Nick Cave wrote the screenplay for this western set in late 1800's Australia. It follows the lives of a lawman, an outlaw and the one who comes between them as a mutual ally/enemy. It is very gritty with it's depictions of violence and cruelties of the time which may put off some people, but it is very rewarding to sit through. The struggle between the Irish. Australian and Aboriginal people is truly mesmerizing and captured my attention throughout the whole film. One thing the film did was portray every character as a good and bad element, making you sympathize and detest them, proving that there is never good/evil, but just people.
Reviews
4 Reviews
Downtown Locals
(2006)
Made me want to take the subway.
9 February 2006
The documentary follows artists through their performances and troubles of being a struggling musician/artist working in the New York subway system. From the very beginning it caught my attention and was far more interesting than I figured it would be. Some of the performers were talented and some weren't but the one thing that remained and was addressed was that they were living the lives they wanted.
One of the main focuses of the documentary was that the city wanted to sponsor artists to play in the subways, guaranteeing a sort of quality of music that could be heard in them. They presented these artists with a banner proclaiming that they were good enough to be endorsed by the city. The film shows the tryouts for the project and the victory/defeat that accompanied them. At the same time it features interviews with a police officer whose job it is, is to bust up subway performers and keep the tunnels ear friendly. All the performers, regarding talent, are very interesting and provide for an entertaining glance into performance art and the sacrifices that are made to do what they love.
One of the main focuses of the documentary was that the city wanted to sponsor artists to play in the subways, guaranteeing a sort of quality of music that could be heard in them. They presented these artists with a banner proclaiming that they were good enough to be endorsed by the city. The film shows the tryouts for the project and the victory/defeat that accompanied them. At the same time it features interviews with a police officer whose job it is, is to bust up subway performers and keep the tunnels ear friendly. All the performers, regarding talent, are very interesting and provide for an entertaining glance into performance art and the sacrifices that are made to do what they love.
Destricted
(2006)
Oh Destricted, you gem of perversion.
9 February 2006
Warning: Spoilers
If you don't already know, Destricted is basically a collection of shorts about pornography by famous directors from around the world. At points it could be a little overwhelming but as a whole left me feeling pretty gratified. Here is a quick rundown of the shorts:
While these are just descriptions, they may contain spoilers so be warned.
Hoist directed by Matthew Barney.
Hoist is about a man who has sex with a 50 ton bulldozer that is suspended above the ground from a crane. It shows him being intimate with the machine and for Barney (Cremaster Cycle) fans it will not disappoint. It maintains the ominous tones of his other films and succeeds in being beautiful and downright scary at the same time.
House Call directed by Richard Prince.
House call is basically a flat-out 70's style porn shot off of a television. It shows a woman oiling herself up then making a phone call. Then a guy comes over and they have sex. It's primarily in slow motion and is accompanied by a soundtrack played off of what sounds like a tape recorder. The music I found to be the most enjoyable about the film, especially the part where the tape is rewound then plays again.
Impaled directed by Larry Clark.
Larry Clark's documentary about porn is by far the best film is the collected works of Destricted. It shows the casting session for a porn where Clark himself interviews the males for the part. After selecting one of the men to be in the film he lets them interview which woman he wants to have sex with. Then in the end they have sex. It is pretty nonchalant and matter of fact as it plays out, talking about and showing anal sex and blow-jobs and breasts and balls and everything else that comes with porn. It does however introduce a human element into the mix so it doesn't come across as just straight porn. Oddly enough you actually feel connections with the cast which makes it a great film and not just straight forward sleaze. It is also hilarious, be it intentional or unintentional, specifically the scene where the star pulls out of his mate's ass and gets poop on him, then explains how he thought that was gross and how he didn't think ahead too much.
Sync directed by Marco Brambilla.
Brambilla demonstrates his patients and editing skills in this rapid-fire short which is basically a fluid montage of porn sex scenes lasting only half a second or so in duration but flow to make a consistent image. It runs for about three minutes but is amazing and almost intoxicating as it unravels.
Death Valley directed by Sam Taylor-Wood.
A man walks through the desert and masturbates for about ten minutes. There it is...
Balkan Erotic Epic directed by Marina Abramovic
This short provided a lot of humor which was needed to break up the blatantly raw sexuality of this series (you can only watch people masturbating or swallowing cum for so long). The film plays out like an old-wives tale, detailing how men would have sex with the earth to ensure a good crop season or how women would insert fish into their nether region, then go to be and sleep then wake up in the morning, extract the fish, grind it up and put it into their husbands coffee granting them eternal love. It is actually pretty funny and provides some truly beautiful images, even if they appear a little bizarre.
We F-ck Alone directed by Gaspar Noé.
This was the reason I wanted to see Destricted. Being a huge fan of I Stand Alone and Irreversible I was adamant about seeing his new short. It begins with a porn on the screen then cuts to a young woman masturbating in a her bedroom and a young man masturbating in his. It had Gaspar's signature tones and didn't fail to empty the theater much like his other efforts. The reason for people leaving was more than likely because the entire short strobed. We were warned before entering the theater that if we were epileptic that there was a segment that could hurt us. AND HOW. It was almost unbearable but like always I succumbed and fell into a trance and enjoyed the film from start to finish, even if it wasn't as technically or aesthetically pleasing, it was an experience altogether and truly played upon the senses.
While these are just descriptions, they may contain spoilers so be warned.
Hoist directed by Matthew Barney.
Hoist is about a man who has sex with a 50 ton bulldozer that is suspended above the ground from a crane. It shows him being intimate with the machine and for Barney (Cremaster Cycle) fans it will not disappoint. It maintains the ominous tones of his other films and succeeds in being beautiful and downright scary at the same time.
House Call directed by Richard Prince.
House call is basically a flat-out 70's style porn shot off of a television. It shows a woman oiling herself up then making a phone call. Then a guy comes over and they have sex. It's primarily in slow motion and is accompanied by a soundtrack played off of what sounds like a tape recorder. The music I found to be the most enjoyable about the film, especially the part where the tape is rewound then plays again.
Impaled directed by Larry Clark.
Larry Clark's documentary about porn is by far the best film is the collected works of Destricted. It shows the casting session for a porn where Clark himself interviews the males for the part. After selecting one of the men to be in the film he lets them interview which woman he wants to have sex with. Then in the end they have sex. It is pretty nonchalant and matter of fact as it plays out, talking about and showing anal sex and blow-jobs and breasts and balls and everything else that comes with porn. It does however introduce a human element into the mix so it doesn't come across as just straight porn. Oddly enough you actually feel connections with the cast which makes it a great film and not just straight forward sleaze. It is also hilarious, be it intentional or unintentional, specifically the scene where the star pulls out of his mate's ass and gets poop on him, then explains how he thought that was gross and how he didn't think ahead too much.
Sync directed by Marco Brambilla.
Brambilla demonstrates his patients and editing skills in this rapid-fire short which is basically a fluid montage of porn sex scenes lasting only half a second or so in duration but flow to make a consistent image. It runs for about three minutes but is amazing and almost intoxicating as it unravels.
Death Valley directed by Sam Taylor-Wood.
A man walks through the desert and masturbates for about ten minutes. There it is...
Balkan Erotic Epic directed by Marina Abramovic
This short provided a lot of humor which was needed to break up the blatantly raw sexuality of this series (you can only watch people masturbating or swallowing cum for so long). The film plays out like an old-wives tale, detailing how men would have sex with the earth to ensure a good crop season or how women would insert fish into their nether region, then go to be and sleep then wake up in the morning, extract the fish, grind it up and put it into their husbands coffee granting them eternal love. It is actually pretty funny and provides some truly beautiful images, even if they appear a little bizarre.
We F-ck Alone directed by Gaspar Noé.
This was the reason I wanted to see Destricted. Being a huge fan of I Stand Alone and Irreversible I was adamant about seeing his new short. It begins with a porn on the screen then cuts to a young woman masturbating in a her bedroom and a young man masturbating in his. It had Gaspar's signature tones and didn't fail to empty the theater much like his other efforts. The reason for people leaving was more than likely because the entire short strobed. We were warned before entering the theater that if we were epileptic that there was a segment that could hurt us. AND HOW. It was almost unbearable but like always I succumbed and fell into a trance and enjoyed the film from start to finish, even if it wasn't as technically or aesthetically pleasing, it was an experience altogether and truly played upon the senses.
Firepower
(1993)
So good.
11 July 2005
This movie is a masterpiece. Truth be told the reason I latched onto it was because Gary Daniels was in it and I've been a rabid fan of his for a while. That coupled with a ravaged near future (borderline post apocalyptic) setting and the ULTIMATE WARRIOR as one of the greatest villains to ever grace an action film, makes this a movie to flock to.
The story has been summed up enough and basically rings true and delivers what it promises. The only problem I had with this movie was that Daniels wasn't' the lead actor and was overshadowed by Chad McQueen. McQueen gives a good performance, but watching Daniels in full on action hard-ass mode is one of the greatest cinematic guilty pleasures of all time ( check out Rage, Cold Harvest and Blood Moon for a sample of awesome Gary).
Regardless of my obviously biased review (I can't help it Daniels is an action Icon for me) this film contains enough standard action film fodder to please pretty much anyone. It has car crashes, laser gun fights, CAGE FIGHTING, future wastelands and pretty much anything else they hoped they could squeeze in there. If you're ever lucky enough to happen upon this do yourself a favor and pick it up, you won't be disappointed. MASTERPIECE.
The story has been summed up enough and basically rings true and delivers what it promises. The only problem I had with this movie was that Daniels wasn't' the lead actor and was overshadowed by Chad McQueen. McQueen gives a good performance, but watching Daniels in full on action hard-ass mode is one of the greatest cinematic guilty pleasures of all time ( check out Rage, Cold Harvest and Blood Moon for a sample of awesome Gary).
Regardless of my obviously biased review (I can't help it Daniels is an action Icon for me) this film contains enough standard action film fodder to please pretty much anyone. It has car crashes, laser gun fights, CAGE FIGHTING, future wastelands and pretty much anything else they hoped they could squeeze in there. If you're ever lucky enough to happen upon this do yourself a favor and pick it up, you won't be disappointed. MASTERPIECE.
Tell Your Friends