[Dr. Eugene Felikson]

Yeah, I got...

Sonatine, Lizard in a Woman's Skin, Microwave Massacre, Bride of Frank, that Woody Allen/Godard interview, a foreign horror film that I can't recall the name of but Lauren wanted to check out, and I'm trying to get this independent horror flick, Machine Head right now - but it's the last day of the free leech and shit's frozen solid at less than 2kbps. Oh well...

Dandy Dust? Hmmm... will do if I can get this other flick to finish.

[atsonicpark]

yay

will rate!!

Sonatine - 10/10
Lizard in a Woman's Skin - 7/10 (one of Fulci's better films, and certainly one of his weirdest. I really like Fulci, though, for whatewver reason. always has weird atmospheres. This is his best directed film)
Microwave Massacre - 6/10 (weird, fun film, has that odd vibe I dig in horror films.. y'know, like STRANGE BEHAVIOUR and stuff like that.. but doesn't completely work. Trashy and fun but feels a bit long. I do reccomend DOOM ASYLUM, actually, I don't think I've ever reccomended that one, it's not really similiar but it has that odd as hell trashy vibe that makes 80's horror so compelling. Actually, this one sometimes reminds me a lesser slime City)
Bride of Frank - 10/10 (funniest, most insane, most ridiculous "horror film" ever, probably. Actually has a lot of HEART! This thing is unlike anything you've EVER seen -- an AMAZING underground film. The director worked at a factory, so he filmed his factory friends doing insane shit. That's about it. It feels like the film TRASH HUMPERS wanted to be.. it also feels like if Giuseppe and John Waters collaborated. I can't overstate this enough: i LOVE this film.)
that Woody Allen/Godard interview - 5/10 (this thing is kind of a waste but is fucking hilarious, because Godard talks so fast that Allen can't even keep up with him and Allen starts talking about shit that has noting to do with godard's questions. Love the opening shot, where Godard references MANHATTAN. Two of the best directors ever meeting, and the results are downright odd most of the time.)

Wee!

FREE LEECH rocks, luckily cinemageddon does it 4 or 5 times a year. The best torrents to get on the site during that time are the huge mega torrents, like the AKI KAURISMAKI collection, you will build your ratio up like WHOA, get TONS of credits also, and get lots of good flicks to boot -- for free!

Have fun!!

[Dr. Eugene Felikson]

Yeah, I got Sonatine because Ishii plugged it in that interview I posted, and I figured that maybe I'd enjoy it more than Hana-Bi (which I liked, but didn't necessarily love - aside from that memorably symbolic shot of the guy in the wheelchair gazing out into the ocean).

Lizard is one of the few Fulci's I have left to see so I figured I'd give that a spin.

I'm very pumped for Bride of Frank. Especially after the Giuseppe meets Waters mention - oh boy!

But yeah, I noticed you didn't comment on Machine Head, so you probably haven't seen it. I can't recommend it, cause I haven't even finished d/l'ing it yet but, just look at this cover...

 

At least it made me chuckle.

[atsonicpark]

I thought you gave Hana-Bi a 10? I will say, Hana-Bi gets better with every watch, there are SO MANY great little details.. my favorite is when he throws the paint at the suicide painting.

Let's see.. brain damage films released PREMUTOS: LORD OF THE LIVING DEAD, didn't it? That's the 2nd goriest film ever made. Didn't they release JACKHAMMER MASSACRE, with Rachel Rotton and an LSD maniac with a jackhammer? Brain Damage is an insane company.

[Dr. Eugene Felikson]

You must be thinking of yourself... or maybe Derek, haha. I'm pretty sure I gave it an 8. Which is really good, but I was expecting for my mind to be blown. Like it has been by Ishii's Taste of Tea, Funky Forest, and Shark Skin Man + Peach Hip Girl, and not so much Party 7... haha.

I haven't seen anything Brain Damage has released yet, so this'll be my first venture, but I do love me some Rachel Rotten. Oh, the things I'd love to do to her...

[atsonicpark]

I'm pretty sure you said you were going to give it a 9 and then you said "fuck it I'll give it a 10." I'd check on your "msgs" thing but I'm too lazy.

[Dr. Eugene Felikson]

That was Taste of Tea, I think... but I dunno... I'm lazy too. ha

Either way they're all extremely well-made films.

I just really like Ishii's stuff because it's so explosive and lively. The editing and choice of framing is always really neat, and all of his films have a very quirky art design - but more like playful and fun quirky, and not poop-on-my-upper-lip Jim Jarmusch quirky. He's not afraid to change mediums, or significantly alter his way of telling a story throughout a film whenever he pleases. It's some really neat stuff, and is pretty unique from any director I've ever seen. It's really inspiring, and reminds me that every second of a film should be like candy in one way or another.

[atsonicpark]

yeah, he's awesome, some of his stuff reminds me of SOGO ISHII and SEIJIN SUZUKI (kind of like Kitano, hey!), because both of those directors did similiar things to this Ishii, starting out with one kind of genre exercise and then just piling on the absurdities, deconstructing the idea of the film, with some really surreal and interesting results. taste of tea was a beautiful film -- at times, it definitely had a Kitano vibe, as well as a Shinji Aoyanama and an Ozu vibe -- but when it got really surreal and out-there, it reminded me of some of the great Japanese new-wave filmmakers of the past, like Nobuhiko Obayashi (his short film EMOTION in particular -- http://www.ubu.com/film/obayashi_emotion.html) and Shuji Terayama (whose experimental film works cast a long shadow over just about everything else that's ever been created in film'; I'm not embarassed to say that Terayama is my biggest influence as a director, because he taught me that if you can craft really inane visuals, you should! Because that's really the most important thing as far as filmmaking goes -- especially of the experimental nature -- because films are a viaul language, afterall. worry about the "story" later, if you want; just make some crazy visuals! His full length films PASTORAL TO DIE IN THE COUNTRY and THROW AWAY YOUR BOOKS AND RALLY IN THE STREETS actually changed my life). Still, while having roots in the very very visual Japanese new wave of the 60's/70's, a film like TASTE OF TEA forges its own path. It's got a LOT of personality, something missing from many cold, recent Japanese films (even recent Japanese films I LOVE -- like Scrap Heaven, Hanging Garden, and the masterpiece All About lily Chou Chou -- seem primarily concerned with the cold, bleak, lonely modern lifestyle of the average Japanese person's lifestyle).

One can't overstate the importance of Asano -- is there a more important, intelligent, and consistent actor in the world today? He has truly worked with nearly every important Japanese director of the past 20 years -- everything from Tsukamoto to Teruo Ishii, from Sogo Ishii (Ishii is a popular name!) to Kitano. He makes noise music, appears in art films, as well as mainstream films, and even the films he's in that aren't GREAT (Screwed, for example) are always interesting. He's also one of the great "silent actors", I've noticed; he seems to pick a lot of roles where he gets to be almost completely silent for the whole role, yet he's able to convey so much emotion. without saying or doing much. He's also the go-to guy if you want your film to achieve instant credibility; he very very rarelyt chooses projects that, well, suck.

Just in recent years, he has appeared in so many of my favorite movies OF ALL TIME... Survive Style 5+, Cafe Lumiere (god this film rules; so underrated), Fried Dragon Film, Swallowtail Butterfly, Labyrinth of Reams, Focus, Distance, Eli Eli Lema Sabachitani (a film that is hilarious, surreal, ridiculous, and beautiful; it's about NOISE!), Sad Vacation, Sharkskin Man/Peach Hip Girl, Electric Dragon 80000v, Gemini, Last Life in the Universe (one of the best films ever), Bright Future, Taste of Tea, Dumbeast, Umoregi, Dead End Run, Funky Forest, Vital (one of the best films ever, again), Tokyo Zombie, all 4 segments of Rampo Noir (probably my favorite role of his), Kaabee, Taga Tameni, the masterpiece Maboroshi, Face of Jizo.... and let's not forget his role in (are you ready for this title) Wong Kar Wai (one of the best directors ever)'s film Wkw/tk/1996@7'55*hk.net!!!!!! Oh yeah, he was in Ichi the Killer, but so were a lot of people, so yeah.

So, basically, if Asano is in a film, it's probably worth checking out. Also, whereas American films and French films and films from various other countries seem to be in something of a confused rut, Japanese films continue to boldly invent and have become even more wacked-out, experimental, and downright fun to watch. Depressing films like Vital are mainstream hits, insane 4 hour panty shot snapping epics like Love Exposure are the biggest film of all time (!), and then you've got films like Gonin, supergritty urban Tokyo gun epics.. bullet ballets and pistol operas. Filmmakers like Kiyoshi Kurosawa and his atmospheric films are reinventing horror. They're also on the cutting edge of film production and style over there. I think Battle Royale was probably the most important film, when it came out, in ushering in the NEW new wave over there. And then there was a sort of rediscovery of stuiff like Tetsuo and Pinnochio 964 and Rubber's Lover and Miike's stuff like the Black Society Trilogy. I love Japanese movies.

So, I'm glad you like Taste of Tea, it was definitely one of the best films of the decade, in my top 5, alongside BACK AGAINST THE WALL, REFLECTIONS OF EVIL, FROWNLAND, IN PRAISE OF LOVE, ....yeah.


Hey, joe, I keep remembering films you'd probably like.. too bad free leech is over. You have seen HAUSU right? Maybe you should ask for the recent criterion release for your birthday! Heheh. it's by far the most insane horror film to ever come out of japan (maybe THE CAT -- by the woman who did RIKI OH!!!! -- is a bit crazier). Also, have you seen FATTY DRIVES THE BUS? That's another one of my favorite movies ever, definitely in that MICROWAVE MASSACRE/BRIDE OF FRANK no budget but completely nuts and awesome vibe.

Whee!

[Dr. Eugene Felikson]

Hausu rules. One of my all-time favorites. I'd love to have the Criterion release of that film. I haven't purchased a Criterion in so long - ha!

But yeah, Asano is very talented. I never really thought about how silent he is in so many of his roles, yet so captivating at the same time - you're absolutely correct.

And no, I need to check out FATTY DRIVES THE BUS. What a great title. Haha geez.

[atsonicpark]

366 weird movies coverage of currently untitled: http://366weirdmovies.com/weird-hori...eek-of-3242011

cinema of the worlds post: http://cinemaoftheworlds.blogspot.co...tled-2010.html




enjoy

[atsonicpark]

if you live in indianapolis or around indiana, they're showing 3 or 4 of my films tonight at an art museum type dealy. More info on my facebook. have fun.

[atsonicpark]

OH

and currently untitled is on dvd! for real! you can order copies and shit

just look up trashfuck records

[Genteel Death]

Bump.

I was never much of a fan of Adam's music if you exclude some the Robe stuff but I loved the spirit of many of his no-budget films because of the playful, unpretentious way he put images together in ways that I find stimulating and creative in its purest form. The last exchange I've had with him was on FB was about images too, before he went off my internet radar. I hope these films are not going to disappear in the sea of overwhelming activity he was prone to and they'll get a more formal treatment someday.

[!@#$%!]

Originally Posted by Genteel Death

Bump.

I was never much of a fan of Adam's music if you exclude some the Robe stuff but I loved the spirit of many of his no-budget films because of the playful, unpretentious way he put images together in ways that I find stimulating and creative in its purest form. The last exchange I've had with him was on FB was about images too, before he went off my internet radar. I hope these films are not going to disappear in the sea of overwhelming activity he was prone to and they'll get a more formal treatment someday.

he couldn't really "photograph" much with his equipment but he was a pretty great editor and he did it with extremely minimal tools. i watched part 1 of "no reason to exist" earlier today (my connection can only handle about 1 youtube per day),and i love it at the end of that chapter when instead killing himself he does a dance--that's exactly what i found great about him.

[Derek]

If you type his name into archive.org nearly all of his movies come up for quick download. His friends and I are working hard to preserve his legacy and make sure his work lives on even in his death.

[Kegmama]

Originally Posted by Derek

If you type his name into archive.org nearly all of his movies come up for quick download. His friends and I are working hard to preserve his legacy and make sure his work lives on even in his death.

awesome.