The Dead Zone

I don't have a whole lot to say about this one. While engaging in a B-movie, 80s horror kind of way, it was far from being a masterpiece. Mainly, it was one small step towards my goal of becoming a Cronenberg completist; Someday soon, I will have seen every single one of this films. This one is more widely available than some others, and it stars a younger Christopher Walken. No Cronenberg movie is ever bad, as long as it bears his combination of subtle and totally un-subtle trademarks. The Dead Zone is plagued by issues shared by many adaptations, in that it seems like the screenwriters couldn't stop themselves from stuffing too much narrative into a feature-length time frame, leaving things kind of under developed.

Do you tumbl(e) too?

If you actually happen to enjoy reading this blog, you could take a look at my Tumblr. Though it bears a similar title, it actually is not associated with this blog at all, except that I am responsible for both of them.

If nothing else, it is evidence that I am active in between my posts here.

On a completely different note, I am so intrigued by this:

Zhang Yimou's remake of the Coen Brothers' Blood Simple. As opposed to the American remake of Let the Right One in (which just seems completely, completely unnecessary to me), this looks absolutely inspired.

Trouble Every Day

I meant this film to be my introduction to Claire Denis, but what engaged me most when watching it was the cinematography, which can be credited to none other than Agnes Varda. Regardless of which of the two women dominates the aesthetics, this film represents a powerhouse collaboration of estrogen, resulting in something less than typically "feminine." At least, it doesn't deal with anything remotely fluffy. Aside from the interest in gore, it's not surprising that this film is the result of a female filmmaking team, because of its investigation into the dynamics of relationships. Buried deeply, there is even a subtext of eco-feminism. This is a thought-piece masquerading as a horror film.

the smell of human flesh in the morning

I found an amazing piece on zombie movies, which relates Hobbes's political philosophy to the evolution of the zombie movie. I don't mean to imply that I'm at all familiar with Hobbes, because I'm not. But I am familiar with zombies, as most of us are. As you've probably noticed, zombie movies are enjoying a resurgence in popularity, after about a decade or so of relative dormancy.

This article is worth the time it takes to get through:

The Running of the Dead by Christian Thorne.

Best of all, Thorne reiterates what I love about the horror genre. Besides satisfying the bloodiest urges of scopophilia, horror (science fiction, too) is probably the closest filmic reflection of societal preoccupations and fears. That, and I sometimes enjoy limpid, unequivocal metaphor; don't you?

Being John Malkovich

I am fascinated by puppetry, which is one thing that attracts me to this movie, despite its flaws, despite its sometimes being just too much. However, it is as engrossing as it is bizarre. I doubt that many people have actually experienced the art of puppetry the way it is portrayed in Being John Malkovich. It can be very unsettling to watch something lifeless become animated in the hands of a puppeteer. It can also be the most natural thing in the world, like in the musical Avenue Q, an ingenious Sesame Street parody. The puppeteer seems to disappear entirely, but they are an inseparable piece of the experience; you somehow read their emotions and transcribe them onto the inanimate object they are maneuvering. A few years ago, I saw a puppetry performance outside the Pompidou in Paris (try saying that five times, fast). I can still remember that thing's eyes, and how woeful it seemed, wandering around in its artificial circle, voiceless. Most of all, I remember that it really seemed to be alive. This was just a street performance, but I can recall it much more vividly than anything I saw once I actually entered the museum. To return to the point, puppeteering is an excellent metaphor for all of the themes in Malkovich, and it acts partially as a metaphor for film making--the director pulling the strings, manipulating the unknowing characters around a set. In this film, when wooden puppets are shown, it is editing, and the raw power of film making that breathe life into the puppets, as with the opening scene depicted above.

Early birthday

Hey suckers, I'm going to see the Cremaster Cycle at the Music Box Theatre. I'm as excited as anyone could be about having their brain melted away. Stay tuned.