Sunday 9 June 2013

May 2013 in Film

From http://api.ning.com/files/tv2MolMWAek7e26PxNWtVlerC6dYT1Y3cm9Re3Gi15EQ05G-1GC8YM7UzjQHCnyt4H-E6SFngDCNRtGZVjSe4kLynGKOR2-a/Picture5_2.png?width=737&height=553

A slimmed down version of this for the month with less awards than before. They may return however for the end of the year since when everything it correlated together, so look out for that. Also this was the month of my birthday, leaving me with 366 days (or less as this is posted up) before I reach my mid-twenties. There is no point in trying to look back and view it all in some quasi-wisdom about life and meaning of existence, especially since most of it was the tired act of unemployment and taking buses to-and-fro, so instead I will say that I want to become twenty five years old with the thought that the year before was compellingly memorable even in the most silly and ridiculous of ways. Many of these films were a great start in terms of my hobby of cinema.

Best Film of the Month
1. Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954/USA) – 10/10 [Rewatch]
2. Belladonna of Sadness aka. Kanashimi no Beradona (Eiichi Yamamoto, 1973/Japan) – 10/10
3. The Holy Mountain (Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1973/Mexico-USA) – 10/10 [Rewatch]
4. Inferno (Dario Argento, 1980/Italy) – 10/10 [Rewatch]
5. The Color of Pomegranates (Sergei Parajanov, 1968/Soviet Union) – 10/10
6. Le Monde Vivant (Eugène Green, 2003/Belgium-France) – 10/10
7. O Lucky Man! (Lindsay Anderson, 1973/UK-USA) – 10/10
8. Waltz with Bashir (Ari Folman, 2008/Australia-Belgium-Finland-France-Germany-Israel-Switzerland-USA) – 10/10 [Rewatch]
9. eXistenZ (David Cronenberg, 1999/Canada-UK) – 9/10
10. Pistol Opera (Seijun Suzuki, 2001/Japan) – 9/10 [Rewatch]

Honourable Mentions - Killer of Sheep (Charles Burnett, 1977/USA) – 9/10 [Rewatch]; The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (Andrew Dominik, 2007/Canada-UK-USA) – 9/10 [Rewatch]; Altered States (Ken Russell, 1980/USA) – 9/10 [Rewatch]

It seems strange to write more about the worst films but little about the best, but the films here should all speak for themselves. Re-evaluated gems, a film (Belladonna of Sadness) from my Holy Grail list that is sadly not available in the West at all except online, two immense surprises which have opened up the potential of the filmmakers' filmographies (the late Lindsay Anderson and current filmmaker Eugene Green) and were from the MUBI Directors Cup I am participating in, and a metric ton of rewatches. And of course there's Pistol Opera's re-analysis, a happy ending that makes second viewings drastically needed for certain films.

Biggest Surprise of the Month 
1. Le Monde Vivant (Eugène Green, 2003/Belgium-France) – 10/10
2. eXistenZ (David Cronenberg, 1999/Canada-UK) – 9/10
3. They Called Us ‘Les Filles du Roy’ (Anne Claire Poirier, 1974/Canada) – 8/10
4. Hades Project Zeorymer (Toshihiro Hirano, 1988/Japan) – 8/10 [Rewatch]
5. Dumbland (David Lynch, 2002/USA) – 8/10
6. Fast & Furious 6 (Justin Lin, 2013/USA) – 7/10
7. Daughters of Darkness (Harry Kümel, 1971/Belgium-France-West Germany) – 7/10
8. All Ladies Do It aka. Così fan tutte (Tinto Brass, 1992/Italy) – 7/10
9. The Key aka. La chiave (Tinto Brass, 1983/Italy) – 8/10

A list of unexpected results. Who knew I would be in actual tears of joy at the end of Le Monde Vivant because of how sweet and imaginative it was. Who knew a Cronenberg film could be so criminally ignored and as relevant now as his other earlier films were, or that even making a crudely put-together web series, David Lynch is still startling? Who knew I would find something as obscure as the feminist documentary They Called Us ‘Les Filles du Roy’ and wish it was available on disc, and that re-seeing an anime I had panned, Hades Project Zeorymer, would show the virtues of Japanese dubs over the English ones again and that even such a rushed narrative can be jaw dropping in the ideas its cramming in the smallest of details? Who knew Fast  & The Furious 6, getting into the phenomenon now, is the closest thing now to a current day film serial and that my first Tinto Brass films, with their posterior obsessions and rampant sex, were so fun or interesting? Daughters of Darkness could be a cheat since it's well regarded, but you can't agree with that statement unless you view it once.

Discovery of the Month
1. Belladonna of Sadness aka. Kanashimi no Beradona (Eiichi Yamamoto, 1973/Japan) – 10/10
2. Le Monde Vivant (Eugène Green, 2003/Belgium-France) – 10/10
3. O Lucky Man! (Lindsay Anderson, 1973/UK-USA) – 10/10
4. Nuits rouges (Georges Franju, 1974/France-Italy) – 8/10
5. They Called Us ‘Les Filles du Roy’ (Anne Claire Poirier, 1974/Canada) – 8/10
6. Succubus (Jesus Franco, 1968/West Germany) – 8/10

The push to watch more Jess Franco films has proved to be far more rewarding than the perceived notions of his erratic filmography could suggest. I regret only doing this after his untimely death, but while there's so many films to go through, and many unavailable to buy, it's great to do this now nonetheless. Same applies to Georges Franju although not a great deal of his work is known let alone available if you view his filmography, making his case an interesting cinematic expedition if you can actually find the films. 

Biggest Change of Opinion
1. Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954/USA) – 10/10 [Rewatch]
2. Inferno (Dario Argento, 1980/Italy) – 10/10 [Rewatch]
3. Radio On (Christopher Petit, 1979/UK-West Germany) – 8/10 [Rewatch]
4. Pistol Opera (Seijun Suzuki, 2001/Japan) – 9/10 [Rewatch]
5. Last Year at Marienbad (Alain Resnais, 1961/France-Italy) – 8/10 [Rewatch]
6. Malice@Doll (Keitarou Motonaga, 2000/Japan) – 8/10 [Rewatch]
7. Partie du Campagne aka. A Day in the Country (Jean Renoir, 1936/France) – 8/10 [Rewatch]
8. Hades Project Zeorymer (Toshihiro Hirano, 1988/Japan) – 8/10 [Rewatch]
9. Altered States (Ken Russell, 1980/USA) – 9/10 [Rewatch]

Many works I'm only appreciating now, whether it has been only a few months since the first viewing, or years. The exception is Malice @ Doll, such an obscure, unloved anime, but one that is turning into my personal obscurity I obsess over.

Most Divisive Film of the Month
1. Africa addio (Gualtiero Jacopetti and Franco Prosperi, 1966/Italy) – 7/10
2. Looney Tunes: Back in Action (Joe Dante, 2003/Germany-USA]) – 6/10
3. Casablanca (Michael Curtiz, 1942/USA) – 6/10 [Rewatch]
4. Chopper (Andrew Dominik, 2000/Australia) – 6/10 [Rewatch]

Casablanca has plenty of great aspects to it, but I feel I have seen greater films from before the 1950s even though I haven't seen as many as I wish. Looney Tunes: Back in Action has plenty to love but suffers from having to have its story line. Chopper loses a great deal on this viewing, director Andrew Dominik improving greatly with The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. Africa Addio, the full Italian version, is such a controversial and unsettling work that you are forced to question it. I am glad I've seen it, but you need to be prepared for what you are going into even beyond the animal deaths.

The Most Underrated Work
1. Inferno (Dario Argento, 1980/Italy) – 10/10 [Rewatch]
2. Belladonna of Sadness aka. Kanashimi no Beradona (Eiichi Yamamoto, 1973/Japan) – 10/10
3. eXistenZ (David Cronenberg, 1999/Canada-UK) – 9/10
4. Altered States (Ken Russell, 1980/USA) – 9/10 [Rewatch]
5. Malice@Doll (Keitarou Motonaga, 2000/Japan) – 8/10 [Rewatch]
6. Dumbland (David Lynch, 2002/USA) – 8/10
7. Nuits rouges (Georges Franju, 1974/France-Italy) – 8/10
8. Succubus (Jesus Franco, 1968/West Germany) – 8/10
9. The Key aka. La chiave (Tinto Brass, 1983/Italy) – 8/10
10. Torn Curtain (Alfred Hitchcock, 1966/USA) – 6/10

Biggest Disappointment of the Month
1. Le Pont du Nord (Jacques Rivette, 1981/France) – 4/10
2. Bathory: Countess of Blood (Juraj Jakubisko, 2008/Hungary-Slovakia-UK) – 3/10
3. Ninja (Isaac Florentine, 2009/USA) – 4/10
4. Dredd (Pete Travis, 2012/India-South Africa-UK-USA) – 5/10
5. Dyketactics (Barbara Hammer, 1974/USA) – 5/10
6. Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 1996/UK) – 6/10 [Rewatch]
7. Chopper (Andrew Dominik, 2000/Australia) – 6/10 [Rewatch]

Chopper and Trainspotting no longer grab me anymore; the drop is sadder for Trainspotting, once a masterpiece, but now encapsulating the least interesting parts of British cinema. Barbara Hammer has left me somewhat cold from the few works I've seen from her now, not living up to the hope of someone whose title choice for Nitrate Kisses (1992) is not only one of the best ever but evokes a vast experimental and dense body of work that changes you with dreamlike images rather than merely documenting them like Dyketactics does. Ninja raises questions about which direction the Vulgar Cinema movement is going if its letting bland film making like this pass instead of celebrating the true surprises like Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning (2012), and Dredd does not deserve the praise it does at all for its mediocre images of grey rooms and repetitive gunfire. Le Pont du Nord could grow for me, but it feels like the failed version of Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974) and was a disheartening viewing experience from a director who I know, while only seeing four of his films including this one, can do better in incredible ways.

The Long Awaited (Re)Viewing That Lived Up To Expectations
1. Belladonna of Sadness aka. Kanashimi no Beradona (Eiichi Yamamoto, 1973/Japan) – 10/10
2. The Color of Pomegranates (Sergei Parajanov, 1968/Soviet Union) – 10/10
3. Johnny Guitar (Nicholas Ray, 1954/USA) – 10/10 [Rewatch]
4. Inferno (Dario Argento, 1980/Italy) – 10/10 [Rewatch]
5. Radio On (Christopher Petit, 1979/UK-West Germany) – 8/10 [Rewatch]
6. Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977/Italy) – 8/10 [Rewatch]
7. Blood Simple (Joel and Ethan Coen, 1984/USA) – 8/10
8. Partie du Campagne aka. A Day in the Country (Jean Renoir, 1936/France) – 8/10 [Rewatch]
9. Last Year at Marienbad (Alain Resnais, 1961/France-Italy) – 8/10 [Rewatch]
10. Baccano! (Takahiro Omori, 2007/Japan) – 8/10 [Anime Series]

Honourable Mentions -  Altered States (Ken Russell, 1980/USA) – 9/10 [Rewatch]; Pistol Opera (Seijun Suzuki, 2001/Japan) – 9/10 [Rewatch]

The Pleasure of the Month I'll [Sadly] Have To Defend
1. Double Dragon (James Yukich, 1994/USA) – 6/10 [Rewatch]
2. 8MM (Joel Schumacher, 1999/Germany-USA) – 7/10
3. All Ladies Do It aka. Così fan tutte (Tinto Brass, 1992/Italy) – 7/10
4. Spookies (Genie Joseph, Thomas Doran and Brendan Faulkner, 1986/Netherlands-USA) – 6/10

Double Dragon is dumb, but I'm fascinated by nineties films like this adapting pop culture franchises. Only Mortal Kombat (1995) was indefensible because it took itself too seriously and was ultimately bland. I am willing to call 8mm an underrated film though; heavy handed and lurid, but its attempts to be more morally complicated are rewarding. All The Ladies Do It sadly has to be defended for all the sex, and its incredibly dated music and look, but if more softcore (with hardcore images) was this positive about sex the world would be a better place. Spookies, what happens when you attempted to finish a uncompleted project by adding new footage years later, is a compelling mess that brings farting zombies to horror cinema.

The Abstract Film of the Month
1. The Holy Mountain (Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1973/Mexico-USA) – 10/10 [Rewatch]
2. Belladonna of Sadness aka. Kanashimi no Beradona (Eiichi Yamamoto, 1973/Japan) – 10/10
3. Inferno (Dario Argento, 1980/Italy) – 10/10 [Rewatch]
4. Pistol Opera (Seijun Suzuki, 2001/Japan) – 9/10 [Rewatch]
5. Altered States (Ken Russell, 1980/USA) – 9/10 [Rewatch]
6. Last Year at Marienbad (Alain Resnais, 1961/France-Italy) – 8/10 [Rewatch]
7. Suspiria (Dario Argento, 1977/Italy) – 8/10 [Rewatch]
8. Malice@Doll (Keitarou Motonaga, 2000/Japan) – 8/10 [Rewatch]
9. Radio On (Christopher Petit, 1979/UK-West Germany) – 8/10 [Rewatch]
10. Dumbland (David Lynch, 2002/USA) – 8/10

Honourable Mentions - Judex (Georges Franju, 1963/France-Italy) – 8/10

Worst Film of the Month
1. Texas Chainsaw 3D (John Luessenhop, 2013/USA) – 2/10
2. Bathory: Countess of Blood (Juraj Jakubisko, 2008/Hungary-Slovakia-UK) – 3/10
3. Faces of Death (John Alan Schwartz, 1978/USA) – 3/10
4. The Wicker Man (Neil LaBute, 2006/Canada-Germany-USA) – 3/10 [Rewatch]
5. V/H/S (Various, 2012/USA)

V/H/S does have the segment Amateur Night which is worth looking out for, but the rest is terrible. The Wicker Man remake is only saved by Nicolas Cage wearing the bear suit. Faces of Death is ultimately a tired work of shock that shows how Africa addio, for all its moral dubiousness, is still trying to say intelligent things, and Bathory is unrepentant, bland historical cinema at its worse that I sat through in a numbed dazed. Texas Chainsaw, not viewed in 3D, is on top of the list though because there was no point to its existence at all where the others could have been great films. Even The Wicker Man remake had ironically "good" dialogue. At least The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Next Generation (1994) was so compellingly weird to view. Nothing can be said for this new part of the franchise, and how its attempt to be a direct sequel to the original film both unfairly dismisses Tobe Hooper's second film in the series out of the canon, when its the best kind of sequel to have been made, and is completely lifeless. Attempting to put us on the side of the Leatherface family against evil country folk, it shows the vacuous nature of remakes like this in that it was not a subversive attempt to undermine our perceptions on evil, but a cheap attempt to grab young adults who are anti-conformist in the manufactured, pop-grim sort of way made by the companies they are supposed to be rebelling against. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) gave viewers eyebrow raising gender subversion, lunacy, Dennis Hopper and an interesting view of America at the time emphasised by the repeated word of "Nam-Land", and that was the production of Cannon Pictures of all people.

75 Works Watched In March
25 Rewatched Works
50 New Works Seen

From http://theredlist.fr/media/database/settings/cinema/1950-1960/johnny_guitar/018_johnny_guitar_theredlist.jpg

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