Random Thoughts

Was this shot at the same time as Liebe ist etc? Looks really similar

But a different aspect ratio. Shot on 16mm?

This feel like a very improvised, low-stakes thing? Hm… wikipedia has nothing on it… ah, he DVD cover tells the story: It was filmed over nine days and released four moths later.

I think I get the point of this movie? That Germans and Germany are really, really boring? Coming through loud and clear.

I think this was clear after about three milliseconds, but it’s been three quarters of an hour, and the movie is exemplifying what it’s making fun of.

That is: I’m bored silly.

Sillier.

I guess Fassbinder wanted to say something about parochial German attitudes towards fremdarbeitern, and mash that up into a Bresson parody? But it’s not funny and it doesn’t really… work.

Love the coffee table.

Katzelmacher. Rainer Werner Fassbinder. 1969.

This blog post is part of the Eclipse series.

This is totally riveting.

I may have seen this before? But it’s been probably three decades. And I’ve seen a bunch of Fassbinder’s later movies, of course, but this feels pretty unique.

This is extremely nouvelle vague, but… later?

OK, at the start here I thought this movie was absolutely amazing. But there’s a lot of scenes that… well, they’re just not that fascinating.

I do love the cinematography and the sets and everything, but it’s just hard to pay attention after a while.

Love is Colder than Death. Rainer Werner Fassbinder. 1969.

This blog post is part of the Eclipse series.

Oh, this is by the same director as Goke!

Wow, this Vietnam vet is having a flashback… in 1968!1!

I’m not sure whether this is racist or not.

Poor rat.

Goke was a unique and brilliant movie, but… this isn’t Goke.

I mean, on a scale of cheap monster/horror movies from the 60s, this is pretty good. Mystery Science Theatre 3000 would have some bits to work with, but not a lot. It’s pretty good? But it’s not all that special.

Genocide. Kazui Nihonmatsu. 1968.

This blog post is part of the Eclipse series.

After the sheer brilliant insanity of Goke, Body Snatcher From Hell, my expectations for this movie are unreasonably high.

But the first scene here is brilliant, so perhaps this is going to be another masterpiece.

OK, this isn’t Goke. I mean, it’s pretty good, but it’s… a pretty normal ghost story? It’s well made and it nice and tense…

Love the eye liner and mascara.

OK, they’re not really even trying with the special effects.

OK, I’ve just kinda lost interest now. This started off like some explosive 60s thing, and then it turned into a kinda scary ghost story, but not… it’s kinda plodding now? It’s just hard to stay interested.

This is the director’s second (and final) movie. I guess that makes sense — it’s brimming with ideas that could have really worked, and occasionally does. But like at random.

(And then he went to TV.)

Love the eye liner and mascara.

OK, this film isn’t “good” good, but there’s a number of fascinating scenes. So:

The Living Skeleton. Hiroki Matsuno. 1968.

This blog post is part of the Eclipse series.

It’s a Shochiku film!

Such bokeh.

This is fantastic. Absolutely thrilling.

Wow. I’m amazed and riveted. This may be the best start to a movie ever.

Hajime Satô never got to direct anything after this, so I’m assuming it keeps this up!

I love how they’re using the odd lenses as a feature here — the odd distortions at the edges are perfect.

Oh, now I know what this reminds me of! It’s like Liquid Sky, only a decade (and a bit more) earlier!

This is so Liquid Sky! I wonder whether they’d seen this movie when they made that.

Man this is brilliant. If I had a midnight drive in movie, I’d put this on (on a triple bill with Night of the Living Dead and Liquid Sky) every night. OK, there are scenes that aren’t perfect… but… I was totally riveted. And it’s so interesting and odd, and incredibly well made. I love everything about this, so:

Goke, Body Snatcher From Hell. Hajime Satô. 1968.

This blog post is part of the Eclipse series.