Weekly watches - june 21
Lots of watches this week - I made a ton of progress in my list of “foundational films” that I ripped from this youtube video.
A Brief Encounter (1946) - depressing romance (?) film about how people used to hoe back in the 40’s I guess. People hoe way better now.
Pact with the Forces of Darkness (1991) - Film starring Indonesion Icon Suzzanna. Blatently rips off the knife glove from Nightmare on Elm Street, but has some pretty iconic shots with a ghost getting cleaved in 2 and the top half dancing one way and bottom half dancing the other way.
Suzzanna - The Queen of Black Magic (2024) - Putting together a review on the Suzzanna boxed set from Severin. Really enjoyed the documentary: I think it provides a lot of voice and insight into the people who were involved with Suzzanna while leaving important questions open.
Bicycle Thieves (1948) - post WWII Italian film. Somewhat heartwarming? Not weird.
Ghost Ambulence (2008) - Suzzanna’s last film. The digital recording of it is almost as bad as 28 days later. Campy little haunted house film.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1998) - a king of weird movies. Johnny Depp’s performance is weird. The direction is weird. The drug scenes are weird. The plot is kind of coherant. I feel like this inadvertantly inspired a ton of weird cinematography from the early 2000’s and for that we should all be ashamed.
Nightwatch (1997) - I was hoping for Ewan McGregor in a horror flick but I got sort of a coming of age thriller instead. My notes on this one just have that “Nick Nolte’s character is a bitch” so I was pretty meh on it.
Nightwatch (1994) - The Nordic original. Honestly better than the American version in every way. Better pacing and more emphasis on plot, more/better nudity, better soundtrack, creepier shots and props. I think this one is the definitive film, but I guess the American one did bring the story to American audiences.
Malam Satu Suro (1988) and Kliwon Friday Night (1986) - last 2 movies from the Suzzanna boxed set. I think Malam is way more fun though Kliwon Friday Night provides a lot of the background neccessary for the sequel. I didn’t realize these were connected until it was too late and while I felt a little left out, the musical interlude in Malam Satu Suro brought me right back in.
Roofman (2025) - I was expecting a Channing Tatum comedy and got a Channing Tatum romcom instead. I felt betrayed. Largely boring film, but solid performances from Kirsten Dunst and Peter Dinklage for sure. Overall - not fun for me.
Nightwatch Demons are Forever (2024) - sequel to the Nordic original. Worthy follow up: instead of being as much of like a coming of age thing about lifes transitions and responsibilities, it focussed on generational trauma which was pretty cool. Gonna start calling this a better version of Encanto. This one’s definitely worth a watch if you’re into the sort of 90’s John Carpenter horror flicks.
Kite (1998) - This movie’s so weird. The legend goes that Yasuomi Umetsu was shopping around the concept and the only production company that would pick it up was a Hentai Company. While he was able to retain ownership and direct the film, the production company needed some porn. I found 4 scenes showing explicit penetration in this watch. It does a killer job exploring concepts like fitting someone new into an established life, and responsibilities to your employer versus yourself; and has some great depictions of trauma response. But there’s also some really graphic rape scenes: it’s a hentai after all. Very weird; cinematically interesting; questionably fun?
Tromeo and Juliet (1996) - I’d been waiting to watch this one for my friend. B rated and overtly gross at times- it uses Romeo and Juliet as a premis for just being gross. It’s a lot of fun. Bad makeup and effects, absolute grossout shots and humor, crazy costume design. This one’s a ton of fun even if it didn’t age particularly well. If you like b-rated body horror check this one out.
Children of the Beehive (1948) - post WW2 Japanese film for which the director was inspired by his interraction with orphans. Think sandlot meets Grave of Fireflies. Honestly the kids here were allstars - they were great actors, and the story given the historical context was compelling. Not weird, and not fun.
The Red Shoes (1948) - British classic. Beautifully shot. Wild random ballet sequence in the middle that’s somehow relevant in a hamlet play within a play way? Definitely some weirdness here, while still reveling in the british tradition of being ultimately nihilistic and asking questions instead of saying something. Good times.
The Third Man (1949)- Boring neo noire. Why is this scored by the guys who did spongebob? Not fun, not weird, and not interesting for me.
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