FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION: films of a certain quality

[Jerky]

MEDIAVORE // FILM ~ AAAAAAAAH! WE ARE NOT MEN

You might remember Steve Oram from his decade and a half of continuous character and background work in such worthy Britcom projects as Green Wing, The Mighty Boosh, Tittybangbang and Steve Coogan Live. Or perhaps you remember him as the bearded half of the comically bumbling yet oddly endearing serial killer couple in Ben Wheatley's magnificent 2012 satire, Sightseers.

However, it doesn't much matter how--or even if--you knew of him beforehand. Because there is nothing in Oram's pre-2015 catalog that could possibly prepare you for the certifiably insane masterpiece of hyper-subversive comic audacity that is Aaaaaaaah!, his ferocious and fearless directorial debut, which he also self-financed for reasons that will become apparent as you read on.

Described by Cine-Vue's Martyn Conterio as being an "anthropological social satire/horror-comedy" that is "like a collaboration between Dogme '95 and Chris Morris", Aaaaaaaah! is, at its core, a relatively straightforward exploration of interpersonal dynamics among a small group of friends, neighbors and acquaintances in a quiet, leafy section of South London. The surreal twist on this relatively mundane premise is that all the characters behave as though they've had their brains switched out with those of great apes.

Read my full review at this link...

[Nordic]

Thanks to Nick Clement, who I mentioned above, last night I watched a weird fucking movie called "Valhalla Rising". A Nicolas Winding Refn film.

So strange but so cinematic. Glad I saw it.

Warning: it's violent as hell. Game of Thrones level.

[Wombaticus Rex]

Valhalla Rising was just amazing, agreed. Everything that boy does is pretty stunning, though. My favorite film of his, I was surprised to learn, was widely considered his lone failure, Only God Forgives -- I think I have referred to it as one of the best films about masculinity I'd ever seen, and I'd still stick with that as of this morning. I don't think any of that film could have happened without the groundwork he did on Bronson, there's some strong lateral gene transfer going there.

Very much looking forward to his next film, an all-female horror flick set in LA's model scene.

Also, I've probably mentioned it upthread somewhere, but Ryan himself went on to make a Jodorowsky-inspired modern mythos of his own with a very weird and gorgeous movie called Lost River.

[Rory]

I saw Frankie Boyle tweet about his movie - I watched it back in the early 90s and it proper freaked me out. Am going to find and rewatch to see how my memories of it's dark vision holds. I had mono around the same age as the girl character in the movie and saw it while convalescing. I enjoyed many vivid and fevered dreams around that time and it seemed to give the story even more power.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paperhouse_%28film%29

[brekin]

I saw Frankie Boyle tweet about his movie - I watched it back in the early 90s and it proper freaked me out. Am going to find and rewatch to see how my memories of it's dark vision holds. I had mono around the same age as the girl character in the movie and saw it while convalescing. I enjoyed many vivid and fevered dreams around that time and it seemed to give the story even more power.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paperhouse_%28film%29

Mmh, will have to check this out. Well you know my name is Simon and the things I draw come true...Aaarghhh!

[Nordic]

Whoa, I remember seeing that movie soon after it came out and finding it quite disturbing and that was before RI in my life! Would be very interested to see it again ...,

By the way, anyone see The Babadook? Freaked me out, unpleasantly, actually. Extremely well done but so effective I could barely watch it. I might have personal reasons for this. Curious if others found it at all enjoyable.

[DrEvil]

^^Saw the first 2/3 of it but I was so tired I had to stop. Really enjoyed it and not really sure why I never finished it. The kid is amazing. Guess that's my entertainment for the evening fixed.

On the topic of watching movies while tired: I watched The Ring (Japanese version) after being up for more than 24 hours. I was so tired I was hallucinating, seeing strange people in my room.
One of the freakiest experiences ever and highly recommended (It's also a really good movie if you're awake ).

Would also recommend tracking down the various other Japanese Ring movies. There's a whole bunch of them, all decent to really good (minus the recent Sadako 3D crap). I especially liked Rasen, the original "Ring 2" which was closer to the books. Audiences didn't like it much so they made Ring 2 afterwards. There's also a prequel, Ring 0, and of course the US remakes (first one is good, second one, not so much), plus various TV versions and earlier low budget affairs.

[vince]

^^Saw the first 2/3 of it but I was so tired I had to stop. Really enjoyed it and not really sure why I never finished it. The kid is amazing. Guess that's my entertainment for the evening fixed.

On the topic of watching movies while tired: I watched The Ring (Japanese version) after being up for more than 24 hours. I was so tired I was hallucinating, seeing strange people in my room.
One of the freakiest experiences ever and highly recommended (It's also a really good movie if you're awake ).

Would also recommend tracking down the various other Japanese Ring movies. There's a whole bunch of them, all decent to really good (minus the recent Sadako 3D crap). I especially liked Rasen, the original "Ring 2" which was closer to the books. Audiences didn't like it much so they made Ring 2 afterwards. There's also a prequel, Ring 0, and of course the US remakes (first one is good, second one, not so much), plus various TV versions and earlier low budget affairs.

What's odd about "The Ring/Ringu" movies is the fact than in less then 10 years, all the items that the girl 'altered' (the 'big tube' TV,the VHS video tape, the 'photos', the land-line phone) had all become obsolete media for the entire planet!

[RocketMan]

This flick messed me up. Excellent cinematography and music, also great acting from all, especially the lead actress.

A somewhat RI look at the Salem witch trial period.

[zangtang]

Hellacious poster !

[DrEvil]

Kinda looks like my county's coat of arms:

[DrEvil]

Recently saw 'Midnight Special' with Michael Shannon. Very good movie with some Rigint vibes. Would recommend going into it as spoiler free as possible, but here's the trailer anyway if you absolutely have to:

[chump]

Wombat (about the above): I ain't saying shit until every one of you has experienced this film.

Fuq that! I'd rather see this:

https://youtu.be/QyysvzWWZTM

---------------------------

[Wombaticus Rex]

Thanks for the recommendation on "The Witch" -- I did not particularly like it, but I am very happy I saw it, if that makes sense.

Here is another visually striking, meticulously imagined film I did not particularly like but will be watching several more times: High Rise is about as Art Film as it gets for an adaptation. It doesn't revise or rethink the material very much (as Cronenberg did with Naked Lunch, say) but it does create such an effective parallel world the narrative is very secondary.

I first watched High Rise shortly after catching the sequel to Snow White, a hot mess hybrid between a blockbuster film and an extended advertisement for perfume. I mention this because The Huntsman was all spectacle and no control, so far gone it was actually a deeply hilarious film. There was a ton of talent involved, but nobody was keeping the vision consistent.

High Rise, however, is a vision so consistent the characters can hardly breathe. I am sure the critics had a field day with the tonal incoherence and odd writing but I felt it was pretty perfect, for a film about a building. Ballard's book was making points about class, and the class elements drive whatever narrative exists in the movie, surely, but what emerges is -- to me -- a much more subtle and devastating movie about actual humans trying to adapt to designed environments and the small insanities that result. I think this is more devastating because it cuts through every character and amounts to more than "rich people are terrible human beings," undeniably true but perhaps too trite to build a film on.

Everyone does their best on camera, but their emotion is just background noise; the composition is too cool for the heat of human hearts. The art direction and costume design are probably more integral to the characters onscreen than the actors playing them. It is something of a wonder this film got financed and I think it is a treasure that will weather nicely.

[Rory]

WR - what did you think of A Field in England?

I loved Kill List and Down Terrace, and will probably see High Rise, but not sure about the above