"The Worst Movie Ever Made?"

SALÒ, OR THE 120 DAYS OF SODOM





Original Title: Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma
Year: 1975
Country: Italy/France
Language: Italian
Number: 601
Director: Pier Paolo Pasolini
Starring: Paolo Bonacelli, Giorgio Cataldi, Umberto Paolo Quintavalle, Aldo Valletti


What do I think about Pier Paolo Pasolini's last motion picture, Salo, or the 120 days of sodom? Well it's a horrible, pervert, grotesque and soul ripping piece of a feature film. The word humanity doesn't exist, neither do mercy and neither salvation. And I can ask myself: "Does god exist". This is a movie that one should think more than twice about seeing. This was Pasolini's last film, which was released only twenty days after he was brutally murdered in 1975.


Salo is set in the year 1944 in the Mussolini controlled part of Italy, the Italian Social Republic commonly known as the Salò Republic. A bunch of upper class fascists, which includes a Bishop, a duke and a magistrate, decides to buy over a dozen of young people of both sexes, which they gonna use to practice all their nasty sexual fantasies. Only just describing them can give you nightmares. And let I just put it straight right away, there's no happy ending. Due to the year it's set in, you might think that Allied soldiers will break in and free the poor souls any minutes. But it doesn't happens. There's no light in the tunnel, except maybe the title which says 120 days. It's pure sodomizing just as the title says. One other little positive thing is that this is not a pornographic film, There's no close-ups of erected genitals . And that's probably because it's not gonna seems tempting in anyway. And it's actually the close-ups of a man's and a woman's genitals what makes it a porno film. I'm not saying that I would have enjoyed it if it was, but it might have distracted you from following the story and it's points, as many other porno films does.





There's no proof that such grusome even have taken place in the fascist Italy, But orgies just like in the movie have, in every part of the humanhistory and it's more and more shoking for each time, specially that this can happen right now as we speak, like in a basement. But in Salo it's not a basement it's a mation of sodom. There's no coincidence that the rich people are fascist, the people on earth that we know have exicuted the biggest, most terrible crimes against humanity. But my question is, whould there be any Salo if they had used other people than nazis? It would have worked with upper class people who's ordinary outside, but then it would have been to offensive towards all rich people, though Salo itself is excactly that, except most people who'd only see them as fascists, but the message is there, that's mostly because Pasolini himself was a communist, but also because his brother was killed by the fascist.


One can ask one self the question: Why? Why would anyone make such a horrible movie? The answer is very simple, to show how terrible the fascist regime was in the eyes of Pasolini. Not that I'm denying that it wasn't, because it was probably that horrible, because many people got killed. The paradox with Salo is that most of the sex slaves don't want nothing else but die. But it's also the ones that begins to accepting their masters, and starts to enjoying it all, the Stockholm syndrome.

Did I enjoy this movie? No. Did I like it? Yes. Because it's a movie that breaks boundaries of what's appropriate in films. In some cases it is necessary to do so. To get as close as possible to the people's minds and horrors. To get directly into the nightmare itself. To understand the reality of some ones pain. To get as close as hell itself. I want reality, though the plot might not be reality, the people and their pain certainly are. The fact that react with disgust makes me happy that I actually have a load of humanity inside. I would not sit next to a person that didn't do the same.


This is to date the longest review I have ever written, I could talk about this movie all night. But I stop here and conclude this movie as gruesome but necessary. I give it a Thumbs up. The only thing that remains is only to warn you. If you have to watch this movie, make sure you got no food and drink on the table, most because the horror of seeing what the people on the screen are eating, and you don't want vomit all over your carpet. One advise to prepare yourself is to read a lot about the movie before you see it. You must be scared as hell of this movie, it's eases the pain that you would have felt if you have seen this without knowing anything about it before you saw it.


Don't say I didn't warned you.

Grade: B+


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"Shocking Footage"

PEEPING TOM



Year: 1960
Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Number: 365
Director: Michael Powell
Starring: Carl Boehm, Anna Massey, Moira Shearer, Maxine Audley


In 1960, Alfred Hitchcock's american Psyco was released and horrified moviesgoers all over the world. But little did they know that a british horror thriller named Peeping Tom, horrified and was panned by both audience and critic so much that it ruined the until then successful director Michael Powell's career. However Peeping Tom gained cult following in the 1970s.

Peeping Tom is the story about the young man named Mark Lewis who works as a camera assistant on a film set. On his time off, he himself like to direct his own films, a documentary about people's reactions and fear of the unknown. That's right he's filming people that he murders, just so he can see them scream, snuff filming. His incomes doesn't come from his job alone, he also rent out apartments in his house, and one day a girl named Vivian who's very curious about this boy that has always lived there and whom she have not spoken to. And they fall in love, and Mark even show his some of her works, not any of his snuff material, but still some shocking footage about his father who liked to experimenting on Mark's fears. How will this turn out? Well I can't tell you that, but I promise you will not be disappointed. 

Peeping Tom is as many of Powell's early pictures along with Pressburger, this is also a beautiful colored film. It something I actually don't mind, though it's the completely opposite of what Hitchcock did with Psyco, and sure this movie would be good in black and white, most because of the brilliant story itself. But the color in this film is representing reality, while some of Mark's footage is black and white. But I like it just that way it is with color, it's also representing the spirit of Powell and Pressburger's earlier films, remember how colors horrified us while watching The Red Shoes and Black Narcissus. How the color red, symbolized death.


This picture really blowed my mind. It's in many ways a metafilm, not just because some of the movie takes place on a film set. But most because of the fact that Mark himself makes a documentary. A documentary I actually who'd like to see. A cinematical version, of corse, not a real one, thank god, but so close to reallity as possible, a grindhouse horror flick. Peeping Tom is an excellent study of the horror when you know when you're going to die. Mark's motto is, everything he filming he have to kill. Peeping Tom is after my opinion among the greatest psychological horror films ever made.


Grade: A+

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"The heavy lightning of reality"

HAPPINESS



Year: 1998
Country: United States
Language: English, Russian
Number: 939
Director: Todd Solondz
Starring: Jane Adams, Cynthia Stevenson, Dylan Baker, Philip Seymour Hoffman


Though the title of this movie is Happiness, this is not a fairytale of any kind, but rather the lightning of reality, and so unbearable that I can't understand why someone would make this kind of movie.

The movies is splited up in three different plots, the one thing they have in common, is that least one person in each plot are sisters, the Jordan sisters; Joy, Helen and Trish. The youngest sister Joy just broke up with her boyfriend, who later kill himself because of that. She hasn't find her way in life yet and lives with her upper-middle class sister Trish who have three children and is married to a psychiatrist, who seems not to be so satisfied with his sex life, and worse is, that he developed a sexual desire for young boys, That's right he's a pedophile. The second oldest sister Helen is a successful author who have all things in life she could wish for, fame, money and men. But she's bored with it all and wish something or some one to treat her like dirt. She one day resive a phone call from a pervert who says a lot on inappropriate and filthy thing to her. It was her neighbor, who lives in the same block, Allen (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) who uses his time of to call random numbers to unknown women, talk dirty and masturbate to them. Helen is interested, and wait for him to call back.

Happiness is classified as a dark comedy. I didn't laugh, I was horrified, specialy when it comes to the pedophile psychiatrist. I feel embarrass and so sorry for Hoffman's character. All character in this film has in their own way sink as low as possible. There's nothing in this movie that look like clichés, it's all taken right out of reality. This picture is a real reminder that life is a bitch and how dark the reality really is. If you love the Coen brothers' hilarious black comedies, you must really check this comedy out. Besides who can say no to a lovely indie film with Philip Seymour Hoffman.


Grade: A

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"Time to look after my roots"

SHADOWS OF FORGOTTEN ANCESTORS



Original title: Тіні забутих предків (Tini Zabutykh Predkiv)

Year: 1965

Country: Ukraine (Soviet Union)

Language: Ukrainian

Number: 424

Director: Sergei Parajanov

Starring: Ivan Mikolajchuk, Larisa Kadochnikova, Tatyana Bestayeva, Spartak Bagashvili

Armenian filmmaker Sergei Parajanov always fought for his armernian heritage against the Soviet-Russia's cultural repression. But he also fought for other dying culture's in other soviet regions. Parajanov's Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors takes place in the Carpathian Mountains in Ukraine, where we follow the life of the Hutsuls. This picture is the story about the young man named Ivan who falls in love with Marichka, the daughter of the man who killed his father. We can see that they are ment to be together, but a twist of fate happens when Marichka falls from a cliff into the water and dies. After a hard black and white winter, Ivan decides that the life must go on, and goes ahead and marrying the first woman that he shows some tiny interest for, named Palagna. But his love for Marichka remains strong, that he forget to pay atention to his present wife. And then Palagna falls in love with an evil sorcerer, which doesn't bring any good for anyone.

Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors is a beautiful looking film, beautiful cinematography, a lot of beautiful colors and landscapes. The story itself isn't that original. I loved the first part of the film where we see two people who are ment to be together. The second part of the film is kind of slow and not so colorful. But I still recommend it, for it's beautiful use of color and culture.

Grade: B

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"8 ½ Harry"

DECONSTRUCTING HARRY



Year: 1997
Country: United States
Language: English
Number: 916
Director: Woody Allen
Starring: Woody Allen, Kirstie Alley, Elisabeth Shue, Judy Davis


Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry is a wonderful creative, well made and structured comedy. I just love all the new twist, satire and word games Woody Allen has written. In this delightfull comedy we once again follow Allen, this time as the author Harry Block who is hated by most of his friends and family, for using them in his material. One day his been invited to the university which he dropped out of, to be honored. He don't want to go there alone, he is companied by his friend Richard, a hooker named Cookie and his son who his not actually allowed to take with him because of the visiting time set by his ex-wife Joan (Kirstie Alley).

The creative mind of Allen, lets us into Harry's books, and we get some reconstructed scene's from his novels. But their manage to get out of the book and into the real world (Just like as in The Purple Rose of Cairo) where they give advice and support Harry and helps him to understand himself and the people who he has hurt. We also get to meet the real people whom theese characters are based on. One example is Harry's older sister who is an extremely faithful jewish woman. This was the inspiration to the character Helen (Demi Moore). 

We have also one of Harry's other characters named Mel (Robin Williams) who's is out of focus, literary out focus, camera focus, while everything and every one around him isn't. This is what I love about most of Allen's films, he's not afraid to use surrealism, and he does it so well that we find it so natural. One can imagine that Deconstructing Harry is based on Woody Allen himself, but some critics has stated that this picture is more inspired by Jewish-American novelist Phillip Roth. Deconstructing Harry is a wonderful creative comedy. So if you love any of Woody Allen's earlier work, this is definitely among his best.


Grade: A-

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"Follow the Rabbit"

THE COLOR OF POMEGRANATES

Original title: Սայաթ-Նովա (Sayat Nova)

Year: 1968

Country: Armenia (Soviet Union)

Language: Armenian

Number: 506

Director: Sergei Parajanov

Starring: Sofiko Chiaureli, Melkon Aleksanyan, Vilen Galstyan, Giorgi Gegechkori

Sergei Parajanov was born 1924 in Georgia, to armenian parents. All his life he tried not to give into the cultural repression by the Soviet Russia. Color of Pomegranates is his heritage and his legacy. Color of Pomegranates is not a plot driven movie, it's pure symbolism. Some people might find it long, pointless and boring. Or maybe you are one of those who really can appreciate the art and the symbolism that this picture has to offer. I think, If you are not familiar with armenian culture, this picture is like diving into a new world, and you will be amazed. Most of the symbolism in this film is mostly about christianity, and how important it is to the armenian people, mostly because Armenia was the first nation to adopt christianity as a state religion. Color of Pomegranates is a reverence picture. You just have to let go of the idea about plot, and just take this movie for what it is.


Grade: A

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"Two-Lane Backdrop"

TWO-LANE BLACKTOP

Title: Two-Lane Blacktop
Year: 1971
Country: United States
Language: English
Number: 541
Director: Monte Hellman
Starring: James Taylor, Warren Oates, Laurie Bird, Dennis Wilson


Two-Lane Blacktop is what you can call the motorsports answer on Antonioni's Blowup, in that way that the movie is focusing more on the sport itself than character, plot and dialogue, In this case Two-Lane Blacktop beats Blowup.

This is the story about two boys (we don't get any of the characters names) who driving across the country in a '55 Chevy, looking for new challenges in the street racing culture. On their journey they pic up a girl who need a hike. They also meats a retired test pilot who's now uses his time cruising across the country in a yellow Pontiac GTO (Warren Oates) who challenging them to a race all the way to Washington, D.C. which they never get to, thanks to some "creative" screenwriters. 

There's no goal with this film, the character are nearly mute, and we don't get to know them at all. The two boys for example isn't even talking about cars, their knowledge and passion for cars are so complex that they can communicate without using words, which is interesting ofcorse, but is not suited for the movie language. I really hoped that the girl would stand for much of the talking. But just comes now and then with one-line sentences, She's a girl for god's sake! But I want to give some credits to Warren Oates' performance, he actually played a lonesome rider who's loves to pick up hitchhikers and enjoying having conversations with them, something neither of the other main-character does.

My conclusion of Two-Lane Blacktop is that it's more machine than man. So if you are a motor sport fan I think this is the movie for you. This movie must not for any price be compared to Easy Rider, it's not a spiritual journey, it's simply people who loves cars, it has nothing to do with hippies, love and peace or any of that kind, it's just plain and simple about car people. They are not poets, they just want one things, and that is to go as fast as possible. The only reason I'm not giving this movie a F, is because of Warren Oates performance, he actually had other things on his mind than automobiles.


Grade: D+

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"Paper bag over head"

FACES

Year: 1968
Country: United States
Language: English
Number: 481
Director: John Cassavetes
Starring: John Marley, Gena Rowlands, Lynn Carlin, Seymour Cassel


John Cassavetes' Faces is a bunch of stories about the couple Richard (John Marley) and Maria Forst (Lynn Carlin) who have a troubled marriage, they both get out separately with friends and get drunk. Richard really falls for the hooker named Jeannie (Gena Rowlands). While Maria found herself a young blond man named Chet (Seymour Cassel).

Faces is far from good as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? But it should get some credit for some of the scene's and dialouge that might seems real and improvised. I usually love this kind of films, but it's just to much of the good, that I looked at my clock more than usual. After watching it for one hour I got tired, I had great hopes for this movies the first 40 minutes. But's it's just like a real party, always gets dull as far as it goes. Another thing I think they could have done better was adding more sex appeal, though this movie actually have a sex scene (A really bad one). It was actually more sex in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? like Elizabeth Tayor in a tight dress that really show of her form, or Richard Burton using the term "hump the hostes". This has nothing of that, even though some of the movie are set in a brothel where they does nothing else but talk, and never cut to the case. It isn't believable nor effective in any way. Call me a pervert. I respect that Cassavetes doesn't care so much about the sex itself, but when he chose this setting that is just to perfect, it's only makes me angry. 

Grade: C- 

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"Da Vinci frame by frame"

DAYS OF HEAVEN


Year: 1978
Country: United States
Language: English
Number : 637
Director: Terrance Malick
Starring: Richard Gere, Brooke Adams, Sam Shepard, Linda Manz

Terrance Malick is being known for never being a sell out, nor contributing to the promotions. He have always planned his movies good, to every smallest details. And Days of Heaven seems to be exactly that kind of movie. The story is set in 1916. The Chicago steel mill laborer named Bill (Richard Gere) knocks down and kills his boss by accident, and then runs away on a train to Texas along with his sister Linda (Linda Manz) and his girlfriend Abby (Brooke Adams) , along with other fortune seeking hoboes. Most of them, including our heroes get to work for a farmer (Sam Shepard) who's name is never given, who falls in love with Bill's girlfriend Abby. It ends up that Abby marries the farmer, most because of the confort and shelter he can give her and her boyfriend (she've told the farmer that Bill and Linda is her brother and her sister). A time of their lives that can be categorized as days of heaven. But can it last for ever?





Days of Heaven is among the most perfect titles in the history of motion pictures. It's a perfect description about what this movie actually is. Heaven. The editing, the beautiful score by Ennio Morricone, and not to mention the oscar winning cinematography by Néstor Almendros, which is the definition of the word heaven. The beautiful landscapes, the sunsets. All the technical achievements does make this film work, as well as the great acting performances, by Sam Shepard, Brooke Adams and Richars Gere in his marvelous breakthrough performance. We also have Linda Manz who also narrates this movie so perfectly, as good as Sissy Spacek's narration in Malick's previous picture Badlands. The story told from a childs point of view, so superb.


Grade: A

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