:21:00.001-08:002009-02-10T16:32:10.990-08:00High Kick GirlEnough said.<br /><br /><object id="obj_1f866af11db04864bca16236377b518f" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=9,0,28,0" width="450" height="392"> <param name="movie" value="http://content.fliqz.com/applications/1f866af11db04864bca16236377b518f.swf"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="wmode" value="transparent"> <param name="AllowScriptAccess" value="always"> <param name="flashvars" value="file=637766afa1e04c38817006d6aeb97b62&permalink=&"> <embed id="emb_1f866af11db04864bca16236377b518f" src="http://content.fliqz.com/applications/1f866af11db04864bca16236377b518f.swf" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" allowscriptaccess="always" flashvars="file=637766afa1e04c38817006d6aeb97b62&permalink=&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" width="450" height="392"></embed> </object>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09807707408479752678noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2305727332594383147.post-57259783320294272572009-01-19T15:39:00.000-08:002009-01-19T15:49:33.727-08:00Malcolm Reynolds > LeonidasAh, 2002. It was a simpler time. It would be years before Zack Snyder would befoul our silver screens with his <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416449/">slow motion propaganda</a>, and there was a wonderful little show called <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303461/"><i>Firefly</i></a> that aired every Friday night on Fox. Of course the first <i>Firefly</i> experience most people had was really the second episode of the series: "The Train Job." This is because Fox assumed that people wouldn't have the attention spans to sit through the 2 hour long pilot episode. For all I know, they're right. People--and especially heavy television watchers--aren't really known for their patience, or intelligence. Regardless, most folk got a real sense of the show from "The Train Job." There were a number of groin-grabbing moments, and it's no wonder that the show went on to become the hit that it did. (Is that sarcasm or not? You decide!) But really, in the end, you just can't beat the humble simplicity of one fellow kicking another into the engine of a spaceship. And since everything I've typed thus far was just an excuse to post this clip, enjoy:<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8mq_96Entks&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8mq_96Entks&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br />Also: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewel_Staite">Jewel Staite</a>, if you're reading this, will you be my girlfriend? I promise to only call you "Kaylee" on special occasions.Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09807707408479752678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2305727332594383147.post-22277981132506199552009-01-17T16:01:00.000-08:002009-01-19T00:39:20.978-08:00Honk If You Love Giant Robots<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-g-TcF7Nmf9WQyotVGXwDYu4xwV479riLrGIOFdUQCBoNJmGm9gL6lwzqn5AZ_R1zbuAJI2uCB_6y8ybUoilSJIFFaOVkqzv-obnLkMuUV9Bb9UwH5HfrQrUH7frSUuz-35tsHc8UtUXl/s1600-h/cover.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 220px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-g-TcF7Nmf9WQyotVGXwDYu4xwV479riLrGIOFdUQCBoNJmGm9gL6lwzqn5AZ_R1zbuAJI2uCB_6y8ybUoilSJIFFaOVkqzv-obnLkMuUV9Bb9UwH5HfrQrUH7frSUuz-35tsHc8UtUXl/s320/cover.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292419371464228242" border="0" /></a>Brad Bird. Either you're like me, and you know him from his work on <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096697/"><i>The Simpsons</i></a> (back when <i>The Simpsons</i> was good), or you're like most other people, and you know him from his work with Pixar. Which is generally pretty excellent, by the way (see for instance: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0317705/"><i>The Incredibles</i></a>). Yet there was a period of time when Bird wasn't working on <i>The Simpsons</i>, and he wasn't part of Pixar. Quite a large period of time, actually. And this is when he directed <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0129167/"><i>The Iron Giant</i></a>, which I just watched for the first time last night, and which is now one of my favorite kids movies of all time.<br /><br />When I was trying to figure out why I hadn't seen it already, I realized that when the film came out (1999), I was 15 years old. Actually, to be more precise, it came out on my 15th birthday. Unfortunately for me, Past-Keith was a surly bastard of a 15 year old, and was far too busy acting cool and watching <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0066921/"><i>A Clockwork Orange</i></a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094625/"><i>Akira</i></a> over and over again to take 90 minutes out of his life to enjoy a really excellent kids film. Past-Keith can be such a cunt sometimes.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI0HjvX_Ns5OuXPk8qoClK2EM06ZIL6w_Wdn-I0v2Rft6X6w3hBJenQhtGTNnbXV9yDi1AUI4AgYldxZOgKtlhldhWchUa8OKSYsph-G2oMbeWLdt_9u9SEkTabYOT86icTUFx2ACrnboS/s1600-h/sitting.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 151px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI0HjvX_Ns5OuXPk8qoClK2EM06ZIL6w_Wdn-I0v2Rft6X6w3hBJenQhtGTNnbXV9yDi1AUI4AgYldxZOgKtlhldhWchUa8OKSYsph-G2oMbeWLdt_9u9SEkTabYOT86icTUFx2ACrnboS/s320/sitting.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292421374593025618" border="0" /></a>In any case, <i>The Iron Giant</i> takes place in Maine in 1957. Cold war style. The main character is a 9 year old boy named Hogarth Hughes (best name ever?) who finds a giant robot and proceeds to (more or less) make it his pet. In terms of narrative, the film won't really shock, or even surprise. It's your basic "kid meets robot, kid loves robot, kid teaches robot significance of life, kid loses robot" kind of story, which we're all familiar with at this point. (My favorite example of this is of course <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103064/"><i>Terminator 2</i></a>. There's no way you will ever beat <i>Terminator 2</i>, <i>Iron Giant</i>, but I still love you.)<br /><br />But the writing is sharp, the characters are solid, the animation is gorgeous, and dammit... it's just a fun movie to watch. Really took me by surprise. Shit, even the voice acting is decent. Jennifer Aniston doesn't embarrass as Hogarth's mom, Harry Connick Jr. is a passable beatnik, Chritopher McDonald is as slimy as can be as the vile antagonistic government agent. (Even though I swore he was actually Hank Azaria the entire time I was watching the movie.) Oh yeah, and a pre-<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0134847/"><i>Pitch Black</i></a>/post-<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120815/"><i>Private Ryan</i></a> Vin Diesel plays the voice of the robot, which is kind of a hoot. (Don't worry, he doesn't really "talk" as such. And when he does it's electronically manipulated.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7HeFm_15xJo1hdZBYmssOewd-46WPgX9_Y1fOg388FNhw_sYtRwlicy5aMuAsXxtKpAeOvn0_91vIQaH7eMk0DQeoEmyX-1Mzwx77aLU3OWe5V4GVUvnpd27zAy3f7hGPF7XRIVi8y0g/s1600-h/moresitting.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 222px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7HeFm_15xJo1hdZBYmssOewd-46WPgX9_Y1fOg388FNhw_sYtRwlicy5aMuAsXxtKpAeOvn0_91vIQaH7eMk0DQeoEmyX-1Mzwx77aLU3OWe5V4GVUvnpd27zAy3f7hGPF7XRIVi8y0g/s320/moresitting.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292421559055941586" border="0" /></a>I tried to hunt down some decent clips on YouTube to help convince any skeptics of the movie's worth, but all I could find were terrible <i>Iron Giant</i> themed music videos. I guess that shouldn't surprise me. I don't think there's a decent piece of animation in this world that hasn't been set to Korn at some point. This is a phenomenon we all just have to learn to accept, I guess, and we can move on with our lives. So don't search YouTube. And if you do (but you shouldn't), don't let the wreckage you find there ruin the movie for you.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGj_unyqqWdaiWN5ON2MGZjmV32_AkK57VoKHOL6HRptThHQulZYh75606HuADesvO-510bLxFcbRzrs1Hagb2n3Jyi7cjvia3l5Nh12GTVVQB_dR1h0an4ofBhbgwDw2thezjvbEOBIVV/s1600-h/look.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 171px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGj_unyqqWdaiWN5ON2MGZjmV32_AkK57VoKHOL6HRptThHQulZYh75606HuADesvO-510bLxFcbRzrs1Hagb2n3Jyi7cjvia3l5Nh12GTVVQB_dR1h0an4ofBhbgwDw2thezjvbEOBIVV/s320/look.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292421695961808146" border="0" /></a>Also, just as a warning: I'm a <i>little</i> biased toward movies about kids who have their own robots, so keep that in mind. The reason being of course that robots are completely fucking awesome, and even as a jaded 20-something I would still love nothing more than to gallop around on my own clanking subservient killing machine. I can hardly be blamed for that.Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09807707408479752678noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2305727332594383147.post-1695553517223705332009-01-13T17:36:00.000-08:002009-01-19T00:55:38.270-08:00Lower Your Brows<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7uC2DD2hjUTWwsWP-Mb2Bx2auWbSOwa9_okHBodcVKTZI5b6gz2jEJ5L4nhm3zoMcpLfVAHRknCDFk6_mcWf6B8b8gg7gFpSOEHhkxFfIZ-x4JUJrVrWbuDByetgBIk2g2eUXRd2G4Vhy/s1600-h/tokyo_gore_police.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7uC2DD2hjUTWwsWP-Mb2Bx2auWbSOwa9_okHBodcVKTZI5b6gz2jEJ5L4nhm3zoMcpLfVAHRknCDFk6_mcWf6B8b8gg7gFpSOEHhkxFfIZ-x4JUJrVrWbuDByetgBIk2g2eUXRd2G4Vhy/s320/tokyo_gore_police.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290957781492192082" border="0" /></a>So I just watched <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1183732/"><i>Tokyo Gore Police</i></a> again, and I was in the process of typing up a blog post about it when I happened to refresh <a href="http://daily.greencine.com/">GreenCine Daily</a>. Apparently I've been beaten to the punch! I don't mind though, because <a href="http://daily.greencine.com/archives/007290.html">this post, which you should click on and read immediately</a>, captures the film <i>perfectly</i>. If reading that post gets your blood boiling and makes you want to watch it right then and there, you will love the movie. And you should probably get off the goddam internet and watch it right then and there. But if the GreenCine post makes you go a big rubbery one, or just doesn't interest you, then <i>TGP</i> is probably not for you. And I'll be the first to admit: it's not for everyone. But if you're the kind of person who gets excited about "the cinematic equivalent of a Gwar concert," then for fuck's sake call up some like-minded folk and pop in <i>Tokyo Gore Police</i>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRMNn5KmQqBYJ25CtX0tUB8FH89rBCQeyIbneyCutCsIE016TPWKgdxklOSP4TikVaIdqCxRnrh2dOT0dAgnM517t2I4xCE0MiGGimxJ7dCvp_Drm_3y0nhlUcLjy49o7dvQfGWmqZiheX/s1600-h/tgp.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 219px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRMNn5KmQqBYJ25CtX0tUB8FH89rBCQeyIbneyCutCsIE016TPWKgdxklOSP4TikVaIdqCxRnrh2dOT0dAgnM517t2I4xCE0MiGGimxJ7dCvp_Drm_3y0nhlUcLjy49o7dvQfGWmqZiheX/s320/tgp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5290958087246347250" border="0" /></a>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09807707408479752678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2305727332594383147.post-36642831976113196392008-12-27T15:25:00.000-08:002009-01-19T00:37:26.182-08:00Forget Everything You Know About Ponies<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQstSXASXF7s3uX8G1mDFwBLyI8IQWSLjcWWlBU6FiHEBTZ_i71J58DHFLGG4w5DcxOI-v2QLaanHb2xt9EgToX2QUK6MrYObSc_GMFgo68u-KCZQjiRjbVjZ7WQdNgmwGgAP7tfGCHdkh/s1600-h/pony.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 208px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQstSXASXF7s3uX8G1mDFwBLyI8IQWSLjcWWlBU6FiHEBTZ_i71J58DHFLGG4w5DcxOI-v2QLaanHb2xt9EgToX2QUK6MrYObSc_GMFgo68u-KCZQjiRjbVjZ7WQdNgmwGgAP7tfGCHdkh/s320/pony.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284617006027004146" border="0" /></a>There's a certain measure of beauty striven for by artists in this world, a dream of absolute aesthetic perfection heretofore thought unreachable by the flawed hand of humanity. This dream has just become reality. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0490668/"><i>My Little Pony: The Princess Promenade</i></a> has opened a doorway to a realm of staggering beauty, one that can't be explained away with simple words. To watch this film is an experience like no other. To quaff the heady brew of its majesty is to wrap yourself in a blanket of enlightenment. You don't just see its purity, you <i>taste</i> it. It <i>fills</i> you. I am not a religious man, but this film is as close to God as one can come in this wretched world of ours.<br /><br />Any attempt at analysis of how the film achieves what it does is meaningless. One can certainly break it down into its component parts, though this yields more questions than answers. (1) A narrative of staggering force and clarity. (2) Simple yet elegant camerawork, comparable to the masterworks of Ozu, yet leagues beyond even his understated beauty. (3) A swirling palette of colors, always moving yet never extravagant. (4) A troupe of actors who will accept nothing less than to <i>become</i> these noble beasts, to cast off the shackles of their own human identities and, through their words, conjure a kind of concentrated beauty from the very aether around them. Yet this is nothing more than a simplification--a reduction of what is by definition vast and unknowable to a straightforward list of observable attributes. <i>MLP:TPP</i> is so much more than the sum of its parts, and must be felt to be believed.<br /><br />That this film hasn't received more critical attention is a monumental tragedy. Though perhaps... perhaps the real tragedy is within ourselves. It may be that we are simply not ready to open our hearts, let the scales fall from our eyes, and embrace the only true beauty that really exists in this world: <i>My Little Pony</i>.Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09807707408479752678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2305727332594383147.post-19131851505301232762008-12-13T13:37:00.000-08:002009-01-19T00:41:09.852-08:00From Out of Space... A Warning and an UltimatumFor your own good... don't go see the new <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer"><i>Day the Earth Stood Still</i></a>. Not even out of curiosity. I'm not joking. It's a huge step back for cinema. It's a huge step back for humanity. You have no excuse. I've made the mistake, and now you don't have to. It will give you eye cancer. It will make you sterile, and not in the good way.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKtRu9bHzRDJPDximboGYk-_s0FZTSjQ966AAMNdgH_JSXps2xglN9HYG5XIWHTBJ1ISTcREYu4uQo7APWLRPLpjIdMKqknLowRtKL_VAUhXYGy_POXQh5Tw0FlxXeaQrTIG2q_w6TrCx/s1600-h/poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 220px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUKtRu9bHzRDJPDximboGYk-_s0FZTSjQ966AAMNdgH_JSXps2xglN9HYG5XIWHTBJ1ISTcREYu4uQo7APWLRPLpjIdMKqknLowRtKL_VAUhXYGy_POXQh5Tw0FlxXeaQrTIG2q_w6TrCx/s320/poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279394634249741938" border="0" /></a>I know what you're thinking: "This Keith fellow... he's prone to exaggerate to get his point across. I better go see for myself!"<br /><br />No. Fuck you. I forbid it. If you really need to get your fix, watch <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0043456/">the original</a> again. Or just watch something else. Want some Keanu? Pop in <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096928/">Bill & Ted</a>. Shit, you can even pop in <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0113481/">Johnny Mnemonic</a>. It's leagues beyond this travesty of a "remake." Need some Jennifer Connelly? How about <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091369/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Labyrinth</span></a>? <span style="font-style: italic;">Labyrinth</span> is great! Or when was the last time you watched <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0102803/"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Rocketeer</span></a>? Isn't that movie awesome?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVYkHi3ZlbApQa7I99aBBpzWhmomip5VjRowdSg2v-NuxOn-Xu4tMDjsLZy5aQD1iCj3O7mEXaTr8JNn6YzS1vwbvLLWrsfWlu6rdblBh1T0joZnj2vzzMbcq31K0yXcgvnZJShvs8z2Ky/s1600-h/rocketeer.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVYkHi3ZlbApQa7I99aBBpzWhmomip5VjRowdSg2v-NuxOn-Xu4tMDjsLZy5aQD1iCj3O7mEXaTr8JNn6YzS1vwbvLLWrsfWlu6rdblBh1T0joZnj2vzzMbcq31K0yXcgvnZJShvs8z2Ky/s320/rocketeer.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279394795023667842" border="0" /></a>Yes, let's all stay home this weekend and watch <span style="font-style: italic;">The Rocketeer</span>.<br /><br />Please.Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09807707408479752678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2305727332594383147.post-72485489534766350502008-10-22T20:39:00.000-07:002009-01-19T00:40:12.726-08:00I Am a Gross Straight Man<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9ZhrFiUdK9aIW80HPCxLRl6rWtkPU_iw7Y5xzk53ngeMj93wZB4RyT5OSlnj_cEyRjf_It1F9vqhyphenhyphenX7R8uCme3vhtKoq8rjpacsRMwWRnLiDGO-XbEP7ZYSYPfcRpSmUh7WUb_UnZN-8/s1600-h/poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 226px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj9ZhrFiUdK9aIW80HPCxLRl6rWtkPU_iw7Y5xzk53ngeMj93wZB4RyT5OSlnj_cEyRjf_It1F9vqhyphenhyphenX7R8uCme3vhtKoq8rjpacsRMwWRnLiDGO-XbEP7ZYSYPfcRpSmUh7WUb_UnZN-8/s320/poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260560325940791330" border="0" /></a>It's true. I am a gross straight man, and that's a major influence on my cinematic input. For instance... do you know what I love? Unapologetic, unadulterated, exploitation schlock. I love to go see a movie that doesn't waste time on things like plot and character development, but instead focuses on (crazy!) sex and (brutal!) violence. And as with most film experiences, this is best accomplished with a large audience of like-minded folk. Before coming to San Francisco this was a much more difficult task to orchestrate, but now that I'm here I can't seem to walk two blocks without tripping over a schlocky genre festival. Another Hole in the Head, Dead Channels, Shock It to Me... and so on. It's goddam overwhelming.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1192613/"><i>Onechanbara</i></a> is a perfect example of the kind of glorious film experience this city has to offer, assuming you know know where to look. (Hint: try <a href="http://www.roxie.com/">the Roxie</a>.) This is exploitation pure and simple. You might imagine the film's conception as something like the following: "Let's see... what's popular these days? Oh, I know! Zombies! And babes! And killing! Let's make a movie of that." This is surprisingly close to reality. The only difference is that <i>Onechanbara</i> is actually based on a Japanese video game (series) of the same name. But video games can be exploitation too! And exploitation movies based on exploitation games are like extra-bonus exploitation. You can't really get much better than that without making the transition to hardcore porn (which I'm not necessarily against).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLo3eaLH220y-D-b0lmMzJv_TW01_P-c7PIvmYYs2obu36H1sA07JejjYcS5KZd4DrpzvcKGOIUeKP2mO2Y0iVF_H0KRiTi8M5rDAJT5kj4GCccqgpqhZyiY387mwBvwG3l4BHstGfWvy/s1600-h/game2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZLo3eaLH220y-D-b0lmMzJv_TW01_P-c7PIvmYYs2obu36H1sA07JejjYcS5KZd4DrpzvcKGOIUeKP2mO2Y0iVF_H0KRiTi8M5rDAJT5kj4GCccqgpqhZyiY387mwBvwG3l4BHstGfWvy/s320/game2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260560629581992434" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">There is nothing you can dislike about this game (assuming you're a lusty heterosexual male).<br /></span></div><br />To be honest, I wish we had more of this kind of thing in American cinema today. It just doesn't seem like there's much of a market for low budget wonders like these, nor is there really a system in place to answer the pitiful demand that <i>does</i> arise. It's easier in Japan for the simple reason that they already have various frameworks in place to pump out waves of cheapo films. If we had something like Japan's V-cinema or pink film industries... well, life would be sweet. In the US, shitty cinematographers like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2203751/">Yohei Fukuda</a> would never get the chance to direct shitty (awesome) movies about girls with swords. And that's sad. Think of what could be!<br /><br />(Anyone interested in learning more about pink films--or who doesn't believe that worthwhile art can rise from the depths of the low-budget sex-film industry--should probably check out Jasper Sharp's new book, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/190325454X/ref=s9subs_c2_14_img1-rfc_g1-frt_g1-3102_p_si1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=01YZPFS461KKGF0A7TZ1&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=454436001&pf_rd_i=507846"><i>Behind the Pink Curtain</i></a>. And by the way, I'm not suggesting that <span style="font-style: italic;">Onechanbara</span> is a pink film. It's clearly not. It just got me thinking along those lines.)<br /><br />So the rest of us have to rely on the likes of Quentin Tarantino, it seems. And while any true exploitation fan probably has somewhat ambivalent feelings toward Tarantino, I'll be the first to admit: I think the guy's got his heart in the right place. He loves schlock, and tries his damnedest to spread that love as far as it will go. For me, that simple fact outshines any shortcomings he may have, artistic or otherwise. I may let my frustration <a href="http://kinetoscopeparlor.blogspot.com/2008/07/12-reasons-not-to-end-your-life-just.html">slip out a bit occasionally</a>, but who doesn't?<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJkajNzff0sN7iNgYJKt5gQfwB5G5nHHpq40fDYFblc4DungvnWOqA5G-_tOCP-jH_QECkMszj4lPwyJpzM27UaCuIAro6yMyCDuyKZAS-BQ1rw952BaenoiPKwro1E5xHxzF4TbpccXKW/s1600-h/killbill1.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 139px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJkajNzff0sN7iNgYJKt5gQfwB5G5nHHpq40fDYFblc4DungvnWOqA5G-_tOCP-jH_QECkMszj4lPwyJpzM27UaCuIAro6yMyCDuyKZAS-BQ1rw952BaenoiPKwro1E5xHxzF4TbpccXKW/s200/killbill1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260561431279105874" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirubRmNZ66fFK8MRC4wvr2QTIuMNfklUNTU1hm-a9nOCx0MbNvHFba8YhCQmLJRp-3U9V3fLSiTduGio2oAY24D3BJzGyhjBcSpPOnaWnxXq7GfsV8YL5dpJkUtSgo1_Lx8Wzec_xOQtFk/s1600-h/killbill2.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer; width: 138px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirubRmNZ66fFK8MRC4wvr2QTIuMNfklUNTU1hm-a9nOCx0MbNvHFba8YhCQmLJRp-3U9V3fLSiTduGio2oAY24D3BJzGyhjBcSpPOnaWnxXq7GfsV8YL5dpJkUtSgo1_Lx8Wzec_xOQtFk/s200/killbill2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260561435484499906" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">Notice a pattern? Neither do I...</span><br /></div><br />Luckily we (which is to say the US) also have a pretty decent independent schlock scene, so we're not totally deprived of low budget exploitative crap. But distribution is few and far between, naturally. Unless you're catching these movies at festivals (like Another Hole in the Head), you're probably watching them on DVD at home. If there's ever an exception, I try my best to be on top of it. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0960890/"><i>Zombie Strippers</i></a>, for instance, played a short run at <a href="http://www.landmarktheatres.com/Market/SanFrancisco/LumiereTheatre.htm">the Lumiere Theater</a> here in the city, and I made sure to be there at midnight on day one for the special opening "event." Unfortunately I was one of fewer than 10 people, 1 or 2 of whom were asleep moments into the show. Fuck! (The movie was hilarious, by the way. Not great by any means, but wonderfully disgusting. And the amount of dead nudity was... well, a lot. It will make you uncomfortable.)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxqP4cqb7m-kw17vk1c7YiXpkgpsVoQ6TwYiG_DnNoORbW-FiKPeKEBTEqdcpnPUBiNrwC4bDUUZC31BePbd5Ss_vypDqueA_PtjEcPfzGeTS0eG9EWSdILBFWaCm-Nz7Dj910UOfvTM4/s1600-h/zombie_strippers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGxqP4cqb7m-kw17vk1c7YiXpkgpsVoQ6TwYiG_DnNoORbW-FiKPeKEBTEqdcpnPUBiNrwC4bDUUZC31BePbd5Ss_vypDqueA_PtjEcPfzGeTS0eG9EWSdILBFWaCm-Nz7Dj910UOfvTM4/s320/zombie_strippers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260562102948321842" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Jenna Jameson is a talented actress.</span><br /></div><br />Actually, talking about dead nudity just reminded me of the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448190/"><i>Masters of Horror</i></a> series on Showtime. This is probably the closest thing we have (had, rather... or is it still on?) to V-Cinema schlock. A bunch of filmmakers get a bit of a budget to make an hour long horror film, which then goes straight to TV and DVD. There's not too much risk, so the directors can fuck around and make some really weird stuff without too many (financial) repercussions. A lot of these are terrible, but a few of them are totally worthwhile. (I think Argento's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0779496/"><i>Pelts</i></a> is the best of them, personally.) And they're all fun to watch!<br /><br />Incidentally, if you missed <i>Onechanbara</i> and are looking to make up for it you can catch <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1050160/"><i>Machine Girl</i></a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1183732/"><i>Tokyo Gore Police</i></a> this weekend (at midnight on Friday and Saturday, respectively) at the Roxie. I've seen both of these a few times now, and you're missing out if you can't say the same. And having seen them both on DVD and in the theater, I can tell you without hesitation that it's better in the theater (obviously). Not to mention the fact that it's being presented by Another Hole in the Head, which means there'll likely be mountains of free Red Hook to quench your thirst. No one has an excuse to miss this. (And for anyone participating in the <a href="http://kinetoscopeparlor.blogspot.com/2008/09/be-afraid.html">Month of Terror</a>, these totally count as horror films. Another bonus!)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWd3AYDaAXZHn6iVUTC7r5wpYmVaEGoa8tRmA8cOdz4JcuwZVANIPlyogzPRjL4Vu5EIcutjniSkLgpJ17vekk89dtldORYIZes_y7MetIJkTZN3ugVpHBy3HPicaRTa67S2eHz-iUs_t/s1600-h/machinegirlposter.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 140px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixWd3AYDaAXZHn6iVUTC7r5wpYmVaEGoa8tRmA8cOdz4JcuwZVANIPlyogzPRjL4Vu5EIcutjniSkLgpJ17vekk89dtldORYIZes_y7MetIJkTZN3ugVpHBy3HPicaRTa67S2eHz-iUs_t/s200/machinegirlposter.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260562851080322178" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWJ3a_ooiweOEc-rSuHeYovMPp0AYZ5WAkZaR4ROfWCgCVdbC85_zly4J48DZIDJzYEbdVPxLGYxKBScu3Y9N2nx8ugf3t1it0kKZMLtTLDDo9AcxKnwSc3Bg9oxig9RcS-b8As8XRsIc/s1600-h/tokyo_gore_police.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer; width: 142px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWJ3a_ooiweOEc-rSuHeYovMPp0AYZ5WAkZaR4ROfWCgCVdbC85_zly4J48DZIDJzYEbdVPxLGYxKBScu3Y9N2nx8ugf3t1it0kKZMLtTLDDo9AcxKnwSc3Bg9oxig9RcS-b8As8XRsIc/s200/tokyo_gore_police.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5260562854397815282" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;">What would Freud say?</span><br /></div><br />Um... shit. I just realized that I sat down to write about <i>Onechanbara</i> specifically, but ended up getting completely sidetracked. Oh well, no big deal. The important thing is for everybody to go see it if/when they get the chance. And support your local purveyors of filmic filth! Honestly, where would you be without them?Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09807707408479752678noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2305727332594383147.post-28748787801047133532008-10-06T01:42:00.000-07:002009-01-19T00:41:09.852-08:00You Make Good CoffeeSo have you guys seen the newest<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800308/"></a><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800308/"></a><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800308/"></a> <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800308/">Budd Boetticher western</a>? It's a hoot 'n a half!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhDaxtC-wu6H42ASFcYkOy4a0BTxarVrl82-E50ESvFMj8ygl1hYvYoHh0E5YUX0DQsCx-m8VZrsT3EajyLAm-PgfQPv_GKjt2jwrZrUCB_Lh2wGkKNC7lpR6H5iHVM_4k03rtu5EwPTst/s1600-h/weloveyourandy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhDaxtC-wu6H42ASFcYkOy4a0BTxarVrl82-E50ESvFMj8ygl1hYvYoHh0E5YUX0DQsCx-m8VZrsT3EajyLAm-PgfQPv_GKjt2jwrZrUCB_Lh2wGkKNC7lpR6H5iHVM_4k03rtu5EwPTst/s200/weloveyourandy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5253958736345322066" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;">EDIT:</span> It just occurred to me that some people out there might not be familiar with Boetticher, so allow me to elaborate: he was a man who became famous for making the most straightforward westerns in the history of time. The typical (read: every) Boetticher plot goes like this: A man (Randolph Scott) rides a horse in a direction. Along the way he will probably find another man, whom he will shoot with his gun. There may be a woman, but probably not. Later, Scott will ride his horse some more, and possibly drink some coffee. The end!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0800308/">Sound familiar</a>?Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09807707408479752678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2305727332594383147.post-73883395348247723472008-09-22T00:34:00.001-07:002009-01-19T00:38:36.649-08:00The Most Wonderful Time of the YearOctober is drawing near, and with it comes an inevitable rush of horror films. In terms of what comes out in theaters, I usually dread this time of year. Most releases will likely be bullshit remakes, and the ones that aren't will probably be bullshit ripoffs. (Excuse my cynicism here, but I feel I've earned it.) Yet I can't deny that I do get a certain itch to indulge in the lower depths of my cinematic pleasure around Halloween. While I may be reluctant to drop upwards of ten bucks on a shitty horror movie, I am <i>more</i> than willing to let them trickle in all month via Netflix. In fact, in years past I've been proud to take part in a certain noble tradition, started originally (I think) by my friend Good Ben, known simply as "The Month of Terror."<br /><br />The idea is this: during October, the Month of Terror participants will watch <i>at least</i> one horror film per day.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZcW2rb_gzJPCg4pL84UQEGdvUmbk2729lyGvKGf8RLtc0GHxk70daphvKFGUlv2Xc078pHki7J3wLqQ-BwCbpygmDcv4smlldPMl-gWJjfKsYgB7SgmxTsoqXOdIvQz70cWVDuid9Q8P/s1600-h/halloween.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQZcW2rb_gzJPCg4pL84UQEGdvUmbk2729lyGvKGf8RLtc0GHxk70daphvKFGUlv2Xc078pHki7J3wLqQ-BwCbpygmDcv4smlldPMl-gWJjfKsYgB7SgmxTsoqXOdIvQz70cWVDuid9Q8P/s200/halloween.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248746190818222370" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdnkDsqWhBsiRzhQaPmoCdIW0fn7mIbdVNG-KYvYvaulBdM6z58YL73IhJPR7_6Mu3x6dh7bLf3PQ2Y30YWXFA1xhoQ8JrGwsjvpFlHzFt5YEoiUQbUOGeD9jejkmtGl2LRbeRVDK0DQO/s1600-h/hellraiser.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvdnkDsqWhBsiRzhQaPmoCdIW0fn7mIbdVNG-KYvYvaulBdM6z58YL73IhJPR7_6Mu3x6dh7bLf3PQ2Y30YWXFA1xhoQ8JrGwsjvpFlHzFt5YEoiUQbUOGeD9jejkmtGl2LRbeRVDK0DQO/s200/hellraiser.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248746194275281762" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />This sounds easy enough, and it sometimes is. But there are <i>no</i> exceptions. Have a paper due the next day? Fuck you. Have to wake up at 6AM to go to work? Fuck you. Friends and relatives in town? Fuck you. Girlfriend/boyfriend doesn't like horror films? Fuck you. No horror movies on hand? Fuck you.<br /><br />In fact, to accomplish a totally successful Month of Terror takes a certain amount of planning and forethought. It usually requires a Netflix queue, an account at a handful of video stores, one or more friends with a large horror collection (if you don't have one yourself), and possibly a subscription to some movie channels. The logistics of having a new horror film on hand at any given time can be tricky, especially when the mail is involved. It may even be wise to upgrade to the 5-at-a-time Netflix plan for the month. (I think this actually saves money in the long run.) Then of course one must decide on the movies themselves. Usually it's a good idea to think at least a week in advance, and to have a selection of standby titles ready in case of unforeseen disaster. (It occurs to me that Netflix's "watch now" feature will be endlessly useful in this regard.)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FPsMCxBpLni4RspSofY5wFTFUwrKgGnNF_Vwu_kbMWtMnpJHiaBVj9XjiYNdsN2raPiB9DFPavW6MkKFm4i5XFnrngbnCy-FYCwog0ZvwLnYa3w4kaLUHtW5fQSE4MsNPlUpApnf_o3-/s1600-h/aprilfools.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-FPsMCxBpLni4RspSofY5wFTFUwrKgGnNF_Vwu_kbMWtMnpJHiaBVj9XjiYNdsN2raPiB9DFPavW6MkKFm4i5XFnrngbnCy-FYCwog0ZvwLnYa3w4kaLUHtW5fQSE4MsNPlUpApnf_o3-/s200/aprilfools.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248746659691807250" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznPEOhePCxLNaWisgVZEScJTEZlb9Zls-9FwlyPr8p1GHe4YP9lq5ySumayQwwqZ-vdkLOMXkZvkDoXVR95IcxHZjHJu-ty-tpImKFLqYP8dMULFH_e6dqihEhi6vimJU8TdULcYW6bNC/s1600-h/dawn.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiznPEOhePCxLNaWisgVZEScJTEZlb9Zls-9FwlyPr8p1GHe4YP9lq5ySumayQwwqZ-vdkLOMXkZvkDoXVR95IcxHZjHJu-ty-tpImKFLqYP8dMULFH_e6dqihEhi6vimJU8TdULcYW6bNC/s200/dawn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248746661905530578" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Of course there are various strategies for success. Sequels help fill out the month, for instance. If you watch all the <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087800/"><i>Nightmare on Elm Street</i></a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080761/"><i>Friday the 13th</i></a>, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077651/"><i>Halloween</i></a>, and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093177/"><i>Hellraiser</i></a> movies, you're basically home free. This kind of thing is discouraged, though. While there's no official Month of Terror "rule" against this, it does go against the spirit of inspiration the month of October is supposed to instill in a self-respecting horror buff. Sequels are okay, sure, but it's generally best to branch out further if at all possible. Use your imagination.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWQ0VT5m80rdmkyk2_lIuLCUmn0a_DgQY0R9gi08DFqblF7NWe6VTx_0Ztb-fv6_F-oU27iNl1jE09YwaoGBlTKcuMK9hKpjC34cwwgetLpMiLM311YNfJrB-Wk_yTmWsnSUbX5Tf1Og5/s1600-h/diabolique.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWQ0VT5m80rdmkyk2_lIuLCUmn0a_DgQY0R9gi08DFqblF7NWe6VTx_0Ztb-fv6_F-oU27iNl1jE09YwaoGBlTKcuMK9hKpjC34cwwgetLpMiLM311YNfJrB-Wk_yTmWsnSUbX5Tf1Og5/s200/diabolique.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248746952200859842" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0cJT4dh6LMnm2V44QbhES6_J8pNvJoXa-S2d8RjlfxxZIhyphenhyphenAQkAsekQ4fuGapPisaRA69PjJEK86f_wyPB00PdMZdtB3pHOkS4NYJf9KgXs0f1lulSL0Bb-NKGh5W3FYF2ir_PV9Bk6B/s1600-h/friday-the-13th-poster.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ0cJT4dh6LMnm2V44QbhES6_J8pNvJoXa-S2d8RjlfxxZIhyphenhyphenAQkAsekQ4fuGapPisaRA69PjJEK86f_wyPB00PdMZdtB3pHOkS4NYJf9KgXs0f1lulSL0Bb-NKGh5W3FYF2ir_PV9Bk6B/s200/friday-the-13th-poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248746955256444370" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />It should be noted that there's no rule against watching movies you've seen in the past, although counting a movie more than once for that particular month is understandably frowned upon. And besides, the Month of Terror is a perfect opportunity to catch up on all those horror flicks you don't otherwise get a chance to see. When else are you going to sit down specifically to watch <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110823/"><i>Phantasm III</i></a>, or <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090655/"><i>April Fool's Day</i></a>? And what about the horror movies that you don't really want to go out of your way for, but are mildly curious about? I'm talking about things like <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303816/"><i>Cabin Fever</i></a> here. Or the newest <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0387564/"><i>Saw</i></a> or <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0450278/"><i>Hostel</i></a> or whatever else is lying around in the horror section of your local video hole. Sure you wouldn't normally be interested, but October is a month of equality for horror films. If it sucks, you've got another one to watch tomorrow.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlH6LVMLxMAHlID4__-Mnx92kc_zoyVtNrjmJiGyya65KHAsSZPZ0OE6DFy0sMoaNKqJEr1Ln6EGKDtug7ljBZFs3M4eavBuxC3nIeXy6u5YqNA99g20kNFZiXflNgEhfjPdyYP5p3WchM/s1600-h/reanimator.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlH6LVMLxMAHlID4__-Mnx92kc_zoyVtNrjmJiGyya65KHAsSZPZ0OE6DFy0sMoaNKqJEr1Ln6EGKDtug7ljBZFs3M4eavBuxC3nIeXy6u5YqNA99g20kNFZiXflNgEhfjPdyYP5p3WchM/s200/reanimator.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248747240506589106" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvBt6Ekc5hcwTi8vwBidPFKL-q2XQ1Os_0BXfdlJKXH78NliMYxMsD5Uz0tZHZyWtwKFS_zzKiXVSBp3J3XlOD8MuLoOm3aYJ4d11Ypqial-jFWwfZo7DVt0RAZXxLCWCBn0oD0OMu7Et8/s1600-h/troll.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvBt6Ekc5hcwTi8vwBidPFKL-q2XQ1Os_0BXfdlJKXH78NliMYxMsD5Uz0tZHZyWtwKFS_zzKiXVSBp3J3XlOD8MuLoOm3aYJ4d11Ypqial-jFWwfZo7DVt0RAZXxLCWCBn0oD0OMu7Et8/s200/troll.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248747246089218642" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Watching more than one movie per day is allowed, and is actually encouraged. Watch as many as you can stand! Just know that this doesn't count for multiple days. Remember, at least one <i>every</i> day. So you can't, for instance, have a double feature and skip the next day. That's cheating. And now that I think of it, I should also mention something about the definition of a "day." Generally for the Month of Terror, a day is defined as the span of time between when you wake up and when you go to sleep. Time isn't necessarily relevant. So if you watch one movie at 10PM, then another at 1AM, they're both still technically in the same "day." The converse is also true: if you watch a movie at 1AM, go to bed, then watch another movie the following afternoon, it counts as separate days. The date on the calendar was the same, yes, but that doesn't matter.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWx8_QTxBTtDQnN4aDcnGzq6zub0enhMNFYiU5qH9qsvKCKVK0HeKBzrRou0eayhTxZtICB6t_ntLXfI6ct9mlIsAZwIDzrSTFpc7p-gpJ-kLi81FVMmMDZsFkNCcNheIQFzTUdV_1nAzd/s1600-h/high_tension.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWx8_QTxBTtDQnN4aDcnGzq6zub0enhMNFYiU5qH9qsvKCKVK0HeKBzrRou0eayhTxZtICB6t_ntLXfI6ct9mlIsAZwIDzrSTFpc7p-gpJ-kLi81FVMmMDZsFkNCcNheIQFzTUdV_1nAzd/s200/high_tension.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248747622137788834" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefta16-iso8L9jTLc2I1MTSElz-X0MRRolMifWA5X4GREiLGAeTgztr6bFMTZbt11vSyUVlZsNi2N731cib9rhwx8w7iw14vjqn_SAC4qCbzb7iHfxuRBbT4nwzBhLgQvdaUMOPogfGaB/s1600-h/vampyre.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhefta16-iso8L9jTLc2I1MTSElz-X0MRRolMifWA5X4GREiLGAeTgztr6bFMTZbt11vSyUVlZsNi2N731cib9rhwx8w7iw14vjqn_SAC4qCbzb7iHfxuRBbT4nwzBhLgQvdaUMOPogfGaB/s200/vampyre.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248747625423408754" border="0" /> </a><br /></div><br />So I'm sure you get the picture by now. And really, the most important thing is to get out there and watch some goddam scary movies. A properly executed Month of Terror can even help you enjoy the worthless piles that will be released in the theater during the coming weeks. It's win-win! Just make sure to keep from blowing your horrific wad too early, because ideally the whole thing should culminate on Halloween itself, with a glorious (drunken?) hurrah. Typically this calls for marathons, parties, violence, orgies, &c. Make it count. It only happens once a year.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJx8zB8qxM36W4x7CDSNjYJoYfORzLQHsEj3xZs4G3VugJQE6DAfjv_hm3iqWcmoaa6HUVqNkAUe0ph0AIlBA-sXKA_jhFN-hT1CDYhi8XML5Autm9jNo8Qd_VlJ4ibFsxM1ePMVwZ7pX/s1600-h/phantasm.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJx8zB8qxM36W4x7CDSNjYJoYfORzLQHsEj3xZs4G3VugJQE6DAfjv_hm3iqWcmoaa6HUVqNkAUe0ph0AIlBA-sXKA_jhFN-hT1CDYhi8XML5Autm9jNo8Qd_VlJ4ibFsxM1ePMVwZ7pX/s200/phantasm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248747989008306290" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhY09DO_oOaFhniWJCBOR0089wvKPl5Ry2NxYGYue0LGtqW1W_knPuCBtEG60XktcyrxLMPmLfSh-1ur7rweqo6tL2zbpU_gacAwbDk1MbJWbiOqWbOsRxqCk5Yv27-DEI7_LV6uiz43oO/s1600-h/psycho.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhY09DO_oOaFhniWJCBOR0089wvKPl5Ry2NxYGYue0LGtqW1W_knPuCBtEG60XktcyrxLMPmLfSh-1ur7rweqo6tL2zbpU_gacAwbDk1MbJWbiOqWbOsRxqCk5Yv27-DEI7_LV6uiz43oO/s200/psycho.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248747989448316018" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />There's one danger I should definitely mention: after an entire month of horror flick glory, it can be tricky to stop. In all seriousness, the horror binge is a habit-forming substance. You may find your days feeling empty without perpetual assaults of tits, blood, and torture. The best advice I can give for the newfound horror addict is to bring yourself down slowly. Maybe cut down to one movie every other day, or just a couple a week. My own Months of Terror have been known to stretch well past Christmas and into the new year, though I have yet to hear of one lasting until the following season. Should this be the next challenge?<br /><br /><b>YEAR OF TERROR: 2009!</b><br /><br />Make it happen.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWdjrUEjJo2P2XOon7QFtCno50H4MogeT6eLINng3DbkC2oT3zmu1rn5zMHXbtSv7N9KowwluhI5QOPXY0ggDIg1gbhQnPbUc4M0zOq6wyz2t79x8qVtUULzla5auy9ak0pbQ_oye0CP-/s1600-h/InfernoPoster.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJWdjrUEjJo2P2XOon7QFtCno50H4MogeT6eLINng3DbkC2oT3zmu1rn5zMHXbtSv7N9KowwluhI5QOPXY0ggDIg1gbhQnPbUc4M0zOq6wyz2t79x8qVtUULzla5auy9ak0pbQ_oye0CP-/s200/InfernoPoster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248749317038023250" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNiVk3hZ9EyzZR0YISNbeChvPGBFub4y7MLznEe3OlLvmkyfq6gmQyXKl7fLVnhY79jnHV_EQsdI2rFJ8y4GJj_4hNj-w32seV7A7n906dhu1cNVXIV_XRNiWc-B_XueLp4NtZMsGYOmgk/s1600-h/cure.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNiVk3hZ9EyzZR0YISNbeChvPGBFub4y7MLznEe3OlLvmkyfq6gmQyXKl7fLVnhY79jnHV_EQsdI2rFJ8y4GJj_4hNj-w32seV7A7n906dhu1cNVXIV_XRNiWc-B_XueLp4NtZMsGYOmgk/s200/cure.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5248749320470653458" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br />Also, if anybody out there feels like it, I don't think a Month of Terror has been properly documented yet. You've got a blog? Keep us updated! What movies are you planning to watch? When? What kind of marathons do you have planned? Any Month of Terror related events? What's your Halloween movie going to be? Reviews of little-known films that the rest of us should know about? Maybe even use your blog to track down other horror addicts in your area for citywide murderfests. The possibilities are endless. I'll try to document my run as much as possible, but between work and school I'll have to do my best just to <i>watch</i> the movies, much less write about them. But we'll see...<br /><br />Happy October!Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09807707408479752678noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2305727332594383147.post-88943507419934222352008-09-09T12:23:00.000-07:002009-01-19T00:46:35.769-08:00Circle of Shit<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTY5oot3ZKpbySK9c5vrDRjgiHZUgL3Tltposb8jjTMo-Si3WzzXQcW89rn9__8uKSNqaapWAnnvGLlB4Y0eWwnb0vWiEwBk6Xrk9BlfPxDVf_LxZ81Rv_4KF5BPD7PTdjYniOn4qC3TD/s1600-h/yummers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTY5oot3ZKpbySK9c5vrDRjgiHZUgL3Tltposb8jjTMo-Si3WzzXQcW89rn9__8uKSNqaapWAnnvGLlB4Y0eWwnb0vWiEwBk6Xrk9BlfPxDVf_LxZ81Rv_4KF5BPD7PTdjYniOn4qC3TD/s320/yummers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5244430148543084466" border="0" /></a>Last night was a full-on sensory assault. Having just returned from the loudest show I've ever been to (Mogwai/The Fuck Buttons @ The Regency), I decided I should finally sit down with Pasolini's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0073650/"><i>Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom</i></a>, which had arrived in the mail via Netflix last week. Like any cinephile, I had heard a lot about this movie before watching it. Most offensive film ever made... most disturbing film ever made... <i>et cetera</i>. I was half-drunk on overpriced beer, had a high-pitched ringing in my ears, and was up for a challenge. And it must be said... <i>Salò</i> was a challenge, if nothing else. All exaggeration aside, it was the closest I've come to vomiting during (because of) a movie. Even closer than <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0138941/"><i>Window Water Baby Moving</i></a>. Apparently the only thing I find more disturbing than birth is coprophagia. Who knew? (Two Girls One Cup certainly never elicited a response like that... I guess that says something about the nature/power of fictional engagement. Also about how shit isn't gross as long as it looks like delicious chocolate ice cream.) Sade has never been handled this way on film before, and when married to Pasolini's particular pedantic (political) playfulness, something exciting is born. Too bad he got <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4529877.stm">run the fuck down by his own car</a> before we got a chance to see what might have come next.<br /><br />Long story short: I think I'm going to have to disagree with Julia Kristeva's notion that what happens in Sade isn't abject. <i>Salò </i>is abject as <span style="font-style: italic;">hell</span>.Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09807707408479752678noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2305727332594383147.post-38521159159158068612008-08-23T21:36:00.000-07:002009-01-19T00:41:09.852-08:00Anton Chigurh Got a Haircut<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9pLIe61gsnJntKMbBMVOqfJKIidQTXYOhZNmGZPOKSiZmM7EfywNZMwpjdFpaLgrOLyB3Xg5SXYsUy2HSDlWRqD7zTy87_8ZkbJhF-2fRe0FSXhMRx1VLF65i7_fjjI_6eDeYoK6vgl3/s1600-h/poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV9pLIe61gsnJntKMbBMVOqfJKIidQTXYOhZNmGZPOKSiZmM7EfywNZMwpjdFpaLgrOLyB3Xg5SXYsUy2HSDlWRqD7zTy87_8ZkbJhF-2fRe0FSXhMRx1VLF65i7_fjjI_6eDeYoK6vgl3/s320/poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235650481019750946" border="0" /></a>I haven't really kept up with Woody Allen's recent output. Out of the last ten (twelve? fifteen?) years or so, I've seen maybe three of his movies. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416320/"><i>Match Point</i></a>: check (loved it). <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0457513/"><i>Scoop</i></a>: check (hated it). <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0795493/"><i>Cassandra's Dream</i></a>: still haven't gotten around to it. And now? <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0497465/"><i>Vicky Cristina Barcelona</i></a>: check. I don't think I can really place this movie in the context of any "recent Woody Allen" trend without feeling like a hypocrite, so I won't. But judging from my meager personal experience, along with everything I've heard about the last decade of his work, <i>Vicky Cristina Barcelona</i> was a bit surprising. I went to see it with no reviews under my belt (I've made it clear elsewhere how I feel about reading reviews before seeing a movie), and to be honest I was almost going in with a chip on my shoulder, ready to hate it. Woody Allen is certainly past his prime, over the hill and so on, right? Shows what I know. While I wouldn't go so far as to add it to the Woody Allen "masterpiece" canon (along with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075686/"><i>Annie Hall</i></a>, &c.), this isn't one to be dismissed as a minor work either, despite how it may initially appear.<br /><br />The setup is pretty standard: two friends go to Barcelona for the summer. One's an uptight grad student (Rebecca Hall), the other's a free spirited not-quite-artist type (Scarlett Johansson). They meet dashing local painter Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem). These are the ingredients for a good ol' fashioned love triangle, and things unfold just the way you'd expect. The lustful Cristina gets sick on the trio's first night together, and Vicky is "forced" to spend a glorious weekend alone with Juan Antonio. Despite her engagement to a safe, boring, businessman back home, she loses her shit due to wine and acoustic guitar (who wouldn't?), and ends up having sex with him. She regrets it and goes back to her research, cutting herself off from further hijinks. Cristina and Juan Antonio end up together as planned. All of this happens in an enjoyable, if predictable, manner. It's nothing you wouldn't expect from any European-inspired piece of sexual dramedy, in other words. Then, just about when you start to wonder if maybe you didn't imagine seeing her name in the credits, Penelope Cruz makes her entrance. And she is <i>crazy</i>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzsE6glvEv7aKsB3623vE-OLXwKWF46gXcko4xMa8YyST9tOT4sZnD959R28JnvirX71Is1MRLigrNYEzFeRPL9QZI2okmVhCNjaCoUgKTTwr0umdYV9jfuvLm1Cc3lwLDV4piJDd_aXb/s1600-h/h-o-t-t-hot.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyzsE6glvEv7aKsB3623vE-OLXwKWF46gXcko4xMa8YyST9tOT4sZnD959R28JnvirX71Is1MRLigrNYEzFeRPL9QZI2okmVhCNjaCoUgKTTwr0umdYV9jfuvLm1Cc3lwLDV4piJDd_aXb/s320/h-o-t-t-hot.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235651386105984258" border="0" /></a>Also: crazy awesome. More than a few reviews have already bandied about Oscar talk, and it isn't hard to see why. She goes all out as Juan Antonio's fucked up ex-wife Maria Elena, and basically steals the show. It's also amazing that, in a movie that had so far featured three of the most beautiful people on Earth, she blows them all right out of the goddam water, apparently without a <i>shred</i> of effort. She has this strange, alluring, manic-depressive, <i>something</i> that just fits perfectly. She goes from bouncing off the walls, spitting Spanish curses, and threatening physical harm, to being a perfect specimen of tender, understanding affection. And back again! There are points where it's obvious that the other actors are just as surprised as the audience at the fury of her outbursts, which is always entertaining. I actually started to feel sorry for Javier Bardem--I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that he was covered with real-life bruises after some of those on-screen assaults. Does she steal the show <i>too</i> much? Possibly. Perhaps after a second viewing I can judge more objectively, since I'll be a little more prepared for the onslaught.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUeKIVjfcKUrRpX-mheSQZkoR085dYdwo3mqib9AsLAr5kCFslOpf1HOtHXSC7Wo-OuhAN7qFdO1YdI4bT3ggYecwZqqqMRRED-UPcqDi-TfH4KkwF2lExnPsRk2YN04Q9_fo8vsE_N18B/s1600-h/lovey.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUeKIVjfcKUrRpX-mheSQZkoR085dYdwo3mqib9AsLAr5kCFslOpf1HOtHXSC7Wo-OuhAN7qFdO1YdI4bT3ggYecwZqqqMRRED-UPcqDi-TfH4KkwF2lExnPsRk2YN04Q9_fo8vsE_N18B/s320/lovey.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235652116542890018" border="0" /></a>In any case, Cruz's character fucks up the comfortable stability of Cristina and Juan Antonio's relationship in the way you'd expect. At first. Then things go in strange, wonderful new directions. And then Vicky comes back in the picture! It's a bit of a clusterfuck, and over the course of the film the love triangle transforms into multiple triangles, then a rectangle, back into a triangle, and finally into some sort of incomprehensible love dodecahedron. It's funny, it's emotional... in short, it works. I'm always pleased when a film presents a love triangle that doesn't neatly solve itself somehow (e.g. killing and/or vilifying one of the members). Allen doesn't give us any cop-outs, and I respect that.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWlC2Y_IJ2ssxXp-pV32BkxmFiOJ7O2tpAwPQIR18otLA6h74uSVIUMyszGFCacgNeAR_p6PphSW4tgODY0vrgSZ1OQWiuj2v-dYAWXn0kgqAp1-px4TqeWM066V2EOzswn_BSoQg6hYc/s1600-h/tri.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWlC2Y_IJ2ssxXp-pV32BkxmFiOJ7O2tpAwPQIR18otLA6h74uSVIUMyszGFCacgNeAR_p6PphSW4tgODY0vrgSZ1OQWiuj2v-dYAWXn0kgqAp1-px4TqeWM066V2EOzswn_BSoQg6hYc/s320/tri.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235651796030333330" border="0" /></a>A couple of things stood out for me after this first viewing. For one, Woody Allen himself isn't in it (this is a good thing). Yet through most of the movie, you can undoubtedly feel him speaking through the mouths of his characters. I don't know if it's just a matter of his "voice" being so strong in his writing or what... but the end result for me was that I couldn't help but imagine a bonus audio track on the DVD where Woody Allen dubs himself over every actor. I honestly don't know if I'd be able to tell the difference. At certain points it seemed like each character was little more than a physical manifestation of a different part of Allen's psyche, and I was just sitting in the theater watching him argue with himself. This isn't a deal-breaker or anything... one certainly expects plenty of Woody Allen dialogue in a Woody Allen movie. But it was a little distracting.<br /><br />Another thing: it takes a little while for the characters to break away from their little stereotypes and become anything close to "real" people. Lusty artist, uptight grad student, European sexpot... these are all obvious character molds to inhabit this kind of story. Allen clearly realizes this, and he spends plenty of time delivering exactly the foibles we expect (want?) to see in these types of characters. Whether it's Cristina's bad poetry or Vicky's constant overthinking, we're not exactly surprised by any of these people until the film starts to wind down. But in the end they <i>do</i> end up becoming something more, despite our expectations. Shit, even Vicky's polo-wearing, golf-playing, clueless husband-to-be ends up as a sympathetic three-dimensional human being. So why the wait? Was this kind of delayed characterization intentional? Again, I think maybe a second viewing will help shed some light.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdEU-qANibYA1UFdbjPJPBVh9QqljSW5RhzYDJrmPpVViPRHASEGmhQVypuq1syO4NPX0Qxq4I850-cZaMn9xxLSRyPx_ZAjzEKHYxv0IyEBQEYbzcQ6Px9v6BCoDS0aQwV1bUP6VG-nhc/s1600-h/lamephotos.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdEU-qANibYA1UFdbjPJPBVh9QqljSW5RhzYDJrmPpVViPRHASEGmhQVypuq1syO4NPX0Qxq4I850-cZaMn9xxLSRyPx_ZAjzEKHYxv0IyEBQEYbzcQ6Px9v6BCoDS0aQwV1bUP6VG-nhc/s320/lamephotos.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235652431395077746" border="0" /></a>One last thing stood out: the voice over narration. It's interesting... the voice doesn't belong to anyone in the film, nor even to Allen himself (except in spirit, of course). Honestly, I can't decide how I feel about it one way or another (yet). The knee-jerk critical reaction to voice over is negative, of course. Bad writing! Unnecessary! And so on. But Woody Allen knows what he's doing, right? I can't help but think that he was using the narration to some end other than simple narrative clarity. And it didn't even seem <i>that</i> vital. I imagine it would be fairly easy to edit it out entirely and not lose much. So what's the deal? Just another item to pay closer attention to during round two, I suppose...<br /><br />Oh and finally: if any of the above didn't interest you in <span style="font-style: italic;">Vicky Cristina Barcelona</span>, perhaps this will: Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson make out in it. Assuming the clip hasn't <span style="font-style: italic;">already</span> made it to youtube, it certainly will soon. So we can all look forward to millions of teenage boys thanking Woody Allen as they nervously lock their bedroom doors. Hooray!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOFGTt1BIEzeih8-YAGKviJf8nBd2jQbWUQtWuKjbvtQ3xyabP4WkiP3v1mAEeo3R0555nGaiCWCd3zbPWcj-Ge0X87tqyjKFjMJyjV6ac3ymRCAvvzXBRiQZN6UrClxORYFGfKBZVyU0/s1600-h/darkroom.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoOFGTt1BIEzeih8-YAGKviJf8nBd2jQbWUQtWuKjbvtQ3xyabP4WkiP3v1mAEeo3R0555nGaiCWCd3zbPWcj-Ge0X87tqyjKFjMJyjV6ac3ymRCAvvzXBRiQZN6UrClxORYFGfKBZVyU0/s320/darkroom.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5235654409705598498" border="0" /></a>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09807707408479752678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2305727332594383147.post-70917349769553669112008-08-15T15:42:00.000-07:002009-01-19T00:40:12.726-08:00Neither Fast Nor Furious<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqCOWH2Qm-s5VJ3uUJ_Cpvil6XQ6-eE4ODlEwT_8qgRjT2-CADP_xk5PywIf-jcOUFzhZ9kMMNXEUxFm0EDoxtkhXZHUtiUTArFQYVUeQOe4L4D84xYeIDvXuMDKkDqA1xK2-GeatxL6q/s1600-h/poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZqCOWH2Qm-s5VJ3uUJ_Cpvil6XQ6-eE4ODlEwT_8qgRjT2-CADP_xk5PywIf-jcOUFzhZ9kMMNXEUxFm0EDoxtkhXZHUtiUTArFQYVUeQOe4L4D84xYeIDvXuMDKkDqA1xK2-GeatxL6q/s320/poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234879488228848402" border="0" /></a>I feel as if I should apologize for my lack of posts lately, especially considering I've just been welcomed into the <a href="http://largeassmovieblogs.blogspot.com/">LAMB</a>. But here's the thing: Netflix has been sending me disc after disc of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112084/"><i>Mr. Show</i></a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386676/"><i>The Office</i></a>, which has caused my cinematic intake to dip pretty drastically. You may remember I mentioned something <a href="http://kinetoscopeparlor.blogspot.com/2008/07/fire-walk-with-me.html">earlier</a> about summer being a time of media binges? Well summer rages on. <i>Mr. Show</i> is of course an old favorite I haven't watched in a while, and <i>The Office</i> is something I've only recently begun to enjoy. (It fucking rules, by the way. Can't wait to check out the British version.) Anyway, I finally pried my eyeballs away from television long enough to watch Satoshi Miki's newest film, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1098226/"><i>Adrift in Tokyo</i></a>. It's been doing its thing at festivals for a little while now (NYAFF, for one), and it came out on DVD in Japan sort of recently. I've been hearing nothing but good things, so I checked it out. Not for everyone, I'd say, but I enjoyed the hell out of it.<br /><br />Actually, I liked it <span style="font-style: italic;">so</span> much that I'm planning on writing something <span style="font-style: italic;">real</span> about it in the near future, though for now I think I'll just throw up (which is to say vomit) the (stilted/semi-shitty) <a href="http://www.midnighteye.com/reviews/adrift-in-tokyo.shtml">review I wrote</a> for Midnight Eye. Prepare yourself for a disturbing lack of expletives.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">And I quote (myself):</span><br /><br />Satoshi Miki’s <i>Adrift in Tokyo</i> is a difficult film to categorize. Is it a road movie? A city film? A buddy movie? A comedy? A drama? The short answer is: yes. It’s each of these things, and when put together, it becomes something substantially greater than the sum of its parts. Miki has managed to craft something touching, hilarious, informative, and brimming with a subdued sense of adventure that one can only get from exploring a seemingly familiar city with a fresh perspective.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs3bBuF2xqtecsXcASUbhXNCZyNYWkzoiU5gYBxHWLj7DeQzWoHSwHJ37RM7DD0ZXZO0B9v1J0ZF5LM99Oj9VIvnYHwmngKSMhA-ZixxNgQZwBMNe_07Awhyphenhyphenx6dZ-xXK4-BVOZmHWm2b2y/s1600-h/besthair.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs3bBuF2xqtecsXcASUbhXNCZyNYWkzoiU5gYBxHWLj7DeQzWoHSwHJ37RM7DD0ZXZO0B9v1J0ZF5LM99Oj9VIvnYHwmngKSMhA-ZixxNgQZwBMNe_07Awhyphenhyphenx6dZ-xXK4-BVOZmHWm2b2y/s320/besthair.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234879813712966978" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Joe Odagiri: best hair in the history of time.</span><br /></div><br />The film (more or less) follows the perpetually blank-faced Fumiya (Joe Odagiri), an eighth year law student who has managed to rack up over 800,000 yen in debt, and naturally has no way to pay it back. While sitting in his apartment contemplating the finer points of three-color toothpaste, Fumiya is assaulted by ruthless-looking debt collector Fukuhara (a mullet-wielding Tomokazu Miura), who gives him three days to pay back the cash. The days pass and Fumiya makes a series of characteristically half-assed attempts to raise the money, but gets nowhere. Ready to give up, he’s approached once more by Fukuhara, who surprisingly says he will pay a total of one million yen if Fumiya accompanies him on a walk around Tokyo. It might take days, weeks, or months, he says, but after they’re finished his debt will disappear. Having no choice, Fumiya accepts the offer and the film kicks into gear.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipyfQXPKjFbKRwHoRKiayC7BtFwEkrFukUuSWd6U_WTM7oM5Jpo0vOf2hvYA_v2shct8Zh6_-l3IPq-pW-TV7rq5WFauYozKNgbyOsrE_84MAFG9wWFAV_7HIBDflUMf8r21HcOub904Lh/s1600-h/dildano.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipyfQXPKjFbKRwHoRKiayC7BtFwEkrFukUuSWd6U_WTM7oM5Jpo0vOf2hvYA_v2shct8Zh6_-l3IPq-pW-TV7rq5WFauYozKNgbyOsrE_84MAFG9wWFAV_7HIBDflUMf8r21HcOub904Lh/s320/dildano.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234879966213753394" border="0" /></a>As we follow the two through the streets of the city, their lives unfold by way of conversations, squabbles, confessions, and the occasional shouting match. We discover that Fumiya was abandoned by his parents as a young child, leaving him without a soul to depend on. With this revelation Miki subtly transforms Fumiya’s attitude of blank detachment from a comic device into something deeper, while still keeping the atmosphere light. And we learn that Fukuhara, the strangely sensitive thug, has killed his wife. He plans to wander the streets of his city, rediscovering old memories and creating new ones, before turning himself in to the police and resigning himself to prison. This kind of multi-layered emotional content is typical for the film, and it’s not unusual for any given scene to first lift, then break your spirits as each of the characters unfurls into an actual multidimensional human being. It takes a delicate hand to strike such a perfect balance of humor and (I hesitate to even call it this) drama, but Miki has succeeded brilliantly. It’s completely possible to see <i>Adrift in Tokyo</i> as nothing more than a breezy comedy, full of first-rate performances and hilarious gags, but the viewer who digs past the surface will be rewarded with something surprisingly touching, and undeniably beautiful.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHooJqjnWMBQvuaIBCbghUDgF0tqBxDz7BghpQ1chHdPTnXK0IJlwNlSZK9AXv74k09FgHBOCZcu5zIkY4yjgdIBzU1wBurxkYniQf80lDzrUw0tTmaz22SIQ5r_S2sTWqAQBqCE8_Tn_n/s1600-h/eat.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHooJqjnWMBQvuaIBCbghUDgF0tqBxDz7BghpQ1chHdPTnXK0IJlwNlSZK9AXv74k09FgHBOCZcu5zIkY4yjgdIBzU1wBurxkYniQf80lDzrUw0tTmaz22SIQ5r_S2sTWqAQBqCE8_Tn_n/s320/eat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234880293609904258" border="0" /></a>Speaking of gags, Miki’s particular brand of out-of-left-field humor runs steadily throughout the film, and there are plenty of moments that might confuse a viewer searching for clear-cut linearity beneath the lingering narrative. But if it starts to seem like he’s losing track of his characters, try to remember that the city itself is being developed just as much as Fumiya or Fukuhara. For example, consider the seemingly unnecessary B story involving Fukuhara’s wife’s coworkers, and their trek across the city. Whenever these characters take center stage, every ounce of a typical viewer’s narrative training suggests that Miki is building toward some concrete connection--a bridge with the central characters that is just never going to form. It’s normal for loose ends such as these to cause frustration, but perhaps things aren’t quite as open ended as they initially appear. As these characters run around the city, gossiping and laughing and finding excuses to go from one place to the next, it’s simply one more slice of Tokyo that Miki is baring before his spectators. Any connection these people might have to the two "main" characters is incidental. The only truly important link they share is one that should be obvious from the story’s opening moments: they are, along with those watching the film, adrift in Tokyo.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIbcELIRc8y5LLr1n3KAvrbHF2cVp0dyRfrdwyBUcU7292jCIKdfOXe-_hKg1lOe1IrDvEr_WEZYckR07VYfG5qTcwGd72hJrKjoIsRh18YCbnq_HhDvImqqM0nKC4k1h-YPeLTzJ3IBA/s1600-h/hotel.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvIbcELIRc8y5LLr1n3KAvrbHF2cVp0dyRfrdwyBUcU7292jCIKdfOXe-_hKg1lOe1IrDvEr_WEZYckR07VYfG5qTcwGd72hJrKjoIsRh18YCbnq_HhDvImqqM0nKC4k1h-YPeLTzJ3IBA/s320/hotel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5234880596424246754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">End quote!</span><br /><i>(Expletives motherfucking resumed.)</i><br /><br />This is another flick that might be a bit tough to get ahold of (surprise surprise), but if it sounds at all up your alley then it probably is. Have you ever seen somebody smell their own head? You will. And it's just as great as it sounds. Possibly even greater.Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09807707408479752678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2305727332594383147.post-42590183538005965642008-08-03T18:03:00.000-07:002009-01-19T00:47:31.894-08:00It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad Detective<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJC-SE2S-ML15NKQ-ZT35aizl5N-pdmBif4HIKHTOEowCg7hyphenhyphenVE5wMtmExOMjksDifLKRp7n4WdRjbs272WDnyBeuvOqCwPmx6s819rXatHIeAycqRJyrUnyV1hAFEfBfldESuFO1r5WV/s1600-h/poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwJC-SE2S-ML15NKQ-ZT35aizl5N-pdmBif4HIKHTOEowCg7hyphenhyphenVE5wMtmExOMjksDifLKRp7n4WdRjbs272WDnyBeuvOqCwPmx6s819rXatHIeAycqRJyrUnyV1hAFEfBfldESuFO1r5WV/s320/poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230462273337621634" border="0" /></a>Everyone loves <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0864775/">Johnnie To</a>. Everyone. You may not even know who the hell he is, but trust me--you love him. You just don't know it yet. He's Hong Kong's baby right now, and everything he touches seems to turn to gold. In short, Johnnie To has <i>it</i>. Fairly prolific by today's standards, he turns out around two films a year. And unlike certain <i>other</i> <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0586281/">prolific Asian directors</a>, his work is mostly highly regarded, even in "regular" critical circles (i.e. not Asian film fanatics).<br /><br />(One major exception I can think of: Roger Ebert. He isn't really picking up what To's putting down. But--and I mean no offense to Ebert when I say this--Roger Ebert is a worthless old cunt who needs to pass the ubiquitous film critic torch to somebody who doesn't remember when a bowl of soup cost a nickel. He is a confused, bedraggled, unattractive old man who is given to pawing at the screen and trying to grab the images he likes. But like I said, no offense. All due respect and all that.)<br /><br />As a self-proclaimed Asian film fan, I have to bow my head in shame and reveal that I've only seen four Johnnie To films. I've seen <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0434008/"><i>Election</i></a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0491244/"><i>Election 2</i></a>, of course. Everybody's seen those, and for a good reason. Then there's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0796212/"><i>Exiled</i></a>, which was the best western I've watched in quite some time. (This is especially impressive when you consider that technically it's not even a western. If <i>Exiled</i> sounds familiar and you don't know why, you may be remembering it from an <a href="http://kinetoscopeparlor.blogspot.com/2008/07/12-reasons-not-to-end-your-life-just.html">earlier post</a> of mine. If you like Sergio Leone, please please <i>please</i> watch this movie. I can't emphasize that enough.) The fourth film was one that I just watched a few nights ago, and one that may even be coming to DVD in the US sometime in the near future: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0969269/"><i>Mad Detective</i></a>. Was it as great as the rest of 'em? Read on to find out! (Hint: it was.)<br /><br />The titular mad detective is Bun, a strange, seemingly clairvoyant Hong Kong cop who just happens to be a little psychotic. He claims to be able to see people's "inner personalities," and this naturally gets him into no end of shenanigans. The film opens with a few scenes from his heyday, solving crimes no one else could even get a lead on using his "unconventional" methods of re-enactment and divination. Then, at his boss's retirement party, Bun cuts off his own ear and offers it to the old man as a present. The department takes this as a sign that Bun should probably retire himself, and they kick him off the force.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm6dhhL1-4e30iTiIGdwLX50YDrdW4gV7mD4DJjda2GFhx1Sn5Utnoowd0VrTtZij8QU4zvezZz6OGA2IStpH-By66Sez3pNPfWohepFSK6Ll16ykIj6x3f9VEuZpa17b04iex0pS-HrtV/s1600-h/ear.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm6dhhL1-4e30iTiIGdwLX50YDrdW4gV7mD4DJjda2GFhx1Sn5Utnoowd0VrTtZij8QU4zvezZz6OGA2IStpH-By66Sez3pNPfWohepFSK6Ll16ykIj6x3f9VEuZpa17b04iex0pS-HrtV/s320/ear.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230466176565627906" border="0" /></a>Present day. Up and coming detective Ho is trying to solve a case of a missing cop. Ho, who is mildly obsessed with Bun, ends up enlisting his help on the case. Lacking any real evidence, all they've got to go on are Bun's visions, which seem to point to the missing cop's partner. Against all logic, they pursue their suspect throughout the film. Bun continues to unravel psychologically, and it isn't long before Ho is falling apart right alongside him. Long story short: some serious shit goes down, and it all comes together in a climax that rivals... well, most climaxes.<br /><br />What's really surprising about <i>Mad Detective</i> is how well all of this "divination" and "inner personality" stuff plays out onscreen. When I first read what the movie was about, I naturally assumed it was going to be cheesy. How could it <i>not</i> be? Multiple actors crowding around playing different aspects of one character's personality? Come on! Even Johnnie To couldn't pull that off without losing dramatic tension, right? But it works. And it works really well. Imagine one character pointing a gun, with seven different sets of hands pulling and pushing, seven different voices telling him whether or not he should shoot. Seven different variations of his thought process, all fighting to get their way. With Johnnie To at the helm, what could very well be a ridiculous scene turns out brilliant. If you're new to To's films, this is probably something you should just go ahead and get used to.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEwuWffG3KRc1x1SRnatizPeDuIjDzXG47ikoZl5I8f3kyH7-QMRZ4hX_wPZeYBxIP-c1d87MXiVuxZR4fvPDb79Mez24hzyZaZuiqlWGgadFH2wgM1f6QWqtjT1B6E4c1qYx3hN0pPip/s1600-h/multiple.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJEwuWffG3KRc1x1SRnatizPeDuIjDzXG47ikoZl5I8f3kyH7-QMRZ4hX_wPZeYBxIP-c1d87MXiVuxZR4fvPDb79Mez24hzyZaZuiqlWGgadFH2wgM1f6QWqtjT1B6E4c1qYx3hN0pPip/s320/multiple.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230466798685050370" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZyiIGhVPrOPQES6P1fqCOnD3TittVOrPa3ajTTSDE4F67ybKf9fIfDQqIOVRlmbWWj9hXSWJQHXPUg0BGyi9wYs7Fv-ffqldWTxBSasSqgR7i9_NR4simcvAFjW2DQfpTBB6Io2mHVx1/s1600-h/hands.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKZyiIGhVPrOPQES6P1fqCOnD3TittVOrPa3ajTTSDE4F67ybKf9fIfDQqIOVRlmbWWj9hXSWJQHXPUg0BGyi9wYs7Fv-ffqldWTxBSasSqgR7i9_NR4simcvAFjW2DQfpTBB6Io2mHVx1/s320/hands.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230466800493721186" border="0" /></a>A few reviews I've read mention that <i>Mad Detective</i> often leaves the viewer confused as to what's real and what's only taking place in Bun's mind. This is totally accurate. The strange thing is, these reviews pass this off as a <i>negative</i> aspect of the film. As with just about any film (or novel, or whatever) with an insane protagonist, Bun's unreliability plays a huge part in <i>Mad Detective</i>'s tension and development. I guess these critics haven't read <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Flew_Over_the_Cuckoo%27s_Nest_%28novel%29">One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest</a></i>? I don't know. I can't really explain it. If anything other than perfectly obvious linearity bothers you, maybe this movie ain't your bag. I'm not really going to force the issue.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMOsGEl8LC2CJUGsQTc1dtaadhBSEhr-inY1UWoL9itlnx22xsz2kCo5MAFTWxPTYM-uf9uM3cYYI_Pvu0daJni-g8K5VbRTjWLD8T8byR7adwJ1edD7KZMPvswJGBAgXhRWav-glaZlW/s1600-h/nutjob.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMOsGEl8LC2CJUGsQTc1dtaadhBSEhr-inY1UWoL9itlnx22xsz2kCo5MAFTWxPTYM-uf9uM3cYYI_Pvu0daJni-g8K5VbRTjWLD8T8byR7adwJ1edD7KZMPvswJGBAgXhRWav-glaZlW/s320/nutjob.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230467718312180786" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF55sKrFoxrYkKz9YouQwiY_rNmJPozXh1LGZNO2uTKCA48U9GL2X47q9XfxeYPQ3edioXtFJlhwFKu3AzAzCoiuNlWaiKGazjazr8CyiwKIWdED_m1ji_Kc1-mYf21mlibPgWEsftODYK/s1600-h/grave.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF55sKrFoxrYkKz9YouQwiY_rNmJPozXh1LGZNO2uTKCA48U9GL2X47q9XfxeYPQ3edioXtFJlhwFKu3AzAzCoiuNlWaiKGazjazr8CyiwKIWdED_m1ji_Kc1-mYf21mlibPgWEsftODYK/s320/grave.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230467718788985186" border="0" /></a>I was pleased that <a href="http://movies.nytimes.com/2008/07/18/movies/18dete.html?partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes&ei=5083">someone else</a> picked up on the obvious reference to Orson Welles's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040525/"><i>Lady from Shanghai</i></a> in the amazing climactic shootout. This actually wasn't the only point in the film that I felt Welles's influence, but it was certainly the most clear. Actually, in every To film I've seen so far I get the sense that it's the work of somebody who has watched <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052311/"><i>Touch of Evil</i></a> about a million times. (I mean that as a compliment, by the way...) And there are plenty of other influences, obviously. Kurosawa, for one. Elements of both <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0042876/"><i>Rashomon</i></a> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0041699/"><i>Stray Dog</i></a> were peppered throughout, and arguably some of his noir work as well. During any stylized shootout one can't help but feel the pull of John Woo, naturally. And the final Mexican standoff could very well be a nod to Tarantino's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105236/"><i>Reservoir Dogs</i></a>, though I'd be more likely to draw the connection to Ringo Lam's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093435/"><i>City on Fire</i></a> (which was of course the "inspiration" for Tarantino's film). Actually, now that I think of it... that particular brand of gunfight goes back even <i>more</i> obviously to Sergio Leone, whose work To is clearly quite familiar with (once again: see <i>Exiled</i>). Shit, it's practically straight out of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060196/"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Good, the Bad and the Ugly</span></a>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1jEfqqeZN4bG922doF_ftSTUAaoYtajzmc5R9I-Qs6gbCS5CuVl3Dqf0KbK8ex3pV4w8cgOPIMl-6lyqM4b4rG7R_CPokGSeqCBoGxOHh_EMiscEZSpfm7v7gBPhAO-jCNADH4hDCNsFn/s1600-h/reflect.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1jEfqqeZN4bG922doF_ftSTUAaoYtajzmc5R9I-Qs6gbCS5CuVl3Dqf0KbK8ex3pV4w8cgOPIMl-6lyqM4b4rG7R_CPokGSeqCBoGxOHh_EMiscEZSpfm7v7gBPhAO-jCNADH4hDCNsFn/s320/reflect.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230469305682262322" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzi-wrAhu7zUIyZE1juwWQzCVCrIlhI9uKqTLhO3UprgfLUhgOb_Q0zBA8UJMg55dI5W0WwWw996fkeB_r4uxlN4-1Zv6YR4fTK-dZys-nLqa6OkSDoqlTqlEwBHyhxYUOcvxFHrU2774e/s1600-h/standoff.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzi-wrAhu7zUIyZE1juwWQzCVCrIlhI9uKqTLhO3UprgfLUhgOb_Q0zBA8UJMg55dI5W0WwWw996fkeB_r4uxlN4-1Zv6YR4fTK-dZys-nLqa6OkSDoqlTqlEwBHyhxYUOcvxFHrU2774e/s320/standoff.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230469309820163522" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8a6VNx32mRSVyBeHicMEhqMG8F1unOZLJSq-fjujPUUFNPk6OExqNaQWHjHebWTnyeoFzUKY95ticCzvC2uZVJTF8_xCHU-4ZTpKekg2ILXgSAqmKd04n0GbAJMJaxcKeBfE9yucaiQeA/s1600-h/birdie.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8a6VNx32mRSVyBeHicMEhqMG8F1unOZLJSq-fjujPUUFNPk6OExqNaQWHjHebWTnyeoFzUKY95ticCzvC2uZVJTF8_xCHU-4ZTpKekg2ILXgSAqmKd04n0GbAJMJaxcKeBfE9yucaiQeA/s320/birdie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5230469307130617810" border="0" /></a>All in all, I really enjoyed this supposedly "minor" work from Hong Kong badass Johnnie To. I don't think it quite upended <i>Election 2</i> as my favorite (of what I've seen, anyway), but it's definitely worth checking out. Hopefully it'll get a little more recognition once it's released in the US.Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09807707408479752678noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2305727332594383147.post-86444356535292428562008-07-29T20:40:00.001-07:002009-01-19T00:40:12.726-08:00No, I Won't Shut Up About Kiyoshi Kurosawa<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjBP7bnp3ggOqg5jHY6TbAhq9xG6YXB_mQamKdDdRg8Xrz9w3n_EXsvGToODZ51gq4HykOSnHuVPgg7fIA_nDQ4HNTf0ke0tlvQ8tbipgpjTgvlYHiGsgixDVIrbqSyUZytO3NFJ1s_AS/s1600-h/kurosawa.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPjBP7bnp3ggOqg5jHY6TbAhq9xG6YXB_mQamKdDdRg8Xrz9w3n_EXsvGToODZ51gq4HykOSnHuVPgg7fIA_nDQ4HNTf0ke0tlvQ8tbipgpjTgvlYHiGsgixDVIrbqSyUZytO3NFJ1s_AS/s200/kurosawa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5228647246323582850" border="0" /></a>Here's a rarity for you: a short post. Well I've struck some blog gold and wanted to share. Michael Guillen of <a href="http://theeveningclass.blogspot.com/">The Evening Class</a> is hosting a <a href="http://theeveningclass.blogspot.com/2008/07/kiyoshi-kurosawa-blogathon_25.html">Kiyoshi Kurosawa blogathon</a>. There's more great reading about a great filmmaker there than I can even begin to talk about. (You may even find a reference to <a href="http://kinetoscopeparlor.blogspot.com/2008/05/other-kurosawa.html">my own</a> humble Kurosawa post from months past.) If you don't know shit about Kurosawa, here's your chance to learn. If you <i>do</i> know shit about Kurosawa, then write a damn blog post!<br /><br />So go to <a href="http://www.levideo.com/">Le Video</a> (or your local equivalent), get a stack of Kurosawa flicks, put on your Face Eyes, and sit in your <a href="http://achewood.com/index.php?date=07022004">Body Chair</a> <i>dammit</i>.Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09807707408479752678noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2305727332594383147.post-24171985398323484642008-07-27T19:17:00.000-07:002009-01-19T00:50:37.198-08:0012 Reasons Not to End Your Life (Just Yet)It would seem I've been chosen by Scott of <a href="http://he-shot-cyrus.blogspot.com/">He Shot Cyrus</a> to <i>blow your fucking minds</i>. I hope that's cool. Specifically, <a href="http://lazyeyetheatre.blogspot.com/2008/07/12-movies-meme.html">Lazy Eye Theatre</a> is hosting the 12 Movies Meme, in which some of us internet jerks pretend we have some place to show great movies besides our stupid apartments. The idea is that if <a href="http://www.strangecultureblog.com/2008/07/diablo-cody-chooses-12-films.html">Diablo Cody can do it</a>, then actual, real human beings who know things about movies can probably do it even better.<br /><br />So the rules are basically:<br />1) Pick 12 movies<br />2) Explain yo' damn self<br />3) Pick 5 more people to carry on your wretched torch<br /><br />By now pretty much every non-famous person's blog that I read has already been nominated, so I'm just going to skip that last part. Or how about this: if you're reading this, have a blog, and haven't been nominated, I nominate YOU. Get to work!<br /><br />On to my selections. You'll notice that only 7 of the 12 are Asian (and one <i>set</i> in Asia, I guess). I feel that I've shown considerable restraint here. You, collectively, should be proud of me.<br /><br /><b>Night 1: Consumerism Is Kind of Rad?</b><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0c20GArKxbW-fbrP09WsjVjzGdNxQg-VdjBEaV1fqoo-hUO_J7paMWYdAtxlbanoBBEx8dmrgasTOc6OU95TcDEwQUbDsA5cHO4MG47Erc1_XUkdsOkXurL4h-VWZFYCM0Yh0LCJAv9ip/s1600-h/dawndead.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0c20GArKxbW-fbrP09WsjVjzGdNxQg-VdjBEaV1fqoo-hUO_J7paMWYdAtxlbanoBBEx8dmrgasTOc6OU95TcDEwQUbDsA5cHO4MG47Erc1_XUkdsOkXurL4h-VWZFYCM0Yh0LCJAv9ip/s200/dawndead.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227867667280242274" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM3VHRWqNI8DFZR-rHJtKsZL77MMJUHN6EtCCzx25LO-GYqWAURnRYE2ew0HE-TaX6h4zAoxF1mpkOU5Er5KWsXnmOcJUY-tmUiCanLJbeWFU_yxV1vR5zIeLYVd9GqbjUOGbNPA73ld1T/s1600-h/choppingmall.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM3VHRWqNI8DFZR-rHJtKsZL77MMJUHN6EtCCzx25LO-GYqWAURnRYE2ew0HE-TaX6h4zAoxF1mpkOU5Er5KWsXnmOcJUY-tmUiCanLJbeWFU_yxV1vR5zIeLYVd9GqbjUOGbNPA73ld1T/s200/choppingmall.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227867761260150642" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077402/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Dawn of the Dead</span></a> / <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090837/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Chopping Mall</span></a><br />Do you like consumerism? Well you probably shouldn't! But don't take <i>my</i> word for it. Just watch these two horrifying cautionary tales.<br /><br /><b>Night 2: Lock and Loll!</b><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9kunW0OZjcBYi4HKb8VBgBmpZCK46A_WQZ80RDPjQYqC8JzSybBpQZMZil3A9tiMK2H0BPAEht5E3iguvVlDRC0rUEuwT3bJ-WSOQtegJtEPZ6jyYKBckl3wX8XHrVVXXzIJRMl4eGGO/s1600-h/lindalinda.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV9kunW0OZjcBYi4HKb8VBgBmpZCK46A_WQZ80RDPjQYqC8JzSybBpQZMZil3A9tiMK2H0BPAEht5E3iguvVlDRC0rUEuwT3bJ-WSOQtegJtEPZ6jyYKBckl3wX8XHrVVXXzIJRMl4eGGO/s200/lindalinda.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227868951840049298" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYiyiZjWHig_71_Cj6vf9uGdz_NMVni7-ELdrpTCxZu4qVKgGrQ-NJiKVFOpDqW8RGSa6YTkhsEyE5tpBNmlW_vviqTYPtFvZy2CuFLKEAHk9313OAzTazUS6e3X0cEPkwJlhyphenhyphenOaBAd2nd/s1600-h/wild-zero.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYiyiZjWHig_71_Cj6vf9uGdz_NMVni7-ELdrpTCxZu4qVKgGrQ-NJiKVFOpDqW8RGSa6YTkhsEyE5tpBNmlW_vviqTYPtFvZy2CuFLKEAHk9313OAzTazUS6e3X0cEPkwJlhyphenhyphenOaBAd2nd/s200/wild-zero.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227868954225846882" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468795/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Linda Linda Linda</span></a> / <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0267116/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Wild Zero</span></a><br />In Japan, Rock and Roll still means something.<br /><br /><b>Night 3: Eastern Westerns</b><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0joQgiz5TgsMHRGX1YD3f0QChKZrJcjOPNiffVsXf64HLC2CEHWWwVffeMKe5rlj2uy_P7bA71vcUBndSNyaCCPpLBYDHN84UjiT5JjRJ_Sztov136XK58XYl8SottYk-CNDq4sTltUR/s1600-h/exiled.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi0joQgiz5TgsMHRGX1YD3f0QChKZrJcjOPNiffVsXf64HLC2CEHWWwVffeMKe5rlj2uy_P7bA71vcUBndSNyaCCPpLBYDHN84UjiT5JjRJ_Sztov136XK58XYl8SottYk-CNDq4sTltUR/s200/exiled.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227869477075823586" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrXXPohuknUpGPbuwCR8BZCm95c14yeX5ija5dduUuzzWRs_hcojWUzYC3a9h082iwP3yqnxTnbIsGg3fxodBt1KJUf0Pw27ucFOkiIVniUhyEZWtlHhRiBHRX-CJqfvrB1r9tYeB7UpB1/s1600-h/sukiyaki_western.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrXXPohuknUpGPbuwCR8BZCm95c14yeX5ija5dduUuzzWRs_hcojWUzYC3a9h082iwP3yqnxTnbIsGg3fxodBt1KJUf0Pw27ucFOkiIVniUhyEZWtlHhRiBHRX-CJqfvrB1r9tYeB7UpB1/s200/sukiyaki_western.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227869478278485074" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0796212/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Exiled</span></a> / <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0906665/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Sukiyaki Western Django</span></a><br />What happens when people from Asia make westerns? Let's find out together! Hugs!<br /><br /><b>Night 4: Everyone Loves... Homoeroticism!</b><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-vpMJklJeSOxgFe-O5VZhTHKaXO6tbrnCI_lCAVlq70SHqUfSjbWuaHTQcun3g40XCWZXIBWDSaP96bM3ussIGReiO3fCBG1mmHpHEahSVVfzSyQ6dSMgwyxxrCnfh4Xqxl4BMGxZ8B3/s1600-h/deadringers.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ-vpMJklJeSOxgFe-O5VZhTHKaXO6tbrnCI_lCAVlq70SHqUfSjbWuaHTQcun3g40XCWZXIBWDSaP96bM3ussIGReiO3fCBG1mmHpHEahSVVfzSyQ6dSMgwyxxrCnfh4Xqxl4BMGxZ8B3/s200/deadringers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227870300917186610" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkj06iKjoyo-ckgXxgBsCObFxczF9NcyenA14nvuB297psqbTkgAi2_PonKJcYI2pg6p41XC4Dl5Fl3ri93DgT4OFL7z8VWt5Kg5cXSdarHBW0H5HHH0zwC0DvFCRgqFY7EJoGzOSB-y1v/s1600-h/gozu.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkj06iKjoyo-ckgXxgBsCObFxczF9NcyenA14nvuB297psqbTkgAi2_PonKJcYI2pg6p41XC4Dl5Fl3ri93DgT4OFL7z8VWt5Kg5cXSdarHBW0H5HHH0zwC0DvFCRgqFY7EJoGzOSB-y1v/s200/gozu.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227870307647773714" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094964/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Dead Ringers</span></a> / <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361668/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Gozu</span></a><br />Do you think that it is bad for a man to give another man kisses, or do you agree that it is okay?<br /><br /><b>Night 5: Remember When Exploitation Didn't Have Anything to Do With Tarantino? Neither Do I!</b><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_ZlDybaPY1XCEkw-ggfNX8ozN_Z_kapxyPpoy0aD9XIh-hSf8npuEiXRlY2nFIOuCq3ja0-3oCABwr_OjIT9ft0OlWgTxRlOq5JiIhQpeihu8Uno7mgblNWcLW7MRbkKRWh0IzRIv6Et/s1600-h/lady_poster.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_ZlDybaPY1XCEkw-ggfNX8ozN_Z_kapxyPpoy0aD9XIh-hSf8npuEiXRlY2nFIOuCq3ja0-3oCABwr_OjIT9ft0OlWgTxRlOq5JiIhQpeihu8Uno7mgblNWcLW7MRbkKRWh0IzRIv6Et/s200/lady_poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227870615857258978" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguAdHzhBH6t9uVQTOmJqZeVvsuZrAfTRf4K9ko9dd2EP1U-AE1blB_zU5kCbhhvDXbnYLk4UdP5rwHkqIop9V1m-Bd4gQ2kcgP_Nqh5cXL9LDLz3QlM914UcFQGdz6GMjQ8vnWFInKZy1G/s1600-h/ilsa.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguAdHzhBH6t9uVQTOmJqZeVvsuZrAfTRf4K9ko9dd2EP1U-AE1blB_zU5kCbhhvDXbnYLk4UdP5rwHkqIop9V1m-Bd4gQ2kcgP_Nqh5cXL9LDLz3QlM914UcFQGdz6GMjQ8vnWFInKZy1G/s200/ilsa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227870619989291698" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158714/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Lady Snowblood</span></a> / <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071650/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Ilsa, She Wolf of the SS</span></a><br />Ironically (not really), Tarantino is actually mentioned on that <i>Lady Snowblood</i> poster. Fuck that! What this world needs is a <i>real</i> grindhouse double feature.<br /><br /><b>Night 6: Girls I Am Pretend-Married To</b><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HVMCb5Gnxy7n4avnAKZ4kLfK6a1-hshXqabSjWBf5KuYkS8GtsnzXcWWHowd9FXysuItB_qWTJcRfyqkM2BBBm1REtE3piY9ns8OM7UWWbwqwdTUBciraNi1GEHBeuv92PzLqB0sThFm/s1600-h/chunkking-express.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4HVMCb5Gnxy7n4avnAKZ4kLfK6a1-hshXqabSjWBf5KuYkS8GtsnzXcWWHowd9FXysuItB_qWTJcRfyqkM2BBBm1REtE3piY9ns8OM7UWWbwqwdTUBciraNi1GEHBeuv92PzLqB0sThFm/s200/chunkking-express.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227871277625354098" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig57Fo-kTyuXHP7dPR33Td2wi2X7enx5h1FFfM85KamlJrUSZjsfGdoVfrR9PplGdh7jrbxiJ2C7BXYAFut-udLiYgJv0RsPpCE2Rg4XAbbGYEDjsJNuUo2SyYoq-u39vywX2cxgUk5s-K/s1600-h/lost_in_translation.jpg"> <img style="cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEig57Fo-kTyuXHP7dPR33Td2wi2X7enx5h1FFfM85KamlJrUSZjsfGdoVfrR9PplGdh7jrbxiJ2C7BXYAFut-udLiYgJv0RsPpCE2Rg4XAbbGYEDjsJNuUo2SyYoq-u39vywX2cxgUk5s-K/s200/lost_in_translation.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227871282514995698" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109424/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Chungking Express</span></a> / <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0335266/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Lost in Translation</span></a><br />In case you're confused, the girls I'm referring to are <a href="http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Bungalow/3898/jksl-1.jpg">Faye Wong</a> and <a href="http://www.virginmedia.com/images/1scarlett-gal-lost-translation.jpg">Scarlett Johansson</a>. I'm actually pretend-married to <a href="http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/4824/ck1.jpg">Tony Leung</a> as well, although he did recently get <a href="http://www.varietyasiaonline.com/kaijushakedown/WEDDING-OF-THE-MILLENNIUM">married for real</a> (not to me).<br /><br />So... what do you guys think? Would this be a successful near-week of movie watching glory? I'm inclined to think so. If anyone has a spare theater lying around, let me know and we'll find out for sure.Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09807707408479752678noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2305727332594383147.post-91678103755496375722008-07-21T22:23:00.000-07:002009-01-19T00:41:09.853-08:00Dark Meat<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOeN6gTRiThBf6uO9UDkwfwmmpEFsOG_y_rSwYQWQEcxiW1hQGe4e1wXwtRdZuh3TJMeBxtOkylzaoqdgMnohK6PiU9l8zsqco3Jli7mwucYlSD8JgzRwhGb_pm46PpzeVE_72pyCn42vJ/s1600-h/poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOeN6gTRiThBf6uO9UDkwfwmmpEFsOG_y_rSwYQWQEcxiW1hQGe4e1wXwtRdZuh3TJMeBxtOkylzaoqdgMnohK6PiU9l8zsqco3Jli7mwucYlSD8JgzRwhGb_pm46PpzeVE_72pyCn42vJ/s320/poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225707950120744770" border="0" /></a><i>(Note: this post will probably be full of spoilers, but judging by the box office numbers everyone on the goddam planet has seen this movie at least once by now, so I guess it doesn't matter.)</i><br /><br />I just got out of <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0468569/">The Dark Knight</a></i>, and I wanted to get something written down while I'm still floating in a haze of big budget wonder. I have a bad habit of convincing myself I didn't actually like a movie if given enough time to think about it, so I figure the sooner the better. But don't be surprised if I end up hating it by the end of this post. But right now? Totally don't hate it. Think it's pretty rad, in fact. Most people seem to agree. I haven't read any reviews or anything yet (reading reviews before seeing movies is totally lame, and I will stand by that until I die), but right now <i>Dark Knight</i> is #1 on IMDB by a fairly substantial margin. These numbers are early, and will clearly dip once more people actually see the damn thing, but even still: that is <i>crazy</i>. You people love this movie more than any other movie. And by "you people" of course I mean people who actually go to IMDB and rate a movie after watching it. But I guess your opinion matters? I mean, I'm typing this into a text box on a screen so it will be posted to a fake internet idea called a "blog," so I guess I'm not really one to talk.<br /><br />Some initial thoughts, in the form of a numbered list:<br /><br /><b>1)</b> I heard two things about this movie before seeing it. (a) That it's a more "realistic" Batman movie, and (b) that it's "very dark." Neither of these things are accurate. Realistic? Certainly, there are a number of different ideas of what might constitute realism--De Sica this is not, I get that. But dammit people, when I see the batmobile (a largish vehicle, keep in mind) <i>leap into the air like a goddam animal</i> to intercept a bazooka shot, "realism" isn't the term that comes to mind. Not that I'm complaining--let me make that clear. These types of ridiculous feats are, in my mind, totally acceptable and <i>necessary</i> in the realm of Gotham. I feed on them, if you must know. But realism? The only explanation I can come up with is that people accidentally wandered into <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1114277/">Up the Yangtze</a></i> or something by mistake, and thought it was <i>Dark Knight</i>. ("Man, Christian Bale really is a master of accents! His mandarin is terrific!")<br /><br />As for the darkness? Well, I guess it was. But I wanted <i>dark</i> dark. I wanted nightmares. I wanted (more) disturbing imagery. I wanted death and decay and unstoppable moral corruption. Here's my real dilemma: I wanted something that, these days, no major studio is going to give me. I wanted an R rating! Box office suicide, I know. I don't care. Just imagine what could have been...<br /><br />(While I'm thinking about it, has everybody seen <a href="http://youtube.com/watch?v=Hjp0I_okX0w"><i>Batman Dead End</i></a>? Back before Nolan took the helm, it was the closest we had to a good Batman movie for several years. If you haven't seen it, DON'T read the description. Just watch it. And turn the lights out.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkwBIq_vRfMZUCWRRuTkG_TozrIEBO8Gbhh3AeJ0Nk1tG0unqC_DV7LTpkIQuAkqAv1wMiACxgSHnLcA8MeOfLZswMVx5CSM-35gVcE55NxmFI4owuuaVVK0uEiibQqbDA1Lk8qL7kwOV/s1600-h/thebat.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMkwBIq_vRfMZUCWRRuTkG_TozrIEBO8Gbhh3AeJ0Nk1tG0unqC_DV7LTpkIQuAkqAv1wMiACxgSHnLcA8MeOfLZswMVx5CSM-35gVcE55NxmFI4owuuaVVK0uEiibQqbDA1Lk8qL7kwOV/s320/thebat.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225708427537461074" border="0" /></a><b>2)</b> Maggie Gyllenhaal is one-thousand percent better than Katie Holmes. Katie Holmes is bullshit.<br /><br /><b>3)</b> I almost tried to convince myself that I didn't like Heath Ledger as the Joker, just to be able to argue with people--but I really did. He was great. I was, I'll admit, a little worried the first time he gave his "how I got these scars" speech. My vision clouded with rage at the notion of the Joker having such a clich<span class="hw">é</span> origin story. But thankfully it was a fakeout, and the Nolans left him <i>exactly</i> how he should be: a rootless agent of pure chaos. I mean, he's still no <a href="http://mikeresponts.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/cesargay.jpg">Cesar Romero</a>... but I can't fault him for that.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5LR6MasqozudPKlhpl0xHRTvjb71lFSVdwAsRWKxv3vx2oRzQXq-TeSrL8G8o_E34Ya5FqravLgMr-aT4jdAa5AR5rmQet0LWVpjiZN2mJA0lCwWvOZ9MZROkODa_ODvtAc8CFt7N7BIy/s1600-h/heathbar.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5LR6MasqozudPKlhpl0xHRTvjb71lFSVdwAsRWKxv3vx2oRzQXq-TeSrL8G8o_E34Ya5FqravLgMr-aT4jdAa5AR5rmQet0LWVpjiZN2mJA0lCwWvOZ9MZROkODa_ODvtAc8CFt7N7BIy/s320/heathbar.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225708137169069202" border="0" /></a><b>4)</b> Much better than the earlier film (which I still liked). I tend to get bored with <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0372784/">Batman Begins</a></i> about an hour in, but with <i>Dark Knight</i> it was exactly the opposite: an hour in is when it really started to get good. Actually, let me be more specific. (Also, spoiler alert.) I <i>really</i> started to enjoy it the second Maggie Gyllenhaal exploded. Not because I didn't like her, obviously. It was just a total surprise. Not the fact that she was going to explode, but <i>how</i> she exploded. Mid-fucking-word! Right in the middle of her teary goodbye! Needless to say, I was the only one in the (totally sold-out) theater laughing uproariously at that point. And from there everything just got better. The Joker dressing like a nurse and blowing up hospitals, civilians at each other's throats, Batman beating up cops, and so on. Oh, and also...<br /><br /><b>5)</b> Two-Face actually looks kind of creepy, instead of just dumb. And they did away with the whole "disfigured by acid" story, which is hell of pass<span class="hw">é</span> nowadays. Straight up gasoline and fire. That's realism for you!<br /><br /><b>6)</b> Am I the only person on Earth who is tired of Morgan Freeman? I don't care about him anymore. I will surely go to hell for saying this, but is there not <i>one</i> other non-threatening african-american actor out there that can be cast in these kinds of roles?<br /><br /><b>7)</b> The politics of the movie are a little shady, which I guess comes with the territory. We get a lot of double-talk about the cost of justice and freedom and all that, but basically Bruce Wayne is a rich white man who tells everybody what to believe, and we are (more or less) supposed to consider this is a good thing. It's no <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416449/">300</a></i> or anything mind you--there <span style="font-style: italic;">are</span> dashes of ambiguity here and there. But still.<br /><br /><b>8)</b> Speaking of Zack Snyder: the <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0409459/">Watchmen</a></i> trailer played before the movie. Naturally I had already seen it about 400,000 times online, but it was interesting to see the audience's reaction. Will this movie be worthwhile? Probably not. It basically just looks like they gave Snyder a green screen and a camera with the "slow motion" button taped down again. (I'm pretty sure that's how cameras work.) But surprisingly, the trailer was actually kind of... cool? I guess we'll find out next year.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDAang_xzhq2AVDIP53uMoXKSPdh4VOSeIU3gyPBtxpWcy8OPBdYfBc39QPES0zleVu0bs3Rtn5fKUrCrMpB3jdRkjpeT5jehmTT430pmb2WyAMcvL7HSu0V0_HCle0_bAskbxU1yaRcu/s1600-h/betterthansnyder.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMDAang_xzhq2AVDIP53uMoXKSPdh4VOSeIU3gyPBtxpWcy8OPBdYfBc39QPES0zleVu0bs3Rtn5fKUrCrMpB3jdRkjpeT5jehmTT430pmb2WyAMcvL7HSu0V0_HCle0_bAskbxU1yaRcu/s320/betterthansnyder.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5225708854725973522" border="0" /></a><i>(Now that I've finished writing this I don't feel like reading it over, so kindly ignore any crazy spelling mistakes or endless rambling sentences. I've just opened a bottle of wine and I don't really feel up to proof reading.)</i>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09807707408479752678noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2305727332594383147.post-78729560695407887732008-07-13T18:29:00.000-07:002009-01-19T00:41:42.064-08:00Fire Walk With MeI realize I'm a little late to the party for this one, but I recently finished watching the entire <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098936/"><i>Twin Peaks</i></a> series for the first time. I know! Inexcusable! Where have I <i>been</i>? In my defense, when the show originally aired I was a scant 6 years old, living TV-less and ignorant in the mountains of Northern California. The closest I had were my weekly excursions to the neighbor's house to watch <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096697/"><i>The Simpsons</i></a>, at my mother's insistence. And all I knew about David Lynch was that I thought <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080678/"><i>Elephant Man</i></a> was scary and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087182/"><i>Dune</i></a> was boring. (My feelings haven't changed drastically in either case.) Yet here was this incredible television phenomenon, exploding right under my one-track pre-pubescent nose. In the following years I heard a lot about it, naturally, though I never went any further than just making a mental note to watch it at some point in the future.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjcO2slv1xbOWN9RK1SWRXzAwp620zh2p5lUjnsd3pPdrAS2eO-4MCw0c4b2v0uGNCsgn40F_A_WJaNKuuHPAGg3Yj3C4x4S8fu-MiA4cbH8V_zI9oYzYbJBmqwOIlfpKO9bB0YMrNEfTr/s1600-h/twinpeaks.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjcO2slv1xbOWN9RK1SWRXzAwp620zh2p5lUjnsd3pPdrAS2eO-4MCw0c4b2v0uGNCsgn40F_A_WJaNKuuHPAGg3Yj3C4x4S8fu-MiA4cbH8V_zI9oYzYbJBmqwOIlfpKO9bB0YMrNEfTr/s320/twinpeaks.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222676814499515282" border="0" /></a>So it pretty much just stagnated on my "to-watch" list, perpetually getting bumped down in favor of something more immediately rewarding. What a fool I was! Oh Past-Keith, you great slippery twat! What the hell were you thinking? <i>Didn't you know that Twin Peaks is amazing?!</i><br /><br />Luckily, (this) summer happened. Summer is the perfect time of year for my own personal brand of escapist hedonism. It's a time for media binges of every variety. It's a time to watch an entire television series in one sitting. Curtains drawn. Unwashed fists shoving dry Kix into grinning mouths. Demented, bleary-eyed glee. Let summer never end!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZClJJmOLVEwFHGIVtq-P5LTfaXUp2AM1nxj9UPfExQIUA43opt55TDJHhiZ-j2xn9EkLxmLRm6flSWIsJKTMfpNgTdEJ8TFmUYGLsjITTD2qCvcHzeQ9rARkaAmyaChpWANOSGP5UvZh/s1600-h/screamer.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbZClJJmOLVEwFHGIVtq-P5LTfaXUp2AM1nxj9UPfExQIUA43opt55TDJHhiZ-j2xn9EkLxmLRm6flSWIsJKTMfpNgTdEJ8TFmUYGLsjITTD2qCvcHzeQ9rARkaAmyaChpWANOSGP5UvZh/s320/screamer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222677497850063554" border="0" /></a>Uh... anyway. The premise, in case you're not familiar, is this: Laura Palmer, typical popular high school girl, is found dead in the sleepy northwestern town of Twin Peaks. The crime must be solved! And that's it. What most shows would base a single episode on, Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost construct an entire <i>series</i> around. You had better believe that these guys have wicked sack.<br /><br />With the murder as its starting point the show expands outward, and soon it's clear that this wholesome little town is festering with various ancient evils, as well as plenty of regular ol' sex and drugs. It brings to mind <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090756/"><i>Blue Velvet</i></a> for obvious reasons, and not just because of Kyle MacLachlan's presence as Special Agent Dale Cooper. It must be said though: MacLachlan ties everything together brilliantly. When I was watching the first episode I was consumed with doubt, ready to turn it off and dismiss <i>Twin Peaks</i> as "one of those things." Then about 20 minutes in, "Coop" was introduced, and the show transformed into something ten times what it was. It's hard to explain, but Lynch's direction combined with MacLachlan's acting just... well, you've seen <i>Blue Velvet</i>. It's a very, very good thing.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-FdKe4-GnjOxCHLnvaN3nu-685MAJOXZeQWtJbDXqh7xsxLA1LBFmt3Pgs0bVOqMx1jMFU9Gz5EaUVLtzzOccraWN1zXazbebAyVteNng73I-mhCe0Qk1UUDaWvcCNDuJinQBynFSFex8/s1600-h/Agentdalecooper.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-FdKe4-GnjOxCHLnvaN3nu-685MAJOXZeQWtJbDXqh7xsxLA1LBFmt3Pgs0bVOqMx1jMFU9Gz5EaUVLtzzOccraWN1zXazbebAyVteNng73I-mhCe0Qk1UUDaWvcCNDuJinQBynFSFex8/s320/Agentdalecooper.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222676995110810098" border="0" /></a>And speaking of Lynch's direction, it's raging at full force here. You get the definite sense you are taking part in a David Lynch product through a good portion of the series. It's actually kind of uncanny--almost immediately, within the first shot, it's 100% clear whether or not Lynch directed the episode you're watching. Long before his credit ever pops up on the screen you can <i>feel</i> him behind the camera. Or not. Unfortunately, once the second season rolled around, it was usually "not." Lynch took off after completing its premiere, and was absent for most of the show's remaining life. And this is where the <i>Twin Peaks</i> universe takes a sharp nose dive. For most of the over-long second season, the show loses any momentum it had built up. The writing becomes ridiculous even by Lynch standards, the acting turns rancid, and the direction eeks by as just short of mediocre.<br /></div><br />A lot of this had to do with the fact that the writers were suddenly pressured by the network jerk-offs to solve the murder of Laura Palmer. Idiots aren't fond of open-endedness, as we all know, and the fact that a mystery could begin without being neatly solved 44 minutes later was a terrible strain on their struggling attention spans. So the writers (the poor dogs) solved it. Right in the middle of the second season, they shit all over what made the show so goddam compelling in the first place. Suddenly and without warning, <i>Twin Peaks</i> had no premise, no direction. Each episode was more laughable than the last, and they struggled to find a reason for their core characters to even appear on screen. For the second time in my marathon run, I considered simply turning it off and forgetting the whole damn thing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1NEroggjNEhOGYzE2SHw_U07Y2bHFwoX-6me_QAp9u7gXjNkA9nTA1TxjYjf1YxXyOMd4am1SoQpJ5Y6P1TwyucLgWHVYmPjjzx0VJutBS5NhJ4hfL6r3ThytCA95v23Tu6TicHp6sdg/s1600-h/giant.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha1NEroggjNEhOGYzE2SHw_U07Y2bHFwoX-6me_QAp9u7gXjNkA9nTA1TxjYjf1YxXyOMd4am1SoQpJ5Y6P1TwyucLgWHVYmPjjzx0VJutBS5NhJ4hfL6r3ThytCA95v23Tu6TicHp6sdg/s320/giant.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222677752105587090" border="0" /></a>Apparently TV viewers of the time felt the same way, because ratings fell sharply and the show was canceled in the middle of the second season.<br /><br />But wait! Didn't I just say something about the "over-long" second season? Yes, oh yes! Thanks to the overwhelming power of pre-internet nerd-enforced petitions, the show was revived, and David Lynch returned to hoist it out of the sickening rut it had dug for itself. Of course I didn't know any of this while I was watching it, so I was thoroughly confused when the final 6 or so episodes suddenly got good again. But they did! Oh, how they did!<br /><br />Then it was <i>really</i> canceled. Shortly after, there was one last desperate kick of activity as a <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105665/">feature-length prequel</a> was released (to much hissing and booing), and then the <i>Twin Peaks</i> franchise finally died for good.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqu7Ip8e0BfjuRWlTfg-qSYi-JX2Yvv9qXuVZG4Fiox_x-w6yZDK6H1zNmwT9NX1sGcPSXPo-eGLWLMepPR6xPSTHtkm_-LcQ14cKYnu_quM4FdYKORJ5zaJObROwf9pX0y1jeW9Ac58C/s1600-h/typicalcops.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqu7Ip8e0BfjuRWlTfg-qSYi-JX2Yvv9qXuVZG4Fiox_x-w6yZDK6H1zNmwT9NX1sGcPSXPo-eGLWLMepPR6xPSTHtkm_-LcQ14cKYnu_quM4FdYKORJ5zaJObROwf9pX0y1jeW9Ac58C/s320/typicalcops.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222677965691277314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">I wonder how David Lynch feels about cops...</span><br /><br /></div>My main goal here is to stress the following point: if you haven't watched this show before, my <i>god</i>, do yourself a favor and queue that shit up. The influence <i>Twin Peaks</i> had on television, and popular media in general, is un-fucking-believable. It's impossible to imagine something like, say, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106179/"><i>The X-Files</i></a> existing without <i>Twin Peaks</i> paving the way.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfEHftgqsdXaJ3M0dxp4C3b7rSDoRTkuU1hVQZ5nAiRJV3oIs_y1DPm1vTnOCnEtUAfLcvW79B219vTL1oeLBZuZYfUiY1OTSvV7WFansI-Vw54ws5aOJm8KEKi0XQPigE2ld-if0qENYu/s1600-h/simpsons.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfEHftgqsdXaJ3M0dxp4C3b7rSDoRTkuU1hVQZ5nAiRJV3oIs_y1DPm1vTnOCnEtUAfLcvW79B219vTL1oeLBZuZYfUiY1OTSvV7WFansI-Vw54ws5aOJm8KEKi0XQPigE2ld-if0qENYu/s320/simpsons.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5222677122989650114" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The Simpsons' (perfectly accurate) take on Twin Peaks</span><br /></div><br />Speaking of which, one of David Duchovny's ealiest roles was on <i>Twin Peaks</i>, as Dennis "Denise" Bryson, the cross-dressing DEA agent. Without this show spotlighting his ability to play a slightly abnormal federal agent, who <i>knows</i> what <i>The X-Files</i> might have turned into. And countless other familiar faces will pop up as well: pre-SNL Molly Shannon, Billy Zane, Heather Graham, David Lynch himself, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001208/">that one guy</a> from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093870/"><i>RoboCop</i></a>, Henry from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074486/"><i>Eraserhead</i></a>, David Motherfucking <i>Bowie</i> (!?)... the list continues. Oh yeah, and one of my personal favorites: David Patrick Kelly, a.k.a. that asshole from <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080120/"><i>The Warriors</i></a>. You know the one--the finger pointer with the annoying voice who <i>really</i> <a href="http://www.he-shot-cyrus.blogspot.com/">shot Cyrus</a>.<br /><br />Okay, I'm gonna stop. I don't really want to go into any more detail here anyway, because even the <i>slightest</i> clue could totally ruin the show for one who hasn't seen it. So see it! Then we'll discuss.Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09807707408479752678noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2305727332594383147.post-2896669550447486182008-06-29T13:18:00.000-07:002009-01-19T00:40:12.726-08:00The Bright Side of Life<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebfvF2NLPvtzqF4j46tzJ2pIcS7ywIwqllkynqpKmUM-rRPxGNTzeUEWXpdY_3nHQk0hX_7RvcoA64GjHX5lrToobEj7Pmc69-g1NHMlk97bhXRndwbFP4E3eRn5WfGOUpbxy2j8E0H2F/s1600-h/poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiebfvF2NLPvtzqF4j46tzJ2pIcS7ywIwqllkynqpKmUM-rRPxGNTzeUEWXpdY_3nHQk0hX_7RvcoA64GjHX5lrToobEj7Pmc69-g1NHMlk97bhXRndwbFP4E3eRn5WfGOUpbxy2j8E0H2F/s320/poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217401544909460290" border="0" /></a>Anyone who keeps up with Asian film is probably well aware that the <a href="http://www.subwaycinema.com/">New York Asian Film Festival</a> is raging at full blast right now, giving the residents of that cursed coast their fill of all the best Asian flicks the rest of us will probably catch next year (if we're lucky). Well, with a few exceptions. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1183732/"><i>Tokyo Gore Police</i></a> played at a special closing night at San Francisco's very own <a href="http://sfindie.com/">Another Hole in the Head</a> festival, along with <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1050160/"><i>Machine Girl</i></a>. And Sion Sono's <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0904049/"><i>Exte</i></a> was there, though that's hitting DVD in July anyway. And we got <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0997147/"><i>Dai-Nipponjin</i></a> at the SFIFF I suppose. Bah! Anyway! The point is that a great way to keep up on future cult favorites, or even just <i>regular</i> favorites, is to be aware of what's going on in NY right now. Or, since so many great movies from years past have yet to reach our shores, know what went on in NY last year, or the year before.<br /><br />For instance, know what won the audience award at last year's NYAFF? I'll give you a hint: you're looking at its poster right now. Yup, Tetsuya Nakashima's tragic fairy tale, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0768120/"><i>Memories of Matsuko</i></a>. You may remember Nakashima from such previous favorites as <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0416220/"><i>Kamikaze Girls</i></a>, and... well, that's probably all you know him from at this point. That's the only one of his films that's really "made it" over here so far (not that he's done too much more than that, cinematically speaking). Anyway, let's take a look at <span style="font-style: italic;">Memories of Matsuko</span>. At the very least, maybe we can get to the bottom of what the hell that wonderfully vague phrase "tragic fairy tale" even means.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgBM2QUAENpPZNC-6Vj5f8nruYL9tSQaQT8nqCye0e87VLvlR8DKVa9vbzSUcAGqOytFF106qRQZxy6RiOJ1hiIfoXbAY-pRHtxVtucJ4UFM4sGdfC2lpigH3RhABncBE2tvDEFgSNOozi/s1600-h/kamikaze.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgBM2QUAENpPZNC-6Vj5f8nruYL9tSQaQT8nqCye0e87VLvlR8DKVa9vbzSUcAGqOytFF106qRQZxy6RiOJ1hiIfoXbAY-pRHtxVtucJ4UFM4sGdfC2lpigH3RhABncBE2tvDEFgSNOozi/s320/kamikaze.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217404337461294738" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Kamikaze Girls... cute!<br /></span></div><br />The film kicks off with Sho, a typical young failed musician type, getting dumped by his girlfriend. Apparently life with him is "a bore," and she wants out. Not one to be beaten down, the not-quite-heartbroken Sho hits Tokyo with a bottle in hand and a furious war cry familiar to all love-scorned young men: "SEX!"<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-PxNgf5BMNG5ppffF3zIcEjCTPgYG-HR4vuFkJb6_ZCzDbe0H4TEg5IDPcvApLbEFsqCmzs-PvVTz2nXXTViC5t79gjBfBigh5v9Sz0jiZ9YDWXrYEXmjPkrtPiBSHuwXUyjeihzKxc9O/s1600-h/dream.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-PxNgf5BMNG5ppffF3zIcEjCTPgYG-HR4vuFkJb6_ZCzDbe0H4TEg5IDPcvApLbEFsqCmzs-PvVTz2nXXTViC5t79gjBfBigh5v9Sz0jiZ9YDWXrYEXmjPkrtPiBSHuwXUyjeihzKxc9O/s320/dream.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217403954022289682" border="0" /></a>Cut to him passed out in his tiny apartment, surrounded by porn videos, being shaken awake by his father, whom he hasn't seen in two years. He comes bearing the ashes of his estranged sister, Sho's aunt, Matsuko Kawajiri. Apparently she was recently murdered, and Sho's father needs him to clean out her apartment, and take care of a few local details in Tokyo. With an obvious disapproving glance his father takes off, leaving Sho to his work. It's a touching relationship, much like every other father/child "bond" throughout the movie. One has to wonder what Nakashima's relationship with his dad was like...<br /><br />So Sho heads to Matsuko's place. What he finds there, aside from the endless piles of trash and boy band posters, is a note scrawled on the wall that reads "sorry for being born," apparently written by Matsuko before her death. He also finds a strange picture of her making an oddly hilarious face. His curiosity kicks in, and he goes about trying to discover what the hell this aunt of his was all about. The film unfolds from there in a series of flashbacks, each furthering Matsuko's story a bit more. Sho encounters various friends and acquaintances from Matsuko's past, and with each meeting her life becomes a little clearer. She begins as nothing more than a name attached to a "meaningless" life, and evolves into a complete human being. And naturally, Sho feels the weight of her death grow with every new detail he uncovers. The viewer, of course, is right there with him. As Matsuko's story expands, our emotional connections deepen as well, and the tragedy of her death really starts to pack a whallop.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuo4EGy7j_3R_0bW4p4qt443O32qrriAFRLej_Xggh87NHn4JK97oPK0CEy6pIpDzF6r8-JW7IqR1cZP5hIhRGgFYb2D6qo8brsn9aZ3WZ59zUpc6ienjHPfDM_bxjDWtXHRltLCbG0NCF/s1600-h/face.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuo4EGy7j_3R_0bW4p4qt443O32qrriAFRLej_Xggh87NHn4JK97oPK0CEy6pIpDzF6r8-JW7IqR1cZP5hIhRGgFYb2D6qo8brsn9aZ3WZ59zUpc6ienjHPfDM_bxjDWtXHRltLCbG0NCF/s320/face.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217404921809314754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQc0HQvznmZbd1wSCiJjDROpeMFVex8zIJP9NVvGCuF1hOStzBfg8TOdewY4fzC_BvIL5wTEZzXpaZSMWo55Qwtx68Q2SESlq_DGW7f2D5tU4VimOmgu0QIjZ6onIDdz3oO8XVmTEIx5EO/s1600-h/ohshitface.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQc0HQvznmZbd1wSCiJjDROpeMFVex8zIJP9NVvGCuF1hOStzBfg8TOdewY4fzC_BvIL5wTEZzXpaZSMWo55Qwtx68Q2SESlq_DGW7f2D5tU4VimOmgu0QIjZ6onIDdz3oO8XVmTEIx5EO/s320/ohshitface.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217405267310016338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">This makes a lot of sense to me.</span><br /></div><br />Despite how cheesy this all sounds, it's actually surprisingly powerful. Critics have compared <i>Matsuko</i> with the work of Naruse or Mizoguchi, and with good reason. Those familiar with <i>Kamikaze Girls</i> may be surprised to know that this is actually a very serious melodrama... sort of. I mean, if that was all there was to it, it probably wouldn't be worth your time. I certainly wouldn't have gone too far out of my way for it. What makes <i>Matsuko</i> really interesting is what Nakashima does with such a (typically) tragic story. Here's where those familiar with <i>Kamikaze Girls</i> probably <i>won't</i> be surprised. The treatment of these issues is <i>so</i> lighthearted, <i>so</i> happy-go-lucky, that it's almost unbelievable. As we witness Matsuko's life go steadily downhill--through prostitution, abusive boyfriends, murder, loneliness, and more--things couldn't possibly seem more upbeat. Everything is incredibly fantastic, with intensely bright colors and surreal set designs. There's also a healthy dose of animation, with cartoon birds soaring around Matsuko's head as she descends into her own personal hell. And I haven't even mentioned the copious musical numbers. Given this strange visual and tonal style, I feel pretty safe in saying that Nakashima is a fan of Jean-Pierre Jeunet. But then, so am I.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGruqPvr0fbzPJ6klPIaQuvEItraxKDd394LJ16YkeAY7K6CU1kXAP8fYfPaBJ7ylrBu9r_bHS7A2sd4rkNNnAX93gQQ1hCU1RMLXQbZKS55FEhyvFniuUjNq1bz0hgy_REdnbZZBupyg6/s1600-h/carnies.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGruqPvr0fbzPJ6klPIaQuvEItraxKDd394LJ16YkeAY7K6CU1kXAP8fYfPaBJ7ylrBu9r_bHS7A2sd4rkNNnAX93gQQ1hCU1RMLXQbZKS55FEhyvFniuUjNq1bz0hgy_REdnbZZBupyg6/s320/carnies.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217411334709756050" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1JU9vMTR48WFI52I8KNjDqZ6VE3DWtemvorQjQD722IFDETe1bgAy43_z4uuoAlwiXcLVStfnJlHgVFRoTPnzUe_oe9jHvda6JkQmk8O1wx_uAUpH_5P8W5G3ioMQNFf16SbNKydARs6Q/s1600-h/rad.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1JU9vMTR48WFI52I8KNjDqZ6VE3DWtemvorQjQD722IFDETe1bgAy43_z4uuoAlwiXcLVStfnJlHgVFRoTPnzUe_oe9jHvda6JkQmk8O1wx_uAUpH_5P8W5G3ioMQNFf16SbNKydARs6Q/s320/rad.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217412071181872930" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lqZw7pFjZbIdJGJ_tyUAvXHCjIO0HRbIfLtvC8T0KNbbiy5srzj3da3kZsb6Zh9WCXLOgUfgt22ELCJ7Ra87VcaS08Ci1rccdU-YSgqPHhyphenhyphenO3PcmpPvl1VMrl2EsvhNahnleIxQQRI13/s1600-h/dancin.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3lqZw7pFjZbIdJGJ_tyUAvXHCjIO0HRbIfLtvC8T0KNbbiy5srzj3da3kZsb6Zh9WCXLOgUfgt22ELCJ7Ra87VcaS08Ci1rccdU-YSgqPHhyphenhyphenO3PcmpPvl1VMrl2EsvhNahnleIxQQRI13/s320/dancin.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217441941597068386" border="0" /></a>Remember in <i>Kamikaze Girls</i> when Momoko suddenly flies into the air with a sprinkling of fairy dust? Just think of that, but mix it with Matsuko's boyfriend beating the shit out of her. Or Matsuko stabbing her pimp to death, covered with a mist of blood. Or her being disowned by her family after attacking and nearly killing her sickly little sister. And so on. When I say "melodrama," I mean it. It's just the oddest damn thing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLA5jnBRcIGwDeYo27JeFwgTfKIHZozDvrRXUmle1Gt9E9lHTfP1BAqNpIHTnkz01TUKIK8O5ICcEUdRQSXMCx7xfTwqDbvPqEeTfBlYLWOfL0cMaDp1ashMZuVcu1RFdGcgYGSL9QJOF2/s1600-h/stab.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLA5jnBRcIGwDeYo27JeFwgTfKIHZozDvrRXUmle1Gt9E9lHTfP1BAqNpIHTnkz01TUKIK8O5ICcEUdRQSXMCx7xfTwqDbvPqEeTfBlYLWOfL0cMaDp1ashMZuVcu1RFdGcgYGSL9QJOF2/s320/stab.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217407663047774354" border="0" /></a>There's been talk in various reviews about this being a film that supports the the Japanese patriarchy, and shows a woman that she needs to be "kept in her place." Some see Matsuko's struggle to find a man, and therefore happiness, as a lesson to other women. "You see what happens when you don't have a husband to keep you in line? Insanity, prostitution, prison, death. Get back in the kitchen." Frankly, I think that's bullshit. I can't <i>possibly</i> believe that Nakashima isn't dealing with the thickest possible layer of irony. Just look at the damn movie! How can you have a woman, beaten to a pulp, on the run from the yakuza that have nearly killed her boyfriend, limping down a road that would fit effortlessly into a PBS children's show, complete with cartoon birds and a face in the moon? I'll tell you how: IRONY. Oh, sweet irony. Nakashima is clearly showing us that life is no fairy tale. It's fucked up, it sucks, it's brutal. It never goes as planned. You start as a fairy princess and end up a hideously obese bag-lady, beaten to death by the side of a river. Get back in the kitchen indeed.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTcssUfOuv3ravmbXHyZN0clePkaEJPL5CJA-N6TIe7AIz8Jv3GdlFyqkw93BZTn-w4oFjYCXFsIVt-Mle7i_unT5azqpzamRTzyRRSB2kzm3ga-4S2mYwVNXHLAkx8izI_YIogNvR2U-/s1600-h/goodnightmoon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggTcssUfOuv3ravmbXHyZN0clePkaEJPL5CJA-N6TIe7AIz8Jv3GdlFyqkw93BZTn-w4oFjYCXFsIVt-Mle7i_unT5azqpzamRTzyRRSB2kzm3ga-4S2mYwVNXHLAkx8izI_YIogNvR2U-/s320/goodnightmoon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217406056281364626" border="0" /></a>If anything, the film clearly shows why it's a <i>terrible</i> idea for a woman to spend her life struggling to find a man. Instead of actually living, Matsuko spends her entire existence pining after any guy that gives her the slightest amount of attention. This lack of independence is her downfall, and is not in any way celebrated by the film. Well, except for in the various musical numbers, which I've already established are just <i>lousy</i> with irony. They're practically slick with the stuff. So again, I'm afraid I've got to call bullshit on those who take these things at face value. It's like the end of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079470/"><i>Life of Brian</i></a>: a group of people crucified, singing "always look on the bright side of life." So it's a happy ending, right? I mean... they're <i>singing</i>!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHDBLRFGUWqETB6NrBmammDutOJYEkYeBrO1oArjdf7-JEmCLpHKe8V5ChWM4DyE3YdvUTKvGXN4lQOyVUsEbaTZM1AjILiEU7JKkv1Ra9odbLFxU03DLzvsk_TguXa-6pGkT-jzIjwEm/s1600-h/happyhappy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcHDBLRFGUWqETB6NrBmammDutOJYEkYeBrO1oArjdf7-JEmCLpHKe8V5ChWM4DyE3YdvUTKvGXN4lQOyVUsEbaTZM1AjILiEU7JKkv1Ra9odbLFxU03DLzvsk_TguXa-6pGkT-jzIjwEm/s320/happyhappy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217407209134695042" border="0" /></a>So that's <i>Memories of Matsuko</i>. It's good, it's strange, it's worth tracking down. Not on DVD in the US yet, no surprise there. But it's around if you know where to look. If <i>Kamikaze Girls</i> is any indication, it'll be out here eventually. And this year's NYAFF promises plenty more gems to watch out for. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0872020/"><i>Strawberry Shortcakes</i></a> in particular is playing right now, and I can say firsthand it's pretty damn good. Maybe I'll write about that one later. I'd like to watch it again anyway.<br /><br />Oh, and Nakashima's newest film is coming out later this year (in Japan): <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1056435/"><i>Paco and the Magical Picture Book</i></a>. Having seen the teaser, I can say it definitely looks like a straight-up kids film, but still pretty interesting. Worth keeping an eye on, anyway. Plus, there's a frog prince/knight looking guy in it, who will <i>immediately</i> remind any well-informed person of Frog from <i>Chrono Trigger</i>. Seriously! Get out your SNES if you don't believe me.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhsKMdd2V1URmT_BTjfBQxILRY2dcTyanXxiKXWwmz2PrMSypgpn0NchuyGfe3ufIFpwrFSxnv4P64n4oEFYtJHxSOQ1Mogsi-E2X8c2EPCeRL1bJmrrEAT7Ir-KAT_qB2TMIim7UVRvX/s1600-h/paco.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhsKMdd2V1URmT_BTjfBQxILRY2dcTyanXxiKXWwmz2PrMSypgpn0NchuyGfe3ufIFpwrFSxnv4P64n4oEFYtJHxSOQ1Mogsi-E2X8c2EPCeRL1bJmrrEAT7Ir-KAT_qB2TMIim7UVRvX/s320/paco.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5217407998524472050" border="0" /></a>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09807707408479752678noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2305727332594383147.post-7561304866179435042008-06-09T15:35:00.000-07:002009-01-19T00:40:12.727-08:00Actually, Gang Violence Is Awesome<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdr9WMrwVpFXmt0RiZglomM-YD5yCyGPxyCFdG3CSx8biMeERg4RzC9QD18loc1Vrt90laVAsGNcMyQhZP1UzJtH7CzGGiWyV5Rd8O0Yt_1-lU8OpA8K3usdhPFiVVlnv4uOZfDu-Oqr41/s1600-h/poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdr9WMrwVpFXmt0RiZglomM-YD5yCyGPxyCFdG3CSx8biMeERg4RzC9QD18loc1Vrt90laVAsGNcMyQhZP1UzJtH7CzGGiWyV5Rd8O0Yt_1-lU8OpA8K3usdhPFiVVlnv4uOZfDu-Oqr41/s320/poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210014825547234866" border="0" /></a>It's a tough gig being a Takashi Miike fan. One must constantly battle the naysayers (of which there are plenty), and make an effort to somehow keep current with a director who makes movies faster than a normal person can watch them. And it's especially difficult to do from the US, given that most of his films don't come out here for at least a year or two after the fact. And with a handful of new movies every year, it's easy to overlook most of them for the one or two that are getting attention (positive or otherwise). For instance: last year (2007), what was the Miike movie that had everyone talking? <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0906665/"><i>Sukiyaki Western Django</i></a>, of course! No surprise there. It made the rounds at Venice, TIFF, and some others... you'll find no shortage of reviews and discussions about it. I bought the Japanese DVD, and I can say firsthand that it's great. But what about the rest of Miike's 2007 output? What about <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0991243/"><i>Like a Dragon</i></a>, and specifically for this post, what about <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1016290/"><i>Crows Zero</i></a>?<br /><br />Granted, <i>Crows</i> isn't the kind of movie that will garner any kind of international attention. It's basically a genre pic, though when you're dealing with Miike that means almost nothing. <i>Sukiyaki Western</i> is a genre pic. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361668/"><i>Gozu</i></a> is a genre pic. If you've seen either of these movies, you know what a stretch it is to call the former "just" a western, or the latter a plain old yakuza film. So when I say that <i>Crows</i> is a high school gang movie, you can take that for what it's worth (not much). What it definitely <i>is</i>, however, is a commercial film, and one that's aimed straight at the youth of Japan, right down to the teen heart-throb casting. Not exactly the kind of flick to sweep the arthouse circuit, in other words.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyAySG235KwVO3NRld0DL7lUl1l3Jz9exu0RkjLo2MfeTmV78KTRYcnAY42mCAZFbVnjoAskmMArB6IMkCLRq-UfkvJnGE-0kvgaLQ3s8DU4LKLcLOkZs_DrJu8Dzj6xhO1r36LMdJZFNh/s1600-h/crows.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyAySG235KwVO3NRld0DL7lUl1l3Jz9exu0RkjLo2MfeTmV78KTRYcnAY42mCAZFbVnjoAskmMArB6IMkCLRq-UfkvJnGE-0kvgaLQ3s8DU4LKLcLOkZs_DrJu8Dzj6xhO1r36LMdJZFNh/s320/crows.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210016633942699170" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">I wondered why it was called "Crows" until I saw this shot<br /></span></div><br />The film is a prequel to the <i>Crows</i> manga series (hence: <i>Crows Zero</i>), which is HUGE in Japan. I have a feeling its genesis was exactly the opposite of the kind of twisted alchemy we all assume goes into the conception of a Miike picture. It was likely the brainchild of some marketing a-hole, and it wouldn't surprise me if the only reason they asked Miike to direct was that they knew he could finish it faster/cheaper than anyone else. But that's all speculation. And besides, some of Miike's best work came into being that way.<br /><br />The setup is a little video game-ish, but it's perfect for a manga series (and by extension, a series of films). Genji, the hardass son of a hardass yakuza boss, transfers to Suzuran High, the toughest school in Japan. His plan? To form an army of followers, and to battle his way through the opposition in order to "conquer" the school. This supposedly impossible feat is the goal of every student in attendance, and the various classes form themselves into ad-hoc armies, with the strongest among them naturally rising to leadership positions.<br /><br />When Genji arrives, the school is under the thumb of Tamao Serizawa, the one closest to uniting all of Suzuran under his rule. His second in command is Tokiyo, who (naturally) is Genji's childhood friend. Oh, the drama! Given the nature of the plot, character development takes a back seat to the near-endless string of savage gang rumbles, though Miike does manage to scatter little chunks of romance and friendship throughout. With each victory, Genji claws his way a little closer to the inevitable final battle against Serizawa... the battle that every single audience member just knows is going to be <i>bad-fucking-ass</i>.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijr6AbKfdNrEmVXQNfVV26-VQD22l-kXGhpNfroimDc_NEgqO18gFMVamAaw2myDecFV_h34236c6h9vMAmC0QeBHKtpMxL2U3Jyvui4Jy6CyR4Zpj3N6Y6JDdeLbBi0n6dY8uwhE-8j_J/s1600-h/genjicrew.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijr6AbKfdNrEmVXQNfVV26-VQD22l-kXGhpNfroimDc_NEgqO18gFMVamAaw2myDecFV_h34236c6h9vMAmC0QeBHKtpMxL2U3Jyvui4Jy6CyR4Zpj3N6Y6JDdeLbBi0n6dY8uwhE-8j_J/s320/genjicrew.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210017480874413730" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBv0VQEkMTfF1X9akgL8NzuJnlTetn6Iv4rhzN9mti7kKx58KtlGLet_1MIyuc0iGF4Xv2KhBDUFIr7DQAsSGjbrBWIZAeid4djGNY8MIjpjS9VohPJi9fc5zNF4dRFOfnpeKFUgYtecn/s1600-h/faceoff.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXBv0VQEkMTfF1X9akgL8NzuJnlTetn6Iv4rhzN9mti7kKx58KtlGLet_1MIyuc0iGF4Xv2KhBDUFIr7DQAsSGjbrBWIZAeid4djGNY8MIjpjS9VohPJi9fc5zNF4dRFOfnpeKFUgYtecn/s320/faceoff.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210017741282730882" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR76MufjR5XO5vSLt6-W6imAJswM6S6uEWzFkUKJwCgABgEcqVZjglAKfEE08A1G7zj-toCNOgtegPc_c5kjnC2HFiV9R65Uh2etnoLkODwSLprQt9hJAI91LckaimJp1plsK_NmUpb03o/s1600-h/sun.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR76MufjR5XO5vSLt6-W6imAJswM6S6uEWzFkUKJwCgABgEcqVZjglAKfEE08A1G7zj-toCNOgtegPc_c5kjnC2HFiV9R65Uh2etnoLkODwSLprQt9hJAI91LckaimJp1plsK_NmUpb03o/s320/sun.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210017940052878946" border="0" /></a>And it is. Anyone who's seen <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0221111/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Dead or Alive</span></a> knows that Miike never disappoints when it comes to a final showdown.<br /><br />Which brings up an interesting aspect of the film: it totally glamorizes brutal gang violence, and in the context of a <i>school</i>, no less! Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this is <i>bad</i>--I think it's hilarious. Of course there are the obligatory little clues here and there that fighting may not solve life's problems, but those are completely swept aside by the glamor and excitement that beating the shit out of your classmates promises to bring. I can't imagine a little kid watching this and <i>not</i> being inspired to kick the hell out of everyone he meets. Miike just makes it look <i>so cool</i>. I was half tempted to start a gang war among SFSU's grad programs, just to see who <i>really</i> runs this school. (Of course I know very well that we cinema studies kids are the top dogs... but it'd be nice to bust some heads and get the recognition we deserve, right!?)<br /><br />Like any Miike film, <i>Crows</i> is strange, and a little uneven. The overall tone completely threw me off until I started thinking of it in more manga-like terms. The abrupt shifts from over-the-top slapstick to brutal violence to actual emotional intensity are a little strange, and those unfamiliar with manga (or anime) will find themselves scratching their heads during quite a few scenes. (For instance: when the most powerful fighter in the school hilariously crashes a minibike into the side of a van, complete with cartoon sound effects. See also: the human bowling pin scene.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLAQaS5rCMtAWFjgHx9vSvqGD2J5gS98u4_63aSvvhHfYP4d4drSkOD93Z5sjwgdX3G_pEKdx4rlm4b-it9kowIMpXlzFzWz6iVUtVnN4jPmpfaV-HOzzCrDHNe1vqu_0KhuSyWqpzoIK0/s1600-h/crash.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLAQaS5rCMtAWFjgHx9vSvqGD2J5gS98u4_63aSvvhHfYP4d4drSkOD93Z5sjwgdX3G_pEKdx4rlm4b-it9kowIMpXlzFzWz6iVUtVnN4jPmpfaV-HOzzCrDHNe1vqu_0KhuSyWqpzoIK0/s320/crash.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210019929129517042" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCulK9aBTf_efF9u6mwSBK6WAkdY3s_wPvt943n1LVDmgV5tJUTlXj8IEmAwPNMnexKzJke-4BCt8BvHoc-5OldteT4Q6EQOEWtH-1MwBYIAg2Av-4yZeko6Rbxd2NvjnADXX7SAhK19z/s1600-h/bowling.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmCulK9aBTf_efF9u6mwSBK6WAkdY3s_wPvt943n1LVDmgV5tJUTlXj8IEmAwPNMnexKzJke-4BCt8BvHoc-5OldteT4Q6EQOEWtH-1MwBYIAg2Av-4yZeko6Rbxd2NvjnADXX7SAhK19z/s320/bowling.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210020240779774194" border="0" /></a>And yet, <i>also</i> like any Miike film, there are plenty of moments that shine through all the genre schlock, the kind of tidbits that fans like me live for... when Miike lets down his guard and squeezes a little brilliance in with the standard (though delightful) B-movie fare. There's an oddly-shifting ratio of brilliance in Miike films (<i>Gozu</i> being an example of 100% brilliance, I would say), but it's always there if you look for it. Despite his best efforts, Miike continues to create art... and <i>Crows</i> is no exception. I won't go into detail here, mostly because I'd hate to throw out too many spoilers before people in the US can even watch the damn thing.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrJaqhKjVfy2Dg4hVoHD6-rw-qUdl3TPbH1JOSSV-DkE1v2NxVqIxjKDZC3bVi5vcfhQEddpT0BYocdWMCZOgYQhyphenhyphenZ6e0C8sEJ9siEwaQ6NI-boe3XgngJhULq1SoGG5Vf9bNzn72jpMYI/s1600-h/shot.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrJaqhKjVfy2Dg4hVoHD6-rw-qUdl3TPbH1JOSSV-DkE1v2NxVqIxjKDZC3bVi5vcfhQEddpT0BYocdWMCZOgYQhyphenhyphenZ6e0C8sEJ9siEwaQ6NI-boe3XgngJhULq1SoGG5Vf9bNzn72jpMYI/s320/shot.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5210022243056276018" border="0" /></a>Now that I think of it, that's one major problem with the movie: it's not out here yet. The Japanese DVD came out in April, but unfortunately it lacks English subtitles. So... shit! Sucks for you guys! At the current rate <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1232831/"><i>Crows Zero 2</i></a> will be out before the first one hits our humble shores. But if it follows the pattern for Miike sequels, it will likely be ten times the movie the original was, and will share almost no connections whatsoever. So no big loss!<br /><br />I'd like to close with a quote from Tom Mes' review of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0497876/"><i>Big Bang Love</i></a>, which I think sums up the Miike experience <span>perfectly</span>, and is just as applicable to <span style="font-style: italic;">Crows</span> as any of his other films:<br /><br />"Yes, but is it any good? This is a Takashi Miike film. It will make you wonder, curse, marvel, tremble, scratch your head, grow bored, and awaken rudely. Celebrate it."Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09807707408479752678noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2305727332594383147.post-57364512879371157972008-05-30T02:06:00.000-07:002009-01-19T00:40:12.727-08:00The Other Kurosawa<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5O6ygF7JLSOvQf2q_428Z1kM4jZckV_WrM99XvX0gapwmbH01tWTRSwhxwSazxhgcYK8dQV1CaAeUiK764ykV3EP_3m_r18EqIz-3qIFI4Vsvnu8hK2Ec1czZABBC178X9Io3PXkIXWC/s1600-h/poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw5O6ygF7JLSOvQf2q_428Z1kM4jZckV_WrM99XvX0gapwmbH01tWTRSwhxwSazxhgcYK8dQV1CaAeUiK764ykV3EP_3m_r18EqIz-3qIFI4Vsvnu8hK2Ec1czZABBC178X9Io3PXkIXWC/s320/poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206097058737984994" border="0" /></a>It's strange to me that Kiyoshi Kurosawa is so strongly associated with J-Horror. Maybe it's just a personal thing. I don't really like connecting a director I have a great deal of respect for with a genre that I find to be... well, lacking. With a few obvious exceptions (<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058279/"><i>Kaidan</i></a> anyone?) I'm just not attracted to the setups, the actors, the imagery... I'm basically just tired of scary little girls with long wet hair, which in my mind is the most elementary building block of any J-Horror film.<br /><br />Yet then there's Kurosawa, who isn't working in <i>any</i> genre, really. Suspense, maybe? But that's such a vague a classification. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0201517/"><i>Charisma</i></a> is an interesting example, and one that's discussed a lot less than his better known (masterpiece?) <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0123948/"><i>Cure</i></a>. The plot is either entirely inexplicable or completely mundane, depending on your point of view. Basically: a disgraced cop leaves Tokyo, heads to the middle of an unnamed forest, and ends up stranded. He meets three weird groups of people, whose actions all seem to revolve around a strange tree in the middle of a clearing. He ends up living in an abandoned sanitarium with a former mental patient who uses whatever means necessary to ensure the safety of the tree (which he calls "Charisma"). Oddness ensues.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6xiW6srYiMAqoQEVYIuf1SK69Nr9Zm2zXQ7u_ZDDmvuE-q-iEh6DnxytXmyyDjxAaplf5whcXM5dxm_dXVtiFYbA5uQdaUOeUNwj4RcUO8VeSYTpA5t9KHYIEjMkQPAVry2g8psJogGlp/s1600-h/tree.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6xiW6srYiMAqoQEVYIuf1SK69Nr9Zm2zXQ7u_ZDDmvuE-q-iEh6DnxytXmyyDjxAaplf5whcXM5dxm_dXVtiFYbA5uQdaUOeUNwj4RcUO8VeSYTpA5t9KHYIEjMkQPAVry2g8psJogGlp/s320/tree.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206098244148958706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">"Charisma" in all its glory</span><br /></div><br />Tom Mes, in his review, draws connections between <i>Charisma</i> and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058625/"><i>Suna no Onna</i></a>. He doesn't go into great detail and neither will I... the parallels are there if you feel like drawing them. Yet while I was watching it I wasn't thinking of Teshigahara (or Kobo Abe for that matter), but was instead reminded of Haruki Murakami, that <i>other</i> brilliant Japanese author.<br /><br />It's tough for me to say why, exactly. Granted, I'm a little biased--Murakami's been my favorite writer for some years now--but it's not just that. There are links between the two, stylistic and otherwise. <i>Charisma</i>'s protagonist, Yabuike, is strangely detached, and overly accepting of whatever's presented before him. In an otherwise "real" world, he finds nothing odd about a seemingly enchanted tree, or any of the other bizarre elements of the story. Given no other choice, both he and the viewer have to deal with the dissolution of reality in the best way they know how. And this is another thing that brought Murakami to mind: the fragmentation of reality, especially within some isolated, obscure, enclosed setting. His writing is rife with buildings, rooms, forests, and (especially) wells, all of which exist in their own unique "reality." Whatever happens there isn't strange--it makes perfect sense <i>according to the rules of that place</i>. And there's always the chance that these places aren't "places" at all, but something far more subjective and abstract... closer to a state of being, you might say (though I don't think that's entirely accurate either).<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2tOs5ow9-MZ0DyfwiFoVO47Mf9gYy_Nc6xh8-32W51iB-qA-qkH6gU_SVT0vaWspn35CnACUwk8aWRuHCG84u6jRtn2_C0zChBQ8CF-08gRq5Oi91dGtTIU80hNfGj_y1oGIpPhIJY1jD/s1600-h/treesplosion.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2tOs5ow9-MZ0DyfwiFoVO47Mf9gYy_Nc6xh8-32W51iB-qA-qkH6gU_SVT0vaWspn35CnACUwk8aWRuHCG84u6jRtn2_C0zChBQ8CF-08gRq5Oi91dGtTIU80hNfGj_y1oGIpPhIJY1jD/s320/treesplosion.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206101293575738930" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Nonsense!</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>And much like Murakami's writing, Kurosawa's lens presents this strange existence in a straightforward, unintrusive style. Wide shots, long takes, little to no camera movement--we get the necessary image, and no more. In fact, in keeping with a typical Japanese aesthetic, he manages to give us just a little less than we'd normally expect. The viewer is almost always kept outside the action, looking in. In another film we might consider this a voyeuristic gaze, but here it feels like something different. The image isn't <i>obscured</i> as much as it's <i>framed</i> by these enclosures.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjebm_lyjZGSpl-VrfAJveHk7Cv-FCCCd6RsY6oU9cebP8zu_DIPGtUYyy9fLZ1KAmnz1Pxtd4TAGQPvNQUnn44_M6kwGCE6mZYrlGjNw7v3Ffg2lXe8hF7agpqmJ25Q26aiCu2W7PztHJq/s1600-h/inside.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjebm_lyjZGSpl-VrfAJveHk7Cv-FCCCd6RsY6oU9cebP8zu_DIPGtUYyy9fLZ1KAmnz1Pxtd4TAGQPvNQUnn44_M6kwGCE6mZYrlGjNw7v3Ffg2lXe8hF7agpqmJ25Q26aiCu2W7PztHJq/s320/inside.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206098759545034242" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRLj_jdw8dr4eDQmBowTpbGsceuv0MdqGED1YJWpCkrGtjHfGthpqFd_mDDlPJM2JKzuB4kAv5mbdKikbtTJERwKLlw4xV8BdkU_1t9g9jeuR3yB-y2XKgqzUPgqcUBpJoNxR1Slbll1T/s1600-h/framing.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFRLj_jdw8dr4eDQmBowTpbGsceuv0MdqGED1YJWpCkrGtjHfGthpqFd_mDDlPJM2JKzuB4kAv5mbdKikbtTJERwKLlw4xV8BdkU_1t9g9jeuR3yB-y2XKgqzUPgqcUBpJoNxR1Slbll1T/s320/framing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206098909868889618" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Outside looking in</span><br /></div><br />I suppose I should clarify one thing: I'm not suggesting that Kurosawa is in any way influenced by Murakami directly (although I certainly can't be sure either way). It seems more likely that (at least with <i>Charisma</i>) Kurosawa is working within a very similar--but unrelated--aesthetic and thematic realm. I've actually noticed a unity in style among almost all Japanese directors who cut their teeth working in V-Cinema, churning out endless straight-to-video yakuza pictures. Takashi Miike, in particular... if any consistency whatsoever can be claimed across his heroic oeuvre, it's an adherence to this particular style of shooting. Long takes, wide shots, little camera movement. My personal belief is that what began as economy evolved into aesthetics, but I'll leave that discussion for another time.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0BdPsVDSCq2V_uzFFcwPEfzL70M1_e-QIx10BouFero80srY7K6tkI6hdI8Sy-SLdGv6JEUqzocHQv2Tjt5BpB4j7-irHkIZ4o2W7f-Z1vCjeEKqc4JT0YD70knJ504U24aV4XYnHtMFu/s1600-h/dialogue.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0BdPsVDSCq2V_uzFFcwPEfzL70M1_e-QIx10BouFero80srY7K6tkI6hdI8Sy-SLdGv6JEUqzocHQv2Tjt5BpB4j7-irHkIZ4o2W7f-Z1vCjeEKqc4JT0YD70knJ504U24aV4XYnHtMFu/s320/dialogue.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5206099760272414242" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">The typical setup for a Kurosawa dialogue scene</span><br /></div><br />Now that I think about it, I suppose the strongest connection I can draw between <i>Charisma</i> and Murakami's writing is a little vague, and entirely personal: they both leave me with a similar feeling, a certain undefinable taste in my mouth. One that I quite enjoy, obviously. It's not even that it's a such great film, necessarily. It just... appeals to me. I guess it might be useful to stop comparing them to each other and instead look back further to a body of work that likely spawned both Murakami <i>and</i> Kurosawa: namely, Kafka. But I'm tired, and this is probably already too long.<br /><br /><i>This post brought to you by several tasty bottles of Guinness, which I blame entirely for any lapses in spelling, grammar, or logic.</i>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09807707408479752678noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2305727332594383147.post-26859737341923033222008-05-23T15:59:00.000-07:002009-01-19T00:38:36.650-08:00David Byrne Would Be Proud<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSRSDP6ac5hINzPl7cYEaxN1cLaBRwp3uI3r2lAn57GgRhl9-pODLkk7tmJUODA9m7c_18QMP9duBHJLoDaDLkwqeP4pOFc064WbiMe9bT_e2PegMcW9dyiwdvDd9TcdfYZbOol379rNm/s1600-h/reanimator_post.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuSRSDP6ac5hINzPl7cYEaxN1cLaBRwp3uI3r2lAn57GgRhl9-pODLkk7tmJUODA9m7c_18QMP9duBHJLoDaDLkwqeP4pOFc064WbiMe9bT_e2PegMcW9dyiwdvDd9TcdfYZbOol379rNm/s320/reanimator_post.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5203685296081936578" border="0" /></a>Sometimes a tagline says more than I ever could:<br /><br />"Herbert West has a good head on his shoulders... and another one on his desk."<br /><br />Accurate? Yes. Hilarious? Slightly. Intriguing? <i>You had better goddam believe it</i>. This is Stuart Gordon's greatest film, his magnum opus: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089885/"><i>Re-Animator</i></a>. Like many of Gordon's films, it's based on an H.P. Lovecraft story, but only in the loosest possible sense. It takes place within the Lovecraft universe, certainly, but transposed into the "contemporary" era of the 1980s. I've actually read the story, so I can go ahead and sum up the major differences between the film and its source:<br /><ol><li>The movie <i>isn't</i> the most racist short story ever written</li><li>Due to Lovecraft's intense hatred of females, there are considerbly fewer boobs in the story (none?!)</li></ol>...and that pretty much covers it. If your appetite for racism is matched only by your distaste for the female form, definitely check out the story. I can print you out a copy. It's surprisingly frightening.<br /><br />Otherwise, I can't recommend the movie enough. Despite its unfortunate lack of lumbering Negro murderers, it still manages to capture that certain something that makes reading Lovecraft occasionally worthwhile. The plot is more or less your run-of-the-mill <i>Frankenstein</i> ripoff, but with an exciting twist! Instead of harnessing the the mysterious power of the ALMIGHTY ELECTRON to raise the dead, Herbert West simply injects corpses with his own carefully researched "re-agent." The result--depending on the freshness of the corpse, and the amount of re-agent administered--is a mindless, violent, zombie-like creature.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOGZ4GPIWpY6yHRmf01Yy2iMMIR-MVjBQaCzxD0txQ5UdXouJ_mKfh4aGnohhfq8dMi-rC3KJbQamJMj-gDVfhB_KE1jSZfi9yakKNsu8MPawEmnll0NgttYY6AvkPHUvzFZon_3Lr2u_Q/s1600-h/re-agent.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOGZ4GPIWpY6yHRmf01Yy2iMMIR-MVjBQaCzxD0txQ5UdXouJ_mKfh4aGnohhfq8dMi-rC3KJbQamJMj-gDVfhB_KE1jSZfi9yakKNsu8MPawEmnll0NgttYY6AvkPHUvzFZon_3Lr2u_Q/s320/re-agent.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5203686378413695186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Re-Agent: mostly glow stick innards, some radiation.</span><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div></div>Things start getting tricky when Dr. Hill (the film's main jerk-ass) discovers West's secret, and attempts to blackmail him so he can claim the discovery as his own. Lucky for us, this leads to one of the all-time great decapitations in film history. Which in turn leads to one of the all-time great oral sex scenes in film history! Yay!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW36QiaQbkRrXTrqCYR9vClxL2xy0QeVL4PxKsQMFFfr6caEaThZagbQJHq5D1btMjgWt5HBAK-f0Kflh3ji6DImG4i24yTUCWmKHc_6kWYt-iq6iyT6PftsAvVKBaqGz9s0CNzSwXbmXt/s1600-h/cunning_linguist.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW36QiaQbkRrXTrqCYR9vClxL2xy0QeVL4PxKsQMFFfr6caEaThZagbQJHq5D1btMjgWt5HBAK-f0Kflh3ji6DImG4i24yTUCWmKHc_6kWYt-iq6iyT6PftsAvVKBaqGz9s0CNzSwXbmXt/s320/cunning_linguist.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5203712612073939250" border="0" /></a>Barbara Crampton, as always, is a delight. Keep up the good work Barbara! Way to get sexually munched on by a corpse!<br /><br />As hard as it is to imagine, things escalate even further from there. A trip to the morgue means more corpses, and more corpses means more fun! The film actually starts to get pretty scary toward the end (thanks to some ridiculous lighting and fog effects), and there's plenty of excellent gore. It also completely stops making sense. Apparently the re-agent has capabilities that West hadn't planned for, like exploding people's torsos open so their intestines can drag bystanders away for some sinister corpsely purpose. I guess it's about as logical as <a href="http://www.summeroflovecraft.com/images/cthulhu-6.jpg">anything</a> <a href="http://www.nyder.com/cthulhu/graphics/hello_cthulhu2.gif">else </a>in the Lovecraft universe...<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMd4xHtr_J3vYHIxnmK6-_peblq0ZknPDfeFprcdykErS1AZ5-SAegxnexVed83qrIT5Cx2d1qQbvZrnXIHtQdo200K7eX5e1UyUnCNdpsg_MJp3rPAqINqEaZD1m0TRC-H2_UeJTL_5nc/s1600-h/intestines.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMd4xHtr_J3vYHIxnmK6-_peblq0ZknPDfeFprcdykErS1AZ5-SAegxnexVed83qrIT5Cx2d1qQbvZrnXIHtQdo200K7eX5e1UyUnCNdpsg_MJp3rPAqINqEaZD1m0TRC-H2_UeJTL_5nc/s320/intestines.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5203688366983553266" border="0" /></a>I mentioned Barbara Crampton already, but really everyone in the movie is great. Bruce Abbott as the spindly med student hero, David Gale as the lecherous Dr. Hill, Robert Sampson as Dean Halsey (who sounds <i>exactly</i> like Dick Van Dyke, I don't care what anyone says), and of course Jeffrey Combs as the brilliant and terrifying Herbert West. And a special mention goes to Combs' forehead, which manages to inspire a particular variety of inexplicable dread previously thought to be long extinct.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikS_6Ho6ftYzIcnoaXtYTeNfBZpmf5UgY2ftv1UBLfyIVO5lHKXdclBCHzN70ZiQSfJ0z8SNIL5s6LDCCZGphkd4c-Afkbu4P2zI6uU8AWKpXI0gXzitWTzNHUwdl0qMF_b_VJpj6lPlnv/s1600-h/forehead2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikS_6Ho6ftYzIcnoaXtYTeNfBZpmf5UgY2ftv1UBLfyIVO5lHKXdclBCHzN70ZiQSfJ0z8SNIL5s6LDCCZGphkd4c-Afkbu4P2zI6uU8AWKpXI0gXzitWTzNHUwdl0qMF_b_VJpj6lPlnv/s320/forehead2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5203690578891710754" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Please note: forehead terror.<br /><br /></span></div>And while we're on the subject of dread, I should probably mention one of <i>Re-Animator</i>'s major selling points. It's chock full of everyone's favorite film phenomenon: dead nudity! Since the majority of the "zombies" are coming straight off the slab, very few are clothed. Once they ditch that white sheet, they're 100% free and natural. White corpses, black corpses, male corpses, female corpses, fresh corpses, hideously mangled corpses--all are given equal opportunity to flap their junk around on screen for your enjoyment. I respect that.<br /><br />Finally, I should probably note that <i>Re-Animator</i> has two existing sequels: <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0099180/"><i>Bride of Re-Animator</i></a>, and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0222812/"><i>Beyond Re-Animator</i></a> (both directed by Gordon's friend and coworker, Brian Yuzna). Neither are worth your time. Rather than watch the sequels, I'd just suggest watching the original another two or three times. Then watch it again. Recently there's also been talk about Gordon trying to get a new sequel off the ground, somewhat unsuccessfully. Entitled <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0804493/"><i>House of Re-Animator</i></a>, it's supposed to be set in the white house, leaving plenty of room for hilarious political satire. In theory. Yuzna has already expressed interest in directing the two shitty sequels to THAT one as well. (I'm not making that up.)<br /><br />So to summarize: racism, boobs, glow sticks, cunnilingus, intestines, forehead, dead nudity, white house. Equals <i>Re-Animator</i>! Capiche?Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09807707408479752678noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2305727332594383147.post-19663095063287631772008-05-19T12:49:00.000-07:002009-01-19T00:37:26.183-08:00Pretty Boy... Surfer<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeED0-fL4SpdiXqOBWYDVietzslH_laFzTb8hSlD7I35FbRLUlrxwmpNcScV0mKYVgFSqYetogqafo5AtdPV0N9cFajSdProQrILyjJn8RhEQXH-zY2MWDZfvnCPraWDMe3IDL_JjYSSig/s1600-h/air_poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeED0-fL4SpdiXqOBWYDVietzslH_laFzTb8hSlD7I35FbRLUlrxwmpNcScV0mKYVgFSqYetogqafo5AtdPV0N9cFajSdProQrILyjJn8RhEQXH-zY2MWDZfvnCPraWDMe3IDL_JjYSSig/s320/air_poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202004310046148594" border="0" /></a>The time: 1993. The place: California, USA.<br /><br />Our scene opens as the walking hairflip that is Mitchell Goosen (as portrayed by Shane "Mitchell Goosen" McDermott) is coming home from a long day of surfing, only to find that his parents are making plans to head to Australia for 6 months, leaving him to rot in the snowbound wasteland of Cincinnati. Gasp! Can Mitchell survive so far away from his beloved Pacific? Can he nail the antagonist's sister? Will Cousin Wiley (Seth Green) ever be cool? Can all the former enemies in the film come together as a team to beat those jerky Preps in a death-defying skating race down the infamous "Devil's Backbone?" All this and more in the "world's only rock 'n rollerblade movie!" <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106233/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Airborne</span></a>, directed by the incomparable (ha!) Rob Bowman, is a testament to the importance of being a white guy with jean shorts and a sparkling smile in a world gone sour.<br /><br />Unfortunately, this little flick has been largely ignored by the greater portion of nostalgia-hounds that would normally eat this kind of bullshit up. Shame on them. If you're going to obsess over ridiculous movies from your childhood, obsess over the <span style="font-style: italic;">best</span>. I suppose it doesn't help that the only place to get it on DVD is from Germany (dubbed in German, no English subtitles) or from Hong Kong (pirated, naturally, but at least it's in English). I got mine from Hong Kong. But there's always VHS! And strangely enough, there was also a period of about a year (somewhere around 2004, I believe) where this was played on almost a weekly basis on various movie channels (HBO, Showtime, &c.). I'm not really sure why this was, but you might still be able to catch it while you're flipping channels. Just make sure it's not the Steve Guttenberg <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0121974/"><span style="font-style: italic;">Airborne</span></a> from 1998. That is exactly the opposite of everything Mitchell Goosen stands for. That is <span style="font-style: italic;">dog shit</span>.<br /><br />In any case, here are some important <span style="font-style: italic;">Airborne</span> facts:<br /><ol><li>Jack Black is in it (Oggy!)</li><li>Seth Green is in it (the Wiley-Man!)</li><li>Shane McDermott is in it (and nothing else, ever, no matter what)</li><li>That one chick who played the secretary in <span style="font-style: italic;">Ferris Bueller</span> is in it</li><li>Nobody else is in it</li><li> It manges to represent just about every extreme sport that existed at the time, thanks to roughly 60% of its running time being dedicated to extreme sport montages</li><li>Another 30% is Mitchell making love to the camera</li><li>The final 20% is the most important part: the tits-out orgy of a rollerblade race that simultaneously acts as the conflict, climax, and resolution of the film</li><li>Although it seems like those add up to 110%, keep in mind that Mitchell spends at least half of the final race making love to the camera</li></ol><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjECNY24VAmrdtt-OIIwv4mr2KQVIUhfqJgxns5O1m7N_XLCMINwlTT7ewm7vkNU7M18d0EaoqfHoYEcIiml9QNOAjNbcdvzSZHOymBX-o1d80rxXmiJIGYTYN6K5xPTSJWLiXxNgC4Zto/s1600-h/dreambag.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjECNY24VAmrdtt-OIIwv4mr2KQVIUhfqJgxns5O1m7N_XLCMINwlTT7ewm7vkNU7M18d0EaoqfHoYEcIiml9QNOAjNbcdvzSZHOymBX-o1d80rxXmiJIGYTYN6K5xPTSJWLiXxNgC4Zto/s320/dreambag.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5202016211400525826" border="0" /></a><span style="font-style: italic;">Mitchell Goosen... he's a dreambag!<br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-style: italic;"></span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"></span></div></div>Rather than go on and on (and rest assured, I could talk about <span style="font-style: italic;">Airborne </span>for quite some time), I think I'll cut myself off here and just suggest that you go rent/buy/borrow it immediately, and enrich your life in a way you had perhaps thought impossible. Just make sure to keep your ears open for my favorite line of the film, delivered with appropriate disdain from the musclebound Jack:<br /><br />"Pretty boy... <span style="font-style: italic;">surfer</span>."<br /><br />Until <span style="font-style: italic;">Airborne</span> opens your eyes to the ways of the world, you might not understand how such a statement could be the most venomous insult you've ever heard. But you will.<br /><br />Oh, and for those adventurous/alcoholic movie fans out there, I've thrown together an <span style="font-style: italic;">Airborne </span>drinking game that you may want to try out. It's pretty simple: you take a drink every time <span style="font-style: italic;">the movie is awesome</span>. Be careful though--this movie is pretty fucking awesome, most of the time.Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09807707408479752678noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2305727332594383147.post-2734594891370422182008-05-18T17:02:00.000-07:002009-01-19T00:35:00.668-08:00A Matter of QualityI've constructed something that will only be funny to people who enjoy both <span style="font-style: italic;">The Seventh Seal</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">Silent Hill</span>, although I am beginning to suspect that I may be the only one of these people to actually exist. Hailed as "a peice of shit" by famed youtube user and avant-garde speller AgatheDeLaBoulaye, this video will truly test the limits of what it means to be alive.<br /><br /><object width="410" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/X9nHwB3DXg0&hl=en"><param name="wmode" value="transparent"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/X9nHwB3DXg0&hl=en" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="410" height="340"></embed></object>Keithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09807707408479752678noreply@blogger.com2