New Jan Svankmajer Film Surviving Life (Theory and Practice)

Surviving Life (Theory and Practice) (2010)
Written and Directed by: Jan Svankmajer

I Just wanted to take a minute to express my excitement for a new Jan Svankmajer film. If I can pinpoint one filmmaker who has inspired me the most over the years, it would be the Czech animator and director. Svankmajer has been responsible for many superbly imaginative films that deftly combine live action with stop-motion animation, offering a surreal look at the oddities of life and the frailty of humanity. All of my cinematic heroes are getting older, and with very few taking their place, I'm more than appreciative to have another effort from Svankmajer even if he claims it'll be his last.

Anyone who hasn't had an opportunity to see wonderful works like Alice, Little Otik, Lunacy, or any number of amazing shorts should be sure to seek those out. Surviving Life (Theory and Practice) will no doubt follow suit as a dark comedy that explores dreams and human nature utilizing a striking mix of cut out animation and live action.

Here's a synopsis of the film from the Czech Film Center:

Eugene leads a double life – one real, the other in his dreams. In real life he has a wife called Milada; in his dreams he has a young girlfriend called Eugenia. Sensing that these dreams have some deeper meaning, he goes to see a psychoanalyst, Dr. Holubova, who interprets them for him. Gradually we learn that Eugene lost his parents at a tender age and was brought up in an orphanage. Apart from the lovely Eugenia and her little boy Peter, another figure appears regularly in his dreams – a filthy old woman who keeps warning him not to harm Eugenia. In another he is confronted by a man called Milan, who claims to be Eugenia’s husband and little Peter’s father, and tries to extort money from him. By now Eugenia is expecting Eugene’s child – to the dismay of Dr. Holubova, who believes Eugenia is in fact his anima. And getting your anima pregnant is worse than incest. Meanwhile Milada suspects Eugene is having an affair and starts following him. She confronts Holubova, assuming she is the other woman, and instead learns all about her husband’s double life. In another dream, Eugene accidentally causes Milan’s death during an argument. Milada spies on Eugene’s ritual in the studio, then copies it to gain access to his dream-world. Finding Eugenia, she tells her of Eugene’s bigamy. Both women are devastated. In his studio Eugene is amazed to find an old photograph of Eugenia with little Peter and Milan. He tracks down the photographer who used to work there, who sheds light on what really happened to his parents…

Surviving Life (Theory and Practice) Trailer

Brace Yourselves for Gaspar Noe's Enter the Void

Gaspar Noe's Enter the Void Starts at Kendall Square Cinema on Friday, November 12.

There's really no way to take the work of Gaspar Noe other than as the film equivalent of blunt head trauma. From his start with provocative short films like Came and Sodomites, nihilistic, yet thoughtful features like I Stand Alone, to the hyper-real assault on the senses of the brutal Irreversible, Noe has been delivering gut-punching, uncompromising visions of humanity torn asunder by drugs, self-centeredness, confusion, and self-loathing. Never a pleasant experience, the films, however, leave the viewer feeling a little different about his or her perspective on truth and reality, as well as questioning the disguised, repressed nature of people.

After a successful run in the festival circuit, his latest film Enter the Void, is making its way across the U.S. in limited screenings across the country. The Boston area is lucky enough to have a screening at the Kendall Square Cinema in Cambridge starting November 12.

Enter the Void has been universally revered as a mind-altering experience that pushes the boundaries of even Noe. If you feel able to endure it, don't miss it on the big screen for the full effect.

Enter the Void Trailer

Not Quite Hollywood: Australians Throw Around Blood, Boobs, and Fiery Autos Like No One's Business

Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation! (2008)
Written and Directed by Mark Hartley

Over the past few years there have been a number of solid documentaries covering the gamut of exploitation films. Films like American Grindhouse and Nightmares in Red, White and Blue provided really good introductions to their respective subjects, but have been criticized for merely grazing the surface by more experienced fans. Anyone looking for an introduction would certainly get an education. However, if you're already well-versed in horror and exploitation, you may just find yourself feeling a little unchallenged.

Along comes Not Quite Hollywood, a catalog of the most infamous Australian softcore porn and adult comedies, horror, and high octane stunt-heavy action films from down under. If you're looking for a collection of more obscure and lesser know films and filmmakers, well, this is your place. Not Quite Hollywood covers a lot of ground, and includes profiles of many of Australia's best underground filmmakers, actors, and stunt people. The film covers a few of the more well-known offerings like Mad Max (and director George Miller) and Walkabout, but where it excels is bringing the viewer the full range of exploitation films from the nastiest, to the most outrageous, to the most successful. Hartley's film covers Australia's failed attempt at becoming a sought after area for major productions and the mechanics behind just why things didn't work out. Rising from the failure was an entire generation of totally fearless and reckless filmmakers that captured the quirkiness of Australian culture, dressed it up with gore, nudity, and car crashes, and unleashed it on an unsuspecting world.

The Man from Hong Kong

The film contains interviews with iconic figures in film such as Quentin Tarantino, Stacey Keach, Jamie Lee Curtis, Dennis Hopper, and cinematographer John Seale. In addition to the Hollywood folks, Hartley speaks with the pioneers of Ozploitation such as filmmakers Brian Trenchard-Smith and the prolific David Hemmings. Each provide their own entertaining, heartbreaking, or mind boggling take on the best and worst aspects of Ozploitation, with Tarantino displaying a particularly enthusiastic stance on the subject. What's clear from all of them is that making a movie in Australia is a good bit saucier than anywhere else, especially considering the possiblitity that imminent death loomed over their heads during most productions. The productions were just as wild and lawless as the terrains, environments, and characters captured on film.

Turkey Shoot

Not Quite Hollywood operates in three distinct cagetories: "Ockers, Knockers, Pubes and Tubes”, “Comatose Killers and Outback Thrillers”, and “High Octane Disasters and Kung Fu Masters". A lot of the films discussed might only be recognized by the most seasoned of fans and I found myself making a big list of films to seek out. I was happy to find a few old favorites referenced in the mix, such as Razorback, Strange Behavior, The Long Weekend, Dead End Drive-In, and Road Games. Despite recognizing of a number of films, I won't lie and say that this documentary didn't school me. I definitely made a huge list of films to seek out. Each category is covered well, and one never feels the subject has been glossed over.

 Mad Dog Morgan

The standout portion of Hartley's film is the introduction to the absolutely insane stunt men who risked life and limb to pull off some crazy stunts. I mean, some of the stunts shown in the documentary are among the most outrageous I've ever seen and I can't even believe they were survived. When you witness Grant Page's truly death-definying stunt work, it's quite an exhiliration. Hartley's documentary is an incredible collection of some of the most dangerous car crashes and stunts captured on celluloid. The total recklessness most productions was probably the main reason they pulled them off so successfully. Without these rebellious pioneers Australia would likely have languished. Instead, the generation portrayed in the documentary has inspired a new generation of up-and-coming filmmakers and Australia is one again experiencing a resurgence in worldwide interest in their special brand of filmmaking.

Not Quite Hollywood Trailer

Billy the Kid returns for more of Eric Powell's Tales of Old Timey Oddities

Billy the Kid's Old Timey Oddities
Written by: Eric Powell
Art by: Kyle Hotz
Published by: Dark Horse Comics

I feel bad for anyone who isn't familiar with Eric Powell. If you've never cracked open an issue or trade collection of The Goon, then you, my friend, are missing out on one of the best comics ever produced. The Goon could mistakenly be labeled "just a horror comic", but it's much more than that. Beneath the gore, zombies, gross swamp monsters, and gangsters, there's a lot of heart and understated humor. It successfully blends that humor and horror with some fantastic artwork by Powell.

Powell doesn't spread himself too thin, concentrating on fewer titles that are all the more potent for it. He has contributed to Hellboy, has a great new monster horror comic with a carnival theme entitled Chimchanga, and the Buzzard mini-series, a character spin-off from the universe of The Goon. Any one of these makes for some entertaining reading on a weekend afternoon.

He is now revisiting the gang from his eccentric comic Billy the Kid's Old Timey Oddities in a new 4-issue mini-series that takes place in Victorian era London during the terror campaign of Spring Heeled Jack, ask Jack the Ripper. Peppered throughout the story are recognizable figures from the literature of the time period, all done with Powell's trademark darkly humorous spin. Most notable in the first issue is the appearance of a certain John Merrick, who you may also know as the Elephant Man. Here, Merrick takes the form of an intelligent, thoughtful, but grotesque monstrosity with loads of patience for Billy the Kid's antics.

Powell continues his trend of great anti-heroes. Billy the Kid is gruff and rude, but still endearing in the way that only Powell's characters can be. Kyle Hotz's striking art ties everything together with strong lines and cool shadowing that really captures the feel of London's underworld. I urge you to pick up this and the older series, as well as any other books you may have overlooked in the Powell canon. Tell 'em Dwight T. Albatross sent ya.