Cinema Del Peppel

Nekromantik

Year: 1987
Country: Germany
Director: Jörg Buttgereit
Starring: Bernd Daktari Lorenz, Beatrice Manowski

The first of four films from Jörg Buttgereit I’ll be reviewing this month as part of Buttgereit’s “Sex Murder Art” Blu Ray box set. The “story” is about a street cleaner who collects body parts and brings a disintegrating corpse back home for him and his girlfriend to, uh, enjoy (you’ve never quite seen a threesome like this in a movie before). Unfortunately, he gets fired from his job and his girlfriend leaves him but takes the corpse with her, plunging him into a very messed up downward spiral. It’s been said that the reason this film was made was to rebel against the German film rating system, and if that’s the case, one can see this as a successful statement: it’s totally disgusting and gratuitous and everything looks real (and so low budget, it was shot on 8mm, which only adds to how genuine the almost documentary-like film is). You’ll see it all: necrophilia, an animal getting skinned, urination – and the list goes on. Listen, I’m always interested in someone trying to push the proverbial envelope when it comes to art, but I can’t say that as a “movie” this is very good: the story wears itself thin very quickly and you’ll likely be relieved when it’s over, even at 71 minutes long. But that was probably exactly what the director wanted! Banned in several countries.

Le Frisson Des Vampires (The Shiver Of The Vampires)

Year: 1971
Country: France
Director: Jean Rollin
Starring: Sandra Julien, Jean-Marie Durand, Marie-Pierre Castel

It’s been less than a month since I saw my first Jean Rollin film, Requiem Pour Un Vampire (reviewed here) and though I didn’t understand a damn thing, its aesthetic and style left an impression on me and I’d been wanting to watch another. The Shiver Of The Vampires was released the same year as Requiem, but it’s a far superior film. Let me be clear: I still don’t understand a thing about the story or Rollin’s intentions, but this film has style to spare. A honeymooning couple go to the bride’s cousins’ castle in a small village, only to find that the cousins along with the two maids (one of which is played by Marie-Pierre Castel who was also in Requiem…) have been turned into vampires. It’s part psychedelic-vampire movie, part absurd comedy (every time you see the two cousins there’s just something offbeat and ridiculous about them) and part incomprehensible abstract filmaking. But you know how Hammer films weren’t made to be The Godfather? They just had this atmosphere, vibe and feel to them that made them so watchable – well, I’m starting to see this is the case with Rollin, who was almost certainly influenced by that studio’s legacy. If you’ve never seen one of his films and this is making you curious, start with this one, not with Requiem For A Vampire. I think I’m going to try to find a third film to review from this guy: his films seem to only make sense in his mind, but whatever translates to the viewer is pretty pleasing to watch despite its flaws (another consistency here is the actors being unable to show any emotion, almost like they have their lines projected off camera and they’re just asked to read ’em). Who cares, it’s campy psychedelic sexy vampire fun as far as I’m concerned.

Loving You

Year: 1957
Country: USA
Director: Hal Kanter
Starring: Elvis Presley, Lizabeth Scott, Wendell Corey

Elvis’ second film is his first in a starring role and with this, Elvis the film star was born. Using a story parallel to Elvis’ own life – from rags to riches Elvis as Deke Rivers meets Glenda Markle (Lizabeth Scott), a publicist for a running governor (Wendell Corey) who sees star potential in Deke and helps him achieve stardom. If the story is conventional and predictable, one should appreciate that it is merely a tool with one goal: make you understand that Elvis is a star. And it works. The musical numbers show Elvis in pelvis-swinging mode, and I have to give credit where its earned: the dude could act – he definitely can carry a film. The film does have some dull and derivative moments, but with an above-average script and a handful of awesome performances including (Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear, the title track and my personal favourites: Got A Lot O’ Livin’ To Do! and the sublime Mean Woman Blues, this works mighty fine as a first starring role for Elvis and does the job of convincing you that a star is born. I’ll be reviewing all of Elvis’ 31 films in chronological order this year. In case you missed it, here’s the review of his first film, Love Me Tender.

La Pianiste (The Piano Teacher)

Year: 2001
Country: Austria/France/Germany
Director: Michael Haneke
Starring: Isabelle Huppert, Benoit Magimel

I think I’m going to need anti-depressants now that this movie is over. Ok, so an ultra-strict, masochistic and repressed middle-aged piano teacher (Huppert) with voyeuristic tendencies lives with her incredibly controlling mother. During the day, she works at a Vienna music conservatory, at night when she is not fighting with her mother, she goes to peep shows or watches porn films – followed by self-harm. A music student hopelessly in love with her (Magimel) eventually seduces her but has to meet her demands. Now, this isn’t at all the kind of movie that the story makes it out to be – if you’ve ever seen anything by Michael Haneke, you know that his style is slow and incredibly heavy. This is about a woman who is very ill and her relationship with her world – there is nothing romantic about the film (some reviews may make it seem like this is a decent into a sleazy sexual underworld or into perversion, do not let yourself be misled, it is a drama and a difficult one at that). Both Huppert and Magimel won prizes for their roles at Cannes, and they more than deserve them: both are fully immersed in incredibly complex characters that never know when to give, take or let things be. You’ve come to expect this from both actors, but this really goes above and beyond in their dedication to the acting craft. Haneke’s snail-like pace spares us no misery from any of the characters, including a mesmerizing Annie Girardot as the mother. A film that requires patience and is most certainly not for everyone.

Sono Otoko, Kyôbô ni Tsuki (Violent Cop)

Year: 1989
Country: Japan
Director: Takeshi Kitano
Starring: Takeshi Kitano (as “Beat” Takeshi)

I was underwhelmed by this one, Takeshi Kitano’s first feature as a director. He plays a cop with vigilante tactics who goes kinda crazy when he discovers a drug trafficking ring inside the police force and his sister gets kidnapped. The film does have extremely dark and offbeat humor and must have been pretty impressive upon its release, unfortunately we’ve seen this type of film too many times since. I thought the first hour dragged on but the last twenty minutes more than made up for it. I guess the fault here is not starting to watch Kitano’s films chronologically: one’s expectations are then skewed. If you’ve never seen him before, then by all means start with this one and you won’t be disappointed. I liked it, but nothing more.

Girl From Nowhere

Year: 2017
Country: South Africa
Director: Mark Jackson
Starring: Christia Visser, Tamryn Speirs, Scot Cooper

A couple headed to a weekend home in the mountains in South Africa pick up a hitch-hiker, Liza, who through a set of circumstances ends up having to stay with them when they arrive. Trouble starts to set in when Liza starts to test their boundaries. When you look at the poster of the film, you expect a Grindhouse-like exploitation film and I believe this is more than anything else responsible for the film’s incredibly low imdb.com rating of 3.8 (the online reviewers mostly complained at how slow the film was, likely expecting plenty of sex and blood). Although the film hints at suspense/horror (through a ridiculous subplot in the last 15 minutes), it’s actually more of a character study and a drama. Impeccably well shot on location in Cedarberg, Cape Town, South Africa, it’s a pleasure for the eyes with its vast open landscapes and mountains. I especially liked Christia Visser as Liza: she has attitude and charisma to spare and is by far the most convincing of the three actors. Cool Spaghetti-Western style music too gives the film personality but likely owes a small debt to Tarantino. The film works best when Liza takes the couple out of their comfort zone and thankfully never goes into melodrama: you never quite know what turns the film will take and up until the last 15 minutes, I really enjoyed it. A silly final act doesn’t exactly ruin the movie, but I wouldn’t watch it again either unfortunately as a result. Uneven, but when it’s good it shows incredible promise considering it’s writer/director Mark Jackson’s first feature film. Shot in less than two weeks for less than US$20,000.00.

Sweet Movie

Year: 1974
Country: France/West Germany/Canada
Director: Dusan Makavejev
Starring: Carole Laure, Pierre Clémenti, Anna Prucnal

This was a hard one to find. I had to call the National Library and have them ship out this movie from their warehouse – but I got it! I’d heard this is pretty depraved and repulsive and as I always enjoy going outside the box and looking at more extreme art, I just had to see this. There’s no conventional story really. I mean, it starts out with a televised contest where the virgin with the most perfect vagina wins 50 billion $ and an arranged marriage with a milk industry tycoon. Except he happens to have a golden penis and she is terrified…and then she gets put in a suitcase on a plane to France where various random escapades happen. Meanwhile, in a separate story line, a woman on a boat across the world takes on a French sailor and they have an affair, all the while collecting and seducing others (the boat is also a mini candy factory, of course). You really see it all in this movie – if you can think it, it’s there. Sometimes I feel like its attempts at being extreme (the food orgy scene is truly disgusting) are so just for the sake of it, but the 70’s was a time of exploration, freedom and experimentation in cinema so maybe that was just the point. I don’t think saying “I like this” or “I didn’t like this” applies to this film. It’s a standalone experience, for better or worse. Shot in Montreal, Amsterdam and Paris. Watch the trailer here to get a bit of an idea of what you’re getting into: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO0BJi5j_wg

Knives Out

Year: 2019
Country: USA
Director: Rian Johnson
Starring: Ana De Armas, Daniel Craig, Chris Evans

I’ve always been a fan of Whodunnit films. There’s a murder. Several Suspects. There’s a reason to think any of them could be guilty. You let yourself get carried with the twisted story and the end sometimes unfolds to a satisfying conclusion. Knives Out is indeed a Whodunnit. It just doesn’t follow any conventional rules of the well-established genre. I refuse to say anything about the story, and I’d even go as far as saying don’t even watch the trailer. This is good classic fun. I’d given up on Writer/Director Rian Johnson: his attempt at teen film-noir with “Brick” just felt forced, and his Bruce Willis-is-Timecop “Looper” felt meh more than anything else. But this movie. Ha! This has the kind of personality that I hope turns the dude into a household name. Some of the most fun you’ll have watching this, admittedly, is watching two alpha-males working against typecast: Daniel Craig is no James Bond: he plays an American Hercule Poirot-like detective who may or may not suck at his job. Chris Evans plays a total entitled asshole – and he is so good. I’ve always felt that you can measure the true talent of a dramatic actor by their ability to play comedy. People forget how difficult comedy is because it feels so natural to laugh – that’s why barely any actor/actress has ever won an Oscar for a comedic role. You make someone cry and somehow you broke a barrier between the audience and their souls. Comedy is taken for granted, always has been. One could argue we only started thinking of Robin Williams as a real actor when he started to make us cry a little. Well, Craig has kicked our asses tenfold by playing Bond, the way that Chris Evans really does look like a true to life Captain America, but to see them here is quite the unexpected surprise unless you’ve seen their lesser-known ventures into other genres. Ana De Armas is also a revelation but for me to say why would be already saying too much (you’ll see her next to Craig in the next Bond film, “No Time To Die”). Turn off the lights, put your brain in the freezer and just enjoy this. I wish they made more movies like this.

Love Me Tender

Year: 1956
Country: USA
Director: Robert D. Webb
Starring: Richard Egan, Debra Paget, Elvis Presley

Elvis’ first motion picture! Set in the Civil War, Elvis’ older brother is part of the recently-defeated Confederate army and steals a large sum of money from them before he returns home. The only catch is everyone thought he was dead, and lil’ brother Elvis went ahead and married older brother’s sweetheart. You can see how the rest plays out. Above average western has a pretty dreadful first half hour, but then Elvis sings Love Me Tender and you stop questioning the meaning of life. The film actually gets intriguing and suspenseful around the halfway mark, making it worth watching – and not even only to see how Elvis was marketed: this isn’t a musical – Elvis just randomly sings to his family and at a town fair and shakes his stuff and the Civil War-era ladies all go wild. Nothing to do with the story. I actually should mention that his acting is pretty damn decent for a first feature! That Elvis kid sure has potential.

Babettes Gæstebud (Babette’s Feast)

Year: 1987
Country: Denmark
Director: Gabriel Axel
Starring: Stéphane Audran, Bodil Kjer, Birgitte Federspiel

Winner of the 1988 Oscar for Best Foreign Film and first Danish film to do so. The story of Babette (Stéphane Audran) who, after fleeing France during the Franco-Prussian war becomes the maid for two sisters in a tiny and secluded religious community in Denmark. This leads up to an important night in the village for which Babette decides to cook French cuisine, something the town has never experienced. Do not watch this with an empty stomach – the incredible dinner itself will surely open up your appetite (and make you feel like getting yourself a bottle of Champagne). A film that celebrates the simple and pure joys in life one should never take for granted. Quite exquisite. I just don’t want to write too much about the story, it’s better to let you discover it.