Cinemension

Hell Breaks Loose In Hopkinsville

2009-12-26T06:32:00.001-06:00

Is the title of one of my best paranormal-based poems. It was based upon the 1955 Kentucky incident described in this video:

Breathless's Jean Seberg

2009-12-14T13:35:00.013-06:00

Jean-Luc Godard was a bad filmmaker who rose to mediocrity, then faded back to nada. He was part of a bad group of film critics for a magazine called Cahiers du Cinema. I mention this because I was recently thinking of his first film, the Charles Bukowskian 'so bad some idiots think it's genius' film, Breathless. The link will give you my take on this lame film.

But, in scanning over some of the increasingly inane comments over at Roger Ebert's post about me, and aside from the silly digressions on Hitler, perhaps the oddest claims (made by Ebert and others) is how the film Casablanca is so geared toward the beauty of Ingrid Bergman. True, she is highlighted, and she was quite a looker, in her day. So?

The film is not even about her character, nor even the two men in her life's takes on her. To read some of the comments one would think she was the first actress to ever be adored by a film camera. Hello? Two words: Greta Garbo.

But, this returns me to Seberg:

Godard and his camera fetishize her even more than Curtiz did Bergman. And, while Casablanca's not a great film, it is a fun film. Breathless is neither. But Breathless is far more about the beauty of Seberg, by Ebert's definition of 'face time', than Casablanca is about Bergman. And, let's face it, attraction is subjective, beauty is not, and Seberg's face is as flawlessly symmetrical as Halle Berry's. In short, Ingrid was a babe, but Seberg was a goddess. I'm talking rival to Grace Kelly gorgeous.

But, again: so? Does her beauty make Godard's bad film good? No. Neither does Bergman's lesser beauty make the solid and enjoyable Casablanca a great film.

A few other cleanup points: I'm hardly a snob. On Cosmoetica I've written of soap operas, Godzilla films, and pro wrestling, enjoying them all. There's simply a difference between liking something and its quality. I like many bad works of art, and dislike great ones. But, I recognize the differences. I like Richard Brautigan's doggerel, but don't really like Ingmar Bergman films. But, I know Bergman was a great artist. However, Saraband was a terrible film. And I didn't like it. Plan 9 From Outer Space is a terrible film. So is Robot Monster. I love them. It's really not difficult to grasp. No one has ever said it's wrong- in a moral sense- to like bad art. But, acknowledge the bias. I prefer Roger Moore to Sean Connery as James Bond. I can make good arguments as to why. But, on a purely acting level, Connery's a better actor. So? I like Moore's irreverent Bond more. But, I acknowledge my bias. That's not snobbery. It's honesty and intelligence.

Folk like the Cahiers du Cinema critics were snobs, broadbrushing whole schools of work, rather than seeing good and bad in all. They were the film school/film theory/auteurist snobs. Folk like Ebert or Siskel or Maltin are pop critics of film. I bridge the gap between both, exposing both the extremes' flaws: the fundamentalism of the snobs and the embracing of dumbed down culture of the pop crowd.

On a small note: I've gotten some bizarre emails re: this whole thread- ranging from the sinister to the absurd. On the dark side, an emailer who claimed to have posted on the thread issued me a dire warning that the original emailer to Ebert, Peter Svensland, had intended his email to cause Ebert to unleash a firestorm of scorn against me- thereby consigning my website to a Dantean outer ring, but it all backfired, and that there might be hell to pay from a cyberstalker's revenge denied. Well, while I wouldn't put it by that character, I doubt it. I do believe I may have been just a tool to get Ebert's attention because when the great man deigned to recognize him, he went into ecstasies, and this is a familiar pattern with stalker types. Either way, this isn't 2001, and I'm much more prepared for shenanigans of the cyber/virus sort.

On the absurd side, one of my biggest fans thinks I blew it with Ebert. He claims that Ebert is on his death bed and (having watched too many samurai films) was looking for a successor to bequeath his critical fiefdom to, and that I was not suitably deferential enough ('You gotta kiss the brass ring, Baby!'). This fellow, I know, is harmless, although his own home planet is a place I do not think I'll travel to. But, if correct, it means I won't 'own' Chicago, like Ebert, and Capone, before him. Too bad, I've always heard Chicago had fine babes.

Natheless, I'll always have Jeannie:

Y'all can have Ingrid!

Ebert Epilogue

2009-12-13T10:24:00.008-06:00

Had a nice, brief email exchange with Roger Ebert. Very nice, classy guy. Have to admire, whether you agree with him or not, how he's always willing to champion an unknown film, critic, documentary, cause, etc., just because he believes in it.

Ebert is a walker- he walks the walk, whether you agree with his talk or not. I respect that because I practice it, as well. Too often, the talkers dominate. Most readers and commenters on blogs (Ebert's, political blogs, celebrity blogs, arts, social networks) could take a lesson.

I filled in a bit of the background to him, in answer to a query he posted in the comments about not understanding cyberstalking (of me, or anyone else). In short, I'm no Herlof's Marte. Never have been, am not, never will be. If you cross the line, I'm not afraid to toss you and yours back over it.

As to a few other points re: the depressingly predictable thread that follows the piece: many folks seem to not 'get' that the pieces I do on films, while called 'reviews' (for the sake of search engines), are more formally essays, and, since I concentrate on older films, I care not of spoilers, and usually review not only the film and DVD presentation, but also the misconceptions many have about certain films. This includes the critical opinions of the day. I also am not fixated on Roger Ebert- a dozen or so mentions, of the most famous critic of the day, out of hundreds of essays I've written, is hardly much (especially given that I come down in the middle in regards to Ebert's career). One need only look at the times I mention (read- mock, skewer) Bosley Crowther, the laughably bad film critic of the New York Times, from the mid-20th Century (the Ebert of his day, in terms of power and influence).

But, for those interested in the needed 'cleanup' of the film criticism (be it 'pop' or 'serious' film theory crapola) that's been laying fallow for decades, I'd suggest interested readers read, among others, my defense of It's A Wonderful Life, my take on Au Hasard Balthazar, my praise of La Jetee over the crap of Stan Brakhage, my piece on My Kid Could Paint That, and my debunking of some of the crap and critical cribbing written about Last Year In Marienbad and Blowup. And, for fun, read my take on L'Eclisse. I do not try to tell people what to think, instead show them how to think- a craft lost in this day and age.

As for Ebert, here's hoping his ills lessen and he can stick around for quite a few more years, on the lighter side of the soil.

A Christmas Story

2009-12-25T05:31:00.000-06:00

A mediocre film that's somehow become a classic.

Hooray For Santy Claus, at the Algonquin Hotel

2009-12-24T15:51:00.001-06:00

Santa Claus Conquers The Martians- Original Song

2009-12-24T15:48:00.000-06:00

Santa Claus Conquers The Martians- Cover Song

2009-12-24T15:46:00.000-06:00

Santa Claus Conquers The Martians- Video Review

2009-12-24T15:44:00.000-06:00

Santa Claus Conquers The Martians

2009-12-24T15:42:00.001-06:00

Christmas and UFOs! This crap camp classic is not the worst film ever made, but it is bad.

My Fave Christmas Song: Judy Garland of course!

2009-12-23T21:20:00.003-06:00

This is by far my favorite Christmas song. It's taken from "Meet Me in St. Louis," directed by Vincente Minnelli. Judy Garland, of course, eventually married Minnelli, and they had a daughter you might know as Liza.

Another famous song from this film is Judy's performance of "The Trolley Song." I own a number of Judy Garland DVDs, and although many of her films were merely what some might call "fluff," (notably those with Mickey Rooney that is) her talent as a singer always transcended the genre.

If you're looking for another great Christmas film, that is, a film other than "It's a Wonderful Life," "Meet Me in St. Louis" is a great family film and beautiful to watch. The film came out in 1944, and following that, Garland and Minnelli worked together in "The Clock," which came out in 1945. (I am still waiting to see this one).

"Meet Me in St. Louis" includes a 2 disc DVD set with many bonus features.

Feature Films At Cinemension

2009-11-09T14:14:00.005-06:00

* A History Of Sci-Fi Television
* Alphaville
* At The Circus
* Babes In Toyland
* Bluebeard
* Breathless
* Carnival Of Souls
* Charlie Chaplin Festival (The Immigrant, The Adventurer, The Cure, Easy Street)
* Crows, by Akira Kurosawa (from Dreams)
* Dementia 13
* Faces Of Death
* First Spaceship On Venus
* Forbidden Planet
* Godzilla's Revenge
* Horse Feathers
* Koyaanisquatsi
* La Jetee, by Chris Marker
* Lost Continent
* M
* Maya Deren Films
* Mothlight, by Stan Brakhage
* Night Of The Living Dead
* One Week
* Plan 9 From Outer Space
* Planeta Burg/Voyage To The Prehistoric Planet/Voyage To The Planet Of Prehistoric Women
* Popeye The Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves
* Quatermass And The Pit (Five Million Years To Earth)
* Reefer Madness
* Robot Monster
* Santa Claus Conquers The Martians
* Shakespeare Behind Bars
* Stalker
* The Ape
* The Beast Of Yucca Flats
* The Enigma Of Kaspar Hauser
* The Fog Of War
* The Haunted World Of Edward D. Wood, Jr.
* The Hoober-Bloob Highway
* The Last Man On Earth
* The Last Woman On Earth
* The Lost World
* The Many Faces Of Sherlock Holmes
* The Sad Flower
* The Three Stooges: Disorder In The Court & I'll Never Heil Again
* The War Game
* The Thing From Another World
* Things To Come
* Throne Of Blood
* Vampyr
* Willard

The Thing From Another World

2009-12-23T12:36:00.002-06:00

A fairy prescient sci fi classic from the 1950s. It's last line is a killer.

The 27th Day

2009-12-22T12:47:00.001-06:00

A classic B sci fi alien invasion film. This one starred Gene Barry, who previously had starred in The War Of The Worlds.

A Query

2009-12-21T15:31:00.002-06:00

I give you Quentin Tarantino:

I give you Tim Burton:

Which film director is the more puerile? The man who fetishizes violence, or the one who admits his puerility in every film? And, will either ever grow up?

The UFO Incident (Part 10)

2009-12-20T10:45:00.001-06:00

The UFO Incident (Part 9)

2009-12-20T10:44:00.001-06:00

The UFO Incident (Part 8)

2009-12-20T10:43:00.002-06:00

The UFO Incident (Part 7)

2009-12-20T10:43:00.001-06:00

The UFO Incident (Part 6)

2009-12-20T10:42:00.003-06:00

The UFO Incident (Part 5)

2009-12-20T10:42:00.001-06:00

The UFO Incident (Part 4)

2009-12-20T10:41:00.001-06:00

The UFO Incident (Part 3)

2009-12-20T10:40:00.000-06:00

The UFO Incident (Part 2)

2009-12-20T10:39:00.003-06:00

The UFO Incident

2009-12-20T10:26:00.000-06:00

A telefim version of John G. Fuller's seminal UFO book, The Interrupted Journey, about the Betty and Barney Hill UFO Abduction case. Saw this years ago.

Budd Hopkins (Part 3)

2009-12-19T13:07:00.001-06:00