tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82530030101877663702011-10-06T13:11:13.004-07:00<i>Cinema Obscura</i>grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.comBlogger441100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-30834363197500875682010-08-24T14:39:00.000-07:002010-08-24T19:52:21.140-07:00

       Moviegoers walk into the cool, dimly lit confines of the theater venue hoping to find catharsis. The tacit assumption of the filmgoer is that the protagonist(s) of the film they’re watching will be “likeable”; and maybe even, like them, the viewer. It’s an arbitrary, and certainly unnecessary expectation; more of an idle wish-fulfillment on the audience’s part than an actual requirement

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-6295050563238902802010-01-05T00:34:00.000-08:002010-01-05T00:51:21.721-08:00

       While deliberating if I should even bother to compile my ’09 year-in-film review at all, I was inundated with an overwhelming show of public support (i.e. -- requests from three separate people!!!) -- which convinced me that I should step up and give it a go. Given how long it’s been since I posted anything here at all, I’d be surprised if even the couple of folks who asked for it still

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-88183641917268218152009-04-01T00:49:00.000-07:002009-04-01T07:13:35.065-07:00

       It seems frighteningly appropriate that this first entry of ‘09 emerges upon April Fools’ Day. Even more so apropos that this premiere post of the year concerns itself with the film from which so much on this blog is derived. The heading, inscription -- even my own pen-name -- all taken from Guy Maddin’s Careful; now re-released on DVD, after being out-of-print for the better part of

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-19172567104879268482009-01-09T00:28:00.000-08:002009-01-15T13:27:29.192-08:00

       One of the reasons -- over and above inherent laziness -- that it takes me awhile to get around to compiling these end-of-year film review lists, is that I like to take a look at a random sample of the same as written by other critics. Not so much to sway my own opinions; those are pretty much gelled by the time the end credits roll -- but just to get a feel for what the media-at-large

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-43184547162080454672008-10-22T00:32:00.000-07:002008-10-23T08:21:14.388-07:00

       With Halloween less than two weeks away, it seems appropriate -- and inevitable really, at least on this blog -- that the next couple of posts turn towards the Horror genre. As cinematic varieties go, the Horror film has a pronounced tendency to divide movie-going audiences -- there’s them that seem to watch nothing but; and then there’s others who’d sooner view a full season of Barney

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-12467430076082278772008-07-21T23:11:00.000-07:002008-07-22T00:27:36.839-07:00

       One could make the argument that all Art functions as art therapy. Whether we’re talking about Vincent Van Gogh or a sixth grader who’s been sent to the school counselor for dipping one too many girls’ pigtails in ink, they’re both painting for the same reason: they have some issues to work out, and some way, somehow, getting it all down on canvas (or paper, or clay...) makes the artist

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-73267679642835530432008-06-03T00:29:00.000-07:002008-06-03T00:38:22.960-07:00

       The Documentary form is capable of far greater variety (in both subject matter and in its effect upon an audience) than usually given credit. Most people hear the word “documentary” and think -- I’m in for it now; 90 minutes to 2 hours of some cinematic polemic about this or that world-shaking crisis -- and many doc.s do, indeed, fall into this all too limited mold (An Inconvenient Truth

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-84752002835260648472008-05-27T07:37:00.000-07:002008-05-27T20:16:48.072-07:00

       This blog-post is a two-fer. First up is some porn -- Oh, I know what you’re thinking; it was only a matter of time before this thing turned XXX (although those who’ve been reading as far back as this entry know that I’m not going into uncharted territory here). But being as this particular skin flick stars Isabella Rossellini (an actress whose degree of comfort with on-screen nudity is

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-32706847610100096772008-05-02T15:30:00.000-07:002008-05-02T20:17:36.041-07:00

       The staunch cinema enthusiast, upon walking into a movie theater (or sliding that DVD into a set-top player), is usually looking for a new experience, presented within a familiar context -- which is to say, a display of novelty, imaginativeness, and invention; but played out within the familiar framework of an established genre. Most films hailed by critics as “totally original” or “

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-71823448044537787392008-04-08T18:00:00.000-07:002008-04-10T11:50:54.421-07:00

       Spring is here -- and has been for going on three weeks now -- so we’re long overdue for another seasonal trailer round-up. After a typically slow late winter movie season, things are definitely picking up as we move into the second quarter of the year. As such, it’s time to bring you, dear reader, a sampling of film previews that you won’t find on Apple’s download page.        Regular

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-45678636420075363082008-03-18T16:33:00.000-07:002008-03-19T02:06:26.906-07:00

       One of cinema’s most appealing qualities is -- assuming the story is really exposited visually -- that it can be appreciated by all, no matter what country or culture they hail from. It’s the truly universal art-form: free of the restrictions imposed by language, age or education-level. That being said, every culture has its own unique stories and story-telling tropes -- comprehensible

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-10989478961324182782008-03-04T14:47:00.001-08:002008-03-10T15:13:03.580-07:00

       On more than one occasion, I’ve jokingly referred to this blog as being, not so much a source of film criticism, but rather more of a P.S.A. -- of information that nobody is really looking for in the first place, most likely. This week, however, that statement is almost not a joke: undoubtedly many of you have noticed the astoundingly low prices advertised on HD-DVD players and discs of

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-77686396969942231762008-02-18T16:30:00.000-08:002008-02-20T02:38:52.695-08:00

       When you’re writing a blog devoted to “the more obscure outlying reaches of cinema”, you come to accept that there are just certain types of films you won’t get the opportunity to pontificate upon. Popular film genres just don’t tend to lend themselves to the restrictions of smaller-scale, lower-budgeted, unconventional movie-making; and independent filmmakers tend to want to establish

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-56843147208611495182008-02-09T19:24:00.000-08:002008-02-10T22:09:59.641-08:00

       As if it wasn’t obvious enough from the posts themselves, let me plainly state that I don’t really consider this blog a forum for “film criticism”. While I’ve read my fair share of Bazin and Kracauer, there are other online sites (a few of which you’ll find in the links sidebar to your right) that do a fine job of "critiquing"; better than I could, even if I were inclined to do so. That

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-84365283678693819992008-02-01T07:00:00.000-08:002008-02-02T13:07:07.229-08:00

       With the Academy Awards presentations less than a month from today, now is as good a time as any to discuss some of the nominated films; except that, -- as I’m sure you’d be quick to point out, dear reader -- Academy Award nominated movies don’t exactly fit the profile of Cinema Obscura; supposedly what this blog is all about, or so I’ve led you to believe. But while the major categories

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-89916675465638979782007-12-28T21:00:00.001-08:002008-01-16T13:37:56.026-08:00

       Can somebody tell me what’s so special about the number “10”, anyways? Oh sure, I know that’s the number of fingers and toes we have, and it’s also the base for our numerical system -- but besides that, what makes it so special? It must be something, because every end-of-the-year “best of” list seems to count ten-and-only-ten films as the number of noteworthy movies in a given 12 month

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-2651748818317735522007-12-21T19:00:00.000-08:002007-12-25T22:12:35.328-08:00

       Today is technically the first day of winter -- so no better time for another seasonal trailer round-up. As I’ve said before, both Apple and Yahoo do a fine job of providing access to upcoming movie trailers -- but there’s always a few that seem to get overlooked; so let’s take a look-see, shall we?Riget II Opening CreditsUploaded by FreddyRis       January 8th sees the release of Lars

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-6098141756169466612007-12-14T18:30:00.001-08:002007-12-17T13:03:39.504-08:00

       Once upon a time, when one ventured forth to the cinema, this meant one was taking a trip to a palace. The Golden Age of moviegoing -- the period between the first and second World Wars -- produced many great venues created for the express purpose of watching films; luxurious, baroque edifices dedicated to the worship of motion pictures. As movie theaters became more ubiquitous, and

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-64592692848096488282007-12-07T17:00:00.000-08:002007-12-09T01:51:54.251-08:00

       Webster’s defines the word genre as “A category of artistic composition, as in music or literature, marked by a distinctive style, form, or content”. The term can also of course be applied to cinema, and the medium is just chock full of its’ own particular examples thereof. “Comedy”, “Romance”, “Action”, “Horror” -- all familiar film genres; and all of which have their own specific sub-

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-24046010844787384032007-11-30T18:00:00.000-08:002007-12-03T14:54:34.479-08:00

       With the W.G.A. strike well underway (... 30 days now and counting), and with most network TV shows barely five or six weeks into their production schedule, many have speculated that this sudden standstill in the year’s TV viewing foretells the demise of broadcast television in general. While that prediction seems a bit premature, one thing does seem certain: “TV” is undergoing a

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-46195299027815859262007-11-23T04:00:00.000-08:002007-12-17T13:02:01.769-08:00

       We’re in the midst of the long Thanksgiving weekend, and there’s any of a number of blog-worthy films opening right now (I’m Not There in theaters; Paprika and Winter Kills on DVD); but since this thing is most likely read by you, dear reader, during down time at work -- and not when you’re stuffing yourself into insensibility with leftover turkey sandwiches -- it seems like just the right

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-7252706424352946032007-11-16T08:30:00.000-08:002007-11-22T23:19:31.637-08:00

       An individual’s sense of humor, ya’ know, is a very personal thing. What might make one person laugh uncontrollably, might just as soon cause the next fella’ to simply stare blankly -- and the one after that to become furiously offended. I don’t think there’s any more particular, idiosyncratic component of a person’s personality than what might prompt he or she to laugh. So, it’s with

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-52306876006245186992007-11-09T01:00:00.000-08:002007-11-09T03:12:54.114-08:00

       Cinema, as a medium of artistic endeavor, is only possible as the result of technology made available within the last century or so. Other arts, such as painting or sculpture, certainly have their own tools and technologies; but they’re readily available in the immediate environment -- at least in their most primitive forms. To make a movie, though, you need some some fairly

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-5927453868604665242007-10-31T00:00:00.000-07:002007-11-04T13:53:20.931-08:00

       My favorite scene, from my favorite Horror movie:... and that’s all I got. H A P P Y    H A L L O W E E N everybody! Next post -- 11/09/07

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-66095519188983702272007-10-26T01:00:00.000-07:002007-10-25T22:08:26.554-07:00

       The end of the world has always been a pretty popular subject matter for the movies. Whether it be by ecological devastation, zombie infestation, or just plain, old-fashioned alien invasion, the apocalypse is a sure-fire formula for providing filmmakers with plenty of tense, plot-driven, life-or-death scenarios. Less often is it the starting point for a character-driven piece; one that

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-58867614086162007832007-10-19T00:00:00.000-07:002007-10-19T11:14:38.891-07:00

       Movie sequels, as a rule, are never as good as the original films which spawned them -- the exception proving this rule, interestingly enough, happens to be in the Horror genre -- as is the subject of this week’s post; it’s a sequel as well. It’s certainly not a better film than its predecessor; except perhaps in terms of production value and the quality -- and downright inventiveness --

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-51994157855974471912007-10-12T01:30:00.000-07:002007-10-18T14:48:20.756-07:00

       I suppose it’s an impetuous statement to make -- some two and a half months before the end of the year -- to say that I’ve already seen the best movie of 2007; but I’m making it, all the same. The film in question has a running time of about seventeen minutes, really only has one main character, no dialogue and oh... -- did I happen to mention? It’s a cartoon. But hasty or not, as of

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-37977718923420094102007-10-05T00:00:00.000-07:002008-05-18T12:06:39.292-07:00

       It’s October, and even here in balmy L.A. the nights are getting a bit cooler -- not so much the days, but the nights, yes... With the change of season, comes a whole host of other changes -- the shorts get packed away until next year, jackets get put back on hangers and the A/C finally gets shut off -- and since October is also the month of All Hallows' Eve, the entries you’ll read

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-19163611917379175232007-09-28T02:00:00.000-07:002007-09-28T21:00:20.653-07:00

       Observant readers of this blog have no doubt noticed that I glob about each film shortly before it’s released in some form -- theatrically, on DVD, through the internet, pink-laser-projected directly into your brain, what-have-you. But some films never quite get an “official” release -- at least, not with any fanfare, nor through easily accessible channels. To get ahold of such a film,

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-81419506215817292512007-09-21T02:00:00.002-07:002007-09-30T22:57:34.065-07:00

       Primitivism -- in its broadest sense, as an attempt to deliberately utilize antiquated methods and forms -- has been embraced by most of the arts over the last couple of centuries. Painting, sculpture, even music -- all have had their Primitivist adherents; but the term is applied only haltingly in reference to motion pictures, undoubtedly because the medium itself is of (relatively)

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-59161717033928569632007-09-14T00:00:00.000-07:002007-09-15T21:07:45.263-07:00

       Regular readers of this blog will have undoubtedly noticed that each successive entry has had a consistent format -- one film per post: a brief intro., a synopsis, some background info. etc. -- but once a month or so I’d like to interrupt the regular routine with something a little different. To kick it off, here’s a round-up of movie trailers for films making their theatrical debut

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-88488364410657590302007-09-07T00:00:00.000-07:002007-09-07T03:34:51.825-07:00

       It’s a little premature to start making picks for the year’s Halloween viewing (although trust me, on this blog, most of the month of October will be devoted to that task), but since the subject of this week’s entry is being released on DVD for the first time -- ever -- this upcoming Tuesday, I think I’ll slide it in a lil’ early. Many people -- even those disinclined towards the horror

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-67422404941237910092007-08-31T02:00:00.000-07:002007-09-03T00:10:09.808-07:00

       Documentaries that rely on “found” footage are amongst the most difficult type of films to pull off successfully. Not that it’s easy to make any kind of movie, that’s for certain -- but at least when you’re making a narrative feature, for example, you have your script, and a shot list to guide you. Even on most documentaries, one at least has a subject to film, and a plan -- you’re

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-27790890740200025482007-08-24T00:00:00.000-07:002007-09-02T01:30:31.015-07:00

       The sitcom is as old and as venerable an institution as the medium that spawned it. So it’s no surprise that it’s one of the first forms to be reinvented for web-based video entertainment. There are a number of websites out there that offer this type of content -- Channel 101 probably being the most entertaining of the lot -- but a recent addition to the roster is Clark and Michael: a

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-69103897073033111852007-08-17T00:00:00.000-07:002007-09-02T01:29:57.344-07:00

       No one seems to question the practice of “sampling” in the music industry -- oh, a lot of people don’t like it, and there’s still the occasional lawsuit popping up against the use of this or that song; but on the whole, it’s an accepted, if sometimes frowned upon practice -- in the music industry. Do that sort of thing in the making of a feature film, though, and there’s a whole ‘nother

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-25113961740379033462007-08-10T00:00:00.000-07:002007-09-02T01:29:35.121-07:00

       So much has already been written about David Lynch’s latest feature, that I can hardly imagine what -- of substance -- I could add to the collected encomia. I’ll say -- or reiterate, as the case may be -- this much. It’s quite good; Lynch’s best film in years, in fact. It features an Oscar-worthy performance from Laura Dern, the most inventive use yet of the mini-DV format towards the

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-76752378912586507372007-08-03T00:00:00.000-07:002007-09-02T01:29:01.651-07:00

       Used to be, the romance, or romantic comedy, was sumthin’ my mother would call “a wimmens' pixcha'” -- a narrative taken from and detailing the feminine perspective on courtship and ardor -- and I think that until the last couple of decades, that was very much the case. More recently, -- starting, perhaps, with Woody Allen’s Annie Hall -- we’ve begun to see a surfeit of movies that

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-37288050831289368172007-07-27T00:00:00.000-07:002007-09-02T01:28:04.943-07:00

       You might think it a bit of a stretch, to be talking about the release of some Popeye cartoons on a blog supposedly devoted to obscure -- even hidden -- cinema. But here’s the thing: while every tyke over the age of two can sing the Popeye-the-Sailor-Man theme, and we all know that spinach gives ya’ “musk-kles”, nonetheless most of us are acquainted with the one-eyed seaman from his

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-61285644029064329762007-07-20T00:00:00.000-07:002007-09-01T23:05:03.572-07:00

       Fantasy film, as a genre, seems to suffer from a case of arrested development; fans of the form tend to gravitate towards either epic tales of derring-do (like Star Wars and L.o.T.R. -- although I like both of those...) or adolescent coming-of-age stories (such as Spirited Away or even The Iron Giant -- both of which are just great!); and other such tales of childhood wish fulfillment.

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-88030007185091039202007-07-13T00:00:00.000-07:002007-09-02T01:05:29.743-07:00

       I’m only five posts into this thing, and I can already guess what regular readers of this blog must be thinking: Grigorss is into some prett-y head-y stuff these days...        -- what with the Guy Maddin...        -- and the La Jetée...        -- and the little independent films from out of nowhere...        Pshaw! What happened to the Grigorss of old, who watched films just because

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-61807412162678732072007-07-06T00:00:00.000-07:002007-09-02T01:07:04.192-07:00

       Arin Crumley and Susan Buice really want you to see their self-distributed, shot-on-DV movie, Four Eyed Monsters. So much so, that they’ve decided to post it, in its 71 minute entirety, on Youtube, now through Aug. 15th. I’ve embedded just the trailer above, as I find it kind of annoying to watch something feature-length on a screen smaller than a post card -- you might feel differently,

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-35397065266600094952007-06-29T00:00:00.000-07:002007-09-02T01:21:13.102-07:00

      ”Pink Film” is something we gaijin would call “soft-core porn”; a Japanese variety of such, to be exact. While as a genre it does feature simulated sex acts and the occasional hint of S/M and bondage, there’s nary a sign of a pubic hair, let alone shots of genitals or Heavens forbid! Actual penetration! By the current Western standards of porn -- even the soft-core variety -- pinku eiga

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-71038711630944752042007-06-21T21:08:00.000-07:002007-09-02T01:26:21.147-07:00

      Chris Marker, the writer-director of La Jetée and Sans Soleil, is at least as enigmatic a personage as his films. Personal information about him is scarce and much of it seems apocryphal and deliberately contradictory. The only reliable facts I’ve been able to scrape up about the man is that he is /or was a French National (although some sources claim he is of American descent) and that

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8253003010187766370.post-68941784796180828802007-06-14T15:40:00.000-07:002007-09-28T20:59:56.730-07:00

      It only seems appropriate that the first entry in this blog should be regarding a film by Guy Maddin: this forum's title -- the poem that heads it -- even my own choice of nom de plume -- all are derived from one of Maddin's films. Also, Maddin's entire filmography fits neatly into the province of "Beyond the Ranges": his idiosyncratic filmmaking style is as far from the mainstream of

grigorsshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07359762537733071493noreply@blogger.com5