Remi Andre

Feb 1st The Graves at SpIFF

TV and Movies and Music and such: I watch TV. I watch movies. I listen to music. And such. Then I write about it.

The Spokane International Film Festival (SpIFF) is hosting After Dark Horrorfest 4 this year, which is all kinds of awesome if you like that kind of stuff. And I do.

Last night we checked out The Graves, a movie that hasn’t gotten much good buzz at all. I can see why, really, as it’s an easy movie not to like, but at the same time, I found it pretty dang entertaining. I think the problem is people taking it way too seriously, when The Graves simply is a B-movie that doesn’t set out to do anything but entertain. The close to non-existent plot is a device to (lovingly) have some fun with  the genre, with its numerous references to Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Deliverance and what have you…

At any rate, here’s a few things to like about the movie:

• Tony Todd! Quite possibly the most underrated actor over the past few decades hams it up as a deranged preacher here.
• The cinematography! The Graves is actually a nicely shot movie. The Arizona desert looks lovely.
• Clare Grant! Mostly famous for being Seth Green’s girlfriend, Grant is proving to be a good actress. I mean look at lines she has to deliver with a straight face…
• The sheer campiness of it all! I mean, seriously, the death scenes look like those from Who Framed Roger Rabbit? where the souls of the weasels leave the bodies.

OK, so The Graves isn’t a great movie. Far from it. But it’s pretty fun, and that is good enough for me.

Jan 27th Some iPad thoughts

First and not surprisingly: it’s a nice looking piece of hardware. Nice and simplistic, yet solid looking. Great bezel, perfect for grabbing like a book. (I suppose Paul Thurrott has proven once and for all that his taste is more… utilitarian… than esthetic.)

Second, the name… Not good. The rumored “Canvas” was a million times better.

Software… A lot of the apps look good. Great even. But does it multitask? If not, then that’s a big downfall. And as it stands, little would indicate that there are any true multitasking outside of Apple’s apps. (As is the case with the iPhone.) iPod looks awesome, so much better than the crippled iPhone incarnation. Love the calendar view. iBooks looks great, as does Safari.

Storage and price… 16GB is a good enough starting point, but should be cheaper. A decked out 64GB 3G iPad really shouldn’t be much more than $729, which is the price for the 32GB model.

A front-facing camera should have been included.

With that said, the device looks nice. Just that. Not mindblowing — yet — but nice. I’m not getting one, as the combination of using an iPhone and a laptop does everything the iPad does. At least for right now.

When more custom apps are developed, though, and generation two comes out, I could possibly be swayed the iPad way.

Jan 15th Tenebre

Watching every Dario Argento movie, ever: This is part of my “Watching every Dario Argento movie, ever” category. Here I go through all the movies written and directed by Dario Argento, and provide you with the pleasure of reading my views on them!

After two supernatural thrillers, Argento went back to his giallo roots with 1982’s Tenebre (original title: Tenebrae). The movie, surrounding an author being stalked by a killer, was, apparently, inspired by a real life situation the director had gone through. If this is true or not is still a bit of a question mark, but never the less gives Argento quite a bit of room to have some fun with his public persona.

Tenebre is a good thriller, and stands out for having a couple of the better actors in Argento’s line of movies in Anthony Franciosa and the always excellent John Saxon. (Note that I’ve yet to see the recently released Giallo, starring Adrien Brody.) Franciosa, particularly, shines as the lightly befuddled author caught in the middle of the murder mystery. He seems genuinely perplexed why anybody would take a page out of his books (literally during one particularly gruesome scene) and copycat his murders-in-print. This is definitely Argento’s best leading man since David Hemmings.

As for the soundtrack, it might just be Goblin’s best. So good, in fact, that Justice “re-imagined” it multiple times for their Cross album. And of course, it is the incredible crane shot which to this day is jaw-dropping.

I mean, wow… Argento has committed three over the top amazing shots so far in his career, and it is obvious why this is considered the first. (The two others can be seen in Opera and Nonhosonno.)

Tenebre is definitely top tier Argento, with its twists and turns, thundering soundtrack, and technical mastery.

Which leads us to my ranking…

1. Inferno
2. Suspiria
3. Deep Red
4. Tenebre
5. Four Flies on Grey Velvet
6. The Cat o’Nine Tails
7. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage

Dec 31st If you only [insert action here] from 2009

TV and Movies and Music and such: I watch TV. I watch movies. I listen to music. And such. Then I write about it.

… watch one movie… then watch Inglorious Basterds, which might be Tarantino’s best. Honorable mentions go to Coraline, The Hangover, I Love You, Man and Adventureland.

… listen to one album… then listen to Engineers Three Fact Fader.  Honorable mentions go to the Kingsbury Manx’s Ascenseur Ouvert! , Röyksopp’s Junior, and Tycho’s various singles.

… watch one TV program… Sunny, Curb, Lost, or Peep Show… The usual suspects. Oh, and The United States of Tara.

… play one computer or video game… then play Tales of Monkey Island. It’s glorious. Honorable mentions go to Silent Hill: Shattered Memories and Modern Warfare 2.

Dec 28th Inferno

Watching every Dario Argento movie, ever: This is part of my “Watching every Dario Argento movie, ever” category. Here I go through all the movies written and directed by Dario Argento, and provide you with the pleasure of reading my views on them!

Well, blow me down, and oh! em! gee! it’s the first of my two favorite Argento movies, Inferno (1980)!

And really, you won’t find that many people who agree with me, as its predecessor, Suspiria, is by most considered the superior movie. Fair enough, but I find this, the second entry in the Three Mothers trilogy (which recently was completed with La Terza Madre), to be not just the perfect Argento movie, but the perfect movie within the confines of what it is.

Like Suspiria before it, this is again a movie that strictly follows nightmare logic: a huge mansion, now being used as an apartment with room placements that make no sense, set on a basement filled with water is something that might not be structurally sound, but whatever. This is an Argento movie. Anything goes.

The movie is similar to its predecessor in many ways (particularly the color palette), but significantly slower. This is partly due to Keith Emerson’s sleepy soundtrack (a rather underrated one at that), and even more so because of the filming and editing. Each shot is gorgeously set up — similar to Suspiria, but prettier — and they’re held in perfect timing. Gone is the pulse pounding 15 minute opening of the first Mother, now replaced with a slow trek which leads the heroine to a room filled with water.

The legendary Mario Bava worked for a short time on the movie, and have often been credited with this underwater scene. And while his contributions to the movie were definitely an asset, particularly his mix of paintings and live filming, he categorically did not have anything to do with that part of the Inferno. In fact, Argento was in the hospital while the scene was filmed, and the crew — who were directed through highly detailed notes — was credited at the end of the film. (Why the scene isn’t considered Argento’s is beyond me. It’s not like he’d have jumped into the water if he was there.)

There is no shortage of crazy violent scenes in Inferno, but they’re all, for the lack of a better term, weird. I mean that as a compliment. In fact, the whole movie is so dreamlike that it might just confound viewers more than Suspiria ever did. And to me, that is OK.

I like this movie quite a bit, and so should you.

New! Because of popular demand, I will try to rank each Argento movie I watch, as I watch them. Which leaves the current standing…

1. Inferno
2. Suspiria
3. Deep Red
4. Four Flies on Grey Velvet
5. The Cat o’Nine Tails
6. The Bird with the Crystal Plumage

Yes. I know it’s all chronological so far. But that shall change next time, when Tenebre is being watched. (Dam dam dam!)

Dec 11th I kinda enjoy beer

The finer things in life: Here I muse about the finer things in life. The kind of things any Better Taster should enjoy.

Those who know me probably already know I enjoy beer. I’m not talking about getting wasted on swill like Bud or whatever, but to sip on a couple of craft brews, and really enjoy the flavor of them.

And over the last year or so it has taken over. (I kind of “blame” this on my Lady Friend’s homebrewed goodness which kickstarted it.) I will not shy away from getting a bomber (22 oz bottle) the price of a six pack anymore. If it’s new or fun or intriguing or awesome, I want to try it.

Hey, it’s a hobby.

And for your convenience here are a few of my favorite beer web sites…

• 97 Bottles: Not the largest beer site by any stretch, but the one that’s most fun, and in some ways, most useful. No snobby reviews, just fun ones, as well as a good selection of recommended beers based on your reviews.
• Beer Advocate: Alongside RateBeer, this is definitely the largest beer site, and the reviews are worth reading. Tons of good info to be found, but a bit too scientific as opposed to fun.
• RateBeer: Gigantic beer database. Kind of like the Wine Spectator for beer.

And a few of my favorite breweries…

• Deschutes: The Bend brewery’s “standard” beers hold a baseline higher than most, be it their Black Butte Porter or Obsidian Stout. It is their “reserve” releases, however, that really hold a class by themselves. Check out a bottle of the limited Abyss or Black Butte XXI — they usually run around $10 a bottle — to experience greatness.
• Nøgne Ø: I like to say they’re the best thing to come out of Norway since me, and I am, of course, correct about that.
• Dogfish Head: The oddest brewery out there. Sometimes their beers are a success, sometimes they fail pretty badly. But when they hit, they hit well. Be prepared to pay a bit more than a standard six-pack price for their 12 ozs and bombers.
• Rogue: Again, they have their hits and misses, but who doesn’t love their Chocolate Stout or Brutal Bitter?

And last but not least, a few locals:

• Northern Lights: Their Crystal Bitter is a staple around town, as it should be. But check out their seasonals too. They’re often awesome.
• Laughing Dog: The excellent Idaho brewery has some good year rounds, like their cream ale, but are increasingly becoming a player in the limited bomber market.
• Coeur d’Alene Brewing Company: They have some misfires, but their Bourbon Stout is awesome. Can be found on (sometimes nitro-) tap at Steam Plant.

Dec 8th A look at Chrome for OS X

I’m usually not much of a fan of Google’s non-web based products. Their interfaces tend to be dull and lacking in features that I take for granted. One example is Android which, while not bad by any means, feels like Windows 95 on a cell phone. And that’s not good.

Chrome — which I’ve used a few times on Windows — seems to be different. The interface is minimalistic in that it stays out of your face, better so than both Safari and Firefox, but doesn’t actually sacrifice any features.

For example: there is only one box for typing in addresses and performing searches. Quick and simple. Type in something in the address field, and it will, like Firefox, perform a wild card search on the titles in your history. If too many hits come back, there’s a link to a Google Search-like history page with all your options. Definitely better than Firefox’s mile long drop down box.

In fact, this is all there is to the interface…

… which I like.

Some of the un-OS X-y parts really should be fixed before the final release. Like the tab close X should be on the left. And the buttons could use a bit of work. (Although they are nicely anonymous.)

Overall, though, the Webkit engine renders pages really quickly, and the Developer Tools are, not surprisingly, the same as Safari’s. And that’s good.

I’m trying out Chrome as my default browser for a week. Then maybe I will give it the Remi Seal of Approval!

Dec 7th Suspiria

Watching every Dario Argento movie, ever: This is part of my “Watching every Dario Argento movie, ever” category. Here I go through all the movies written and directed by Dario Argento, and provide you with the pleasure of reading my views on them!

This is, of course, it. The Argento movie “everybody” knows, being referenced in Juno and all, which, at least for a few minutes, made the director a “touchstone for hipster youth.”

What you actually may or may not feel about Suspiria (1977) largely depends on what setting you watched it in. Having seen it in a “Halloween-month horror showing”-bar setting with a friend who hadn’t previously watched it, it was clear, judging by his reaction, that there is a “right” way to watch Suspiria. It’s kind of a cheesy movie if you try to judge each part of it on its own merit.

Turn off the lights, however, and remain quiet throughout, preferably while being just slightly drowsy, and you see the whole picture. And it is kind of glorious.

Suspiria is not supposed to be logical. It’s a surrealistic nightmare, based on, among other things, classic fairytales and stories of Argento’s at-the-time domestic partner Daria Nicolodi’s grandmother’s (supposed) childhood.

And from the moment the protagonist, Suzy Bannion, gets in a cab to get to a German dance academy, it is a descent into a pretty horrifying nightmare.

The first 15 minutes are, somewhat unfairly yet also understandably, considered the best part of the movie. Not only does it include one of the most intricate and crazy killings on film, it is also where the utterly bizarre tone of the movie is set. The pulsating red, blue, green, and yellow lights with strange and beautifully shot happenings progress in a slow yet strangely intense manner, flanked by a jamming Goblin soundtrack (co-written by Argento).

Quite a bit of the soundtrack was recorded before the filming, and the music was blasted on the set while filming, to unnerve the actors. Many will also argue it’s Goblin’s best soundtrack, which is not without merit. (Though I personally consider Tenebre their best work, but that’s for another post.) Apparently Argento-fans Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg blasted the album on repeat while writing their seminal horror-comedy Shaun of the Dead.

The movie is strange, and I can see why it’s not for everybody. In effect Suspiria is an art house horror movie, which, let’s face it, is a bit of an odd combination.  If you can get past that it is strange, however, and take it in the way it’s supposed to be watched, it truly is a surreal masterpiece in all its visual and audible glory.

Dec 4th The Prisoner

TV and Movies and Music and such: I watch TV. I watch movies. I listen to music. And such. Then I write about it.

It’s probably not politically correct to sing the praises of the McGoohan-less remake of The Prisoner, but you know what? I’m going to do it all the same. Yes it is different from the original. The crazy psychedelic mod feel of the old series has been tossed aside to make way for a bleak desert Village under the glassy silhouettes of two WTC-looking towers.

Yet, for me at least, the six episode re-imagined Prisoner just works. It is confusing at time, certainly, but when you look back at it all after the excellent finale, most everything makes sense. Even the wraps.

Particularly McKellen as #2 impresses. The whole series feels like a playground where he can act pretty much exactly how he wants to. And it works. Caviezel also does a great job.

I suppose people have certain expectations of what The Prisoner is, and the closest we come to some of the hammier parts of the original is the suit a prisoner on the run is wearing in one of the opening scenes.

Whatever.

If you can get past the fact that the remake is merely a head-trip, and not a psychedelic head-trip, I have a feeling The Prisoner is a mini series fans of Lost and Twin Peaks will enjoy. And at least you get to listen to Brian Wilson’s SMiLE as the soundtrack here. Y’know. When it comes out on DVD or is rerun.

Dec 3rd Deep Red

Watching every Dario Argento movie, ever: This is part of my “Watching every Dario Argento movie, ever” category. Here I go through all the movies written and directed by Dario Argento, and provide you with the pleasure of reading my views on them!

After the much ignored Le Cinque Giornate (not reviewed here, as it’s largely not considered an “Argento movie”), Argento made the wise move (at least as far as I’m concerned, and let’s face it — I’m pretty much always right as far as I am concerned) to return to the horror genre with Deep Red (1975, original title: Profondo Rosso), the film that arguably kicked off his golden era of movie making.

On the surface, this is a pretty standard mystery, following Marcus Daly (nicely portrayed by David Hemmings, best known from Michelangelo Antonioni’s 1966 film, Blow Up) searching for the killer of a famous psychic, a murder he himself witnessed. In other words, not a million miles from The Bird with the Crystal Plumage.

Yet it’s the execution that sets the movie apart from the countless 1970s gialli: Deep Red is jawdroppingly shot, using color techniques arguably only mastered by the great Mario Bava before this. Add to that the framing and the pace of the editing, and it is fairly obvious that Quentin Tarantino studied Deep Red closely before making… well… the majority of his movies. (Particularly the Kill Bill films come to mind, visually speaking.)

Deep Red was also the first Argento movie to feature music by Goblin, making what remains one of the highest selling movie soundtracks of all time. Indeed, the music helps drive the plot along in an interestingly rhythmic fashion. The prime example, other than the memorable and oft-repeated theme, being the bass and rhythm guitar driven “Mad Puppet” — named for a puppet which served as the inspiration for the “Billy” puppet in Saw — which accompanies a lengthy trek through an abandoned mansion.

There were certainly many of hints what Argento was capable of with the Animal Trilogy, but this was the home run that elevated him to a cult director status. A good indication of where the movie stands among Argento’s fans is that it was named his best movie in a reader’s poll at the official unofficial official Argento fansite, Dark Dreams.

Suspiria might be Argento’s most famous movie, but this is indeed in all likelihood his best movie, even though I wouldn’t call it my personal favorite. Those two are yet to come. Wait, and be excited!