Review: Possession (1981)

Possession (1981)

This is not the movie I reviewed earlier this month, although they do have some things in common, like themes of family and divorce. In a way the weirdest part of this movie is the first hour, which is still well grounded in the mundane, its just the over-the-top dramatic responses from everyone and odd behavior coupled with the cinematography. The story starts off with a Sam Neil coming home from some sort of long business trip, which we quickly learn had some sort of clandestine nature. His wife isn't terribly comfortable with him being there, it seems as though they have drifted apart while he was away. Things quickly deteriorate between them and their very young son is caught in the middle. He begins to suspect there is another man, and he is right to think so. Eventually it comes to them splitting up, with much screaming and violence. Its a frantic movie, and the intense acting walks the narrow line between comical and disturbing, often slipping a toe to either side. We are never entirely sure of the mental state of anyone in this movie, except maybe the little boy. He is actually probably the most sane person in the whole movie. Also the movie takes place in divided Berlin during the cold war, which is a very important piece of symbolism. I don't want to describe the plot too much, because I really, really want people to see this movie. The second half is where things get really crazy, although people's tempers get calmer... sort of. I will say that the most important part of this movie is symbolism of division, two halves, pairs, etc. You will pick up on that, but I love the way it is implemented, with the Berlin Wall in the background. I am going to probably post another article breaking down the symbolism of the movie at a later date after I watch it a few more times. The movie remains very engaging, keeping you guessing. I think this movie had me saying "wtf" as much or more than anything else I have watched this month, but in a good way. If you are expecting gore or violence, just stick around until the second half, I promise you wont be disappointed.

Contemplate the nature of duality of the film with a good ol' Black and Tan.

1 Can of Guinness
1 Can of Bass
A Guinness glass
A spoon

Tilt the glass and pour in the Bass first, fill it to half way. Set the glass up straight hold the spoon over the mouth of the glass, upside-down. Pour the Guinness over the upside spoon, slowly. This disperses the Guinness and lets it float on top of the lighter-colored beer. Let it settle, you should have the dark floating above the light. As you drink, muse over the ying and the yang, male and female, light and dark. Try not to freak out either.

Review: Audition

Audition (1999)

Its probably also surprising that I haven't seen this one yet. I have been familiar with it though, so maybe that's why I am a little underwhelmed by it. The classic story of a middle aged man looking for a new life to spark up his life. An awkward proposition enough, but more so in Japan with what I assume is more intricate or at least awkward dating norms. His friend in the movie business suggests a way to get around this by holding auditions for a fake romance movie so he can basically interview all these hopeful, unknown, aspiring actresses. This way he gets to meet a bunch of talented and attractive people and pick who he wants. Clearly you should see where this could turn into a problem. Well he finally settles on this brokenhearted young girl who's younger dreams of being a ballet dancer were smashed by an injury in early adolescence. Also she is kinda creepy. Despite his friends warnings about a hunch about the girl he starts dating her. We get one quick glimpse into her life that shows that something is kinda fucked about here, and we get the probably infamous "bag scene". Already the guy is kind of a creep for dating someone close to his son's age, so I cant feel terribly sympathetic to him. Around the midway point of the movie they go off together for a little trip, and things start to get weird. We see she has some intense scars on her legs, and she asks him to love her and no one else, because that's not a red flag at all. Right as they start to bang there is a very fast cut and now its some time later in the room and she is gone. We aren't supposed to know what has happened. He starts looking for her, checking up on the couple of contacts she mentioned on her resume. We start to suspect there is something pretty fucked up indeed about her indeed. Before he heads home, dejected that his new love has up and left him already, and is probably a basket case, we get a POV shot of someone lurking in his house. He goes home and pours himself a drink, but we already know its been poisoned, now we get a very confusing series of flashbacks that I am still not 100% sure are completely "real" or what order any of it is implied. This is where the movie starts to get interesting finally but now it gets far more confusing too with its very disjointed story telling and disorienting editing. I cant say this is bad, just confusing. We get to see the girls tortured, abused past, and the fucked up shit it has led her to do. Some of it is pretty gross, and it would probably be disturbing for most people to watch. When he snaps out of it he finds that he is paralyzed and she is there. She slowly starts to set up her little torture routine on him, while she monologues about trustworthiness and faithfulness and honesty. Typically crazy bitch stuff. Its also hard to feel sympathetic for her, which sounds harsh, but something about her character comes across as really in-genuine to begin with. The torture scene is terribly graphic, but my standards at least, but I will say its well done. The best scene in the movie is at the very end, where she is laying there on the floor staring at him, also paralyzed after falling down the stairs and breaking her neck, and she continues her monologue again with her neck bone jutting up from the side. The general idea is clearly that she was so abused as a child that she turned into a monster who tortures and kills men in a form of revenge, or some way of making up for her mistreatment, basically. I cant help but feel that this movie expresses some fear of Japanese men in making developing relationships. There is some kind of theme of disconnect between the sexes, but I am not entirely sure what the point the movie is trying to make. I cant say that the movie is incompetent, but it wasn't very enjoyable for me or even really that scary. I found it had a lack of atmosphere and it really built more confusion and maybe awkwardness for me than tension.

Why not enjoy an awkward movie with a Shochu Schoolgirl?

3 oz Shochu (Japanese Barley liquor, you could use sake or plum wine I guess if you cant find any)
3 oz Midori
lemon juice

Pour the booze into a tall glass with ice and squeeze of fresh lemon juice, stir with an acupuncture needle skewered through a lemon wedge and a cherry for garnish. Optionally you could serve it in a dog bowl...

Review: Resolution

Resolution (2012)

I'm very happy I finally got to watch this movie. I had heard about it when it came out but couldn't find it at first, and then forgot the title but had kept my interest so it was even harder to find. When I asked people about "that movie where that guy chains up his friend to detox him off meth and a bunch of weird shit happens to them" no one had a clue what I was talking about. This is that movie, and that is basically the plot. The one character receives a map and a video of his friend smoking meth and shooting guns and acting kind of crazy. He decides to go out there to help him, to try to bring him to rehab one last time. When he refuses to go he decides that his last chance is to chain him up and let him sweat it out. But it wont be that easy when all the other weird people show up and weird stuff starts to happen. As the friend from the city starts exploring the area he starts finding lots of strange things: records, film, pictures, of people doing things that he assumes are stories and some of themselves. I cant give too much away, but its a tight and engaging psychological thriller with a lot to say about friendship and depression. While there is some heavy shit going on it remains thoroughly watchable between the mystery going on and the hope for the happy ending. Vinny Curran also brings a certain amount of humor to his role as the junkie to keep things from getting too heavy, while remaining convincing and sympathetic. Like I said, I cant go over this too much without spoiling things, but I want people to watch it so I talk about it. I will be watching this one again, I could tell there were detail I missed. I feel like it probably took some inspiration from the mystery alternate reality game web series' that were popular a few years ago, like Marble Hornets. If you want a smart movie that will keep you guessing until the end, I really suggest this one.

I feel like this movie needs something to keep you awake, acute and aware, like, uh...

Lucid Lucy

2 oz Absinthe
1 oz Rumple minze
1 oz Goldschlager
red bull

Shake up the liquor and pour into a highball glass with ice, then fill with red bull. A sort of take on a Ball and Chain but amped-up and with absinthe instead of Jagermeister. Probably a pretty dangerous cocktail and I wouldn't suggest more than one.

Review: Session 9

Session 9 (2001)

A group of asbestos cleaners get a contract for an old, abandoned mental hospital but the place seems to have another toxic residue besides mold and asbestos. The production value is really high for a movie that didn't get very much publicity. The real star of the movie is the set of the Danvers State Hospital in Massachusetts. This place alone is ripe for your imagination to wander through the decaying walls. There is plenty of great shots of the rotting building that build the palpable tension, the idea that the air itself is toxic ads to the tension. Everything comes together to make for a very effective psychological thriller. The movie doesnt have very many "scares" but does build tones of tension through-out its length as questions keep appearing and scattered answers fall like peeling paint. It leaves you asking the right kind of questions even after its over and lets some of the most disturbing pieces play out in your mind. There are strong themes about insanity, the capacity for violence in everyone, and things being left behind in the past not being gone. I have a feeling I will be thinking about this one for a while.

Review: The Possession

The Possession (2012)

A little girl becomes the victim of a vicious demon from the ancient Hebrew world, set over the backdrop of a newly divorced family. I have to wonder why demons tend to possess little girls, I guess its just because they seem the most vulnerable to any kind of corruption. I was definitely sympathetic to the family, I thought their performance was very good, although I found the mother's character a little frustrating (pretty sure I was supposed to). The movie was definitely pretty creepy at parts, and I liked that the demon this time was from Hebrew mythology. I found it refreshing to dip into a different pantheon. I had heard about this one quite a while ago, glad I finally watched it.