Here we are kids, with the fifth and final post. 30 Criterion Collection films watched, over 4000 words written, and I'm shocked my girlfriend hasn't left me yet. Here are the previous four posts:
"Life is a messy weapon."
"I'll smash through this hell or there's no future for me."
"All these people's vitality irritates me."
"I want to extinguish every light in the world...or gouge out all of humanity's eyes."
Pitfall (1962): A couple of years back I took a class on film genres. The genre in particular for that semester was absurdist film. This movie made me feel like I was back in that class, wanting to bash my head into my desk. Not surprising, really, since this is from the same people who made Woman in the Dunes, which I watched in that class and, as mentioned before in my review of the Face of Another, I hated. I didn’t hate this one, but, I was just…confounded? You want to know what the hell is happening, who the man in the white suit is, why he killed that miner, what the point is of it all, and you get zero answers. It does exactly what these types of movies do, which is to make you ask a bunch of questions and not even attempt to answer any of them. Shit just happens, and you’ll never know why, that’s how it is. Depressing, yeah? And, weirdly enough, it makes me want to watch Woman in the Dunes again. Never thought that’d be possible.
F For Fake (1975): The whole time watching this, I was thinking of Banksy’s excellent Exit Through the Gift Shop. A documentary (but not really) where you just don’t know what’s the truth and what’s Orson Welles taking the piss. Rapidly edited, the movie is dizzying, with even Orson himself seemingly sped up and his words cut together breathlessly in some parts. It took a few minutes to adjust, like being thrown into the deep end, but after that keeping up was no problem. Like the title suggests, the movie is all about fakes, forgeries, hoaxes, with Howard Hughes and Picasso thrown in for good measure. Definitely a classic, and damn fun to boot. I may have enjoyed the 9-minute extended trailer even more. Also? I am sexually attracted to Orson's voice, damn.
Rashomon (1950): Another of Kurosawa’s classics, maybe one of my favorites next to Yojimbo. Kind of perfect to watch next to F For Fake, come to think of it, since the movie is all about lies and embellishments, man's nature to stretch the truth to make himself look better. I don’t know what to say about this one, it’s beautiful, the story is fantastic, it’s visually rich, and if you haven’t seen it yet you really need to remedy that soon. I hate myself for having not watched it sooner, it’s such a perfect movie.
The Naked Kiss (1964): Another one from Samuel Fuller, who brought us the ultra-pulpy Shock Corridor, which I didn't write TOO favorably about, but has grown on me over time. This movie is similarly done, with a great opening of our heroine, Kelly, beating the crap out of a dude with a shoe as jazz music plays. Kelly is a prostitute looking to reform. She moves to a small town, becomes a nurse at the local children’s hospital, and falls in love. Things aren’t all great though, as everywhere she looks Kelly finds corruption in this otherwise perfect little place. Very moralistic, and just as pulpy as Shock Corridor, they make a good double feature.
Diabolique (1955): So apparently the director of this movie, Henri-Georges Clouzot, spent much of his adult life in and out of sanitariums? Yikes. Filled with nice little twists, a lot of gut-wrenching tension, and a pretty ugly (for its time) murder, this is a nice, dirty little movie. Hitchcock's Psycho was heavily influenced by this one, and it's easy to see why.
House (1977): Better known by its Japanese title Hausu, I love this movie so damn much. A horror movie from a director of TV commercials, with a story filled with ideas that his 11-year-old daughter thought up, House is strange, delirious, and delightful. Pretty young girls named after their personalities (Gorgeous, Fantasy, Sweet, Mac, Melody, Prof, and my personal favorite, Kung-Fu) bouncing through the woods to an old mansion in soft light and warm colors with an all-too-cheerful theme, it feels less like a horror movie and more like, well, a bubblegum commercial for children. The special effects, editing, and camerawork are all dizzying, and even though you may think the movie is bonkers from the very beginning (it is), nothing will prepare you for the final act, when the titular house has eaten three of the girls and goes nuts in trying to devour the others. Reminds me of some of the zanier parts of Evil Dead 2, only taken so much damn further, making that movie look tame in comparison. It’s visually overwhelming, the audio is equally off the wall, and, well...just watch it. Words can’t do this movie justice.
Thus ends a wonderful journey into film snobbery, which didn't really turn me into a big snob like I imagined it would. Probably because I was more into the genre stuff like Genocide and turned off by stuff like L'Avventura. I still didn't manage to watch everything I'd intended to, but maybe I'll throw some money at Hulu somewhere down the line and cram in six more movies.
And hey, last week Criterion had a flash sale, where all their movies were half off? I snagged that When Horror Came to Shochiku set and Sisters, so now I can force those movies upon other people!