I just returned from seeing Possession at my movie theater. It's an incredibly intense (and angry) movie that I've described as Cassevetes meets Lynch and a hyper-melodrama with supernatural elements as well as comparing it to Cronenberg's The Brood (for the anger) and Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut (for the dream/nightmare-like atmosphere)*. As you can imagine, Possession is very hard to describe and is vastly different than what the title suggests. Here's the trailer:
This is one of those movies that I can't say I enjoy, but I would recommend to any adventurous moviegoer. I've had a number of interesting conversations and it's the type of material that stays with you for a few days. The acting is pitched at near screeching levels and the entire world exists in a heightened reality that pushes the boundary of what the viewer expects from a night at the movie. It's these last elements that bring me to my discussion.
My theater is known for monthly kung fu features and monthly grindhouse shows. Possession was not shown under the heading of either of those yet the audience appears to have approached it this way. Much to my chagrin, many people come to those screenings looking to laugh at the movies and not enjoy them for what they are. At some point in movie history, people decided that bad movies could be fun if you watched them for the purpose of making fun of them (I would think Mystery Science Theater 3000 is the starting place, but I could be wrong). As someone who only seeks out movies that I think I might like (or seeks them out to have an educated opinion on something, say Woody Allen or Quentin Tarantino), I think this concept is a waste of time. There's are literally thousands of good to great movies to still be seen. Why waste time on the shitty ones?
Alas, this is the culture in which we live. What started out as mocking obviously bad movies developed into audiences thinking that public spaces were a fine place to practice their wit (note to movie theater wise-asses: you're not funny). Sadly, even though we show many terrific grindhouse films (I'm not much into kung fu, but I'm told they're good), the reputation for these types of films precedes them. Audiences enter the theater with no intention of taking the movie seriously. Not only are they doing the filmmaker a disservice, but themselves because they are putting a wall up that prevents them from having an actual experience. They have no capacity to empathize.
Which brings me back to Possession. I'll be the first to admit that there are bizarre and funny touches, intentional and unintentional, but every seen between Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani is erupting with tension. I don't know how anyone could bring themselves to laugh while these character's lives are spiraling out of control along with their minds. Yet, the audience does, even during a scene in which Neill's character is beating Adjani's character. My mind was blown that people could find that funny**.
The great thing about Possession, though, which is unlike almost any other film, is that it punishes you for laughing. I don't mean to suggest it's doing this intentionally because I don't think the director, Andrzej Zulawski, expected people to laugh, but his film is so visceral and ratcheted up that he takes the viewer into uncomfortable territory. There are several scenes, including the beating, in which the audience initially saw humor but quickly became piped down. That was pleasing to see.
This experience made me realize that many of today's audiences come to watch movies with a chip on their shoulder. They go to movies on their terms, not the filmmaker's and the filmmakers have to work hard to get past the coating of snark and irony. It's disappointing that people can't let their guard down for new experiences and it's even more upsetting that their inability to keep it in the living room might ruin the experience for others. For many, unless there are massive explosions, the days of losing oneself in a movie are over.
*A coworker also posited that it's an alien invasion film, which is totally arguable.
**A friend suggested the laughter was nervous laughter, but much of it seemed more like belly laughs and not awkward titters to me.
Showing posts with label possession. Show all posts
Showing posts with label possession. Show all posts
Monday, July 23, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Never Trust a DVD Company That Releases Crappy Horror Movies
A result of how I stock my Netflix queue is that I watch a lot of bad movies. I put anything on that has interesting cover art and a fun sounding synopsis without doing any follow-up research. What can I say? I like surprises...
Cathy's Curse came in the mail this week and I was pretty excited for some schlocky fun. The cover promises a certain type of movie:
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| The promise of a scary, sexy time. |
That image doesn't seem to conflict with the description:
Years after his father and sister were killed in an automobile accident, a man marries and brings his new family back to his first home. Once there, his daughter undergoes horrible changes as she falls under the curse of his long dead aunt.
It's not like Netflix is trying to put one over on me. It's the DVD company. They knew that they'd sell more DVDs with the promise of some titillation (and nothing can help a bad horror movie more than great gore and boobs). Instead, I got this:
I kept thinking the movie was going to jump ahead a few years, but no. It's all about a ten year old possessed girl, which would be fine if it didn't suck so much. I learned a valuable lesson from this experience: don't trust anyone.
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| Seeing this could have saved me a lot of time. |
In a way, I feel like I got the authentic Grindhouse experience. The films shown in those theaters often had advertising (or advertising that had a movie built around it) that didn't match the film to get butts in the seats.
Monday, March 28, 2011
Death, Violence, Carradines, and Nudity... Lots of Nudity
Django -- Sergio Corbucci
I was first told of Django by my roommate in Australia in relation to Takashi Miike's Sukiyaki Western Django. Featured prominently in each is a man who drags around a coffin containing mysterious contents. Many already know the contents of the coffin, but I won't spoil it for those who don't because my girlfriend was definitely caught by surprise. It's a good film, though I wouldn't recommend those unfamiliar with Spaghetti Westerns start with it (is there a better genre name than "Spaghetti Westerns?"). Django has gone on to be a huge influence in pulp (sub)culture, so it may be worth checking out just for that.
Death Race 2000 -- Paul Bartel
Have you ever been driving down the street and seen a couple walking their dog on the road or a group of schoolchildren crossing at an intersection and thought to yourself, "50 points?" That's basically what's happening in Death Race 2000 except that it's a government sanctioned race across the country and the drivers are trying to rack up as many points as possible. And it's awesome. The amazing Roger Corman produced and it stars David Carradine and nutty Sylvester Stallone. This would make a great double feature with The Road Warrior or, in a pinch, Duel.
Graduation Day -- Herb Freed
This was my second Troma experience (the first being Mother's Day... they sure had a thing for event-based horror movies) and it wasn't much better than the first. To be fair, I kind of hate Lloyd Kaufman and The Toxic Avenger/Class of Nuke 'Em High stuff looks terrible so I'm biased to begin with, but Graduation Day is really dull. The most it has going for it is that Linnea Quigley in an early role and a pre-Wheel of Fortune Vanna White. It also has some mildly amusing silliness, but unless you're really curious about Vanna White, I'd say stay away.
Emperor of the North -- Robert Aldrich
Hell, yeah! Emperor of the North rocks! Ernest Borgnine. Lee Marvin, and Keith Carradine (another Carradine!). Borgnine is a train conducter who has zero tolerance for hobos riding his line. Marvin and Carradine are hobos determined to ride that line. Definitely supplants Zero Effect in my Top Five Films: Oregon. Emperor of the North is a great battle between adversaries and had me thinking of double features once again. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (the original) would be perfect. Both feature main characters diametrically opposed, all of whom are fantastic actors. Of course, I'm a mark for movies that take place on a train...
13 Tzameti -- Gela Babluani
The story of why this film landed on my cue is probably a bit more interesting than the film itself, though the film isn't bad. It's about a gambling ring where contestants stand in a circle holding revolvers with one bullet to the head of the person in front of them. Onlookers place bets. The signal is given. Some live, some move on to the next round. OK, it's a pretty cool concept.
It was recommended to me by a very drunk guy at the Hollywood Theatre while I was trying to change the marquee and put up new posters. This guy was with two friends, boyfriend and girlfriend, who were in the vacant lot next to the theater having a huge argument about something stupid (though she kept saying how much she loved him and wished he would just open up to her). Anyway, the friend of the couple in between recommending movies to me confessed to having sex with her in the bathroom of the theater that night while the boyfriend was watching the movie and after the boyfriend left, the two remaining made out vigorously in front of the theater before taking off. Love...
Anyway, what did I take away from all of this? Star George Babluani looks like a cross between John Cazale and Zach Galligan.
=
Holy Mountain -- Alejandro Jodorowsky
Holy Mountain signaled the unintentional immersion into movies that features LOTS of nudity and the following reaction from my girlfriend: "What are you watching? This is weird." And she's not wrong (about any of the movies), but Holy Mountain is simply beautiful to look at. The set design is vibrant and kind of astonishing. I got a little restless in the middle when it was filling in backstories for the seven other travelers, but I can't recommend Holy Mountain enough. And to be fair, I think my girlfriend was turned off by a certain grooming scene. I can't wait to watch Sante Sangre after this and El Topo.
Zardoz -- John Boorman
Do not see Zardoz. You'll see that it's John Boorman's follow-up to the amazing Deliverence. Don't give in. You'll see Sean Connery dressed like some wrestler with an absurd mustache:
I was first told of Django by my roommate in Australia in relation to Takashi Miike's Sukiyaki Western Django. Featured prominently in each is a man who drags around a coffin containing mysterious contents. Many already know the contents of the coffin, but I won't spoil it for those who don't because my girlfriend was definitely caught by surprise. It's a good film, though I wouldn't recommend those unfamiliar with Spaghetti Westerns start with it (is there a better genre name than "Spaghetti Westerns?"). Django has gone on to be a huge influence in pulp (sub)culture, so it may be worth checking out just for that.
Death Race 2000 -- Paul Bartel
Have you ever been driving down the street and seen a couple walking their dog on the road or a group of schoolchildren crossing at an intersection and thought to yourself, "50 points?" That's basically what's happening in Death Race 2000 except that it's a government sanctioned race across the country and the drivers are trying to rack up as many points as possible. And it's awesome. The amazing Roger Corman produced and it stars David Carradine and nutty Sylvester Stallone. This would make a great double feature with The Road Warrior or, in a pinch, Duel.
Graduation Day -- Herb Freed
This was my second Troma experience (the first being Mother's Day... they sure had a thing for event-based horror movies) and it wasn't much better than the first. To be fair, I kind of hate Lloyd Kaufman and The Toxic Avenger/Class of Nuke 'Em High stuff looks terrible so I'm biased to begin with, but Graduation Day is really dull. The most it has going for it is that Linnea Quigley in an early role and a pre-Wheel of Fortune Vanna White. It also has some mildly amusing silliness, but unless you're really curious about Vanna White, I'd say stay away.
Emperor of the North -- Robert Aldrich
Hell, yeah! Emperor of the North rocks! Ernest Borgnine. Lee Marvin, and Keith Carradine (another Carradine!). Borgnine is a train conducter who has zero tolerance for hobos riding his line. Marvin and Carradine are hobos determined to ride that line. Definitely supplants Zero Effect in my Top Five Films: Oregon. Emperor of the North is a great battle between adversaries and had me thinking of double features once again. The Taking of Pelham One Two Three (the original) would be perfect. Both feature main characters diametrically opposed, all of whom are fantastic actors. Of course, I'm a mark for movies that take place on a train...
13 Tzameti -- Gela Babluani
The story of why this film landed on my cue is probably a bit more interesting than the film itself, though the film isn't bad. It's about a gambling ring where contestants stand in a circle holding revolvers with one bullet to the head of the person in front of them. Onlookers place bets. The signal is given. Some live, some move on to the next round. OK, it's a pretty cool concept.
It was recommended to me by a very drunk guy at the Hollywood Theatre while I was trying to change the marquee and put up new posters. This guy was with two friends, boyfriend and girlfriend, who were in the vacant lot next to the theater having a huge argument about something stupid (though she kept saying how much she loved him and wished he would just open up to her). Anyway, the friend of the couple in between recommending movies to me confessed to having sex with her in the bathroom of the theater that night while the boyfriend was watching the movie and after the boyfriend left, the two remaining made out vigorously in front of the theater before taking off. Love...
Anyway, what did I take away from all of this? Star George Babluani looks like a cross between John Cazale and Zach Galligan.
=
Holy Mountain -- Alejandro Jodorowsky
Holy Mountain signaled the unintentional immersion into movies that features LOTS of nudity and the following reaction from my girlfriend: "What are you watching? This is weird." And she's not wrong (about any of the movies), but Holy Mountain is simply beautiful to look at. The set design is vibrant and kind of astonishing. I got a little restless in the middle when it was filling in backstories for the seven other travelers, but I can't recommend Holy Mountain enough. And to be fair, I think my girlfriend was turned off by a certain grooming scene. I can't wait to watch Sante Sangre after this and El Topo.
Zardoz -- John Boorman
Do not see Zardoz. You'll see that it's John Boorman's follow-up to the amazing Deliverence. Don't give in. You'll see Sean Connery dressed like some wrestler with an absurd mustache:
There, you've seen it. Now forget about the movie. Forget about it's reputation as a cult classic. It's terrible. The best part about Zardoz is the reveal of the name "Zardoz." One exception to these warnings: if you like to take drugs and watch movies, this one seems ideal. You may even be able to make some sense of it all.
Enter the Void -- Gaspar Noe
I've deliberately avoided Irreversible, though I think I may hazard a watch in the near future. Enter the Void isn't exactly pleasant, but it doesn't have a 9-minute rape scene either. It's also quite fetching to look at. The first-person perspective doesn't feel too gimmicky and the flashbacks fit in with the hallucinatory nature. If only Enter the Void wasn't 2 hours and 40 minutes long. Much of that time is spent floating around or in 2001 "Star Gate"-esque visuals. Still, I have to recommend it based on visuals alone. It's like little else I've seen recently. Also, much like the previous two films, drugs could very well enhance the experience greatly.
Inserts -- John Byrum
A "boy wonder" silent film director can't make the transition to shooting sound films and has been reduced to making pornography in his home. What ensues is very talky and seldom clothed film about desire and passion, though not necessarily sex. Inserts feels very much like a play, not just because it takes place in one location, but because it uses lots of long (in duration) shots even when there are cuts, they aren't very noticeable. I haven't found any indication that it was ever a play, though. It has a great cast: Richard Dreyfuss (this came out the same year as Jaws, which triggers a certain cognitive dissonance in me), Bob Hoskins, Jessica Harper (Phantom of the Paradise) , and Veronica Cartwright (The Birds, Alien) and if you've ever wanted to see the latter two nude, well, that's this movie. It was especially weird for me because Cartwright has featured prominently in the X-Files episodes I've watched lately, but that's something else entirely. Anyway, it's a pretty good movie and different from most movies I've seen recently in a non-thisistheweirdestthingever type of way. Ironically, I can't think of a single insert in the whole film.
Possession -- Andrzej Zulawski
OK, so this wasn't a Netflix movie, but that's only because it's unavailable on Netflix. I had to borrow a downloaded copy from someone and it places me squarely back in "thisistheweirdestthingever" territory. It plays as a melodrama racketed up a few notches for the first hour then just goes of the rails in a very organic and deliberate way. Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani seem totally out of their minds the whole time which doesn't help in figuring out what's going on. Add in that everyone seems to have a double and I don't even know what to tell you anymore. My most enduring thought during Possession was of Cronenberg's The Brood and how he was going through a messy divorce at the time which resulted in a very angry movie and that must be what happened here. Imagine my surprise and delight (with myself, not in Zulawski's failing marriage) to find Wikipedia stating (because Wikipedia talks to me) that Zulawksi was going through a similar experience and people often associate Possession with The Brood. If I had to classify this film, I'd call it hyper-melodramatic supernatural horror.
Enter the Void -- Gaspar Noe
I've deliberately avoided Irreversible, though I think I may hazard a watch in the near future. Enter the Void isn't exactly pleasant, but it doesn't have a 9-minute rape scene either. It's also quite fetching to look at. The first-person perspective doesn't feel too gimmicky and the flashbacks fit in with the hallucinatory nature. If only Enter the Void wasn't 2 hours and 40 minutes long. Much of that time is spent floating around or in 2001 "Star Gate"-esque visuals. Still, I have to recommend it based on visuals alone. It's like little else I've seen recently. Also, much like the previous two films, drugs could very well enhance the experience greatly.
Inserts -- John Byrum
A "boy wonder" silent film director can't make the transition to shooting sound films and has been reduced to making pornography in his home. What ensues is very talky and seldom clothed film about desire and passion, though not necessarily sex. Inserts feels very much like a play, not just because it takes place in one location, but because it uses lots of long (in duration) shots even when there are cuts, they aren't very noticeable. I haven't found any indication that it was ever a play, though. It has a great cast: Richard Dreyfuss (this came out the same year as Jaws, which triggers a certain cognitive dissonance in me), Bob Hoskins, Jessica Harper (Phantom of the Paradise) , and Veronica Cartwright (The Birds, Alien) and if you've ever wanted to see the latter two nude, well, that's this movie. It was especially weird for me because Cartwright has featured prominently in the X-Files episodes I've watched lately, but that's something else entirely. Anyway, it's a pretty good movie and different from most movies I've seen recently in a non-thisistheweirdestthingever type of way. Ironically, I can't think of a single insert in the whole film.
Possession -- Andrzej Zulawski
OK, so this wasn't a Netflix movie, but that's only because it's unavailable on Netflix. I had to borrow a downloaded copy from someone and it places me squarely back in "thisistheweirdestthingever" territory. It plays as a melodrama racketed up a few notches for the first hour then just goes of the rails in a very organic and deliberate way. Sam Neill and Isabelle Adjani seem totally out of their minds the whole time which doesn't help in figuring out what's going on. Add in that everyone seems to have a double and I don't even know what to tell you anymore. My most enduring thought during Possession was of Cronenberg's The Brood and how he was going through a messy divorce at the time which resulted in a very angry movie and that must be what happened here. Imagine my surprise and delight (with myself, not in Zulawski's failing marriage) to find Wikipedia stating (because Wikipedia talks to me) that Zulawksi was going through a similar experience and people often associate Possession with The Brood. If I had to classify this film, I'd call it hyper-melodramatic supernatural horror.
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