A peek into Deranged Minds : Longlegs

The Serial Killer genre has been played out over the decades and yet there is still an audience for it. For someone like me, who wants a peek into dark minds and how they operate, such films provide a myriad kaleidoscope of reasons behind brutality. Not just films, but now true crime documentaries also unmask these men and women and try to create a narrative that can eventually close a door behind us. 

To me Serial Killer films start with something like Silence of the Lambs and also pivot to Poirot-Marple-Agatha Christie Universe. Although I will admit that Slasher films and Serial Killer films only differ in terms of brutality and reason; nonetheless both are enjoyable (to me). The fear of the chase is stark and brutal in Slasher films but in Serial Killer films it is a psychological tease.

Longlegs, falls more in line with a serial killer film trope, and it also has some strokes of supernatural and horror. Set in the 90s and against the snowy and desolate American landscape, which is interrupted by the ruthless murders that appear more like a cult. The half psychic or highly intuitive Agent Harker is emotionless but alert and we follow her while she chases the  ghostly and ghastly Nicholas Cage who makes a brief appearance; But definitely worth it. 
I would say it is worth a watch but the slow speed might not appeal to all. Oh and Of course the killings are also there. 

A Down Under Horror - Monolith

Australian Cinema is quite undervalued. In present times of English-speaking film world, Hollywood rules the roost with some smatterings of European cinema; Australian cinema remains less appreciated than it deserves. 

Not just films but TV shows are a league apart. Some must-watch shows like Rake, Fisk, Colin from Accounts, are popular but do not make it to everyone's to-do list.
I must also give a special mention to Deadloch, which is so underrated in popular culture despite being a diamond find. It is mystery and dark comedy wrapped in the format of a dreary European mystery thriller set in a small town fighting a large Corp. Definitely a laugh riot. 

Coming back to films, I was delighted to find Monolith online. I am constantly looking for something akin to mindfuck or something that grips you till the end. An investigator/podcaster comes receives an anonymous email about a Black Brick and follows the trail which leads her to some uncomfortable revelations and truths.  While researching the story she finds herself falling into a singular vortex of self-analysis and fear of turning into the story herself.

There is only one actor in whole film and she carries the film brilliantly. The format and structure of the film - a single person forced to stay alone and only interaction is through audio. Battling claustrophobia and horror and psychological onslaught while trying to salvage your identity and reputation, one begs to question if all this is real.
The film also poses some philosophical questions of trauma, guilt and redemption. 

This is a must-watch for all horror, psychological thriller fans. You might be able to guess a few things but not all.. 

Freeloaders and Bloodsuckers

 

 

Usually I avoid viewing any Oscar International film winner/nominees just out of the sheer annoyance that all winners are usually representing movies that are representations of stereotypical innateness of the country or exaggerating human emotions.
It also makes me realise the apathy I feel to some human emotions if they are portrayed as melodramatic. Maybe it is because we now have shorter attention spans or maybe our head has been corroded due to the continuous barrage of useless information we receive.

In any case, I am glad I saw Parasite. I had some idea of the plot but no idea about how it would be handled. I went in expecting to see destitution and poverty and class divide. And I saw it but not how I was expecting.

My thoughts: 

-The social commentary blended within the story, has been so starkly represented and yet I felt I was so engrossed in the film that I forgot to view it. 

-I am glad my fears were proven wrong. The movie did not have a dull moment. It went fast and obviously packed a punch.

-The movie could be set in any country or any city, especially in Asia and would be appropriate. Capitalism and class divide are uniform wherever one goes. 

- Usually Korean dramas are full of fake opulence and superficial luxury; usually in the chaebol dramas of rich boy/poor girl. But it is refreshing to see that there is a realization of it being just fiction. The class divide is so bleak and serious, and superbly highlighted after every few minutes (by the fragrance/smell storyline). It is something that is intangible and yet it sparks the final actions of Mr Kim.

-While the Kim family is indulging in the rich lifestyle, I was so anxious that they will be facing their doom. And was I wrong?

-There have been many movies that have been released this decade regarding Phrogging. It is so scary and would be so traumatic. 

- The Japanese show Parasite (Kiseichuu) is about an alien entering a boy and who then becomes the vessel who is half-human and half-parasite. Worth a watch if you prefer some darkness in life.     

Through her eyes

What Maisie knew tackles divorce and separation through the eyes of a young girl who is caught between her parent's feud and distance. The film follows her and what she sees and it is her perspective and vision that the audience is shown. Maisie’s life with her paranoid mother and withdrawn father might play out like “a Jacobean tragedy”, but the film does not focus solely on that.

Although the subject of divorce and what it does to the child isn’t something new, the film keeps the girl at the centre and also does not use her vantage point to build stories about the parents and the separation. We do see the shuffling between parents and their new spouses, picking up the pieces and adjusting to life again. We also see that the interests of the child, who is being vied at the time of the divorce proceedings, seem to take a backseat to personal demands and and petty ego.

Although in transferring from parent to parent, the child becomes a casualty of misunderstanding and never-ending feuds, sometimes Maisie’s innocence and brightness seem to make the mishap around her seem less damaged. There is a sense of flow in Maisie’s life as she travels from one guardian to another and even though she might seem suddenly lonely, she immediately pops back to being a happy kid when she is shown love, affection and attention. The movie is precariously balanced on Maisie, who as a child is undergoing sudden and disturbing change in her life. The film and her life may collapse at any moment but somehow, through her vitality and through the kindness of strangers, she manages to stay afloat. 

Throne of Blood

I finally picked up Kurosawa’s Throne of Blood, which had been lying with me for a few years. Kurosawa’s films are a treat to watch and ofcourse, Rashomon is a must for film/literature lovers.

Based on Macbeth, the film follows the Samurai commander Washizu (played by the very charming and able Toshiro Mifune) who hears a prophecy by a forest spirit declaring him first, the master of the North castle and next, as the Lord of the Spider Web Castle. As the first prediction comes true, Washizu, pushed by his ambitious wife Asaji, kills the current lord and takes over his position.

However, the forest spirit also foretold that another commander’s son would become the Lord after Washizu, who then spirals into an endless and a frantic struggle to maintain his power.

The movie, like the play it is based on, deals with the question of predestination and free will. Predestination becomes the cover for actions that are fuelled by ambition and ruthlessness (classic Shakespeare!).

The film is beautifully-shot and has few dialogues. There is vast emptiness and ominous sounds, which just seem to highlight the troubled minds of the protagonist. Lady Asaji portrays her madness and villainy with ease and brilliance. Washizu, led by his wife’s direction, commits what he thinks is his destiny. (But we know better)

Themes of prophecy/predestination and free will are a source of delight and/or discussion, at least for me. Another recent reference that comes to mind is of course Harry Potter. I would love to watch more movies dealing with this theme. Any ideas?

p.s. Lord Krishna is another one!

A week’s worth of films

Here are some of the films I have this new year. Nothing recent and nothing spectacular or off the charts. Some just sounded interesting and some were critically-acclaimed.

1. Dressed to Kill
Last year I finally saw Scarface. I thought another Brian De Palma film wouldn’t hurt, especially one whose synopsis from IMDB read :A mysterious, tall, blonde woman, wearing sunglasses murders one of a psychiatrist's patients, and now she's after the prostitute who witnessed it. 

2. Leon the Professional
This movie is always floating in IMDB lists; so finally picked it up. While watching it, I loved the music, especially juxtaposing it with the continuous massacre in the film.

3. Paths of Glory
I am making an effort to watch war films. I haven’t counted but this might be my third war/anti-war film.
Paths of Glory is an anti-war parable, mostly about how war is not about the macro-picture but just about individual ambitions trumping over the lives of feeble soldiers. I was appalled and shocked at the right moments and Kirk Douglas was a revelation! Also Stanley Kubrick as the director ain’t bad either! 

4. The Social Network
I avoided this film on purpose. It’s difficult to see this film as an objective viewer. I’ll post a very apt blog entry by Filmdr who says that after watching this film ‘two ironies emerge’:
a) A shy, anti-social young man electronically seduces the world by appealing to everyone's social instincts.
b) Goaded on by sexual rejection and class resentment, Zuckerberg invents the ultimate club that establishes its own kind of exclusivity by allowing only members with the Harvard.edu address, but then he gradually lets everyone join. Like a bunch of lemmings, we do.

5. The Bad Seed
What makes a child go bad? Is it nurture or nature? I think the film tried to answer the question by introducing us to a child who acts perfect but is a basket of killings waiting to unravel. The film is a precursor to Children of the Corn, The Omen’s Damien but at a small, household level.

6. The Hurt Locker
In my attempts to watch War films, I came across this Oscar winner. I liked the film; the tension is palpable and loved the first words of the film:  The rush of battle is a potent and often lethal addiction, for war is a drug. There is no rush and there is no fast—paced action. Just the strain of getting out of anywhere alive. The film flowed like a poem, and ended where it began.


7. Winter’s Bone
I had heard a lot about the film but no names had popped up. The film’s story is nothing great, a girl who is hunting for her father; but the cinematography with the bleak and desolate land and a futile search kept me hooked. A thriller story set in the neo-noir country, the film creeps up on you. Just goes to show you that a good film can be made with less resources.

Why Star Wars?

I am extremely late to this but I just finished watching Star Wars: A New Hope. The movie only seemed important to me in terms of the popular culture references it generates and if one is unaware of the film and its expanded circles, one would not be part of this inclusiveness.

The film itself is decent. I appreciate the wide scope, the grandeur and the epic narrative. Some effects seem ahead of their time and many just remind me of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy or Doctor Who. But some things are extremely mind-boggling.

- Why is Princess Leia so irritating? She’s loud and demanding. And the hairstyle – my god!

- Because I am so late to hear ‘May the force be with you’ in its actual context, I was immediately reminded of the Indian Superman ‘Shaktimaan’, where the villain and his party often end their conversations with andhera kayam rahe (May there be darkness). And of course, there’s always Superman.

- The light sabers are actually a cool concept, expect for the noise they generate. They’re too noisy if one is planning a homely homicide.

- Is someone inside the suits or are they just bots?

- I don’t think it says much for the film if I like C-3P0 or R2-D2 more than the humans, does it? Those guys didn’t even care that R2-D2 was injured! Jerks!

Pirates of Caribbean: On stranger tides

Via

Johnny Depp always looks good and nails it as Captain Jack Sparrow.
ps – This series always reminds me of One Piece. Luffy is as eccentric as Sparrow. 

Pirate, Barber, Factory owner, Tourist

Sue me, I’m superficial!

Go to via for a visual timeline.

Links barrage

Listening to: Zombie-Cranberries/Strange Fruit-Billie Holliday/Georgia-Ray Charles/

After a long time

- Beginning with self pleasure and masturbation, I have accounts on MAL and icheckmovies. Still have a long way to go in both – although re-watching Se7en on an off day does nothing to increase the list.

- For all your One Piece needs, this is probably the best place to go.

- I often go trailer watching because I skip the new movies. Some trailers look saucy (like Scream 4) and some look immensely thrilling (like All good things). And then there are some, like Biutiful, which are stories in themselves.

- I’m not sure if it’s a good thing but the Indian section of Wiki’s list of greatest films has Sholay (1975) as the last entry. There’s also some obvious choices like Satyajit Ray films (not in my top shelf), Gandhi (a bit of over-reaching there) and Junoon (which I have never cared for). I know that most films made in India are sort of, often marketing shenanigans and mostly crap wrapped up in decoration. But I would have put something like Pushpak in that list. (and a secret favourite called Teesri Manzil).

- Thought of the day:
When your hands reek tobacco,
and your mouth smells like sushi,
there’s a night you can always remember.

Countless sighs - a recap of last few months

The torrents are doing their job and so is radio.
Friends are trying hard but this indecision isn’t going away.
Have caught up on films though.
Checking movies has spurred me on more than anything. Noir is exhilarating and Billy Wilder, wonderful.
I’ll be glad when I overcome this pensive mood of mine.
Have probably written more in the last few days than the last year.
There’s something rotten in my state. Going bipolar, perhaps?
Was this even a post?
PS
In the last icons post, forgot to put the Magnificent Ambersons. Damn!

Icons

For some of the films I saw recently.

 

 

Thoughts on the Oscars

As I couldn’t do a tweet session like the Emmys, these are just some thoughts on the 82nd Oscars – the presentations, the winners and the performances.

TOPS

- The opening number by Neil Patrick Harris – was AWESOME.. like said by Barney!

- The hosts, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin, were great, except in the opening. (see below) Especially loved their adaptation of Paranormal activity.

- The amazing interpretative dance routine for the nominations of the background music were superlative – it made me want to watch movies I hadn’t planned to.

- The horror montage spanning ages, years, colours and fears.

- Really dug the Hurt Locker wins.

- Also liked the way the nominations of the best actor were declared  - with other actor sharing some anecdotes, etc. although everyone used the same phrases such as ‘generosity of spirit’, ‘kindness’, etc a lot.

REJECTS

- The first ten minutes that followed the NPH performance. It was Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin picking on each and every one in the audience. Kinda tanked and Kinda long.

- Have the actors gone dyslexic or was the tele-prompter on the blinker? There were so many near-miss goof-ups I thought it was amateur hour.

- Even though Monique won (which was cool) her speech seemed so rehearsed and shallow...

- Was stunned by the lack of Non-American stuff (usual and expected, though)

BTW: Star Movies went berserk when the best director was announced. Will catch that at night.

 

 

Just like that

Long time, no see Post.

1. I am on Twitter HERE.
Just a messenger.
Avoid personal reporting.

2.This is a good link for Encarta quizzes. Got a mixed variety. Pretty interesting stuff.
HERE

3. Check out this site for film posters. The Big Heat poster looks vapour-y.

4. Had a reunion with a friend who returned from the Naxal under-land, changed as a
coffee-monger, but unchanged in many ways.

5. Trying to find The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. It's a Scholastic publication, unavailable in India. Got interested because of the brilliant art work from Jason Chan HERE.

6. Watched Brick featuring Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Reminiscent of Sam Spade type/The Maltese Falcon but among the immoral, drug-abused present.
Features dialogue like:
"Maybe I'll just sit here and bleed at you."
"I've got knives in my eyes, I'm going home sick."
"Which wall's the door in?"

Personal update:
Life is drab.
Work is mercenary.

Random linkage, again

Here, I am back again....

1. THIS features my favourite animator Hayao Miyazaki! I haven't seen Ponyo, but I am dying to!

2. Will soon create a directory of film blogs. There are some interesting ones floating around and there is a big cult following among them as well. For starters, read THIS

3. Becoming very active on twitter, despite my caution.

More later
p.s. (to self) - Need to write more

Cause Random stuff is fun to write about

Random Happenstance:

1. Have been watching True Blood 2 and Entourage 6 among other things. Can I just get a Well done! for HBO. (And then I read that TB has the best ratings ever!)

2. This is Tarantino's list of favourite movies from here:

Battle Royale
Anything Else
Audition
The Blade
Boogie Nights
Dazed & Confused
Dogville
Fight Club
Friday
The Host
The Insider
Joint Security Area
Lost In Translation
The Matrix
Memories of Murder
Police Story 3
Shaun of the Dead
Speed
Team America
Unbreakable

This just reminds me that I got a long way to go..Been planning to watch Audition and Shaun of the dead. Will get on that soon.

3. Apparently, Wall Street 2 is coming soon with Shia LaBeouf as the young guy who falls for the Gordon Gekko charm...Don't know how that will pan out...I am especially afraid of sequels that come later like the disaster that is called Basic Instinct 2!

4. Life's a big mess!

TV Linkage

Browsing through the television (read as gossip, celebrity drivel), I cam upon few good articles..

1. EW has posted a link HERE supporting 1984 as the greatest year in movies. The author says that in the year movies like Footloose, Romancing the stone, Friday the 13th -Final Chapter, Star Trek -3, Gods must be crazy, Revenge of the nerds, Nightmare on the Elm street, Dune, Beverly Hills Cop, and many more were released.
The author was lashing out against those who believe that 1939 (which gave us Gone with the Wind, Wizard of Oz) is a year for the movies.
I guess it is a personal choice, but I can see that 1984 will get a popular vote.

2. Similarly, HERE is a list by TV squad of the greatest year for television debuts. The race is tough between 1994 (ER, Friends) and 2004 (Lost, Veronica Mars, Entourage, House).

3. The top TV shows at TV.com HERE shows True Blood with the highest popular rating. TB is followed closely by Entourage, another HBO creation. HBO is doing pretty well and winning acclaim all around.

4. MUST READ: Reviews of New York and Kambakkht Ishq, courtesy Variety.

5. Is it too late to start reading comic books?Any ideas?

Reviews and Linkage

First news...

1. A great list of sci-fi novels HERE. I have read just one of them and that too the ealiest one. Shelley's Frankenstein. It's not exactly sci-fi but more of Gothic and something else...But it includes a lot of cyberpunk and steampunk references, which I really wanna get into soon. There's a huge list on Wikipedia about the influences on the Matrix series, which is also an example of cyberpunk (hightech, low life)..The first step in that direction was watching a Miyazaki movie yesterday, which was extremely fulfilling. I think he's my favourite director. Period.

2. The Tintin movie will come out in 2011... Its like you wait for Potter movies till 2011 July, and then..this long wait...But hope its worth it.

3. Was treading around to find out which was the best anime EVER. Some sites say Neon Genesis Evangelion and some say Death Note... Its difficult to make this choice cause there are so many genres to mangas and anime. I have started watching Sailor Moon, but once you've watched "the way of the ninja" in Naruto or the madness in Paranoia agent, you cant help but dislike the slow pace of Sailor Moon and its reluctant protagonist.An interesting link I found in conjunction with this was HERE.

A man was arrested for his manga collection which contained some child pornography. The question remains whether you can say whether a manga/fictional character is underage or not?

Okay...So i watched a few pilots yesterday and here are some of my views of them.

1. TRUE BLOOD: Based on the famous Southern Vampire series written by Charlaine Harris, True Blood is about the coming-out of vampires. It is pacy, interesting and has oodles of gore and blood, which makes it an interesting watch. Anna Paquin who plays the lead is also an amazing actress and as usual, there is always one vampire who is a gentleman. (This reminds me that I hated Angel, but loved Spike..strange.)

2. THE MENTALIST: This one looks like a CSI/Numbers/x-forensic serials rip-off or spin off but I should probably give it more credit. The case is solved not by too much focus on the science but observation. However, this also leads to fast stereotypes and categories..which might create problems..But this is very similar to Miss Marple's theories of detection...that human nature is same everywhere..

3. MERLIN: In the name of whatever's sacred, this is a BBC hot chocolate. It's a series like no other. Even though the special effects are nothing to write hot about, the story line, characters and the enigma of the series is enchanting.. And Merlin and Arthur are Yumm..

Avatar-the movie

oH MY GOD...

New Avatar pics are out HERE

Dev Patel as Zuko doesnt look that good.... and Aang looks so serious .... How is Night going to pull it off?And do they plan to make all four movies or do they want to finish everything off in the first one..Impossible though..

another Linkage

Left Chennai and am back in Delhi...!Without wasting time...lots to say....
1. Delhi is AWESOME as usual
2. THIS is the new Ssherlock Holmes movie coming to town. I cannot imagine anyone else pulling Holmes except Jeremy Brett cause he was wonderful! Cant imagine Holmes punching people and jumping from his house into the Thames..!On a related note, goddesspharo has a picspam of the trailer HERE.
3. In the middle of watching Gossip Girl...Have finished 20 episodes of season 2 and dloading the rest...Although I do not want to..cause then all the silly-ness will be over and I will have to watch THE WIRE!
4. Similar with HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER...Have seen most of season 4 too...and am too excited now...Wanna watch the leap...I was rooting for Barney/Robin so much...... AWESOME...wowsugarpuss_ has an amazing pic spam of the b/r episode HERE

5. I am currently dloading Sailor Moon, Naruto Shippuden and will start will FullMetal Alchemist soon..Anime brain freeze!