Gettin’ into the details of films: analysis, overview, clips, images and in some cases how their influence creeps into what I do.
Shredder Orpheus
Now, how about a strange, dark, American underground new wave/punk film that pulls heavily from Greek mythology and skateboarding, with a riveting post-punk soundtrack by Roland Barker?
The Devils
This 1971 entry from the controversial British film director Ken Russell is an intense, visual experience and as with most of his “biographical” films, the actual facts and history get a liberal dose of interpretation, heightening and twisting the original, key elements into an over-the-top, spectacle of a story.
The Tower
A double-entry for the Canadian (1985) and American (1993) versions of the The Tower, both made-for-TV movies involving powerful, master computers in state-of-the-art (for the time) office buildings that go bezerk and start killing people! Both films are of dubious quality but provide a certain entertainment value. This entry is a bit of a contrast and comparison between the two and delves a bit into aesthetics, Canadian film and the little known genre of Canuxploitation.
World On A Wire
Also known by its original German title, Welt Am Draht, this film is the only science fiction film by prolific director Rainer Werner Fassbinder — a slow burning, visually rich interpretation of the namesake novel written by American novelist Daniel F. Galouye.
The Greeks Had A Word For Them
Also known as Three Broadway Girls, this number is a fun gem from the Pre-Code era of Hollywood Films that came near the end of Prohibition in the US and around the start of the “talkies”, showing a window to an era of free spirited film-making. It’s the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun of the classic Hollywood era.
Ninja Terminator
Godfrey Ho, considered the “Ed Wood” of Hong Kong martial arts cinema, released a sprawling amount of low budget ninja films in the 80s with American actor Richard Harrison. Expect badly dubbed dialogue, bizarre haircuts, martial artists in eyeliner, toy robots, a sizzling synth-heavy soundtrack and… Garfield phones.
Picnic At Hanging Rock
Peter Weir’s 1975 classic mystery film, about a small number of Australian schoolgirls who at the turn of the 20th century disappear mysteriously in the alien landscape of Australia’s iconic Hanging Rock without a trace, combining hazy, warm and delicate cinematography and costume design with a dark, supernatural menace.
Giulietta Degli Spiriti
Released in 1965, Giulietta Degli Spiriti it was the first Fellini film in colour, as well as one of the many he worked on with his wife and renowned actress Giulietta Masina, who plays the lead role in this film. It’s also for the first film where the extreme visual surrealist style of his films that he’s know for really started to ramp up to new, dizzying heights.
Flash Gordon
A fun, camp and cult science film that bombed at the box office when it came out, it’s a hyper-stylised film with fashion and visuals that seem to be more aligned with hedonistic, high-fantasy disco than anything “science” related.
Nausicäa of the Valley of the Wind
Watching this film when I was young when it was called Warriors Of The Wind, this 80s sci-fi classic gets revisited years later in its unedited form showcasing beautiful animated landscapes and a strong, environmental storyline.
A Zed & Two Noughts
Drama, black comedy, art film or body horror? Or a bit of each? Greenaway’s second major film A Zed & Two Noughts is possibly the most abstract of the bunch from this period and not without a lot of lush visual detail.
Berberian Sound Studio
A British sound engineer starts to loose his sanity when he goes to Italy to do audio work on a film that he has very little knowledge about. A brief synopsis is also provided for another Peter Strickland film, The Duke Of Burgundy, as well.
The Keep
American director Michael Mann does a supernatural film with Nazis, and although with its flaws, it has amazing atmosphere, visuals and an incredible soundtrack by Tangerine Dream that make this one a cult favourite with a lot of fans, including myself.
The Servant
The Servant (1963) packs a lot of social commentary, observations on British society at the time, good dialogue and some great cinematography.
Heart Of Midnight
A young woman inherits a night club from a dead uncle and ends up dealing with red hallways, cynical cops, thugs, bumps in the night and giant eyeballs.
Liquid Sky (DVD Re-issue)
What brought me to giving Liquid Sky an entry here is the chance to finally watched likely how the film was intended, on a high-quality, restored version.
Billy The Kid and the Green Baize Vampire
So… a camp, stylized 80s musical film about a snooker match of which one of the players is a vampire you say? Billy The Kid and the Baize Green Vampire — the name alone draws up a lot of curiousity and that’s pretty much how I got around to watching it.
Images
A very subtle yet unsettling “psychological horror” by Robert Altman, Images is one of his lesser known films, released in 1972 starring Suzannah York.
Afraid Of The Dark & Paperhouse
Common themes, aesthetics and ideas run between these two films, released around the same time period, involving children battling the fine lines between reality, dreams and nightmares.
Céline and Julie Go Boating
A film in the classic French surrealist style, Céline and Julie Go Boating is a long, strange and magical film about two friends who find a strange way to enter a strange, cyclical dream-like world.
Let’s Scare Jessica To Death
An early 70’s subtle yet atmospheric psychological horror with added paranoia brought out by the film’s excellent synthesizer-based soundtrack.