It's the end of the world as we know it.....and I feel clinically depressed.

Well today I finally got see 'Melancholia' after what seemed an eternity of waiting and what can I say?

                                                                 WOWZERS.

It did not dissapoint. It is definitely his most ambitious and polished project yet, but as with all his films substance not only equals style but there is enough substance to keep diehard VT fans like myself chewing over the bones for weeks. I'm not going to go into a big pretentious essay on 'Why I love Von Trier'...but I may bulletpoint.
This is so far my film of the year, which up to now has been 'Black Swan'. Kirsten Dunst is sublime as the deeply troubled Justine, the focas of the first part of the film, she really owns the film which is no easy feat against the ever watchable and VT muse of late, Charlotte Gainsbourg. Though that illustrates just how good Dunst is, as Gainsbourg, as sister Claire, is phenomenal.
It's no spoiler to say that this is an apocalyptic drama. And it is strangely traumatic, haunting, beautiful. I was warned I would be emotionally drained by the end and I wasn't dissapointed again. One of the many,many things I love about LVT is how fully realised his work is. There are so many films I see that afterwards I think yeah it's okay but..... they're always lacking something. The story loses steam after a while, exposition and character get compromised. You can tell the director starts off with good intent and then doesn't know what the hell to do with it. That's what I mean by being fully realised, LVT knows his shit, he makes a film into something you have never seen before and will NEVER see again and leaves nothing wanting. David Lynch is the only other contemprary director who I would consider on a par, that can transcend film into art and art into a masterpiece. I know it won't be to everyones tastes, 4 people walked out during the screening I went to (FOOLS) but nobody polarises an audience like Von Trier. I always find it curious that people find him a misogynistic director, most of the people I know who adore him are female and he creates such beautiful,challenging female characters. He's not afraid to portray the truth of humanity and essentially I think that's the crux of why I adore his films.

My only gripe. If the world was coming to an end and Alexander Skarsgard was begging me for sex a) Would I notice? b) Would I care? c) Would I tell him to give it a rest,i'm a bit depressed. Unfortunatly for me and thankfully for everyone else I will never have this dilemma or it would be a film of an all together different kind.

Ain't no picnic.

I've been thinking today how much I love Australian films.When they're good they're really,really good e.g Muriels wedding, Animal Kingdom, Jindabyne,Strictly Ballroom,Walkabout,Lantana...I could go on. But I think one of my favourite Australian films, and novels for that matter is the beautifully sinister 'Picnic at Hanging rock' written by Joan Lindsay(1967) and adapted in 1975 by the brilliant Australian director Peter Weir(who made one of my fave 80's films, Witness). The story is a metaphysical,existentialist,coming of age supernatural mystery.Exactly the right combination to get my juices flowing. It centers around a group of schoolgirls who go missing on a school picnic at the mysterious 'Hanging rock'. The film feels very dated now admittedly but it has such a timeless charm about it and the photography and atmosphere are quite beautiful.

Sometimes I think it would be one of the few films that would benefit from a make over,but maybe not. But still, I would choose the novel over the film. The ambiguity does not sit well with many people but  to me this is what makes it so special. There was initially an another chapter which explains what happens to the girls but it was left out of the published novel, and is better for it. I have read it though and I love it,totally mental, I love the idea that this Victorian set novel of repressed sexuality and hysteria flips on it's head into some kind of metaphysical sci-fi.

Going down(under).

Tonight I went to meet my friend for a few birthday drinks and under duress he twisted my arm to go see a band with him,and thankfully i'm easily persuaded. The Jezabels hail from Australia and are now my new favourite band,of this month at least. The front woman was incredible with a voice somewhere between Kate Bush and Karen O. I'm rubbish at describing what music sounds like so I will let it speak for itself. But I would definitely go out my way to see them again.

"Nobody likes a clown at midnight".

It is no secret that I absolutely love horror fiction and worship at the alter of Stephen King.He is an absolute hero of mine,and alongside Truman Capote, he is my fantasy 'If I could meet one person',as he has been such a massive cultural influence on my life.I read Carrie when I was about 10 and have been hooked ever since. Well I am now completely obsessed with his son Joe Hill and wax lyrical about him whenever I get the chance. I have read all his books thrice over;Heart Shaped box, Horns and Twentieth Century ghosts, all of which are beyond brilliant. I am currently re-reading the latter and am yet again compelled to carry out my propaganda.

Twentieth Century ghosts is a collection of stories,all within the genre but like his father he is such a crafted,genius writer that he transcends being defined or put in a box. The stories are twisted,sad,horrific,beautiful,poignant and most importantly indelible once they have entered your consciousness.
In particularly are two stories 'Pop Art' and 'Voluntary Comittal', they are both  outstanding works of literature and so conceptually original. Pop Art is a short story about a boy who befriends an inflatable boy.It is only 26 pages long but says more in 26 pages about mortality, love and belonging than most writers could hope to achieve in a lifetime. Voluntary Comittal, is next to 'Hancarved Coffins'(in Music for Chameleons) the best novella I have ever read. It is just plain weird and spectacularly haunting. The story centers around an autistic child who is obsessed with building things from cardboard boxes. The story is told from his brothers perspective recalling a childhood memory of things being very,very amiss within the walls of one of these cardboard dens. Like nearly all great horror writers the skill lies in what is not said but can only be imagined.
I guess with King as a father it's a genetic gift but quite extraordinary that he should be as good as he is.
I have always wanted to be a writer since before I can remember and am currently working on my first 'serious' piece and have found it to be enpowering,cathartic and at times deleriously joyful process BUT  it has given me a whole new appreciation for writers,especially those who can achieve sheer perfection so effortlessly. As Stephen King once said himself "You cannot hope to sweep someone away by the force of your writing until it has been done to you"(this is one of many quotes I regurgitate from Mr King).

Well,in the case of Joe Hill, officially swept.

Skin Flicks.

I finally got round to watching 'The Skin I live in' today. I was very impressed and felt it was definitely a return to form by Pedro Almodovar. I have always enjoyed his films and this was no exception;stylish,intelligent and full of beautiful and strange characters. It maybe doesn't quite have the 'meat' of the more recent masterpieces such as 'All about my mother' and 'Talk to her' or his earlier work which he defined his style as a genre by itself. 'Skin' is a well crafted story and doesn't dissapoint in terms of Almodovar's darker edges.
Also there was a trailer for 'Melancholia' which was an added bonus! Next up is 'Troll Hunter' and the Greek film 'Attenburg',which i'm going to see just on the weight of the brilliance of the 2009 'Dogtooth'.

No hay VIP.

So i'm off on my first trip to Paris next month.Now you may ask what is on my sightseeing agenda? The Eiffel tower? A trip down the Seine or a gander at the Mona Lisa? Well,balls to that. There's only one place that a martyr of an awkward silence wants to go and that's Club Silencio, David Lynch's recently opened nightclub,designed as a replica of Mullholland drive's sinister nightclub. Quite frankly I think it's serendipity.I was trying to work out how I can somehow ditch my mother,as much as I love her dearly I can't think of anything more surreal than taking her to a nightclub let alone a Lynchian one,though that is quite Lynchian in itself. Alas though,neither myself or my mother will have this worry as it is a 'membership only' club. Oh how I wish I was of the Parisian elite!

I wish to sob uncontrollably into a blue box of mystery.

I long to drink with an albino cowboy.

I need to sing Roy Orbison in Spanish with a blue haired lady.

But no hay clubo for me. Seriously i'll settle for a square of the toilet roll and be happy as a pig in shit.
So Mr Lynch,how's about you stop mincing around with pretentious members clubs and make another film that everyone can benefit from eh?

Girl most likely to: part 2

I finally got round to watching 'Somewhere' last weekend. I have been a big fan of Sofia Coppola since 'The Virgin Suicides' and was not at all dissapointed by her latest effort. I love the intimacy of her films,and 'Somewhere' is the most intimate yet with very little dialogue,all the better to tell this story,brilliantly and beautifully acted by Stephen Dorff (adorably vulnerably sexy in this role) and Elle Fanning. Coppola has such a definitive style that is immediatly iconic and yet unfolds more layers on repeated viewings. I can relate to the way she sees the world,she likes to tell secrets,stories that are subjective and intimate,the truth behind the appearance.One of the few directors,like David Lynch,who's substance more than matches their inimitable style. She's like Mumblecore's cooler,prettier,wealthier cousin.It's Mumblecore Vogue.

Virgin Suicides.....Air and Kathleen Turner.What's not to love?

 Marie Antoinette.....beautiful, both visually and viscerally.The early hours party scene in the Versailles garden is particularly striking and intimate.

Lost in translation....I love her casting choices.Billy Murray was an absolute revelation and Scarlett Johansson was white hot on the cusp of stardom after 'Ghost World',and has never been better. Also what all great love storys should be;the face you look for in the crowd,the secret whispers that stay with you forever. There is a special beauty in brevity.

 Just don't mention The Godfather III aka the one where nepotism goes badly wrong or as I like to call it 'The awkward moment when you wish Winona Ryder had said yes'.