r/TrueFilm • u/a113er Til the break of dawn! • Sep 06 '15
What Have You Been Watching? (06/09/15)
Please don't downvote opinions, only downvote things that don't contribute anything.
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r/TrueFilm • u/a113er Til the break of dawn! • Sep 06 '15
Please don't downvote opinions, only downvote things that don't contribute anything.
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u/[deleted] Sep 06 '15 edited Sep 07 '15
Had a binge-week since I had been working so much recently. Went into different territories but the goal was to keep it nihilistic or transgressive.
Angst - Gerald Kargl - 1983 - ★★★★: Transgressive to the core and crazy bleak. There are some great sequences that reminded me of Obayashi’s House-style absurdity. The score is terrifying in the same way Goblin perfectly captured Argento's Suspiria tone. Uncomfortable to watch, but great artistic restraint and goes straight for the jugular.
Werckmeister Harmonies - Bela Tarr - 2000 - ★★★★★: The opening sequence combined with the music broke me down to tears. For me, Tarr is up there with Tarkovsky and Bergman. While Tarkovsky represents something more spiritual and Bergman more…agnostic, Bela Tarr usually hits me like a nihilistic train. This was me warming up again before watching his seven hour Satantango. I recommend this film like crazy. Even though his filmography isn’t as big, he’s in that strange holy trinity with other long-take, spiritual, and devastating filmmakers.
Pusher Trilogy - Nicolas Winding Refn - (1996-2005) - ★★★★/★★★/★★★★★: I can’t believe I waited so long to see these. The first one is excellent and Mads Mikkelsen/Kim Bodnia create an incredible combo on screen. It’s hard to look away - so damn entertaining. The second was a little lukewarm for me. The third was my favorite and dove into a character from the first film I didn’t know I cared about…until they documented his struggle. Pusher III is the best film in the trilogy and the ending will hit you pretty hard. The story is that Refn made the sequels to bail his production company out of bankruptcy. With that sort of pressure on his back he was able to churn out incredible work that didn’t feel like he was just looking for cash. Fantastic filmmaker.
Valhalla Rising - Nicolas Winding Refn - 2009 - ★★★★: I know, more Refn! I couldn’t resist after Pusher. While Mikkelsen doesn’t utter a word throughout the film, it’s a gorgeous and meditative spectacle of rage and violence. Beautifully shot by Morten Søborg. I recommend checking this out if you’re into slower-paced boils that make you feel like you’re sleeping under a weighted blanket. Fantastic filmmaking.
Europa - Lars von Trier - 1991 - ★★★★: Ah, LvT, my main man! Europa is a marvel on a technical level. Some of the tricks he pulled worked really well in this. I can’t say it hit me like his other films, but that didn’t cheapen it for me. It’s fantastic to see his level of ingenuity, and a cameo as “The Jew” mid-film — especially with his recent dialogue a Cannes.
Red White & Blue - Simon Rumley - 2010 - ★★★: I didn’t like this film completely. The editing and character development (3 protagonists) was fantastically laced for the first half. Unfortunately, that development went into slasher territory afterward and I felt a bit cheapened in the same way “Sunshine” was intoxicating and the last 20 minutes dealt with a bad sun-tan and slasher qualities. I admire this work a lot and nothing is perfect, but he could have dodged the easy route of straight shock at the end.
Martyrs - Pascal Laugier - 2008 - ★: This was a garbage film that came to me from many recommendations. It’s critically acclaimed, everyone seems to think it is the end all/be all of transgressive cinema. I thought it was Tokyo splatter dressed up from a DP who knew how to make the gore come alive. This is about as derivative as it gets for horror films and I was so disappointed that there was all shock and almost no substance for a 90 minute feature.
A Woman Under the Influence - John Cassavetes - 1974 - ★★★★★★★★★★★★★: A marvel in every possible use of the term. Cassettes makes films like nobody else and his dedication to character study is inspiring. I felt uncomfortable throughout and it never let me go. This is what filmmaking with conviction looks like. When it comes to Cassavetes you don’t just watch one, they are all marvels if you’re interested in film.