Straight to Hell (1987)

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Ross Birks

straight-to-hell

After Three Businessmen I decided to jump right into another Alex Cox movie and went for Straight to Hell. Now this thing is just pure entertainment. Mashing together a kaleidoscope of genres with a who’s who cast of celebrity faces (Joe Strummer, Jim Jarmusch, Courtney Love, Dennis Hopper, Grace Jones and Elvis Costello all make appearences) Cox’s gonzo sort-of Western makes every second of it’s 80 minute running time count.

You get the sense this film was made very quickly as it moves with a real spring in its step. There doesn’t seem to have been much room for second guessing as a lot of the ideas feel impulsive and born out of gut-instinct. This isn’t a bad thing, in fact it’s what makes Straight to Hell so nutty and fun to unravel. It’s difficult to guess where this movie is heading at any one time because it doesn’t play by the rules. The film happily cartwheels from contained episodic delights to more long-form plotting and it really works.

Upon it’s release the film probably baffled viewers as they no doubt tried to put it in a box and measure it up against more conventional fare. Bad idea. The best thing to do with Straight to Hell, perhaps more so than any other Alex Cox film I’ve seen so far, is just to give yourself over to it’s recklessness. It’s a wild ride and an addictive one that indulges in the most enjoyable elements of the most enjoyable genres. I can’t wait to revisit it over and over again.

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Medium Cool (1969)

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Ross Birks

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While my tastes are much more tuned to controlled style and deliberate directorial choices, I can certainly appreciate and gape in awe at documentary realism when it is applied to fiction with real verve. Haskell Wexler’s Medium Cool might be one of the most immediate films I’ve ever seen in this regard.

The film is constructed like a whirlwind, violently smashing together reality and creation to the point where you’re left wondering which is which. The camera bounces off of the walls and submerges itself into the heart of drama at all times. Sex, politics and the open veins of dark America are on full display before Wexler’s lens and the savage bite draws hot blood. Even though I wasn’t alive during the times of Medium Cool and know little about the troubles it tackles, they are captured within it like lightning in a bottle. It feels so authentic and of it’s time in a really magnificent way.

Robert Forster is one of my absolute favourite characters actors so to see him used like this – in a film mostly free of genre – was pretty thrilling. He is such a terrific actor and this film, released early on in his career, is a potent display of his talents. The character he plays here isn’t necessarily likable but his attitude and demeanor seems to be especially representative of many people’s opinions during this period.

I’m not sure I’ll return to Medium Cool over and over again but it is a film that leaves a bruise. I haven’t seen an American film from this period that is built and designed quite like it. It is a look at 60s America through a very complex eye and it’s no wonder the film continues to fascinate and engage audiences the older it gets.

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Three Businessmen (1998)

Posted on November 30, 2015 by Ross Birks

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I’ve been scratching into Alex Cox’s filmography over the past year or so and Three Businessmen is my latest stop. The thing I love about Cox is that his films are extremely strange and off-kilter and totally immersed in their own fascinations. Cox seems to have exiled himself from the mainstream in the late 80s in order to make very personal and idiosyncratic works without answering to anyone. The down-side of this is that these films don’t gain wide audiences and Cox has become a bit of an underground name.

Three Businessmen is every bit as interesting as Repo Man or Sid & Nancy – Cox’s A-side works, if you will – and succeeds in being a captivating watch for it’s all-too-brief 80 minute runtime. It’s a work of total absurdism and scurries along with breathless pace and endless, rambling dialogue heavy with philosophy. Even though we never leave their side and the film unfolds over a few hours, our main characters (two of the titular three businessmen) somehow manage to travel from Liverpool to the Orient and finally a desert wasteland. They never blink an eye and simply take it all in their stride which is, of course, the film’s great joke. It comes across like a great play yet never feels stagey due to the kaleidoscopic whizz of locations. You can tell it was made for practically no money and pure determination and imagination but this gives the film a real shaggy charm.

It’s by no means a major work but for anyone who gets a kick out of Cox’s crazy experimentation and freewheelin’ filmmaking methods, Three Businessmen hits all the beats you want it to and certainly leaves you thinking and smiling.

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Torso (1973)

Posted on October 6, 2015 by Ross Birks

A pretty run-of-the-mill 70s Euro-slasher flick when looked at with wide eyes but squint hard enough and there are some pretty innovative sequences here and there. There’s an almost wordless section near the end featuring the heroine trapped in a house with a load of bodies which is about as pure and cinematic the horror genre can be. The kill sequences are fun and rubbery with lots of splash and the guessing game of the killer’s identity is almost as silly as the killer’s ultimate reveal and motivations. These films have a cult following for a reason. Unless you’re a shameless fan who can happily watch a film like Torso over and over to find hidden depth, casual viewers who really need to work hard to find greatness in them might be baffled at their reputation. I sit somewhere in the middle. I can see where the joys of Torso come from but it’s not a film I’m going to obsess over as the years tick by. That being said, I know Martino is a favourite among giallo enthusiasts so I look forward to digging deeper into his work.

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Absentia (2011)

Posted on October 5, 2015 by Ross Birks

As a huge fan of Mike Flanagan’s Oculus I figured I owed it to myself to check out his previous calling card film Abesentia. Famously funded through Kickstarter, it’s a great example of how crowdfunding can really pay off. The production value and acting talent is understandably low-key but they actually add to the film’s effectiveness. The faces in this movie don’t look like movie stars, they look like friends of the director. But as a horror movie primarily about “normal” people shook by an abnormal chain of events, it works.

Hats go off to Flanagan for crafting a simple little story that sucks you in and makes you look past any shortcomings the film may have technically. The ideas and character beats are strong enough to keep you totally engaged. There is an impressive rumble of unease simmering beneath everything, a feeling of dread and unpredictability that had me totally hooked. He takes full advantage of the limited locations; never has a seedy underpass been mined for so much terror.

Not only does the film deliver as a horror movie, but it makes you realise it’s now more possible than ever to get out there with a camera and tell stories. While it doesn’t share Oculus‘s budget or structural ambition, you can see the promise of the filmmaker in every twist and turn. A superb little example of mind-over-money filmmaking. So solid I watched it twice.

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Valhalla Rising (2009)

Posted on September 2, 2015 by Ross Birks

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Valhalla Rising was described by Nicolas Winding Refn as the beginning of “phase two” of his career. To look at it on those terms really brings a lot into focus. Billed as a science-fiction viking movie, the film is stubbornly oblique and arty yet fiercely violent and striking. You get the sense that Refn doesn’t care if you like his movie or not, it is simply an expression of his interests and thoughts – a piece of art.

I’m in a headspace at the moment where I am increasingly thankful for this kind of cinema: uncompromising, singular, personal and bold. I don’t need a film to work on all levels to enjoy it, I don’t need to understand the decisions made for them to be valid. The concept of “pretentious art film” (which this film could certainly be filed under) feels like an increasingly lazy notion. Especially if I feel that the film is the work of a genuine artist with a developed voice. Maybe this is a sign of myself becoming pretentious? If so, who cares? This kind of thinking really lies at the heart of my love for a filmmaker like Nicolas Winding Refn. Like him or not, he is totally intent on making films that could only come from his imagination. To watch one of his movies is to look at his darkest fears, perverse desires, deepest thoughts and craziest ideas. He never apologises for his movies nor should he.

Valhalla Rising is baffling and fascinating in equal parts. I love the bold strokes and total disregard for traditional film conventions. When we try and measure a film by how clear the “story” is or how interesting the “characters” are, it’s easy to brand a film as a failure if it doesn’t adhere to these norms. Therefore it’s easy to say that Valhalla Rising is confusing, frustrating and uneven. But remember that Nicolas Winding Refn had no intention of making a movie that can be enjoyed on those terms. Like many of his films, this is a heady and hallucinogenic affair that provokes thought and interaction. Watching the movie again I was struck at the fearless use of silence. So much of the film is scored by a disarming quietness. Even in the wildest moments, Refn resists the urge to enhance his visuals with pounding music and sound design. Maybe that would have made the film more visceral and intense but again: Refn is challenging himself and us to experience the film in an unconventional way.

Whether this is a good film or a bad film is besides the point. It really depends on you. The reason I gave Valhalla Rising another spin is because I wanted to live in another worldview for 90 minutes. Everyone sees the world differently and thanks to films like Valhalla Rising or Only God Forgives we can now see the world through Nicolas Winding Refn’s eyes if we want to. Isn’t that the great pleasure of cinema and art in general, to experience a new point of view? It’s what keeps me coming back. This aint a masterpiece, but at least it’s fucking different.

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Zabriskie Point (1970)

Posted on August 3, 2015 by Ross Birks

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Shot hot the heels of Blow-Up‘s international success, Michelangelo Antonioni flew out to the barren wastelands of Americana in 1968 to make Zabriskie Point which would ultimately be released in 1970 to damning reviews.

Forty five years later and Zabriskie Point looks a whole lot better. While it hasn’t quite been reappraised as a lost classic, general consensus seems a lot warmer now. The film acts as curious needle drop on 60s counterculture and captures that time and mentality with real vividity. Sure the skin of it is quite scrappy here and there – the performances especially are nothing to write home about – but the meat and bones are really something.

As with any great Antonioni movie, there are moments in Zabriskie Point of pure visual thought. He is a filmmaker unafraid of not making sense if it means filming something that captures a feeling or a mentality. His ideas are not meant to be taken literally, they are feelings expressed on screen as image. So here Antonioni represents the death of the free-love generation by showing a mass orgy in the American desert. There’s also a plane with tits painted on it. Make of that what you will. His vivid use of music as sound is also on display with the two blurring together repeatedly in perfect unison.

The real showstopper here though, and the film’s obvious talking point, is the explosive finale which sees endless symbols of the material world – a luxurious desert house, a TV, bookcase, clothes rail – blown to total fucking smithereens. Antonioni slows the destruction down to such a hypnotic pace that the swirling debris feels like ballet. Add to that Pink Floyd on the soundtrack and you have pure, undiluted 100% cinema! These final moments of Zabriskie Point are easily among the most awesome I have ever seen. It’s a serious contender for most cinematic ending ever committed to celluloid.

That ending filled me with such chills, such joy and such wonder at the power of the medium that not a day has gone by since where I haven’t thought about Zabriskie Point. It might not be Antonioni’s masterpiece but it’s still a bold, singular work and certainly one of the most underrated movies to come out of the 70s. I absolutely fucking loved it.

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Gunplay – Who’s That Knocking at My Door (1967)

Posted on June 4, 2015 by Ross Birks

Who's That Knocking at my Door?

Who’s That Knocking at My Door is really everything you’d want from a Scorsese debut. The film is a pencil sketch of so many ideas and concerns – both stylistically and thematically – that fascinate Scorsese even today. The movie is wall to wall with music with the camera hardly ever stopping to catch a still frame. It’s untamed and restless, more a collection of vignettes and montages than a cohesive narrative and you get the sense Scorsese can’t get his ideas out quick enough. He’s certainly reaching beyond his means aesthetically, but every time I watch the movie this one scene always stands out as a highlight.

Shot entirely in slow motion and scored to the sounds of “El Watussi” by Ray Barretto, the sequence depicts a rowdy party scene that suddenly turns dangerous when one of the guys unleashes a gun and starts waving it around. Not only does it mark a point in Scorsese’s filmography from which you can draw a straight line directly to many of Goodfellas‘ most memorable scenes, but it’s the one moment in the film when Scorsese’s stylistic judgements completely enhance the power of the scene. The slow motion really lets you take in the look on the guy’s face as he’s placed in a headlock with the gun shoved in his face. All the other faces around him are laughing and, seemingly, unaware or uncaring of the potential disaster that’s about to occur. It feels real and un-staged and is deeply unsettling. Going against that is the music which is infectious. Apparently Scorsese got the idea for the rotating camera move by listening to “I Get Around” by The Beach Boys but I’m not sure that track would work as well as the one he ended up with.

Scorsese’s technique (also utilizing the talents of his future cohort editor Thelma Schoonmaker) not only provides you with a potent taste of the danger of this lifestyle but also the allure. Everything Scorsese accomplished in Goodfellas is foreshadowed here in this 4 minutes. It’s really something to watch this scene knowing how Scorsese’s career would develop and amass over the years. Who’s That Knocking might not be a particularly great film, but this scene announces the arrival of a truly great filmmaker.

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Media Diet 2015

Posted on January 1, 2015 by Ross Birks

January
1. Birdman (2014)
2. It’s Such a Beautiful Day (2012)
3. Big Hero 6 (2014)
4. Down to Earth (2001)
5. Force Majeure (2014)
6. Inherent Vice (2014)
7. Crooklyn (1994)
8. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014)
9. A Most Violent Year (2014)
10. Hard Target (1993)
11. Rubber (2010)
12. John Wick (2014)
13. Sweet Sweetback’s Baadassssss Song (1971)
14. Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965)
15. Chan Is Missing (1982)
16. The Kings of Summer (2013)
17. Deliver Us From Evil (2014)
18. Blacula (1972)
19. Scream, Blacula, Scream (1973)
20. Purple Rain (1984)
21. We Bought a Zoo (2011)
22. Forbidden World (1982)
23. Night of the Comet (1984)
24. American Sniper (2014)
25. In the Heat of the Night (1967)
26. Girl 6 (1996)
27. The Pit and the Pendulum (1961)
28. Sid and Nancy (1986)
29. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008)
30. Sunshine Cleaning (2008)
31. Dirty Pretty Things (2002)
32. RoboCop (2014)
33. The Keep (1983)
34. Theatre of Blood (1973)

Rewatch
Brave (2012)
Burn After Reading (2008)
All Is Lost (2013)
Whip It (2010)
Do The Right Thing (1989)
She’s Gotta Have it (1986)
The Rover (2014)
25th Hour (2002)
Inherent Vice (2014)
Jungle Fever (1991)
Pulp Fiction (1994)
Sightseers (2012)
Almost Famous (2000)
Malcolm X (1992)
Say Anything (1989)
Raising Arizona (1987)
Miller’s Crossing (1990)
Boyhood (2014)
Re-Animator (1985)
Berberian Sound Studio (2012)

Short Films
Interesting Ball (2014)
Feast (2014)

TV
Broad City 1.01 – What a Wonderful World
Broad City 1.02 – Pu$$y Weed
Broad City 1.03 – Working Girls
Broad City 1.04 – The Lockout
Broad City 1.05 – Fattest Asses
Broad City 1.06 – Stolen Phone
Broad City 1.07 – Hurricane Wanda
Broad City 1.08 – Destination: Wedding
Broad City 1.09 – Apartment Hunters
Broad City 1.10 – The Last Supper
Mad Men 7.06 – The Strategy
Mad Men 7.07 – Waterloo
The Sopranos 2.01 – Guy Walks Into a Psychiatrist’s Office
The Sopranos 2.02 – Do Not Resuscitate
The Sopranos 2.03 – Toodle-Fucking-Oo
The Sopranos 2.04 – Commendatori
The Sopranos 2.05 – Big Girls Don’t Cry
The Sopranos 2.06 – The Happy Wanderer
The Sopranos 2.07 – D-Girl
The Sopranos 2.08 – Full Leather Jacket
The Sopranos 2.09 – From Where to Eternity
The Sopranos 2.10 – Bust Out
The Sopranos 2.11 – House Arrest
The Sopranos 2.12 – The Knight In White Satin Armour
The Sopranos 2.13 – Funhouse

Commentaries
Fargo 1.01 – The Crocodile’s Dilemma – Noah Hawley & Billy Bob Thornton
Fargo 1.04 – Eating the Blame – Noah Hawley & Billy Bob Thornton
Fargo 1.08 – The Heap – Noah Hawley & Allison Tolman
The Guest (2014) – Adam Wingard & Simon Barrett
The Rover (2014) – David Michod
Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965) – Russ Meyer
Almost Famous (2000) – Cameron Crowe & co.

Books: Spike Lee: That’s My Story and I’m Sticking To It by Kaleem Aftab

February
35. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
36. Ex Machina (2015)
37. The Devil’s Business (2011)
38. Blood Feast (1963)
39. Altered States (1980)
40. Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2015)
41. Killer of Sheep (1979)
42. Outland (1981)
43. Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
44. Jupiter Ascending (2015)
45. The Ipcress File (1965)
46. Blue is the Warmest Colour (2013)
47. Showgirls (1995)
48. Street Trash (1987)
49. Tokyo Fist (1995)
50. Candyman (1992)
51. Catch Me Daddy (2015)

Rewatch
Barton Fink (1991)
Lincoln (2012)
Evil Dead (2013)
Escape from New York (1981)
Gone Girl (2014)
The Killing (1956)
Total Recall (1990)
Black Swan (2010)
Noah (2014)
Shivers (1975)
Rabid (1977)
Maps to the Stars (2014)
Thief (1981)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)
Edge of Tomorrow (2014)
The LEGO Movie (2014)
Starship Troopers (1997)
The Babadook (2014)

TV
Better Call Saul 1.01 – Uno
Better Call Saul 1.02 – Mijo
Better Call Saul 1.03 – Nacho
Better Call Saul 1.04 – Hero
Broad City 2.01 – In Heat
Broad City 2.02 – Mochalatta Chills
Broad City 2.03 – Wisdom Teeth
The Sopranos 3.01 – Mr. Ruggerio’s Neighborhood
The Sopranos 3.02 – Proshai, Livushka
The Sopranos 3.03 – Fortunate Son
The Sopranos 3.04 – Employee of the Month
The Sopranos 3.05 – Another Toothpick
The Sopranos 3.06 – University
The Sopranos 3.07 – Second Opinion
The Sopranos 3.08 – He Is Risen
The Sopranos 3.09 – The Telltale Moozadell
The Sopranos 3.10 – “…To Save Us All From Satan’s Power…”

Short Films:
Whiplash (2013)

Commentaries
Theatre of Blood (1973) – Jeremy Dyson, Steve Pemberton, Reece Shearsmith, Mark Gatiss
Gone Girl (2014) – David Fincher
Tommy (1975) – Ken Russell, Mark Kermode
22 Jump Street (2014) – Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Phil Lord, Chris Miller
Pusher (1996) – Nicolas Winding Refn, William Lustig
Pusher II (2004) – Nicolas Winding Refn, Jonathan Romley
Pusher III (2005) – Nicolas Winding Refn, Jonathan Romley
Maniac Cop 2 (1990) – William Lustig, Nicolas Winding Refn

Books
Do The Right Thing: A Spike Lee Joint by Spike Lee

March
52. The Manchurian Candidate (1962)
53. Wild Tales (2015)
54. It Follows (2015)
55. The Duke of Burgundy (2015)
56. Faults (2015)
57. Certified Copy (2010)
58. Starry Eyes (2014)
59. Simon Killer (2012)
60. Sleepwalker (1984)
61. Top Five (2014)
62. [REC] 4: Apocalypse (2014)
63. The Hidden Fortress (1958)
64. Chappie (2015)
65. Uzak (2002)
66. Alps (2011)
67. The Roost (2005)
68. A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014)
69. The Next Three Days (2010)
70. Five Fingers of Death (1972)
71. Two Thousand Maniacs! (1964)
72. Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things (1973)
73. Starman (1984)
74. Mark of the Devil (1970)

Rewatch
Nightcrawler (2014)
Babel (2006)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
Michael Clayton (2007)
Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)
A Prophet (2009)
Dogtooth (2009)
Hard Candy (2005)
District 9 (2009)
The Fog (1980)
Prince of Darkness (1987)
A Fistful of Dollars (1964)
For a Few Dollars More (1965)
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966)
30 Days of Night (2007)
Big Trouble In Little China (1986)
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968)
Thelma & Louise (1991)
Four Lions (2010)

Short Films
Mary Last Seen (2009)
The Last 15 (2007)

TV
Game of Thrones 4.05 – First of His Name
Game of Thrones 4.06 – The Laws of Gods and Men
Game of Thrones 4.07 – Mockingbird
Game of Thrones 4.08 – The Mountain and the Viper
Game of Thrones 4.09 – The Watchers in the Wall
Game of Thrones 4.10 – The Children
Better Call Saul 1.05 – Alpine Shepherd Boy
Better Call Saul 1.06 – Five-O
Better Call Saul 1.07 – Bingo
Broad City 2.04 – Knockoffs
Broad City 2.05 – Hastag FOMO
The Sopranos 3.11 – Pine Barrens
The Sopranos 3.12 – Amour Fou
The Sopranos 3.13 – Army of One

Commentaries
Whiplash (2014) – Damien Chazelle & JK Simmons
Nightcrawler (2014) – Dan Gilroy, Tony Gilroy, John Gilroy
The Fog (1980) – John Carpenter, Debra Hill
Prince of Darkness (1987) – John Carpenter, Peter Jason
Zombie Flesh Eaters (1971) – Alan Jones, Stephen Thrower
Five Fingers of Death (1972) – Quentin Tarantino, Elvis Mitchell, David Chute

April
75. Color Me Blood Red (1965)
76. Dead of Night (1945)
77. The Whip and the Body (1963)
78. Night Train Murders (1975)
79. Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2011)
80. Day of Anger (1967)
81. Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape (2010)
82. The Burning (1981)
83. Exotica (1994)
84. Rollerball (1975)
85. The Voices (2015)
86. Furious 7 (2015)
87. Better Luck Tomorrow (2002)
88. A Touch of Sin (2013)
89. Louis C.K. Live at the Beacon Theatre (2011)
90. The Sweet Hereafter (1997)
91. Schalcken the Painter (1979)
92. Blood and Black Lace (1964)
93. The Incredible Melting Man (1977)
94. Safety Not Guaranteed (2013)
95. Lost River (2015)
96. The Friends of Eddie Coyle (1973)
97. Witchfinder General (1968)
98. Sin Nombre (2009)
99. F For Fake (1973)
100. Running Scared (2006)
101. Midnight Run (1988)
102. Blackfish (2013)
103. Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
104. Don’t Be a Menace to South Central While Drinking Your Juice in the Hood (1996)
105. The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008)
106. The Town That Dreaded Sundown (1976)
107. Exodus: Gods and Kings (2014)
108. Macbeth (1948)

Rewatch
Django Unchained (2012)
Saw (2004)
Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Sweet Smell of Success (1957)
Fast & Furious (2009)
Touch of Evil (1958)
Hostel (2005)
The Last Waltz (1978)
An American Werewolf in London (1981)
Citizen Kane (1941)
Hostel Part II (2007)
Frank (2014)
American Graffiti (1973)
The Duke of Burgundy (2015)
In the Mouth of Madness (1994)

Short Films
My Wrongs 8245-8249 & 117 (2002)
Los Bandoleros (2009) Pioneer (2011)
An Exercise in Discipline – Peel (1982)

TV
The Day Today 1.01 – Main News Attack
The Day Today 1.02 – The Big Report
The Day Today 1.03 – Meganews
Mad Men 7.08 – Severance
Mad Men 7.09 – New Business
Mad Men 7.10 – The Forecast
Mad Men 7.11 – Time & Life
Daredevil 1.01 – Into the Ring
Daredevil 1.02 – Cut Man
Better Call Saul 1.08 – RICO
Better Call Saul 1.09 – Pimento
Better Call Saul 1.10 – Marco
Game of Thrones 5.01 – The Wars to Come
Game of Thrones 5.02 – The House of Black and White
The Trip 1.01 – The Inn at Whitewell
The Trip 1.02 – L’Enclume
The Trip 1.03 – Holbeck Ghyll
The Trip 1.04 – Hipping Hall
The Trip 1.05 – The Yorke Arms
The Trip 1.06 – The Angel at Hetton
The Trip 2.01 – Il Cenobio dei Dogi, Camogli
The Trip 2.02 – Da Giovanni, San Fruttuoso
The Trip 2.03 – La Suvera, Pievescola
The Trip 2.04 – Hotel Locarno, Rome
The Trip 2.05 – Villa Cimbrone, Ravello
The Trip 2.06 – Il Riccio, Capri
Broad City 2.06 – The Matrix
Broad City 2.07 – Citizen Ship
Broad City 2.08 – Kirk Steele
Broad City 2.09 – Coat Check
Broad City 2.10 – St. Marks
Top of the Lake 1.04 – A Rainbow Above Us
Top of the Lake 1.05 – The Dark Creator
Top of the Lake 1.06 – No Goodbyes Thanks
American Horror Story 1.01 – Pilot

Commentaries
Thelma & Louise (1991) – Ridley Scott
The Whip and the Body (1963) – Tim Lucas
Starman (1984) – John Carpenter, Jeff Bridges
Blood and Black Lace (1964) – Tim Lucas
Hostel (2005) – Eli Roth, Quentin Tarantino, Scott Spiegel, Boaz Yoakin
Hostel Part II (2007) – Eli Roth, Quentin Tarantino, Gabe Roth
Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) – Christopher Frayling & co
Berberian Sound Studio (2012) – Peter Strickland

Books
My Lunches With Orson by Henry Jaglom, Edited by Peter Biskind

May
109. Poison (1991)
110. Holy Smoke (1999)
111. Trash (1970)
112. Enough Said (2013)
113. Honeymoon (2014)
114. The Visitor (1979)
115. The Dead Zone (1983)
116. Chafed Elbows (1966)
117. Society (1989)
118. Wuthering Heights (2011)
119. Phoenix (2015)
120. Island of Death (1976)
121. The Falling (2015)
122. Christmas Evil (1980)
123. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 (2014)
124. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
125. Elephant (1989)
126. Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010)
127. Tomorrowland (2015)
128. Slow West (2015)
129. Tomorrow Night (1998)
130. Empire Records (1995)
131. Paper Moon (1973)
132. Dream Home (2010)
133. The Shooting (1966)
134. High Noon (1952)
135. Begin Again (2014)

Rewatch
The Avengers (2012)
Coffee and Cigarettes (2003)
Chef (2014)
Happiness (1998)
Duel (1971)
Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981)
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Napoleon Dynamite (2004)
The Place Beyond the Pines (2013)
Clean, Shaven (1993)
Naked Lunch (1991)
Dirty Harry (1971)
A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010)
Scanners (1981)
Erin Brockovich (2000)
Two-Lane Blacktop (1971)
Maniac (1980)
The Blair Witch Project (1999)
The Driver (1978)
Kill List (2011)
Stop Making Sense (1984)

Short Films
Ice Cream (1993)
Highjacker (1998)
Hello There (1995)
Pitch Black Heist (2011)
Ugly Revenge (1998)
Brunch (1998)
The Letter V (1995)

TV
Orange Is the New Black 2.05 – Low Self Esteem City
Orange Is the New Black 2.06 – You Also have a Pizza
Orange Is the New Black 2.07 – Comic Sans
Orange Is the New Black 2.08 – Appropriately Sized Pots
Orange Is the New Black 2.09 – 40 OZ of Furlough
Orange Is the New Black 2.10 – Little Mustachioed Shit
Orange Is the New Black 2.11 – Take a Break From Your Values
Orange Is the New Black 2.12 – It Was the Change
Orange Is the New Black 2.13 – We Have Manners. We’re Polite.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer 5.11 – Triangle
Mad Men 7.12 – Lost Horizon
Mad Men 7.13 – The Milk and Honey Route
Mad Men 7.14 – Person to Person
Game of Thrones 5.03 – High Sparrow
Game of Thrones 5.04 – Sons of the Harpy
Game of Thrones 5.05 – Kill the Boy
Game of Thrones 5.06 – Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken
Game of Thrones 5.07 – The Gift
Mildred Pierce – Part One
Community 1.01 – Pilot
Community 1.02 – Spanish 101
Community 1.03 – Introduction to Film
Community 1.04 – Social Psychology
Community 1.05 – Advanced Criminal Law
Community 1.06 – Football, Feminism and You
Community 1.07 – Introduction to Statistics
Community 1.08 – Home Economics
Community 1.09 – Debate 101
Community 1.10 – Environmental Science
Community 1.11 – The Politics of Human Sexuality
Community 1.12 – Comparative Religion
Community 1.13 – Investigative Journalism
Community 1.14 – Interpretive Dance
Community 1.15 – Romantic Expressionism

Commentaries
The Duke of Burgundy (2015) – Peter Strickland
The Dead Zone (1983) – Kim Newman, Stephen Thrower
Stop Making Sense (1984) – Jonathan Demme, Talking Heads
You’re Next (2013) – Adam Wingard, Simon Barrett
Slacker (1991) – Richard Linklater

June
136. Nacho Libre (2006)
137. New York, New York (1977)
138. Pepi, Luci, Bom (1980)
139. Double Play: James Benning & Richard Linklater (2013)
140. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
141. Empire of Passion (1978)
142. Goodbye Dragon Inn (2003)
143. Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)
144. Law of Desire (1987)
145. Not Fade Away (2010)
146. Jurassic World (2015)
147. What Have I Done to Deserve This? (1984)
148. Saving Mr. Banks (2013)
149. Selma (2014)
150. Weekend (2011)
151. Men, Women & Children (2014)
152. While We’re Young (2015)
153. The Puffy Chair (2005)
154. Baghead (2008)

Rewatch
Heathers (1988)
The Informant! (2009)
The Drop (2014)
Ex Machina (2015)
Who’s That Knocking at My Door (1967)
Mean Girls (2004)
Shine a Light (2008)
Killing Zoe (1993)
The Purge (2013)
Young Adult (2011)
Inherent Vice (2014)

Short Films
Gulp (2001)
This is John (2003)
Consent (2004)

TV
Game of Thrones 5.08 – Hardhome
Game of Thrones 5.09 – A Dance of Dragons
Game of Thrones 5.10 – Mother’s Mercy
Community 1.16 – Communication Studies
Girls 4.01 – Iowa
Girls 4.02 – Triggering
Girls 4.03 – Female Author
Girls 4.04 – Cubbies
Girls 4.05 – Sit-In
Girls 4.06 – Close-Up
Girls 4.07 – Ask Me My Name
Girls 4.08 – Tad & Loreen & Avi & Shanaz
Girls 4.09 – Daddy Issues
Girls 4.10 – Home Birth
True Detective 2.01 – The Western Book of the Dead
True Detective 2.02 – Night Finds You
Orange is the New Black 3.01 – Mother’s Day
Orange is the New Black 3.02 – Bed Bugs and Beyond

Commentaries
Kill List (2011) – Ben Wheatley, Amy Jump
The Informant! (2009) – Steven Soderbergh, Scott Z. Burns
The Blair Witch Project (1999) – Daniel Myrick, Eduardo Sanchez, Gregg Hale
Who’s That Knocking at My Door (1967) – Martin Scorsese, Mardik Martin

Books
The Informers by Bret Easton Ellis
Stones Tour Party by Robert Greenfield
The Rachel Papers by Martin Amis
Falconer by John Cheever
Scorsese by Roger Ebert

July
155. Creative Nonfiction (2011)
156. Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter (2015)
157. Blackhat (2015)
158. Blue Collar (1978)
159. The Yakuza (1974)
160. Othello (1952)
161. The Night Porter (1974)
162. In the Company of Men (1997)
163. Spy (2015)
164. Amy (2015)
165. The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst (2015)
167. Road House (1989)
168. Interrogation (1989)
169. The Cell (2000)
170. Ant-Man (2015)
171. Terminator Genisys (2015)
172. Fear and Desire (1953)
174. Magic Mike XXL (2015)
175. Inside Out (2015)
176. Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
177. X-Men: Days of Future Past – The Rogue Cut (2015)
178. To the Wonder (2012)
179. The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984)
180. The Tribe (2015)
181. Riki-Oh: The Story of Ricky (1991)
182. Creep (2014)
183. Listen Up Philip (2014)
184. La Notte (1961)
185. The Midnight Swim (2015)

Rewatch
Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2011)
The King of Comedy (1982)
Full Metal Jacket (1987)
After Hours (1985)
It Follows (2015)
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Lolita (1962)
Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (2001)
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Swingers (1996)
Kingsman: The Secret Service (2015)
The Shining (1980)
Birdman (2014)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Short Films
Day of the Fight (1951)
Flying Padre (1951)
The Seafarers (1953)

TV
Orange Is the New Black 3.03 – Empathy is a Boner Killer
Orange Is the New Black 3.04 – Finger in the Dyke
Orange Is the New Black 3.05 – Fake It Till You Fake It Some More
True Detective 2.03 – Maybe Tomorrow
True Detective 2.04 – Down Will Come
True Detective 2.05 – Other Lives
The Jinx – Chapter 1: The Body in the Bay
The Jinx – Chapter 2: Poor Little Rich Boy
The Jinx – Chapter 3: The Gangster’s Daughter
The Jinx – Chapter 4: The State of Texas vs. Robert Durst
The Jinx – Chapter 5: Family Values
The Jinx – Chapter 6: ‘What the Hell Did I Do?’
Eastbound and Down 2.01 – Chapter 7

Commentaries
It Follows (2015) – Danny Leigh, Mark Jancovich

August
186. Zabriskie Point (1970)
187. Love & Mercy (2015)
188. Trainwreck (2015)
189. They Came Together (2014)
190. Anthropophagous (1980)
191. 42nd Street Memories (2014)
192. Contamination (1980)
193. Jersey Girl (2004)
194. What We Do In the Shadows (2014)
195. Hercules (2014)
196. Stereo (1969)
197. Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers (1988)
198. Crimes of the Future (1970)
199. The Gift (2015)
200. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
201. The Train (1964)
202. Cruel Story of Youth (1960)
203. Absentia (2011)
204. Last Year at Marienbad (1961)
205. Welcome to New York (2014)
206. Talking With Gods: Grant Morrison (2010)
207. Detention (2011)
208. L’Age D’Or (1930)
209. Cop Car (2015)

Rewatch
Chasing Amy (1997)
Blow-Up (1967)
The Devil’s Backbone (2001)
Short Term 12 (2013)
The Orphanage (2007)
Dogma (1999)
Where the Wild Things Are (2009)
Eden Lake (2008)
Man of Steel (2013)
Constantine (2005)

Short Films
Transfer (1966)
From the Drain (1967)
Short Term 12 (2008)
Un Chien Andalou (1929)

TV
True Detective 2.06 – Church In Ruins
True Detective 2.07 – Black Maps and Motel Rooms
Eastbound and Down 2.02 – Chapter 8
Comic Book Men 1.01 – Junk
Comic Book Men 1.02 – Life After Clerks
Comic Book Men 1.03 – Commercial
Comic Book Men 1.04 – Zombies
Comic Book Men 1.05 – Con Gone Wrong
Comic Book Men 2.01 – Stash Bashes
Comic Book Men 2.02 – My Big Fat Geek Wedding
Comic Book Men 2.03 – Ghostbusting in the Stash
Comic Book Men 2.04 – Ming in Charge
Comic Book Men 2.05 – The Sidewalk Stash
Comic Book Men 2.06 – The Running Dead
Comic Book Men 2.07 – Tough Shit
Comic Book Men 2.08 – Stan the Man
Comic Book Men 2.09 – Clash In the Stash
Comic Book Men 2.10 – Super Hoagies
Comic Book Men 2.11 – Stash-eroids
Comic Book Men 2.12 – Con Men
Comic Book Men 2.13 – Stash Wars
Hannibal 3.01 – Antipasto
Hannibal 3.02 – Primavera
Hannibal 3.03 – Secondo

Commentaries
Chasing Amy (1997) – Kevin Smith, Scott Mosier
Jersey Girl (2004) – Kevin Smith, Scott Mosier, Jason Mewes
Videodrome (1983) – Tim Lucas
Swingers (1996) – Jon Favreau, Vince Vaughn
Tusk (2014) – Kevin Smith
Absentia (2011) – Mike Flanagan, Justin Gordon, Morgan Peter Brown

Books
Wytches by Scott Snyder, Jock
The Killing Joke by Alan Moore, Brian Bolland (reread)
The Saga of the Swamp Thing by Alan Moore (reread)
The Saga of the Swamp Thing: Book Two by Alan Moore
Batman: Year One by Frank Miller, David Mazzucchelli
All Star Superman by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely
Arkham Asylum by Grant Morrison, Dave McKean

September
210. Eros (2004)
211. Torso (1973)
212. Vampyros Lesbos (1971)
213. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl (2015)
214. White Material (2009)
215. The Bogey Man (1980)
216. Race with the Devil (1975)
217. Three Businessmen (1998)
218. Medium Cool (1969)
219. Straight to Hell (1987)
220. Margot at the Wedding (2007)
221. Angel-A (2005)
222. Cobain: Montage of Heck (2015)
223. Eaten Alive (1977)
224. The Shout (1978)
225. Perfect Blue (1997)
226. Aftershock (2012)
227. Legend (2015)
228. Bastards (2013)
229. Daughters of Darkness (1971)
230. Goodnight Mommy (2014)
231. The Overnight (2015)
232. Queen of Earth (2015)
233. Big Eyes (2014)
234. The One I Love (2014)
235. The Color Wheel (2011)
236. Haunter (2013)
237. The Killers (1946)
238. Leviathan (2012)
239. Gangster No. 1 (2000)
240. The Stone Roses: Made In Stone (2013)
241. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (2013)
242. Nightbirds (1970)
243. The Visit (2015)

Rewatch
Valhalla Rising (2009)
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001)
Ghost World (2001)
Greenberg (2010)
Lucy (2014)
This Is England (2006)
Top Five (2014)
Cosmopolis (2012)
The Dark Knight Rises (2012)
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
American Hustle (2013)
V for Vendetta (2006)

TV
Comic Book Men 2.14 – Cryptozoic Man
American Horror Story 1.02 – Home Invasion
American Horror Story 1.03 – Murder House
American Horror Story 1.04 – Halloween (Part 1)
American Horror Story 1.05 – Halloween (Part 2)
American Horror Story 1.06 – Piggy Piggy
American Horror Story 1.07 – Open House
This Is England ’90 – Spring
This Is England ’90 – Summer
This Is England ’90 – Autumn
Buffy the Vampire Slayer 5.12 – Checkpoint
Utopia 1.01 – Episode 1
Orange is the New Black 3.06 – Ching Chong Chang
Orange is the New Black 3.07 – Tongue-Tied

Commentaries
Swingers (1996) – Doug Liman, Stephen Mirrione
The Shout (1978) – Kim Newman, Stephen Jones
Batman (1989) – Kevin Smith, Marc Bernardin
Batman Returns (1992) – Kevin Smith, Marc Bernardin
Batman Forever (1995) – Kevin Smith, Marc Bernardin
Batman & Robin (1997) – Kevin Smith, Marc Bernardin
Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015) – Joss Whedon
Three Businessmen (1998) – Alex Cox, Tod Davies
Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (2013) – Kevin Smith, Marc Bernardin

Books
WE3 by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely
Batman Volume 1: The Court of Owls by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo
Batman Volume 2: City of Owls by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo
Batman Volume 3: Death of the Family by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo
Batman Volume 4: Zero Year Secret City by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo
Batman Volume 5: Zero Year Dark City by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo
Flex Mentallo by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely
Absolute Batman: The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale (reread)
Absolute Batman Hush by Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee
The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller
The Saga of the Swamp Thing: Book Three by Alan Moore etc.
The Small Killing by Alan Moore, Oscar Zarate
The Crying of Lot 49 by Thomas Pynchon
Magic Words: The Extraordinary Life of Alan Moore by Lance Parkin

October
244. The Martian (2015)
245. The Midnight Meat Train (2008)
246. Mother’s Day (1980)
247. Here Comes the Devil (2013)
248. I Spit on Your Grave (2010)
249. Bloodsucking Freaks (1976)
250. Slaughterhouse (1987)
251. The Rite (2011)
252. Storm Warning (2007)
253. The Walk (2015)
254. Who Could Kill a Child? (1975)
255. Macbeth (2015)
256. Knock Knock (2015)
257. Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015)
258. Keith Lemon: The Film (2012)
259. The Final Girls (2015)
260. Sicario (2015)
261. Trouble Every Day (2001)
262. Crimson Peak (2015)
263. The Curse of Downers Grove (2015)
264. Frankenhooker (1990)
265. Madman (1982)
267. Blood on Satan’s Claw (1971)
268. The Lobster (2015)
269. Basket Case 3 (1992)
270. Phenomena (1985)
272. Livid (2011)
273. Patrick (1978)
274. Spectre (2015)
275. Long Weekend (1979)
272. Turkey Shoot (1982)
272. Unfriended (2014)

Rewatch
Catch Me Daddy (2015)
JSA: Joint Security Area (2000)
Body Double (1984)
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
Oldboy (2003)
Army of Darkness (1992)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Jurassic World (2015)
Hellraiser (1987)

TV
Buffy the Vampire Slayer 5.13 – Blood Ties
Buffy the Vampire Slayer 5.14 – Crush
Buffy the Vampire Slayer 5.15 – I Was Made to Love You
Buffy the Vampire Slayer 5.16 – The Body
Orange Is the New Black 3.08 – Fear, and Other Smells
Orange Is the New Black 3.09 – Where My Dreidel At
Orange Is the New Black 3.10 – A Tittin’ and a Hairin’
Orange Is the New Black 3.11 – We Can Be Heroes
Orange Is the New Black 3.12 – Don’t Make Me Come Back There
This Is England ’90 – Winter

Commentaries
Bloodsucking Freaks (1976) – Eli Roth

Books
The Saga of the Swamp Thing: Book Four by Alan Moore etc.
The Saga of the Swamp Thing: Book Five by Alan Moore etc.
The Saga of the Swamp Thing: Book Six by Alan Moore etc.
The Extraordinary Works of Alan Moore by George Khoury
The DC Universe: Stories by Alan Moore by Alan Moore
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Volume 1 by Alan Moore, Kevin O’Neill
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Volume 2 by Alan Moore, Kevin O’Neill
Neonomicon by Alan Moore, Jacen Burrows
The Filth by Grant Morrison, Chris Weston, Gary Erskine
Goldfish by Brian Michael Bendis
The Batman Adventures: Mad Love by Paul Dini, Bruce Timm
Pride of Baghdad by Brian K. Vaughan, Nico Henrichon
Absolute Y the Last Man: Vol 1 by Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra
Preacher: Book One by Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon
Preacher: Book Two by Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon
Preacher: Book Three by Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon
Southern Bastards: Book One by Jason Aaron, Jason Latour

November
273. The Pact (2012)
274. Moonstruck (1987)
275. Tenderness of the Wolves (1973)
276. The End of the Tour (2015)
277. No Escape (2015)
278. The Witch (2016)
279. Ted 2 (2015)
280. Son of Saul (2015)
281. Angst (1983)
282. Nightmare City (1980)
283. Aint Them Bodies Saints (2013)
284. Cure (1997)
285. Thesis (1996)
286. Steve Jobs (2015)
287. Dope (2015)
288. The Green Inferno (2015)
289. Velvet Goldmine (1998)
290. The Firemen’s Ball (1967)
291. Mistress America (2015)
292. Closely Observed Trains (1966)
293. Green Room (2016)
294. Carol (2015)
295. The Yakuza Papers Vol. 1: Battles Without Honour or Humanity (1973)
296. River’s Edge (1986)
297. Tangerine (2015)
298. Ghosts…of the Civil Dead (1988)
299. Blood Rage (1987)
300. My Dinner with Andre (1981)
301. Bridge of Spies (2015)
302. If… (1968)
303. The Assassin (2015)
304. Everyone Says I Love You (1996)
305. Bullets Over Broadway (1994)
306. The Reflecting Skin (1990)
307. Scoop (2006)

Rewatch
Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)
Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth (1992)
The Devils (1971)
Goodfellas (1990)
The Long Good Friday (1980)
Far From Heaven (2002)
Shallow Grave (1994)
Steve Jobs (2015)
Superbad (2007)
12 Years a Slave (2013)
Funny People (2009)
Redbelt (2008)
127 Hours (2010)
The Others (2001)
Inside Out (2015)
Catch Me If You Can (2002)
Dead Ringers (1988)

Short Films
The Pact (2011)
Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987)
Copycat (2015)

TV
Ash vs. Evil Dead 1.01 – El Jefe
Mildred Pierce – Part Two
Mildred Pierce – Part Three
Mildred Pierce – Part Four
Mildred Pierce – Part Five
The Walking Dead 3.09 – The Suicide King
The Walking Dead 3.10 – Home
The Walking Dead 3.11 – I Aint a Judas
The Walking Dead 3.12 – Clear
The Walking Dead 3.13 – Arrow on the Doorpost
The Walking Dead 3.14 – Prey
Louie 3.03 – Miami
Louie 3.04 – Daddy’s New Girlfriend Part 1
Louie 3.05 – Daddy’s New Girlfriend Part 2
Louie 3.06 – Barney/Never
Louie 3.07 – Ikea/Piano Lesson
Louie 3.08 – Dad
Louie 3.09 – Looking for Liz/Lilly Changes
Louie 3.10 – Late Show Part 1
Louie 3.11 – Late Show Part 2
Louie 3.12 – Late Show Part 3
Louie 3.13 – New Year’s Eve
Louie 4.01 – Back
Louie 4.02 – Model
Louie 4.03 – So Did the Fat Lady
Louie 4.04 – Elevator Part 1
Louie 4.05 – Elevator Part 2
Louie 4.06 – Elevator Part 3
Louie 4.07 – Elevator Part 4
Louie 4.08 – Elevator Part 5
Louie 4.09 – Elevator Part 6
Louie 4.10 – Pamela Part 1
Louie 4.11 – In the Woods Part 1
Louie 4.12 – In the Woods Part 2
The Newsroom 1.01 – We Just Decided To
Orange Is the New Black 3.13 – Trust No Bitch

Commentaries
The Devils (1971) – Ken Russell, Mark Kermode, Mike Bradsell, Paul Joyce
Top Five (2014) – Chris Rock, JB Smoove
Mad Men 7.14 – Person to Person – Matthew Weiner, Jon Hamm

Books
Preacher: Book Four by Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon
Preacher: Book Five by Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon
Preacher: Book Six by Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon

December
308. Pasolini (2014)
309. Bad Biology (2008)
310. Happy Christmas (2014)
311. Surveillance (2008)
312. Your Vice is a Locked Room and Only I Have the Key (1972)
313. The Night Before (2015)
314. A Very Murray Christmas (2015)
315. Nasty Baby (2015)
316. The Honeymoon Killers (1969)
317. What Have You Done to Solange? (1972)
318. Bone Tomahawk (2015)
319. Anomalisa (2015)
320. Nekromantik 2 (1991)
321. Chimes at Midnight (1965)
322. Krampus (2015)
323. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015)
324. Heaven Knows What (2015)
325. Thriller: A Cruel Picture (1974)
326. The Stanford Prison Experiment (2015)
327. The Hateful Eight (2015)
328. Dead End Drive-In (1986)
329. The Revenant (2015)
330. Creed (2015)
331. The Black Cat (1981)
332. Hi, Mom! (1970)
333. Joy (2015)
334. Spasmo (1974)
335. Manos: The Hands of Fate (1966)
336. 45 Years (2015)
337. Spotlight (2015)
338. The Parallax View (1974)
339. Body (2015)

Rewatch
Slow West (2015)
Ant-Man (2015)
Rocky (1976)
Rocky II (1979)
Revolutionary Road (2008)
Upstream Color (2013)
Rocky III (1982)
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)
Scarface (1983)
Sisters (1973)
The Fighter (2010)
Anomalisa (2015)
The Untouchables (1987)
Obsession (1976)
Gremlins (1984)
Star Wars (1977)
Synecdoche, New York (2008)
The Fury (1978)
The Hateful Eight (2015)
Dressed to Kill (1980)
Martyrs (2008)
The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
The Godfather (1972)
Amelie (2001)
The Bird with the Crystal Plumage (1970)
Amy (2015)

TV
Louie 4.13 – Pamela Part 2
Louie 4.14 – Pamela Part 3
Louie 5.01 – Pot Luck
The Sopranos 4.01 – For All Debts Public and Private
The Sopranos 4.02 – No Show
The Sopranos 4.03 – Christopher
The Sopranos 4.04 – The Weight
The Sopranos 4.05 – Pie-O-My
The Sopranos 4.06 – Everybody Hurts
The Sopranos 4.07 – Watching Too Much Television
The Sopranos 4.08 – Mergers and Acquisitions
The Sopranos 4.09 – Whoever Did This
The Sopranos 4.10 – The Strong, Silent Type
The Sopranos 4.11 – Calling All Cars
The Sopranos 4.12 – Eloise
The Sopranos 4.13 – Whitecaps
Fargo 2.01 – Waiting for Dutch
Fargo 2.02 – Before the Law
Fargo 2.03 – The Myth of Sisyphus

Commentaries
Trainwreck (2015) – Judd Apatow, Amy Schumer, Kim Caramele
Rocky (1976) – Sylvester Stallone
Ant-Man (2015) – Peyton Reed, Paul Rudd

Books
Marvels by Kurt Busiek, Alex Ross

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The Prom – Carrie (1976)

Posted on November 20, 2014 by Ross Birks

The Prom

Whenever I try and put into words why I love Brian De Palma, I always seem to struggle. Much of De Palma’s appeal lies in his visual command. His ability to convey emotion and suspense with camerawork and editing is really quite stunning. Not only can he make you experience a moment in real time to jaw-dropping effect, but by embracing the possibilities of cinematic language he can enhance and sustain that moment solely through his technique. De Palma’s oevure is full of sequences that can only be described as pure cinema. They are electric, virtuoso moments of directorial authority so audacious and thrilling that the feeling they evoke cannot be replicated by any other art form. In the same way a guitar solo gives one member of a band his moment in the spotlight, these sequences in De Palma’s films allow him to step forward and show what he’s made of as a filmmaker. Everything else takes a back seat as De Palma singlehandedly takes the reigns on music, camerawork, editing and performance. In those sequences, you see a real director at work.

I watched Brian De Palma’s Carrie last night. It’s not a film I watch often but one I frequently find myself thinking about. It’s interesting in that it is the one De Palma film widely regarded as a classic that feels most in tune with his more personal work. I like Scarface, The Untouchables and Mission: Impossible as much as the next person but they feel like paycheck moves – great slabs of accessible entertainment given the De Palma spit-shine. Pauline Kael called Scarface “a De Palma movie for people who don’t like De Palma movies” and I totally agree with her. The “De Palma movies” she is referencing are films like Sisters, Phantom of the Paradise, Blow Out, Body Double and Dressed to Kill, films that are troubled, uncompromising and to the untrained eye, overtly camp, inherently trashy and excessively technical. Those films, even the weaker ones, are blessed with a cinematic pulse. For movie-lovers and genre-fans, they are especially satisfying for all the ways they embrace the visceral possibilities of cinema and exploit it’s gratuitous voyeurism. Now, while it was certainly a film he made for the money, Carrie never feels like anything other than a red-hot De Palma movie.

When I got to the prom scene during my rewatch of Carrie last night, I yet again found myself left totally breathless by De Palma’s approach. In a mere eleven minutes you’ve got an impressive tracking shot, a flurry of suspense-inducing cross-cutting, slow motion, avante-garde sound design and then a split-screen bloodbath! It’s one of the greatest examples of seeing a dream slowly transform into a nightmare right in front of your eyes. IT’S SO VISUAL. It sums up everything that is great about De Palma’s cinema and represents a style of filmmaking that is seriously becoming lost and forgotten. I think the reason these sequences are so renowned by moviegoers and increasingly influential on budding filmmakers today is because there really isn’t anyone around making genre films on this level. It’s like opera, so grand and unapologetic yet it never feels overdone despite being so excessive. The thing that’s so endearing about De Palma is his fearlessness. He is never afraid to push things right up to the edge. He always goes all in, pushing the audience as far as they can go, sometimes even further than they’re used to. At the same time though, his films never seem to aspire to be anything other than entertaining and fun. There’s no pretensions in De Palma’s work and I’m always grateful for that. Carrie is one of those movies that just completely works, never more so than in this scene. Hit play and watch a real director at work.

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