Since yesterday...
Alucarda (1978) – I watched this as it was recommended by IMDB when I was looking up info on
The Holy Mountain since it was directed by Jodorowsky’s collaborator Juan Moctezuma. It also promised to be a good demon possession-based horror film, of which there aren’t really very many. And while there were several well directed and/or interesting scenes, for the most part the low budget on this one does more to hurt the film than to help it attain some kind of ambiance. For one, the sound is horrendous (bad syncing, lots of clipping when people are screaming, etc.); for another, many of the effects are distractingly poor. The story itself? Well, there’s nothing here you probably haven’t seen before – and the two major themes of the film were dealt with much better in
The Exorcist (1973) and
Carrie (1976), two superior films this one must certainly have drawn some inspiration from.
Grade: 2/5
Delicatessen (1991) – For some reason, I went into this one thinking that it was a horror film, and certainly the title and the opening scene confirmed that belief. What I found, however, was one of the more unclassifiable films I’ve seen of late – and one that I thoroughly enjoyed. Though there are some horror elements, I found myself laughing more than anything as the film has a strong element of black comedy to it. Some of the scenes are hilarious in their use of minutiae, and others provide compelling suspense . Throughout, Jeunet and Caro’s camerawork is excellent and reminds me of some of Fincher’s best stuff (and a few parts of the film also reminded me of Gilliam’s work). Jean Claude Dreyfus seems made for the role of the butcher, but all of the cast is strong. All in all a strongly recommended film.
Grade: 4/5
The Living End (1991) – Watched this on Repo’s recommendation since I usually like to see some of a director’s earliest works first if their stuff is new to me. Unfortunately, I don’t share his enthusiasm for this pic. The acting by the drifter character and the main female lead are both passable, but everyone in the film is saddled with lame dialogue and generally uninspired writing. It seems that much more could be done, and in an interesting way, with the subject material at hand. The direction is passable I guess, with a few stand out highway scenes, but overall it is too darkly lit in places where it shouldn’t be, causing obfuscation for the sake of obfuscation (to the detriment of the film). I could stop thinking “this is the gay
Thelma and Louise but without the fun” when I watched this and, like in that movie, the ending scenes are some of the more memorable (if uneven) scenes in the film.
Grade: 2/5
^^EDIT: I just looked at the Wikipedia entry for this and swear I thought of the Thelma and Louise analogyon my own. I make it a policy not to read reviews/info on a film until after I post my thoughts/grade.
In the Name of the Father (1993) – In recent years Daniel Day-Lewis has become one of my favorite actors, but for whatever reason I never got around to seeing this 1993 film, despite a long time interest in doing so. The strength of the film is certainly the story, which contains the kind of strong drama that makes you transfixed to the screen. Strong performances by Day-Lewis and Pete Postlethwaite are also here, and the roles themselves are quite meaty, well written, and show off each actor’s respective range quite well. The aesthetic elements – directing, sound, etc. – are all passable if not memorable, but in fairness I watched this in pan and scan as it was broadcast on Encore or some such movie channel. Not my favorite Day-Lewis film (that would be
There Will Be Blood), but a gripping story all the same.
Grade: 4/5
At least tell me you've seen Kubrick's films..
