Flipside Movie Emporium

[mfritschel]

This pathetic list represents the last two weeks.

25th Hour (Lee)

Narc (Carnahan)

Touching the Void (Macdonald)

Fog of War (Morris)

Friday Night (Denis)

Swimming Pool (Ozon)

Out of those Touching the Void probably had the best sense of place I have ever experienced in a movie. I actually felt like I was in the mountains. 25th Hour was very well done and extremely thought provoking, and I really didn't learn anything new from Fog of War. Well that's all I got time for now. Thank you corporate america

Matt

[Danny Baldwin]

This week (3/9 - 3/15):

In The Cut (Campion, 2003)

Jet Lag (Thompson, 2003)

Spartan (Mamet, 2004)

Radio (Tollin, 2003)

Secret Window (Koepp, 2004)

The Missing (Howard, 2004)

The three that I'm particularly fond of are Secret Window, The Missing, and Spartan. The other three I still liked okay, actually, but they weren't anything special. I was intrigued by In the Cut and fascinated by the end, but the whole thing didn't really shake in its entirety.
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Danny Baldwin

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[matt header]

[mfritschel]

[

[The Third M?n]

I saw A Clockwork Orange last Friday for the very first time. I loved it. Here's my review:

There?s no doubt about it: Stanley Kubrick was a genius. Whether you love his films or hate them, to deny that special cinematic brilliance of his would futile. A Clockwork Orange is, needless to say, one of his greatest films; and it?s also his most controversial. ?Being the adventures of a young man whose principal interests are rape, ultra-violence and Beethoven,? muses the tagline on the film?s poster. The tagline tells us just that; it tells us what the film contains and therefore, what we should expect from it. It?s almost as though it was giving us a warning. I, for one, suggest that you don?t see this film with your mum, your rheumatic grandpa, your six-year old brother, your dog and your goldfish. That would be unimaginably wrong; by the end of the film, your grandpa would probably no longer be alive, your mum would have already thrown herself out of the window, and your brother would be kicking your dog to the death whole singing Singin? in the Rain. Next thing you know, your goldfish is fiddling with a gargantuan dildo made of porcelain. Such is the power that the film possesses.

Truth be told, this is not a film that can be easily watched. It?s brutal, harsh and vicious in every sense of the word. When a poor old tramp gets beaten by Alex and his group of droogs, the camera does not flinch. As a woman gets brutally raped, once again, the camera does not flinch. It doesn?t look away, nor does it blink even once. It?s just there, showing us what we do not want to see ? yet it?s impossible to look away. Whoever claims that the sequences of callous violence and rape are gratuitous is obviously missing the point, however. Kubrick portrays these acts of pure sadism with a courage and voyeurism that are as impeccable as they?re bewildering. A Clockwork Orange [the second only X-rated film to have been nominated for a Best Picture Oscar] has long been criticized for its violence and scenes of sexuality ? mostly [funnily enough] by people who have not even seen the film at all. Others have condemned it because of the reactions that it sparked upon its initial release; when released in England, A Clockwork Orange caused various deaths and acts of violence which mimicked those of the film. In the end, Kubrick had to pull out the film from theatres. It was re-released a year after his death, in 2000. The thing is, Kubrick wasn?t just showing us all this in order to merely shock us. This film is a profound one with multiple layers, and ultimately, it poses the question, can evil be altered?

A penetrating satire of governmental manipulation set in a futuristic, sordid world where no room for happiness is left, A Clockwork Orange is a glorious cinematic experience. Though at first its final message may be slightly indefinite ? mainly due to the fact that the film can be viewed on so many levels ? the film remains a magnificent piece of work by one of cinema?s finest directors of all time. Visually, the film is a sensation. Aurally, it soars. Aesthetically, morally, any way you put it, the film is astounding. Based on Anthony Burgess? novel of the same name, A Clockwork Orange is a film that can be shocking, hilarious and ugly. Alex, the main character, is a soulless, sinister and utterly despicable individual whose philosophies on life are more than doubtful. He rapes defenceless women to satisfy his sexual yearnings, beats up whoever he feels is inferior to him and likes the Bible solely because of the violence involved. Every now and then, he goes at night with his group of droogs and has fun, thus going aboard on "a little of the old ultra violence," and afterwards claiming that ?it had been a wonderful evening?. When he is captured by the police after killing the Cat Lady he volunteers for a special treatment in which they hope to repel him by showing him gory movies. The Ludovico behaviour modification technique solely hopes to completely change Alex and make him a totally different being. He then returns to the world, vulnerable and utterly helpless, with no freedom whatsoever. Those who he treated roughly will now do the same to him. The liberty to choose that he once had is now gone, and every time he sees or thinks of violence he feels sick.

Despite its scandalous violence and ineffable ambiguity, A Clockwork Orange is a satire above all. Kubrick criticises ? and mocks -- the way the government often oppresses us in order to do good for themselves; Alex? anti-violence treatment is, after all, a way to publicise themselves and expand their therapy. As is the case in the vast majority of Kubrick?s films, questions innumerable are asked, but few of them are answered. Using subtlety instead of deadpan obviousness, Kubrick leaves many ideas and concepts in the air so that we obtain our own conclusions. Do organisations have the right to change a person because they?re ?bad?? Do we lose our humane side if this occurs to us? Is mankind full of evil at its core? The film does not set out to answer anything but to ask ? hence its nihilism -- thus making it all the more open and vague. The final result is one that proves to be dazzlingly effective and ultimately, apart from being a sublime study of violence, the film is about free will versus predestination.

Filled with extraordinarily out-of-this-world imagery, A Clockwork Orange is a visual treat. Some of its scenes, such as the very opening shot [?gorgeousness and gorgeousity made flesh?] or the one where Alex throws his droogs into the river are mesmerizing. These show what a visionary director Kubrick was, and the excellence with which he executed his films. Kubrick also employs his trademark tracking shots to grand effect here, as well as sped-up footage and thoughtful editing; John Alcott?s colourful and bleak cinematography is masterful, too. Using Beethoven?s most notable symphonies was yet again another mater touch of Kubrick?s ? who had a great taste in music ? and, even though it doesn?t always fit with the images shown, the music serves to give the film a characteristic tone and pathos.

Malcolm McDowell?s performance as the malicious Alex is one the craziest I?ve ever come to witness. Like a child who?s made hell break loose at a toy store, he is totally insane, what with his childish laugh, his diabolical stare and whatnot. He shows no respect for others and behaves like a testosterone-pumping teenager whose hormones have taken a radical turn. The scene where he?s lying in a hospital bed and is being given the food is memorable, if only because of his deliciously over the top facial expressions. Alex is a character who only thinks about having fun, nothing else. No future, no family, no nothing. He cares only about himself and about fulfilling his innermost pleasures. Though the film is not about acting per se, Kubrick went on to say that "If Malcolm hadn't been available I probably wouldn't have made the film." It?s a performance for the ages, undoubtedly the finest of his McDowell?s career, and one that manages to sustain the film under its own weight.

It sickens, it perturbs and it amazes. But above all, this is a film whose spell will hypnotise you. Haunting, darkly poetic and wildly insane, A Clockwork Orange -- a satire, an allegory, a morality play a complete and utter horrorshow ? is a film that cannot be easily forgotten. Whether you liked it or not, it is bound to have an impact on you. This is a disorienting, mischievous film to be remembered. Thought-provoking unlike no other, twisted, repulsive and yet beautiful, A Clockwork Orange is an unmissable filmic experience, likely to polarise and enthral. See it with an open mind and viddy well, my brothers, viddy well.



As for how I'd rank the Kubrick films I've seen so far, it would be like this:

01. 2001: A Space Odyssey

02. A Clockwork Orange

03. The Shining

04. Paths of Glory

05. Spartacus

The first four are masterpieces; the last one is pretty good.

[Danny Baldwin]

Ironically, Eyes Wide Shut is my favorite Kubrick.
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Danny Baldwin

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[Fred C. Dobbs]

Ratings are on a five-star scale...

March 14th, 2004 - March 20th, 2004:

3/14 - The Killer (1989) ***1/2

3/14 - 21 Grams (2003) ****1/2

3/16 - Punch-Drunk Love (2002) ****1/2

3/17 - Pearl of Death (1944) ****

3/17 - The Man Who Changed His Mind (1936) ***1/2

3/18 - Blue Velvet (1986) ***1/2

Another slow week for me. I just got a second job so I may be watching even LESS in weeks to come. Anyways, I have the following films to watch for this week, time willing:

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Treasure of the Sierra Madre

House of Fear

The General

House of Sand and Fog

The Rundown

Onibaba

Salvatore Guliano
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"Pino, fuck you, fuck your fuckin' pizza, and fuck Frank Sinatra."

[Fred C. Dobbs]

[Danny Baldwin]

I believe we discussed this before but here goes:

1. Eyes Wide Shut

2. The Shining

3. Dr. Strangelove

4. 2001

5. A Clockwork Orange

This list has actually changed somewhat in the past months.
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Danny Baldwin

View My Reviews

[the night watchman]

I wanna play too!

The Shining

Dr. Strangelove

2001

Barry Lyndon

A Clockwork Orange

Lolita

Eyes Wide Shut

Full Metal Jacket

Clockwork and Lolita are pretty much neck-and-neck, as are Eyes and Jacket. I saw Spartacus so long ago I hardly remember how I liked it.
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"If you're talking about censorship, and what things should be shown and what things shouldn't be shown, I've said that as an artist you have no social responsibility whatsoever."

-David Cronenberg

[stefanieduckwitz]

NOTHING!
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Stefanie Duckwitz

[mfritschel]

Talk to Her (Almovdar)C+ - Its good, but severly disturbing. It tried to make a point about empowering the femine, as Almovdar always seems to do, and greater understanding between the sexes. But the part with the guy and the girl in a coma was a little to weird for me and rather disturbing.

Dawn of the Dead (Synder) B - okay I am a pathetic loser and have not seen the original, and normally I am not a fan of remakes, but I rather enjoyed this movie. It had credits that I actually wanted to sit through and was rather entertaining, and did not fall too hard into the normal horror movie cliches.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Gondry) A - This movie was all I expected and more. Kaufman, even though he didn't come up with the idea for the script, was in perfect form. It actually was able to related his twisted lessons more completely to the audience, where as Adaptation really just focused on himself and his own problems, this movie attacked a subject that really relates to everyone. One of the most interesting aspects about it was how the Clementine from his dreams interacted with him. Was she acting the way the Jim Carrey wanted her too or was it how she really would have acted? Just a great movie.

[stefanieduckwitz]

AH, I REALLY WANTED TO SEE THAT! (Eternal Sunshine that is.)
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Stefanie Duckwitz

[Michael Scrutchin]

It's been kinda slow for me lately, but in the past week or so:

[Danny Baldwin]

I thought I'd be seeing something a little better than Anaconda on my birthday, but I suppose for the laugh-factor, it was enjoyable. My week:

Pieces of April (Hedges, 2003)

Looney Tunes: Back In Action (Dante, 2003)

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (Gondry, 2004)

Repeat Viewing | My Neighbor Totoro (Myazaki, 1988)

Repeat Viewing | Pirates of the Caribbean (Verbinski, 2003)

Kissing Jessica Stein (Herman-Wurmfeld, 2002)

Dawn of the Dead (Snyder, 2004)

Anaconda (Llosa, 1997)

Not a bad week. Saw some good films, one great one. Revisited one good film, one great one. One mediocre. The other..uh...well....as I explained above.
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Danny Baldwin

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