Beautiful films?

[shiki-jitsu]

Too bad the movies are so hacky.

Now I am not going to start posting again.

[Alien Redrum]

GOOD. THAT WAS THE GODDAMN PLAN.

[Alien Redrum]

While I have your attention, can you stop crying long enough to tell me what your avatar is from?

[Neon Maniac]

Too bad the movies are so hacky.

Now I am not going to start posting again.

You already started posting.

BAM.

[DJBenz]

While I have your attention, can you stop crying long enough to tell me what your avatar is from?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082933/

[Neon Maniac]

Early 80's arthouse claptrap starring a young Sam Neil. It sounds right up his alley.

[shiki-jitsu]

Early 80's arthouse claptrap starring a young Sam Neil.

claptrap I miss fun Neon. The Art Bell cock teases just turned Neon into a bitter, bitter man.

If you are buying any release of it... this is the one to get: https://www.toufaan.com/products/posses ... red-copies

[Neon Maniac]

Early 80's arthouse claptrap starring a young Sam Neil.

claptrap I miss fun Neon. The Art Bell cock teases just turned Neon into a bitter, bitter man.

If you are buying any release of it... this is the one to get: https://www.toufaan.com/products/posses ... red-copies

Oh, come on. You know you laughed at claptrap. And you're right, he's made me bitter. Or was it being continually ignored in the Art Bell thread that did that?

Of course the $65 LE is the one to get. How can there be a special claptrap version of claptrap?!?! That's like a double layer head exploder. Forget that nonsense. Right here it's $10 and they say it's "BEST DVD TRANSFER". They couldn't make that claim if it wasn't true.
https://www.raredvds.biz/Possession_DVD ... ession.htm

[New Wave Shamrock]

When I think of a "beautiful film" I think more of consistent, spectacular cinematography than I do a single scene. A hack can make a movie with a single 'beautiful' scene or framing, its' like a broken clock being right twice a day. There are very few films I've seen that are top to bottom visual feasts.

A lot of Argento's more popular stuff is like that.

Too bad the movies are so hacky.

If what Argento did on Deep Red, Inferno, Opera, Suspiria, Tenebre, The Bird with the Crystal Plumage, The Stendhal Syndrome, Phenomena, Cat o' Nine Tails, etc, is "hacky" ... I would never want to see him on magnum opus mode.

He tends to be the reason I believe excellence in horror is actually possible. (Well... him and Bava.) (But I always say Argento first because I think Black Sunday is too Sunday Schoolish. And the special effects in Bay of Blood are not handled with any care- they look phonier and Fulcier than anything Argento's ever done. And Lisa and the Devil is too rapey, without showing the actual effect it has psychologically on Lisa as a character.)

[Alien Redrum]

His movies are quite gorgeous and I own many of them for that reason. The story and writing though; not impressive. It's run of the mill stuff. If his films weren't gloriously beautiful, he'd be forgotten in history.

[Alien Redrum]

While I have your attention, can you stop crying long enough to tell me what your avatar is from?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082933/

I'm gonna have to track this down as soon as I'm done watching Android Cop.

[New Wave Shamrock]

His movies are quite gorgeous and I own many of them for that reason. The story and writing though; not impressive. It's run of the mill stuff. If his films weren't gloriously beautiful, he'd be forgotten in history.

Forgotten where in history? By whom? Horror fans have stunning memories. And dedication to those memories. Heck, there are horror fans who call Fulci politically subversive and think Lamberto Bava's abysmal A Blade in the Dark is on the same level as Argento.

Which I suppose would be enough for me to be as skeptical about people who think Argento is a master, at least back when I wasn't sure he was all they were cracking him up to be, but when I first saw each of his films, my eyes nearly exploded. Almost 15 years later, I actually feel his films are a lot more than beautiful. Hence why they would attract people as intelligent as Kim Newman, Maitland McDonagh, and Alan Jones. Who think Argento's work is complex and intricate and thoughtful enough to have written entire books on them.

[Alien Redrum]

I think you need to re-read that. If they weren't as beautiful as they were, he'd be forgotten in history. He'd be another name in a group of filmmakers who made giallo. However, his eye is what saves him from being a mediocre filmmaker.

He's like Janice Joplin. If she hadn't died when she did, know one would know her name.

[New Wave Shamrock]

I think you need to re-read that. If they weren't as beautiful as they were, he'd be forgotten in history. He'd be another name in a group of filmmakers who made giallo. However, his eye is what saves him from being a mediocre filmmaker.

He's like Janice Joplin. If she hadn't died when she did, know one would know her name.

No, I read you right. I just didn't feel like telling you your reply went entirely without saying. It would be the same as me telling you: hey, Serena Williams wouldn't be a famous tennis player if she didn't hit the balls when they came flying at her. If Wolfgang Puck couldn't cook, he wouldn't be a famous chef. If Pam Anderson didn't have big boobs, she wouldn't be famous for anything. If Donald Trump weren't a colossal idiot, he wouldn't be President.

So I mentioned some really cool, intelligent people wrote some books about his filmography because they were in awe of him- let's forget that for the time being and just recognize that a lot of people think style can in and of itself be substantial. I guess I am one of them. Argento could never make some blandly competent Hollywood drama with the by-the-book character development. He was too busy blazing trails. Breaking ground. Doing things that people of great repute have looked up to him for for decades and still think he's impressive for having done. Ask most of the horror filmmakers you actually have respect for (or do a seance and ask their spirits) (the ones who died)- I'll bet he inspired each and every one.

There has to be mean something. I don't think those people waste time musing: "gee, if the guy hadn't known how to make films- he wouldn't have made such great films." (No matter how you phrase it.)

[Alien Redrum]

I stand by that he was right place right time. He might have been the best of the giallo bunch, but his dialog and stories are rather weak.

I recognize why people love him, of course. There's a reason why I own many of his films. But closer unbiased examination does show he's overrated as a storyteller.

I'll give him mad credit for working with Goblin, though. Those are some of my favorite soundtracks of any genre.