You know those movies that people always tell you to watch but they won't tell you why? The ones that apparently hold some grain of wisdom so large and powerful that knowing anything about it beforehand might significantly ruin your chances of actually taking something away from it? Absentia is one of those movies which makes me severely question the necessity of writing about it.
I finished watching Absentia this morning after turning it off the night before in the fear of being woken up in the middle of the night by strange bug noises. Don't look at me like that I had the house to myself! Upon completion, my mind was suddenly filled with the kind of panic that only a horror movie blogger could have---what the hell am I going to write about?
Hence this incredibly pointless blog post where I try to convince you to see Absentia without actually telling you anything about it. Although I'm fairly certain that I've said too much already.
So here's the deal. If you enjoy watching movies that aren't straightforward in their apparent horror gene and if you like feeling really unsettled for no reason then you should definitely watch Absentia. It's a horror movie unlike any that I've seen. It made me feel so unbelievably tense, confused, scared and hopeless. It made me question the very idea of horror movies in the first place and most importantly it made me realize yet again that Doug Jones is probably some kind of alien from planet creepy face and body.
It's not even like there is this crazy overdose of jump scares or shock either. The tension that you feel amounts from extremely simple concepts that do just enough to send tiny shivers down your spine. The movie also utilizes the idea that a structure or piece of scenery can be one of the scariest characters out of the whole story. And most importantly it plays with the idea of loss, devastation and puppies in trash bags.....wait I mean....of drawing your own conclusions.
There are no answers in Absentia. For many this will be the hardest thing to swallow and perhaps for some people this will be the biggest fault of the film. Those people suck. No they do, they really do. Because if Absentia teaches us anything, it's that there will never be an end to what we imagine. What does it all mean? It means whatever you want it to mean. No seriously, what does it mean? SHUT UP. Just watch it. You'll thank me later.
I've been excited to see Trollhunter for quite a long time now. So excited in fact that when I saw that it was available to watch instantly, I did an actual giant fist pump into the air. Before we go any further, I would like to take you on a magical trip to back when I was a wee one. When I was a wee one, my sister and I had a pretty impressive Troll collection. Norfin Trolls that is.
We kept our trolls in a Norfin Troll lunchbox and we had such wonderful additions as the policeman Troll, the ballerina Troll and the clown Troll. I also had a few Troll picture books.
Yes, Trolls for some reason were the apple of my eye.
Perhaps that is why I felt an almost immediate connection to the found footage mockumentary out of Norway dubbed Trollhunter. That and because I had heard it was fantastic. Plus I love the idea of incorporating country specific folk lore into horror movies and doing it well.
Trollhunter, definitely does this well. Three film students set out to make a news expose on the illegal poaching industry of Norway and end up trailing who they think is a powerful poacher by the name of Hans. Hans stays out all night, has a car with visible claw marks and is surprisingly mum about his nighttime activities. One night when the crew follows Hans into the woods they find out that the mysterious man is not quite a poacher after all. He's a Trollhunter.
Mockumentaries are definitely becoming the new zombie fad of horror these days. Trollhunter however manages to stay interesting, original and just plan cool. Trolls are seldom spoken of these days and seeing these monstrous creations come to life in front of your eyes is truly a sight to see. The trolls are done entirely with CGI but it's a Jurassic Park level of CGI---one that makes you excited rather than skeptical. The CGI is well done and doesn't take away too much from the film. Rather than filling us with a sour note of disbelief, Trollhunter makes us feel like children again hoping that Trolls haven't migrated to the United States.
There's also plenty to be insanely wowed by here. The first sighting of a Troll, the details surrounding the cover up operation and the TSS forms that must be filled out after every Troll death.
The idea that Trolls can smell the blood of a Christian man,
the different species of Trolls, the giant Troll syringe....I could go on for hours.
One of the greatest and most stress filled moments however is when our film crew and Hans take a trip into a mine that has been an active house for a clan of Trolls. Despite the Trolls not being inside at the moment, we get a giant sense of worry as soon as our characters take their first steps inside. The monstrous cave is filled with splotches of blood and bones, Troll stenches galore and just bad feelings all around.
When the group starts hearing troll sounds off in the distance our bad feelings are thrown into overdrive. They almost make it out as we see one giant mountain troll, followed by another, another and another. Deciding the only thing to do is flee back into the cave, the group hides out in a small crevice as the troll clan sits in front of them unaware of the four humans invading their home. It's a moment filled with just the right amount of suspense and dread and it ends in one of the greatest ways ever.
To top all these great moments off, we find that there is no hero better than the Trollhunter himself--Hans. Hans is a quiet badass. The kind of badass that wears bulky sweaters and indestructible metal suits to claim blood samples from trolls, and hangs troll tails from his camper. Hans' character is so great and likable that he becomes an instant candidate for having his own poster in my bedroom.
Next to my other heroes--Snake Plissken,
Earl Basset,
ZAP from American Gladiators,
and Boba Fett.
In short, Trollhunter is a movie you will not want to miss. It's funny, scary at times, suspenseful, entertaining and just plain awesome. Sure, the Trolls may not be Norfin style with jewels in their belly buttons, but they are big and scary. Plus they smell and sometimes have three heads. Why would you not want to see this again?
I've been dreading the moment when I would watch Buried for a long time now. Ever since I heard that A. The entire movie takes place with Ryan Reynolds being buried underground and B. That it was good. Unless something involves a shark, if I know something is being well regarded then there's no way that I can ignore it--no matter how upsetting the premise may be. Yes, Buried had joined ranks there for a while as being again, the snakes in the pet store that I did not want to save---but found that I had to. Sigh.
Buried alive movies and even just thinking about the concept send me off into whirlwinds of panic. I remember vividly watching the Quentin Tarantino directed episode of CSI where Nick Stokes was buried alive. I was crying hysterically and freaking out which technically could have been attributed to the fact that at the time, I had a huge and burning crush on Nick Stokes but more than likely it was because the whole idea of it was so terrifying. I also remember coming close to a panic attack when my drama class went to go see Aida in New York. With talk of being buried alive, you cannot help but place yourself instantly into the situation. Hence, making it difficult to breathe and suffering the need to receive a hug, a Valium and a giant cocktail.
Buried is an hour and 30 minutes of watching Ryan Reynolds in a coffin. It's also insanely well made, and manages to hold your attention and more importantly "terrify" you for its entire running time. I use the term terrify loosely as some of you may just find that you're on the edge of your seat rather than terrified, but for the sake of describing my feelings let's use the word terrify. Armed only with a cell phone, some lights, and a knife---Paul Conroy wakes up in a coffin buried underneath the ground after his trucking company was ambushed by insurgents in Iraq. Or terrorists or whatever. Mean people in Iraq basically is the operative word here. The important thing to remember is that he is buried alive but really, how can we forget that?
You wouldn't think that a film that remains entirely with one character in one tiny little space would be interesting after say...10 minutes. Buried however manages to introduce all sorts of nail biting situations and scenarios that keep things interesting. This includes naturally the introduction of SNAKE midway through the film. Don't ask questions, just accept the snake. There's also plenty of interactions thanks to that handy cell phone that those mean Iraqi's stuck in the coffin with Paul. And the best part (worst part) is knowing that Paul is running out of time the longer the film goes on. And it's almost maddening to sit through.
That isn't to say Buried is not a film you should experience. By all means experience this film for yourself, just be careful that you may find yourself crying and clutching your cat or the nearest animal and/or bottle of alcohol by the film's end. I've seen some shit in my day. Like literally I've seen shit in movies and people eating it and girls getting raped with pointy rocks and babies being raped but I have never, NEVER seen something as painstakingly disturbing as what happens at the end of this movie.
Don't think crazy conspiracies or mind blowing twists either. And definitely do not think gore because there is none. Even in a moment of desperation and what could easily be classified as something grade-A Saw worthy---the camera cuts away. No, what happens at the end of Buried is the kind of horror that we rarely encounter when we watch movies. Obvs I can't talk about it in any real detail without completely ruining the movie for everyone but just know that shit is serious. So serious, that I'm not sure I'll be able to get these feelings out of my head for a long, long time.
I think we could all use some cuteness to soften things up a bit...
I suppose if asked to ruminate on what my own dream home would look like I would get lost in visions of Suspiria. A startling geometric anomaly bathed in bright hues of red and blue. Beautiful and terrifying, I would traipse around the carpeted hallways by day and cower in my bedroom by night--afraid that some hairy beast hand might stab my heart and hang me by a wire through the stained glass roof.
That wouldn't be all either. In my dream home, a giant framed portrait of The Donald would go over the Citizen Kane sized fireplace. Robby the Robot would make me sandwiches whenever I wanted and brightly colored candlesticks would line the hallways. The Warriors would play on a loop in every single room and there would be mandatory dance parties taking place at least three times a week.
Yes, I could go on and on and so could you if asked. The best part about your dream home after all is that the possibilities are endless. But this indie film fresh out of Hong Kong dares to question--just how far will one go for their dream home? In Dream Home, Cheng Lai-sheung works two shitty jobs in a tireless effort to save up for her dream home overlooking the harbor. However, when a hike in the stock market occurs, Cheng finds her dream home suddenly out of her grasp, prompting her to take drastic measures to ensure that her dream home becomes a reality.
When all is said and done, Dream Home remains as an incredibly original and very clever little Slasher film. This is not however a Slasher film as we previously knew it. This is a crazy hybrid of a Slasher film filled with some outstanding and creative deaths and with some intricate and intelligent plot organization to boot. Almost nothing about Dream Home is predictable and this is an important point to realize.
I can say with about 95% certainty that I never once figured out how a scene would play out. There are no cliches to be found here and I must admit it's terribly refreshing. Especially in this day and age when 50% of all Asian horror movies involve a scary girl ghost with long black hair and the other 50% involve some intricate cycle of revenge resulting in a twist of epic and vomit inducing proportions.
Dream Home is gory, entertaining and thoughtful--the latter of which is seldom seen in a Slasher film. All too often Slasher films become magnetics for 14 year old kids who can pride themselves on being able to sit through an hour and 30 minutes of booby-time and CG gore. Here however those same 14 year olds faced with Dream Home would scratch their heads and wonder out loud in a mocking tone just what the hell that was suppose to mean. I LOVE THAT. I love when kids don't get horror movies--because 9/10 times that means it's awesome. And not just awesome...but secretly awesome to those of us who have souls (And also to those of us who have real jobs and can't afford things like you know, rent).
Of course, Dream House isn't without its own problems. The flashback sequences of Cheng leave us hanging for more and when the credits roll we can't help but feel like we are owed a little explanation. Her dramatic action seems to be a little too crazy without proper reasoning or hinting taking place and I also wouldn't be opposed to a little explaining in terms of how she received that odd super human strength. I'm also still confused about how possible it is to stay alive long enough to try to smoke a joint when your intestines are hanging out of your body. But what do I know?
Still though, these are small annoyances in comparison to a mostly engaging hour and 30 minutes of your time. It's well written, funny, horrific and almost a perfect social commentary on the state of things economically. Plus how can you not instantly love that throwback looking poster? It's the best. THE BEST.
Yes, be sure not to miss Dream Home. It recently became available to watch on Netflix Instant Watch and if you're like me and just gave up your DVDs rentals, I have a feeling you'll be craving to watch something that doesn't stink. Dream Home is your man/woman friend for the night, enjoy it and try to be nice to it and not blow cocaine up its nose when its sleeping.
Oh and all semi-craziness aside--Cheng's brilliant plan? Kind of brilliant, right? Hopefully I wasn't the only one who quoted a little Jurassic Park out loud by the end of this.....
I admit, I purposely avoided Red White and Blue because of all the sex in the beginning. SO MUCH SEX. And so much whoring and blah blah I'm a whore blah sex, orgies. You know something? You are right person reading this right now and judging me---why am I being such a prude? Perhaps I wasn't in the right mind set when I started watching Red White and Blue for the first time. Perhaps I was in more of a "Let's shoot guns at aliens" mood then I was a "Let's watch a girl be a whore" mood. And also, I'm probably just really judgmental against whores.
The fact is--do not let the rampant sex in the beginning of Red White and Blue throw you off. Because unliked Erica, Red White and Blue does NOT fuck around. In fact, the sex is even vastly important to the film in the long run. But don't get all excited, super random horny person reading this (I'm guessing you are the same person who searched, "naked nuns" and "saggy Grandma monster tits"to find my blog) because there is nothing good, hot, or exciting about the sex in Red White and Blue. In fact, in some ways, the sex is one of three villains in the film......and villains are bad. Very bad.
Shown to us in three different "views", Red, White and Blue follows three people whose lives intertwine in the strangest and most unlikeliest of ways. We have Erica, a woman who seems to find a new person or people to sleep with every night. We have her strange and mysterious neighbor Nate, who has apparently returned from war with an honorable discharge. And finally we have Franki, a budding rock star who has his mother's cancer weighing him down and plenty of girl trouble and emotions to go along with it.
What is most surprising about the film is the extreme turn it takes halfway through. I often make light of the fact that most American films never seem to have enough courage to actually push things as far as say, a French extremist horror film. Somehow, Red White and Blue pushes things to the extreme while still being oddly modest. It seems like a contradiction I know---but it's true. There's a lot to be said here about what is implied. I think a filmmakers true talent shines when they create feelings of horror and fear without actually shoving our face into it. Think of the absent shark in Jaws, or even the skinning scene in The Black Cat. These films teach us that you don't need absurd amounts of blood and gore to create some heavy impact--and Red White and Blue firmly follows that same school of thought.
There is of course, one very extreme gory bit of something at the end there. Although people for whatever reason do not seem to talk about this much. I however, felt like I was going to barf when watching it (Although to be fair I always have the urge to barf when watching....skinning). This is I think the one giant display of gore but the thing is--it's entirely necessary at the moment. If you have seen the film then you know what I mean. Shit goes from normal to bat shit crazy holy shit holy shit in a matter of minutes. Seconds even.
Another thing to note in Red White and Blue is how well the three different views are handled. One thing I noticed and quite loved was how normal the other characters seemed in other people's "views", despite the fact that we know they are not normal. We feel sympathy for every character that is NOT the central character of that segment. If you do your math correctly, that means we somehow end up feeling sympathy for a character that we completely hated and loathed only minutes before. Pretty neat right? Characterization. Angles. Storytelling. Three strong and expertly handled ways that Red White and Blue shines.
If you have not seen this, I recommend it to you with full confidence. It goes places you do not expect and it becomes insanely original and surprising at just about every single turn. There's a very different kind of horror coming out of Red White and Blue. It's a horror that relies on the severity of our actions and the actions of others. That idea that some people out there feel there are no consequences to their actions. That they feel that all that matters in this world is how something will affect them. That brutal unrelentlessness and that very raw and emotionless core is what puts Red White and Blue far away from other films in the genre. This is a villain that we seldom see out there in the world of zombies and vampires---and it may in fact be much more terrifying.
On Saturday night I got a chance to see the much talked about Stake Land and I had a grand old time. Twas a midnight showing and thanks to my crafty job at tricking my body into thinking it was earlier than it was, I stayed up and didn't yawn once. But we're not here to discuss my superb skills at staying up late--we are here to talk about Stake Land, and how you should go see it immediately.
Stake Land is the 2nd directorial feature of Jim Mickle, whom many of you may be familiar with for directing Mulberry Street. The film puts its own spin on the apocalypse by using vampires and injecting some good old fashioned chaos and characterization into our situation. We follow Martin, a young boy who gets swooped up under a rough and tough vampire hunter's wing after his family gets massacred by a vampire. He is known only as Mister, and sees it as his duty to train Martin as his apprentice. The two set off in search of the much talked about "New Eden" and along the way encounter crazy religious cults, new friends and plenty of vampires.
While the plot may sound like your typical, gang trying to survive in fill-in-the-blank apocalypse, Stake Land is surprisingly original and refreshing in just about every single area. Sure it may remind you here and there of Zombieland or even The Road--but Stake Land has enough WOW moments to really ground your thoughts. Once the credits roll and you start to replay the film's events in your head you realize that Stake Land is simply Stake Land and nothing else---and that is important.
The best thing about Stake Land is how unbelievably polished and great it looks despite its smaller budget. Made for under a million, Stake Land boasts some of the greatest looking vampires and dead vampires that I have ever seen. While a few of the live vampires at times look a little orc-ish and CGI happy--the real star is the aftermath of the vampires. You'll see some really, really fantastic FX work here that will blow your mind. Rotting and gutted vamps hanging from trees, burnt to a crisp vamps in grotesque positions. Vamps tied to ladders awaiting the final judgement of the sun. Truly, spectacular.
Stake Land also has one of the more notable opening scenes that will make you both smile and cry at the horror. Hint: a baby is involved. In fact, when all is said and done in the grand scheme of Stake Land, you will definitely find yourself going WOW more than you are saying YIKES. Ya dig?
Sure it has it down points: The uber religious and scary Jedidiah comes off as a bit cartoonish--especially at the end, and feels worlds away from the tone established so far. The film also runs a bit too long in my opinion and I couldn't help but feel that with at least 15 minutes shaved off we would be in fine condition.
Still, as with most apocalyptic horror films these days--it's all about the people. Mickle himself at the screening explained how one of the most repeated nods in the film goes to 9/11. The film itself is meant to show how we as humans are able to come together in times of tragedy and hopelessness. The bonds formed between our main characters seem to remind us that one day IF the world comes to an end--there may still be hope after all.
I totally have a crush on this kid. Call me.
Stake Land gets huge points in my book for being insanely original. You won't find standard jump scares or cheap shots here--instead you'll come across scenes that will simply make you excited that it's happening. You'll ask yourself how it is possible that no one thought of that before. This is what I enjoyed most about Stake Land, it wasn't predictable and it kept us on a continuous level of admiration--which I find to happen less and less to me these days. These days it's all about the dissection, the, "Well, they SHOULD have done this" and "I didn't like the THIS". Here though, I found myself appreciating what was done more than anything.
One scene in particular will have you filled with such confusion and horror that you'll be playing it over in your head for days. It's a remarkably well done scene that will surely be spotlighted a 100 times over. I don't want to spoil it.....oooh but I really want to talk about it!
Alright well I'll just say it, and if you'd rather not know you may skip this paragraph now. The scene in question comes during a moment of rapture. Our characters have stumbled into a government aided lock down area and a jolly good moment of dancing ensues. Suddenly without warning, a helicopter appears overhead and something comes crashing down on the table. We don't know what it is and the camera whips around frantically emphasizing the chaos. Then we hear more deep thuds and crashes and we see glimpses and hear the growls of vampires. It is clear in that moment that the evil "brotherhood" has seen it fit to cause as much destruction and chaos as they can. They are dropping vampires from the helicopter right on top of the town and all of its good intentions, causing mass hysteria. Crazy right? It's the best scene in the entire film.
Alright back to normal! Overall, Stake Land is a surprise. It's not perfect but it's definitely a film that will make you appreciate the fine art of making films without a super mega budget. Its characters will stay with you and more than a few scenes will make your eyes pop out of your head. Stake Land helps keep vampires on the scary list of movie monsters and it does it all without sacrificing a thing. So if and when Stake Land rolls in near you, do yourself a favor and check this one out. I hope you won't regret it, but something tells me you won't.
I've been getting writer's block more and more frequently. Every time this happens I search for a way to get my creative juices flowing and always end up at Santa Sangre. By all accounts, Santa Sangre should be the key to unlocking a mind that is stuck in boring limbo--but for some reason it only makes my mind cloudier. I get lost for those 2 hours in a world of surreal circus life, elephant funerals, mambo music and Oedipus complexes. My creativity flies out the window every time the tattooed lady thrusts her gigantic tattooed boobs at me. Is it possible that Santa Sangre is less of a muse and more of a distraction? A good distraction anyway. After all, I'd much rather be stuck in the divinely surreal world of Alejandro Jodorowsky than be forced to return to normalcy. If you don't see me for a couple days, consider me lost to Santa Sangre.
I've watched Santa Sangre about 3 times now, and every single time I find something new to get excited about. It's one of those special films that I like to refer to as a life changer. A film that knocks you off your feet and forces you to just watch. This is a movie for people that like to see things differently. It's not for everyone and in fact, I can think of a handful of you that will despise it without regret and that's fine. But for those of us that appreciate the joy and wonder of an armless crazy woman---let us dive deeper.
Released in 1989, Santa Sangre tells the two part story of a man named Fenix. We begin in a mental institution where Fenix as a grown man has taken to pretending that he's an eagle. Soon he starts recalling his childhood and we are brought to the Circo del Gringo. Here, Fenix performs as a boy magician alongside his crush, a deaf mute girl named Alma. Fenix's father Orgo, is the knife thrower. He is American and he resembles what I can only assume what Bret Michaels will look like someday.
Fenix's mother is Concha, a trapeze artist and leader of the religious cult Santa Sangre.
A church that worships a young woman whose arms were cut off after she was raped.
When Concha sees that the circus' newest performer, the tattooed whore (also Alma's abusive mother), has taken a liking to Orgo, she grows insanely jealous and demands that she stays away or suffer the consequences. In the middle of Concha's circus act, she notices the tattooed lady and Orgo have left. In a violent rage, Concha leaves the stage and finds the two doing some very naughty things to each other. Concha picks up a jar of acid and throws it onto Orgo's crotch.
In his anger and pain, Orgo tacks Concha onto the knife throwing target and slices off her arms--just like the martyr for Santa Sangre.
Orgo than slices his own throat, and the tattooed woman and Alma drive off into the night, leaving behind a terrified and distraught Fenix.
Now in his early adulthood, Fenix is beckoned out of the mental institution by his armless mother. We next see the tattooed woman in the present day, being a whore and trying to offer up Alma to drunk patrons. Later that night, the tattooed woman is killed by someone with long red fingernails.
We soon find that Fenix has joined his mother in a new act, one where he becomes her arms and hands. We learn that Concha does not approve of any sexual relationship that Fenix finds himself in. With her motherly hold on Fenix, she forces him to kill the women that make advances on him.
As Fenix's control of his own life begins to get further and further away, we start to question the extent of his mother's sanity as well as his own.
There is more of course--but why give it all away?!
I could blab on and on about all the cool things happening in Santa Sangre but I feel like that might just take all day. So to make things easier here are a few of the things I would like to call attention to.
The music in this is absolutely mind blowingly awesome. The death scene of the tattooed lady especially is a thing of pure wonder. Think Suspiria only with mambo music instead of Goblin. Instead of biting colors--there is biting music. It's one of those things that shouldn't technically work as well as it does and yet it is perfect. Aside from that scene the rest of the music is equally fascinating. The theme of Santa Sangre is creepy and twisted. It's like an evil and sweet rendition of circus music. But it's also sad and carries this strange heaviness with it.
I've said a few words about the elephant funeral but I think a few more words would be fitting. First of all, I have never been so horrified to see an elephant dying in my entire life. Well technically I've never seen an elephant dying, but if on the off chance that I do come across one, I pray to god that this is not really what happens.
But also, have you ever given thought to what you would do with a dead elephant? Hopefully, if you are as cool as a circus troupe in Mexico, you will give it a full fledged Elephant style funeral. Complete with an enormous elephant casket. You will grieve and grieve, and the clowns will squirt tears from their eyes. You'll lead the procession all the way to a large cliff and then throw the casket off the side. Then you will watch in horror and sadness as all the Mexican children and adults violently rip apart the casket and start chopping off bits and pieces of the elephant. It will be an elephant feast indeed.
Yes, the elephant funeral was quite the experience and I'm pretty sure I am holding it responsible for my inability to sleep at night. Aside from the horror it was actually a pretty impressive scene. I mean....an elephant casket. AN ELEPHANT CASKET!
Next up is probably the most hilarious and terrifying thing I have ever seen. Later in his adult life Fenix encounters the strongest woman in the world--or something of that nature. Whatever the official title the key word is "woman". And ain't she a beauty?
I find it hilarious that we are made to believe this is a woman. Hmmm I wonder why she has an enormous amount of feathers covering her crotch area? Honestly, I have seen very few women who are this attractive in my life.
Really, truly, remarkable.
Keep in mind there is actually a nude shower scene involving this....woman. But I did not have the heart to post pictures. I'm sure there was some body swapping or something involved since as you can tell in the above picture, those boobs are very fake. Regardless....horrifying.
Santa Sangre recently became available to watch instantly on Netflix BUT if you have anything resembling a strong urge to see this film I suggest you buy it on DVD right away. Severin Films released the film recently with over 5 hours of special features. If you've never heard Alejandro Jodorowsky talk about his films, I suggest you remedy that immediately. The man is hilarious, a genius and at times a little scary. Watch the full length making of documentary and hear great stories like how Jodorowsky crawled under his son's chair (who plays young Fenix) during the knife, tattoo scene and pinched his legs to make him cry. That's why that scene is so authentic looking!
Also you'll learn about his favorite color (purple) and hear Spanish people talk about meeting him for the first time and exclaiming about how they had never seen purple shoes before! Other hilariousness is when Jodorowsky talks about the infamous removing of the ear scene.
Alejandro exclaims that the man came up to him and told him he was capable of doing it. Ever since they filmed that scene people have been asking him what on earth it means, what does it symbolize? Surprise! Jodorowsky has no fucking clue. It was just weird and it just fit. These little anecdotes are truly something to watch. So do yourself a favor and buy this right away.
What else is there to say? I'm obsessed. Fully and hopelessly obsessed. This film is insane, beautiful, sad, creepy and extremely amazing. I wish I could just have it on a loop playing continuously throughout my day. So maybe things won't magically get better after watching Santa Sangre, but they do magically go away for those 2 hours and that's just fine with me. There's plenty to say about the film, and its meaning and all of that good stuff but for now I think it's important that you just watch it. Forget about the symbolism for now and just experience it.
Another thing to note in Red White and Blue is how well the three different views are handled. One thing I noticed and quite loved was how normal the other characters seemed in other people's "views", despite the fact that we know they are not normal. We feel sympathy for every character that is NOT the central character of that segment. If you do your math correctly, that means we somehow end up feeling sympathy for a character that we completely hated and loathed only minutes before. Pretty neat right? Characterization. Angles. Storytelling. Three strong and expertly handled ways that Red White and Blue shines.
