tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27096663444142972612024-02-07T22:01:27.206-08:00The Last Picture Blog-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.comBlogger150125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-82947582447943158162021-06-18T06:43:00.003-07:002021-06-18T06:43:37.361-07:00Most Popular Horror Movies By State? I Don't Know . . . <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZa-NXuYCWT_aHrVnxefojTNCkwFK3IItxXFS3dz11VCTxO8w5y_J1fyWzubcTeBuqy7cha7btaO3t799M2yFFRXpVGvlnb96MYzKF2PawHPZdEXYJxbjyINJCi5N-KaEPRhXlNxR7ep7U/s953/134382319_10164469684960414_4653396223509874651_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="953" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZa-NXuYCWT_aHrVnxefojTNCkwFK3IItxXFS3dz11VCTxO8w5y_J1fyWzubcTeBuqy7cha7btaO3t799M2yFFRXpVGvlnb96MYzKF2PawHPZdEXYJxbjyINJCi5N-KaEPRhXlNxR7ep7U/s320/134382319_10164469684960414_4653396223509874651_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Kill the Cable Bill has compiled a list it has determined to be the most popular horror movies by state (United States only, as you can imagine). Accurate? I'm not so sure. Interesting? You bet. The concept is sound, too. The article's writer, William Parker, described his methodology, which I'm not sure I agree with, but it is a good jumping off point if you want to do your own study. So what is the most popular horror movie in your state? Find out <a href="https://www.killthecablebill.com/blog/best-horror-movies/?off" target="_blank">here</a>, and then prepare to argue it.<p></p><br /><p><br /></p>-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-88852225980284507952020-06-06T07:00:00.001-07:002020-06-06T07:02:20.188-07:00My 100 Favorite Films of All Time #81: Hereditary<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0iqTrla52hq0Q6Vc_Y0Ydv3u0nZVNNiyFPeZGJ4jI5SAzedy8ty_aaeFQPFdY6NK8xw9JnTgQw9SqZuhTtSKRmKLtYzXMXRZ83KPMHXc8lNoLQA9HrnKmSTcYO981cFH4nzmMs5vAetvS/w200-h200/12b081330f1be5c6bc73862d506e8e4f72-29-hereditary.rsquare.w700.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="200" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">There are so few films out there that cause my jaw to drop. If you have seen <i>Hereditary</i>, you know the moment I am referencing. It is not that it comes out of nowhere. It is because even though viewers have been set up for it, your mind does not even register it as a possibility because you believe the character is too vital to the film to have such a thing happen. When that moment came, my mouth opened in surprise. The man in the row behind me was so startled he yelled, "Jesus!" His phone also hit the floor of the theatre and broke.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">That is an effective horror movie.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">For much of Ari Aster's film viewers are kept in the dark. Are we watching a family drama about mental illness, or is something much more sinister going on? The answer to both is yes, and the person who really sells this is Toni Collette. She is so good in this film that most people forget that Gabriel Byrne acts opposite her. Collette's performance transcends what is normally in a horror movie . . . or any other film for that matter. You believe in what she is going through, and there is a scene set at the dinner table where she confronts her son that is as gut wrenching as they come.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;"><span style="text-align: left;">People who do not like horror movies will watch this and say, "Horror movies shouldn't be this smart." But they are wrong. They should be this way. The just often are not. This requires thinking, belief suspension, and the ability to come out of a film knowing all your questions may not be answered on the first viewing. I know there are a large group of people who absolutely hate this film. They think it is slow moving, arty, and boring. I cannot use any of those words to accurately it, and I wonder just what they are seeing. Have their viewing habits become so warped that unless there is a scare or blood every two minutes they get bored? That must be the case, because </span><i style="text-align: left;">Hereditary</i><span style="text-align: left;"> is simply incredible and needs to be seen not only by horror fans, but film fans everywhere. I don't know if there was a better movie to have come out in 2018.</span></div></div>-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-33133612170966876252020-01-06T05:34:00.001-08:002020-01-06T05:34:26.087-08:00Sinful CinemaI'm back after a break of a few years. I will be tackling the top 100 list again, but I wanted to fill you film fans in on something I have been working on. It's called the <i><a href="https://dougbrunell.wixsite.com/writerofdepravity/sinful-cinema-series">Sinful Cinema Series</a></i>, and right now it is up to four books covering obscure films. So far I've written about <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2QMqNjM">The Abductors</a></i>, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2MYXMAo">Crypt of the Living Dead</a></i>, <i><a href="https://amzn.to/37GZhLy">Destruction Kings</a></i>, and <i><a href="https://amzn.to/2rXh5mc">Laure</a></i>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSxMb4fZ3gsaYXhwzDJYbhtxFjZwmJ48UzqyW4SuEZQ2bG4wFb59Fj55M1ObvHo0XOKRFcvhW9kEQzyU763vbbjB-IQuUv5VeyUSnIrM9Q9y97p7VcUSovxKUC994uPKK6Xujz2cnMzX2T/s1600/cryptofthelivingdeadhometown.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSxMb4fZ3gsaYXhwzDJYbhtxFjZwmJ48UzqyW4SuEZQ2bG4wFb59Fj55M1ObvHo0XOKRFcvhW9kEQzyU763vbbjB-IQuUv5VeyUSnIrM9Q9y97p7VcUSovxKUC994uPKK6Xujz2cnMzX2T/s320/cryptofthelivingdeadhometown.jpg" width="213" /></a>The first volume covers <i>The Abductors</i>. It's an insane read mainly because of all the information I've gathered on the film. It has in it a future porn king, a future terrorist, and it was written and directed by a man who would go on to produce one of Disney's biggest franchises. It's all about sexual slavery, and it is a sleazy classic. Did I mention I also interviewed Jeramie Rain (<i>The Last House on the Left</i>) for it? Yep, I did.<br />
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The second volume covers the little-known vampire film <i>Crypt of the Living Dead</i>. It's actually a pretty tame film with one of the creepiest endings I've seen in any movie. If you read the book you'll learn how one of the stars was a suspect in a "murder" where the victim had ties to the JFK assassination.<br />
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The third volume delves into Low Budget Pictures' <i>Destruction Kings</i>, which was heavily inspired by <i>The Monster Squad</i> and <i>Bad Boys</i>. This comedy drove the director to have panic attacks, and I interview several people associated with the film, including Ariana Albright, scream queen and all around great lady.<br />
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The fourth volume examines <i>Laure</i>. <i>Laure</i> is an incredibly interesting film. It was written and directed by the "writer" of the <i>Emmanuelle</i> book, and features the real Emmanuelle. If you know why I used "writer" in quotes, you know why this film gets weird. It turns out the writer was really a man who was a French diplomat, and he used this film to try and push his sexual philosophy, which seemed to include children. It's also notable for originally starring porn actress Linda Lovelace, who left the film after refusing to do nude scenes.<br />
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Currently I'm working on the fifth volume, which will be yet another obscure film. When it is done I'll announce it here and on my <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sinfulcinema/">FB page</a> for the book series. Stop by and follow if you want to keep up on film news and engage in some lively discussions.-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-38500372106577286292015-04-18T07:34:00.001-07:002015-04-18T07:34:11.295-07:00My 100 Favorite Films of All Time #82: The Birds<div class="MsoNormal">
1963. Hitchcock. <i><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BWJQEC6/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B00BWJQEC6&linkCode=as2&tag=cancerzeitge-20&linkId=F5DXYRJIOYLS6FW6%22%3EAlfred%20Hitchcock:%20The%20Essentials%20Collection%20-%20Limited%20Edition%20[Blu-ray]%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=cancerzeitge-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B00BWJQEC6%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E">The Birds</a></i>. Really, that is all one needs
to write. Anyone who has seen it knows
how powerful a film it is. Anyone who
hasn’t seen it has avoided it simply because they are afraid. It is a scary, scary film, and that’s
something sorely missing from today’s theatres.
That fear doesn’t come from a masked, unstoppable killing machine; a
puppet on a tricycle; or even a ghost in a television. It comes from nature, it seems to have thought
behind it, and it comes without warning.
That’s what makes it terrifying.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Tippi Hedren plays the lead female, Melanie. While visiting Bodega Bay, California she is
attacked by a seagull and it is all downhill from there. Soon hundreds of birds of all sorts are
attacking people in the town.
Attacking. Stopping. Attacking again. Without reason. Without a pattern. It is nerve destroying and Hitchcock knows
it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Yes, the special effects aren’t special to modern
audiences. You kind of forget that,
though, while you experience it. The
film is just that engrossing. Watching
it, you understand why the director was a master of his craft, and you hate him
for it. How many people left the theatre
after seeing this and felt their pulse race at the sight of a crow?<o:p></o:p></div>
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I can watch <i><a href="https://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0087ZG7UW/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B0087ZG7UW&linkCode=as2&tag=cancerzeitge-20&linkId=QGTPGKBJZP7TH2KI%22%3EPsycho%20(1960)%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://ir-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/ir?t=cancerzeitge-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0087ZG7UW%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E">Psycho</a></i>
with no problem. The movie doesn’t freak
me out in the slightest. This film,
however, does the job. Nature gone wild
with no explanation (horror without an explanation is some of the most jarring
horror of all). Paranoid townspeople who
manifest reasons for the attacks in what amounts to little more than symbolic
magic. Tension increased by actions and
not a film score. Hitchcock’s work of
art has it all, and it is relentless.
Yes, he takes time building the story, but that’s what makes the film
work. It is not for the easily
distracted. <o:p></o:p></div>
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There have been other attempts to capture the magic that is <i>The Birds</i>. I can’t think of any movie that really
succeeded in doing it, however.
Hitchcock created a classic here, and it is one that I think is his best
film. I know purists would disagree with
me, but nothing else he has done put me on the edge of my seat like this one
did. This is simply a masterpiece in all
the right ways.<o:p></o:p></div>
-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-37029072560970630652014-06-22T07:51:00.002-07:002014-06-22T07:51:51.653-07:00Infliction Release Date!<div>
Found footage fans rejoice, <i><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAsjY0a5rg8">Infliction</a></i> has a release date. On July 1 you can see it on DVD, digital HD and VOD in the US and our friend to the north, Canada. It will be all over Netflix, Walmart, iTune, Amazon and all the other usual suspects.</div>
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I haven't seen the film yet, but am hoping to soon, and if it is as interesting as I suspect it will be, I will hopefully be interviewing its director, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2298653/">Jack Thomas Smith</a>. </div>
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Set the date. Dim the lights. Chill the ham ...</div>
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-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-60363323055237991222014-05-01T06:06:00.002-07:002014-05-01T06:06:49.487-07:00More Infliction Coming Your Way<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGGgfKiUHNePcEAwThPp_7_FLDcNJzINO0ZVchsj7f1KofCAfDn-q_Le0k4UWoF-9EeQ6iLXjdIxRvLleysbZIf8XuLHr0ddYCX0gpNdTBa5J402mUf1nFkp3rsAGFGCaLkws09MlVgO8S/s1600/Infliction+Joe's+Body.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGGgfKiUHNePcEAwThPp_7_FLDcNJzINO0ZVchsj7f1KofCAfDn-q_Le0k4UWoF-9EeQ6iLXjdIxRvLleysbZIf8XuLHr0ddYCX0gpNdTBa5J402mUf1nFkp3rsAGFGCaLkws09MlVgO8S/s320/Infliction+Joe's+Body.jpg" /></a>If you are in or near Lake Hopatcong, NJ Saturday May 3 and are interested in checking out <i>Infliction</i>, it will be at the Camp Jefferson Theater. Screenings are at seven and nine at night. The director will be there for Q & A after the film.<br />
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<br />-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-21694885335487050952014-03-22T08:25:00.001-07:002014-03-22T08:26:43.990-07:00Infliction Coming Soon!<a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2298653/">Jack Thomas Smith</a> (<a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/Disorder/5229951">Disorder</a>) has a new film coming out this Spring. <a href="http://www.inflictiontapes.com/">Infliction</a> will be out in select theatres and POV and VOD, with a DVD release to follow, naturally. There are also a few screenings of it at the Anthology Film Archives in New York City on 4/5/14 at 5 pm and at Roberts Chatham Cinema in Chatham, New Jersey on 4/10/14 at 7 pm. If you attend one of these screenings, I'd love to hear what you think of it.<br />
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I'm a sucker for found footage movies, so I am looking forward to this one. <br />
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<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/rAsjY0a5rg8" width="560"></iframe>-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-45299852685098548382013-12-24T20:31:00.002-08:002013-12-24T20:31:47.965-08:00My 100 Favorite Films of All Time #83: The End<div class="MsoNormal">
1978’s <i>The End</i> is
a childhood favorite of mine. I saw it
when I was around nine years old, and while I don’t think I appreciated all its
commentary on the human condition at that time, I did recognize it was
something special. <o:p></o:p></div>
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In the film, Burt Reynolds plays Wendell, and he has just
discovered he has about a year to live.
If this were a normal movie, Wendell would do all those things on his
bucket list before the sun goes down on his life (skydive, eat at a fancy
restaurant, kick a field goal at a famous football field, and so on). Instead, he figures he shouldn’t wait around
for the end to come to him. No, he
thinks he should kill himself, thus ending his life on his own terms. He does try to tie up some loose ends, and
when this fails he swallows a bunch of pills to usher in the great beyond. Unfortunately, he also fails in his suicide
attempt and ends up in a mental hospital where he meets a fellow patient (the
excellent Dom DeLuise) who agrees to help him end his life. At the film’s conclusion Wendell decides he
wants to live (in a funny screw-with-viewers scene), but his partner-in-suicide
decides to continue their little plan.<o:p></o:p></div>
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In case I haven’t been clear, this is a comedy.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Reynolds directed this movie, and what he did was walk a
fine line between tasteless and sublime.
Suicide is not a subject most people would find funny, but it is
hilarious here, making this a very brave film.
Reynolds, in tackling this issue, could have tanked his career with this
one. Instead, he showed that not only is
he is a mature actor, but also a competent director. <o:p></o:p></div>
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My memories of this are probably tainted by time (I doubt I
would think highly of the slapstick elements now), but as a young boy it taught
me that there is comedy to be mined from seemingly taboo subjects and in how
people react when confronted with them.
Sadly, this film is virtually forgotten even amongst Burt Reynolds fans
(there are some still out there), and it deserves more than being relegated to
the dustbin of cinematic history.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Mandatory FTC Disclaimer: I did not receive this film for review, and if you click on a link, I may earn a commission.</i><br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm-na.amazon-adsystem.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=cancerzeitge-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0000542CE" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-46752131998152013312013-05-19T21:26:00.001-07:002013-05-19T21:26:13.827-07:00My 100 Favorite Films of All Time #84: Freaks<br />
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Theatre audiences in 1932 had no idea they of what was in
store for them with this film. In fact,
when test screenings were done, a woman in attendance later threatened to sue
the film studio, MGM, because she thought the film caused her a
miscarriage. Folks across the pond
could not even see the film for 30 years after its release due to a ban on
it. This was Tod Browning’s <i><a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/3056556?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227001131426&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=&wl3=14128989790&wl4=&wl5=pla&veh=sem">Freaks</a></i>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Browning, who did <i><a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/Dracula-75th-Anniversary-Edition-2-Disc-Full-Frame/5138969">Dracula</a></i>,
made <i>Freaks</i> his baby. It is, at its heart, a love story steeped in
revenge. Its plot? Fairly standard. A female trapeze artist named Cleopatra loves
a sideshow midget (“little person” now).
Well, what really she loves his inheritance. The other circus “freaks,” not knowing how
shallow this woman really is, accept her as one of their own at a dinner
underneath the big top. (“One of us,”
they chant.) Wine flows, and so do
Cleopatra’s secrets. She’s been having
an affair, and the freaks are none too happy … especially when Cleopatra, in a
drunken state, belittles them. And so
hatred is born. During a stormy night,
Cleopatra and her lover are attacked by the freaks, and Cleopatra is left
hideously mutilated … forever becoming “one of them.” (The original film, which was extensively
cut, also had the freaks castrating her lover.)<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnx2BVDLKNluLNBo9Jb0W7EqXTXKK3y-laOAGnZnIRi29PcvfuTeSfX0iY2a8s214-qqi-uZvevPG5FfS6RtbwjkpkXqXOW_ms8D7FQO3TTeL9hRedbs8KD5IAEtc0X07X8UeVXF7zKUo/s1600/freaks2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnx2BVDLKNluLNBo9Jb0W7EqXTXKK3y-laOAGnZnIRi29PcvfuTeSfX0iY2a8s214-qqi-uZvevPG5FfS6RtbwjkpkXqXOW_ms8D7FQO3TTeL9hRedbs8KD5IAEtc0X07X8UeVXF7zKUo/s320/freaks2.jpg" /></a>
<br />
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So what sent audiences over the edge? The freaks were not the products of special
effects or makeup. They were real
sideshow performers. The Living
Skeleton. Siamese Twins. Pinheads.
The Half Boy. For audiences not
yet exposed to the horrors of Nazi concentration camps, seeing an armless and
legless man crawl through the mud toward them with a knife in his mouth was
more than enough to cause panic attacks.
Perhaps they were also disturbed by the film’s message: A “normal” human
could be even worse than one of these “exhibit pieces.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Browning’s film cost him his career, and that is a
shame. If you watch it today, even in
cut form (which, to my knowledge, is the only version of the film that now
exists), it still packs a punch. It is
simply a really good story. It’s
complex. It’s disturbing. It’s chilling. It is mob mentality at its worst, and
protective spirit at its finest. If you
haven’t seen it, do so. It is now
considered a classic, but back in 1932 it was one of the first films to truly
shock an audience … and continues to do so today. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Mandatory FTC Disclaimer: I did not receive this film to review, and clicking on a link may earn me a commission.</i></div>
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-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-12454132871345518612013-05-18T07:24:00.000-07:002013-05-18T07:24:23.914-07:00My 100 Favorite Films of All Time #85: Sid and Nancy<br />
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Young hearts beat free tonight. If ever there were to be a doomed love story
to come out of the early punk rock era, it is the story of Sid and Nancy. Sid Vicious (Gary Oldman), the Sex Pistols
bassist, loved Nancy Spungen (Chloe Webb), and they both loved heroin. That’s what ultimately did them in. Well, to be honest, Nancy died of a stab
wound after arguing with Sid, while he overdosed later. Alex Cox’s 1986 film is his take on their
relationship, and what a take it is.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPPfRsuZ8fQ5vu5ampd1j51wtQRVKAyRxPll1b0aohTHaFlRXLfsdHYfB7Pw4jH_3q4L9xch-IpqtEoWp4NR0-STuMl7zLQjdfYVf9MAAQoXJj9KLSHleePLFM3CBpYv1r1rL01hhcxVq/s1600/sid+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJPPfRsuZ8fQ5vu5ampd1j51wtQRVKAyRxPll1b0aohTHaFlRXLfsdHYfB7Pw4jH_3q4L9xch-IpqtEoWp4NR0-STuMl7zLQjdfYVf9MAAQoXJj9KLSHleePLFM3CBpYv1r1rL01hhcxVq/s320/sid+1.jpg" /></a>Oldman just about dominates any role he takes on, and this
is no exception. He<i> is</i> Sid in <i><a href="http://www.dvdplanet.com/buy/dvd/sid-nancy_19798?gclid=COSIv7btn7cCFSNo7AodFxcA-g">Sid and Nancy</a></i>. After watching it, you can’t imagine anyone
else in the role. Webb, who is sometimes
mistaken for Courtney Love in this movie (Love has a different role in it, but
it’s easy to see why someone would think that), plays Nancy as a loud force of
nature who essentially keeps Sid co-dependent, though her love for him is not
in dispute. Again, this is Cox’s take on
their relationship, Sid’s relationship with the other Pistols, and the punk
rock scene at that time. It’s not always
historically accurate, but it is an emotional piece of art that captures the
spirit of a time the music world will never see again.<o:p></o:p></div>
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</div>
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Cox made a movie that is the equivalent of lying face down
in the gutters of New York City. It is
full of depressing, degrading moments of desperation, and it focuses on two
characters most of its viewing audience can’t really relate to in any
reasonable way. Despite that, it
works. It is a love story <i>and</i> a cautionary tale. It is hopes and dreams and heroin, and it
doesn’t shy away from the worst aspects of any of those things.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
This film may not fit everyone’s idea of a romance, but for
those who tend to look at life a bit more honestly, it works. It’s a film as unique as Sid and Nancy, too,
and while it’s hard to picture anyone but Oldman playing Sid, it’s also hard to
imagine anyone other than Cox directing.
Of course, it’s a bit morbid to think that if Nancy had not of died we
wouldn’t have a film, but so be it. In
the end, this stands as an amazing tribute to love and addiction while at the
same time romanticizing and deconstructing both.<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Mandatory FTC Disclaimer: I did not receive this film to review, but in fact stole it in true punk rock fashion. Clicking on a link may earn me some filthy lucre.</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-82951828410083944962013-02-20T22:50:00.003-08:002013-02-20T22:51:07.020-08:00My 100 Favorite Films of All Time #86: The Manson Family<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwoAUeHxi5jwfRHAyos1Jx5QUc88rYt8xJgfXv9GlL8YKHxkf06HM5sRC1GwG-InotoZaXnuiH3jHQWBBATlsGN-IlngGuQ_DwKJn-J4aiR5PCJACPj9gBtA4iGFidfAn9WGW6ypzaSiz/s1600/manson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTwoAUeHxi5jwfRHAyos1Jx5QUc88rYt8xJgfXv9GlL8YKHxkf06HM5sRC1GwG-InotoZaXnuiH3jHQWBBATlsGN-IlngGuQ_DwKJn-J4aiR5PCJACPj9gBtA4iGFidfAn9WGW6ypzaSiz/s320/manson.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Jim Van Bebber started making <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><a href="http://www.rakuten.com/prod/manson-family/40705999.html?listingId=269914259&s_kwcid=">The Manson Famil</a>y</i> in 1988.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In 2004 it finally came out in America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It is, by and far, a labor of love, and that shows in every minute of
this dark, dark film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You see the title
and you think you know what you are about to see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What you get, however, defies the senses.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shot as if it were a film and a documentary, it follows the
Manson Family up through the infamous murders, and it looks at a group of
contemporary Mansonites who are trying to stir the pot anew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a surreal and often disturbing film,
and its narrative structure makes it play like an arthouse terror ride into the
depths of Hell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is also a fictional
movie based around real events but shot to look as if it is using actual
footage from the real-life participants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>In short, it’s a movie that seriously fucks with you and your
expectations.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bebber had a lot of issues completing this movie, as is
evident by the film’s timeline.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Money
was a constant source of problems, and at least one actor was fairly nervous
while shooting because he was unsure of just what he had gotten himself
into.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And what had he stumbled into?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A movie where the depiction of sex and drugs
weren’t always just motion picture simulations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>A movie where the blood flowed freely and nudity was commonplace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is not for the weak of heart or easily
offended, either, as we all know what happened in that murder spree that took
Sharon Tate and her unborn child (and a host of others).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For some, a movie that revolves around that
particular crime can be nothing but disrespectful and there is no amount of
reassuring that can sway that feeling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>That said, those people are wrong. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOjWdvIoDbmx-QTIbPGEjdY1SxlI4xOs_LNGtrk5e_nFvrotpCz7j2egwp46Q0iyhcHdWkBVk4MIKlvCw3zDtQeN5QBy_G2GVetkhKsBUUOYYB5TfAwAiyduazcNBcxwr0cvF-YQ23YbrY/s1600/mansonfamily.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOjWdvIoDbmx-QTIbPGEjdY1SxlI4xOs_LNGtrk5e_nFvrotpCz7j2egwp46Q0iyhcHdWkBVk4MIKlvCw3zDtQeN5QBy_G2GVetkhKsBUUOYYB5TfAwAiyduazcNBcxwr0cvF-YQ23YbrY/s320/mansonfamily.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Bebber, despite all the problems, created a something very
close to a masterpiece that is more a nightmare than a film at times.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Upon finishing it you will feel like you just
did a ton of acid and got trapped in an abandoned amusement park.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not pleasant, and it’s not meant to
be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is, however, meant to make people
talk, and in that it succeeded quite well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Roger Ebert, the man who made me want to be a film critic,
gave it one of the most even-handed reviews I have ever read for it; he
understood quite well what Bebber had accomplished.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ebert, who called the film “<span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">an act of transgression so
extreme and uncompromised, and yet so amateurish and sloppy, that it exists in
a category of one film -- this film,” understood that the director had done
something beyond the norm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the
conclusion of his review he stated that the film was “remarkable,” successful
and “uncompromising,” and then wrote, “That doesn’t mean I think you should see
it.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That sums up <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Manson Family</i> experience quite well.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">Watch
it if you think you can handle it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Avoid
it if you have any doubt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you do
watch it, understand that you’ve never seen anything like it prior and nor will
you ever see anything like it again.</span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="color: #222222; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;"><i>Mandatory FTC Disclaimer: I did not receive this film to review. If you click on a link, I may earn a commission. If you click on a link, leave something witchy.</i></span></span></div>
-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-83056169949550794662013-02-16T14:55:00.001-08:002013-02-16T14:55:10.926-08:00My 100 Favorite Films of All Time #87: Thriller -- A Cruel PictureWhen director Bo Arne Vibenius set out to make the most
commercial movie ever, little did he suspect what impact 1974’s <i>Thriller: A Cruel Picture</i> (one of its
many titles) would have on future cinema.
If this movie hadn’t of been made, we would have never had Elle Driver
in <i><a href="http://www.walmart.com/ip/20510679?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227000000000&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=&wl3=21486607510&wl4=&wl5=pla&veh=sem">Kill Bill</a></i>. That role was directly inspired by Vibenius’
Frigga character, played by the amazing <a href="http://www.kobobooks.com/ebook/Title/book-QTEPUINUUEeI5yTCzXc8GQ/page1.html?utm_source=productlistings&utm_medium=g&utm_campaign=title-Christina+Lindberg%3a+Adult+Movie+Files+1&gclid=CM3I79r1u7UCFeGrPAodhTUACw">Christina Lindberg</a>, whose first
centerfold spread in a men’s magazine (<i>Lektyr</i>)
happened while she was still in high school.
This movie that inspired Tarantino may not be the most commercial movie
ever made, but it sure raised a few eyebrows.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZDAgCB8N090_J0oDX0HC0J5Fem4YTSY-t1wFEccZ9sXWo4lsX9AjXSssgV_qgFVD6w2BgKdgjkOhA8FjtZHVp97cKcSrh0Tazsu9XshoeGl3CT8Wk2C_YBVJh61hnMKLCGx-TjmuxcppJ/s1600/thriller_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZDAgCB8N090_J0oDX0HC0J5Fem4YTSY-t1wFEccZ9sXWo4lsX9AjXSssgV_qgFVD6w2BgKdgjkOhA8FjtZHVp97cKcSrh0Tazsu9XshoeGl3CT8Wk2C_YBVJh61hnMKLCGx-TjmuxcppJ/s320/thriller_3.jpg" /></a>
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Frigga is a young woman who was left mute by a sexual
assault in her youth. One day she
accepts a ride from a stranger and quickly finds herself forcibly addicted to
heroin and pushed into prostitution.
When she angers the man who did this to her, she gets her eye taken out
to teach her a lesson. Not one to just
take her lot in life lying down, Frigga uses her money to buy weapons and take
martial arts classes in order to extract her revenge on all who have wronged
her. (Kind of like a low rent <a href="http://www.rakuten.com/prod/girl-with-the-dragon-tattoo-blu-ray/228691269.html?listingId=210277002&s_kwcid="><i>The Girl With the</i> <i>Dragon Tattoo</i></a>.) Prime
exploitation stuff. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
As if the subject matter weren’t controversial enough, the eye
removal scene was actually filmed with the cadaver of a young female who had
recently committed suicide. The film
also had hardcore sex scenes added to it to help boost revenue. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Those who have watched a lot of exploitation will tell you
that this Swedish film isn’t actually all that rough and tumble, and they are
correct. It would shock the hell out of
the average moviegoer used to Julia Roberts and superheroes, but all things
considered, it really isn’t as nasty as it sounds. In fact, at times it almost seems like a
made-for-television movie. So why do I
have it on the list?<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ohTjuutm1uaQBWDwsukaEGyIWZiCaE5qt2eihPfdIh_UeZ_E0NwvAUwDUGisJaojTVkM0Bpa7cbjPMxqP2ZDWaVZLUWsnVmUH99gdU4gSJ_2JHYIR3Ij2fgoAypK9usepWf6uyhyXwGR/s1600/thriller.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2ohTjuutm1uaQBWDwsukaEGyIWZiCaE5qt2eihPfdIh_UeZ_E0NwvAUwDUGisJaojTVkM0Bpa7cbjPMxqP2ZDWaVZLUWsnVmUH99gdU4gSJ_2JHYIR3Ij2fgoAypK9usepWf6uyhyXwGR/s320/thriller.jpg" /></a><i>Thriller</i> has a
certain quality to it that you can’t quite put your finger on. It’s definitely a product of the early ‘70s,
and it feels like a foreign film trying to be American. Vibenius, who directed and wrote the film
under a pseudonym, tried something fairly gutsy and stylized, and had very
little money with which to do it. What
he created wasn’t exactly what he was trying for, I’m sure, but it was
something magical. No one who has ever
seen the film has ever forgotten it … no matter what title they saw it
under. (My favorite being <i>Hooker’s Revenge</i>.) It’s that kind of courage that’s missing from
a lot of cinema. Sure, filmmakers have
grand ideas, but how many have ever said they were going to make the most
commercial movie ever created and then threw in a mutilated corpse, rape, drug
addiction, copious amounts of nudity and blood, and hardcore sex scenes? Bingo.
No director in his or her right mind would attempt such a thing … and
then try to make it artistic! The
audacity of Vibenius is amazing. I can
only find that he has written and directed three films in his short career, but
this one is actually more than enough.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Only in the ‘70s…<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Mandatory FTC Disclaimer: I did not receive this film for review. Clicking on it may earn me a commission.</i><br />
<i><br /></i></div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=cancerzeitge-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0002VEUIK" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-45410087581188611072013-02-07T06:22:00.002-08:002013-02-07T06:22:54.082-08:00My 100 Favorite Films of All Time #88: Hard Candy<span style="font-family: Calibri;">How many good movies are out there that center around
pedophiles … besides <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Willy Wonka and the
Chocolate Factory</i>?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Few.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is difficult to make a good movie about a
pedophile because the subject matter is so loaded.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if you make a movie about a pedophile
who sets up an encounter with a teen girl in order to have sex with her, but
she isn’t what he expected?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What if she,
Ellen Page in this case, turns out to be the predator … and she’s really good
at it?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you make a good movie about a
pedophile then?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTP4_MKb9sZH_A18osYp8kagSDwd84cP3MtRmOce4DwC8yfDt0ikzTfSPIFrKxDgM2Lu4D6K0dGxJdgwrbNk4dc3EG0F7_z8runwmrh3SAXximvERgdkrJqBZT-SHC0Cdmowp85H9jQp5z/s1600/hard+candy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTP4_MKb9sZH_A18osYp8kagSDwd84cP3MtRmOce4DwC8yfDt0ikzTfSPIFrKxDgM2Lu4D6K0dGxJdgwrbNk4dc3EG0F7_z8runwmrh3SAXximvERgdkrJqBZT-SHC0Cdmowp85H9jQp5z/s320/hard+candy.jpg" width="320" /></a>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hard Candy</i> is such
a fun film to watch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It turns viewers’
expectations on their head as it presents a pedophile (or at very least an <span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">ephebophiliac, though an
assertion is made that he may be a pedophile, so I will stick with that)</span>
as someone you may actually have some (but very little) sympathy for as he is seemingly
tortured.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s a real fine balancing
act to pull off effectively.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too far in
one direction and you have what lazy critics call “torture porn.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Too far in the other direction and you have a
creepy movie about a sympathetic pedophile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Director David Slade and writer Brian Nelson walk that high wire the
entire running length.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They understand
the danger they have placed the plot in, and they give the audience credit for
being intelligent enough to see what they are doing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In that sense, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hard Candy</i> becomes an act of trust between the filmmakers and
audience, while the entire film itself is based around lies (a pedophile who
lies to lure a teenage girl to his home, and a teenage girl who pretends to be
a victim).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Once you start delving into
the implications presented in the picture it is hard to dismiss it as a mere
thriller.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have heard it asked how such a young girl (she is 14 in
the film) can outwit a grown man who has obviously partaken in such acts
before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are, of course, a thousand
different answers that can be given, but I think one that hasn’t been discussed
much is that even as teenagers, girls are very aware of their sexuality, even
moreso than boys, who are controlled by their own sexual urges and have little
in the way of understanding them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Girls realize
the control their sexuality has over others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Really intelligent girls know how to use this to their full advantage,
and men often underestimate this skill despite the fact that they curse it so
much instead of respecting it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When it
comes to sex, few men ever make it out of their teenage years, while teenage
girls are forced to grow up faster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
know what those leers mean and those “accidental” touches indicate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That is how Page’s character pulled it
off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She knew what drove men …
especially men turned on by teenage girls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Watch any episode of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">To Catch a
Predator</i>, which is really nothing more than pedophilia you can feel good
about, and you will see the same ideas in action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Men will travel hours, ignoring every sign
that says he is about to be entrapped, simply because of the promise of a
sexual encounter with a girl.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most men
are controlled by sex plain and simple.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4EEHyZYSIleuyeLqFKHax-YskLLaxfJ59h_DomsmXLtjaGpUo4U_PKfuWl3KJ-szeEd1abCahKwOsYbeUTKQ_U0QqFHZfGjR56K1K-g3dvKronf90OAoNBvaS8aRkhTnjNwx4ts5Zcl4Z/s1600/hardcandy1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4EEHyZYSIleuyeLqFKHax-YskLLaxfJ59h_DomsmXLtjaGpUo4U_PKfuWl3KJ-szeEd1abCahKwOsYbeUTKQ_U0QqFHZfGjR56K1K-g3dvKronf90OAoNBvaS8aRkhTnjNwx4ts5Zcl4Z/s320/hardcandy1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hard Candy</i> is not
a disturbing film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact, it is quite
tame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(And, let’s be honest, the writer
and director could have made this even more of moral swamp to drown in, but
decided to let the audience off easy.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Almost all of the damage done to the pedophile, played well by Patrick
Wilson, is psychological … until the end at least.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If it were remade today, one has no doubt
that would be remedied … and the film would then fall off that high wire I
mentioned earlier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As it stands, it is a
subtle and smart commentary on the notion of victims, predators and prey, and
what it means to be any of those things. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p><em>Mandatory FTC Disclaimer: I did not receive this film to review. Clicking on a link may earn me a commission. </em></o:p></span></div>
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=cancerzeitge-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B000GI3KGC" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-46515841401065556332013-01-24T06:09:00.001-08:002013-01-24T06:09:41.731-08:00My 100 Favorite Films of All Time #89: Akira<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwmUBi3tJANrRbcq92F4tfExsnlHAjI8CJnDPEYmzo337yiNrML0f-rmOsqN9xJpGs42gDgKWrjzwgDT3JuFbc1_C1hRcTSQYc-8S0VCIeSnXXKMy0u87CP_T_YlWoWaibRawM888LfgT/s1600/akira.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVwmUBi3tJANrRbcq92F4tfExsnlHAjI8CJnDPEYmzo337yiNrML0f-rmOsqN9xJpGs42gDgKWrjzwgDT3JuFbc1_C1hRcTSQYc-8S0VCIeSnXXKMy0u87CP_T_YlWoWaibRawM888LfgT/s320/akira.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Akira</i> is the most
beautiful anime film I have ever seen.
The animation in it is so well-done that at times I forgot it wasn’t a
live action feature. That alone would be
enough to get it on this list, as visually it is unlike any other animated
film, but the story is also quite unique and ranks up there with the best in
science fiction … even though it ultimately fails.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The movie is based on a <a href="http://compare.ebay.com/like/380561442399?var=lv&ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&var=sbar">manga</a> by Katsuhiro Otomo, who also
directed the film (at his insistence in order to keep creative control). It concerns a teenage member of a biker gang
with psychic powers who releases a terrible force (Akira) upon the world while
his fellow bikers and the Japanese government attempt to stop him. It is far more in-depth than that, but you
really must see it to believe it.
Understand, however, that this is not an anime film for children, and it
earns its R rating. It is violent and
intellectually stimulating, but it is also very flawed, as Otomo himself has
stated.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The manga this film is based on is amazing. It is over 2,000 pages of pure, dystopian
science fiction that fully realizes Otomo’s vision. The film, however, due to time restraints and
whatnot, loses well over half of what happens in the manga, and has an ending
that leaves viewers scratching their heads.
At that point the film and the manga seem like two entirely different
creatures, and it is what ultimately makes the film feel as if it failed on one
level, even though the movie was actually finished <i>before</i> the manga was completed.
Regardless, everything prior to that ending is a well-realized vision
that has inspired films like <i>The Matrix</i>
for obvious reasons.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_LBAsB6Yu09ymTuvMlc2QZofQMGY5keinzl2Ig7sbC9W67Ek_Xo0s-Q0zB8iXLvx-6m7J8FWqitm7wZAwlW4lfzk4NmQQdvbwuA9OZqLZueskMv3iybXQuC4OAJS7pajNRmWfLMZL5eF/s1600/936full-akira-artwork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf_LBAsB6Yu09ymTuvMlc2QZofQMGY5keinzl2Ig7sbC9W67Ek_Xo0s-Q0zB8iXLvx-6m7J8FWqitm7wZAwlW4lfzk4NmQQdvbwuA9OZqLZueskMv3iybXQuC4OAJS7pajNRmWfLMZL5eF/s320/936full-akira-artwork.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>
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Anime has tackled serious subjects, a fact non-fans may have
a hard time accepting. To them I offer
this film. The issues it presents are
mature and done in such a way as to open up many debates. Chiefly: What does it mean to be God? How far should a government go to protect its
people? How far should people go to
protect themselves?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Heady stuff for a cartoon, but no one will mistake it for
Disney.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><i>Mandatory FTC Disclaimer: I did not receive this film to review. Clicking on a link may earn me a commission.</i></o:p></div>
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=cancerzeitge-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B001LMU182" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-49663141715441758472013-01-19T08:51:00.002-08:002013-01-19T08:51:23.163-08:00My 100 Favorite Films of All Time #90: Heckler<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWui2kA5f_qzKDwosMlaYbF6o17Ryj9nU-Gqh-iN4XuoI6UUw6IXptWLcnPrPwt6Vq2yfwppyhbNErkRGhKIylYVb1X_-PHrXRcTcY0CzTokTeqFHLIQW8-BC59kjQZ0SxMCKG-lQ4RpPs/s1600/heckler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWui2kA5f_qzKDwosMlaYbF6o17Ryj9nU-Gqh-iN4XuoI6UUw6IXptWLcnPrPwt6Vq2yfwppyhbNErkRGhKIylYVb1X_-PHrXRcTcY0CzTokTeqFHLIQW8-BC59kjQZ0SxMCKG-lQ4RpPs/s1600/heckler.jpg" /></a></div>
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I bought <i>Heckler </i>(2007)
on a whim because the documentary, which was an examination of hecklers and how
comedians deal with them, sounded interesting … and it was three bucks and 99 cents. I liked a lot of the comedians (Lewis Black,
David Cross, Bill Hicks, Bill Maher to name a select few) in the film, too, and
I appreciate some of star Jamie Kennedy’s comedy. I figured I couldn’t go wrong. What I got was so much more than I
anticipated, however.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="http://thelastpictureblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/destroying-artist-heckler.html">I’ve written about this film before</a>. What seems like a simple look at the role of
hecklers in a comedian’s life actually becomes a much deeper exploration of the
role of the critic versus the role of the artist or entertainer. As I’ve worn both shoes, I found the film to
be equally fascinating and depressing, and it caused me to examine some of what
I had written in the past about certain performers. The film was as surprising as it was vexing …
and it was only vexing because it was right.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg62OB7YzMwGuwZNfFhEgUVMZ4vfWvRnVYYzvLnA_S-eVXt8gVurQhIxjG3BZaGOu-xXc2oSxbhDdywt9lN9S4_BCkkINC9dBCNOELwJdObwtWIjKSGr4Iybj8fFFeQhBEn2pEq46i-MdEM/s1600/heckler1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg62OB7YzMwGuwZNfFhEgUVMZ4vfWvRnVYYzvLnA_S-eVXt8gVurQhIxjG3BZaGOu-xXc2oSxbhDdywt9lN9S4_BCkkINC9dBCNOELwJdObwtWIjKSGr4Iybj8fFFeQhBEn2pEq46i-MdEM/s320/heckler1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Heckler</i> went
straight to DVD, and critics and their criticisms were as to be expected. I think some critics took the film a bit
personally, however, while others did some awkward backhanded compliments,
almost as if they could not give a decent review to anything starring Jamie
Kennedy. I also think many of those
critics not only missed the point, but inadvertently ended up proving it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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As a documentary on heckling, it may have seemed like it
fell kind of flat because it appeared that its focus shifted. If you believe that, though, you aren’t
paying attention. When Kennedy takes on
the critics, he is pointing out that what they are doing is just another form
of heckling … only they are safe behind a keyboard. It also shows that Kennedy is perhaps deeper
than anyone cared to credit him with, and those things are what make this film
worth viewing.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<iframe bordercolor="#000000" frameborder="0" height="150" hspace="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/adi/N7433.148119.BLOGGEREN/B6675098.8321;sz=180x150;ord=[timestamp]?;lid=41000613802463762;pid=INV6908;usg=AFHzDLs80mKP-j6Sksw6DIrck4xRpoNoBA;adurl=http%253A%252F%252Fwww.technooutlet.com%252Finv6908.html;pubid=609964;price=%2419.09;title=Inet+Video+N01-0138165...;merc=Techno+Outlet+Site;imgsrc=http%3A%2F%2Fsite.unbeatablesale.com%2Fimg256%2Finv6908.gif;width=60;height=85" vspace="0" width="180"></iframe><br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Mandatory FTC Disclaimer: I did not receive this film to review. Clicking on a link may earn me a commission.</i></div>
-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-7837526395109710962013-01-13T13:24:00.001-08:002013-01-13T13:24:54.756-08:00My 100 Favorite Films of All Time #91: Wicked CityWithin the opening minutes of the 1987 anime <i>Wicked City</i> (<i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Yôjû
Toshi</span></i>), a man and woman have sex and the woman turns into this
spider-like thing with a fang-filled, gaping maw vagina. Things get weirder from there.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrek8bQQCFSYsINI_ctM-J1qQNNNKUrXKkepIfdAmgVgpi17DdKIowiANjVdAjwyjherSITbyPDilcMjJ9hWc3DJg4JepP3FsBjRm8_6pu1f0JGR6LIcnujt6uOqoiSXWlrvfNbf6rTSyQ/s1600/wicked-city-b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="226" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrek8bQQCFSYsINI_ctM-J1qQNNNKUrXKkepIfdAmgVgpi17DdKIowiANjVdAjwyjherSITbyPDilcMjJ9hWc3DJg4JepP3FsBjRm8_6pu1f0JGR6LIcnujt6uOqoiSXWlrvfNbf6rTSyQ/s320/wicked-city-b.jpg" width="301" /></a></div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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I am not the world’s biggest anime fan. I find it hard to connect with the films on
many levels, but when it is done well it is unlike any kind of animated or live
action film out there. This one falls
into that category, though it didn’t get the best reviews when first released.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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The Black World and our world have an agreement to co-exist
in peace, and when the time comes to renew this pact, a militant group wants to
ensure that a new treaty will not be agreed upon. Two Black Guards are enlisted to see to it
that the agreement is seen through without a hitch, but nothing really goes as
planned, and the man they have been tasked with protecting, the powerful
Mayart, ends up saving them … and that’s when we learn all is not as it
seems. Of course not. <o:p></o:p></div>
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The film, which features copious amounts of sex, rape and
other violence, has been called misogynistic, sadistic and brutal. That’s partially true. It’s also imaginative and disturbing in a way
few other animes have ever achieved. It
took chances that panned out and made for a captivating movie. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Interestingly enough, this movie, which was also known as <i>Supernatural Beast City</i>, was also made into a live action feature
which differed from the animated one on many levels, though it was still fun to
watch.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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I don’t have many animes on my 100 Favorites list, but this
one has earned its place here. It may be
dark and a bit nasty, but it sure as heck beats the crap Disney keeps vomiting
forth year after year.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i>Mandatory FTC Disclaimer: I did not receive this film to review. Clicking on a link may earn me a commission.</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><br /></i></div>
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=cancerzeitge-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00004YZGB" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-34340395141267382652013-01-09T19:21:00.000-08:002013-01-09T19:21:16.991-08:00My 100 Favorite Films of All Time #92: The Gates of HellThe first <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucio_Fulci">Lucio Fulci</a> film I saw was 1980's <i>The Gates of Hell</i> (a.k.a <i>City
of the Living Dead</i>). I had read
about it in <i><a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/FANGORIA-29-GATES-HELL-COVER-/310222441721">Fangoria</a></i>, so I thought I
knew what to expect. I was, as I
sometimes am, wrong.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgotRWns8rN6Ft_PJvgfM_z2ghRHj8k3PHL1qZg2bXjBfKfSdil10UsEZhooTQlhQUypDepW1M27ZWMusu-ZzLMMDfKsXqq3hAcXinmPtW_s6TzMwPofCEs21Keg302PSMbnr1n2oZQjgT-/s1600/the-gates-of-hell-5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgotRWns8rN6Ft_PJvgfM_z2ghRHj8k3PHL1qZg2bXjBfKfSdil10UsEZhooTQlhQUypDepW1M27ZWMusu-ZzLMMDfKsXqq3hAcXinmPtW_s6TzMwPofCEs21Keg302PSMbnr1n2oZQjgT-/s320/the-gates-of-hell-5.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
As with any Fulci film, <i>The
Gates of Hell</i>’s plot is a bit … abstract.
What you need to know is that a priest in Dunwich (Lovecraft, anyone?)
hangs himself and opens up the Gates of Hell with his suicide. Zombies with some pretty strange powers are
then let loose upon the town. Later, a
reporter who is investigating what is happening in Dunwich, finds out that this
is all part of a prophecy, and he and a psychic then try to put an end to the
horror.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The film was banned in Germany and was cut in England due to
scenes such as a head getting drilled and a woman throwing up her
intestines. The intestines, it should be
noted, weren’t fake. They were really
sheep intestines that she had in her mouth and had to actually vomit forth,
though a fake head was used for close-ups.
And they say DeNiro gets in character.
I don’t think he ever puked up animal guts. Live maggots were used for a rain scene, as
well, but that hardly matters after putting sheep parts in one’s mouth.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The movie is not what I’d call a “great” film, but it is a
fun one full of Fulci moments of head scratching madness. It
nearly left me in a state of awe, as it was so obvious this was not the product
of an American mind. It was horror that
could only come from some sort of deranged foreign maestro. Would George Romero think of using
teleporting zombies? No, and that is
what makes this film so crazy. The
unthinkable is thought and done. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiICX_GrO7sKP_viXVXy3ylPNu8LnWEyiurZsS1wKJuWJ2zdxeX4e6a3DQXj8nkneS2-GMvWzt6YuBT00mJmM5ZAq1X1fcQZZrryXQuxihCVAQgTWRzfj32gxRhDlDFSTyoT0FVMtgm5nTt/s1600/gates+of+hell.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiICX_GrO7sKP_viXVXy3ylPNu8LnWEyiurZsS1wKJuWJ2zdxeX4e6a3DQXj8nkneS2-GMvWzt6YuBT00mJmM5ZAq1X1fcQZZrryXQuxihCVAQgTWRzfj32gxRhDlDFSTyoT0FVMtgm5nTt/s320/gates+of+hell.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>The Gates of Hell</i>,
as it was released in America and how I fondly remember it as, is a work of flawed genius, but I guarantee you
haven’t seen anything quite like it.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<i><br /></i>
<i>Mandatory FTC Disclaimer: I did not receive this film to review, and clicking on a link may earn me some dough.</i></div>
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=cancerzeitge-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B0036R92US" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-89306986009981386882013-01-05T08:26:00.001-08:002013-01-05T08:26:33.495-08:00My 100 Favorite Films of All Time #93: Voodoo Rhythm -- The Gospel of Primitive Rock 'n' Roll<br />
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As far as music documentaries go, <i>Voodoo Rhythm: The Gospel of Primitive Rock ‘n’ Roll</i> is one of
those that must be watched before you die if you like music that is outside the
norm. It did something that music
documentaries often fail at: it gave me new insight into its subject matter. More on that further in.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiduQ29-03Vm3bL03fVX5ioRD2s_eEW1XhyG2eWWxftoKNrvr4_lvyNBFxwCbpekdLsyvsiRtnS3MGrJXzq8nn47YfHkxTGCL_3LQUv7OjwiLuWOqjiM9a2SaTFxw9tmyznXvQGyqg-D9FW/s1600/voodoo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiduQ29-03Vm3bL03fVX5ioRD2s_eEW1XhyG2eWWxftoKNrvr4_lvyNBFxwCbpekdLsyvsiRtnS3MGrJXzq8nn47YfHkxTGCL_3LQUv7OjwiLuWOqjiM9a2SaTFxw9tmyznXvQGyqg-D9FW/s320/voodoo.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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I <a href="http://www.filmthreat.com/reviews/9466/">reviewed</a> this film for Film Threat some time ago, and
<a href="http://interviewed/">interviewed</a> the director, <a href="http://www.slowboatfilms.com/">M.A. Littler</a>, about it on the same site for my Excess
Hollywood column. That’s how much I
enjoyed the film. I did not say it was
without its faults (namely that it could isolate those who don’t like the types
of music the <a href="http://www.voodoorhythm.com/">Voodoo Rhythm record label</a> provides), and I stand by that
assertion. To let something like that
keep you away from it is a crime, however, especially if you consider yourself
open-minded when it comes to music.<o:p></o:p></div>
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For some history, <a href="http://voodoorhythm.myshopify.com/">Voodoo Rhythm</a> is out of Switzerland and
puts out the most eclectic sounds you could imagine. One man bands. Swamp rock.
Pure rock ‘n’ roll. Funeral music. Blues.
Zydeco. Country. Many of the genres are primarily considered
American, but most of the bands on the label aren’t from America. Because of that, you get an almost magical
take on the music … something that has been lost by a lot of our bands over
here, and this film documents just what makes these bands and <a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/HORMONAUTS-Hormone-Hop-CD-NEW-ROCKABILLY-VOODOO-RHYTHM-/261050489804">Voodoo Rhythm</a>
special. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Littler took a small label with not enough followers, and
captured its spirit on film. When I saw
this feature, I was already a fan of these acts and the label, but I knew
little about either or the man behind the label, Reverend Beat Man. <i>Voodoo
Rhythm</i> helped change that. If
anything, Littler helped make me an even bigger fan. I don’t know if I can say that about any
other music documentary, as those are rarely filled with new information for fans. Perhaps you’ll find out that your favorite
singer has a love of toast or something, but for the most part you know all the
key points because you’ve learned about them elsewhere. Voodoo Rhythm, on the other hand, had very
little written about it in America other than some reviews. Until this documentary, all my info came from
Beat Man in e-mails or his bombastic press releases. This film opened up the story, and that’s why
it is one of my favorite films of all time. <o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Mandatory FTC Disclaimer: I did receive this film for review many moons ago. If you click on a link, I may earn some cash. </i></div>
-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-48104045690439318532012-12-30T15:15:00.000-08:002012-12-30T15:15:12.775-08:00My 100 Favorite Films of All Time #94: The Sinful Dwarf<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirCxxCkFEKE77smeT4jEzCAWZOgLl7eXkXA70HwODlJef1RWmb_3N91JazIlskWtko6__fJCcfOkNMbJQh37rbNk7O5i1WDE2FkX1CwN2eVhYUytn2M-1O84TlnBsai3wj0msKsZSRRKXO/s1600/sinfuldwarf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirCxxCkFEKE77smeT4jEzCAWZOgLl7eXkXA70HwODlJef1RWmb_3N91JazIlskWtko6__fJCcfOkNMbJQh37rbNk7O5i1WDE2FkX1CwN2eVhYUytn2M-1O84TlnBsai3wj0msKsZSRRKXO/s320/sinfuldwarf.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
If you’ve seen <i>The
Sinful Dwarf</i> you haven’t forgotten it.
The 1973 Danish film starred Torben Bille as Olaf, a sick little man who
lives with his alcoholic, ex-showbiz mother in a boarding house they own. When he’s not hobbling around playing with
toys, he’s luring attractive young women to the house where they are abducted,
chained up in the attic, injected with heroin and turned into prostitutes. Oh yeah, Olaf and mommy also smuggle heroin
via a toy store.<br />
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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Did I mention that Bille was apparently a host for a
children’s television program prior to this and then later worked in the adult
film industry? Yeah, it’s a creepy
movie.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The regular version of the film, with some of the strangest
opening credits ever, is bad enough to watch.
The XXX version has about four minutes of hardcore sex scenes thrown in
to amp up that perv factor to the nth degree.
That said, chances are that if you have masturbated to this film, you’ve
probably committed some sort of sex crime.
I don’t think many would disagree.<o:p></o:p></div>
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From all reports, this film did very little business when
first released in its native land. Danes
apparently have some sort of aversion to a drooling dwarf sodomizing women with
his cane. I, however, have no such
qualms and relish this film just for its utter insanity. It is such a product of its time that it
couldn’t have been made in any other era than the early ‘70s. <o:p></o:p></div>
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You could go your entire life not seeing this movie and not
a thing will change for you. Life is so
short, however, and there are so many films out there that are just more of the
same. Boring comedies. By-the-numbers action flicks. Another <i>Resident
Evil</i>. Why not see this one? I guarantee you can use it as a conversation
starter at your next mixer.<o:p></o:p><br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=cancerzeitge-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B002DWW6KU" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
<i>Mandatory FTC Disclaimer: I did not receive this film for review, and clicking on a link may earn me a commission.</i></div>
-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-4480353094192193712012-12-29T08:30:00.001-08:002012-12-29T09:59:25.808-08:00My 100 Favorite Films of All Time #95: Zombie<br />
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<i><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=%22http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005CU5O72/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=cancerzeitge-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B005CU5O72%22%3EZombie%20(2-Disc%20Ultimate%20Edition)%3C/a%3E%3Cimg%20src=%22http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=cancerzeitge-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B005CU5O72%22%20width=%221%22%20height=%221%22%20border=%220%22%20alt=%22%22%20style=%22border:none%20!important;%20margin:0px%20!important;%22%20/%3E">Zombi 2</a></i> was
released as <i>Zombie</i> in America. The 1979 film is not, however, a sequel to <i>Zombi</i>, which was the overseas title for <i>Dawn of the Dead</i>. It also went by <i>Island of the Living Dead</i>, <i>Zombie
Island</i>, <i>Woodoo</i>, and <i>Zombie Flesh-Eaters</i>. Confused yet?
Don’t be. Lucio Fulci’s film is
a classic of zombie cinema and it is so over the top that it has inspired bands
and has had scenes used in commercials.
What would expect from a movie whose tagline is “We Are Going to Eat
You”?<o:p></o:p></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHsrfyzTLCJkCnfHhyphenhyphenc4Ep629pq496rm6Vka2A2BKS51x07CsGz_EvFHnJXXOwfwzsDVYN24Ty3d-SM6qgcQ5uAuXxYQXnakbSJB89Q8Nt2_UNMbZLitTLiXM9ac6s5FljfXa3YeSa1Bd/s1600/zombi_2_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKHsrfyzTLCJkCnfHhyphenhyphenc4Ep629pq496rm6Vka2A2BKS51x07CsGz_EvFHnJXXOwfwzsDVYN24Ty3d-SM6qgcQ5uAuXxYQXnakbSJB89Q8Nt2_UNMbZLitTLiXM9ac6s5FljfXa3YeSa1Bd/s320/zombi_2_poster.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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The movie opens with an apparently abandoned yacht showing
up in a New York harbor. There’s really
a zombie aboard, however, and it kills a cop.
Soon after the attack, the daughter of the yacht’s owner and a reporter
are on their way to an island to find out just how all this happened. It turns out that the island’s dead are zombies
and after surviving their onslaught, the two take a zombie back to New York to
prove their story. It’s a little too
late, however. The cop who was attacked has
turned into a zombie himself and the undead are taking a chunk out of the Big
Apple.<o:p></o:p></div>
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The film has two really memorable scenes. The first is an underwater piece where a
zombie fights a shark. No. You didn’t read that wrong. It’s a pretty cool moment in zombie cinema
history. The other scene involves a
woman who is attacked by zombies who are beating their way through a door to
get at her. One zombie grabs the back of
her head through a hole in the door and slowly starts to pull her toward
him. The problem? There’s a massive splinter pointed right at
her eye. The ensuing eyeball violence is
as disgusting as it is tension filled.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg51eUC372agR974bg4fF81zDEYODomS2fTqeC-aKTAr2dnEDvNjz3qKL4EnaU7mDDZP10KrQUK1D8V6ptSGKNfY69NO888go15AsXXctlEbDRbFdxPu7MLowhUHpVxZdmFerLF5pKsHSU5/s1600/Zombie_Fulci_12_11_12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="139" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg51eUC372agR974bg4fF81zDEYODomS2fTqeC-aKTAr2dnEDvNjz3qKL4EnaU7mDDZP10KrQUK1D8V6ptSGKNfY69NO888go15AsXXctlEbDRbFdxPu7MLowhUHpVxZdmFerLF5pKsHSU5/s320/Zombie_Fulci_12_11_12.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Fulci is no stranger to horror films, and this is Fulci at
the peak of his game. From the opening
shots of the zombie on the yacht to the hordes of undead in New York, this
movie does almost everything right.
Yeah, it is corny in places and the acting is what you’d expect from a
Fulci film, but he is considered a master for a reason. If you are a zombie fan (and these days it is
the in thing to be – like eating organic and being bisexual), and you haven’t
seen this … well, you aren’t really a zombie fan.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>Mandatory FTC Disclaimer: I did not receive this film to review, and if you click on a link I may earn a commission.</i></div>
-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-78706773671401352682012-11-16T06:00:00.003-08:002012-11-16T06:03:13.841-08:00My 100 Favorite Films of All Time #96: Hostel<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Hostel</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just that very title has probably made some
of you groan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Torture porn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Homophobic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Juvenile.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those are just a few of the words and phrases
some critics, many of them lazy, used to describe it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve <a href="http://voices.yahoo.com/why-hate-torture-porn-5601624.html">written about torture porn</a> quite a bit,
but let me comment once again on the phrase and how it is used with this film.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXn-ji6-vLsTmDLs03pnT7VoXn_FiOJYXQLhZuJ39-N7bdGi3B2u_iuZNk3xVTlG_EE5AvqejLRz3gQMh9-NBV9cKvnZ9n4n4PZgQQrcJWLJosfXVE7LfE3CQPkt6_OSQH1ninXVgIQF3/s1600/HostelPoster07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaXn-ji6-vLsTmDLs03pnT7VoXn_FiOJYXQLhZuJ39-N7bdGi3B2u_iuZNk3xVTlG_EE5AvqejLRz3gQMh9-NBV9cKvnZ9n4n4PZgQQrcJWLJosfXVE7LfE3CQPkt6_OSQH1ninXVgIQF3/s320/HostelPoster07.jpg" width="217" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Torture porn implies a film is made to get audiences
off on the violence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s an unoriginal
phrase used to dismiss a movie out of hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When it came to Eli Roth’s 2006 film, it was done with the same intent
and it was the go-to term for critics too uninspired to come up with their own
ideas on it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fact of the matter is
that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hostel</i> is a good film that is far
deeper than many people give it credit for, and that could be because of the
way it was hyped.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Roth and executive producer Quentin Tarantino played
up the film old-school exploitation style.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(I have no doubt that the other executive producer, Scott Spiegel, had a
hand in that decision making process, too.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>It was getting banned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was too
gruesome for theatres.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So on and so
forth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Classic exploitation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Many of the critics who tackled the movie
weren’t even old enough to be aware of the exploitation tactics of yesteryear,
and far fewer are educated in the history of film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was readily apparent in some of the
reviews that surfaced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To their credit,
however, it looked like a film that would be easy to dismiss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The plot reads like a groaner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two young American males and a male foreign
friend are backpacking across Europe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Actually, they’re drinking, drugging and fucking their way across
Europe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You know, acting like college
kids from America tend to act when they are away from home – the ugly Americans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When they meet a peer who tells them of a
hostel in Slovakia where the women just love boys like them, they are on their
way before you can say “erection.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
they don’t realize is that they have stepped into a place where the elite from
around the world pay good money to have their way with people, and these three
young, dumb and full of cum tourists have been sold to the highest bidder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let the torture begin.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">If you haven’t seen the film, that synopsis won’t
make you rush out to watch it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In fact,
you’re probably thinking, “How<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> isn’t</i>
this torture porn?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If that’s all the
story was, I’d have a hard time defending it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>But it is what is being said with the story that elevates this movie
beyond the tired torture porn label.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTbZ6SUs4LX8dRMKRnS6PJHUo6Sg4gSvQg1tLmu5H7Lq27MModxpOZe0msRWevTKIh-1WKtPelovlxK5sYOZpFeshfv1YsVQ1JOEyrIYcYVSGhkIeiz51k3dwImScvXv9ijkWGfSYYzrj/s1600/hostel+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdTbZ6SUs4LX8dRMKRnS6PJHUo6Sg4gSvQg1tLmu5H7Lq27MModxpOZe0msRWevTKIh-1WKtPelovlxK5sYOZpFeshfv1YsVQ1JOEyrIYcYVSGhkIeiz51k3dwImScvXv9ijkWGfSYYzrj/s320/hostel+1.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">First and foremost, something that oozes out of
every frame is the notion of excess, the aforementioned ugly American and
arrogance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Americans can act however
they want wherever they are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The world
is ours to do with what we want, and we have a privileged birthright.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story starts with those ugly Americans,
but it ends with capitalism (a theme explored at greater length in the sequel)
showing that country of origin means jack shit when you got green.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You are a commodity, and no amount of John
Wayne entitlement swagger and self-righteous ignorance is going to save you.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was so obvious I was surprised some
critics missed it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They may have been
too worried about the film’s supposed homophobia to care, however. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“Homophobic” is a term often used to define Roth and
his films, including <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hostel</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know Roth, so I can’t speak to
whether or not he is homophobic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d say
he’s probably more ignorant than homophobic if you are to use his films as a
guideline, but, again, I don’t know him. In this film, the characters call each
other “fag.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They react poorly when a
strange man on a train touches one of their knees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And by “react poorly,” I mean just that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They don’t bash the guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are surprised and maybe disgusted,
though the one whose knee was touched later shares a nice moment with the same
man outside a bar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That scene is
neglected by writers who attack the film for its supposed homophobia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wonder why?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Roth has said the dialogue he writes for these
characters is how young people talk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Granted, not all young people talk this way, but enough of them do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ryan Wilson II wrote a piece on Examiner.com
about this very issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In it he states, “You
are not supposed to cater to an audience what people do in ‘real life.’ A movie
is fake; it's a representation. The dialogue in the movie does not at all
represent the way we talk. All this combined is supposed to help whatever point
you're trying to promote. Whatever your heroes do in the movie, endorses a set
of views. You are in charge of everything in your movie, from the things the
characters say to what they wear. If you are not careful, you may be saying
something you never meant to say.” A filmmaker can cater to whatever he or she
wants, and if you want to make a film feel more realistic, one of the ways you
do that is through dialogue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Wilson
states that the dialogue is not the way “we” talk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t talk that way, but people do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Adults and kids.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Roth is portraying that in this film, and no
matter how many letters people write to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fangoria</i>,
he has a right to do that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wouldn’t
call Roth homophobic based on the content of this film or any of his
films.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His defense of the use of the
term “fag” has been less-than-stellar, which leads me to believe his crime is
ignorance rather than homophobia, but really, should he be made to defend this?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a fictional film with characters
speaking as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">some</i> people speak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Is this a viable criticism to be launched at
directors, or have people gotten so sensitive to certain issues that the use of
realistic dialogue in a film warrants concern?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Perhaps I’d be less inclined to dismiss this if other directors were
being taken to task over similar concerns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>As it stands, the accusations seem less about homophobia and more about
Roth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=cancerzeitge-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B000EHRVP6" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Hostel</span></i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">
and Roth both rubbed people the wrong way for a multitude of reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It got so bad that it was hard to tell if the
poor reviews were due to the film or the fact that Roth was making movies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I would defend it to people, I would be
met with grief much of the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
common refrain would be, “You are reading too much into it.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Perhaps the problem was that they were
reading the wrong things into it; people’s reaction to the film tends to say
more about them then it does the work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>You can see John Carpenter’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Thing</i> and think it’s a monster movie, or you could say it’s a monster movie
that has something to say about the paranoia of the Reagan years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much of it is perspective. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Few films that year polarized critics like this one,
and I find that kind of refreshing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It
opened up dialogues on horror, homophobia and, in some circles, the nature of
money and the behavior of Americans abroad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Unfortunately, the horror and homophobia crowded out far too much of the
underlying social messages about money and the ugly American concept.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Say what you will, but Roth wanted to create
a movie that people saw and talked about, and he succeeded … and maybe that is
why so many critics damned him for it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><em>Mandatory FTC Disclaimer: I did not receive this film to review, but if you click on a link I may earn some money so that I can bid on people to torture.</em></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-37585203681705661882012-09-10T06:08:00.000-07:002012-09-10T06:08:04.701-07:00My 100 Favorite Films of All Time #97: Fahrenheit 9/11<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Damning George Bush Jr. was something at which Michael Moore
excelled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When he spewed it all out on
film, you got <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fahrenheit 9/11</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bowling
for Columbine</i> may have given Republicans fits, but this film put them
firmly into stroke country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Moore’s film is all about taking the Bush administration and
the media to task for a presidency and war<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(and a war on terror) that Moore felt was false and dangerous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Disney tried to stop the film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It got out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Some reporters claimed there were distortions of truth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moore cited his sources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Republicans claimed it was biased.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The rest of the world answered with,
“Duh.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moore used the words and actions
of the media, politicians and U.S. soldiers to get his point across, and in
doing so created what was at the time (and still may be) the highest grossing
documentary ever created.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYtxwnhehmwfm6xnemfuerSiAc4TkXI0zuadNShwKTjpUNt4BeagxGuQCPdGSzWem5a07IqlF5i3sZiOI3MnK5Z29-KwHs7IUcOuFKBzFYGNtwBitVCFwczBKCXG9BrCSJ5kVaGoLJrj5/s1600/fahrenheit+911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYtxwnhehmwfm6xnemfuerSiAc4TkXI0zuadNShwKTjpUNt4BeagxGuQCPdGSzWem5a07IqlF5i3sZiOI3MnK5Z29-KwHs7IUcOuFKBzFYGNtwBitVCFwczBKCXG9BrCSJ5kVaGoLJrj5/s320/fahrenheit+911.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If there is a problem that plagues this film, it is a
problem suffered by most documentaries of any worth <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>– they preach to the converted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Republicans weren’t going to this movie and
coming out changed people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They weren’t
going to this movie, period.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the 2004
Cannes Film Festival it received a 20 minute standing ovation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That didn’t come from conservatives … at
least not American conservatives.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>(Conservatives overseas are not of the pro-American ilk.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also didn’t come from people whose eyes
were opened by it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It came from people
who already believed what Moore had on screen and who were happy he was able to
present it the way he did.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am one of
them, though I wasn’t at Cannes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Moore’s film have caused him to suffer from the usual
attacks, whether it was the class-baiting look at his net worth, the juvenile
digs on his weight, or the more justified questions on his use of facts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some even used the fact that it was pirated
in Cuba against him, as if he had some control over that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was, as expected, a feeding frenzy on
Moore.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I can’t think of any other documentary in history that has
won so much acclaim and enraged so many at the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If that alone was its claim to fame, it
wouldn’t be making my list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The fact
that it did that and is actually a great film is what put it here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His latest documentaries may not be making
the same impression upon me, but this one is gold.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><br /><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=cancerzeitge-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00005JNEI" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe>
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<em>Mandatory FTC Disclaimer: I did not receive this film to review. If you click on a link I may earn a commission.</em>
-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-52633221645638203162012-08-24T06:05:00.000-07:002012-08-24T06:05:34.269-07:00My 100 Favorite Films of All Time #98: Unforgiven<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vwVpxIzBnO2G4tlQif-b27r7_IUAcX394gyAfqFkutj04w0_egxgsGnMYKrBF5EgJPwPuL01mVd35GrtaLx1m0pvyKcrzGEda4HCgHtyM0z3Q3mU_50kkUAQbVFrs9gQrdGMVqBErHhn/s1600/unforgiven1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6vwVpxIzBnO2G4tlQif-b27r7_IUAcX394gyAfqFkutj04w0_egxgsGnMYKrBF5EgJPwPuL01mVd35GrtaLx1m0pvyKcrzGEda4HCgHtyM0z3Q3mU_50kkUAQbVFrs9gQrdGMVqBErHhn/s320/unforgiven1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I find most modern
westerns to be frightfully boring, though they are our version of the samurai
movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As a child, however, I enjoyed
Clint Eastwood in his Sergio Leone films.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I was introduced to them by my father, and while the complexities of the
stories and characters never entered into my young mind, watching them again as
an adult made me realize that my younger self was onto something.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those films stand apart from other westerns and
my admiration for them did not carry over to other films in the genre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Then came <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Unforgiven</i>.
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><a href="http://thelastpictureblog.blogspot.com/search/label/Unforgiven">I’ve written about this film before</a>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’ve seen it, you know it is one amazing
piece of work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a bit slow in
places, but this is purposeful.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What you
are witnessing is a slow boiling pot, and these days audiences aren’t used to
that sort of thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When this movie
reaches its boiling point it becomes a harrowing and very realistic portrayal
of the nature of violence and man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
that sense, this film becomes almost an extension, a natural progression even,
of the Leone works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eastwood’s character
has a name now, though that doesn’t matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The life he is leading at the beginning of the film is the one he could
easily be leading after those Italian masterpieces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The place he ends up, though, puts him right
back to where he started, and it is amazing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He may not be as comfortable on a horse, but
he knows his way around a gun.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhp9EN58AEcdvIxHd9qdVzgdqGW3ASZs80TBDbRHBJA8f6LwCoLvX30RQUmi0fgKzP_bocke7E8i0KaS-CSf6trnmBgtxxNdsleKGwflapF2DsTR2KIa7M8YsOCbaBny9y1k2J4paE0CZW/s1600/Unforgiven-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="137" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhp9EN58AEcdvIxHd9qdVzgdqGW3ASZs80TBDbRHBJA8f6LwCoLvX30RQUmi0fgKzP_bocke7E8i0KaS-CSf6trnmBgtxxNdsleKGwflapF2DsTR2KIa7M8YsOCbaBny9y1k2J4paE0CZW/s320/Unforgiven-3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Eastwood’s film, which won multiple Oscars, is dedicated to
Leone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That dedication couldn’t be more
fitting, and if no other western were ever made, this would be an excellent
last word on the genre both symbolically and artistically.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After viewing it I had to ask myself, “Where
else does this genre have to go?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Nowhere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Unforgiven</i> was the journey <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">and</i>
the destination.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It almost makes you
feel bad for anyone foolish enough to even try making a western now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe in another few decades something will
come along to challenge this, but I think it is highly unlikely this will be
unseated as the king of westerns any time soon.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><o:p></o:p><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=cancerzeitge-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B000JLPMPS" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></span><br />
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<br /></div>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><i>Mandatory FTC Disclaimer: I did not receive this film for review purposes. Clicking on a link could earn me a fistful of dollars.</i></span></div>
-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-25824388393339059782012-08-11T08:04:00.002-07:002012-08-11T08:04:35.586-07:00My 100 Favorite Films of All Time #99: Bowling For ColumbineBowling For Columbine is not about guns, but I believe when Michael Moore started making it he thought it would be. Make no mistake, guns definitely play a role in the film, but they are the symptom of what Moore paints as America’s bigger problem: fear.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMgbtCMI5FpG2wRpnfm51V1Ysw7iLYbfCCq4AJ6hloELkPA9ZPJJJn6AND-Nz4S0lfvwlwRckzHOBDz9vh_8uwtZ7LTNduKQDD33o3T8UVks4p381mD5bs9xWaSXNWjsh7DrQDsf6yJg9/s1600/bowling-for-columbine-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMgbtCMI5FpG2wRpnfm51V1Ysw7iLYbfCCq4AJ6hloELkPA9ZPJJJn6AND-Nz4S0lfvwlwRckzHOBDz9vh_8uwtZ7LTNduKQDD33o3T8UVks4p381mD5bs9xWaSXNWjsh7DrQDsf6yJg9/s320/bowling-for-columbine-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
In full disclosure, I will state I don’t support gun control. I don’t think that is any kind of answer to the problems in America. I also enjoy most of Michael Moore’s work, though I sometimes find it off-base. Not this film, though.<br />
<br />
If there is one thing that could have been done better in Moore’s film it would be that he should have went into even more depth on the nature of fear, what it does to people, and how it is used by institutions to control a populace. Fear sells. Fear works. The news media knows it. Governments, religions and schools use it. When Moore managed to capture this in his film (though in a fairly slight way compared to how it works in the real world), he touched upon something most of mainstream liberal America never even thought about themselves. Not only were they victims of it, but they used it, too. And they used it just as well as their friends on the Right. Few would ever admit that, though.<br />
<br />
Columbine’s mass school shooting may have inspired Moore, but he’s always been a muckraker. When the Right called “foul” before it saw the film and said it was about the evils of the gun and would push the nation toward greater gun control, it played right into the director’s message. It was one of those moments that defined irony. Moore may not be for everyone, and the way his message got across may rub people the wrong way, but that doesn’t negate it.<br />
<br />
Documentaries are powerful when done correctly. This film was done correctly and on such a grand-yet-primal scale that it is impossible to come out of the theatre without thinking about it, and I have yet to hear an effective argument against Moore’s thesis that America runs on fear. Brilliant.<br />
<br />
<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?lt1=_blank&bc1=000000&IS2=1&bg1=FFFFFF&fc1=000000&lc1=0000FF&t=cancerzeitge-20&o=1&p=8&l=as4&m=amazon&f=ifr&ref=ss_til&asins=B00008DDVV" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><br />
<i>Mandatory FTC Disclaimer: I did not receive this film to review. Clicking on a link may earn me cash.</i><br />
<div>
<br /></div>-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2709666344414297261.post-63184676868351775102012-08-02T06:13:00.000-07:002012-08-02T06:13:24.888-07:00My 100 Favorite Films of All Time #100: Opera<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5nzAmGz-_GQ5_ivJFTZOZ8myBBD7Xv4Pf5ZCLOkuDEDxXJyYx8CV35nl5gn5_N9YHNx5KHaZDbhET5vj3NMTkSpmLnZDkQaPcfZz552zlqCl8asUCryVA4-LqPyk3BT-XtGNVG-MxFMs/s1600/opera+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5nzAmGz-_GQ5_ivJFTZOZ8myBBD7Xv4Pf5ZCLOkuDEDxXJyYx8CV35nl5gn5_N9YHNx5KHaZDbhET5vj3NMTkSpmLnZDkQaPcfZz552zlqCl8asUCryVA4-LqPyk3BT-XtGNVG-MxFMs/s320/opera+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
There is a reason why Dario Argento is considered one of the more influential directors of our time. There’s also a reason why the general American movie audience hasn’t recognized him as such. That would be Opera.<br />
<br />
Opera is not the best Argento film, but it does exemplify the problems the director has in reaching American moviegoers. An Argento film is more a nightmare than a narrative. He understands the beauty of violence, and he isn’t afraid to make a film feel disjointed in order to get his point across. There is no hand holding, and he often seems to care more about a shot than a plot. When you watch this film as an Argento fan, you are aware of all these things, and if you understand that, you are a bit in awe because what you are seeing is so symbolic and has so much depth to it (much like another of my favorite films of his, The Stendhal Syndrome) that once you are done watching it you can’t help but be impressed by what it has done. Unfortunately, to get there, you have to really be involved in the film, and you have to process what you are seeing … and then you have to remember it. This is not the type of thing the average movie viewer is going to invest time in doing, especially when they think they are watching a standard horror movie, which is what this seems like at first.<br />
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The plot is of the stalker/slasher variety. Getting to its conclusion, however, is like boarding a thrill ride designed and run by bath salt addicts. Witness the bullet through the door scene that is so genius that it really must be seen to be believed. Marvel in the film’s iconic shot as the young star is forced to watch a murder. And how is she “forced” into such a situation? She has rows of needles taped under each eye so that to blink brings pain. It’s an iconic image that is often used to sell the film. It is sublime. All of this was incredible, but it only works as a whole if, as I mentioned before, you were really paying attention because unlike the run-of-the-mill slasher film, this has some very heavy messages about violence and sexuality behind it.<br />
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I was swept up in this film’s insanity. I also recognized its faults … and promptly ignored them. I watched this already familiar with Argento and his work, and knew what to expect. As usual with Argento’s films, I was enthralled by the violence that appeared before me. The murderer was putting on his show … his own opera, and we, the viewers, were forced to watch. Film lovers got it. Directors got it. The casual viewing audience considered it a toss-off … some with valid reasons. Others had the standard Argento complaint of: “I just don’t get it.” What they didn’t get was that you are meant to experience this film as Betty, the film’s main character. In that sense, it works amazingly well … and it doesn't need to tape needles under your eyes to get you there.<br />
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<i>Mandatory FTC Disclaimer: I did not receive this film to review. Clicking on a link may earn me a commission.</i><br />
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<br /></div>-Doug Brunell (America's Favorite Son)http://www.blogger.com/profile/10216616964188376483noreply@blogger.com3