Here's a fun post for all you imaginary readers out there! I am planning on doing a monthly or bi-monthly breakdown/round-up/turnabout of the movies that I have watched. I'll list them and give my feelings about them, since I know people are so interested. So here we go!!
1. Avatar (2009) - James Cameron
Of all the movies to start with! In reality, this was the first movie I watched in the new year. And it is fitting, as this movie is ushering in a new frontier of movie making. To say that this movie is a visual spectacle is an understatement. I have not seen another film that is more visually impressive than this one. That said, I wasn't totally blown away by the film. It was an average plot, to say the least, that has been done countless times before. As amazing as it looked, I still was distracted by the dialogue and acting (particularly from the cliche-riddled Stephen Lang and Michelle Rodriguez). What fascinates me the most about the film is the rabid fan base that is completely amazed by it. I will never disagree that this film is not important or awesome to look at. But I compare it to the Lumieres' film Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat. When it was first publicly shown in the late 1890s, people went insane and actually ran out of the theater because they were afraid of this train that was going to run them over. It was the biggest sensation of the entire year, perhaps the entire decade. Yet, when we look back on the clip now, it's still just a fucking train pulling into a station. I am not trying to belittle the significance of Avatar, because I do believe that it is an important film. However, that's what I think Avatar is: people are going ballistic now because they've never seen anything like it, but in 50 years we'll look back and it will be rather boring.
2. The Big Heat (1953) - Fritz Lang
This is an American film-noir from the famous German director, who ironically directed one of the timelss science fiction classics in Metropolis. This has got to be one of the premier noir films and is definitely a favorite of mine from the genre. The story follows a family-man detective Dave Bannion who bumps heads with the crime underground. The underground takes action against Bannion and accidentally kill his wife. Bannion then goes rogue to get his revenge on the killers and expose the corruption in his own system. Glen Ford plays Bannion and turns in a fantastic performance. There is also a phenomenal turn by Lee Marvin (one of my favorites) who plays one of the crime bosses. The roots for a lot of revenge films from the 70s can be found here. There is also a surprising amount of violence in here, particularly towards women. None of it is particularly graphic, but I still found it quite disturbing. Fritz Lang proves that he can master any genre with this great flick.
3. Shock Corridor (1963) - Samuel Fuller
I watched a documentary about filmmaker Samuel Fuller called The Typewriter, The Rifle, and the Movie Camera (1996) before I actually watched any of his films. The doc 100% convinced me that I had to see his films, because Sam Fuller was fucking CRAZY. The guy was the epitome of the term "old-timer." So the subject matter of this film is strangely apropo for such a bizarre filmmaker. The story revolves around newspaper writer Johnny Barrett who develops an elaborate plan to get committed to a mental institution in order to crack open a strange murder case. He badly wants to win The Pulitzer Prize and believes this plan will get it for him. As Barrett gets closer and closer to the truth of the murder, he starts to question his own sanity. This is one of the best depictions of mental illness ever put on film. There is one character in particular, a black patient named Trent who believes he is a KKK member, who is rather disturbing. If you are interested in movies about mental illness, you have to see this one.
4. Man Hunt (1941) - Fritz Lang
Another masterful Lang film. In the opening scene, a British soldier on a hunting vacation in Germany happens upon Hitler's chateau and has him in the sight of his gun. The viewer knows the shot won't happen, but just seeing Hitler in the crosshairs is exhilerating. From that point on, the film is constantly tense and suspenseful. Walter Pidgeon turns in an amazing performance as Captain Thorndike who stays classy and poised while constantly being chased by a very persistent Nazi. Most interesting thing about the film is Lang, a native German, made it on the cusp of WWII. And the film is VERY anti-Nazi, almost like Lang was making his statement about his countrymen. Historically it is a very interesting film and one that holds up amazingly well 70 years after the fact.
5. Hot Fuzz (2007) - Edgar Wright
This is a re-watch for me and I still love it just as much as the first time I saw it. This comes from the group of guys (Wright, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost) who brought us the brilliant BBC comedy Spaced and the "zombedy" Shaun of the Dead, which is easily in my top ten favorite films of the past decade. Hot Fuzz is not quite as good as Shaun for me, but goddamn it is awesome. This is a great combination of comedy and action. The end of the film really stands out as a fantastic action sequence, very stylized and full of homage to the serious, cheesy action films of the late 80s/early 90s. Like Shaun of the Dead, you can tell how much Wright and Co. really enjoy and strangely respect the source material. The combination of this and their spot-on comedic timing makes this an awesome movie.
6. Wall-E (2008) - Andrew Stanton
Cute is the best word to describe this film. Wall-E is a cute little character. The robot that he falls in love with is also cute. All the other little robots in the spaceship are cute too. I generally don't like cute movies, but every once in a while I will make an exception. This is one of those exceptions. This movie of course does not lack on the outstanding animation that has become the calling card of Pixar studios. Yet this film is much deeper than the general fluff kiddie-stuff that most animated films are full of these days. Human excess, environmental conservation and pollution, technological dependency are all big themes in this film and they are pulled off without being overly pretentious or "finger-wagging." It turns out when you mix strong social commentary with robots that are cute as a button, you can really knock it out of the park!
7. Planet of the Apes (1968) - Franklin J. Schaffner
This is another re-watch for me, but felt like a completely new film. I originally saw this film almost twenty years ago and it had been all but erased from my memory. Science fiction is probably my favorite genre of film for two reasons. First, I love robots and spaceships (but who doesn't really?!?! Am I right folks!?). It's the genre that fulfills all of my nerd dreams and fantasies. Second, most of the best science fiction is speculative, creating amazing worlds that offer some glimpse into what may come for humanity, both good and bad. It excitedly and cautiously looks forward to what may come. This second aspect is what thrills me the most. Planet of the Apes combines all of this into a fantastical cinematic angel food cake covered in glorious, speculative icing. Humans devolving into apes? Apes with reign over man? Madness! This is a science fiction essential.
8. Lord of the Flies (1963) - Peter Brook
I unfortunately always associate this movie with school, dirty, filthy school! It seems that most films that I had to watch in high school I unduly consider terrible. So I thought I would give this one another shot, and I am kind of glad I did. When you are dealing with a whole gaggle of kids like this, you can't really expect a whole lot of good acting. However, the film really captures what was so compelling about the book: how these kids just go bat-shit crazy and start murdering each other. The high points of the film really stand out and help overshadow some of the annoying little kid "acting" and some strange editing and continuity things. Also, I want to shove the conch up Piggy's stupid ass. The actor who played Piggy may have unwittingly turned in one of the most accurate portrayals of a literary character in any movie.
9. Death Wish (1974) - Michael Winner
I spend a lot of my time scouring the movie landscape for the best/biggest bad-ass in all of cinema. There are a lot of potential candidates out there and I would put Charles Bronson's character from this movie close to the top. Bronson is the kind of guy who I am absolutely convinced was a 100% totally awesome dude in real life who snatched birds of prey out of the sky with his bare hands and seduced thousands of women. He really fits into the bad-ass mold perfectly. On the surface, Death Wish is a simple revenge film. Bronson's character, Paul Kersey, experiences a terrible tragedy when his wife and daughter are assaulted by a gang of street-toughs (one of them being a young Jeff Goldblum). The normally mild-mannered Kersey breaks out of his shell to seek vengeance on the underground crime world. The film paints a bleak portrait of city crime and the ineffectualness of the police. We root for Kersey, who has now extended beyond simple revenge and has become a night vigilante, distributing his own brand of justice to the crum-bums and hoodlums who prowl the streets. Bronson pulls it off so well that I would not be surprised to find out he actually was a vigilante in real life. If you like this one, you should also check out The Mechanic, starring Bronson and Jan-Michael Vincent.
10. Police Story (1985) - Jackie Chan
A lot of people in the US, including myself, are only familiar with Chan's American movie career, which ranges from anywhere from mediocre (Rumble in the Bronx) to atrocious (Rush Hour, Shanghai Noon, and so on). But before being imported to the US market, Chan was wildly successful in China with a slew of over-the-top action films. Police Story is the first of these films I have seen and I found it entertaining. It still contains a lot of the cheesy, bad acting that plagues some of Chan's US films. But the action in this film is top-notch. There is no denying that Chan is a talented and entertaining performer. The final ten or fifteen minutes of this film is so full of great martial arts action, you're liable to karate-chop your television in half with excitement! I just wish he they had cut back on the silly dialogue that fills the spaces between the action. The parts where Chan is just chatting it up can get boring very quickly and make you yearn for the next punch to be thrown. But when the fists finally start flying again, you are in for a treat.
11. Rambo (2008) - Sylvester Stallone
Holy. Fucking. Shit! I cannot believe I have not seen this movie until now. I should have known after seeing the other films in the series that Sly would not disappoint. "He is old and washed up!" I said to myself. "There's no way he can produce a top-notch action flick!" Well, I was right about the old part. But good God, he is far from washed up! This has, hands-down, the most ridiculous action sequences I have ever seen in any movie. EVER. Do yourself a favor and go on Youtube and find the video that has a kill count for this film. It will blow your mind to little tiny bits! The absolute best part about this movie is that the script and acting is absolutely atrocious. GOD I LOVE IT! It's like putting cheddar cheese on a golden plate of caviar, mixing it up in a blender, and gulping it down in one cheesy, caviar-y, bullet-y gulp. At the end of this movie, I had so much adrenaline coursing through my body that I ran out into the cold night air and hunted down a ten-point buck by scent ALONE, broke it's neck with my bare hands, and drank its blood while baying at the moon. THIS MOVIE WILL TURN YOU INTO A MANLY, BLOODTHIRSTY, WEREWOLF! Watch it now and grow some hair on your chest.
So that is all for January (Only 11 movies, I know!!). Check back for the post for February which will be coming very soon.
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label movies. Show all posts
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
The Price is Right: The Fabulous Cinema of Vincent Price
Well, it looks as though this may turn into a movie blog. At first I thought it would be a robot blog, but since it is a newly developing field, there is so only so much that I can discuss (also due to my severely limited knowledge of the subject). But I spend most of my time watching movies, so I figure why not talk about them. So, without further ado...
Vincent Price. I think a lot of people disregard him as an actor due to the type of movies in which he usually starred: low budget horror and science fiction films. It's a shame, because I believe him to be one of the finest unknown American actors to ever live. He had an undeniable screen presence and probably the most unique voice in all of cinema. Here's my top 10 favorite Vincent Price movies (of the ones I've seen. I haven't made it through his entire filmography yet).
10. The Tingler (1959)
This movie is a perfect example of how an amazing actor can carry a terrible film. It isn't THAT bad, but it was filmed specifically for the theater and does not translate very well on the TV screen. Director William Castle was (in)famous for extending the film experience from the film into the audience, including shock gimmicks in the seats and tagging the film as being shot in "Screamarama." The basic premise is Price, as Dr. Warren Chapin, tries to find the source of fear in humans. He concludes, and successfully proves, that a living creature grows on your spine as you get scared, and it will kill you if you do not release the fear through screaming. So, he extracts one of these creatures (which looks like a rubber centipede), it gets loose, and starts wreaking havoc in a movie theater of all places. The whole film is contrived to create these Screamarama tricks. Still, Price manages to stand out amidst the absurd film. He exhibits fear beautifully, and delivers some just terrible dialogue and manages to make it believeable. I would love to time travel back to the original release and witness this in "Screamarama," it would probably be ten times better.
9. Tales of Terror (1962)
This is the first Vincent Price/Roger Corman team-up on the list (but not the last). Price really gained fame from these low-budget, gothic horrors directed by Roger Corman. This film is a trilogy of shock and horror (per the dvd box) that also stars Peter Lorre and Basil Rathbone. He is paired up with these two amazing actors and manages to outshine both of them. Price really stretches his acting legs in this one, taking turns playing both comedic and serious roles, and playing both of them perfectly. In the second story he plays Fortunato, a professional wine taster who is challenged by the local drunk (Peter Lorre) to a competitive tasting, an exciting event that I never knew existed. Price is genuinely funny in this, as opposed to a rather absurd turn by Lorre. This is worth watching just for the second story, but it is bookended by two solid horror tales that show just how versatile Price can be.
8. Laura (1944)
This is not the typical role for Price. Here he is in a supporting role in a film noir. Price naturally fits into the noir prototype: smooth-talking ladies' man with an aura of mystery around him. Again, he is paired up with two more great actors in Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews and manages to shine. He brings excellent depth and range to his performance and almost steals the show from the leading actors. His performance adds to what is probably the best movie that he has been in (of the ones that I have seen at least). Overall, it is a fantastic entry into the film noir catalogue, filled with mystery and keeps the viewer guessing all the way to the end. If you are new to Vincent Price the actor, this is probably the best place to start; you get a great idea of his abilities and also get a very accessible film.
7. Theater of Blood (1973)
One could criticize this Price role for being too over the top, but that is what I love about it. First of all, he is playing a deranged Shakespearean actor who is exacting revenge on his critics. If that person actually existed, they would be the biggest ham in the world. Second, his acting style fully complements the outrageous acting and plot that makes up his world. The entire film plays out as a Shakespeare play AND it is about Shakespeare. CRAZY!!!!!! This is one of the few Price films that uses excessive blood and gore. His character Edward Lionheart sets up these elaborate death scenes for his critics and the film becomes a great stage for these set pieces. Also, the film has the greatest sword fight ever captured on TV film. Erroll Flynn be damned!!
6. House of Wax (1953)
This is the movie that made wax museums an unsettling place to be (forget the 2005 remake, that shit is weak yo!). Price plays Professor Henry Jarrod, a brilliant sculptor and artist but he is a little strange. He talks to his figures as if they were alive, and I reckon that he fondles some of them off screen. His partner burns his work to the ground and in the process horribly disfigures the Professor. He also apparently burns his last shreds of sanity away, resulting in a murderous rampage in order to recreate his art. He takes corpses, ya see, and throws a bunch of wax on them and calls them statues, which I consider cheating. Anyhow, Price turns another great madman seeking revenge performance, and his make-up is really well done. The big reveal scene in the film is quite shocking (I think it made some list for one of the scariest movie moments ever). The remake can't say that, can it?!?!?! After watching this movie, you probably won't want to be near anywhere near Madame Tussaud's anytime soon.
5. The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)
This is another Price/Corman team-up. It is also another movie based on the stories of Edgar Allen Poe for which Price has become famous (although this is less about the pendulum story and more about another Poe story called 'The Premature Burial'). Price plays Nicholas Medina, the descendent of an infamous torturer during the Spanish Inquisition, who is mourning the loss of his wife. He lives in the house where his father performed these atrocious crimes and still feels the guilt of his father's actions. Here we get two different characters from Price. The first is a pathetic, sorrowful man who is being taken advantage of by the people who are closest to him. The second is a deranged lunatic who uses the torture devices, most notably the pendulum and an iron maiden, to exact his revenge. This is one of the best portrayals of a descent into madness I have ever seen.
4. The House on Haunted Hill (1959)
This is probably Price's most famous role. He plays a millionaire who invites several guests to his supposedly haunted mansion. He offers $10,000 dollars (HOLY SHIT!!) to any of them who can stay the night. It is also a party for his fourth wife; the other three all died mysteriously. There is an air of mystery around Price's character Frederick Loren and no one is sure if they can trust him. This is one of the best haunted house films out there. There is an eerie, disturbing atmosphere from the onset when the guests each pull up to the house chauffered by hearses. This is another William Castle production, but it is much more watchable than The Tingler because it is self-contained on the screen and doesn't rely on off-screen shenanigans. This is the movie that made me fall in love with Vincent Price (as an actor, not sexually).
3. Masque of Red Death (1964)
Yet another Price/Corman production. I almost feel lame putting this many Corman films on this list, but they are really some of Price's best works. Think Herzog/Kinski or Kurosawa/Mifune, except in the small, B-movie horror genre. Epic teams that produce fantastic work. Here, Price is Prince Prospero (ALLITERATION!) and he is 100% pure evil. How evil you ask? Well, I'll tell you. Evil enough to turn his house into a giant church to Satan! Evil enough to force his house guests to perform all sorts degrading behavior for his own amusement! Evil enough to kill the last living members of the local town who have come to his castle for sanctuary from the Red Death with a CROSSBOW! Evil enough to eat a whole nursery of babies! (this last part doesn't happen in the film, but I speculate that Prospero certainly could do this). There is a point in this movie that I literally was yelling death threats at the screen because Prince Price the Prick was being such an asshole. If only every actor could ilicit such a reaction from their performance.
2. Witchfinder General (1968)
This movie is AKAed as "Conquerer Worm," which I think is a much more badass title. Price plays Matthew Hopkins and he truly is the conquerer of worms. And by worms, I mean those lousy, stinking peasants. Hopkins is a reknowned witch hunter who rides about the country passing his judgement on many wenches as the rest of the country is torn by civil war. We again find Price playing a truly evil character. He knows full well that he is falsely accusing people and putting them to death (there is a particularly harrowing scene at the onset of the film where a woman is burned at the stake), but he is just trying to get paid, like a rapper. He also enlists a sadistic henchman who rivals Hopkins in evilness. Spoiler alert: Price dies in the end, and it is one of the most fantastic death scenes ever.
1. The Abonimable Dr. Phibes (1971)
Hands down, this is my favorite Vincet Price movie and his best role. The plot is very similar to Throne of Blood, but it is executed much better. Price plays the eponymous Dr. Anton Phibes, an organist and scholar who was killed in a car crash while racing to his sick wife's side. OR WAS HE!?!?!?!? (hint: he wasn't). Soon, a string of elaborate murders takes place all based on the 10 biblical plagues. All of the victims happen to be doctors that unsuccessfully performed surgery on his ailing wife, resulting in her death. Coincidence?? (hint: NO). It soon becomes a race against the clock as a detective and the last surviving doctor try to put a stop to Phibes' madness. Everything about this movie is so wonderfully done: the ham-fisted acting, the sets, the death scenes, the makeup (Phibes is horribly disfigured in his crash and has to speak through a voicebox). All of this is held together by Price's brilliant performance, a manic organist that would make the Phantom of the Opera shit in his pants. All of the movies I've listed are essential Price viewing material, but this should be at the top of everyone's list with a bullet. A DEATH BULLET!
There you have it. This list is by no means exhaustive. Vincent Price has a huge body of work (that I hope to complete soon) and not all of it is horror. But really, his bread and butter are the classic horror films in which he starred in the 50s-70s. I hope that something on this list inspires you (read: any person who foolishly stumbles on this mediocre blog) to examine more closely this master of the macabre. BOO!
Vincent Price. I think a lot of people disregard him as an actor due to the type of movies in which he usually starred: low budget horror and science fiction films. It's a shame, because I believe him to be one of the finest unknown American actors to ever live. He had an undeniable screen presence and probably the most unique voice in all of cinema. Here's my top 10 favorite Vincent Price movies (of the ones I've seen. I haven't made it through his entire filmography yet).
10. The Tingler (1959)
This movie is a perfect example of how an amazing actor can carry a terrible film. It isn't THAT bad, but it was filmed specifically for the theater and does not translate very well on the TV screen. Director William Castle was (in)famous for extending the film experience from the film into the audience, including shock gimmicks in the seats and tagging the film as being shot in "Screamarama." The basic premise is Price, as Dr. Warren Chapin, tries to find the source of fear in humans. He concludes, and successfully proves, that a living creature grows on your spine as you get scared, and it will kill you if you do not release the fear through screaming. So, he extracts one of these creatures (which looks like a rubber centipede), it gets loose, and starts wreaking havoc in a movie theater of all places. The whole film is contrived to create these Screamarama tricks. Still, Price manages to stand out amidst the absurd film. He exhibits fear beautifully, and delivers some just terrible dialogue and manages to make it believeable. I would love to time travel back to the original release and witness this in "Screamarama," it would probably be ten times better.
9. Tales of Terror (1962)
This is the first Vincent Price/Roger Corman team-up on the list (but not the last). Price really gained fame from these low-budget, gothic horrors directed by Roger Corman. This film is a trilogy of shock and horror (per the dvd box) that also stars Peter Lorre and Basil Rathbone. He is paired up with these two amazing actors and manages to outshine both of them. Price really stretches his acting legs in this one, taking turns playing both comedic and serious roles, and playing both of them perfectly. In the second story he plays Fortunato, a professional wine taster who is challenged by the local drunk (Peter Lorre) to a competitive tasting, an exciting event that I never knew existed. Price is genuinely funny in this, as opposed to a rather absurd turn by Lorre. This is worth watching just for the second story, but it is bookended by two solid horror tales that show just how versatile Price can be.
8. Laura (1944)
This is not the typical role for Price. Here he is in a supporting role in a film noir. Price naturally fits into the noir prototype: smooth-talking ladies' man with an aura of mystery around him. Again, he is paired up with two more great actors in Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews and manages to shine. He brings excellent depth and range to his performance and almost steals the show from the leading actors. His performance adds to what is probably the best movie that he has been in (of the ones that I have seen at least). Overall, it is a fantastic entry into the film noir catalogue, filled with mystery and keeps the viewer guessing all the way to the end. If you are new to Vincent Price the actor, this is probably the best place to start; you get a great idea of his abilities and also get a very accessible film.
7. Theater of Blood (1973)
One could criticize this Price role for being too over the top, but that is what I love about it. First of all, he is playing a deranged Shakespearean actor who is exacting revenge on his critics. If that person actually existed, they would be the biggest ham in the world. Second, his acting style fully complements the outrageous acting and plot that makes up his world. The entire film plays out as a Shakespeare play AND it is about Shakespeare. CRAZY!!!!!! This is one of the few Price films that uses excessive blood and gore. His character Edward Lionheart sets up these elaborate death scenes for his critics and the film becomes a great stage for these set pieces. Also, the film has the greatest sword fight ever captured on TV film. Erroll Flynn be damned!!
6. House of Wax (1953)
This is the movie that made wax museums an unsettling place to be (forget the 2005 remake, that shit is weak yo!). Price plays Professor Henry Jarrod, a brilliant sculptor and artist but he is a little strange. He talks to his figures as if they were alive, and I reckon that he fondles some of them off screen. His partner burns his work to the ground and in the process horribly disfigures the Professor. He also apparently burns his last shreds of sanity away, resulting in a murderous rampage in order to recreate his art. He takes corpses, ya see, and throws a bunch of wax on them and calls them statues, which I consider cheating. Anyhow, Price turns another great madman seeking revenge performance, and his make-up is really well done. The big reveal scene in the film is quite shocking (I think it made some list for one of the scariest movie moments ever). The remake can't say that, can it?!?!?! After watching this movie, you probably won't want to be near anywhere near Madame Tussaud's anytime soon.
5. The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)
This is another Price/Corman team-up. It is also another movie based on the stories of Edgar Allen Poe for which Price has become famous (although this is less about the pendulum story and more about another Poe story called 'The Premature Burial'). Price plays Nicholas Medina, the descendent of an infamous torturer during the Spanish Inquisition, who is mourning the loss of his wife. He lives in the house where his father performed these atrocious crimes and still feels the guilt of his father's actions. Here we get two different characters from Price. The first is a pathetic, sorrowful man who is being taken advantage of by the people who are closest to him. The second is a deranged lunatic who uses the torture devices, most notably the pendulum and an iron maiden, to exact his revenge. This is one of the best portrayals of a descent into madness I have ever seen.
4. The House on Haunted Hill (1959)
This is probably Price's most famous role. He plays a millionaire who invites several guests to his supposedly haunted mansion. He offers $10,000 dollars (HOLY SHIT!!) to any of them who can stay the night. It is also a party for his fourth wife; the other three all died mysteriously. There is an air of mystery around Price's character Frederick Loren and no one is sure if they can trust him. This is one of the best haunted house films out there. There is an eerie, disturbing atmosphere from the onset when the guests each pull up to the house chauffered by hearses. This is another William Castle production, but it is much more watchable than The Tingler because it is self-contained on the screen and doesn't rely on off-screen shenanigans. This is the movie that made me fall in love with Vincent Price (as an actor, not sexually).
3. Masque of Red Death (1964)
Yet another Price/Corman production. I almost feel lame putting this many Corman films on this list, but they are really some of Price's best works. Think Herzog/Kinski or Kurosawa/Mifune, except in the small, B-movie horror genre. Epic teams that produce fantastic work. Here, Price is Prince Prospero (ALLITERATION!) and he is 100% pure evil. How evil you ask? Well, I'll tell you. Evil enough to turn his house into a giant church to Satan! Evil enough to force his house guests to perform all sorts degrading behavior for his own amusement! Evil enough to kill the last living members of the local town who have come to his castle for sanctuary from the Red Death with a CROSSBOW! Evil enough to eat a whole nursery of babies! (this last part doesn't happen in the film, but I speculate that Prospero certainly could do this). There is a point in this movie that I literally was yelling death threats at the screen because Prince Price the Prick was being such an asshole. If only every actor could ilicit such a reaction from their performance.
2. Witchfinder General (1968)
This movie is AKAed as "Conquerer Worm," which I think is a much more badass title. Price plays Matthew Hopkins and he truly is the conquerer of worms. And by worms, I mean those lousy, stinking peasants. Hopkins is a reknowned witch hunter who rides about the country passing his judgement on many wenches as the rest of the country is torn by civil war. We again find Price playing a truly evil character. He knows full well that he is falsely accusing people and putting them to death (there is a particularly harrowing scene at the onset of the film where a woman is burned at the stake), but he is just trying to get paid, like a rapper. He also enlists a sadistic henchman who rivals Hopkins in evilness. Spoiler alert: Price dies in the end, and it is one of the most fantastic death scenes ever.
1. The Abonimable Dr. Phibes (1971)
Hands down, this is my favorite Vincet Price movie and his best role. The plot is very similar to Throne of Blood, but it is executed much better. Price plays the eponymous Dr. Anton Phibes, an organist and scholar who was killed in a car crash while racing to his sick wife's side. OR WAS HE!?!?!?!? (hint: he wasn't). Soon, a string of elaborate murders takes place all based on the 10 biblical plagues. All of the victims happen to be doctors that unsuccessfully performed surgery on his ailing wife, resulting in her death. Coincidence?? (hint: NO). It soon becomes a race against the clock as a detective and the last surviving doctor try to put a stop to Phibes' madness. Everything about this movie is so wonderfully done: the ham-fisted acting, the sets, the death scenes, the makeup (Phibes is horribly disfigured in his crash and has to speak through a voicebox). All of this is held together by Price's brilliant performance, a manic organist that would make the Phantom of the Opera shit in his pants. All of the movies I've listed are essential Price viewing material, but this should be at the top of everyone's list with a bullet. A DEATH BULLET!
There you have it. This list is by no means exhaustive. Vincent Price has a huge body of work (that I hope to complete soon) and not all of it is horror. But really, his bread and butter are the classic horror films in which he starred in the 50s-70s. I hope that something on this list inspires you (read: any person who foolishly stumbles on this mediocre blog) to examine more closely this master of the macabre. BOO!
Monday, August 3, 2009
Strange Cinema - Movies that Make you say, "WTF, yo?!?!?"
In my previous post I mentioned the strangest movie I have seen in the past six months. Oddly enough, it is not the strangest movie I have seen in my life. I am rather fond of films that make me scratch my head, that throw typical story conventions out the window, and that extend the limits of the cinematic art form outside the standard Hollywood movie. Not to detract anything from your normal film fare, but there are only so many Scorsese movies I can watch, ya dig? It gets BORING! So, here are the top 10 Strangest Films I have seen in my life, and it is about as accurate as possible. I present it in alphabetical list, because I don't play favorites.
1. Brazil (1985) - dir. Terry Gilliam.
I always have a rough time coming up with my top 10 favorite films. There are a few that I constantly name and others that sort of cycle in and out. I can comfortably call this one of my 10 favorite movies of all time. From the brilliant mind of Terry Gilliam who, for my money, is a modern visionary on the level of a Bergman or Fellini. This is hands down his best work, and if you question me I WILL SLAY YOU. This movie is a visual masterpiece. Gilliam creates a world with such care and detail that it may as well be a real place, alive and breathing somewhere in America (or England, or any other capitalistic-driven country). Not only does the movie deliver on a visual level, there are so many intricate meanings and lessons you can derive from the plot, from descrying the atrocious behavior of material-driven assholes, to simply proclaiming the overall need to follow your dreams. You could watch the film 50 times and glean a new message each time. All of it is wrapped neatly in this absurd, Python-esque, humor that is just enough to keep you from pulling your hair out because of the insane society in which the movie takes place. I believe this should be required viewing for everyone who considers themselves movie connoiseurs.
2. El Topo (1970) - dir. Alejandro Jodorowsky
Jodorowsky is a freak. Equal parts spiritual journey and western bloodbath, we follow the story of a cowboy clad in black and his young son, clad in absolutely nothing. The plot is rather hard to follow because of the insane amounts of symbolism and imagery. Some of the things on the screen just completly defy any explanation. Jodorowsky also has a fascination with little people/people with deformities, and there are a slew of them present (one that stands out it the legless midget who is riding an armless man). There's a whole mess of blood and violence here, but if you are just interested in senseless action, you should stay far, far away from this. Jodorowsky adds so many surreal images, the viewer could spend years analyzing them and still not fully understand their meaning. If there is anything that sums this movie best it is this: John Lennon often said El Topo was his favorite movie. Yes, the acid-taking, hippy-loving Beatle.
3. Eraserhead (1977) - dir. David Lynch
Lynch is the epitome of strange cinema in America. Each of his films tiptoes on the edge of absolute insanity. This is his first full length film, and without a doubt his strangest. The film opens with a man pulling levers while looking out the window at a weird worm-creature. So, starts off with a giant WTF. The main character, Henry Spencer, knocks his girlfriend up and she gives birth to a bizarrely deformed baby that looks something like a limbless calf fetus. Intertwined with this 'real-life' story are Henry's bizarre dreams and hallucinations, including his head coming off and finding a woman living in his radiator. The series of images, leading to the climax, are almost too overwhelming to understand. But this is certainly a movie that will stay with you long after you see it. Interesting point: Stanley Kubrick loved this film, and before he started filming The Shining, he showed this to the cast to convey the atmosphere he was going for (I wonder if he also showed it to that creepizoid kid Danny?)
4. Fantastic Planet (1973) - Rene Laloux
It is often easier to create bizarre and beautiful images when you are working with animation. Not that I am speaking out of experience, because I have not an artistic bone in my body, but if you can't create it physically, you could certainly draw it. However, there is a big difference between drawing a house with a family in it, and a giant flying hose beast that attacks tiny humans who are oppressed by giant aliens. That's what you get in Fantastic Planet. The imagination it would take to create the world of this film requires either some sort of psychosis or a huge pile of drugs. Basic plot: tiny little humans (Oms) live on a planet that is ruled by giant weird aliens (Draags) and they struggle to survive and maintain their culture. You get this story of oppressive regimes backdropped on this absolutely surrealistic world that most drug addicts couldn't even think up. Great story and visuals here, highly recommended.
5. The Holy Mountain (1973) - dir. Alejandro Jodorowsky
Another Jodorowsky film. I know at the top I said I wouldn't play favorites and pick the "strangest" film on this list. But this movie is the strangest movie I have ever seen in my life. If you think El Topo is weird, this will knock your respective dicks and vaginas in the dirt. Jodorowsky and the actors were literally tripping balls when they made this; they ate hallucinogenic mushrooms and LSD during production and some of the scenes. I'll provide a brief plot synopsis because I am still not really sure what happens. A thief, while begging for money (with a deformed little person, no less), encounters an alchemist who lives at the top of a very high tower. He is then introduced to seven very powerful people and they all decide to go search for immortality. They go to this island looking for the secret, and then... I don't even know. There are parts of this film that will make your head explode with craziness (see: Jenkem). But in the end, you will not be able to stop thinking about this movie.
6. Otesanek aka Little Otik (2000) - Jan Svankmajer
When one normally thinks of stop-motion animation, Ray Harryhausen and Wallace and Gromit are the first things to come to mind. Harryhausen is an icon who created all the fantastic animation in movies like Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans, and a slew of others. Imagine Harryhausen's talent put into the brain of a twisted, disgusting pervert. That is Jan Svankmajer. He creates visceral, bizarre stop motion animation that often involves uncooked meat surprisingly. Otesanek is a rather tame entry by his standards (seek out some of his shorts if you want the really strange stuff), but it still blows most movies out of the water in the strange department. A couple can't have a child, so the husband makes a baby for his wife out of a tree stump. The wife, who is bat-shit crazy, starts treating the doll as a real baby. Soon, the baby actually does become real and develops a taste for BLOOD. Hilarity ensues. The beauty about Svankmajer is he tells an excellent story. He doesn't let his ingenius animation drive the film even though it is a big part of the movie. Great plot+great visuals=great movie. Watch this first and then search out his other films.
7. Naked Lunch (1991) - dir. David Cronenberg
Cronenberg is well known for two different types of films. He pioneered the "physical horror" genre with films like Videodrome, The Fly, and Dead Ringers. More recently, he has gained attention from his serious dramatic efforts A History of Violence and Eastern Promises. Naked Lunch doesn't really fall into either category. Working with source material which was called "unfilmable" (and the strangest book I've ever encountered), Cronenberg achieves the impossible. We get a guy who is addicted to bug powder whose typewriter comes to life as a giant bug that tells him to kill his wife because she is a secret agent of the Interzone. Follow that? In the Interzone he writes a report about his mission while descending further and further into drug abuse and madness. This is a very accessible movie, similar to Brazil, but maintains its strange atmosphere throughout. Cronenberg is my favorite director of all time (possibly tied with Gilliam), and this is an excellent entry in his catalog.
8. Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989) - Shinya Tsukamoto
Those Japanese sure are crazy!!! Black & white cyberpunk goodness. The film opens with a scene that is vomit worthy; I cringed for ten minutes when it came on. We see a man who is haunted by a mechanical ghost and his body starts to transform into a giant pile of metal. He kills his girlfriend with his giant metal drill penis. Yep. There are some stylized chase scenes and a crazy fight at the end with the machine-ghost. It's all jammed into 70 minutes of head shaking craziness. It actually mixes some of the most eccentric parts of David Lynch and David Cronenberg into a successfully strange film. There is also a sequel that I have been dying to see. If it is anything like this, it should be a delightfully good time.
9. Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970) - dir. Jaromil Jires
I'd really like all the Twilight freaks that are running around to watch this movie. I am pretty sure it would make most of them cry. Talk about a different view on vampires!! A 13 year-old girl is experiencing a sexual awakening and also being stalked by vampires. I guess her newly-discovered menstrual cycle is getting them all hot and bothered. The story is very non-linear, often floating between the real world and dream world; this makes the plot rather hard to follow. We get some morally reprehensible behavior which includes, but is not limited to, attempted rape, pedophilia, and suicide. I'd liken the film to another young girl finds sex/vampire movie called Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural (which was banned by the Vatican!), but if you cranked up the weird factor by 10. I'd suggest you shouldn't watch this if you just think Robert Pattison is like, so totally buff and hot and the coolest vampire fo' sho'.
10. Un Chien Andalou (1929) - Luis Buñel
I debated putting this on the list because it is only 16 minutes long. But not only is it strange and surreal, it is also a ground-breaking piece of work from cinema's early period. Imagine a Salvador Dali painting in the form of a short film. That is exactly what this movie is. Dali wrote and produced the film along with Buñel, who would go on to have a very successful career as a filmmaker (and I unfortunately have seen none of his other work, but a lot are on my "to see" list). This film has no plot that I can distinguish. It seems to be more of a free association of images, of which the most famous is a woman having her eye cut open with a straight razor. It seems that Dali just wrote down a dream that he had and they said, "hey, let's film this." This movie is really the first of its kind and helped lay the groundwork for even more strange, avant-garde cinema that came after it.
Looking back on this obscene post makes me wish I could write more intelligently about films. I feel like most of the synopses were just reduced to me saying, "This tv film looks purdy." I guess the main point I am trying to get at here is to try something new. Step outside of your normal comfort zone when it comes to movies, music, or any kind of art. You can easily get into a pattern of watching the same thing over and over again, and what do you learn from that? Expand your horizons, you may find something that you really, truly love.
1. Brazil (1985) - dir. Terry Gilliam.
I always have a rough time coming up with my top 10 favorite films. There are a few that I constantly name and others that sort of cycle in and out. I can comfortably call this one of my 10 favorite movies of all time. From the brilliant mind of Terry Gilliam who, for my money, is a modern visionary on the level of a Bergman or Fellini. This is hands down his best work, and if you question me I WILL SLAY YOU. This movie is a visual masterpiece. Gilliam creates a world with such care and detail that it may as well be a real place, alive and breathing somewhere in America (or England, or any other capitalistic-driven country). Not only does the movie deliver on a visual level, there are so many intricate meanings and lessons you can derive from the plot, from descrying the atrocious behavior of material-driven assholes, to simply proclaiming the overall need to follow your dreams. You could watch the film 50 times and glean a new message each time. All of it is wrapped neatly in this absurd, Python-esque, humor that is just enough to keep you from pulling your hair out because of the insane society in which the movie takes place. I believe this should be required viewing for everyone who considers themselves movie connoiseurs.
2. El Topo (1970) - dir. Alejandro Jodorowsky
Jodorowsky is a freak. Equal parts spiritual journey and western bloodbath, we follow the story of a cowboy clad in black and his young son, clad in absolutely nothing. The plot is rather hard to follow because of the insane amounts of symbolism and imagery. Some of the things on the screen just completly defy any explanation. Jodorowsky also has a fascination with little people/people with deformities, and there are a slew of them present (one that stands out it the legless midget who is riding an armless man). There's a whole mess of blood and violence here, but if you are just interested in senseless action, you should stay far, far away from this. Jodorowsky adds so many surreal images, the viewer could spend years analyzing them and still not fully understand their meaning. If there is anything that sums this movie best it is this: John Lennon often said El Topo was his favorite movie. Yes, the acid-taking, hippy-loving Beatle.
3. Eraserhead (1977) - dir. David Lynch
Lynch is the epitome of strange cinema in America. Each of his films tiptoes on the edge of absolute insanity. This is his first full length film, and without a doubt his strangest. The film opens with a man pulling levers while looking out the window at a weird worm-creature. So, starts off with a giant WTF. The main character, Henry Spencer, knocks his girlfriend up and she gives birth to a bizarrely deformed baby that looks something like a limbless calf fetus. Intertwined with this 'real-life' story are Henry's bizarre dreams and hallucinations, including his head coming off and finding a woman living in his radiator. The series of images, leading to the climax, are almost too overwhelming to understand. But this is certainly a movie that will stay with you long after you see it. Interesting point: Stanley Kubrick loved this film, and before he started filming The Shining, he showed this to the cast to convey the atmosphere he was going for (I wonder if he also showed it to that creepizoid kid Danny?)
4. Fantastic Planet (1973) - Rene LalouxIt is often easier to create bizarre and beautiful images when you are working with animation. Not that I am speaking out of experience, because I have not an artistic bone in my body, but if you can't create it physically, you could certainly draw it. However, there is a big difference between drawing a house with a family in it, and a giant flying hose beast that attacks tiny humans who are oppressed by giant aliens. That's what you get in Fantastic Planet. The imagination it would take to create the world of this film requires either some sort of psychosis or a huge pile of drugs. Basic plot: tiny little humans (Oms) live on a planet that is ruled by giant weird aliens (Draags) and they struggle to survive and maintain their culture. You get this story of oppressive regimes backdropped on this absolutely surrealistic world that most drug addicts couldn't even think up. Great story and visuals here, highly recommended.
5. The Holy Mountain (1973) - dir. Alejandro Jodorowsky
Another Jodorowsky film. I know at the top I said I wouldn't play favorites and pick the "strangest" film on this list. But this movie is the strangest movie I have ever seen in my life. If you think El Topo is weird, this will knock your respective dicks and vaginas in the dirt. Jodorowsky and the actors were literally tripping balls when they made this; they ate hallucinogenic mushrooms and LSD during production and some of the scenes. I'll provide a brief plot synopsis because I am still not really sure what happens. A thief, while begging for money (with a deformed little person, no less), encounters an alchemist who lives at the top of a very high tower. He is then introduced to seven very powerful people and they all decide to go search for immortality. They go to this island looking for the secret, and then... I don't even know. There are parts of this film that will make your head explode with craziness (see: Jenkem). But in the end, you will not be able to stop thinking about this movie.
6. Otesanek aka Little Otik (2000) - Jan Svankmajer
When one normally thinks of stop-motion animation, Ray Harryhausen and Wallace and Gromit are the first things to come to mind. Harryhausen is an icon who created all the fantastic animation in movies like Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans, and a slew of others. Imagine Harryhausen's talent put into the brain of a twisted, disgusting pervert. That is Jan Svankmajer. He creates visceral, bizarre stop motion animation that often involves uncooked meat surprisingly. Otesanek is a rather tame entry by his standards (seek out some of his shorts if you want the really strange stuff), but it still blows most movies out of the water in the strange department. A couple can't have a child, so the husband makes a baby for his wife out of a tree stump. The wife, who is bat-shit crazy, starts treating the doll as a real baby. Soon, the baby actually does become real and develops a taste for BLOOD. Hilarity ensues. The beauty about Svankmajer is he tells an excellent story. He doesn't let his ingenius animation drive the film even though it is a big part of the movie. Great plot+great visuals=great movie. Watch this first and then search out his other films.
7. Naked Lunch (1991) - dir. David Cronenberg
Cronenberg is well known for two different types of films. He pioneered the "physical horror" genre with films like Videodrome, The Fly, and Dead Ringers. More recently, he has gained attention from his serious dramatic efforts A History of Violence and Eastern Promises. Naked Lunch doesn't really fall into either category. Working with source material which was called "unfilmable" (and the strangest book I've ever encountered), Cronenberg achieves the impossible. We get a guy who is addicted to bug powder whose typewriter comes to life as a giant bug that tells him to kill his wife because she is a secret agent of the Interzone. Follow that? In the Interzone he writes a report about his mission while descending further and further into drug abuse and madness. This is a very accessible movie, similar to Brazil, but maintains its strange atmosphere throughout. Cronenberg is my favorite director of all time (possibly tied with Gilliam), and this is an excellent entry in his catalog.
8. Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989) - Shinya Tsukamoto
Those Japanese sure are crazy!!! Black & white cyberpunk goodness. The film opens with a scene that is vomit worthy; I cringed for ten minutes when it came on. We see a man who is haunted by a mechanical ghost and his body starts to transform into a giant pile of metal. He kills his girlfriend with his giant metal drill penis. Yep. There are some stylized chase scenes and a crazy fight at the end with the machine-ghost. It's all jammed into 70 minutes of head shaking craziness. It actually mixes some of the most eccentric parts of David Lynch and David Cronenberg into a successfully strange film. There is also a sequel that I have been dying to see. If it is anything like this, it should be a delightfully good time.
9. Valerie and Her Week of Wonders (1970) - dir. Jaromil Jires
I'd really like all the Twilight freaks that are running around to watch this movie. I am pretty sure it would make most of them cry. Talk about a different view on vampires!! A 13 year-old girl is experiencing a sexual awakening and also being stalked by vampires. I guess her newly-discovered menstrual cycle is getting them all hot and bothered. The story is very non-linear, often floating between the real world and dream world; this makes the plot rather hard to follow. We get some morally reprehensible behavior which includes, but is not limited to, attempted rape, pedophilia, and suicide. I'd liken the film to another young girl finds sex/vampire movie called Lemora: A Child's Tale of the Supernatural (which was banned by the Vatican!), but if you cranked up the weird factor by 10. I'd suggest you shouldn't watch this if you just think Robert Pattison is like, so totally buff and hot and the coolest vampire fo' sho'.
10. Un Chien Andalou (1929) - Luis Buñel
I debated putting this on the list because it is only 16 minutes long. But not only is it strange and surreal, it is also a ground-breaking piece of work from cinema's early period. Imagine a Salvador Dali painting in the form of a short film. That is exactly what this movie is. Dali wrote and produced the film along with Buñel, who would go on to have a very successful career as a filmmaker (and I unfortunately have seen none of his other work, but a lot are on my "to see" list). This film has no plot that I can distinguish. It seems to be more of a free association of images, of which the most famous is a woman having her eye cut open with a straight razor. It seems that Dali just wrote down a dream that he had and they said, "hey, let's film this." This movie is really the first of its kind and helped lay the groundwork for even more strange, avant-garde cinema that came after it.
Looking back on this obscene post makes me wish I could write more intelligently about films. I feel like most of the synopses were just reduced to me saying, "This tv film looks purdy." I guess the main point I am trying to get at here is to try something new. Step outside of your normal comfort zone when it comes to movies, music, or any kind of art. You can easily get into a pattern of watching the same thing over and over again, and what do you learn from that? Expand your horizons, you may find something that you really, truly love.
Friday, July 31, 2009
Mid-year movie breakdown
I watch a lot of movies but I don't actually go to the movies. The wonderful invention known as Netflix has taken over my life. In fact, my internet browser opens up to the wonderous website every day. I must need movies!! (my need for movies supersedes my need for proper English and sentence structure. Yes, it is serious). I keep track of every movie that I watch in a long, obsessive compulsive list. As we have reached the halfway mark of '09, I will share some interesting tidbits about said list. Here we go:
The list consists of 176 titles.
The month I watched the most movies in was January with an astonishing 42 titles.
The month I watched the least movies in was June with only 16 titles.
Breakdown by decade:
1910-1919: 0
1920-1929: 4
1930-1939: 4
1940-1949: 15
1950-1959: 21
1960-1969: 29
1970-1979: 47
1980-1989: 14
1990-1999: 9
2000-2009: 33
Breakdown by genre (try to keep it as basic as possible):
Action: 28
Comedy: 15
Documentary: 6
Drama: 40
Horror: 35
Mystery/Thriller: 17
Science Fiction: 28
Western: 7
68 of the movies were made outside the United States.
16 of the movies have won an Academy Award.
27 of the movies have had Criterion releases.
The actor most represented on the list is Toshiro Mifune with 5 appearances. Tied for second place is William Holden and Vincent Price with 4 appearances each. (I had to stop figuring this out because it was driving me crazy, but I am pretty sure it is right).
The strangest movie on the list, for my money, is Valerie and her Week of Wonders. Made by a crazy Czech guy named Jaromil Jires in 1970.
This list, and all this info, is the clearest indication that I have absolutely no fucking life. I plan on continuing this trend throughout the year though. I want to see how many movies I can cram into a year. Stay tuned for December when I will present an end-of-year Movie Mash-up, compiling all the movies for '09 for your reading pleasure. I know you are just as excited as I am.
Happy movie watching!!!
The list consists of 176 titles.
The month I watched the most movies in was January with an astonishing 42 titles.
The month I watched the least movies in was June with only 16 titles.
Breakdown by decade:
1910-1919: 0
1920-1929: 4
1930-1939: 4
1940-1949: 15
1950-1959: 21
1960-1969: 29
1970-1979: 47
1980-1989: 14
1990-1999: 9
2000-2009: 33
Breakdown by genre (try to keep it as basic as possible):
Action: 28
Comedy: 15
Documentary: 6
Drama: 40
Horror: 35
Mystery/Thriller: 17
Science Fiction: 28
Western: 7
68 of the movies were made outside the United States.
16 of the movies have won an Academy Award.
27 of the movies have had Criterion releases.
The actor most represented on the list is Toshiro Mifune with 5 appearances. Tied for second place is William Holden and Vincent Price with 4 appearances each. (I had to stop figuring this out because it was driving me crazy, but I am pretty sure it is right).
The strangest movie on the list, for my money, is Valerie and her Week of Wonders. Made by a crazy Czech guy named Jaromil Jires in 1970.
This list, and all this info, is the clearest indication that I have absolutely no fucking life. I plan on continuing this trend throughout the year though. I want to see how many movies I can cram into a year. Stay tuned for December when I will present an end-of-year Movie Mash-up, compiling all the movies for '09 for your reading pleasure. I know you are just as excited as I am.
Happy movie watching!!!
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