I Am Curious (Yellow) (1967)

I was curious, and had I been a cat when I watched this movie I would not be sitting here telling you about it. This is, Ladies and Gentlemen, my first semi-negative review.

Much like America was changing in the 60's the same could be said for the Swedes in Vilgot Sjöman controversial "I Am Curious" series (the other part being "I Am Curious (Blue)). "I Am Curious (Yellow)" is a romp through the streets of Sweden in a decade that seemed to effect the entire world.

This movie is hard to catagorize, as it doesn't use traditional methods of Hollywood filming. In some instances it looks like its going to be a rugged documentary tackling social traditions such as a class system and civil strife (guest appearance by Martin Luther King jr.), but then quickly changes into an even more rugged voyeuristic home movie (sex on a bridge, sex in a tree, sex just about anywhere really) and every now and then there will be little game show esque interjections that only add to the confusion.

This is going to be a rather short review, as im not really a fan of this movie (i have yet to put the blue version in my dvd player for a fear i might fall asleep). I commend it for its lack of structure and unique way of filming, but only to an extent. The movie is all over the place and its hard to really keep track of the plot (is there really one?) and the characters were hard to keep track of (im not sure if it was because they were all Swedish or what), but I understand that this is only because we are following a young lady, Lena Nyman (portraying herself actually) as she finds herself in the ever changing world around her and the shooting matches her tenacity. What it really boils down to is that the movie was made for that generation of people and doesn't have much vaule to anyone else who trys to understand its meaning.

I can only recommend this film for anyone who is trying to broaden their movie horizons (as I am) because the casual viewer (don't think it will be fun to watch this movie and don't try and make a "curious" pun) will quickly be turned away from the complicated premise and lack of anything American besides MLK Jr. This is a Swedish film for the Swedish people, and even most of them won't get what the hell is going on.

Remember, curiosity isnt always a good thing.

The Holy Mountain (1973)

Alejandro Jodorowsky, father of the midnight cinema movement of the 70's and in my opinion one of the greatest directors ever to grace the world with their vision. He takes a complete 180 degree turn from the fundamentals of surrealism (where nothing really means anything, its just crass action) and crafts a story where everything is a symbol for somthing (seriously, a hippo representing Jesus and feces being turned into gold, as i've said before I cannot make this stuff up) and it makes the otherwise standard story (an adventure story about a group of people that would make Tolkien roll around in his grave) and pumps it full of Astrology, Tarot symbols, Mysticism, Metaphysical mentionings, drugs (not so much portrayed in the movie rather than having people actually on drugs while filming was taking place), Zen, Sufi, Yoga, I Ching and most importantly the strive for Enlightenment.

Jodorowsky, a man who to some is a genius and to others completeley insane and I think he settles comfortably riding the fine line between the two. He meshes all of these different religious and mystical ideals all at once that one would think this much symbolism in a movie would clutter and make it not worthwhile, but the thing that he does best is that he knows when too much is too much and the fact of the matter is there is never enough symbolism in any shot. Every scene in this movie is filled to the brim with actual meaning other than the action being portrayed on screen. This might turn some people off to his work because thinking deeply isn't something they like doing when watching a movie (they want all the visuals with no underlying meaning), but this is also where this movie hits pay dirt. The fact that at face vaule this is just some kinda weird movie that should only be shown in a dark and dank theatre and viewed through only the thickest clouds of marijuana smoke, but because of this setback it has people coming back and back into its warm embrace because people want to know what it all means (thus finding enlightenment in themselves, to an extent) and they will watch it twenty times just to soak it all in (the commentary also works well, as Jodorowsky will explain just about everything you would need to know about this movie and then some).

The story, as I said before, is a simple adventure from one place to another and it doesn't start off this way and it sure as hell doesn't end this way either. I wont ruin it, but the ending will have you either scratching your head or jumping out the window. Jodorowsky takes the art of character development to all time highs as he has everyone representing a different planet in our Solar System (again symbolism all over the place, and oddly, a woman with no belly button) and each having a different industry they represent (coffin-esque hotel arrangements to child armies, and it even takes you to a wall of severed male organs sitting quaintly inside glass jars).

This takes the first half of the movie to get through (the longest character development section I have ever seen), but what happens when you bring them all together along with a thief, a mystic of sorts (Jodorowsky himself) and his tattoo laden female sidekick?

Well the actual story for one, but a look at the power that Jodorowsky has as a director. The man takes you through a drug filled training sequence that is actually the real deal (talk about method acting) and he is so pretentious that he flips the entire script at the end (no one saw it coming) and claims that you dont have to open your mouth to speak or act for that matter (like I said, the fine line between insanity and genius).

The crew of actors' actual lives are just about as crazy as the characters they portray and for being on drugs most of the time they are wonderful to watch (actually I think that is why they were so good), but this is hardly what the viewer is paying attention too, so I won't get into this too much, and quite frankly there isn't that much "acting" going on, its a pretty real film and although it may be a labeled as a movie, these people are experiencing this in actuality and thus making their characters far more real (sometimes to a point where you can't believe it is real).

All of Jodorowsky's films will be hard to actually review because of their depth and the cliche facet of "you gotta see it for yourself to believe it". I could spent numerous hours tearing apart every morsel of this movie and break down the symbolism into mere numeric equations, but that would ruin the journey for you. I will disclaim this though, The Holy Mountain is not a movie you watch once and forget about it, no, this movie will stay with you and leave your mouth gapping and you fingers constantly pinching your arms to see if it all was just a weird dream.

This film will require the most free mind to watch and enjoy, don't go into this movie expecting sheer insanity, but rather go with the flow and take the joy as it comes to you and I promise you wont be dissapointed.

Un Chien Andalou (An Andalusian Dog) (1929)

The word "structure" does not apply to "Un Chien Andalou", Luis Buñuel's first attempt at making Surrealism a household ideal, and with the help of Surrealism savant Salvador Dalí (the man who painted the melting clocks) he is able to show you what 17 minutes of pure free form thought (or insanity, depends on how you look at it) looks like. There is no plot whatsoever and one would be a fool to try and surmise an idea of what exactly is going on. This the exact opposite of what this movie entends to do (we aren't talking about symbolism at every turn here, in fact there is nothing in this movie that means anything other than what you see at face vaule).

From the close-up slicing of a womans eye (if this does not tell you what kind of ride your in for then there is no helping you) to the dragging of dead and decomposing donkeys stuffed inside two pianos (i'm not making this stuff up, I swear) and all the confusing twists, turns, ups and downs in between, this movie will take you somewhere you had no idea exsisted and shows that it takes nothing but a clear sense that you are in control and can use that power to make a monumental film.

There is no dialogue spoken in this film and all the acting have the low frame rate quality of earlier films that adds a dreamy touch to the overall production and keeping the idea of of there is no clear idea deeply dug into the viewers mind.

The soundtrack is just as varied as the visuals is lays behind. One moment it is upbeat (akin to a ballroom party of the European flavor) then the violins drone into a settling soundscape then into daunting highs but never abandonning it's sweet serinty. I dont think i've ever seen a woman get run over and not hear some dramatic music to match the action being shown on the screen (it was the most pleasant hit and run i've ever seen).

Being the mouthpieces of Surrealism at the time, Buñuel and Dalí had no intentions to please the crowds (seriously, these guys were crazy and they knew it) but rather to provoke thought and show that anyone can pretty much do anything they want in the name of art.

If you are a fan of the Avant-Garde movement of the twentys or just want to see what having no artistic constraints whatsoever looks like then you should check this little slice of Heaven out.

The Fall (2006)

If anyone should ever use the word "perfection" to describe a film it should be used to explain the visual barrage of captivating images in Tarsem Singh's (or in this case just Tarsem) 2006 fantasy epic The Fall. The dedication of showing stark images whenever possible starts with the black and white opening credits (properly supported by Krishna Levy's lush score) and begins to unwind the tale of an injured stuntman (Lee Pace) losing his acting career (moreso his girlfriend) and ends up in a Los Angeles hospital and finds the most peculiar friendship in five year old Alexandria (brilliantly played by Catinca Untaru) and sees an oportunity to leave all of the suffering behind through her, but not in the way you would imagine.

Before anymore on this film, I will fill you in on the director, thus ending the inevitable head scratching and confused looks as you Google his name. Tarsem broke into the scene directing music videos for such acts as En Vouge, Deep Forest and R.E.M. His first feature film was 2001's The Cell and he is known for his lack of using CGI and rather using the natural beauty the world has in spades.

From the opening sequence to the final scene this movie is the epitome of what a film is suppose to be. When you watch a movie you want to escape from the daily grind for a few hours and visit somewhere you could only imagine. With the help of a five year old's imagination and the desperation of the story teller (also Lee Pace) you are taken across the world to places that couldnt be real or seeing things involving actual people, but you have to remember there is no CGI in this film whatsoever, so everything you are seeing is happening for real. From the vast orange deserts with Alexander the Great to the Blue city following the motley crew of revenge seekers (one is also played by Lee Pace) and all the dreamy landscapes in between. The way Tarsem sets his world apart from any other you have seen is that he lets you know that you are seeing the imagination of little Alexandria, such as Charles Darwin's almost gibberish looking sign-language skills to the lack of knowing the difference in the two types of Indians.

Now, I will spend a little time glorifying Catinca Untaru on her monumental breakthrough performance. Having no knowledge of the English language prior to this and needing to be taught the phonetic pronunciation of her lines she delivers the greatest child performance I can clearly remember. Her stuttering and lack of knowing the thin line between right and wrong sometimes (as most five year olds) adds to her overall cuteness and one can't help to commend her ability to act despite having her arm in an uncomfortable position the entire film, and she is able to win the crowd over. She also has the uncanny ablity to bring tears pouring down one's face in the films more gripping moments (I havent cried like that since Dakota Fanning in "Man On Fire"). All in all she brings the child in all of us out and with a smile, and it is a good feeling.

The rest of the cast,utilizing the use of double casting (also used in The Wizard of Oz) and although many are unknown on this side of the world, they fall into the "I couldn't think of anyone better to play that part" catagory.

Very rarely do I see a movie so wonderful in every aspect, from the acting to the score that I want to share with the world, and this happens to be one of them.

You will not want this story to end.