Del Toro has the means and ways to make possibly the most atmospheric and wonderful films ever conceived. Watching a recent gothic horror film by the director, it has become obvious that Del Toro is obsessed with graphic violence. The kind that a male teenager might get huge kicks from, and even laugh at as it happens on screen. Del Toro's type of graphic violence is not out of place in a novel, perhaps, where one can skim through parts if desired, or simply try not to picture things too graphically. Even in comics his style of violence could be accepted, as we are aware of the fact that this isn't real. But when a film maker of Del Toro's creativity and magnitude hooks you into a movie, you do believe it's real. The violence is so sudden and so shocking that it literally ruins the entire picture. All the fabulous work he has done on sets, costumes, lighting, etc. are immediately thrown away. What are you going to remember about the film? Guess. Anyway, Crimson Peak is mostly a traditional gothic tale, with a familiar, almost tired plot. There are some very scary ghost scenes, however. Awesome visuals, which make you forget how dumb the story is. And then there is the over the top violence. I hope someday Del Toro overcomes his teenage violence fantasies, and makes at least one movie before he dies that shows off his talents in a positive light. I'd be interested in what percentage of viewers were entertained by seeing a man's head smashed repeatedly and graphically into the side of a bathroom sink, with all the accompanying blood and broken head. Or the abysmal climax, with at least five stabbings, all very graphic and over the top. And the two female leads have at one another with knives, a cleaver, and a shovel. Stupidity marches on.
Now streaming on AMC+
And now for something completely different. Deb's leaving choice last weekend was called The Balcony, a filming of a Jean Genet play that stars Peter Falk (who is pretty good) and Shelly Winters (who is awful). Winters runs a fantasy island type of house of pleasure in a vast building. She has many girls who work for her, and the customers (all male) pay highly for their services. They get to act out their fantasies. In this case there are three: one man wants to be a bishop, another a general, and a third a judge. Outside the building the world is descending into chaos, with street battles and bombs. Falk plays the police chief who is trying to take over everything. Mostly quite silly now, there are several funny moments that keep up interest. Pretty avante garde for 1963 cinema. The language from the 1957 play was toned down considerably. Worth a look for the curious.
Leaving Criterion August 31st.
For my main choice of the week I selected two shorter films by Les Blank from the early 70s. They are called Dry Wood, and Hot Pepper. Both deal with Black Creole culture in Louisiana. The better film is Hot Pepper, which follows Clifton Chenier around to some of his gigs. His incredible virtuosity on the accordion mixes jazz, blues, and zydeco. The film is much more focused than the first one, which shows a variety of scenes, some very unpleasant to watch, of the rural community doing what they do. But the Chenier film has some wonderful music, really stunning photography, and some random scenes with music in the background worth their weight in gold. There was also a more recent short documentary to watch about making the two films. Criterion is the only place to see stuff like this, especially in excellent prints.
The better of two Les Blank films leaving Criterion August 31st.
In local news, Deb's mom Lois took a fall in her room. She needed to have an x-ray done on her arm. So Deb had to drive to Kingsville (30'), then follow the ambulance to Windsor (35'), stay until the x-ray happened (about 3 hours), drive back to Kingsville for the paperwork and to get her mom comfortable, then drive back home. Not the end of her driving. The arm was fractured, and Lois needed to return to Windsor next day at 6 am. So Deb was up at 4:40 am, driving back to Windsor to meet her mom. When her sling was on (they aren't going to use a cast), Deb drove back to Kingsville (Lois had transport separately arranged for her in her wheel chair), and then finally home. Lois is in some pain, but she has pills for that. Her arm is immobilized for three weeks, when she has to return to Windsor. Deb is pretty sick of driving.
Mapman Mike
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