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gnosticboy
Reviews
Lisztomania (1975)
A Tour-de-Force of Pop-surrealism, and surgery
To many, this film is the stunning-proof that Ken Russell never
had it, that idiocy and egoism were mistaken for genius. This
belief is unfounded. Is this film over-indulgent? Yes it is, dear
readers, very-much-so, because it is art, not entertainment. That- said, if you chuck any-expectations, this is a funny film and allegory
about the rise of pop-culture in the 19th Century, and the parallels
with the other generally-hollow spectacle known as "rock." This is
great film-making, and it should be noted that it has similarities
between itself and "Rocky Horror," and even "Hedwig," as they all
examine and explore the relationships between sexuality and pop- culture in similar-areas. It is also an odd bridge-between "classic"
rock and the emergent punk-movement of the time. It can also be
seen as a statement that "rock" is not really subversive, or
rebellious at-all, but ultimately "arch-conservative," and repressive.
Ironically (or maybe-not!), Mr. Russell had contracted Malcolm
McCalren and Vivienne Westwood to design S&M-costumes for
his film, "Mahler." It should also-be-noted that "Listz-o-Mania" was
released exactly the same year that McClaren's shop "SEX"
opened on King's Row, the rest is as they say... Basically-put, this
is about the the ins-and-outs of "why" we want and need pop- culture, and WHAT we generally-want from our "pop-idols" (sex, of- course). One could easily-say this film criticizes the absurd- spectacle that rock had-become by 1975, and we get this quite- often in the film, but it goes much-deeper, into the relationship- between artist and patron. The sexuality is about mass- psychology, too, so we get-a-nod towards Wilhelm Reich, and lots
of Freud. It is certainly a very-personal film for Russell, and
probably amuses him as much as it does myself that it enrages
so-many people who simply do-not get it... SO WHERE IS THE DVD, WARNER BROTHERS? WHERE IS THE UNCUT-VERSION OF "THE DEVILS?" WE REALLY WANT-IT, WE"RE OUT-HERE.
New Rose Hotel (1998)
New Rose Hotel: modest-ambitions, better-results
After reading a number of reviews at imdb--and elsewhere--I have to come-down-on-the-side of the director, Abel Ferrera's
vision. This is a GREAT science-fiction film, and for those who are
generally-disappointed with it, I have to ask whether they
understand what sci-fi IS. If science-fiction isn't about the present
(as-filtered through an imagined-future), it generally isn't good, but
New Rose Hotel fits this criteria. This is a pretty-old story from the
80s that Gibson had published in "Omni Magazine," it might-have
been his first-acceptance. While it is a minor-story, it has
dramatic-elements to it that are very-pleasing within-the-structure
of the "Ferrera" universe: a metropolitan-dystopia, urban and
moral-decay, the eternal quest by many for "power," official- corruption, the consequences of murder, sexuality, drugs, how
memory works, they all mesh-well with Ferrera's thematic-styles.
There are no great moral-lessons here, this is about the aftermath
of that paradigm. The only-complaint I have is that the future has
caught-up a bit, due to the age of the original-story. With our
human-society growing more-restrictive, with the rise of corporate- statism, and the subsequent-decline of the Nation State, New
Rose Hotel seems almost "quaint." That should give-us-pause.
From Beyond (1986)
Stuart Gordon's noble-crusade
While it's true that only the prologue of this film follows the short-story--one that H.P. Lovecraft did not like much--this is yet- another great-contribution by Gordon to the film-canon of Lovecraft. A number of criticisms seem to center-around ignorance about the production-itself-- it was made for around $1 million in Rome at the DeLaurentis studios, in 1986-currency. Keep-this-in-mind while watching this film, and you will understand what a true- accomplishment, and labor-of-love it must have been for her makers. The fact that it is as-engaging as it is, is a testament to Mr. Gordon's skill as a director, as well as the crew of the film. Also generally-forgotten, is Richard Band's PERFECT score for this film, it is incredibly-atmospheric and draws the viewer in...and then you're hooked. Indeed, this is a "b-film," and in the highest-regard, it easily-destroys present-day competition by other directors and production-companies. The only exception in horror I can make right-now would be Guillermo del Toro, who is ALSO a great-fan of Mr. Gordon's work! :0) And so, what more can I write-about this film which hasn't been said better, elsewhere? Upon it's release, I noted that the distributor made a BIG botch: after seeing it in a video-store, I happened-by the local-kino and saw it on the marquee! I STILL regret not going-into that theater and seeing it the way it was meant to be seen. Welcome to indie-film, catch-it if- you-can! All-said, this film delves-deeper into a story that was neglected by her author, Lovecraft didn't explore the possibilities much with it-- Stuart Gordon and Dennis Paoli did, and we are better-off for it.
Dagon (2001)
Easily the Finest Lovecraft-to-film yet-made
In-noting what has been said about all of his Lovecraft-films, there is a general-consistency to the critics: that Gordon takes "too-many liberties" with the original-material. This is utter nonsense, and it should-be-noted that Lovecraft came-around on- the-side of liking motion-pictures before his death. Like Poe, it's readily-apparent that much of his work is about creating- atmosphere, and I feel Stuart Gordon has achieved this in every- attempt. Lovecraft requires a special-dance between interpretation, and creative-guessing. He is not-alone in his success, either, I refer the reader to Dan O'Bannon's "The Resurrected."You can't ever imagine the sun-shining often in a Poe or a Lovecraft tale, can you, dear-readers? And indeed, we get only a few-rays in "Dagon," an excellent amalgam of the short- stories, "Dagon," and "The Shadow Over Innsmouth." Having actually-read both, it struck me that many of the images I had had were in Gordon's film! Yes, there are digressions, yes, there are different/more-characters/protagonists, but would we be-able to relate-well-to the situation as a 1920s period-piece? For horror to be any good in film, it has to have an immediacy, and Paoli and Gordon's contemporary-setting in Spain works incredibly-well. It comes-down to this: you're either going-to like, or dislike, this film because of Stuart Gordon's directorial-style, or your own personal-criteria of what is "Lovecraftian," and you can see the problems-facing filmmakers who tackle the ole' HP! Dagon succeeds-in-spades, and should be considered the best-version of a Lovecraft-tale yet. Now, we have to wait-for Guillermo del Toro's "At the Mountains of Madness"-- if it gets-made. My money is on it being a major-contender, but I don't believe it will be made. We Lovecraft-fans can relate to Cubs-fans...
The Devils (1971)
Ken Russell's finest-hour?
With the general-unavailability of much of Ken Russell's body-of- work, one has to ask whether this is one-of the maestro's finest- efforts. However, in-noting the thematic-elements of this film, their coherency, and the visual-power of it, one has to assume-so! As a period-piece, this film looks pretty-good, and the cinematography and set-design (by Derek Jarman) are stellar. Consider why films like this one aren't made often, and you have part-of-the-answer as to why this film is still so-shocking. Many people dislike his films because of what he reveals about all of us.
There's no-need in reiterating the plotline of this film, but I think that people miss some of it's thematic-points: the threats to individual-rights and liberty (and spiritual-liberty) often play-out th same-ways. You can see this in the parallels made between Oliver Reed's character Father Grandier, and that of the accepted- Christology. Is there much-difference why Grandier is degraded similarly to Christ?
What is Russell saying by noting this parallel? Keep-in-mind not-one-image is in this film "by-mistake," Russell always places an image in a film for a specific-meaning, and purpose. And the images of people vomiting, acting-hysterically-- they are not there to merely-shock, but as a warning about social-hysterias of all- sorts. It should be read as a cautionary-tale of how people willingly give-up their liberties in times uncertain-times, like our own...
La frusta e il corpo (1963)
Easily one of the great horror-films
Again, what can one say about this film that hasn't-already? I tend-to-ignore what appear to be first-reaction reviews on here, a film like "The Whip and the Body" has to be watched-repeatedly to truly-appreciate. That-said, what has always been a shoddy dubbing-job has marred this film's reputation and relegated it to the margins. Put-bluntly: "The Whip and the Body" is the essence of what truly makes-up horror, especially "Gothic" horror. If you cannot appreciate such literary-concerns, or the "eternal-issues" involving the human-condition, you aren't going to enjoy "The Whip and the Body." Outside of Hitchcock, psychological-horror doesn't get much-better than this masterpiece. I call-on the owners of this property to record Mr. Lee's dialogue for this film-- he has offered, after-all, it is time to-do-so. As far as I can tell, much of the "color- coding" in this film for given-characters was relatively-new when Bava attempted-it. With Lee's-character, we are given the coldest-hues of blue, suggesting he--Kurt--is dead. Scenes of passion with Dahlia Lavi are decidedly red-in-hue, and the technicolor-process of the time made them so deep! This is film-as-artifice, as-well, we should never forget this while viewing the works of a director like Bava, he revelled in this artificiality-- emphasizing-theme, rather-than a purely-linear narrative. This film has suffered-enough! That-said, the storyline isn't THAT difficult to follow, it's just that poor-dubbing job...