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2002-11-26
movie geek time!
One of my coworkers randomly asked me today what my three favorite movies were.
It took me a few minutes, and I was told that it was the most random selection, but, well, here it goes.
Ringu. The Japanese horror movie of utter subtlety and vicious terror. I actually have trouble sleeping after watching this. And I never have trouble. Hell, I take showers after watching Psycho.
It's about the long pauses -- the crackle and hiss of white noise -- the patter of rain on an umbrella and the dripping of water down a well. It's set and motion and everything that makes movies kick ass in the world.
PeeWee's Big Adventure. A movie to completely and utterly contrast with Ringu. The bright lights and loud music and the colors and the style and...I don't think I can really say exactly how much of an influence this movie has on my life. I can say that if I'm ever feeling miserable, if I'm home sick and wanting a lot of comfort, I can just pop in this movie, and I instantly feel better.
Hell, even thinking about it makes me smile. And I can hear that opening music running through my head...
The Big Lebowski. Aside from being an eminently quoteable movie, and funny as all hell, it's also my L.A. I grew up around guys like The Dude. Everything from post-dating his check at Ralph's to smoking up and listening to Creedence to the shorts and sandals and bathrobe wardrobe -- those guys were always there, man! I knew them! My stepdad rode with them in bike runs! They lived down the block!
I knew someone who got married in shorts. Dress shorts.
I also had honorable mentions for Battle Royale, just for my wicked sense of humor, and The Wicker Man, for its camp glory.
I really love movies. Is it obvious?
Speaking of movies, I stayed up until 2am last night to watch Ken Russell's The Devils, an early-70s' movie about repression, possession, and sexuality in 17th century Loudon, France.
It had Oliver Reed as this amoral priest who discovers love and God all over again in the woman who becomes his wife, and Vanessa Redgrave as a slowly-becoming-insane repressed and hysteric nun who accuses him of devilry and possession.
Really stirring stuff -- really interesting designs, and styles, and flair -- occasionally a bit too obviously 70s' (particular effects, music style, the whole "one man against the world because the world's bringing him and his natural high down, man!" thing) -- but generally pretty interesting. If you can find it, I'd see it.
What made it more interesting was that, beforehand, there was a documentary about how they cut out some scenes that the censors considered completely and utterly disturbing, including a scene where it's implied that Sister Jeanne (the possessed woman in the convent) is masturbating with a charred human femur bone, and the infamous "Rape Of Christ" scene, where the mad possessed nuns take down a larger-than-life crucifix and begin fucking the statue of Jesus.
"Mmmmm...sacrilicious..."
Except they weren't really that shocking. Either scene. I was personally more freaked out about the scene where Sister Jeanne imagines Father Grandier as Jesus on the cross and when he comes down, she licks his palms and the gash on his side...
*shudder* I need to figure out if I'm disgusted or vaguely aroused by that image. Goddamn this Christ porn!
However, staying up until 2 was a bad idea. I really should go to bed now. But if I don't wash my hair, I'll look like grunge never died, and we couldn't have that, now could we?
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