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jetpack_monkey) wrote2012-10-04 02:26 pm
jetpack_monkey) wrote2012-10-04 02:26 pm
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Dear Festividder
Yes this is a little early, but I finished my sign-up and I've had this written for days now.
Dear Festividder,
Thank you for participating in Festivids. You are completely awesome, whether you were assigned to me or you're contemplating a treat (or whether I was once again a pinch hit and you picked it up).
My only real requirement is that you love the thing you make. Love it with all of your heart. Make it as much for yourself as you make it for me. Have fun with this! That's what Festivids is all about.
My fandom/source requests this year are odd, rare things that I adore. My additional notes aren't so much specific vid ideas or requests, but more me babbling about what makes the film or show so awesome, in hopes that it will be inspirational to your vidding process.
For all of my requests, the music is up to you. I'm learning more and more that the perfect song for a vid has nothing to do with personal taste sometimes. I have loved vids set to music genres I would normally run screaming from. I have disliked vids set to some of my favorite songs because they weren't right for the source. If you need some music ideas to get you rolling, there's a list of genres that I like in last year's Dear Festividders letter.
Onto the fandoms! These aren't in anything resembling an order. My mind is this messy.
Black Sunday (1960) (Safety)
Mario Bava is the great unsung hero of the Italian horror film and one of my favorite directors ever. Before Dario Argento stepped up to the plate, there was Bava, making supernatural thrillers with gorgeously macabre visuals. The plots were sometimes held together with twine and a smile, but they looked so good, who gave a crap? Black Sunday was Bava's (credited) directorial debut. He also did the cinematography and (uncredited) special effects. The film stars Barbara Steele, an actress so beautiful, so striking, that RHW Dillard wrote a poem about her (originally my request notes were going to be "Barbara Steele, Barbara Steele, Barbara Steele," ad nauseum). Bava and Steele together are a powerful combination. It is a shame they never worked together again.
Lisa and the Devil (1973) (Safety)
Also a Mario Bava film, but this one is all sorts of effed in the head. Lisa and the Devil is perhaps Bava's “purest” film, unrestricted by conventional narrative and unbound from linear chronology. For perhaps the only time in his entire career, Bava was allowed to make the film he wanted to make and he took the opportunity to push the macabre atmosphere, the artfully choreographed shocks, and the perversely voyeuristic sexuality of his past films to their limit. It is the most Bava of Bava films. The unrestrained id also makes the film really problematic in places (boo rape scene) and frustrating if you're trying to track any sort of internal logic. I happen to think the film's dogged refusal to conform to expectations like "making sense" is its primary charm. Just give yourself over to the nightmare mélange of sex, violence, past lives, and plastic mannequins. Oh and Telly Savalas as the Devil. He's awesome.
Eyes without a Face (1960) (Safety)
This is one of my all-time favorite horror films and probably one of my favorite movies. A surgeon will stop at nothing to restore the face of his daughter, destroyed in a car accident that he may have caused. What could be a gaudy bit of pulp is instead an understated, methodical examination of control and the horrible price one must pay to maintain it. Director Georges Franju takes a clinical approach to the material, de-emphasizing the fantastic, which has the curious, unexpected effect of giving the movie a hypnotic grace.
After Hours (1985) (Safety)
Just in case you think all of my requests are going to be horror-related, let it be known that I love all sorts of films! I wasn't able to fit this film into my Martin Scorsese vid, which is a shame because I love it so. It's a madcap black comedy with only one law: Murphy's law. A chance meeting in a diner leads data entry clerk Paul (Griffin Dunne) into a waking nightmare. Stranded in SoHo, Paul finds his efforts to get home and stay out of trouble constantly frustrated and upended by bizarre happenstance and even more bizarre characters (played by a who's who of 1980s supporting actors like Rosanna Arquette, John Heard, Teri Garr, Catherine O'Hara, Cheech and Chong, and B-movie legend Dick Miller). Scorsese's approach here marries cutting-edge (for the time) experimental cutting and cinematography techniques with the kind of wisdom and sure-handedness you only get from working behind the camera for nearly 20 years. The combination is exhilarating, dangerous, and thoroughly satisfying.
The Black Cat (1934) (Safety)
One of the very best horror films ever made by one of the most underrated directors, Edgar G. Ulmer. Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi face-off in their first horror film together. Lugosi is the tortured soul seeking vengeance against Karloff's war criminal/Satanist in a chess game writ large. The board is a gorgeous Art Deco mansion. The pawns are an innocent, unsuspecting new bride and groom. The stakes are nothing less than the human soul. I love the cinematography in this film. I love the amazing set design. I love Karloff and Lugosi, facing off, their parts more equal than any other film that would pair them in the future. I love that crazy hair that Karloff sports. I love it all.
I couldn't find a trailer, so here's a brilliant monologue by Karloff:
Modern Times (1936) (Safety)
The myth is that Charlie Chaplin didn't handle the transition to talkies very well and so lagged behind the times. Anyone who ever watched Modern Times can call bullshit on that. Chaplin understood, better than most of his Hollywood contemporaries, that synchronized dialogue was a tool and not every tool is right for every task. The way that Chaplin visually represents the story of Modern Times (the Little Tramp tries to find his own way in a world that is increasingly mechanized and dehumanized) speaks louder than any spoken dialogue could*. Also, Paulette Goddard is amazing and totally hot (what, I can be shallow!).
* In the interest of accuracy, there is a small amount of synchronized spoken dialogue in Modern Times, but it is placed carefully, consciously and always for a specific stylistic reason.
Kolchak series (Darren McGavin) (1974)
If you like supernatural investigation shows, Kolchak is one of the ur-examples. Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin), wonderfully disheveled in a wrinkled suit and cheap hat, chases after supernatural threats every week, including a robot Jack the Ripper, a demonic politician, vampires, aliens, and more. It can be a little frustrating to watch, since it aggressively avoids any real continuity, but it is overall a lot of spooky fun. I absolutely adore McGavin in the lead role -- he makes the show what it is. There are also two television movies that precede this -- The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler. I haven't seen either, but I would be fine having them worked into any vid on this show.
Spirits of the Dead (1968) (Safety)
This is a three-part anthology of Poe stories, with each part directed by a different European filmmaker of note. Unlike the other films on my list, I don't have a long-standing love for this one. I caught it on TCM a few weeks ago and while I did not love it as a whole, the third part struck me as eminently viddable. It's called "Toby Dammit" and it's directed by Federico Fellini. It's about a jaded movie star, the Dammit of the title (Terence Stamp), who has lived his life so decadently that he has no more fucks to give. He's in Italy because he's been promised a Ferrari as payment to star in a Jesus-as-cowboy messianic Western. Dammit, plagued by visions of a little girl playing with a white ball, proceeds to have a nervous breakdown as he barely goes through the movie star motions. Fellini uses the camera to reflect Dammit's mental state as he is overwhelmed by the banality of his "glamorous" life. The segment kind of goes off the rails at the end with an extended sequence of Dammit trying to escape from... well, everything in his new Ferrari, but it ends deliciously, the only way it really could.
My gushing on that last segment aside, if you were more interested in covering the entire anthology, I could see that, too! Combining all three segments into one uber-narrative would make an amazing vid as well. Each segment features a decadent, morally reprehensible character who is either pursued by or drawn to a supernatural figure that ultimately leads to the character's destruction -- a destruction that is always one of motion. Segment 1, "Metzengerstein," is by Roger Vadim and stars Jane Fonda, who alternately lusts after a stable master (played by Peter Fonda!) and a horse that may be the reincarnation of the stable master. Louis Malle directs the second segment, "William Wilson," starring Alain Delon as a sadist who runs afoul of his own doppelganger. Brigitte Bardot also features in one scene, smoking cigars and playing cards.
I couldn't find a trailer that really captured what I like about Toby Dammit, so instead here's the first eight minutes:
I think that's everything! Best of luck to you. Festivids is one of my very favorite times of year and you are largely the reason why.
Hugs and squee,
Jetpack Monkey
Dear Festividder,
Thank you for participating in Festivids. You are completely awesome, whether you were assigned to me or you're contemplating a treat (or whether I was once again a pinch hit and you picked it up).
My only real requirement is that you love the thing you make. Love it with all of your heart. Make it as much for yourself as you make it for me. Have fun with this! That's what Festivids is all about.
My fandom/source requests this year are odd, rare things that I adore. My additional notes aren't so much specific vid ideas or requests, but more me babbling about what makes the film or show so awesome, in hopes that it will be inspirational to your vidding process.
For all of my requests, the music is up to you. I'm learning more and more that the perfect song for a vid has nothing to do with personal taste sometimes. I have loved vids set to music genres I would normally run screaming from. I have disliked vids set to some of my favorite songs because they weren't right for the source. If you need some music ideas to get you rolling, there's a list of genres that I like in last year's Dear Festividders letter.
Onto the fandoms! These aren't in anything resembling an order. My mind is this messy.
Black Sunday (1960) (Safety)
Mario Bava is the great unsung hero of the Italian horror film and one of my favorite directors ever. Before Dario Argento stepped up to the plate, there was Bava, making supernatural thrillers with gorgeously macabre visuals. The plots were sometimes held together with twine and a smile, but they looked so good, who gave a crap? Black Sunday was Bava's (credited) directorial debut. He also did the cinematography and (uncredited) special effects. The film stars Barbara Steele, an actress so beautiful, so striking, that RHW Dillard wrote a poem about her (originally my request notes were going to be "Barbara Steele, Barbara Steele, Barbara Steele," ad nauseum). Bava and Steele together are a powerful combination. It is a shame they never worked together again.
Lisa and the Devil (1973) (Safety)
Also a Mario Bava film, but this one is all sorts of effed in the head. Lisa and the Devil is perhaps Bava's “purest” film, unrestricted by conventional narrative and unbound from linear chronology. For perhaps the only time in his entire career, Bava was allowed to make the film he wanted to make and he took the opportunity to push the macabre atmosphere, the artfully choreographed shocks, and the perversely voyeuristic sexuality of his past films to their limit. It is the most Bava of Bava films. The unrestrained id also makes the film really problematic in places (boo rape scene) and frustrating if you're trying to track any sort of internal logic. I happen to think the film's dogged refusal to conform to expectations like "making sense" is its primary charm. Just give yourself over to the nightmare mélange of sex, violence, past lives, and plastic mannequins. Oh and Telly Savalas as the Devil. He's awesome.
Eyes without a Face (1960) (Safety)
This is one of my all-time favorite horror films and probably one of my favorite movies. A surgeon will stop at nothing to restore the face of his daughter, destroyed in a car accident that he may have caused. What could be a gaudy bit of pulp is instead an understated, methodical examination of control and the horrible price one must pay to maintain it. Director Georges Franju takes a clinical approach to the material, de-emphasizing the fantastic, which has the curious, unexpected effect of giving the movie a hypnotic grace.
After Hours (1985) (Safety)
Just in case you think all of my requests are going to be horror-related, let it be known that I love all sorts of films! I wasn't able to fit this film into my Martin Scorsese vid, which is a shame because I love it so. It's a madcap black comedy with only one law: Murphy's law. A chance meeting in a diner leads data entry clerk Paul (Griffin Dunne) into a waking nightmare. Stranded in SoHo, Paul finds his efforts to get home and stay out of trouble constantly frustrated and upended by bizarre happenstance and even more bizarre characters (played by a who's who of 1980s supporting actors like Rosanna Arquette, John Heard, Teri Garr, Catherine O'Hara, Cheech and Chong, and B-movie legend Dick Miller). Scorsese's approach here marries cutting-edge (for the time) experimental cutting and cinematography techniques with the kind of wisdom and sure-handedness you only get from working behind the camera for nearly 20 years. The combination is exhilarating, dangerous, and thoroughly satisfying.
The Black Cat (1934) (Safety)
One of the very best horror films ever made by one of the most underrated directors, Edgar G. Ulmer. Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi face-off in their first horror film together. Lugosi is the tortured soul seeking vengeance against Karloff's war criminal/Satanist in a chess game writ large. The board is a gorgeous Art Deco mansion. The pawns are an innocent, unsuspecting new bride and groom. The stakes are nothing less than the human soul. I love the cinematography in this film. I love the amazing set design. I love Karloff and Lugosi, facing off, their parts more equal than any other film that would pair them in the future. I love that crazy hair that Karloff sports. I love it all.
I couldn't find a trailer, so here's a brilliant monologue by Karloff:
Modern Times (1936) (Safety)
The myth is that Charlie Chaplin didn't handle the transition to talkies very well and so lagged behind the times. Anyone who ever watched Modern Times can call bullshit on that. Chaplin understood, better than most of his Hollywood contemporaries, that synchronized dialogue was a tool and not every tool is right for every task. The way that Chaplin visually represents the story of Modern Times (the Little Tramp tries to find his own way in a world that is increasingly mechanized and dehumanized) speaks louder than any spoken dialogue could*. Also, Paulette Goddard is amazing and totally hot (what, I can be shallow!).
* In the interest of accuracy, there is a small amount of synchronized spoken dialogue in Modern Times, but it is placed carefully, consciously and always for a specific stylistic reason.
Kolchak series (Darren McGavin) (1974)
If you like supernatural investigation shows, Kolchak is one of the ur-examples. Carl Kolchak (Darren McGavin), wonderfully disheveled in a wrinkled suit and cheap hat, chases after supernatural threats every week, including a robot Jack the Ripper, a demonic politician, vampires, aliens, and more. It can be a little frustrating to watch, since it aggressively avoids any real continuity, but it is overall a lot of spooky fun. I absolutely adore McGavin in the lead role -- he makes the show what it is. There are also two television movies that precede this -- The Night Stalker and The Night Strangler. I haven't seen either, but I would be fine having them worked into any vid on this show.
Spirits of the Dead (1968) (Safety)
This is a three-part anthology of Poe stories, with each part directed by a different European filmmaker of note. Unlike the other films on my list, I don't have a long-standing love for this one. I caught it on TCM a few weeks ago and while I did not love it as a whole, the third part struck me as eminently viddable. It's called "Toby Dammit" and it's directed by Federico Fellini. It's about a jaded movie star, the Dammit of the title (Terence Stamp), who has lived his life so decadently that he has no more fucks to give. He's in Italy because he's been promised a Ferrari as payment to star in a Jesus-as-cowboy messianic Western. Dammit, plagued by visions of a little girl playing with a white ball, proceeds to have a nervous breakdown as he barely goes through the movie star motions. Fellini uses the camera to reflect Dammit's mental state as he is overwhelmed by the banality of his "glamorous" life. The segment kind of goes off the rails at the end with an extended sequence of Dammit trying to escape from... well, everything in his new Ferrari, but it ends deliciously, the only way it really could.
My gushing on that last segment aside, if you were more interested in covering the entire anthology, I could see that, too! Combining all three segments into one uber-narrative would make an amazing vid as well. Each segment features a decadent, morally reprehensible character who is either pursued by or drawn to a supernatural figure that ultimately leads to the character's destruction -- a destruction that is always one of motion. Segment 1, "Metzengerstein," is by Roger Vadim and stars Jane Fonda, who alternately lusts after a stable master (played by Peter Fonda!) and a horse that may be the reincarnation of the stable master. Louis Malle directs the second segment, "William Wilson," starring Alain Delon as a sadist who runs afoul of his own doppelganger. Brigitte Bardot also features in one scene, smoking cigars and playing cards.
I couldn't find a trailer that really captured what I like about Toby Dammit, so instead here's the first eight minutes:
I think that's everything! Best of luck to you. Festivids is one of my very favorite times of year and you are largely the reason why.
Hugs and squee,
Jetpack Monkey