While I'm more of a fan of Japanese director Kaneto Shindo's later KURONEKO, this one is certainly not too shabby either. It's main focus is on a couple of poor ladies stuck in wartime Japan who resort to killing passers-by to make ends meet. While there are some horror elements involving a demon mask(and stabbing samurais) this one really focuses more on the drama side of things than KURONEKO and plays more like an artsy flick that just happens to also contain ample nudity and murder to go along with your symbolism and metaphors. Check it out for an fine example of some classy Asian cinema.
A married couple(Sam Neil & Isabelle Adjani) argue for a good portion of this arthouse film, then our lead woman gives birth to a squid monster who eventually turns into a doppelganger of her husband. There's lots of scenes of a wife screaming at her husband so naturally feminists love this movie. There's also some convoluted message about the violent nature of breakups or something. "It's all metaphor man!"
I did get to watch this at a drive-in recently and it looked great on the big screen even if it is quite the grating spectacle.
Japanese director Hisayasu Sato is known for making pretty extreme pinky violence movies and this certainly falls into that category. Not so much violence in this one, until the very end which gets very stabby, this one deals more with a lady who has a very strong affection for horses(she even masturbates with a bloody severed horsedick at one point!) and seems to get seuxally assaulted a whole lot. Sadly the copy I watched of this, and seemingly the only version currently available, is a very dark VHS rip which makes following what little plot exists a bit rough. Not sure though if even a pristine blu-ray would help all that much since this is clearly in the obtuse artsy-fartsy zone and even at a mere 59 minutes this was a bit of a chore to finish.
Based on the true story of Prince Rudolph of Austria back in 1889. Not being a historical scholar I have no idea how much of this is actually based on any facts but in this film they sure make the prince(Lajos Balazsovits) out to be a real jerk. Obviously his obsession with a hedonistic lifestyle and snubbing the state is designed to convey some political message. It also works as a meditation on the hippie free love vs. a staunchly repressive government which might have been more relevant if this was made back in the 60s. It's artsy softcore porn aesthetic, with never-ending dancing, singing and laughing doesn't seem to help me relate to anyone in this and really begin to grate on your nerves after a while. As I've seen one reviewer state, orgies are usually way more fun to partake in then just watch. There's lots of nakedness, floppy dicks abound, a hermaphrodite shows up and butt-rapes a military general and we get an expected 70s downer ending. I can see fans of Walerian Borowczyk really digging this.
This one's notable for being an early example of hardcore porno. Made by John and Lem Amero, who had previously done a few softcore flicks, this one is what you get when you mix artsy-fartsy junk with explicit sex and it's not exactly a great example of either one of those 2 elements. Fellow sleaze-makers, and friends of the Ameros, Michael and Roberta Findlay show up briefly. We follow our main character(Uta Erickson, who appeared in films by The Findlays, Doris Wishman and Joe Sarno among others) through a trippy dream and ends up in hell, which might be my least favorite idea for a plot ever! Her name is Ruth and she's searching for her lost brother who she may have been incestuous with. Her brother's name is Gordon which just made me think about how I'd rather be watching anything with the late great Ruth Gordon in it instead of this.
I thought I had already seen the stupidest movie with the title ELEPHANT a while back when I watched Gus Van Sant's take on the Columbine school shooting but apparently I was very wrong. Compared to this thing that one was an absolute masterpiece. This here is just a 39 minute long, very repetitive, series of assassinations of people by guns and that's it. Barely any dialogue, no plot, no reasons given for anything that happens, just violence for violence's sake, or in this case, according to director Alan Clarke, to point out that violence is bad. While I'm no expert on the horrible violence between Ireland and England in the 80s and before, this certainly didn't teach me anything. Maybe if you're more familiar with the whole thing, this would resonate more vividly. From what I know though the killings, which often employed bombs and other implements of destruction weren't always quite as neat and painless as depicted here. This was made for, and shown on, British TV which explains why it's not super gory but seems amazing that it ever actually got shown.
I know Eurosleaze director Jess Franco is a big fan of jazz music and this movie feels like it might be the closest of his films to a jazz song in that it's basically a bunch of scenes, many with jazz playing in them, with not a whole lot of rhyme or reason in a linear sense but more thrown together to set a general tone. S & M stage shows, brainwashing, murder, dreamlike set pieces and lots of oddball/artsy elements. Figures of Godzilla, Frankenstein and a few other monsters show up to aid in the sexy psychedelic ambience. Franco regulars Jack Taylor and Howard Vernon appear supporting star Janine Reynaud who was a model and not really much of an actress but that seems unnecessary for this role anyway as it's mostly just changing outfits and being nude from scene to scene. Recommended more for the arthouse fan than the more typical lowbrow Franco trash-lover.
Released in Italy as DELIRIUM:
Known in a few countries(including France apparently) as NECRONOMICON:
Well this wasn't very good. I would assume lesbianism was a tad more shocking 50 years ago but watching it these days there's really not much to recommend from this artsy-fartsy pretentious borefest. It's not particularly sexy unless a couple breaking up, then making up and then breaking up again and arguing about their crappy relationship are things that really turn you on.
On the plus side there are a few cool tunes on the soundtrack so if you dig flute jams you're in luck.
There are also some cool thigh-high boots in this that apparently is a fetish for whatever weirdo made this video:
Not being a very big fan of the 90s this one is a bit rough for me. It basically reminds me of every industrial music video from that decade complete with the drab black and white camerawork, the shaky cam and of course the atonal music. The saving grace is that director Darren Aronofsky at least packs some interesting ideas in this intentionally nihilistic exercise about chaos vs. order in the natural world and the thin line between brilliance and insane nutiness. So that's probably why I've seen it twice now in 20 years. In all that time I forgot about the unpleasantness of it all. Speaking of which most of the characters in this are pretty unlikable and tough to relate to or want to spend time around but I'm sure that's intentional and mirrors society in some ways. All in all an interesting if not very enjoyable independent film experiment that math nerds and/or artsy-fartsy film snobs may appreciate a bit more than me.
I thought this was going to be some sort of horror flick. Mainly because the DVD I have proclaims this "A classic of erotic horror". They did nail the erotic part as this does contain tons of nudity and rollicking lesbianism on display. Unfortunately the horror aspects are pretty minimal. I would really classify this thing as more of a sexy fantasy art film. The plot deals with a couple of young ladies who run afoul of the sorceress lady of the title in the woods and are held in her castle for a while. There they are treated to all sorts of pretentious lesbianic pleasures, but they can't leave so I guess that's the "horror" part. Shot exceedingly well and probably a bit shocking back when it was originally released, this thing moves at a fairly slow pace and sorta reminds me of, fellow French director, Jean Rollin's work, sadly minus the vampire chicks though. Come for the bare French boobs and asses just don't expect anything very scary. Also try and ignore the rather unpleasant midget servant fellow running around unless this is some weird kink of yours.
One of the weirdest things I've seen in a while. This is a super artsy-fartsy mess of a movie that contains two plots, one being pro-communism?, I think?, and the other I'm guessing is all about the joys of the anarchist life? It starts off with an odd beauty pageant for virgin ladies then John Vernon shows up and pulls out his golden penis and pisses on the winner. From there things just get weirder as a whole slew of disgusting things happen that don't make any sense. There's simulated castration, lots of vomit, guys shitting on plates, guys pissing into each others mouths, stripping in front of little boys, bloody murder in a bunch of sugar and it all ends up with a lady rolling around in chocolate. The whole thing reminds me of a somewhat gentler, not as mean-spirited version of SALO, OR THE 120 DAYS OF SODOM by Pasolini which hadn't actually been released yet(and interestingly he was responsible for the Italian-dub of this film so perhaps it was inspirational for him). Something you watch once, that is if you're into disgusting French art-flicks and can deal with poop hijinks etc., just to say you experienced it.
I guess Marxists philosophies that lead to mass murders is sweet ??:
Based on a real life house invader/rapist/murderer from the 60s in Brazil but don't expect to get too many facts about him from watching this because it falls squarely into the dreaded "artsy-fartsy" genre of film making. You get crazy weird-angle camera-shots, quick cuts and a lot of intentionally anarchist nonsense. Kind of how modern-day action movies are shot minus the cgi.
It starts off with some voice-over narration that seems more like a trailer for a movie than an actual movie itself. This sort of reminded me of how a couple of Russ Meyer's films start out except instead of then following giant-boobed ladies you get a side-burned and snazzily-dressed crook going about his nefarious business. There's an off-screen rape, gun-murders, nudity and tons of political and social commentary which I'm sure worked a lot better for Brazilians at the time it was released since they were dealing with a military dictator. There is a very chaotic feeling to the whole thing which I can certainly appreciate so maybe check it out for that or just as a goofy comedy.
This sleazy and bloody Japanese art movie by a director known for his off-the-wall films(Koji Wakamatsu) starts right off the bat with a girl being gang-raped on a rooftop by a gang of not-so-tough-looking Japanese fellows. From there we get a bunch of silly artsy-fartsy long shots of hallways and crap and then things get weird with a room full of people in the middle of an orgy who get knifed-to-death and then some more murder happens. On the surface you could call this a rape-revenge film but it's one of the weirdest examples of that I've seen. A sort-of love story is really the central focus of the movie and there are some messages in here that I'm not exactly clear on. The clunkiest and most humorous one has to be at the very end when the camera focuses on a sign that warns the audience of the dangers of huffing.
The backstory of this film is that it was a reaction/meditation on the Manson murders. The main male character talks about killing people because they are pigs but you really wouldn't draw any direct connections except for the photos of Sharon Tate and Roman Polanski that pop up in-between panels depicting cartoon violence.
This is clearly only for the more adventurous serious film lovers that like that avant-garde style.
Director Seijun Suzuki would get himself fired from Nikkatsu studios for making this film and not make another movie for 10 years. Why they thought this film was so terrible and unreleasable I'm not exactly sure. It does deliver on the sex and violence stuff that Nikkatsu films usually contain although it does get a bit unnecessarily weird and artsy in parts which I guess set them off.
Having started out watching Suzuki's GATE OF FLESH film which centered around Japanese prostitutes I find that his gangster films don't measure up to how entertaining that one was but I can clearly see the influence this movie has had on some more modern directors including Tarantino(this is sorta like RESERVOIR DOGS but with way more action and film-making skill shown) and Jim Jarmusch who copied one of the kills here where a guy gets shot right through a sink-pipe.
Overall worth a look for cinematic snobs who don't mind a lot of weirdness(boiled-rice used as an aphrodisiac! suicidal Asian goth chick! bizarre snuff movie! main character with big chipmunk cheeks!) mixed with their actiony/gangster flick.
While I was expecting more of a CANNIBAL HOLOCAUST-type of a situation with this movie what you actually get is not quite that but an almost equally downbeat sort-of a movie experience. This French/Belgian/Australian/English film deals with a couple of parents who are searching for their lost child and end up in Burma dealing with all kinds of rip-off artists and scumbags in their journey. It's a totally somber view and not something to put on if you want to be in any sort of happy mood (and most likely even more of a downer if you actually do have kids, unlike myself). While I'm not sure if this qualifies as a true horror film or just a really intense drama and I'm also not sure if I would even recommend this to anyone it is better made and more interesting than pretty much any modern horror that's been made in the U.S. in the last 20 years. Also it does deliver on it's cannibals in the jungle premise so I wasn't mislead. I guess ultimately this feels too drama heavy for gore fans and too gory for people who enjoy made-for-Lifetime dramas so I guess it will appeal to that slim group that just wants to see something different. Just don't expect to feel very jolly afterwards.
Director Werner Herzog is one of my all-time favorite humans to ever make a movie. He might also be one of my all-around favorite humans to exist. His visual style is amazing and blows away so many other so-called film-makers in this regard. Here he remakes the 1920's classic vampire tale in color and with Klaus Kinski in the starring role. It trades the abstract expressionism of the original for more typical artsy flairs. Kinski adds that special extra kookiness that he always does and actual shows some range here playing a role outside of the usual insane sort that he would become known for and he also looks radically different then anything else I've seen him in. I can't say that there aren't some stretches in this movie that go one for too long where not much happens because there are a few super slow points where I feel like nodding off but luckily I'm always pulled back into the film enough to never want to give up on it. This film proves that remakes can be a worthwhile endeavor if you have the imagination to make them work. Unfortunately after the 70's/80's were over remakes seem to just be repackaged garbage designed to squeeze a few dollars out of the most gullible robotic viewers. AKA NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE
This here is a French art-house flick which seems to be a commentary on the dangers of society and some deeper issues as well that I would pontificate on more if I was smart enough to decipher all the bizarre imagery on display. Luckily I'm not that smart so I'll just say that this is a very strange almost Jodorowsky-like film. EL TOPO is probably the closest of his movies that you could compare this to with the desert being a main setting in many scenes. There's a whole gigantic laundry list of insane things that you will see here including footage of animal experiments, a penis used as a candle, a guy eating sand, a tranny, a giant fake spider, nude child execution, cannibalism, poop, urine used as a healing balm and a whole bunch of other unsettling elements. There's also a homosexual theme which was probably pretty controversial at the time this was originally released. The story itself is about a guy who may have killed his mother and is on the run from the police but I don't think the plot itself is all that important since the director seems to be more preoccupied with the visual experience.
There's also a great interview on the DVD of this, put out by Cult Epics, with director Arrabal in which you get the feeling he might be a complete lunatic. This definitely made me want to check out more of his crazy stuff.
What you get here is a Spanish art flick with Nazis and little boys getting killed. Not a very happy film and the closest thing I can compare it to is something like SALO except here they use actual little kids as the victims.
The story concerns a former Nazi doctor/child murderer/child molester who attempts suicide and winds up being kept alive in an iron-lung. Then a young fellow shows up who wants to be the old Nazi's nurse and maybe follow in his pervy footsteps. There are some horror-film elements and it's all pretty downbeat but worth a watch if you can handle something pretty depressing that explores the ugliness of man and the consequences of one's actions. There's also a very striking ending image which sums up the theme of the cycle of violence and depravity running throughout the film.
There was a sorta similar film from 1998 called APT PUPIL which was based on a Stephen King book but I never bothered watching it since it just looked like another big Hollywood waste of time. I'm also sure there are no 10-year-old boys getting their throats cut in that one.
This is a short video from Mexico where we get a dead baby being bathed in a tub full of some very unclean looking liquid. It also has some nails pulled out of it. Why it had nails in it in the first place I have no idea. Then it gets wrapped in some plastic wrap, I guess for fresh keeping although it doesn't look very fresh to start out with. The director here, Teresa Margolles, specializes in the artistic use of corpses. I'm guessing corpses are a lot easier to come by in Mexico than many other places that don't have murderous drug cartels and whatnot.
I saw this recently as part of a collection of underground Mexican cinema brought to the U.S. by Nick Zedd and while there's no narrative to follow it was by far the most memorable out of the stuff he showed just for the strange visual of a little corpse being scrubbed and there's clearly some artistic commentary about the narrow distinction between life and death or something along those lines. Throw it on at your next shindig, I'm sure it will be a big hit with all your breeder friends.
Sci-fi meets art film in a French cartoon. Clearly influenced by the psychedelic experimentation of the 60's this is an amazing visual film that I first saw back in the 80's on USA network's Night Flight program along with stuff like REEFER MADNESS and THREE STOOGES shorts back when I'm assuming television was programmed by human beings.
The plot involves little tiny humans(or Oms as they're called here) who are kept as pets by these large blue alien types who enjoy meditating and practicing genocide on any humans that aren't domesticated. There's messages about slavery, the importance of knowledge, rebellion and inter-species cooperation. There's also probably a lot more you get out of it if you drop some acid before viewing which I'm guessing was a popular method of ingesting this entertainment when it was originally screened. You should check it out if you're a stoned hippie, an art-fag and or just an Alejandro Jodorowsky fan who wants to see what one of his movies might look like if it was animated.
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