A Zed & Two Noughts (1985)

Director: Peter Greenaway. Music: Michael Nyman
Starring. Brian Deacon, Eric Deacon, Andrea Ferreol, Frances Barber UK/Netherlands. 1h 51m.

It’s impossible to mention Greenaway without Nyman, the two work so well together (until their falling out.. ) but it’s noteworthy to mention that this is the first collaboration with cinematographer Sacha Vierny and who he referred to as the most important collaborator, Vierny passed in the 1990s.

The film has lots of subtexts; the first is loss and grieving. Twin zoologists, Oswald and Oliver Deuce are at work studying animal behaviour when their wives are killed in a car tragic accident involving a large white swan which crashes through the windscreen, the eccentric woman who was driving the car, Alba Bewick (Ferreol) survives but has to have her leg amputated.

Brimstone (2016)

Director: Martin Koolhoven
Starring: Dakota Fanning, Guy Pearce, Kit Harington, Carice van Houten  USA 2h 28m

Holymoly! I actually bothered to watch the trailer for this as Guy Pearce has actually become an amazingly versatile and seasoned actor who astounds me more and more as his career grows, and he has a particular edge to him when playing “the bad guy” and it was very evident that he is the ultimate bad ass in this film and continued to out do himself until the very end. Also there was a consolation prize that Datkoa is mute in the movie (sadly not all of it) but a majority and actually had to act which was a mad change.

Human Centipede (First Sequence) (2010)

Director : Tom Six
Writer : Tom Six
Starring Deiter Laser, Ashley C Williams, Ashley Yennie, Akihiro Kitamura, Netherlands. 1h 32m

One of those films that lowered the benchmark on gory horrors for another generation. Initially coming from a random pub conversation about the best sentence for pedophile a deranged fetish style story emerges and influenced a whole new style of grotesque lab horror.

A couple of American girls get lost on the way to a party in Germany, while attempting to find help, they are entrapped in the makeshift basement laboratory of an unbalanced retired surgeon, who used to specialise in separating twins but now has a kink for joining bodies together. After practicing on his dogs the doctor now want to have his own personal human centipede and combine the girls to another captive by their gastric system.

Borgman (2013)

Stunning, imaginative, steeped in folklore with dark sadistic tendencies. This film blew me away and back again.It’s a little hard to explain the story but the film kicks off with the Borgman being evicted by some locals headed by a priest, he’s living in an underground house, along with some buddies he flees and strangely attaches himself to a family and instantly starts to prey upon the woman of the household slowly manipulating her to bend to his will, he sits on her chest at night giving her nightmares that influences her daily activities.

Soon after he arrives a few of his accomplices start their own terror spree and eventually ties up with his actions at the home, and after killing and sinking some people with concrete hats they soon join him to put on a show and finalise their operations on the children at the household.

Darkly surreal and sinister, it will creep you out and puzzle you for days.

So while all of this is going on the film itself is is littered with surreal clips, very gritty drama and close ties in European folklore and struggles with linking all of this in with modern social issues. There is nothing solid about how the character, the Borgman was developed, to me he seemed to be similar to a German entity called an Alp, but not in the way that I know.

It’s curious and attentive to details, with the surreal additions it makes it even more curious, it’s lavish with details and stunning scenery and drama, It’s just plain bizarre but it really draws you in with a slight slip of the story like a magician revealing and hiding the trick, once you think you know  what’s going on it changes but keeps you fully involved along the way.

I instantly fell in love with film, in the same way as Dogtooth (2014), it has a similar quality to it in both atmosphere and style. a real but unreal movie, that’s totally bizarre but masqueraded as a “normal” film.

10/10

Full review and Post discussion coming soon.. because there is so many questions to address.

The Banished One

https://youtu.be/stY-DO7RfCQ

Duration 1.34

Dir: Mattijn Franssen/Netherlands/2009
Link: http://www.mattijn.com

Subtle earthy animation with folklore nourished roots..

This exceptionally short mixed media story, seems to have similar style to Strings or work influenced by Del Toro. Mixing live action and puppet style animation a simple but deep story is told. The banished one, is sent away for whatever reason, out of the city into the wilderness. He bonds with the fauna, the flora is a little more difficult but eventually he takes and connects with a tree. Before the ones who banished him turn up and wage war.  He salvages what he can and flies off into the ether..

Speaking strongly about the connection of man and the natural world, the Banished One,  seems to suggest that we need to break free and demons or masters who tie us down and get back our natural kudos.  The style of natural world is very calm and neutral in contrast with the hellish scenes that start and end the movie. Shapes are key to understanding the creatures, elements of forest animal are incorporated to form new creature’s that look familiar.

Mattijn has created a simple and beautiful movie,  I believe it’s him as the live character but don’t quote me, if so it’s a great personal touch. It’s amazing just how much plot can fit into such a short time but it looks like a polished piece of work.

As an artist who works in a lot of mediums check out his website where there are many more animations and the possibility to buy some artwork.

R: 6/10

Kisha