Saturday, November 26, 2016

R.I.P. Fidel Castro - Cuban revolutionary cinema

Descansa en el poder, comandante. Te falta, pero la lucha continúa. Patria o muerte. ¡Venceremos!

Hero of the world proletariat, champion of exploited and oppressed peoples around the world, revolutionary, leader and Presidente Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz has died last night, November 25th, 2016, at the age of 90.  Castro inspired the world through his literacy programs, universal education and healthcare achievements, standing up to imperialism throughout the world, aiding third world revolutions and sending medical help to suffering nations all around the globe.

Under the leadership of the PCC Cuban society has also produced a whole host of great films.  Here is La Habana's list of the 20 Best Cuban Films Ever.


This is the trailer for Cuban director Tomás Gutiérrez Alea's black comedy Death of a Bureaucrat (1966)


The Cuban artists also made brilliantly colorful, psychedelic movie posters for both Cuban and international movies showing in Cuba.




Finally, I would like to talk about some films that are about Fidel Castro and the Cuban Revolution.



Directed by sometimes-indie/sometimes-commercial director Stephen Soderberg, this film is the story of Ernesto "Che" Guevara's (played by Benicio del Toro) exploits in Cuba and Bolivia.  The first part is exciting and uplifting because the Cuban revolutionaries win the war.  Historically, after the Cuban revolution Che continued to be a guerrilla commander, first in Angola and then in Bolivia.  The subjective conditions were not right for revolution in Bolivia and the revolution failed.  Che was captured and executed.  The second part is more challenging because the immanent failure of the revolution gives the whole thing an eerie sadness.





Commandante (2003) and Looking for Fidel (2004) are Oliver Stone's interviews with Fidel Castro.  Stone defends the Cuban revolution, but is sometimes critical of Castro's administration.  Throughout their conversations Stone occasionally will try to get a rise out of Castro by mentioning some kind of scandalous subject.  Usually Castro brushes this goading off.  Stone, it seems, is sympathetic to Castro's cause and likes to consider himself a friend of Fidel's.  However, he can't help trying to piss him off in order for him to break his sober demeanor from time to time.


Friday, November 18, 2016

Few Netflix Roses in the Briar Patch

For some time now I've had a subscription to Netflix and for some time I've seen their selection decline in quality.  First, Crtierion Collection went to Hulu (and now it's even moved on from there).  Then all these other streaming services popped up and suddenly there were more websites willing to pay more for the rights to stream popular and decent films.  Thus, because Netflix, despite continuing to grow their profits, refuses to pay more for titles their selection has degenerated and much of their fare is small distribution company releases, IFC originals, boring cable television and Netflix originals.  However, there are occasionally a few diamonds that stand out from the rough.  Here are a few I've watched recently:



Carnage Park (2016)

This is an IFC Midnight (their horror designation) release, which basically makes it a Netflix exclusive.  It is directed by IFC/Netflix young-auteur favorite Mickey Keating.  This films starts by evoking a series of tropes from classic and contemporary horror films: Texas Chainsaw Massacre (suggesting in the beginning that it's based on a true story), Insidious, Natural Born Killers, House of 1000 Corpses, Quentin Tarantino, Saw, My Bloody Valentine, Deliverance.  Mickey Keating's previous film Darling was also a pastiche, this time in tribute to David Lynch and Roman Polanski.  This film does have an element of social commentary and there is an exploration of the dialectical contradiction between the human world and nature akin to Herman Hesse's Steppenwolf.  To further prove Keating's loyalty to horror, genre auteur/actor/director Larry Fessenden actually appears in the film.  Carnage Park is a genre fan's film and as a genre fan it was enjoyable.  It was a contemporary take on frequently explored tropes.  Above all the pastiche the sountrack, the cinematography and the editing contributed to a creepy, affective idiosyncracy that sets this film apart and solidifies Keating's status as genre auteur.

Rating: 8/10





What About Bob (1991)


Everyone who thinks What About Bob is a harmless family film, they should take another look at this Bill Murray classic from 1991.   The film is about an agoraphobic mental patient who, though this megalomaniac psychologist, is able to get the courage to become a narcissist.  He proves the success of this unique therapy by, to the painful chagrin of the psychologist, befriending and indoctrinating the psychologist's family.  Abruptly, the family takes Bob's side over their own patriarch.  Bob is inappropriately physical with his psychologist's family and even ends up even marrying his sister which causes him to have a breakdown of his own.  Perhaps Bob has transferred his demons to his psychologist.  Perhaps we are never really rid of our demons.  It is a bleak thought, but maybe, like energy, negative emotions can't really ever be created or destroyed.  Maybe they can only be transferred.

Rating: 7/10





Mascots (2016)

Mascots is a film by mockumentary auteur Christopher Guest.  It is a Netflix exclusive, but, like Bob and David, they seem to be able to get classic creators to revisit the masterpieces that made them famous.  Mascots is an ode to Guest's classics such as Waiting for Guffman and Best in Show. [**POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING**] In fact, Corky St. Claire appears in the film. [**END POSSIBLE SPOILER WARNING**]  Many of the actors are standards in Guest's films like my favorites Parker Posey and Fred Williard.  They also interact with several newer actors such as Zach Woods from the Office and Susan Yeagley from Parks and Recreation.  A very upbeat, light, feel good film, but certainly not without its moments of absurdism.

Rating: 7/10

6 for 3 = Six Horror Films for Three Days of Halloween

Fangoria.com has this article called "31 for 31" and I guess it's a genre fan challenge.  "See if you can watch 1 horror film each day of October before Halloween" kind of thing.  Unfortunately I saw this list too late and now Halloween is fast approaching.  That is why I have made a list of suggestions I call "6 for 3" because who really wants to watch a horror film every day (as great as the genre is).  I suggest a creepy cram session right before the big day so here are my picks:

Saturday, Oct. 29th, 2016:
1. Classic Horror Film 
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920)
Although not the first serial killer film ('  Bluebeard came out in 1901), The Cabine of Dr. Caligari can certainly be said to be the first horror film.  This film finds a mad scientist hypnotizing a sleepwalker into killing people for him.  There are no visible parallel lines in the film and the inter-titles are in a stylized font.

2. Classic 70s or 80s Halloween Favorite
Hellbound: Hellraiser II (1988)
This film picks up right where the first one left off and plunges us deeper into Clive Barker's world of the Cenobites.  The film is not directed by Barker.  By this time he had grown weary of directing and wanted to limit his output mainly to writing.

Sunday, Oct. 30th, 2016: Devil's Night (see The Crow (1994))
3. Bizarre Foreign Horror Film
Dead Alive (1992)
From Peter Jackson's New Zealand heyday which also included masterpieces like Bad Taste (1987) and Meet the Feebles (1989),

4. Movie I Haven't Seen Before
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982)

Dreaded Monday, October 31st, 2016: Halloween Day
5. Disturbing Horror Film
Funhouse (1981)

6. Arthouse Horror Film
Santa Sangre (1989)