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First off, I’m going to start this post with Andrei Tarkovsky’s THE SACRIFICE and for those of you who have watched MOTHER! note the symmetry of the storyline. In THE SACRIFICE, the premise is about Alexander, an aging writer living with his wife in a house nearly on the outskirts of civilization are celebrating his birthday one weekend and as guests arrive for the celebration, they learn that World War III is unfolding, which prompts heavy emotions of insanity. (Sorry spoiler alert!) And yes there is a big house fire at the end of all of this! Essentially, MOTHER! (personally)…
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My mind has been like one of those old school oscillating fans, that constantly over works itself on a sweltering summer day. All the levers and gears in my mind all in synchronized motion as I find myself thinking about Paul Thomas Anderson’s recent film, PHANTOM THREAD. When I initially viewed it, I didn’t know what to make of it. I’ve seen THERE WILL BE BLOOD, THE MASTER, PUNCH DRUNK LOVE, and MAGNOLIA, yet this one feels different. So what better way to sort out my feelings on the matter, as my modus of operandi always lands in writing it…
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After about a week of mulling over THE SHAPE OF WATER, directed by the notorious monster-loving Guillermo del Toro, I’ve come to the conclusion that I really enjoyed this film. And after reading numerous mixed reviews and I really wasn’t sure where I was going to land on this. You see there’s a tiny inkling of horror, mixed in with some violence, a dash of eroticism, a villain, a monster, a quiet protagonist, and of course the pathos all riding on the emotional depth of how humanity perceives the “other”. All of these great ingredients combined and you have yourself…
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When I read about French, filmmaker Julia Ducournau’s RAW last year, I intrinsically knew it be something I’d find fascinating to study. Mind you, I’m still studying it. It’s disgusting, grotesque, where all the horror lies within the flesh, blood, hair, flakey skin, eyeballs, basically your whole anatomy making it narrowly bearable. Its controversy is just as stigmatizing as any Catherine Breillat film and some might even be up there with gnarly Cronenberg film. Whatever happened to that guy? I constantly read articles on how audiences reacted and this may have attributed to some of it’s success. Personally, I feel…
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I had a very intense dream last night, after watching I DON’T FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE and it may have had somewhat of an influence. However, I can faintly see pieces of the Kurt Vonnegut’s Cat’s Cradle in there as well. Weird, weird, weird, right? I had to write about it once I woke up, trying not to forget the details. It felt very cinematic. So here’s what I remember. Enjoy! I’m walking in the rain. It’s foggy and I can’t quite see in front of me. Everything is a grayish-white haze, but I hear a truck…
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The brilliance behind George Lucas’ 1971 THX-1138 is how he creates a “subconsciously disorienting mood” which exposes us to old school special effects with expressive sound design amplifying the functionality of a dystopian society going down an attenuated hopelessly bleak path where all human emotion is oppressively regulated through none other than subversive technology. Lucas’ is giving us a glimpse of how the world could be and not necessarily showing us how things actually work in that world. It’s THE FUTURE!!! A secluded society functioning underground without the companion of emotions, nature, beauty, the sun, and utter sensation of wonder…
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Dystopian, Melancholy, Existentialism, Winner of the Silver Bear, Russia
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Have you ever been in an empty theater watching a movie completely alone? I got to experience this back in June when watching David Lowery’s A GHOST STORY. Not a single soul came to watch this remarkable film and it kind of seemed tragic. I guess everyone was still glossy-eyed over WONDER WOMAN that month which was an okay superhero film generating Warner Bros a $100,000 million opening weekend or whatever. But what about the little indie film distributed by A24 which grossed a little over $1.5 million overall? Not bad for an estimated budget of $150,000. Although, it seems…
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There’s something intrinsically engrossing happening to my brain when watching Ana Lily Amirpour’s THE BAD BATCH. It has imagination, it has desert, it has a dystopian world equipped with an underlying realization that this could be a slight futuristic foretelling of a crumbling civilization gone severely wonky. Is this what happens when resources of our planet plateau and society has to decide who really gets to live vs survive? I know I’m projecting way the hell out there but I can’t help it. At least the desert people know how to let loose with that funky music and Keanu Reeves…
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If there’s one thing I love about America, it’s exploring the vast landscape through no other means than road tripping. I’ve driven several thousands of miles, solo and it’s the most liberating feeling. From Oregon to Indiana and even train tripping along the east coast to see Virginia and New York, and what other film can I attribute my immense nostalgia to such a feeling? The 1969 guerilla film classic none other and there’s no way in hell rebooting the magic that is EASY RIDER. In fact, it was so revolutionary it sparked the New Hollywood period of filmmaking. Think…
[Film Reviews from a Female Brain]
MARISSA THE CINEPHILE 