Seen and not seen's, recommendations and queries on top films in general.

[Balor/SS1535]

Woodlands Dark and Days Bewitched: A History of Folk Horror

I thought worse, I hoped better.
The first part covers the origins, with focus on the notorious 3: Wicker Man, Witchfinder General, Blood on Satan's Claw. After that there are dozens of clips from more or less obscure films in sequence, supported by interventions of directors, writers, journalists.

The documentary then moves on to analyze other stuff that can roughly be traced back to the concept of folk horror: classic zombie filmography (voodoo), Japanese horror (local spirit tradition), and so on.

What is missing in this documentary lasting 3 h and 15 min. is some analysis of folklore that goes beyond the basic notions. And in a FOLK horror documentary one would expect it. In its place, unluckily, there are a few rants on contemporary themes (exploitation, the role of women, inclusion) which are quite out of place in a documentary like this.

However, it's worthy of a viewing if you find the subject interesting.

I liked this a lot, but the section on America was beyond disappointing/pointless.  "There is no such thing as an Indian burial ground... but everything is an Indian burial ground!"

[Atrophist]

Naga (2023)

Saudi Arabian black comedy with some horror and psychedelic elements, somewhat incongruously distributed by Netflix.

Girl lost in the desert, tripping balls on some unknown hallucinogen, being chased by a furious pregnant camel, while desperate to get back to the city by 10pm. Because if she feels to meet her dad by that time, a honor killing will definitely be in order.

I would have preferred a harsher, more sordid edge to the film, which gets hinted at from time to time. But the comedic aspects of the film work okay, too. There is a bit too much jumping back and forth on the timeline for my liking. But that is also a minor complaint, in the end.

Btw Saudi people really seem to hate this movie, with tons of 1/10 reviews on imdb, which explains its underservedly low average rating. A cool curiosity worth checking out, but not unmissable by any means imo.

[BlackCavendish]

I've been meaning to watch this for years. What keeps putting me off is the excessive lenght, and also "folk horror" isn't really that much of an obsession for me.

Definitely too long, and sometimes out of focus. I guess thier idea was to create some sort of "definitive guide", thus the excessive length.
An adeguate interest in the subject is essential, however there are interesting contributions here and there.

However, the same creator's book House of Psychotic Women: An Autobiographical Topography of Female Neurosis in Horror and Exploitation Films I cannot recommend highly enough.

Noted, gonna look for this.


Meanwhile I went to see Godzilla Minus One (It's been a while since I've set foot in a cinema). Luckily the movie is really good, but i have a soft spot for the atomic giant lizard.
It's set just after the end of the 2WW, so basically it's the original story in a new form, but a focus on the life of the main characters and how their life is impacted by Godzilla (which is obviously also seen as a metaphor, as always happen).
A different approach after the meta-cinematic reppresentationg tha Hideaki Anno gave with Shin Godzilla.

[PeteHarma]

Growing up with i spit on your grave a very interesting and good document of the movie Day of the Woman 1978 made by the directors Meir Zarchis son Terry Zarchi,
with interviews and unseen takes etc...and modern fat critics opinions of course and the marketing that made it a video nasty in the '80s. I grew up with exploitation,rape & revenge stuff in the eighties myself +fuckloads of other sleaze and smut on VHS but it's always nice to see well made documentaris  about films of that era

[Atrophist]

In The Earth (2021)

Ben Wheatley has made some great films, but this is not one of them sadly. Psychedelic eco-folk horror would be the genre I guess. Interesting premise, nods here and there to other classics. But everything falls flat, the characters and dialogue are uninteresting, and there's no real effort to make any sense of the plot. There's a mystical monolith in the woods, a weird old leather-bound book that supposedly has something to do with it, fungal spores in the air that the monolith supposedly uses to communicate with humans.

One thing I'll give the film credit for: the psychedelia sequences are actually good, and most importantly, they aren't too long. 

[Krigsverk]

Yeah, In the earth was completely lost on me... I do love hie earlier films though; Kill List and Sightseers are both brilliant.

[Phenol]

I actually enjoyed In The Earth, but agree that Kill List and Sightseers are better. I can recommend Gaia in the eco-horror genre. Not for everyone, but it has some takes on the complex relationship between science, religion and "nature" (whatever that is...).

[EXU]

Ben Wheatley hasn't failed on me yet, "High-Rise" is kinda of a mess and "A Field In England" didn't hit as hard as I thought it would but I like 'em and will revisit for sure. Hard to beat the "Kill List"/"Sightseers" double punch but I think "In The Earth" is better than 90% of nowadays cinema. Also Free Fire FFS, what a cool movie.
Anyone seem Rebecca and/or Meg 2 (I actually enjoyed the first one)?

[aububs]

rebecca and meg 2 are both absolute garbage

[Atrophist]

Slotherhouse was not a bad way to see 2023 off.

Basically a Chucky movie, but with a killer sloth rather than a demonic doll. Things get progressively more ridiculous, as the sloth learns how to drug humans, use laptops, drive cars and even take selfies with its dead victims. Of course it's also impossible to kill.

PG-13, so no real gore or nudity — which seems like a missed opportunity since the film takes place in a sorority house. Still, it does deliver on its paper-thin and deliberately absurd premise, so it would be silly to complain.

[BlackCavendish]

Monte by Amir Naderi

Italian film shot by an Iranian director, Monte is the story of a family that lives in hardship, on the slopes of a mountain that perpetually blocks the sun and makes the land arid. It is a medieval drama centered on man's growing obsession and his absurd challenge to the mountain/environment taken to the extreme, with an allegorical ending of great impact. Slow and definitely a bit too long, but still interesting.

[Atrophist]

Saltburn -- don't believe the hype.

Yes, it's visually gorgeous, and the performances are fantastic. Especially Richard E. Grant and Rosamund Pike.

But this film is completely empty and meaningless. It manages to replicate scenes, setpieces and moods from better films, but it's all pointless mimicry. It has no internal logic, and no emotional depth.

The worst thing about the film is that it manages to fool you for a while -- more than half of its duration, in fact. When the facade finally collapses in the third act, you cannot help but feel cheated. If not downright disgusted.

[BlackCavendish]

Margin Call by J. C. Chandor

Being interested in the world of finance/markets I had this on my watchlist for a while.
It is a drama set in 2007/08 at the bursting of the subprime mortgage bubble. Modest budget film, shot in just a few locations, but with excellent performances by Stanley Tucci, Jeremy Irons and Kevin Spacey.
It's good but it's worth watching only if you're at least a bit interested in the subject.

[cr]

PIG - Good short by Nico B and co-directed (and acted/with music from) the great Rozz Williams. Kinda Begottenish and heavy handed on the images/symbols and how it deals with it but the sinister overal feeling and collage/cut up atmosphere is very nice.

Where can I find and watch this one?
Any hints would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks

[Theodore]

Where can I find and watch this one?