Multiple Cinegasms

[auto-da-fey]

While I talk about classics, however, I consume more trash: The Manson Family had the misfortune to come out in 2004, at the tail end of that whole series of Gacy/Bundy/etc. docudramas, and I wrote it off at the time. But it's from Jim Van Bebber, the Dayton-based genius of Deadbeat at Dawn fame, and after falling hard for that film, I had to see this. It took 15 years to make  , so I wish it were a sleaze masterpiece, but it isn't. It does have some creatively varied film stock, with plenty of scratchy grain, some nearly hardcore-level sex (bloody orgies included), and a lunatic quality that works to its favor--Van Bebber seems to be going for a Last House on Dead End vibe, and he often taps into the drained nihilism that marked that film. But it also has a lame modern-day framing device, and it looks like actors must have drifted in and out of the project over the years, because it's hard to keep track of the characters. Still, definitely not your run-of-the-mill horror film, and gory enough to fill an entire issue of Fangoria, so I consider it 93 minutes well spent.

[dieblucasdie]

I like Witness too, but it's definitely Billy Wilder declining to bare his teeth.

Yeah, it definitely pulled some punches (especially at the end), but again, it was saved by the Laughton performance, which made it ridiculously watchable. 

[auto-da-fey]

To be honest, I don't remember his performance all that well, but it must have been more effective than it seems, because I feel so familiar with Laughton, but I've only seen him in that and about five other films, one of which was the fucking Paradine Case. I would probably swear on my grandfather's grave that I haven't seen that film, had I not been a geekily obsessive kid who kept a Hitchcock checklist. I remember literally nothing about it.

Dude did direct one of ten favorite films ever, though, with Night of the Hunter. What a stud!

[Sing The Children Over]

QFT

I note upthread your giallo love and envy muchly your ability to get a lot of that stuff over there. Have you seen much Sergio Martino because his All the Colours of the Dark really slays me and in a lot of ways I think it the equal of Argento's work.

[auto-da-fey]

Have you seen much Sergio Martino because his All the Colours of the Dark really slays me and in a lot of ways I think it the equal of Argento's work.

I've only seen his Slave of the Cannibal God and 2019: After the Fall of New York, but I've got a few on thre way--All the Colors, and The Strange Vice of Mrs. Wardh. It's raining gialli here!

And yeah, Netflix is pretty good for such pursuits--as much as I love the local mom'n'pops video shops, none of them could begin to offer this kind of selection. I still try to frequent those places as much as possible, though.

[Andrew_TSKS]

While I talk about classics, however, I consume more trash: The Manson Family had the misfortune to come out in 2004, at the tail end of that whole series of Gacy/Bundy/etc. docudramas, and I wrote it off at the time. But it's from Jim Van Bebber, the Dayton-based genius of Deadbeat at Dawn fame, and after falling hard for that film, I had to see this. It took 15 years to make  , so I wish it were a sleaze masterpiece, but it isn't. It does have some creatively varied film stock, with plenty of scratchy grain, some nearly hardcore-level sex (bloody orgies included), and a lunatic quality that works to its favor--Van Bebber seems to be going for a Last House on Dead End vibe, and he often taps into the drained nihilism that marked that film. But it also has a lame modern-day framing device, and it looks like actors must have drifted in and out of the project over the years, because it's hard to keep track of the characters. Still, definitely not your run-of-the-mill horror film, and gory enough to fill an entire issue of Fangoria, so I consider it 93 minutes well spent.

bro, i fucking LOVE this movie. i've only seen it once, but i had my nerding-out-over-manson phase, and i was surprised at how well this movie did at presenting a balanced picture of what happened, somewhere between bugliosi's book and the more radical interpretations, while still being an awesome gore movie that looks like it came out in 1974. i don't know about the ending, so yeah, that element of "framing" was a bit weak, but everything else about it was awesome.

[auto-da-fey]

Yeah, I do feel like I slightly undersold it there, largely because of inflated expectations. I think the hardest evaluation to accurately convey is the "this isn't as good as I had hoped for but I still really liked it" type, because you inevitably wind up dwelling on the negatives. But The Manson Family is an unnerving film, and that "looking like 1974" comment is so OTM--and dude achieved the look far more affordably than did Rodriguez in Planet Terror.

[hannah]

Keeping in mind that 1) I had a really fucking shitty day and 2) I'm totally exhausted and 3) I'd be watching this with my mother (who, while a cinephile, is not always fond of what I am fond of) and 4) I'd be getting the movie from the stupid old Hoboken Blockbuster, can someone please recommend me something absolutely lovable, endearing, charming, or whatever-the-fuck -- something that'll keep the perpetually restless me entertained for 90 minutes?

For reference points, I'd say the Soderbergh Ocean's 11, 40-Year-Old Virgin, and Waitress, to lesser or greater extents, as movies that fulfill all of the above criteria.

[Murrrk]

Oh, Hannah, have you seen Paprika or Once?

[hannah]

Are they on DVD

[Murrrk]

Everything's on DVD in NYC. But no. DVD-wise, how about The 36th Chamber of Shaolin? I guess you might have seen poor Bielinksy's The Aura? Bobcat Goldthwaite's Sleeping Dogs Lie? The Dead Girl? The BBC miniseries The State Within?

[hannah]

stupid old Hoboken Blockbuster, man, not NYC

thanks for the recs

[Greg Nog]

Paprika was only kinda okay, but it was fun to do the Anime Checklist while watching it.

Mysterious lady acts as savior-figure for the male protagonists?  check

Giant battle destroying city?  check

Thin sci-fi thriller plot to express fear of encroaching technologies?  check

Tentacle porn?  check

[coldforge]

slant eyes

check

[Greg Nog]

slant eyes

i saw them when they opened for wolf parade

[girl]

I'm a bit late, but Miss Potter came out on dvd this week.  It was very sweet, and totally appropriate to watch with one's mother.

If. . . finally got a proper dvd release (Criterion).  I'm watching it right now.

[auto-da-fey]

If. . . finally got a proper dvd release (Criterion).  I'm watching it right now.

No shit? Is O Lucky Man! out too?

[girl]

If. . . finally got a proper dvd release (Criterion).  I'm watching it right now.

No shit? Is O Lucky Man! out too?

Alas, no.  Netflix still says "release date unknown".

edit:  Also the friends function has been down for like two days now at Netflix.  I hate that I've been getting movies from my own queue without being able to poach good stuff from everyone else.

[hannah]

We watched Fast Food Nation.

[Murrrk]

& thus the collective LPtJ breath unbates.

[hannah]

No, that happened when you reappeared.

[Murrrk]

ZING

[hannah]

//

[Murrrk]

Dirty whore.

[hannah]

If you need me I'll be lurking in the Dwowkin thread.