In a Year of 13 Moons (8.5/10)

Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1978.
The story follows the last days of Elvira, an overly emotional alcoholic, who regrets leaving his family and having a sex change in Casablanca. Fassbinder made the film shortly after his significant other committed suicide on his birthday. The project was his way of coping with the tragedy. Given the personal and social context, the overall mood of the film is very dark. The social context refers to the general confusion and shame that existed in German society after 1945. However a few lighthearted scenes, help to create a sense of balance in the film, e.g. near the end there is a perfectly choreographed dance sequence.

One of the most beautiful and unforgettable scenes in the film is when Elvira walks through the killing floor of the slaughterhouse telling her life story and reciting lines from Goethe’s play Torquato Tasso. It is easy to feel remorseful for Elvira who has deeply suffered throughout her entire life. Fassbinder uses Elvira to illustrate the inherent pain of existence, and to demonstrate that the most important thing in life is to endure the suffering, simply because that is what humans do.

A Zed and Two Noughts (7.7/10)

Peter Greenaway, 1985.
A large white swan causes a car crash near a London Zoo leaving two women dead and forcing one lady to have her leg amputated. After the accident the husbands of the deceased, who happen to be twin brothers, develop an intense fascination with the decomposition of living organisms. They spend their days making time-lapsed films of rotting animal corpses which carefully show each stage of natural decay.

It is interesting that David Lynch and Peter Greenaway both initially started out as painters and gradually evolved into making films. Lynches first film was an attempt to create a ‘moving painting’. It is evident that Greenaway composes each scene in the same manner as he would approach a blank canvas. The most noticeable and intriguing aspect of his composition, is the way he manipulates proportion and balance within the frame to create a unique spatial relationship.

The cover shows a still photo from the movie where the two brothers are pretending to be conjoined twins watching a dead zebra decompose on an outdoor screen. The red construction line is the vertical axis at the mid point of the frame showing the screen perfectly centered, yet the central axis of the brothers position is shifted slightly to the left. This theme of slightly distorting the overall balance of the scene is not only evident throughout the film but is present in Greenaway’s other films noticeably; The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (7.0/10).

Jan van Eych, Arnolfini Portrait, 1434.

Greenaway’s aesthetic is heavily influenced by the paintings of the Dutch Renaissance. Van Eych’s painting is probably the best known work from this period and is an obvious starting point in trying to understand Greenaway’s composition. The painting has a clear vertical axis shown as the red construction line at the mid point of the frame; however the husband and wife are not in perfect equilibrium. The circular mirror which is the focal point of the painting, and the chandelier are centered directly on the axis but the joined hands are slightly off. I am not sure why Van Eych did this when he could have easily centered the hands on the vertical axis by slightly outstretching the wife’s arm. This minor asymmetry gives the painting a pleasant sense of ‘lopsidedness’.

Gerrit Van Honthorst, Margareta Maria de Roodere and her Parents, 1652.

Gerrit Van Honthorst, The Match Maker, 1625.

Gerrit Van Honthorst, Musical Group on a Balcony, 1622.

Gerard Van Honthorst, another Dutch Renaissance Painter also illustrates this irregular equilibrium with his three paintings; Margareta Maria de Roodere and her Parents, the Match Maker, and Musical Group on a Balcony. In all three paintings the red construction line is the Y-axis, centered at the mid point of the canvas, and the yellow line is the actual line of symmetry in the painting. In each case the paintings actual line of symmetry is shifted slightly to the right away from the frames midpoint axis. This skewed sense of symmetry could be a reaction against the strict humanist rules of Italian renaissance art and architecture, which were strictly based on the proportions of the perfectly symmetrical human body. One explanation is that the distortion of spatial balance is an attempt for Dutch Artists to separate themselves stylistically from their Italian counter parts.

The obsession with symmetry is personified in the character of Alba Bewich, the lone survivor of the accident. The plot would have worked just as well if she simply broke her leg, or badly sprained her ankle. The reason Greenaway specifically made her lose a leg, because it made her asymmetrical. At the end of the film she has her other leg amputated in a drastic attempt to restore symmetry or in her words, “because it looked so sad all alone”.

Ivans Childhood (7.6/10)

Andrei Tarkovsky, 1962

Ivan a pugnacious 12 year old orphan, is stubbornly determined to avenge the murder of his parents. He volunteers as a reconnaissance scout with the Soviet army during the Second World War. The film chronicles his adventures behind enemy lines and his tumultuous relationship with the Soviet Generals, who act as his adopted guardians. What I admired most about this film and about Tarkovsky’s films in general, is their strong connection to nature. He is able to capture the true essence and beauty of nature better then any director I know of. Tarkovsky treats each component of the natural environment as an individual character. The trees in the forest or the swampy landscapes are equally important as the actors. This biocentric philosophy gives his films a unique spiritual quality. In addition by using long takes he transcribes the passage of time in real-time making the film seem more ‘realistic’, and provides the perception of ‘presence’. Tarkovsky referred to this type of film making as ‘sculpting in Time’, which he further develops in subsequent works. Although Tarkovsky was disappointed by the finished product, the film proved to be a huge inspiration to both Bergman and Kieslowski. In my opinion Tarkovsky’s best work is without a doubt Stalker (8.6/10***SUPER), which interestingly is the film he himself is most proud of.

Kenneth Anger Vol. 1 Trailer

The trailer for a collection of Anger films, which includes scenes from Inauguration of the Pleasure Dome.

Inauguration of Pleasure Dome (6.5/10)

Kenneth Anger, 1954.
This is probably Kenneth Angers most famous short film. I rented it because I was somewhat scared and intrigued by Anger, hearing that he was a major figure in the Hollywood occult scene during the Sixties. I thought that the movie was poor, it was like watching a messed up elementary school play, complete with home made costumes, and shitty cardboard sets. The story was based on ‘Kubla Khan’ by Samuel Taylor Coleridge combined with occult mythology. Although I did not fully understand the film, it was definitely very interesting, and provoked me to rent a collection of Angers Short Films. Anger is definitely very talented, many of his shorts are very well done, and extremely creative. It was also cool to hear that he was friends with Fellini and an inspiration to Martin Scorsese.

Kinski - Jesus

Klaus Kinski is an amazing actor.

Fitzcarraldo (7.7/10)

Werner Herzog, 1982.

In my opinion this is Werner Herzog’s best film. Fitzcarraldo is about an eccentric, ego driven, European entrepreneur who is consumed with building a grand baroque opera house in the middle of the Amazon Jungle. The film chronicles his journey up the Amazon River looking for an ideal place to start building his opera house. The off camera drama between Klaus Kinski and Werner Herzog give the movie another interesting dimension. It is rumored that at one point in the film, Herzog was directing Kinski at gun point, threatening to kill him if he did not finish the scene. This story is a classic, and although Herzog denies threatening to kill him, he does admit to pointing a loaded rifle at Kinski. For more information about the drama between Herzog and Kinski see My Best Fiend (6.9/10). I was so impressed with Kinski’s performances in Fitzcarraldo and Aguirre: Wrath of God (7.5/10) that I decided to see his self proclaimed masterpiece Paganini (5.0/10). Initially Herzog was supposed to direct Paganini, but he said that it was too crazy and could not be done. So Kinski went ahead writing and directing the film him self. Paganini is about a troubled perverted classical violinist, loosely based on Kinski’s own life. The finished product is a film that is absolutely crazy, somewhat disgusting, and very poor overall.

Killer of Sheep Trailer

Please see below for description and rating.

Killer of Sheep (8.1/10)

Charles Burnett, 1977.
Killer of Sheep was Burnett’s graduate thesis at UCLA, about an economically impoverished family living in the Watts district of Los Angeles during the seventies. The Father spends his days working long hours at some sort of meat packing/slaughter house, and his free time hanging out with a bunch of petty criminals. The wife stays at home grooming herself, as the youngest daughter lounges around the house, and the son and his crew throw rocks at each other on the streets. The film sheds light on the problems of class struggle and poverty in America. At the same time, it illustrates the timeless lesson that money and mindless consumption do not equal happiness. The simple virtues of hard work and family are what is most important in life, not ones annual salary. Killer of Sheep is an incredibly beautiful film that is as important to American Culture as any Kerouac book or Pollock painting. It is also interesting to note that Burnet made the film for less then ten thousand dollars, proving once more that you do not need a lot of money to make a remarkable film.

Inland Empire (7.9/10)

David Lynch, 2006.

In my opinion Inland Empire is easily the best film of 2006. While I enjoyed the aesthetics of Mulholland Drive (7.2/10), and Lost Highway (7.0/10), I found that Lynch’s non linear structure made them difficult and somewhat frustrating to watch. With Inland Empire Lynch continues his signature style, but this time he makes it work really well. The same week that I watched Inland Empire, I listened to Lynch’s book (which he narrated himself), ‘Catching the Big Fish’. In the book Lynch talks about meditation, consciousness, creativity, film, and art. He explains that when he was casting for Blue Velvet (8.3/10***SUPER), Dennis Hopper immediately came to mind to play the role of Frank. Lynch’s Producer and Casting Director informed him that Dennis Hopper was really messed up on drugs, was unstable, and would ruin the film. Later on David received a phone call from Dennis proclaiming, “listen David, I need to play Frank, because I am Frank”. I thought that this was amazing.

Holy Mountain (7.0/10)

Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1973.
This film is the pinnacle of cinematic madness. I greatly admire Jodorowsky’s films and have seen Holy Mountain and El Topo (7.4/10) at least half a dozen times. While El Topo was a Gurdijeff, Sufi, Zen, Christ, inspired spaghetti western that worked really well. Holy Mountain was a jumbled mess of ‘cool’ images. It would not be surprising if Jardorowsky simply made the weirdest most excessive film ever, merely because he could. After the underground success of El Topo; John Lenon, Yoko Ono, and Allen Klein (the manager of the Beatles), helped finance Holy Mountain essentially giving Jardorowsky a blank check. While the film is intense and very interesting to watch, it is way too over the top. The plot slowly fades out as the movie progresses, instead of gradually building to a climax. In fact the first time I watched Holy Mountain, I thought that Jardorowsky ended the film simply because he ran out of money.

lunacy trailer

Please see below for rating and description.

Lunacy (7.6/10)

Jan Svankmajer, 2005.

In my opinion Jan Svankmajer is one of the most creative people alive today. Lunacy is about the reincarnation of the Marquis de Sade in an insane asylum, and the perverted madness that ensues. I am not sure why Svankmajer chose to make a film like this, or what its significance given the current situation of world affairs. It is highly doubtful that Svankmajer would make a film portraying such a revolting subject matter such as sadism, purely for aesthetics. Throughout the film there are several interesting and enjoyable stop motion segments, where Jan uses pieces of raw meat as characters. Although I enjoyed Lunacy, my favorite Svankmajer film is still without a doubt, Conspirators of Pleasure (8.4/10***SUPER).

Taste of Cherry (7.5/10)

Abbas Kiarostami, 1997.
This film is proof that you do not need a lot of money to make an amazing film, and should be an inspiration to independent film makers around the world. The film is about a middle aged man driving around Tehran looking for someone to help him commit suicide. In reality he is looking for a reason to continue living. While the above synopsis sounds depressing the film is actually very interesting and insightful. Abbas Kiarostami is extremely talented and the film has a unique rustic homemade quality. The beauty of the film and his films in general, is their simplicity. He uses uncomplicated characters facing typical problems that everyone can relate to. For example, Ten (7.1/10) illustrates gender inequality shown through the eyes of a female taxi driver in Tehran. In Close-Up (6.8/10) class struggle is demonstrated through an unemployed man pretending to be a famous Iranian film director.

I Stand Alone (7.6/10)

Gaspar Noe, 1998.
This film is intense!! Gaspar Noe takes you on an unforgettable journey in to the mind of sadistic unemployed butcher. Throughout the film there is a constant stream of internal dialogue, by which Gaspar allows the viewer to hear what the Butcher is thinking. His conscious thoughts are filled with hate, anger, and violence. Only at the end of the film when he finds happiness with his estranged daughter, does the internal dialogue stop. I am not sure if he is referring to the dangers of thinking too much or to the trouble with moral relativism, either way I thought that this was very well done. While I am really glad I saw I Stand Alone, I would never watch it again.

Citizen Kane (7.9/10)

Orson Welles, 1941.

Citizen Kane commonly regarded as the best film ever made. I disagree, although it is definitely a very good movie that is well worth watching. Maybe it is the best American film ever made? The story is about the life of fictional media magnate Charles Foster Kane played by Orson Welles, told in a series of flashbacks after his death. The character was inspired by the original media tycoon William Randolph Hearst, and is one of the main inspirations for Mr. Burns’s character in the Simpsons. Orson Welles does an excellent job playing Kane, whose life sheds light on the emptiness of materialism and the ego.

La Dolce Vita (8.2/10)

Federico Fellini, 1960.
This is Fellini’s most popular masterpiece and is the quintessential ‘classy’ Italian film. Taking place in Rome, it is about a journalist who infiltrates the decadent social life of rich celebrities and quickly discovers the moral emptiness of hedonism. The first time I watched La Dolce Vita I could not get over the fact that the entire film was ‘perfect’. Every single shot, character, actor, dialogue, set, is absolutely perfect. It is difficult to explain in words, but if you watch the film you will immediately understand. I heard a rumor that after the success of La Dolce Vita, Fellini’s subsequent films were given a virtually unlimited production budget. I cannot say enough good things about Fellini, in my opinion he is to film what Picasso is to painting.

Mouchette (7.6/10)

Robert Bresson, 1967

Mouchette is a poor, angry, and shit disturbing prepubescent. Her story is one of hardship, having to take care of her dying mother and baby brother, while enduring an abusive alcoholic father. What I really liked about the film is the duality that Bresson creates in Mouchette. On one hand she evokes sympathy from the viewer because of her situation, at the same time her unpleasant and vengeful personality makes her easy to dislike. This contradiction creates a very interesting character. Bresson’s films have a very unique quality about them. While they seem to be very simple, almost to the point of being boring, they work perfectly as a whole. I found the same thing with Au Hasard Balthazar (7.2/10), Pickpocket (7.5), and Diary of a Country Priest (7.3).