RV!: The New York Ripper (1982)

RV!: The New York Ripper (1982) Dir: Lucio Fulci Date Released (VHS): March 1987 Date Seen: October 27, 2011 Rating: 4.25/5

Love this'n even more the second go-around. I wrote this introduction for when it screened at the Spectacle Theater in Williamsburg. My intros have since become more...improvised. Ad-libbed, I mean. Still, I wonder how this reads...maybe better in print than read aloud. You decide.

The movie you’re about to see was designed to fuck with you. It’s a nightmarish Hitchcockian homage with glancing sight gags that skewer the very possibility ofpsycho-analyzing a person based on their actions. It’s also a great companion piece to De Palma’s notorious and, until recently, long-unavailable Dressed to Kill, which was made in 1980, two years before Fulci directed The New York Ripper. One of the first lines in this film is an unshaved, derelict-looking guy asking his dog if he wants to play fetch: “Here, you wanna get some exercise? Ooh, my balls.” Ooh, my balls. Ahehehe yeah.

Right from this opening scene, you can tell that Fulci is going to throw as many MacGuffins and red herring clues as possible. The dog, while playing fetch, brings a hand back to his master. That hand doesn’t seem important but it is. Or at least, it will be once it’s revealed who it belongs to later in the film.

455) Identification of a Woman (1982)

455) Identification of a Woman (1982) Dir: Michelangelo Antonioni Date Released: Nocember 15, 1996 Date Seen: October 26, 2011 Rating: 4/5

This was supposed to run at Press Play. But it got lost in the shuffle, I suppose. Here it is anyway.

Silence is the hallmark of real intimacy in Michelangelo Antonioni’s Identification of a Woman, a character study following a restless man that can’t stop himself from talking and coaxing women into talking to him. “I’d like to be silent with a woman,” Niccolò (Tomas Milian), a listless film director, says at one point. “Have the same kind of relationship you have with nature.” This is impossible because, for most of the film, Niccolò is chasing after Mavi (Daniela Silverio), a woman he first seeks out as a potential star for his next project. Niccolò is still chasing Mavi even while he’s having sex with her. The film’s sex scenes, shot by master DP Carlo Di Palma, pay close attention to the contours of the human body and how various different parts never seem to seamlessly fit together.

Paranoia and obsession are symptoms of the human condition, as Niccolò understands it so everyone around him speaks their minds and no one remains silent for long. Even a mysterious stranger that is stalking Niccolò reminds him twice that he’s following him. This is striking because, as in L’Avventura in particular, Identification of a Woman’s plot revolves around absence and longing that isn’t expressed in explicit terms. It’s about the gaps in time and space, like the one created in the landscape by Identification’s famous fog-choked road scene, and how we choose to fill them while waiting for the inevitable. Ultimately, Niccolò’s probably more connected with his stalker than he ever was with Mavi.

454) Tower Heist (2011)

454) Tower Heist (2011) Dir: Brett Ratner Date Released: November 4, 2011 Date Seen: October 26, 2011 Rating: 2/5

Yup, definitely a Brett Ratner movie. See my piece for Nomad Wide Screen, right next to my only full-length review of Julia Leigh's Sleeping Beauty (I'm a rathah vocal advocate of the latter film).

453) Ra.One (2011)

453) Ra.One (2011) Dir: Anubhav Sinha Date Released: October 26, 2011 Date Seen: October 25, 2011 Rating: 2/5

A real Bollywood blow-out. See my piece for Slant Magazine.

452) Weekend (2011)

452) Weekend (2011) Dir: Andrew Haigh Date Released: September 23, 2011 Date Seen: October 24, 2011 Rating: 3.75/5

I rather liked this wispy long weekend romance, even though I think some of the central drama about sexual identity is canned. There's a very warm air of intimacy about Haigh's characters that I'm having a hard time attributing to any singular creative decision. But more than anything else, I can't help but recall the experience of watching this film. I felt like the only straight guy in a small theater full of gay men (theater 2 at the IFC Center...or was it theater 3?). In fact, I felt apologetic, like I was intruding on something. I also vividly recall the subway ride back to my place, arguing at great length with my good friend Zengkun Feng about this film, about the dialogue and melodrama in Margin Call and the ultimate worth of the Human Centipede movies as art. Now, my enthusiasm for Weekend comes back to me as a warm but vague memory I can't extricate from that quiet, intimate (not in that way!) night. Fine by me. I guess 2011 wasn't so bad...

451) The Robber (2010)

451) The Robber (2010) Dir: Benjamin Heisenberg Date Released: April 29, 2011 Date Seen: October 24, 2011 Rating: 3.5/5

Good enough. Which is frustrating. See my review for Slant Magazine.

450) The Woman (2011)

450) The Woman (2011) Dir: Lucky McKee Date Released: October 14, 2011 Date Seen: October 23, 2011 Rating: 3/5

I wish I felt more strongly about Lucky McKee's latest film. I can see both the smart-ass wit and creative frustration that people respond to in May here. And I even think he's become a more confident story-teller. He's become a better satirist, too: this one feels like a proudly cracked-out Sirk parody. I can also get behind a number of McKee's brattier decisions, including the choice to only whip out the human dog at the last minute (struck me as a decision that a younger, Katakuris-era Miike would make). But I really just do not like the scene where "the woman" gets her revenge. In that moment, McKee goes beyond irony-for-its-own-sake to semi-serious self-righteousness. But that's just a tonal hiccup and perhaps it's simply another way for McKee to pull the rug out from under his viewers (or at least, his ideal audience...though I'm not even sure if he's thinking this far ahead). Still, that scene irks me. The rest of the film's ok though. 

RV!: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)

RV!: Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) Dir: Stanley Kubrick Date Released: January 29, 1964 Rating: 4.75/5

Still one of the best. See my piece for Capital New York.

434) The Three Musketeers (2011) , 435) The Rum Diary (2011) and 440) Paranormal Activity 3 (2011)

434) The Three Musketeers (2011) Dir: Paul W.S. Anderson Date Released: October 21, 2011 Date Seen: October 18, 2011 Rating: 1.75/5

435) The Rum Diary (2011) Dir: Bruce Robinson Date Released: October 28, 2011 Date Seen: October 18, 2011 Rating: 2.75/5

440) Paranormal Activity 3 (2011) Dir: Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman Date Released: October 21, 2011 Date Seen: October 21, 2011 Rating: 3/5

The proverbial mixed bag. Check out my reviews for Nomad Wide Screen.

431) The Shock Doctrine (2009)

431) The Shock Doctrine (2009) Dir: Mat Whitecross and Michael Winterbottom Date Released: XX ???? Date Seen: October 17, 2011 Rating: 1.75/5

Ill-conceived on a number of levels. See my piece for Slant Magazine.

427) The Descendants (2011)

427) The Descendants (2011) Dir: Alexander Payne Date Released: December 9, 2011 Date Seen: October 16, 2011 Rating: 3.5/5

Wrote two pieces about this, one more favorable than the other. Here's one for Fandor and one's for Nomad Wide Screen. Enjoy, as they French say.

426) Three on a Meathook (1973), 432) Werewolves on Wheels (1971), 444) The Manitou (1978), 448) Asylum of Satan (1972) and 449) Grizzly (1976)

426) Three on a Meathook (1973) Dir: William Girdler Date Released: XX 1973 Date Seen: October 15, 2011 Rating: 2.25/5

432) Werewolves on Wheels (1971) Dir: Michel Levesque Date Released: November 19, 1971 Date Seen: October 17, 2011 Rating: 2.75/5

444) The Manitou (1978) Dir: William Girdler Date Released: April 28, 1978 Date Seen: October 22, 2011 Rating: 3.5/5

448) Asylum of Satan (1972) Dir: William Girdler Date Released: XX 1972 Date Seen: October 23, 2011 Rating: 2.75/5

449) Grizzly (1976) Dir: William Girdler Date Released: May 21, 1976 Date Seen: October 23, 2011 Rating: 2.25/5

William Girdler, ooh, spooky. Listen to "Kentucky Crap Wagon," the eighth episode of the Bad Idea Podcast.

422) The Catechism Cataclysm (2011)

422) The Catechism Cataclysm (2011) Dir: Todd Rohal Date Released: October 19, 2011 Date Seen: October 15, 2011 Rating: 2.25/5

I wanted to like this a lot more than I did. See my review for Slant Magazine.

421) Margaret (2011)

421) Margaret (2011) Dir: Kenneth Lonergan Date Released: September 30, 2011 Date Seen: October 13, 2011 Rating: 4.5/5

I haven't been this totally immersed in such a complex contempoary drama in what seems like a while. I'm at a bit of a loss. I fucking LOVE the pace of the film and really do not understand how people could find it ungainly. I was totally absorbed the whole and never felt its plotting was distractingly arhythmic. Lonergan's sense of how to film New York is incredible. I think the only complaint I have is that the bus crash is a bit hokey (until the event is over and we're dealing with its aftermath, that is). Beyond that, great, great stuff.

419) Noriko's Dinner Table (2005)

419) Noriko's Dinner Table (2005) Dir: Sion Sono Date Released: June 13, 2007 Date Seen: October 12, 2011 Rating: 3.75/5

Not as good as Suicide Club but once it gets going, it's a pretty compelling feature-length coda in its own right. See my piece for Capital New York.

413) Footloose (2011) and 416) The Thing (2011)

413) Footloose (2011) Dir: Craig Brewer Date Released: October 14, 2011 Date Seen: October 10, 2011 Rating: 2/5

416) The Thing (2011) Dir: Matthijs van Heijningen Jr. Date Released: October 14, 2011 Date Seen: October 11, 2011 Rating: 3.5/5

The '80s respectively re-imagined by the dude that made Black Snake Moan and a guy that actually understands and really loves Scott's Alien and Carpenter's The Thing. Check out my reviews for Nomad Wide Screen.

RV!: I'm a Cyborg, But That's Ok (2006)

RV!: I'm a Cyborg, But That's Ok (2006) Dir: Chan-wook Park Date Released: October 8, 2011 Date Seen: October 8, 2011 Rating: 4/5

A small step down after the first viewing. But perhaps that's because I loved it so much the first go-around and it just didn't live up to my unfairly high expectations? Dunno, will figure it out when I rewatch it next, I guess. See my review for Slant Magazine.

408) Shame (2011)

408) Shame (2011) Dir: Steve McQueen Date Rubbed Out: December 2, 2011 Date Seen: October 6, 2011 Rating: 1.5/5

Oh, puhlease. See my review for Press Play.

406) The Blue Lamp (1950) and 407) The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)

406) The Blue Lamp (1960) Dir: Basil Dearden Date Released: June 1, 1950 Date Seen: October 5, 2011 Rating: 4/5

407) The Lavender Hill Mob (1951) Dir: Charles Crichton Date Released: October 15, 1951 Date Seen: October 5, 2011 Rating: 4.25/5

Ealing Studios! See my piece for Capital New York.

RV!: The Skin I Live In (2011) and 411) Real Steel (2011)

RV!: The Skin I Live In (2011) Dir: Pedro Almodovar Date Released: October 14, 2011 Date Seen: October 4, 2011 Rating: 4.25/5

411) Real Steel (2011) Dir: Shawn Levy Date Released: October 14, 2011 Date Seen: October 16, 2011 Rating: 1.75/5

This is pretty much my 2011 in a nutshell: veddy high highs, periously low lows. See my reviews for Nomad Wide Screen.

404) A Dangerous Method (2011)

404) A Dangerous Method (2011) Dir: David Cronenberg Date Released: November 23, 2011 Date Seen: October 4, 2011 Rating: 4.25/5

Fuck the haters. See my review for The House Next Door.

403) This Is Not a Film (2010)

403) This Is Not a Film (2010) Dir: Jafar Panahi and Mojtaba Mirtahmasb Not Yet Released Date Seen: October 4, 2011 Rating: 3.75/5

Typically, setting out to create a narrative about your own creative frustration means you're shooting to make a moving and/or thoughtful but also necessarily alienating narrative. This documentary's potency is largely reliant on how frequently Jafar Panahi is able to successfully dramatize his personal isolation and represent ideas and fleeting notions that are unique to him. At the same time, I'm more interested in This is Not a Film's figurative representation of Panahi's ennui as a sweeping expression of his pent-up artistic ambitions and his stymied need to create. These are more moving than the moments that show Panahi as an individual martyr (ie: interludes where we accompany Panahi as he waits for his lawyer to call and shuffes about his apartment). These latter intervals are necessarily frustrating but a vital part of the film's story. That doesn't make waiting for Panahi and Mairtahmasb to show us something more poetic than static that much more compelling. Still, it is worth noting that yes, this very exciting experiment is also frustrating by design.

Note: I love and can't help but hope that Panahi or Mirtahmasb decided to arrange Panahi's DVD shelf in such a way that Buried, the Ryan Reynolds horror pic, was purposefully put on the edge, right where the camera and hence the viewer could not help but see it.

31 Days of Horror

400) Alligator (1980) Dir: Lewis Teague Date Released: July 2, 1980 Date Seen: October 2, 2011 Rating: 3.75/5

401) Crawlspace (1986) Dir: David Schmoeller Date Released: May 21, 1986 Date Seen: October 2, 2011 Rating: 3.75/5

405) Dead Alive (1992) Dir: Peter Jackson Date Released: February 12, 1993 Date Seen: October 4, 2011 Rating: 3.5/5

409) A Lizard in a Woman's Skin (1971) Dir: Lucio Fulci Date Released: March 20, 1973 Date Seen: October 7, 2011 Rating: 3.25/5

410) Dracula 2000 (2000) Dir: Patrick Lussier Date Released: December 22, 2000 Date Seen: October 8, 2011 Rating: 2.75/5

411) Messiah of Evil (1973) Dir: Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz Date Released: XX 1973 Date Seen: October 9, 2011 Rating: 3.75/5

412) Kill Baby, Kill (1966) Dir: Mario Bava Date Released: October 8, 1968 Date Seen: October 9, 2011 Rating: 4/5

Fantastic Fest 2011: Part Deux

393) Revenge: A Love Story (2010) Dir: Ching-Po Wong Not Yet Released Date Seen: September 30, 2011 Rating: 3.75/5

394) Blind (2011) Dir: Sang-hoon Ahn Not Yet Released Date Seen: September 30, 2011 Rating: 3.5/5

395) The Squad (2011) Dir: Jaime Osorio Marquez Not Yet Released Date Seen: October 1, 2011 Rating: 2.75/5

396) Two Eyes Staring (2011) Dir: Elbert Van Strien Not Yet Released Date Seen: October 1, 2011 Rating: 3.25/5

397) Aardvark (2010) Dir: Kitao Sakurai Not Yet Released Date Seen: October 1, 2011 Rating: 3/5

398) Retreat (2011) Dir: Carl Tibbetts Date Released: October 21, 2011 Date Seen: October 1, 2011 Rating: 2.25/5

399) A Lonely Place to Die (2011) Dir: Julian Gilbey Date Released: November 11, 2011 Date Seen: October 1, 2011 Rating: 2.75/5

So I watched a bunch of screeners for this second of two dispatches written from New York but about Austin's own Fantastic Fest. Mosey on over to Press Play for more.

392) Sleeping Sickness (2011)

391) Sleeping Sickness (2011) Dir: Ulrich Kohler Not Yet Released Date Seen: September 30, 2011 Rating: 3.5/5

I rather liked the "Col. Kurtz has overstayed his welcome in Africa, even after he's become an institution and a force of good unto himself" aspect to this story. But only when it's literally imagined. When Kohler gets into abstractions and tries to create metaphors, he really starts to look like an amateur that happens to have latched onto a galvanic and compelling story. The hippo stuff, the hunt in the woods, the driving sequences which seem loaded with meaning (specifically, how passable the road the characters are driving on and what they see is dependent on where they are in their personal journeys): these are weak. But the characters are rich and compelling enough and their world is, too. Which I guess is why I don't like the film when it strives for greater meaning. Feet on the ground, good. Head in the clouds, nope.

391) Dogfight (1991)

391) Dogfight (1991) Dir: Nancy Savoca Date Released: October 4, 1991 Date Seen: September 29, 2011 Rating: 4/5

I find this comedic romance to be very charming, mostly because it's determined to not totally conform to generic expectations. The set-up is pretty formulaic: guys compete over who can present the ugliest "dog." Then the story's narrative starts to meander and the film becomes more about what happens once the stupid courtship game the two characters have started to play stops working for each other. They try to talk over dinner, which is her idea of taking control of the evening and countering his previously established chauvinistic rules, choice of seedy milieu, etc. So their imperfect but nevertheless magical night is an experiential dialectic in that sense and one that dabbles with audience's expectations. It's also frustrating because, while I think the ending tugged on my heart strings well enough, the end returns us back to formulaic status quo. Their tryst inevitably has to end as the march of time and history in this case is undeniable. Still, I liked its gentle sense of confusion, its graceful, subtle reversals and its confounding light touch.

390) Unfaithfully Yours (1948)

390) Unfaithfully Yours (1948) Dir: Preston Sturges Date Released: December 10, 1948 Date Seen: September 29, 2011 Rating: 4.25/5

I'm mostly awed by how side-splittingly mean this film is. It's also technically accomplished in ways that I think are invigoratingly eccentric. Like, the motif of invading Rex Harrison's mind via tracking shots that go past his eyeball and straight to his id. Or that elaborate phonograph gag that requires the audience to see a pattern and recognize its total reversal. I wasn't just in stitches when I saw this latter bit, I was laughing so hard I was actually doubled-over crying. I was doubled-over coughing and crying and laughing. And then I composed myself and unpaused the film. Only to rewatch it. How did Sturges do it? Or maybe just: how did he get away with it?! Incredible.