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Watched on Wednesday June 4, 2025.

Watched on Monday June 2, 2025.

Watched on Monday June 2, 2025.

Watched on Sunday June 1, 2025.

I've always been interested in the transgressions of 70's cinema. From "Eraserhead" to "Mondo candido", from "Holy Mountain" to "Island of Death". Sadly I never heard about Jane Arden, not until I read Kier-La Janisse's book "House of Psychotic Women" and about one of her favorites, the uncompromisingly dark und bleakly surreal "The Other Side of the Underneath", which by far exceeds many of 70's excesses, not via gruesome images but an unbroken atmosphere of dread. Terrified faces, grey places, embedded in screeching noise. Somewhere between gritty realism and dark psychedelia with folk horror flavors.
Arden's highly associative portrayal of suffering, guilt-ridden women doesn't seem to offer solutions, not even clear concepts of the enemy (although one might see an antipsychiatrist at work), but a strong mistrust in any kind of community and traditional (hierarchic) forms of communication. The only freedom seems to lie in the scream, the screaming body. But what if the body is destroyed and no movement possible? "The Other Side of the Underneath" is pure claustrophobia, frozen transgressions. There is not exit.

Watched on Saturday May 31, 2025.

Watched on Saturday May 31, 2025.

Watched on Saturday May 31, 2025.

"You turn demons into pigs and then you eat them."
A feverish, almost incomprehensible satire on love, philosophical ideals and rationality written, directed and played (!) by Carmelo Bene, an (in-)famous Italian actor, theatre- and filmmaker who sadly fell into obscurity. This one felt like a minimalist "Satyricon", but with a drunken camera, wonderful blurry visions and much more dialogue. The film's sweet ending proves that love is the most grotesque and impossible thing one can aim for, like the surrealists already knew.

Watched on Friday May 30, 2025.

Watched on Thursday May 29, 2025.

Watched on Thursday May 29, 2025.

Watched on Thursday May 29, 2025.

Watched on Thursday May 29, 2025.

Watched on Wednesday May 28, 2025.

Watched on Wednesday May 28, 2025.

Watched on Wednesday May 28, 2025.

Watched on Wednesday May 28, 2025.

Post-Christmas.

Watched on Wednesday May 28, 2025.

Watched on Wednesday May 28, 2025.

Watched on Tuesday May 27, 2025.

Dissolves genre until each image, scene, dialogue becomes a thing in itself. Still a big, charming fun. And most beautiful to look at.

Review on Monopol (German).

Why exactly are we still interested in Ari Aster? His first two films worked as playful reimaginations of classic horror tropes, harsh, but also empathic towards their characters. "Beau Is Afraid" felt like Aster tried to make his first broad statement on the psyche of fragile masculinity, ending in the most tiresome plot I've seen in a while. This time he repeats his statement mode, totally neglecting characters and any interesting visual storytelling (even "Beau Is Afraid" had it in its pushy first 30 minutes). Instead we get an endless comedy show disguised as film, focused on debates that thickened our air since Corona. I feel so exhausted now, being tired of this director shouting in my ears for more than two hours. Just to make me laugh about other people's pain. No, I say.

A satirical onslaught in sound and image, Radu Jude would be proud. Well, at first - then the whole movie tries to focus, get serious and becomes quite boring. Altogether it's still an interesting take, but the difficult subject seems to overwhelm the plot.

Oldschool naturalism with a sharp focus and preciseley written characters. Solidarity without kitsch.

Special VR experience in Cannes. Now being in the middle of all these low quality textures made the film feel even more glitchy. Seeing all the cute animals die again made me double sad. But even in VR there was no way to safe them.

Wow. A long day's journey through genre, image and human pain.

These boys are cute and their story is touching. Too bad they are both buried under endless plot points and a load of kitsch. Felt like 200 minutes.

Too long for its rather simple (and often seen) plot. Why not rely on the good actors and concentrate? Ah wait - we're at Cannes... a place where overlength itself is a value.

Sweet like a boomer's fart.

Long takes, lens flares and a ranting nazi. The laziest exploitation. Who actually asked for this? Maybe Schlingensief. But he's too dead now to make something aptly grotesque out of this generic piece of nothing.

The first half elegantly balances comedy and tragedy, then both elements get turned up until the whole movie and its characters feel a bit unlikely and comic-like. The ending itself is genuinely creepy. A mixed bag, interesting indeed.

Watched it in Cannes beach cinema. It was really getting cold, some yuppies close-by listened to ABBA techno remixes and the only subtitles were in french. Still the ghostly, post-apocalyptic machine planted its poisonous seeds in my brain. Irresistible.

Mixing elements from adult and child flicks in an original way. Shiny colors and interdimensional death experiences. Why not?

"He wants to treat reality and fantasy with the same eye, director Lucio Castro reveals in the interview. For him, art transcends rationality and gets to the heart of people. In “Drunken Noodles”, this is achieved in a special way. Not only do we gain direct insights into the life of a young gay man, but we also experience the dazzling way in which queer art transforms his life. Whether it is embroidered, performed or simply contemplated."

Review on Monopol (German).

Cliches and product placements. Makes me wonder what Scarlett Johansson meant, when she called her lazy debut an indie film.

Cinema of pain. Even surrealism won't help this woman (instead it feels just second hand, actually stolen from Buñuel).

Probably Ducournaus saddest film yet. Like her previous work "Alpha" hits the emotional spot in several scenes, vibrating with an uncompromising power and uncanny imagery. At the same time the script feels messy, which lessens the impact unfortunately.

I actually played in an experimental band. I had no idea about melody, rhythm, but nevertheless played the synthesizer. My friend had no idea about chords and stuff, but he played the guitar. We were always looking for professional drummers to guarantee some real rhythm behind the noise. But it never really worked out. In the end they all left, one even had a psychotic breakdown while playing with us. The last one accused us of not having any harmony in our music. We were always really atonal.
I miss these times. This movie reminds me of them.

Besides that the film isn't special. It's pretty standard drama/comedy, cute and boring. The music was okay - still too many melodies, too much concept and hybris. And no The Smiths on the soundtrack.

Although beautifully shot "Magellan" surprisingly sticks to its rather conventional narrative. Wished for more atmospheres and less of those plot points we've often seen in movies on that topic (especially concerning the dumb protagonist).

Hazy queer encounters between art, everyday life and fantasy. A minimalist film that opens many portals, some of them lead to Anger, Jarman and good old "Pink Narcissus". No boundaries needed.

Genre drowning in details. Boring, fascinating.

Overlong, not really defined - a perfect place for Lawrence to perform "A Woman Under the Influence". Not the worst place to start.

Predictable, retromanic, charming.

Another carriesque highschool horrorflick, pushed by its relentless audiovisual power and stopped by its lack of interesting ideas.

Once again after "Afire" Petzold goes for a weirdly twisted (and even smaller) chamber play. Not sure if this sometimes stiff, sometimes goofy take on relationships should be taken seriously, but it's a funny affair nevertheless.

Yes! Deconstructing the colonial / heterosexual gaze in multiple and playful ways. Almost Radu Judian in its different modes of reflection and presentation. Give me paradoxes!

Terrence Malick during a nervous breakdown.

Formally not as interesting as the book, but still filled with sweet impressionistic details and lively characters. Nothing more, nothing less. Empowering at least.

Fresh cinema releases / streaming releases. Ranked.

1. The Exploding Girl
2. E.1027: Eileen Gray and the House by the Sea
3. Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
4. Queer
5. Flow
6. A Ladder
7. The People's Joker
8. Moon
9. Afternoons of Solitude
10. Reflection in a Dead Diamond

...plus 19 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Ranked. Without classics.

1. The Ice Tower
2. Resurrection
3. The Exploding Girl
4. The Mastermind
5. I Only Rest in the Storm
6. Drunken Noodles
7. Die My Love
8. Young Mothers
9. Sound of Falling
10. Mirrors No. 3

...plus 25 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Ranked. Without classics.

1. Việt and Nam
2. Queens of Drama
3. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
4. The Hyperboreans
5. It's Not Me
6. Good One
7. The Apprentice
8. Elementary
9. Bird
10. Ghost Cat Anzu

...plus 20 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

So bad, so lost that it trancends space, time, plot, acting, cinematic convention. Embrace these new, gritty, offbeat realities!

• Blood Beat
• The Beast of Yucca Flats
• Robot Monster
• Interplanetary Revolution
• Death Bed: The Bed That Eats
• Santa and the Ice Cream Bunny
• Things
• Glen or Glenda
• The Manitou
• The Boxer's Omen

...plus 14 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

• 2001: A Space Odyssey
• Apocalypse Now
• Alice
• Audition
• Even Dwarfs Started Small
• Alien
• Aguirre, the Wrath of God
• Un Chien Andalou
• Antichrist
• Amer

...plus 161 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Films I picked from the book by Kier-la Janisse.

• The Corruption of Chris Miller
• Footprints on the Moon
• I Like Bats
• Identikit
• The Other Side of the Underneath
• Mumsy, Nanny, Sonny & Girly
• 3 Women
• Let's Scare Jessica to Death
• Ms .45
• Daddy

...plus 9 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.