Recently saw the flick "Kabluey" which is about a naive guy who has to wear a blue suit on a road in the middle of nowhere and hand out pink flyers. The plot of the movie is kinda silly but the middle scenes where he's just out in the field are surreal, kinda like Mumenchanz (sp?) meets the cropduster scene in "North by Northewest." One of the women in the movie, Angela Sarafyan, has an awesome moon-faced look to her and would be perfect in any future Luxy movie.
oh man, yeah, The Outside Man is super-duper-luxuriaesque... I first saw that film in the late 80's (?) on the late great Z Channel and I never knew what it was called. Then last month I went to a screening and withing minutes realized that I was seeing this movie that I've been talking about for years.... the funky LeGrand score (with Carol Kaye on bass!), prime early 70's Los Angeles... yeah!!
oh man, yeah, The Outside Man is super-duper-luxuriaesque... I first saw that film in the late 80's (?) on the late great Z Channel and I never knew what it was called. Then last month I went to a screening and withing minutes realized that I was seeing this movie that I've been talking about for years.... the funky LeGrand score (with Carol Kaye on bass!), prime early 70's Los Angeles... yeah!!
Man, It's been forever since I last saw Last Tango in Paris - whew, a little Riunite on ice and I was set.
My 10 yo son fought me a little while ago re: watching vintage films (except of course the Planet of the Apes ahhh love it!) - now he is searching for them! I'm doing my job raising the next generation of Luxurians as he loves this Site. :lol:
His new (my long-time) faves:
Gaslight
The Apartment
In Like Flint
Valley of the Dolls
Caught up with "Kill Bill Vol. 2" today. I am underwhelmed. The movie is an extreme exercise in style, and much of the style is very cool and hip and assured, which means that I feel like I'm violating some implicit code of hipsterism by failing to appreciate the movie. Certainly a lot of care and attention to detail went into the filmmaking, and there are many inspired scenes, moments and bits of dialogue. But I don't think it adds up to much, and the whole package seems more like a self-reflexive and haphazard commentary about Quentin Tarantino's cinematic tastes than it does a cohesive story that you can get lost in purely and directly.
At times "Kill Bill Vol. 2" seems designed for a Luxuria Music listener, because much of the soundtrack includes classic film composers such as Ennio Morricone, Riz Ortolani, Bernard Herrmann and other names that often turn up on Luxuria playlists. Not to mention that several Luxuria founders are friends of Tarantino's. Check the names on the back of the Pulp Fiction soundtrack, or look for another familiar connection on the soundtrack to the movie "Four Rooms."
The problem with "Kill Bill Vol. 2" (and for that matter, Vol. 1) is that Tarantino doesn't really know what he wants the film to be -- a campy drive-in movie homage and trashy action/thrill fest, or a serious story with a sincere dramatic heart. Though it is possible for a nimble storyteller/stylizer to have it both ways, Tarantino is anything but nimble in "Kill Bill." Many scenes plod or fall flat, character speechifying tand behavioral tics take the place of development, Tarantino overrelies on flashbacks for exposition (sly in his earlier films -- a crutch here), and the movie's 11th-hour attempt to give The Bride's revenge quest a sense of purpose and gravity is too little, too late.
On the plus side, "Kill Bill Vol. 2" is excellent eye candy, from the set decoration to the playful film stocks to the beautiful women. The editing is slick too. Technically it's great; it's the storytelling and script -- which are supposed to be Tarantino's strong suits -- where the film falls apart.
Some might think that by even taking the story seriously, I'm somehow missing the point. Sorry, but I'm not about to let a 4-hour (total) film experience coast by on style. Certainly the story has a lot of *stuff* going on, much of which is creative and memorable. The core of the story, however, is hollow: Why should we care about The Bride? Tarantino's answer seems to be that while the other assassins are either sadists or driven by power, The Bride is redeemed by her maternal concerns. Tarantino seems to understand the limitations of this reasoning, because he sets up "Vol. 1"'s first scene for irony (Uma kills one of her sister assassins in front of the woman's daughter) and also has Michael Madsen utter a line about how while he and Bill "deserve to die," "then again, so does [Uma]." Self-conscious or not, I never felt that Uma's assassin deserved any special sympathy or affinity.
Thurman, beautiful and statuesque and strangely graceful (for such a gangly, androgynous woman), does not project much in the way of charisma. I like her, but not enough to accept that a hired killer can be a heroine worthy of my dramatic concern. In fact, I think the whole idea of "assassin protagonists" has worn out its welcome. It was amusing in "Pulp Fiction" when the assassins were portrayed as buffoons who were full of themselves and talked at length about cheeseburgers in Europe -- then, as in "Reservoir Dogs," it was jokey, and Tarantino got some solid laughs out of the stark juxtaposition between the characters' mundane interests and their ability to mete out death.
In "Kill Bill," Tarantino is trying something different; he wants us to love and care about The Bride all the way. Tarantino's camera dotes on Thurman like Von Stroheim's on Marlene Dietrich, or like [insert famous director-obsessed-with-actress here]. Thurman is shot from every angle, in every type of lighting, her body parts moving in every configuration (sans sexual ones) you can imagine. Tarantino seems to think that his obsession will carry over to the audience, but -- she's a fully remorseless killer. At no point does she reflect upon her ability and apparent enjoyment in taking life. Why should I care if she lives or dies?
The answer to that question, Thurman's daughter, is insufficient and is no different from a politician who shouts, "It's for the children! The children are our future!" Anyone under 18 possesses a magical innocence that renders even the most corrupt human beings helpless in its presence. Anybody over 18 is off the love list and can be freely killed, in the bloodiest and most spectacular displays imaginable, for the audience's approval.
The Bride's daughter appears in a few brief scenes as a 5-year-old with golden curls of hair and a winning precociousness that immediately switches to "mute" whenever Bill (David Carradine) needs to speechify. The young actress looks nothing like Uma and even less (thankfully, for her sake) like Carradine -- she seems to have been cast for ultimate cuteness. She is a thing, the grail or prize at the end of the quest. Tarantino takes it for granted that the young girl will immediately bond with her mother in spite of never having met or spent any time with her. Carradine tells a story about a fish falling out of its bowl that is meant to indicate the little girl has the same "killer instinct" as her mother, but this is an example of Tarantino using words to do work that ought to be done cinematically, and I didn't buy any of it.
I'm not the only one who didn't buy it. Others in the audience groaned in disbelief toward the end when Thurman's character convinces another assassin to spare her life because she's pregnant. Suddenly, not only has The Bride found a moral purpose, so too has one of her assailants (apparently because she's also a woman, and chicks gots to stick together -- but only when they're knocked up, otherwise they can kill each other and pluck out each other's eyeballs and whatnot).
Tarantino, in public, is clearly in love with himself. That's fine, he deserves every "American Idol" judgeship he gets. But his self-love has the annoying tendency of bleeding into his movies. Tarantino is in love with his dialogue and seems unwilling to cut any of it. I read the complete "Kill Bill" screenplay (an earlier draft) last fall, and in spite of drastic story changes, most character speeches remained verbatim, even the clunkers. Rather than writing each character with his or her own styles of speech and thought process, Tarantino writes each character in the tone of Tarantino. They are prone to loghorrea and the awkward use of extended metaphors and over-explanatory peripheral details. When Michael Madsen or Daryl Hannah or David Carradine talk, they all sound like they have the same mind. At times, a completely incidental character comes into the movie, talks at length about something, and disappears for the remainder. This not only violates the whole "show me don't tell me" rule of good cinema, but is boring (Christopher Walken's "wristwatch up the ass" story in "Pulp Fiction" is a notable exception to the rule).
These story and dialogue flaws are more noticeable in "Kill Bill Vol. 2" because this 2nd installment carries more of the storytelling and character developing duties. The first movie was mostly fight scenes. From a marketing perspective, this was definitely the right choice: Wow the audiences the first time, then sucker them in for the sappy stuff the 2nd time around.
In its favor, "Kill Bill Vol. 2" does have 2 or 3 fairly solid set pieces: in a coffin, in a trailer, and in a Japanese martial arts master's abode. Too bad they're all stolen. Not precisely, but you might get a prolonged sense of deja vu. Here are a few of the intertextual connections:
-- The wall-breaking fight in the trailer is very similar to the fight between John Goodman and Nicolas Cage in "Raising Arizona."
-- The scene in the coffin directly echoes, right down to the camera angle, a chilling scene in a European movie called "The Vanishing." (It was later remade and happy ending-ized for American audiences.)
-- The scene where Uma, covered in dirt and blood, enters the diner is very similar to Reese Witherspoon's bloodied scene in "Freeway."
-- The scene where Uma receives training from the weird, sadistic bearded master (his tic is to sweep away the wisp of his beard) is probably like a lot of chop-socky movies I haven't seen. It's a little like "Karate Kid"'s wax-on wax-off scene too (okay, not really, unless Ralph Macchio was applying wax with his knuckles onto sandpaper).
-- I don't know what the "black mambo" scene is from, but it certainly isn't the first time something dangerous was hidden in a suitcase full of money.
Other scenes are less obviously stolen/homages, but they're also inexplicable. What's with the woman who has a harelip? Or the pointless scene of Madsen's humiliation at work? Or the scene where Tina Fey flashes her breasts at Julie Andrews? (Just making sure you're paying attention.)
The performances in "Kill Bill Vol. 2" are uneven and don't give you much to work with, in terms of forming opinions about the characters. David Carradine's portrayal of Bill is dry and mechanical. He comes across as a professional who would love to cash in on the coolness cred being in a Tarantino film might provide him, but can't muster the passion to fully get behind the performance. Carradine delivers a lot of lines while over-gesticulating, and at no point did I believe that his emotions were real, or that he had the kind of mystique that might draw four beautiful and powerful women to become his minions.
Daryl Hannah has developed, with age, more of the spooky/dangerous sexiness that she displayed as Pris the killer android in "Blade Runner." Her hair and eye-patch in "Kill Bill" draw attention to the masculine squareness of her jaw, but otherwise the camera is kind to her, and she makes a formidable competitor to Uma Thurman's weird brand of intense beauty. Hannah gets very little opportunity to act or even to shade her character, other than by frequently flipping a tiny notebook full of facts and phone numbers. Mostly she's just a mean bitch with an eye patch, and her showdown scene is about as humiliating a cat fight as you'll ever see.
Michael Madsen is not great, but his performance is the most enjoyable. His one character tic is in the way he constantly throws things around, whether it's a ladder into the back of his pickup truck, or ice cubes into a blender full of margarita mix. He's aggressively sloppy. A good portion of Madsen's eyebrows are plucked off, and it gives him an unnaturally womanly look. He also looks more than a little like Mickey Rourke. Madsen's acting has about as much range as Tom Arnold, but he's interesting to watch.
I guess I liked "Kill Bill Vol. 2" enough to give some thought to why I didn't like it more. If you've seen "Vol. 1" you kinda feel obligated to follow through on your entertainment investment. You can safely wait for the video, though I suppose if you're really desperate to go out and see a movie, and if you want to see some violence but the "Passion of the Christ" and "Hellboy" double-feature is too much, then "Kill Bill Vol. 2" might be one to put your eye on.
-- "Spellbound": No, not the Hitchcock movie with Gregory Peck and dream sequences by Salvador Dali. This is is the documentary about kids in the U.S. national spelling bee. It's a great documentary. They follow around 8 different kids as they prepare to compete. You get a really interesting look into many different cross-sections of America, from West Coast to Midwest to East Coast; from rich to poor; from white to black to Indian to Hispanic. You might find one kid who you want to root for, but only 1 of them will win the gruelling contest, and it's probably not who you think. The spelling bee itself is intense -- you really see these kids squirm when confronted with tough words. The fear and frustration are palpable. The real story here, though, is of each kid's relationship with his parents. Some of them are supportive but mirthful; others seem to take the competition more seriously than their children do. While some of the kids are totally isolated nerds, others are very well-adjusted, and you can see each kid's personality reflected in his parents. Among the most amusing is this kid who obviously has ADD.... Then there's the sadly isolated girl who seems to use spelling to avoid the rest of her life. When the interviewers ask her what she likes to do besides spell, she can't think of anything. This is a terrific movie. If Errol Morris's "Fog of War" hadn't had timely political implications, I think "Spellbound" would have won the Oscar for best documentary.
-- "Owning Mahowny": Philip Seymour Hoffman plays yet another loser with an addiction. In "Love Liza" the addiction was huffing model-airplane fuel; in "Happiness" the addiction was masturbating on the wall; in "Owning Mahowny" the addiction is gambling. I found this movie extremely painful to sit through, because it starts off with Mahowny being about $10,000 in debt, and over the course of the movie he ends up about $10 million in debt. This is a true story; it happened in 1981-1982. The guy worked at a Canadian bank, where he processed loans. He took out a loan under a fake name to pay off his bookie. Then he tried to gamble to get that money back, but it didn't work out, so he kept having to secretly borrow against more bank loans. The Atlantic City casinos loved him -- he kept bringing them hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time. (The head of one of the casinos is played with brilliant sliminess by John Hurt.) Hoffman wears horrible nerdy glasses and looks like crap throughout the movie. You get to see many close-ups of his sweating forehead as he gambles himself into oblivion. Minni Driver plays his neglected girlfriend, who doesn't find out about his gambling problem until it's too late, and then "stands by her man" to the end. In some ways, Mahowny is the luckiest unlucky guy in the world, to have such a supportive girlfriend. Driver wins 2nd Prize in the "incredibly dorky wig that's apparently supposed to be real hair" competition; 1st prize goes to Hope Davis in "American Splendor." I would recommend "Owning Mahowny" to anybody who is considering taking their life savings to Vegas to see if they can double it.
-- "Ripley's Game": This is the second film (that I know of) based on the Patricia Highsmith novels featuring the suave murderer Ripley. (I forget his real name.) The first movie was a rather overblown Anthony Minghella movie featuring Matt Damon as a young Ripley, who was sort of semi-gayly infatuated with Jude Law. In "Ripley's Game," John Malkovich plays a much older, richer Ripley. He lives in a mansion in a small town in Italy, I believe. The story is convoluted but entertaining. Ripley is bored and decides to destroy the innocence of a man who inadvertently insulted him. This leads to all sorts of murder and mayhem, including a hilariously twisted scene in which bodies pile up in a train's bathroom compartment. (Highsmith also wrote the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train" -- you can see the same mind at work here.) The blond guy from "Sexy Beast" gives a compelling performance as a sleazy Russian gangster (what an awesome, gravelly voice he has). The movie also features two incredibly beatuful brunette actresses, one of whom is Ripley's wife and a concert harpsichordist. With all the pointless violence it's easy to see why this went straight to video. If you are looking for an sociopathic alternative to Hannibal Lector who doesn't eat brains, then Ripley's your man.
-- "Shattered Glass": This movie consists almost entirely of scenes shot in a news magazine's hallways, conference rooms, and offices. Most of the movie is talking, with characters questioning other characters, hiding and obfuscating information, and investigating each other. A pivotal scene takes place during a conference call. Other pivotal scenes take place during morning meetings. The only major "outdoor" scene takes place during a car ride that ends with a glimpse around a hotel. I say all of this to point out that "Shattered Glass" turns a bunch of mundane details -- the stuff that is supposed to make for dull cinema -- into a very compelling drama. The story is about Stephen Glass, a hotshot writer who did about 45 articles for The New Republic, as well as freelancing for other high-profile magazines. Glass had a little secret: turns out he was a compulsive liar who made up many of his articles. "Shattered Glass" doesn't try to get inside his head. Instead it dramatizes the unique brand of betrayal that he inflicted on the people who worked with and trusted him, particularly his editors. He was such an obsequius, overly apologetic person, he had turned many of his coworkers into his protectors, and it wasn't until some smart reporters at Forbes Digital Tool started following-up on one of Glass's stories that the magnitude of his bullshit became apparent. Hayden Christensen gives a pretty weak performance as Glass, but he is pretty and empty enough to explain why people (particularly, women staffers) fell for his bland charm. The supporting cast is excellent and completely holds the movie together. Peter Sarsgaard is top-notch. Also good are Hank Azaria, Chloe Sevigny, Steve Zahn, and Melanie Lynskey (the killer girl in "Heavenly Creatures"....boy, did she turn out cute!). As compelling as the movie is, I liked it just for its glimpse into the work-world of a national magazine like the New Republic (which is centrist, not right-wing, as people tend to assume). You could see this as a double-feature with "Bright Lights, Big City" (which chronicles the life of a fact-checker at The New Yorker).
Lord Love a Duck? I know that was a 60s Brit mod (or pseudo-mod)flick, but don't know much else about it.
Actually, I haven't seen "Becoming Colette" or "Gia" -- they're both fairly recent, aren't they? I was particularly interested in Therese & Isabelle since it was supposedly so scandalous when it was first released. Silly me -- I should have expected something that was scandalous for the 60s, not something that's scandalous for the 21st century.
My high school best friend found her father's German porno stash back then, and was amazed to find naked pictures of Angela Cartwright. Remember Angela Cartwright? Sweet, innocent Angela from LOST IN SPACE (she played Penny) and the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC? God, I wish my best pal would have had the guts to steal those pix and bring 'em in to school so I could see 'em.
Nice recommendations. I will look for "Atomic War Bride" at my local Blockbuster Video. (Okay, maybe not there.) Regarding "Vampyros Lesbos," I have the DVD sitting here but have yet to put it on -- I think I'll watch it this weekend. I tried to watch Lars Von Trier's "The Kingdom" the other night but I fell asleep. I also recently watched "Lord Love a Duck," which is great.
I honestly can't think of any good soft-core lesbian flicks to recommend to you, though that is not a genre I would want to ignore. I am sure you've seen "Becoming Colette" and "Gia" and such. I'm sorry that you were the victim of lame-ass cheats and/or censorship. That reminds me of a video of my stepfather's (he had his porn locked up, but I was amateur locksmith with some bent paperclips) where there was always a superimposed houseplant or other object right in front of the groin area of whoever was being serviced.
Hey Twitchy, did you ever watch "Vampyros Lesbos"? I've got the soundtrack, which is tres Lux and very cool. Also, I was visiting some friends in Austin (TX) this past weekend, and we considered renting "Vampyros," but I talked 'em out of it (wasn't really up for yet another lesbian-vampire flick) and into renting THERESE & ISABELLE instead. It's a late-60s Radley Metzger soft-core flick that I've heard and wondered about ever since its initial release. Let me tell you, that flick is a major cheat -- the "lesbian sex" scenes were virtually nonexistent! The first of the two scenes focused solely on the face of one character, and the second scene (set outdoors) was shot from what appeared to be approximately ten miles away, so you couldn't tell what was going on at all. Bleah. (Then again, there was a masturbation scene that was rather nice.)
We also rented and watched a mid-50s-vintage Slavic film (can't remember if it was Czech or Yugo) titled "Atomic War Bride." We expected a dead-pan nuclear-hysterics flick like the ones generally made in the US, but this one actually had a sense of humor (intentionally, that is, as well as unintentionally). Worth a look if you're into that genre. (It comes on a DVD with a US nuclear-hysteria flick the name of which I can't remember.)
Okay... one of the best things about my friend Rob is that he rents all the stupid crap that I'd never willingly pay for but am nonetheless somewhat curious to see. He recently brought over Jeepers Creepers 2... which I wasn't curious at all about but I have to say the DVD menu is HYSTERICAL! The menu options are displayed across a spread, rubbery wing with lots of moaning and "scary" noises and occasional faces pressing up against the fleshy wing material... when SUDDENLY the wing is pulled aside and the Jeepers Creepers monster reaches out and goes "rARRrr!!" When you select Play, the monster smashes through the glass of your tv screen (or so they tried to make it appear) and starts shaking the picture violently while making more Rarrr and Boo and Grrr sounds. I wish the rest of the movie was as much fun! It was like being on one of those haunted house carnival rides.
Yeah the "Memento" thing is cool, we just want people to be able to find it. I'd like to watch it backwards (that is, forwards) sometime out of curiosity. Guy Pearce is a cool actor. I really liked him in "L.A. Confidential" and also "Ravenous" (which has an interesting soundtrack by Michael Nyman and Damon Albarn from Blur). I kinda liked him in "The Time Machine" too.
I'm impressed you say "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not." I am sure the French title is something more subtle than that. You should keep recommending good films; I promise I will go and rent at least 1 or 2 of your recommendations.
Ha! You got me Twitchy--> I guess I was thinking 'moment' when I wrote 'Momento instead of 'Memento' since he can't remember moment to moment and I wrote it twice. We want people to look for the correct title ~ thanks.
Yes, I loved He loves me, he loves me not! Totally faboo film.
By the way, I just looked up Jean-Pierre Jeunet (director of Amelie, Delicatessen, and City of Lost Children) on the IMDB. His next movie is in post-production and should be in theaters later this year. It's called "Un long dimanche de fian
Hey av8ryx, if you dug "Amelie," you should definitely rent a movie called "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not." It also stars Audrey Tautou, but this time her role brings out a whole other side of her. I can't tell you more than that without spoiling the movie....it has a great twist (and you like twists).
Regarding "Momento," I don't mean to be a smart ass, but -- the title is "Memento." It's a cool film. I understand they are planning a sequel, which is called "Memento 2: Now Backwardser!" Okay, maybe not. But they are making a sort of spin-off titled "Mimento," which is about a mime with no short-term memory. My favorite scene is when the bartender spits in his drink and 15 seconds later he drinks from it and makes a yum-yum motion on his stomach. I also think it's cool when he has that Polaroid of the clown with the words, "Do not trust him" written on it.
I highly recommend Amelie, Momento & French Twist. I give these films 4 long,deep tokes. 8)
Amelieis a whimsical film about the trials and tribulations of an off-center little girl that grows into a woman, but retains her eccentric ways. This chick is the best - you'll love how she deals with life! A plus is that the lead of Delicatessen, Dominique Pinon, is in this!!!
Momento:A man with short-term memory loss. What? I was telling you about what???
French Twist: A lesbian van driver hits on a bored housewife right in front of her husband and they become lovers, he is terribly aware - things get very twisty and you'll never guess the ending!
What, nobody has anything to say about movies for the past 4 months? Didn't you see anything?
I have just borrowed the DVD of "Vampyros Lesbos" and will watch it soon and give you an assessment. I also am going to see some Anime/sci-fi thing that was written by Daft Punk, who also do the music. It's supposed to be good.
I just saw "Heavenly Creatures" again, and even though it is exceptional filmmaking, the story just makes me feel sorry for everybody. "Wow that was great....but why was I subjected to that?" If those girls existed today, they could listen to The Smiths, smoke cloves and get negative with dozens of their school peers.
I'm looking forward to the remake of "Day of the Dead," which has Sarah Polley in it, and again takes place in a mall.
The new David Koepp movie looks good (some Stephen King story, starring Johnny Depp). Koepp did a great job directing "Stir of Echoes" so hopefully he'll do a solid job this time too. Even though his writing is pure pop, it's always very entertaining, with lots of surprises.
Oh yeah, I've been watching Bill Forsyth comedies and finding them strange. I like "Comfort & Joy" with the depressed DJ, Dickie Bird, who is in this living hell where his girlfriend leaves him just before Christmas, and then he has to go in to work and do voice-overs for insipid jingles about various brands of candies and treats.
Saw the 2nd 'Matrix' movie on an IMAX screen last week. Hey - that Neil guy can fly now! Rest of it didn't make any sense tho. Just the same, can't wait for the next part - 'Matrix The Apology.'
I feel like, I could probably sit through "School of Rock" and be entertained without the usually feeling I get from Hollywood flicks of having been mentally pimped.
But I don't think it's worth first-run prices. What do you think... wait for the DVD and see what the inevitable extras are?
Actually, I think wait on BILL and IC and go see AMERICAN SPLENDOR at the cheapo theater out here in Pasadena. I also want to see LOST IN TRANSLATION too but I'll wait for it to hit the cheapo.
And there's a new James Ellroy doc called "James Ellroy's Feast Of Death" thats playing at the American Cinematheque on Thursday. Ellroy's an entertaining character, so it should be good.
Geez, Kahoooooona, it sounds like you and your fiancee are made for each other! My current girlfriend's taste in movies apparently runs to crap like STEEL MAGNOLIAS. Vomit. (Luckily she has redeeming qualities.)
I want to see EL TOPO. Betcha Video Vault has a copy available.
We had a great night of watching three Russ Meyer tapes, Mondo Topless, which has a great soundtrack too! I like the Vinnie Bell sounding track during one of the pool scenes, was that ever out on record? Harry, Cheryl & Raquel - just for the bits of Uschi Digard cut surrealistically into the plot. And that western nudie from the fifties.
Speaking of Apple, Allan Klein owns El Topo and has vowed never to release it. Personally, I'm not much of an El Topo guy. I saw it once on video and it didnt do much for me. Have I said that before? I feel like I'm repeating myself.
Has anyone seen Alex Cox' Highway Patrolman. I liked that one alot and its never come out on DVD.
Oh, and Vincent Gallo has re-edited Brown Bunny and he screened it at the Toronto Film Festival where it got better reviews than at Cannes. Hopefully it'll find a distributor.
YOU THERE! LOAL DIVINE! MAKE EL TOPO AND THE JODOROWSKY SOUNDTRACK COME OUT ON DVD AND CD!!!
(hee hee... lucky for me I have someone's burn of the original Apple Records soundtrack in my file shares. I used a section of it in an episode of SPACE PATROL.)
EL TOPO is available in Asia...A not so legitimate box set.
You forgot SANTA SANGRE,which is,I think,the best Alejandro J. movie.
AND the OST does exist on vinyl(don't know about CD...)
1. 'The Day The Earth Caught Fire' (Val Guest, 1961), with Janet Munro, Leo McKern and Edward Judd. Nuclear fission experiments, earth axis gets tilted, the weather changes, sweat, sweat, and more sweat...where will it all end?
2. 'Sleuth' (Anthony Shaffer, 1972), with Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine. Deceit, disguises, games & stuff. Demonic laughter. And great acting.
3. 'The Wicker Man' (Robin Hardy, 1974), with Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland and Christopher 'Lord Summerisle' Lee. Paganism, sex, folk music, and an erm... Wicker Man.
...in the '50s and '60s, in Germany a large number of motion pictures were made based on the crime novels and stories by Edgar Wallace. The films became immensely popular and starred the great German actresses and actors of the times, like Klaus Kinski, Gerd Froebe, Horst Tappert, Joachim Fuchsberger, Mady Rahl, Ingrid Van Bergen and Karin Baal. Peter Thomas was a regular music contributor. A lot of the films began with an ominous, echo-y sounding spoken intro '...HIER SPRICHT EDGAR WALLACE'; and hey, you knew that trouble was on the horizon. There is a great site dedicated to those, and other German movies go to www.deutscher-tonfilm.de
and, in this case, type in 'wallace' as search name. But of course you can look for other subjects too. Although the main text is in German, you can watch very many great movie posters from those days, and there is much, much factual info about every film. Herzliche Gruesse von Frank Lenssen in Old Europe!
Is that finally out on DVD, or not yet? I really don't feel like paying the big bucks for the Russ Meyer DVDs he sells himself at unbelievable prices. Not that I begrudge the prices because the DVDs aren't in mass distribution, but $40 a flick is just... not gonna happen.
Hey Languourous Lass, I thought you might be interested to know that the ending to "Vertigo" was not the original ending. The movie is based on a book, and the original version of the screenplay retained the book's ending, in which the villain (the man who hired Kim Novak to impersonate a haunted blonde) is caught. I believe the very ending was to show Scotty Ferguson (Jimmy Stewart) sitting in his lonely apartment listening to a radio report of Gavin Elster (the villain) being nabbed after fleeing to Europe or something.
Hitchcock changed the ending to reflect the themes of the story, and I think it is a much improved ending rather than a cheat, as you put it. The whole story revolves around a Pygmalion-style death obsession in which Jimmy Stewart is basically in love with, and then haunted by, something that doesn't exist. The ending turns it into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Considering the sense of doom that hangs over the entire movie, and the constant references to death, cemeteries, eternity, and so on, it's more appropriate than a happier ending. Anyway, that's my take on it.
Also, somebody said Hitchcock might be too "mainstream" to qualify as Luxy. I just want to point out that the majority of his movies work on two levels -- one of popular entertainment, and one of a more thematic art film. Some are better at this dual purpose than others. I'd consider "Strangers on a Train" more bubble-gum macabre fun, but "Psycho" is pretty far out and twisted. I don't think any of Bernard Herrmann's music is particularly Luxy, although if you jump ahead to his soundtrack for "Taxi Driver," a few of the arrangements are done in a moody soul-jazz style that almost fits.
Sorry for the speech! Oh, by the way, I recently saw "Midnight Cowboy" for the first time in about 10 years, and it should probably be included on the Luxy list. The music of John Barry fits right in, and so does the drugged-out party music ("Old Man Willow") by The Groop or whatever they're called. The whole movie really holds up well, and still seems inventive in its fast editing (there's more fast editing nowadays, but not used to achieve such precise effects). "Midnight Cowboy" also has a kind of warped, tongue-in-cheek undercurrent. Poor Ratso Rizzo.
Of course, Dutch Frank is absolutely right. "Raumpatrouille" is the name which translates to "Space Patrol," the title of my program and the theme of the show as well, complete with the original vocoderized countdown from 10 to 0 in German - which means - it's educational too!
Remember, the playlists for all episodes of "Space Patrol" are posted, but you have to be a member of the Yahoo! Luxuriamusic group to see them, in the FILES section. http//lroups.yahoo.com/groups/luxuriamusic .
http//luxuriamusic.com
8pm PST, 10pm Kahn-sahhs Ciddee time, 11pm EST - Wednesday and EVERY Wednesday until everyone dies. Or 60 minutes.
Complete your experience with official Luxuriamusic LITLGREY chat.
Know ye of the TORTURE, the agony, the misery of radiphonies...
dear Litlgrey, only after typing my 'Raumpatrouille Orion' message did I notice that you are about to begin you 'Space Patrol' mission. Hah! 'Space Patrol' is the exact, literal translation of 'Raumpatrouille'. I like these kind of surprises. Frank.
...will certainly be one of the coolest movies to come out of 'Old Europe' (I love Old Europe) this year. First, thank you LanguorousLass and Litlgrey for your comments and help, and Lass, yes I like the Lewton films.
'Orion' was an immensely popular Sci-Fi series in Germany; it started in 1965 (hey Captain Kirk, Commander Maclean got there first!). Shot in glorious black and white and featuring a music score by Peter Thomas, the 'Orion' episodes offered fun, irony, retro-chic, and an amazing interior design of the mothership, which included painted plastic Coke cups and an iron mounted on the control panel. Also great the hairstyles. And when 'Orion' has a lift-off out of the water, the fuel condensation is being brought about by a dissolving Aspirine pill. The films didn't moralize the way 'Star Trek' did. Now, what the producers of 2003 have done is not opting for a computer-animated hi-tech remake (a concept which often brought us a lot of drivel) but compiling a feature-length film from the original episodes. The authentic score is being used too.
The movie will open on July 1, and troughout Germany 'Orion'-parties will be held. I am quite sure that it will reach the U.S. and Holland too. More info and German as well as English downloads are available at www.raumpatrouille-derfilm.de/
Bear in mind that the site is under construction. Bye, Frank!
Tod Browning and other early directors filmed english versions of their projects by day with English speaking casts, and by night either their, or their second units, would shoot the versions for the Mexican audience with a Mexican cast, frequently matching shot-block for shot-block, although in the final analysis, the Mexican versions were, how you say, SEXIER, in keeping with the spicier tastes of that audience.
If "El Topo" is at your video store, it may be an out-of-print rental VHS. As far as I know it is not currently on Region-1 DVD, despite the efforts of at least one website community to change that.
"The Apple War"? Haven't heard of that one -- will have to keep an eye out for it.
Frank, I'm sorry to say that I think the ending of "Vertigo" is a big cheat. I saw it on the big screen with a group of law school friends, and at the end, we looked at each other incredulously and then burst out laughing en masse. I do like the sound of the "beard scene" in "Summer Dreams," though. And CARNIVAL OF SOULS (I got tired of using quotation marks for titles) is a don't-miss.
Haven't heard of the Spanish/Mexican DRACULA. Grey, is that the film you were referring to when you said, ". . . but it isn't available"? Because EL TOPO certainly *does* seem to be available, at least at my favorite video stores. I really ought to see it.
Frank, have you seen any of Val Lewton's zombie movies? "I Walked with a Zombie" is great. So is the original CAT PEOPLE (even though it isn't a zombie movie -- I don't seem to be able to stay focused here).
...but it isn't available... "El Topo," described as a cowboy hippie fantasy, by Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1970. The soundtrack was released on Apple Records.
I agree with Leif Erickson Jacques Tati's 'Playtime' is a Luxuria film. An absolute classic which should be viewed on a large screen because of all the beautiful details. I think Hitchcock made too many stylish and innovative films to select just one. Today's choice might be 'Vertigo'. Yes, Sir Alfred belongs to the mainstream, but that can't be an obstacle. Then there's 'The Man Who Wasn't There' (strange sentence, this). Cool, sometimes funny, sometimes depressing. But very fine. As a Beach Boys aficionado I would like to include 'Summer Dreams' which is mainly about the sadder parts of the Boys' history. This one qualifies for me because it has high camp value (it is known as the 'beard' movie because suddenly the young actors are seen with enormous amounts of visibly artificial industrial strenght facial hair). And it has unintentionally good parts too, which is often a recommendation. 'Carnival Of Souls' by Herk Harvey belongs to the list, as does 'Seconds', by John Frankenheimer. Of course we have the great early horror classic 'White Zombie', 'The Black Cat', 'Bride Of Frankenstein', 'Freaks'. And I really must see the Spanish/Mexican parallel version of Tod Browning's 'Dracula'. Apparently it was shot at the same time as the US version, and at least one film critic says it's the better of the two.
I, too, seem to feel like a have a couple dozen "Luxy film" nominees lurking just under the surface of my cerebral cortex waiting to be knocked loose by something or other. Well, I'm taking up bicycling again, so perhaps a crash or two will help.
One that HAS floated to the surface is "The Apple War"--made maybe 25 years ago, about a sexy witch and her family working to prevent a bunch of German businessmen (ALL of whom resembled Gert Frobe) from cutting down a forest and building "Deutchneyland". (in those days, mind you, something like that actually HAPPENING was considered pretty far-fetched. Little did we know!)
Anyway, it had all the proper ingredients--foreign-made (we saw it with subtitles), somewhat counterculture, containing a few moderately sexy parts, and funny as hell. I thought I was going to split a gut when one of the businessmen's mercedes had its engine transformed into a giant Kaiser roll.
Here's a key question re what movies qualify as Luxuriant can they be self-conscious, or must they have obtained coolness as almost an accidental byproduct of their makers' sensibilities?
If the latter is true, then "Down With Love" would not qualify, because it was deliberately made as an homage to the Doris Day/Rock Hudson flicks that we all love (well, that *I* love, anyway). Same for the Austin Powers flicks. Same for "Blue Velvet," IMHO, because it's very self-conscious about its Artiness. (This is not a reference to you, Mr. Fart.)
OTOH, "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" would definitely qualify. So would the original "Valley." So would "Faster, Pussycat!", which is one of my all-time favorite flicks.
Damn. I'd thought of another movie to suggest as Luxuriant, but can't remember which one it was. So I'll just add that I don't know if "Ghost World" qualifies, but I love it anyway.
Oh, now I remember which one I wanted to suggest -- "The Fourth Sex"! It's a totally faboo, taste-free French flick from the early 60s, about a lesbian who turns straight when a guy she knows essentially rapes her. Lotsa great jazz and French pop music on the soundtrack. And if that description doesn't intrigue you, this little tidbit should the flick was released on video by soft-core porn purveyor Radley Metzger.
I wrote one of my earliest film columns on this flick. The column isn't great, but it should give you an idea about the film. Here's the link
http//www.sequentialtart.com/archive/june02/cv_0602_4.shtml
Nominations for Luxuria movies (not necessarily includng ones i've seen or like)--Bugsy Malone, the Austin Powers troika, Lost Highway, Wild At Heart, Blue Velvet, Skiddoo, Ghost World, Breakfast of Champions (drips Martin Denny on the soundtrack), Four Rooms (Combustible Edison, people!), Bedazzled, Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Breathless (NOT the Richard Gere one), Blow Up..for starters?
Hey Chuck, apparently Vincent Gallo now claims that he never apologized for Brown Bunny. Also somehow he has ended up attacking Roger Ebert and apparently put a curse on Ebert's colon. This is all happening in the New York Post. Here is Ebert's response (also from the NY Post)
"Ebert says he has no idea what Gallo meant the other day when he bragged that he'd put a curse on the critic's colon, "but when I had my last colonoscopy, they let me watch it on a little TV, and it was far more entertaining than [Gallo's film] 'Brown Bunny.'"
Coming soon to an art-house theater near you Roger Ebert's Colonoscopy!
Comments
Kabluey
Recently saw the flick "Kabluey" which is about a naive guy who has to wear a blue suit on a road in the middle of nowhere and hand out pink flyers. The plot of the movie is kinda silly but the middle scenes where he's just out in the field are surreal, kinda like Mumenchanz (sp?) meets the cropduster scene in "North by Northewest." One of the women in the movie, Angela Sarafyan, has an awesome moon-faced look to her and would be perfect in any future Luxy movie.
eleki - the outside man
oh man, yeah, The Outside Man is super-duper-luxuriaesque... I first saw that film in the late 80's (?) on the late great Z Channel and I never knew what it was called. Then last month I went to a screening and withing minutes realized that I was seeing this movie that I've been talking about for years.... the funky LeGrand score (with Carol Kaye on bass!), prime early 70's Los Angeles... yeah!!
CFK
eleki - the outside man
oh man, yeah, The Outside Man is super-duper-luxuriaesque... I first saw that film in the late 80's (?) on the late great Z Channel and I never knew what it was called. Then last month I went to a screening and withing minutes realized that I was seeing this movie that I've been talking about for years.... the funky LeGrand score (with Carol Kaye on bass!), prime early 70's Los Angeles... yeah!!
CFK
Film discussion
Man, It's been forever since I last saw Last Tango in Paris - whew, a little Riunite on ice and I was set.
My 10 yo son fought me a little while ago re: watching vintage films (except of course the Planet of the Apes ahhh love it!) - now he is searching for them! I'm doing my job raising the next generation of Luxurians as he loves this Site. :lol:
His new (my long-time) faves:
Gaslight
The Apartment
In Like Flint
Valley of the Dolls
~Lori
Film discussion
I haven't seen KILL BILL yet, so no comments.
Some more or less - probably less - 'Luxuria-esq' movies coming to mind i really like:
Meet The Hollowheads
Mad Monster Party
Up The Junction
Tampopo
Night In Nude
Parents
Un homme est mort / The Outside Man
Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
Soy Cuba/Ya Kuba
Kill Bill Vol. 2
Caught up with "Kill Bill Vol. 2" today. I am underwhelmed. The movie is an extreme exercise in style, and much of the style is very cool and hip and assured, which means that I feel like I'm violating some implicit code of hipsterism by failing to appreciate the movie. Certainly a lot of care and attention to detail went into the filmmaking, and there are many inspired scenes, moments and bits of dialogue. But I don't think it adds up to much, and the whole package seems more like a self-reflexive and haphazard commentary about Quentin Tarantino's cinematic tastes than it does a cohesive story that you can get lost in purely and directly.
At times "Kill Bill Vol. 2" seems designed for a Luxuria Music listener, because much of the soundtrack includes classic film composers such as Ennio Morricone, Riz Ortolani, Bernard Herrmann and other names that often turn up on Luxuria playlists. Not to mention that several Luxuria founders are friends of Tarantino's. Check the names on the back of the Pulp Fiction soundtrack, or look for another familiar connection on the soundtrack to the movie "Four Rooms."
The problem with "Kill Bill Vol. 2" (and for that matter, Vol. 1) is that Tarantino doesn't really know what he wants the film to be -- a campy drive-in movie homage and trashy action/thrill fest, or a serious story with a sincere dramatic heart. Though it is possible for a nimble storyteller/stylizer to have it both ways, Tarantino is anything but nimble in "Kill Bill." Many scenes plod or fall flat, character speechifying tand behavioral tics take the place of development, Tarantino overrelies on flashbacks for exposition (sly in his earlier films -- a crutch here), and the movie's 11th-hour attempt to give The Bride's revenge quest a sense of purpose and gravity is too little, too late.
On the plus side, "Kill Bill Vol. 2" is excellent eye candy, from the set decoration to the playful film stocks to the beautiful women. The editing is slick too. Technically it's great; it's the storytelling and script -- which are supposed to be Tarantino's strong suits -- where the film falls apart.
Some might think that by even taking the story seriously, I'm somehow missing the point. Sorry, but I'm not about to let a 4-hour (total) film experience coast by on style. Certainly the story has a lot of *stuff* going on, much of which is creative and memorable. The core of the story, however, is hollow: Why should we care about The Bride? Tarantino's answer seems to be that while the other assassins are either sadists or driven by power, The Bride is redeemed by her maternal concerns. Tarantino seems to understand the limitations of this reasoning, because he sets up "Vol. 1"'s first scene for irony (Uma kills one of her sister assassins in front of the woman's daughter) and also has Michael Madsen utter a line about how while he and Bill "deserve to die," "then again, so does [Uma]." Self-conscious or not, I never felt that Uma's assassin deserved any special sympathy or affinity.
Thurman, beautiful and statuesque and strangely graceful (for such a gangly, androgynous woman), does not project much in the way of charisma. I like her, but not enough to accept that a hired killer can be a heroine worthy of my dramatic concern. In fact, I think the whole idea of "assassin protagonists" has worn out its welcome. It was amusing in "Pulp Fiction" when the assassins were portrayed as buffoons who were full of themselves and talked at length about cheeseburgers in Europe -- then, as in "Reservoir Dogs," it was jokey, and Tarantino got some solid laughs out of the stark juxtaposition between the characters' mundane interests and their ability to mete out death.
In "Kill Bill," Tarantino is trying something different; he wants us to love and care about The Bride all the way. Tarantino's camera dotes on Thurman like Von Stroheim's on Marlene Dietrich, or like [insert famous director-obsessed-with-actress here]. Thurman is shot from every angle, in every type of lighting, her body parts moving in every configuration (sans sexual ones) you can imagine. Tarantino seems to think that his obsession will carry over to the audience, but -- she's a fully remorseless killer. At no point does she reflect upon her ability and apparent enjoyment in taking life. Why should I care if she lives or dies?
The answer to that question, Thurman's daughter, is insufficient and is no different from a politician who shouts, "It's for the children! The children are our future!" Anyone under 18 possesses a magical innocence that renders even the most corrupt human beings helpless in its presence. Anybody over 18 is off the love list and can be freely killed, in the bloodiest and most spectacular displays imaginable, for the audience's approval.
The Bride's daughter appears in a few brief scenes as a 5-year-old with golden curls of hair and a winning precociousness that immediately switches to "mute" whenever Bill (David Carradine) needs to speechify. The young actress looks nothing like Uma and even less (thankfully, for her sake) like Carradine -- she seems to have been cast for ultimate cuteness. She is a thing, the grail or prize at the end of the quest. Tarantino takes it for granted that the young girl will immediately bond with her mother in spite of never having met or spent any time with her. Carradine tells a story about a fish falling out of its bowl that is meant to indicate the little girl has the same "killer instinct" as her mother, but this is an example of Tarantino using words to do work that ought to be done cinematically, and I didn't buy any of it.
I'm not the only one who didn't buy it. Others in the audience groaned in disbelief toward the end when Thurman's character convinces another assassin to spare her life because she's pregnant. Suddenly, not only has The Bride found a moral purpose, so too has one of her assailants (apparently because she's also a woman, and chicks gots to stick together -- but only when they're knocked up, otherwise they can kill each other and pluck out each other's eyeballs and whatnot).
Tarantino, in public, is clearly in love with himself. That's fine, he deserves every "American Idol" judgeship he gets. But his self-love has the annoying tendency of bleeding into his movies. Tarantino is in love with his dialogue and seems unwilling to cut any of it. I read the complete "Kill Bill" screenplay (an earlier draft) last fall, and in spite of drastic story changes, most character speeches remained verbatim, even the clunkers. Rather than writing each character with his or her own styles of speech and thought process, Tarantino writes each character in the tone of Tarantino. They are prone to loghorrea and the awkward use of extended metaphors and over-explanatory peripheral details. When Michael Madsen or Daryl Hannah or David Carradine talk, they all sound like they have the same mind. At times, a completely incidental character comes into the movie, talks at length about something, and disappears for the remainder. This not only violates the whole "show me don't tell me" rule of good cinema, but is boring (Christopher Walken's "wristwatch up the ass" story in "Pulp Fiction" is a notable exception to the rule).
These story and dialogue flaws are more noticeable in "Kill Bill Vol. 2" because this 2nd installment carries more of the storytelling and character developing duties. The first movie was mostly fight scenes. From a marketing perspective, this was definitely the right choice: Wow the audiences the first time, then sucker them in for the sappy stuff the 2nd time around.
In its favor, "Kill Bill Vol. 2" does have 2 or 3 fairly solid set pieces: in a coffin, in a trailer, and in a Japanese martial arts master's abode. Too bad they're all stolen. Not precisely, but you might get a prolonged sense of deja vu. Here are a few of the intertextual connections:
-- The wall-breaking fight in the trailer is very similar to the fight between John Goodman and Nicolas Cage in "Raising Arizona."
-- The scene in the coffin directly echoes, right down to the camera angle, a chilling scene in a European movie called "The Vanishing." (It was later remade and happy ending-ized for American audiences.)
-- The scene where Uma, covered in dirt and blood, enters the diner is very similar to Reese Witherspoon's bloodied scene in "Freeway."
-- The scene where Uma receives training from the weird, sadistic bearded master (his tic is to sweep away the wisp of his beard) is probably like a lot of chop-socky movies I haven't seen. It's a little like "Karate Kid"'s wax-on wax-off scene too (okay, not really, unless Ralph Macchio was applying wax with his knuckles onto sandpaper).
-- I don't know what the "black mambo" scene is from, but it certainly isn't the first time something dangerous was hidden in a suitcase full of money.
Other scenes are less obviously stolen/homages, but they're also inexplicable. What's with the woman who has a harelip? Or the pointless scene of Madsen's humiliation at work? Or the scene where Tina Fey flashes her breasts at Julie Andrews? (Just making sure you're paying attention.)
The performances in "Kill Bill Vol. 2" are uneven and don't give you much to work with, in terms of forming opinions about the characters. David Carradine's portrayal of Bill is dry and mechanical. He comes across as a professional who would love to cash in on the coolness cred being in a Tarantino film might provide him, but can't muster the passion to fully get behind the performance. Carradine delivers a lot of lines while over-gesticulating, and at no point did I believe that his emotions were real, or that he had the kind of mystique that might draw four beautiful and powerful women to become his minions.
Daryl Hannah has developed, with age, more of the spooky/dangerous sexiness that she displayed as Pris the killer android in "Blade Runner." Her hair and eye-patch in "Kill Bill" draw attention to the masculine squareness of her jaw, but otherwise the camera is kind to her, and she makes a formidable competitor to Uma Thurman's weird brand of intense beauty. Hannah gets very little opportunity to act or even to shade her character, other than by frequently flipping a tiny notebook full of facts and phone numbers. Mostly she's just a mean bitch with an eye patch, and her showdown scene is about as humiliating a cat fight as you'll ever see.
Michael Madsen is not great, but his performance is the most enjoyable. His one character tic is in the way he constantly throws things around, whether it's a ladder into the back of his pickup truck, or ice cubes into a blender full of margarita mix. He's aggressively sloppy. A good portion of Madsen's eyebrows are plucked off, and it gives him an unnaturally womanly look. He also looks more than a little like Mickey Rourke. Madsen's acting has about as much range as Tom Arnold, but he's interesting to watch.
I guess I liked "Kill Bill Vol. 2" enough to give some thought to why I didn't like it more. If you've seen "Vol. 1" you kinda feel obligated to follow through on your entertainment investment. You can safely wait for the video, though I suppose if you're really desperate to go out and see a movie, and if you want to see some violence but the "Passion of the Christ" and "Hellboy" double-feature is too much, then "Kill Bill Vol. 2" might be one to put your eye on.
Film discussion
A few movies I saw recently:
-- "Spellbound": No, not the Hitchcock movie with Gregory Peck and dream sequences by Salvador Dali. This is is the documentary about kids in the U.S. national spelling bee. It's a great documentary. They follow around 8 different kids as they prepare to compete. You get a really interesting look into many different cross-sections of America, from West Coast to Midwest to East Coast; from rich to poor; from white to black to Indian to Hispanic. You might find one kid who you want to root for, but only 1 of them will win the gruelling contest, and it's probably not who you think. The spelling bee itself is intense -- you really see these kids squirm when confronted with tough words. The fear and frustration are palpable. The real story here, though, is of each kid's relationship with his parents. Some of them are supportive but mirthful; others seem to take the competition more seriously than their children do. While some of the kids are totally isolated nerds, others are very well-adjusted, and you can see each kid's personality reflected in his parents. Among the most amusing is this kid who obviously has ADD.... Then there's the sadly isolated girl who seems to use spelling to avoid the rest of her life. When the interviewers ask her what she likes to do besides spell, she can't think of anything. This is a terrific movie. If Errol Morris's "Fog of War" hadn't had timely political implications, I think "Spellbound" would have won the Oscar for best documentary.
-- "Owning Mahowny": Philip Seymour Hoffman plays yet another loser with an addiction. In "Love Liza" the addiction was huffing model-airplane fuel; in "Happiness" the addiction was masturbating on the wall; in "Owning Mahowny" the addiction is gambling. I found this movie extremely painful to sit through, because it starts off with Mahowny being about $10,000 in debt, and over the course of the movie he ends up about $10 million in debt. This is a true story; it happened in 1981-1982. The guy worked at a Canadian bank, where he processed loans. He took out a loan under a fake name to pay off his bookie. Then he tried to gamble to get that money back, but it didn't work out, so he kept having to secretly borrow against more bank loans. The Atlantic City casinos loved him -- he kept bringing them hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time. (The head of one of the casinos is played with brilliant sliminess by John Hurt.) Hoffman wears horrible nerdy glasses and looks like crap throughout the movie. You get to see many close-ups of his sweating forehead as he gambles himself into oblivion. Minni Driver plays his neglected girlfriend, who doesn't find out about his gambling problem until it's too late, and then "stands by her man" to the end. In some ways, Mahowny is the luckiest unlucky guy in the world, to have such a supportive girlfriend. Driver wins 2nd Prize in the "incredibly dorky wig that's apparently supposed to be real hair" competition; 1st prize goes to Hope Davis in "American Splendor." I would recommend "Owning Mahowny" to anybody who is considering taking their life savings to Vegas to see if they can double it.
-- "Ripley's Game": This is the second film (that I know of) based on the Patricia Highsmith novels featuring the suave murderer Ripley. (I forget his real name.) The first movie was a rather overblown Anthony Minghella movie featuring Matt Damon as a young Ripley, who was sort of semi-gayly infatuated with Jude Law. In "Ripley's Game," John Malkovich plays a much older, richer Ripley. He lives in a mansion in a small town in Italy, I believe. The story is convoluted but entertaining. Ripley is bored and decides to destroy the innocence of a man who inadvertently insulted him. This leads to all sorts of murder and mayhem, including a hilariously twisted scene in which bodies pile up in a train's bathroom compartment. (Highsmith also wrote the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock's "Strangers on a Train" -- you can see the same mind at work here.) The blond guy from "Sexy Beast" gives a compelling performance as a sleazy Russian gangster (what an awesome, gravelly voice he has). The movie also features two incredibly beatuful brunette actresses, one of whom is Ripley's wife and a concert harpsichordist. With all the pointless violence it's easy to see why this went straight to video. If you are looking for an sociopathic alternative to Hannibal Lector who doesn't eat brains, then Ripley's your man.
-- "Shattered Glass": This movie consists almost entirely of scenes shot in a news magazine's hallways, conference rooms, and offices. Most of the movie is talking, with characters questioning other characters, hiding and obfuscating information, and investigating each other. A pivotal scene takes place during a conference call. Other pivotal scenes take place during morning meetings. The only major "outdoor" scene takes place during a car ride that ends with a glimpse around a hotel. I say all of this to point out that "Shattered Glass" turns a bunch of mundane details -- the stuff that is supposed to make for dull cinema -- into a very compelling drama. The story is about Stephen Glass, a hotshot writer who did about 45 articles for The New Republic, as well as freelancing for other high-profile magazines. Glass had a little secret: turns out he was a compulsive liar who made up many of his articles. "Shattered Glass" doesn't try to get inside his head. Instead it dramatizes the unique brand of betrayal that he inflicted on the people who worked with and trusted him, particularly his editors. He was such an obsequius, overly apologetic person, he had turned many of his coworkers into his protectors, and it wasn't until some smart reporters at Forbes Digital Tool started following-up on one of Glass's stories that the magnitude of his bullshit became apparent. Hayden Christensen gives a pretty weak performance as Glass, but he is pretty and empty enough to explain why people (particularly, women staffers) fell for his bland charm. The supporting cast is excellent and completely holds the movie together. Peter Sarsgaard is top-notch. Also good are Hank Azaria, Chloe Sevigny, Steve Zahn, and Melanie Lynskey (the killer girl in "Heavenly Creatures"....boy, did she turn out cute!). As compelling as the movie is, I liked it just for its glimpse into the work-world of a national magazine like the New Republic (which is centrist, not right-wing, as people tend to assume). You could see this as a double-feature with "Bright Lights, Big City" (which chronicles the life of a fact-checker at The New Yorker).
Film discussion
Lord Love a Duck? I know that was a 60s Brit mod (or pseudo-mod)flick, but don't know much else about it.
Actually, I haven't seen "Becoming Colette" or "Gia" -- they're both fairly recent, aren't they? I was particularly interested in Therese & Isabelle since it was supposedly so scandalous when it was first released. Silly me -- I should have expected something that was scandalous for the 60s, not something that's scandalous for the 21st century.
My high school best friend found her father's German porno stash back then, and was amazed to find naked pictures of Angela Cartwright. Remember Angela Cartwright? Sweet, innocent Angela from LOST IN SPACE (she played Penny) and the film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC? God, I wish my best pal would have had the guts to steal those pix and bring 'em in to school so I could see 'em.
Film discussion
Nice recommendations. I will look for "Atomic War Bride" at my local Blockbuster Video. (Okay, maybe not there.) Regarding "Vampyros Lesbos," I have the DVD sitting here but have yet to put it on -- I think I'll watch it this weekend. I tried to watch Lars Von Trier's "The Kingdom" the other night but I fell asleep. I also recently watched "Lord Love a Duck," which is great.
I honestly can't think of any good soft-core lesbian flicks to recommend to you, though that is not a genre I would want to ignore. I am sure you've seen "Becoming Colette" and "Gia" and such. I'm sorry that you were the victim of lame-ass cheats and/or censorship. That reminds me of a video of my stepfather's (he had his porn locked up, but I was amateur locksmith with some bent paperclips) where there was always a superimposed houseplant or other object right in front of the groin area of whoever was being serviced.
Film discussion
Hey Twitchy, did you ever watch "Vampyros Lesbos"? I've got the soundtrack, which is tres Lux and very cool. Also, I was visiting some friends in Austin (TX) this past weekend, and we considered renting "Vampyros," but I talked 'em out of it (wasn't really up for yet another lesbian-vampire flick) and into renting THERESE & ISABELLE instead. It's a late-60s Radley Metzger soft-core flick that I've heard and wondered about ever since its initial release. Let me tell you, that flick is a major cheat -- the "lesbian sex" scenes were virtually nonexistent! The first of the two scenes focused solely on the face of one character, and the second scene (set outdoors) was shot from what appeared to be approximately ten miles away, so you couldn't tell what was going on at all. Bleah. (Then again, there was a masturbation scene that was rather nice.)
We also rented and watched a mid-50s-vintage Slavic film (can't remember if it was Czech or Yugo) titled "Atomic War Bride." We expected a dead-pan nuclear-hysterics flick like the ones generally made in the US, but this one actually had a sense of humor (intentionally, that is, as well as unintentionally). Worth a look if you're into that genre. (It comes on a DVD with a US nuclear-hysteria flick the name of which I can't remember.)
Film discussion
Okay... one of the best things about my friend Rob is that he rents all the stupid crap that I'd never willingly pay for but am nonetheless somewhat curious to see. He recently brought over Jeepers Creepers 2... which I wasn't curious at all about but I have to say the DVD menu is HYSTERICAL! The menu options are displayed across a spread, rubbery wing with lots of moaning and "scary" noises and occasional faces pressing up against the fleshy wing material... when SUDDENLY the wing is pulled aside and the Jeepers Creepers monster reaches out and goes "rARRrr!!" When you select Play, the monster smashes through the glass of your tv screen (or so they tried to make it appear) and starts shaking the picture violently while making more Rarrr and Boo and Grrr sounds. I wish the rest of the movie was as much fun! It was like being on one of those haunted house carnival rides.
Film discussion
Yeah the "Memento" thing is cool, we just want people to be able to find it. I'd like to watch it backwards (that is, forwards) sometime out of curiosity. Guy Pearce is a cool actor. I really liked him in "L.A. Confidential" and also "Ravenous" (which has an interesting soundtrack by Michael Nyman and Damon Albarn from Blur). I kinda liked him in "The Time Machine" too.
I'm impressed you say "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not." I am sure the French title is something more subtle than that. You should keep recommending good films; I promise I will go and rent at least 1 or 2 of your recommendations.
Film discussion
Ha! You got me Twitchy--> I guess I was thinking 'moment' when I wrote 'Momento instead of 'Memento' since he can't remember moment to moment and I wrote it twice. We want people to look for the correct title ~ thanks.
Yes, I loved He loves me, he loves me not! Totally faboo film.
Film discussion
By the way, I just looked up Jean-Pierre Jeunet (director of Amelie, Delicatessen, and City of Lost Children) on the IMDB. His next movie is in post-production and should be in theaters later this year. It's called "Un long dimanche de fian
Film discussion
Hey av8ryx, if you dug "Amelie," you should definitely rent a movie called "He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not." It also stars Audrey Tautou, but this time her role brings out a whole other side of her. I can't tell you more than that without spoiling the movie....it has a great twist (and you like twists).
Regarding "Momento," I don't mean to be a smart ass, but -- the title is "Memento." It's a cool film. I understand they are planning a sequel, which is called "Memento 2: Now Backwardser!" Okay, maybe not. But they are making a sort of spin-off titled "Mimento," which is about a mime with no short-term memory. My favorite scene is when the bartender spits in his drink and 15 seconds later he drinks from it and makes a yum-yum motion on his stomach. I also think it's cool when he has that Polaroid of the clown with the words, "Do not trust him" written on it.
Av8ryx' Faboo Picks
I highly recommend Amelie, Momento & French Twist. I give these films 4 long,deep tokes. 8)
Amelie is a whimsical film about the trials and tribulations of an off-center little girl that grows into a woman, but retains her eccentric ways. This chick is the best - you'll love how she deals with life! A plus is that the lead of Delicatessen, Dominique Pinon, is in this!!!
Momento: A man with short-term memory loss. What? I was telling you about what???
French Twist: A lesbian van driver hits on a bored housewife right in front of her husband and they become lovers, he is terribly aware - things get very twisty and you'll never guess the ending!
Film discussion
What, nobody has anything to say about movies for the past 4 months? Didn't you see anything?
I have just borrowed the DVD of "Vampyros Lesbos" and will watch it soon and give you an assessment. I also am going to see some Anime/sci-fi thing that was written by Daft Punk, who also do the music. It's supposed to be good.
I just saw "Heavenly Creatures" again, and even though it is exceptional filmmaking, the story just makes me feel sorry for everybody. "Wow that was great....but why was I subjected to that?" If those girls existed today, they could listen to The Smiths, smoke cloves and get negative with dozens of their school peers.
I'm looking forward to the remake of "Day of the Dead," which has Sarah Polley in it, and again takes place in a mall.
The new David Koepp movie looks good (some Stephen King story, starring Johnny Depp). Koepp did a great job directing "Stir of Echoes" so hopefully he'll do a solid job this time too. Even though his writing is pure pop, it's always very entertaining, with lots of surprises.
Oh yeah, I've been watching Bill Forsyth comedies and finding them strange. I like "Comfort & Joy" with the depressed DJ, Dickie Bird, who is in this living hell where his girlfriend leaves him just before Christmas, and then he has to go in to work and do voice-overs for insipid jingles about various brands of candies and treats.
that Trinity babe
Saw the 2nd 'Matrix' movie on an IMAX screen last week. Hey - that Neil guy can fly now! Rest of it didn't make any sense tho. Just the same, can't wait for the next part - 'Matrix The Apology.'
Film Question
I feel like, I could probably sit through "School of Rock" and be entertained without the usually feeling I get from Hollywood flicks of having been mentally pimped.
But I don't think it's worth first-run prices. What do you think... wait for the DVD and see what the inevitable extras are?
da movies
Actually, I think wait on BILL and IC and go see AMERICAN SPLENDOR at the cheapo theater out here in Pasadena. I also want to see LOST IN TRANSLATION too but I'll wait for it to hit the cheapo.
And there's a new James Ellroy doc called "James Ellroy's Feast Of Death" thats playing at the American Cinematheque on Thursday. Ellroy's an entertaining character, so it should be good.
film
ALWAYS Coen. NE'ER Tarant.
which should i see first...
Intolerable Cruelty (Coen Bros) or Kill, Bill? I'm leaning toward Intolerable Cruelty.
Chuck
Kahoooooona . . .
Geez, Kahoooooona, it sounds like you and your fiancee are made for each other! My current girlfriend's taste in movies apparently runs to crap like STEEL MAGNOLIAS. Vomit. (Luckily she has redeeming qualities.)
I want to see EL TOPO. Betcha Video Vault has a copy available.
this one more movie
how could i forget these
We had a great night of watching three Russ Meyer tapes, Mondo Topless, which has a great soundtrack too! I like the Vinnie Bell sounding track during one of the pool scenes, was that ever out on record? Harry, Cheryl & Raquel - just for the bits of Uschi Digard cut surrealistically into the plot. And that western nudie from the fifties.
KK
Luxuresque movies
When I first came to my now fiancee
EL TOPO
Speaking of Apple, Allan Klein owns El Topo and has vowed never to release it. Personally, I'm not much of an El Topo guy. I saw it once on video and it didnt do much for me. Have I said that before? I feel like I'm repeating myself.
Has anyone seen Alex Cox' Highway Patrolman. I liked that one alot and its never come out on DVD.
Oh, and Vincent Gallo has re-edited Brown Bunny and he screened it at the Toronto Film Festival where it got better reviews than at Cannes. Hopefully it'll find a distributor.
Chuck
El Topo
YOU THERE! LOAL DIVINE! MAKE EL TOPO AND THE JODOROWSKY SOUNDTRACK COME OUT ON DVD AND CD!!!
(hee hee... lucky for me I have someone's burn of the original Apple Records soundtrack in my file shares. I used a section of it in an episode of SPACE PATROL.)
JODO.
EL TOPO is available in Asia...A not so legitimate box set. You forgot SANTA SANGRE,which is,I think,the best Alejandro J. movie. AND the OST does exist on vinyl(don't know about CD...)huh?
And I here I thought I would learn something new. Let's all go see El Topo again fer godsakkes...
Bill Bixby
'The Hulk' - wow, does that movie ever suck!
oops...
...it was Joseph L. Mankiewicz who directed 'Sleuth'. Frank.
Three UK Luxuria-esque motion pictures...
1. 'The Day The Earth Caught Fire' (Val Guest, 1961), with Janet Munro, Leo McKern and Edward Judd. Nuclear fission experiments, earth axis gets tilted, the weather changes, sweat, sweat, and more sweat...where will it all end?
2. 'Sleuth' (Anthony Shaffer, 1972), with Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine. Deceit, disguises, games & stuff. Demonic laughter. And great acting.
3. 'The Wicker Man' (Robin Hardy, 1974), with Edward Woodward, Britt Ekland and Christopher 'Lord Summerisle' Lee. Paganism, sex, folk music, and an erm... Wicker Man.
OLD EUROPE SPEAKING AGAIN!!......
...in the '50s and '60s, in Germany a large number of motion pictures were made based on the crime novels and stories by Edgar Wallace. The films became immensely popular and starred the great German actresses and actors of the times, like Klaus Kinski, Gerd Froebe, Horst Tappert, Joachim Fuchsberger, Mady Rahl, Ingrid Van Bergen and Karin Baal. Peter Thomas was a regular music contributor. A lot of the films began with an ominous, echo-y sounding spoken intro '...HIER SPRICHT EDGAR WALLACE'; and hey, you knew that trouble was on the horizon. There is a great site dedicated to those, and other German movies go to
www.deutscher-tonfilm.de
and, in this case, type in 'wallace' as search name. But of course you can look for other subjects too. Although the main text is in German, you can watch very many great movie posters from those days, and there is much, much factual info about every film. Herzliche Gruesse von Frank Lenssen in Old Europe!
BVD
Is that finally out on DVD, or not yet? I really don't feel like paying the big bucks for the Russ Meyer DVDs he sells himself at unbelievable prices. Not that I begrudge the prices because the DVDs aren't in mass distribution, but $40 a flick is just... not gonna happen.
luxuria movies
must include Beyond the Valley of the Dolls!
Hitchcock's "Vertigo"... Also, "Midnight Cowb
Hey Languourous Lass, I thought you might be interested to know that the ending to "Vertigo" was not the original ending. The movie is based on a book, and the original version of the screenplay retained the book's ending, in which the villain (the man who hired Kim Novak to impersonate a haunted blonde) is caught. I believe the very ending was to show Scotty Ferguson (Jimmy Stewart) sitting in his lonely apartment listening to a radio report of Gavin Elster (the villain) being nabbed after fleeing to Europe or something.
Hitchcock changed the ending to reflect the themes of the story, and I think it is a much improved ending rather than a cheat, as you put it. The whole story revolves around a Pygmalion-style death obsession in which Jimmy Stewart is basically in love with, and then haunted by, something that doesn't exist. The ending turns it into a self-fulfilling prophecy. Considering the sense of doom that hangs over the entire movie, and the constant references to death, cemeteries, eternity, and so on, it's more appropriate than a happier ending. Anyway, that's my take on it.
Also, somebody said Hitchcock might be too "mainstream" to qualify as Luxy. I just want to point out that the majority of his movies work on two levels -- one of popular entertainment, and one of a more thematic art film. Some are better at this dual purpose than others. I'd consider "Strangers on a Train" more bubble-gum macabre fun, but "Psycho" is pretty far out and twisted. I don't think any of Bernard Herrmann's music is particularly Luxy, although if you jump ahead to his soundtrack for "Taxi Driver," a few of the arrangements are done in a moody soul-jazz style that almost fits.
Sorry for the speech! Oh, by the way, I recently saw "Midnight Cowboy" for the first time in about 10 years, and it should probably be included on the Luxy list. The music of John Barry fits right in, and so does the drugged-out party music ("Old Man Willow") by The Groop or whatever they're called. The whole movie really holds up well, and still seems inventive in its fast editing (there's more fast editing nowadays, but not used to achieve such precise effects). "Midnight Cowboy" also has a kind of warped, tongue-in-cheek undercurrent. Poor Ratso Rizzo.
SPACE PATROL
Of course, Dutch Frank is absolutely right. "Raumpatrouille" is the name which translates to "Space Patrol," the title of my program and the theme of the show as well, complete with the original vocoderized countdown from 10 to 0 in German - which means - it's educational too!
Remember, the playlists for all episodes of "Space Patrol" are posted, but you have to be a member of the Yahoo! Luxuriamusic group to see them, in the FILES section. http//lroups.yahoo.com/groups/luxuriamusic .
http//luxuriamusic.com
8pm PST, 10pm Kahn-sahhs Ciddee time, 11pm EST - Wednesday and EVERY Wednesday until everyone dies. Or 60 minutes.
Complete your experience with official Luxuriamusic LITLGREY chat.
Know ye of the TORTURE, the agony, the misery of radiphonies...
with SPACE PATROL.
Synchronicity, coincidence...
dear Litlgrey, only after typing my 'Raumpatrouille Orion' message did I notice that you are about to begin you 'Space Patrol' mission. Hah! 'Space Patrol' is the exact, literal translation of 'Raumpatrouille'. I like these kind of surprises. Frank.
oops...the 'Orion' commander's name is...
...Cliff Allister McLane. Frank.
'Raumpatrouille Orion - Ruecksturz Ins Kino'...
...will certainly be one of the coolest movies to come out of 'Old Europe' (I love Old Europe) this year. First, thank you LanguorousLass and Litlgrey for your comments and help, and Lass, yes I like the Lewton films.
'Orion' was an immensely popular Sci-Fi series in Germany; it started in 1965 (hey Captain Kirk, Commander Maclean got there first!). Shot in glorious black and white and featuring a music score by Peter Thomas, the 'Orion' episodes offered fun, irony, retro-chic, and an amazing interior design of the mothership, which included painted plastic Coke cups and an iron mounted on the control panel. Also great the hairstyles. And when 'Orion' has a lift-off out of the water, the fuel condensation is being brought about by a dissolving Aspirine pill. The films didn't moralize the way 'Star Trek' did. Now, what the producers of 2003 have done is not opting for a computer-animated hi-tech remake (a concept which often brought us a lot of drivel) but compiling a feature-length film from the original episodes. The authentic score is being used too.
The movie will open on July 1, and troughout Germany 'Orion'-parties will be held. I am quite sure that it will reach the U.S. and Holland too. More info and German as well as English downloads are available at
www.raumpatrouille-derfilm.de/
Bear in mind that the site is under construction. Bye, Frank!
LAS PELICULAS LUCSURIAS
Tod Browning and other early directors filmed english versions of their projects by day with English speaking casts, and by night either their, or their second units, would shoot the versions for the Mexican audience with a Mexican cast, frequently matching shot-block for shot-block, although in the final analysis, the Mexican versions were, how you say, SEXIER, in keeping with the spicier tastes of that audience.
If "El Topo" is at your video store, it may be an out-of-print rental VHS. As far as I know it is not currently on Region-1 DVD, despite the efforts of at least one website community to change that.
More Lux movies
"The Apple War"? Haven't heard of that one -- will have to keep an eye out for it.
Frank, I'm sorry to say that I think the ending of "Vertigo" is a big cheat. I saw it on the big screen with a group of law school friends, and at the end, we looked at each other incredulously and then burst out laughing en masse. I do like the sound of the "beard scene" in "Summer Dreams," though. And CARNIVAL OF SOULS (I got tired of using quotation marks for titles) is a don't-miss.
Haven't heard of the Spanish/Mexican DRACULA. Grey, is that the film you were referring to when you said, ". . . but it isn't available"? Because EL TOPO certainly *does* seem to be available, at least at my favorite video stores. I really ought to see it.
Frank, have you seen any of Val Lewton's zombie movies? "I Walked with a Zombie" is great. So is the original CAT PEOPLE (even though it isn't a zombie movie -- I don't seem to be able to stay focused here).
Film...
...but it isn't available... "El Topo," described as a cowboy hippie fantasy, by Alejandro Jodorowsky, 1970. The soundtrack was released on Apple Records.
first thoughts
I agree with Leif Erickson Jacques Tati's 'Playtime' is a Luxuria film. An absolute classic which should be viewed on a large screen because of all the beautiful details. I think Hitchcock made too many stylish and innovative films to select just one. Today's choice might be 'Vertigo'. Yes, Sir Alfred belongs to the mainstream, but that can't be an obstacle. Then there's 'The Man Who Wasn't There' (strange sentence, this). Cool, sometimes funny, sometimes depressing. But very fine. As a Beach Boys aficionado I would like to include 'Summer Dreams' which is mainly about the sadder parts of the Boys' history. This one qualifies for me because it has high camp value (it is known as the 'beard' movie because suddenly the young actors are seen with enormous amounts of visibly artificial industrial strenght facial hair). And it has unintentionally good parts too, which is often a recommendation. 'Carnival Of Souls' by Herk Harvey belongs to the list, as does 'Seconds', by John Frankenheimer. Of course we have the great early horror classic 'White Zombie', 'The Black Cat', 'Bride Of Frankenstein', 'Freaks'. And I really must see the Spanish/Mexican parallel version of Tod Browning's 'Dracula'. Apparently it was shot at the same time as the US version, and at least one film critic says it's the better of the two.
MOS, and then some
No offense taken whatsover, Denise.
I, too, seem to feel like a have a couple dozen "Luxy film" nominees lurking just under the surface of my cerebral cortex waiting to be knocked loose by something or other. Well, I'm taking up bicycling again, so perhaps a crash or two will help.
One that HAS floated to the surface is "The Apple War"--made maybe 25 years ago, about a sexy witch and her family working to prevent a bunch of German businessmen (ALL of whom resembled Gert Frobe) from cutting down a forest and building "Deutchneyland". (in those days, mind you, something like that actually HAPPENING was considered pretty far-fetched. Little did we know!)
Anyway, it had all the proper ingredients--foreign-made (we saw it with subtitles), somewhat counterculture, containing a few moderately sexy parts, and funny as hell. I thought I was going to split a gut when one of the businessmen's mercedes had its engine transformed into a giant Kaiser roll.
Lux movies
Here's a key question re what movies qualify as Luxuriant can they be self-conscious, or must they have obtained coolness as almost an accidental byproduct of their makers' sensibilities?
If the latter is true, then "Down With Love" would not qualify, because it was deliberately made as an homage to the Doris Day/Rock Hudson flicks that we all love (well, that *I* love, anyway). Same for the Austin Powers flicks. Same for "Blue Velvet," IMHO, because it's very self-conscious about its Artiness. (This is not a reference to you, Mr. Fart.)
OTOH, "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" would definitely qualify. So would the original "Valley." So would "Faster, Pussycat!", which is one of my all-time favorite flicks.
Damn. I'd thought of another movie to suggest as Luxuriant, but can't remember which one it was. So I'll just add that I don't know if "Ghost World" qualifies, but I love it anyway.
Oh, now I remember which one I wanted to suggest -- "The Fourth Sex"! It's a totally faboo, taste-free French flick from the early 60s, about a lesbian who turns straight when a guy she knows essentially rapes her. Lotsa great jazz and French pop music on the soundtrack. And if that description doesn't intrigue you, this little tidbit should the flick was released on video by soft-core porn purveyor Radley Metzger.
I wrote one of my earliest film columns on this flick. The column isn't great, but it should give you an idea about the film. Here's the link
http//www.sequentialtart.com/archive/june02/cv_0602_4.shtml
Attention:
"The President's Analyst" is VERY!!!! germaine to the Luxuria style and flair!
SCREAM YOUR FUCKIN' FOOL HEADS OFF UNTIL IT (and "The Loved One," Robert Morley, John Gielgud, Rod Steiger, et. al) ARE AVAILABLE ON DVD!
Film discussion
Nominations for Luxuria movies (not necessarily includng ones i've seen or like)--Bugsy Malone, the Austin Powers troika, Lost Highway, Wild At Heart, Blue Velvet, Skiddoo, Ghost World, Breakfast of Champions (drips Martin Denny on the soundtrack), Four Rooms (Combustible Edison, people!), Bedazzled, Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Breathless (NOT the Richard Gere one), Blow Up..for starters?
The Brown Bunny Saga Continues
Hey Chuck, apparently Vincent Gallo now claims that he never apologized for Brown Bunny. Also somehow he has ended up attacking Roger Ebert and apparently put a curse on Ebert's colon. This is all happening in the New York Post. Here is Ebert's response (also from the NY Post)
"Ebert says he has no idea what Gallo meant the other day when he bragged that he'd put a curse on the critic's colon, "but when I had my last colonoscopy, they let me watch it on a little TV, and it was far more entertaining than [Gallo's film] 'Brown Bunny.'"
Coming soon to an art-house theater near you Roger Ebert's Colonoscopy!