I remember first going to the Vinegar Syndrome website and being only vaguely familair with a couple titles. It was at first a mystery and then an exhilaration. The well of horror and exploitation is bottomless. There are always titles waiting to be discovered.
The first blu ray boutique label that caught my attention was the Criterion Collection. It introduced me to a bevvy of beautiful movies that I otherwise would have been ignorant of. It had the hooks in me from the start with catalog titles like Videodrome, Dazed and Confused, The Silence of the Lambs, Do the Right Thing. What excited me about these releases was not just the presentation (the cover art on some of these blu rays can be hung on walls!) but the wealth of extras on every disc. The care put into every one of their releases remained unmatched. My obsession deepened outside of American film and into Japan, France, Italy, Germany, Russia. Criterion was not just restoring film history. They way I looked at it was they were throwing up signal flares illuminating the connections between American and International Cinema.
And still, I wanted more...
As with most obsessions, the hunt widens. The appetite becomes insatiable. The cinephile side of me was more than pleased. But the genre fan in me- the one who collected EC Comics and worshipped at the altar of Carpenter- wanted more. Blue Underground, Synapse Grindhouse Releasing, Severin, Scream Factory and Arrow would help me on that front. All the horror I wanted a special edition for, those companies eventually released. New York Ripper Deluxe Edition with soundtrack? You got it!
And still, I wanted more...
The hunt for a good horror film never really ends. It may look depressing looking forward at the state of genre cinema. What boutique blu ray labels have promised us fiends is that the wait needn't be in vain.
Then Vinegar Syndrome happen. It didn't just have things I had no idea existed, it wet my exploitation appetite. Sex films, hardcore, adult movies, the stuff you'd only find in the backroom of a video store. Like Criterion, the presentation and care they put into these blu rays is astounding. Unlike Criterion, they are shameless when it comes to releasing the hard stuff. Sure, Criterion is giving us Russ Meyer and John Waters. But it hasn't quite dug into Gerard Damiano. And why should they? That's the beauty of these labels. People can enjoy Let My Puppets Come and Jeanne Dielmann under the same roof.
These releases present a whole new world of cinema for viewers. In the case of VS, I would have never known about a film like Sudden Fury. Their Halfway to Black Friday and Black Friday sales have continually shown they are the best in the business.
And still, I wanted more...
Tuesday, June 30, 2020
Friday, June 26, 2020
Top 50 Albums of the 2010s
Coming into 2010, my obsession with progressive rock reached its peak. The cracks in my obsession made themselves present. The genre as a whole going forward wasn't...progressing. Dream Theater, a band I once championed to the rooftops, had fallen into a formulaic prog metal band. 10 minute song, guitar solo, keyboard solo. Rinse and repeat. Nothing was exciting me in a genre that once upon a time, had Peter Gabriel go up on stage in a Slipperman costume.
Exiting the decade, prog rock made the least amount of impact on my decade list. Or to be fair, prog rock that can be defined as 15 minute epics with as many time changes as you can fit. This isn't to say I abandoned my love of the genre. The classics still found a way into my playlist. As far as new music goes however, the one artist who maintained a consistency and willingness to play around within the genre was Steven Wilson.
Metal showed its multiple subgenres expanding in a forward direction. Liturgy and Deafhaven added new takes to the black metal genre. The latter smuggling in shoegaze. Vektor proved there was still blood left in thrash.
As much as I love the two aforementioned genres, no other music filled me with inspiration this decade as much as Hip Hop. A type of music I foolishly discarded in the past. I reached back into the past and put on 36 Chambers by Wu Tang Clan and that was it. An album now nestled in a top ten spot. It opened doors into newfound appreciation for the current scene. Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, Kanye West.
Lastly, there were sorrowful goodbyes. 2016 claimed 2 music giants and personal heroes. Leonard Cohen released You Want It Darker in a year that was considered obsidian black in its darkness. David Bowie perfected the art of waving goodbye with Blackstar. Nick Cave suffered a devastating tragedy with the loss of his son. Recording his most personal albums in Skeleton Tree and Ghosteen.
50. The Body- No One Deserves Happiness (2016)
49. Bjork- Vulnicura (2015)
48. Radiohead- A Moon Shaped Pool (2016)
46. St. Vincent- Strange Mercy (2011)
45. Swans- The Glowing Man (2016)
44. King Grizzard and the Lizard Wizard- Nonagon Infinity (2016)
43. Agalloch- Marrow of the Spirit (2010)
42. Beach House- Teen Dream (2010)
41. Vektor- Terminal Redux (2016)
40. Converge- All We Love We Leave Behind (2012)
39. Flying Lotus- Cosmogramma (2010)
38. King Grizzard and the Lizard Wizard- Flying Microtonal Banana (2017)
37. Ulver- The Assassination of Julius Caesar (2017)
36. Leviathan- Scar Sighted (2015)
35. A Tribe Called Quest- We Got It From Here...Thanks 4 Your Service (2016)
34. Mastodon- The Hunter (2011)
33. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds- Skeleton Tree (2016)
32. Steve Wilson- Hand. Cannot. Erase. (2015)
31. Joanna Newsom- Have One On Me (2010)
30. Anna von Krauswolf- Dead Magic (2018)
29. Shining- Blackjazz (2010)
28. Behemoth- The Satanist (2014)
27. Queens of the Stone Age- Like Clockwork (2013)
26. Fiona Apple- The Idler Wheel... (2012)
25. Kamasi Washington- The Epic (2015)
24. Janelle Monae- ArchAndoid (2010)
23. Julia Holter- Have You In My Wilderness (2015)
22. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds- Ghosteen (2019)
21. Baroness- Purple (2015)
20. Kids See Ghosts- Kids See Ghosts (2018)
19. Tim Hecker- Ravedeath, 1972 (2011)
18. FKA Twigs- Magdalene (2019)
17. Deathspell Omega- Paracletus (2010)
16. Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)
15. David Bowie- Blackstar (2016)
14. Death Grips- Bottomless Pit (2016)
13. Run the Jewels- Run the Jewels 2 (2014)
12. Kendrick Lamar- Good Kidd, m.a.d.d. City (2012)
11. Danny Brown- Atrocity Exhibition (2016)
10. Swans- The Seer (2012)
9. Steve Wilson- The Raven That Refused to Sing (2013)
8. Lingua Ignota- Caligula (2019)
7. Father John Misty- Pure Comedy (2017)
6. Sun Kil Moon- Benji (2014)
5. The Knife- Shaking the Habitual (2013)
4. Death Grips- The Money Store (2012)
3. Kendrick Lamar- To Pimp A Butterfly (2015)
2. Daughters- You Can't Get What You Want (2018)
1. Swans- To Be Kind (2014)
TOP TEN FILM SCORES
10. It Follows by Disasterpiece
9. Sicario by Johan Jahannson
8. First Man by Justin Hurwitz
7. Uncut Gems by Daniel Lopatin
6. Dunkirk by Hans Zimmer
5. The Hateful Eight by Ennio Morricone
4. If Beale Street Could Talk by Nicholas Britel
3. Interstellar by Hans Zimmer
2. Under the Skin by Mica Levi
1. Phantom Thread by Jonny Greenwood
Exiting the decade, prog rock made the least amount of impact on my decade list. Or to be fair, prog rock that can be defined as 15 minute epics with as many time changes as you can fit. This isn't to say I abandoned my love of the genre. The classics still found a way into my playlist. As far as new music goes however, the one artist who maintained a consistency and willingness to play around within the genre was Steven Wilson.
Metal showed its multiple subgenres expanding in a forward direction. Liturgy and Deafhaven added new takes to the black metal genre. The latter smuggling in shoegaze. Vektor proved there was still blood left in thrash.
As much as I love the two aforementioned genres, no other music filled me with inspiration this decade as much as Hip Hop. A type of music I foolishly discarded in the past. I reached back into the past and put on 36 Chambers by Wu Tang Clan and that was it. An album now nestled in a top ten spot. It opened doors into newfound appreciation for the current scene. Kendrick Lamar, J Cole, Kanye West.
Lastly, there were sorrowful goodbyes. 2016 claimed 2 music giants and personal heroes. Leonard Cohen released You Want It Darker in a year that was considered obsidian black in its darkness. David Bowie perfected the art of waving goodbye with Blackstar. Nick Cave suffered a devastating tragedy with the loss of his son. Recording his most personal albums in Skeleton Tree and Ghosteen.
50. The Body- No One Deserves Happiness (2016)
49. Bjork- Vulnicura (2015)
48. Radiohead- A Moon Shaped Pool (2016)
46. St. Vincent- Strange Mercy (2011)
45. Swans- The Glowing Man (2016)
44. King Grizzard and the Lizard Wizard- Nonagon Infinity (2016)
43. Agalloch- Marrow of the Spirit (2010)
42. Beach House- Teen Dream (2010)
41. Vektor- Terminal Redux (2016)
40. Converge- All We Love We Leave Behind (2012)
39. Flying Lotus- Cosmogramma (2010)
38. King Grizzard and the Lizard Wizard- Flying Microtonal Banana (2017)
37. Ulver- The Assassination of Julius Caesar (2017)
36. Leviathan- Scar Sighted (2015)
35. A Tribe Called Quest- We Got It From Here...Thanks 4 Your Service (2016)
34. Mastodon- The Hunter (2011)
33. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds- Skeleton Tree (2016)
32. Steve Wilson- Hand. Cannot. Erase. (2015)
31. Joanna Newsom- Have One On Me (2010)
30. Anna von Krauswolf- Dead Magic (2018)
29. Shining- Blackjazz (2010)
28. Behemoth- The Satanist (2014)
27. Queens of the Stone Age- Like Clockwork (2013)
26. Fiona Apple- The Idler Wheel... (2012)
25. Kamasi Washington- The Epic (2015)
24. Janelle Monae- ArchAndoid (2010)
23. Julia Holter- Have You In My Wilderness (2015)
22. Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds- Ghosteen (2019)
21. Baroness- Purple (2015)
20. Kids See Ghosts- Kids See Ghosts (2018)
19. Tim Hecker- Ravedeath, 1972 (2011)
18. FKA Twigs- Magdalene (2019)
17. Deathspell Omega- Paracletus (2010)
16. Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (2010)
15. David Bowie- Blackstar (2016)
14. Death Grips- Bottomless Pit (2016)
13. Run the Jewels- Run the Jewels 2 (2014)
12. Kendrick Lamar- Good Kidd, m.a.d.d. City (2012)
11. Danny Brown- Atrocity Exhibition (2016)
10. Swans- The Seer (2012)
9. Steve Wilson- The Raven That Refused to Sing (2013)
8. Lingua Ignota- Caligula (2019)
7. Father John Misty- Pure Comedy (2017)
6. Sun Kil Moon- Benji (2014)
5. The Knife- Shaking the Habitual (2013)
4. Death Grips- The Money Store (2012)
3. Kendrick Lamar- To Pimp A Butterfly (2015)
2. Daughters- You Can't Get What You Want (2018)
1. Swans- To Be Kind (2014)
TOP TEN FILM SCORES
10. It Follows by Disasterpiece
9. Sicario by Johan Jahannson
8. First Man by Justin Hurwitz
7. Uncut Gems by Daniel Lopatin
6. Dunkirk by Hans Zimmer
5. The Hateful Eight by Ennio Morricone
4. If Beale Street Could Talk by Nicholas Britel
3. Interstellar by Hans Zimmer
2. Under the Skin by Mica Levi
1. Phantom Thread by Jonny Greenwood
Thursday, June 25, 2020
Book Review: And the Band Played On
We're changing things up. Well, just a little bit.
Video produced for this blog has been absent since the blog's inception. Today, this will no longer be the case. The video I'm posting is a review of one of my favorite books I read this year. While the content is raw and unedited and done on the fly, this first video is more or less of a trial run. A warming up to bigger and better videos. There's a whole list of ideas. Film, music, books, magazine, even merchandise.
This shouldn't take away any of the importance of the book being reviewed below. In putting this out there, I welcome constructive criticism. What needs fixing, what works.
Stay tuned. More good things to come.
Video produced for this blog has been absent since the blog's inception. Today, this will no longer be the case. The video I'm posting is a review of one of my favorite books I read this year. While the content is raw and unedited and done on the fly, this first video is more or less of a trial run. A warming up to bigger and better videos. There's a whole list of ideas. Film, music, books, magazine, even merchandise.
This shouldn't take away any of the importance of the book being reviewed below. In putting this out there, I welcome constructive criticism. What needs fixing, what works.
Stay tuned. More good things to come.
Sunday, June 7, 2020
May 2020 Seen and Read
1- Big Trouble In Little China (John Carpenter, 1986) (R)
The Champ (King Vidor, 1931)
Just Before Dawn (Jeff Leiberman, 1981)
Maniac (Bill Lustig, 1980) (Last Drive In with Joe Bob Briggs) (R)
Heathers (Michael Lehmann, 1988) (Last Drive In with Joe Bob Briggs) (R)
2- Massacre Mafia Style (Duke Mitchell, 1974)
3- Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (Tim Burton, 1985) (R)
Child's Play (Tom Holland, 1988) (R)
4- Camera Buff (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1979)
Roadgames (Richard Franklin, 1981)
The Candy Snatchers (Guerdon Trueblood, 1973)
5- Gloria (John Cassavates, 1980)
The Beastie Boys Story (Spike Jonze, 2020)
The House On Tombstone Hill/The Dead Come Home/Dead Dudes In the House (James Riffel, 1989)
6- The Killing of America (Leonard Schrader, Sheldon Renan, 1981)
7- Dark of the Sun (Jack Cardiff, 1968)
Secret Rendezvous by Kobo Abe (1979)
8- Phase IV (Saul Bass, 1974) (Saul Bass turns 100!)
Brain Damage (Frank Henenlotter, 1988) (Last Drive In with Joe Bob Briggs) (R)
Deep Red (Dario Argento, 1975) (Last Drive In with Joe Bob Briggs) (R)
9- Annihilation by Jeff Van Der Meer (2013)
Gretel and Hansel (Osgood Perkins, 2020)
10- Mother (Bong Joon-ho, 2009) (R)
Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960) (R)
11- Beyond the Door (Ovidio G. Assonitis, 1974)
12- The Firemen's Ball (Milos Forman, 1967)
13- Parents (Bob Balaban, 1989)
Crimes of Passion (Ken Russell, 1984)
14- Revival by Stephen King (2014)
Into the Night (John Landis, 1985)
15- The Cremator (Juraj Herz, 1969)
16- Master of the Flying Guillotine (Jimmy Wang Yu, 1976)
Hard Ticket to Hawaii (Andy Sidaris, 1987)
Toby Dammit (Federico Fellini, 1968)
17- The McPherson Tape (Dean Alioto, 1989)
18- Thirst (Ron Hardy, 1979)
The New York Ripper (Lucio Fulci, 1982) (R)
19- 3 Ninjas (Jon Turtletaub, 1992) (R)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson, 2014) (R)
20- The Peregrine by J.A. Baker (1967)
Fire (Pozar) (David Lynch, 2015) (short film)
Salesman (Albert and David Maysles, 1969) (R)
21- The Daytrippers (Greg Mottola, 1996)
22- The Exorcist III (William Peter Blatty, 1990) (Last Drive In with Joe Bob Briggs) (R)
Deadbeat At Dawn (Jim Van Bebber, 1987) (Last Drive In with Joe Bob Briggs) (R)
23- Edge of the Axe (Jose Ramin Larraz, 1988)
24- Hot and Saucy Pizza Girls (Bob Chinn, 1978)
Wadd: The Life and Times of John C. Holmes (Cass Paley, 1998)
The Deuce (2 episodes)
25- The Deuce
Two Lane Blacktop (Monte Hellman, 1971) (R)
26- A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James (2014)
The Deuce (2 episodes)
27- There's Nothing Out There (Rolf Kanefsky, 1991)
Husbands (John Cassavetes, 1970)
28- Picasso Trigger (Andy Sidaris, 1988)
Savage Beach (Andy Sidaris, 1989)
Welcome Home Brother Charles (Jamaa Fanakaa, 1975)
The Vast of Night (Andrew Peterson, 2020)
29- Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989) (R)
Dead Heat (Mark Goldblatt, 1988)
Cannibal Holocaust (Ruggero Deodato, 1980) (R)
30- What's A Nice Girl Like You Doing In A Place Like This? (Martin Scorsese, 1963) (short)
It's Not Just Your Murray! (Martin Scorsese, 1964) (short)
The Big Shave (Martin Scorsese, 1967) (short)
Italian American (Martin Scorsese, 1974) (short)
American Boy (Martin Scorsese, 1978) (short)
The Champ (King Vidor, 1931)
Just Before Dawn (Jeff Leiberman, 1981)
Maniac (Bill Lustig, 1980) (Last Drive In with Joe Bob Briggs) (R)
Heathers (Michael Lehmann, 1988) (Last Drive In with Joe Bob Briggs) (R)
2- Massacre Mafia Style (Duke Mitchell, 1974)
3- Pee-Wee's Big Adventure (Tim Burton, 1985) (R)
Child's Play (Tom Holland, 1988) (R)
4- Camera Buff (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1979)
Roadgames (Richard Franklin, 1981)
The Candy Snatchers (Guerdon Trueblood, 1973)
5- Gloria (John Cassavates, 1980)
The Beastie Boys Story (Spike Jonze, 2020)
The House On Tombstone Hill/The Dead Come Home/Dead Dudes In the House (James Riffel, 1989)
6- The Killing of America (Leonard Schrader, Sheldon Renan, 1981)
7- Dark of the Sun (Jack Cardiff, 1968)
Secret Rendezvous by Kobo Abe (1979)
8- Phase IV (Saul Bass, 1974) (Saul Bass turns 100!)
Brain Damage (Frank Henenlotter, 1988) (Last Drive In with Joe Bob Briggs) (R)
Deep Red (Dario Argento, 1975) (Last Drive In with Joe Bob Briggs) (R)
9- Annihilation by Jeff Van Der Meer (2013)
Gretel and Hansel (Osgood Perkins, 2020)
10- Mother (Bong Joon-ho, 2009) (R)
Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960) (R)
11- Beyond the Door (Ovidio G. Assonitis, 1974)
12- The Firemen's Ball (Milos Forman, 1967)
13- Parents (Bob Balaban, 1989)
Crimes of Passion (Ken Russell, 1984)
14- Revival by Stephen King (2014)
Into the Night (John Landis, 1985)
15- The Cremator (Juraj Herz, 1969)
16- Master of the Flying Guillotine (Jimmy Wang Yu, 1976)
Hard Ticket to Hawaii (Andy Sidaris, 1987)
Toby Dammit (Federico Fellini, 1968)
17- The McPherson Tape (Dean Alioto, 1989)
18- Thirst (Ron Hardy, 1979)
The New York Ripper (Lucio Fulci, 1982) (R)
19- 3 Ninjas (Jon Turtletaub, 1992) (R)
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson, 2014) (R)
20- The Peregrine by J.A. Baker (1967)
Fire (Pozar) (David Lynch, 2015) (short film)
Salesman (Albert and David Maysles, 1969) (R)
21- The Daytrippers (Greg Mottola, 1996)
22- The Exorcist III (William Peter Blatty, 1990) (Last Drive In with Joe Bob Briggs) (R)
Deadbeat At Dawn (Jim Van Bebber, 1987) (Last Drive In with Joe Bob Briggs) (R)
23- Edge of the Axe (Jose Ramin Larraz, 1988)
24- Hot and Saucy Pizza Girls (Bob Chinn, 1978)
Wadd: The Life and Times of John C. Holmes (Cass Paley, 1998)
The Deuce (2 episodes)
25- The Deuce
Two Lane Blacktop (Monte Hellman, 1971) (R)
26- A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James (2014)
The Deuce (2 episodes)
27- There's Nothing Out There (Rolf Kanefsky, 1991)
Husbands (John Cassavetes, 1970)
28- Picasso Trigger (Andy Sidaris, 1988)
Savage Beach (Andy Sidaris, 1989)
Welcome Home Brother Charles (Jamaa Fanakaa, 1975)
The Vast of Night (Andrew Peterson, 2020)
29- Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989) (R)
Dead Heat (Mark Goldblatt, 1988)
Cannibal Holocaust (Ruggero Deodato, 1980) (R)
30- What's A Nice Girl Like You Doing In A Place Like This? (Martin Scorsese, 1963) (short)
It's Not Just Your Murray! (Martin Scorsese, 1964) (short)
The Big Shave (Martin Scorsese, 1967) (short)
Italian American (Martin Scorsese, 1974) (short)
American Boy (Martin Scorsese, 1978) (short)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)