Não disse ainda, mas Laraja Mecânica é um dos meus livros favoritos. Li há alguns anos e simplesmente pirei. O vocabulário mezzo-russo, o enredo. Achei absolutamente tudo brilhante. Tanto, que o nome deste blog foi tirado de uma frase de Alex.

O que faço, faço porque gosto.

O vídeo acima é um especial de TV de 1972 sobre o filme. Anthony Burgess e Malcolm McDowell falam sobre Stanley Kubrick e dementem a história de que Kubrick era um cara difícil de se trabalhar. Além de falar do vocabulário mezzo-russo, os cenários e da trilha sonora eletrônica de Walter Carlos.

Doomsday è un film del 2008, film d’azione scritto e diretto da Neil Marshall. Il film si svolge nel futuro, in cui la Scozia è stata messa in quarantena a causa della comparsa di un virus mortale.

Leggi altre notizie su: | Neil Marshall | Malcolm McDowell | Rhona Mitra | Bob Hoskins | Alexander Siddig

Owen Wilson finds himself in yet another action-buddy comedy. This time he is teamed with Eddie Murphy in a remake of the 1960’s TV series “I-Spy”.

Aspiring secret agent, Alexander Scott (Owen Wilson) wants to be taken seriously. Scott always seems stuck in the shadow of the agency’s top spy, Carlos (Gary Cole). Scott gets his chance when the agency assigns him to recover a top-secret stealth aircraft known as the “Switchblade”. To aid him on his cover, the president assigns Scott to travel with boxing champion Kelly Robinson (Eddie Murphy) who is journeying to Eastern Europe for a fight.

Before Scott knows it showboating Robinson is as much involved in the mission as he is. Will this unlikely duo be able to stop the likes of vicious arms-dealer Arnold Gundars (Malcolm McDowell)? More importantly will Scott ever get the proper respect he is looking for?

“I-Spy” is a light and funny action comedy that expands on both the quick wit of Murphy and the comedic charms of Wilson. Murphy seems to be reliving his days of old as he over-acts his Robinson character with such style. I haven’t seen Eddie this fresh and funny since “Beverly Hills Cop 2”.

His performance also reminded me some of the character he created in the “Golden Child” as well. I am one of the few people who liked that movie. There were signs of the former Eddie Murphy in last year’s “Showtime” but here the old Eddie seems to be back. And thank goodness since I was getting so sick of Eddie’s versions of “The Nutty Professor” and “Doctor Doolittle”.

There are some great comedic moments in “I-Spy” like when Alex Scott (Wilson) is shown what gadgets he will be using for his mission then Scott sees what his rival Carlos (Cole) gets. This is a classic rip-off of the infamous “Q” scenes in the James Bond films.

By far the best part of the movie is the constant squabbling between Wilson and Murphy. There comedic timing is hilarious and Murphy does such a wonderful job of over-acting Robinson’s arrogance. I loved the moments where Eddie Murphy’s Kelly Robinson would refer to himself in the third person. Such as, “This isn’t the way Kelly Robinson is supposed to die!” or “What do you mean Kelly Robinson isn’t going to get his parade?”

As for a story, this film has a very basic one and Malcolm McDowell plays your typical cardboard villain. But these aren’t the reasons I liked “I-Spy” so much. I liked it because it was fresh and funny.

The scenes where they are poking fun at the “spy-genre” are some of the best parodies I have seen aimed at that genre. Sure you have Austin Powers but that was focused on the cult-like quality and style of the 1960s.

“I-Spy” aims more at the updated and recent spy kind of films like James Bond (Brosnan era), Tom Clancy films and others.

Just sit back, relax and forget about the world for a good hour and thirty minutes. That’s all you have to do to enjoy “I-Spy”.

3.5 out of 5

So Says the Soothsayer.

Written: November 4, 2002

Losey tem um cinema muito peculiar, e neste filme transparece ter total controle sobre sua mise-en-scène e suas personagens, além de demonstrar segurança em arriscar movimentos de câmeras e enquadramentos. Sem contar que as situações que joga na tela, na melhor esquematização, são inteligentes e intrigantes demais. Somos simplesmente sedentos aos resultados, num jogo sobre a sociabilidade e a vida. Esta é daquelas obras-primas que, ao seu término, é impossível não sair gritando para sua vizinhança inteira como Joseph Losey é um gênio.

Andy Gotts is a London-based photographer most noted for his black and white celebrity portraits. The photos shown here come from his magnum opus, Degrees, a coffee table book inspired by the game 6 degrees of Kevin Bacon. Gotts wrote to 300 actors asking to photograph them. He received one reply – Joss Ackland. So after doing the shoot, Gotts asked Ackland if he would mind putting him in touch with an actor friend. Ackland agreed and arranged for Gotts to shoot Greta Scacchi. The chain went on from there, with Gotts asking each subject to put him in touch with a celebrity friend. The result is a portfoilio crammed full of familiar faces. But what makes it so special is the way Gotts brings out the unfamiliar in each one, creating a series of stunning, intimate portraits that deserve serious investigation.

As well as this work, Andy Gotts has appeared in many magazines; GQ, Empire, FHM, Total Film, Stern, French Vogue, Glamour, El Mundo, OK Salute!, io Donna; as well as weekend newspaper supplements. Visit the Andy Gotts website.

Exciting times for Theme Park. This week marks the first show of the Summer season, our First Anniversary and it was our Melbourne Cup Special with a live cross to Melbourne for Australia’s #1 horse race. We ran a sweep for our subscribers, with great prizes, and lots of fun was had by all. But what about the music, you may well ask?  The theme this week, quite appropriately I think, was LUCK.  

We opened the show with Stevie Wonder’s  SUPERSTITION. Stevie knows that it’s easy to blame bad luck when things go pear-shaped, but he’s not up for making excuses. “When you believe in things that you don’t understand, then you suffer”, he states with no uncertain authority. Here he is in the studio, circa 1973:

People have a tendancy to limit a person’s achievements by simply limiting it to ‘luck’. But don’t be envious, things aren’t always as great as what they seem, as Britney Spears points out in her 2000 song LUCKY, which spookily foreshadows her future breakdown. Thin Lizzy have a similar problem: They can’t help thinking that the grass is always greener on the other side: Someone else, somewhere else, is luckier than them. The song is HOLLYWOOD (Down On Your Luck) from their Renegade album. Here they are performing live in 1982:

Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes can even make a song about bad luck funky with a great piece of disco called, (what else?),  BAD LUCK. The JoBoxers are lucky in love and they want the world to know it. What better way than a song called JUST GOT LUCKY? Bonus: Cute dog in this video clip:

When it comes to love we all know there’s a downside and no other genre does bad luck as well as the Blues category. Memphis Minnie seems lucky in love, because she has no trouble finding a guy; the trouble is, as soon as she finds one, disaster strikes. The song is I’M A BAD LUCK WOMAN. We followed with one my favourite jazz performers,  the wonderful, melancholy voice of Chet Baker singing EVERYTHING HAPPENS TO ME.

I had to include two of my faves: The Verve with LUCKY MAN and PJ Harvey with GOOD FORTUNE - The track is from her album Stories from the City, Stories From the Sea:

Alison Krauss and Union Station sang THE LUCKY ONE right up until we crossed to to Melbourne for the Cup broadcast. Congratulations to BayFM subscriber Annette who drew the winner of the race, SHOCKING, and therefore won the sweep and the dinner for two at Utopia Restaurant with limousine transfers from Bangalow Limousines. Thanks to everyone who rang in for the sweep; filled in a record 5 minutes!- and thanks also to our sponsors.

While we recovered from all that excitement we listened to a little R&B: YOU WIN, I LOSE from Little Johnny Taylor and LUCKY LIPS from the fantastic Ruth Brown. Jason Mraz and Colbert Caillat offered up a cute bit of optimistic pop with their duet LUCKY. Matchbox Twenty aren’t so positive. Their song, SEMI-CHARMED LIFE, indicates a bit of a ‘glass-half-filled’ take on life.  

A song I’ve played before, but couldn’t resist, was LUCKY NUMBER by the amazing Lena Lovich. It’s a great piece of New Wave from 1978. If you want to check out the video clip go to the show on the Number ONE.

Remember Alan Price singing O LUCKY MAN! from the film of the same name? I’d forgotten how good that was. Starring a very young Malcolm McDowell and directed by the legendary Lindsay Anderson, here’s a clip from the film that features Alan Price singing the title song.

Another great song is FORTUNE TELLER. Originally recorded by Benny Spellman in 1962 it’s been covered many times. We played the version by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss from their Grammy Award winning album, Raising Sand. We also included two songs about how much ‘attitude’ influences luck. Lynard Skynard were crying out for sympathy with their song GOOD LUCK, BAD LUCK: “When it’s good luck you’re the last to get it, when it’s bad luck you’re the first.” Ah well, some would call that a persecution complex.  Mary Chapin Carpenter knows how to have a good time. She ignores all advice, to her benefit, with the very chirpy I FEEL LUCKY:

We closed the show with The OJays singing THEY CALL ME MR. LUCKY and then it was a perfectly pitched piece of pop – Rod Stewart’s  SOME GUYS HAVE ALL THE LUCK.

Here’s the complete playlist:

Next week: FASHION. I’d love to have your suggestions for the playlist.

Listen to Lyn McCarthy at the Theme Park on BayFM, Tuesdays 2-4pm, Sydney time.  

Also streaming on http://www.bayfm.org

Tragically also on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/maccalyn

Is it me, or is Michael Myers starting to look suspiciously like Leatherface?

A mere 10 minutes in and with some help from a white horse and his kohl-pencil loving wife, Rob Zombie loudly announces his intentions for ”Halloween II”: He’s out to make a thinking man’s movie about Michael Myers. One where the immortal murderer sees his dear departed mum (Sheri Moon Zombie) in spooky, hazy midnight hallucinations and she lays out a master plan for family togetherness that involves dispatching young Laurie (Scout Taylor-Compton). She also offers motherly advice about future kills (“now go have some fun”) and strokes her hulking son’s furrowed brow.

In a word: Spare me.

Or perhaps I should say spare us, Zombie-comma-Rob, and by “us” I mean all the Michael Myers fans who have been hanging in since the start, the ones who have seen every petrified crap-pile remake and sequel and meta-sequel with the tiniest shred of hope that this director saw the original, or at least read the blurb on the back cover of the DVD. Zombie’s first attempt, “Halloween,” showed a wee flicker of promise because there was an eerieness there (thanks to Daeg Faerch) that nearly balanced out the gore. Not so with “Halloween II,” a mindless, pointless exercise in blood spillage interrupted frequently by crazy, acid-like dream sequences. So ”Halloween II” isn’t just a stupid movie, it’s pretentious one, too. The fact that Zombie attempts to combine these qualities is about the only original thing this huge, lumbering disappointment has to offer. 

Right off things don’t look so bad, since ”Halloween II” begins where its not-so-bad predecessor ended: Laurie (Scout Taylor-Compton) has survived the Halloween massacre of her brother Michael (Tyler Mane), but not without serious physical and psychological scars. Now living with her friend Annie (Danielle Harris, whom you might remember from “Halloween 4″ and “Halloween 5″) and Annie’s father, Sheriff Lee Brackett (Brad Dourif), Laurie’s wracked with nightmares and panic attacks. Her anxiety only deepens when Dr. Samuel Loomis (Malcolm McDowell) outs her as Michael’s sister and proceeds to turn her name and Michael’s victims into big book sales. Slowly slicing and dicing his way into this storyline is Michael, driven by hallucinations to find his baby sister and stage the kind of family reunion that would make the Firefly family squeal with delight. 

That’s really all that happens in “Halloween II” in the way of plot. There’s some random teen-age sex (in a van, no less) that’s generic in its sluttiness included for good measure, or perhaps because that’s a horror movie requirement, but mostly “Halloween II” is a veritable smorgasbord of crunched bones, split throats, stomped-in craniums and severed heads. It’s crass and pointless, and what’s more it’s not inventive or even terribly interesting. If Zombie’s out to startle us with gore, he more than missed his chance — the “Hostel” and “Saw” movies long ago killed off the shock centers of our brains. What “Halloween II” serves up in the way of violence barely merits a raised eyebrow, let alone a quick dip behind the popcorn bucket or a hands-over-the-eyes maneuver. This is positively run-of-the-mill, and on its own the gore would be enough to make “Halloween II” an average horror movie.

The bigger problem here is that Zombie tries to merge Michael’s self-consciously arty and trippy visions with all the killing, and it just plain doesn’t work. There’s a serious disconnect between these two stories that never gets repaired; in fact, it seems like Zombie wrote two movies and tossed both scripts into the air, grabbing the pages and putting them in random order. Either approach would have made a decently watchable movie, but together these storylines create a big mess.

There’s probably not much point in mentioning the acting, since McDowell is no Donald Pleasance, Laurie’s friends are largely dispensable and Taylor-Compton makes Laurie into a potty-mouthed, whiny Anyteen who can barely keep our interest, much less our sympathy. She does, however, get one good line: “Nightmares are chewing at my head again … they just seem to be getting worse.”

After sitting through “Halloween II”? Yeah, I’d say my brain felt decidedly nibbled.

Grade: D

Halloween II (2009)
★ / ★★★★

Written and directed by Rob Zombie, “Halloween II” is a complete waste of time. What I really liked with Zombie’s 2007 interpretation of the 1978 classic was that it really tried to tell a story. The 2007 film spent a third of its time explaining Michael Myers’ psychology as a child–something that other “Halloween” movies that came before did not do. With this 2009 sequel, we’re back again on the level of wait-and-kill without any sort of plot to drive the story forward. Basically, Michael Myers (Tyler Mane) wanted to hunt down Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor-Compton) a year after they had a showdown in Haddonfield. Meanwhile, Dr. Samuel Loomis (Malcolm McDowell), Michael’s ex-psychiatrist, wrote a book about the killings and tried to wrestle with the media’s barrage of questions and his conscience (or lack thereof). In my opinion, Dr. Loomis’ storyline should totally not have gone in that direction. Instead, we should have followed Dr. Loomis’ mission (or downright obsession) to hunt down Michael and protect Laurie from him. That’s much more interesting (and relevant) than scenes of him signing books and being interviewed on some television shows. As for Michael’s rampage, although I still thought that the stalking and violent scenes were very gruesome, none of it was particularly scary. Well, except for that scene in the hospital which occured during the first twenty minutes (the only effective scene in the whole movie). I also hated the fact that Zombie decided to inject Deborah Myers’ ghost (Sheri Moon Zombie as Michael’s mother) into the storyline. Not only was such a decision poorly executed, the scenes were downright laughable. If I wanted to see a ghost story with a psychological aspect to it, I’d watch “The Others” because that one was actually chilling to the bone (not to mention clever). Slasher fans simply do not pay ten bucks or so to watch a slasher flick with ghosts roaming about and supposedly instigating the broken mind of a killer. I went into this movie with an above average expectations because the 2007 version was very enjoyable. But after watching this movie, I think Zombie should just stop. He doesn’t quite grasp the idea of the brilliance that comes with simplicity and a truly terrifying soundtrack, which defined John Carpenter’s 1978 “Halloween” classic.

ஒரிஜினல் லிஸ்ட் இங்கே. பாஸ்டன் பாலாவுக்கு நன்றி!

சைரனோ டி பெர்கராக், Cyrano de Bergerac – எட்மண்ட் ரோஸ்டாண்ட் எழுதிய புத்தகம். வெகு நாட்களுக்கு முன் படித்த நாடகம், கதை மட்டுமே மங்கலாக நினைவிருக்கிறது. ஹோசே ஃபெர்ரர் நடித்து ஒரு முறை, ஜெரார்ட் டிபார்டியூ நடித்து ஒரு முறை வந்திருக்கிறது. இரண்டையும் கமல் குறிப்பிடுகிறார், இரண்டையும் நான் பார்த்ததில்லை.

ஸ்பார்டகஸ், Spartacus – ஹோவர்ட் ஃபாஸ்ட் எழுதிய நாவல். ஸ்டான்லி குப்ரிக் இயக்கி கிர்க் டக்ளஸ் நடித்த புகழ் பெற்ற படம். என் கண்ணில் சுமாரான படம்தான். நாவல் படித்ததில்லை.

எ க்ளாக்வொர்க் ஆரஞ்ச், A Clockwork Orange – அந்தோனி பர்ஜஸ் எழுதிய நாவல். படித்ததில்லை. ஸ்டான்லி குப்ரிக் இயக்கி மால்கம் மக்டொவல் நடித்தது. பிரமாதமான படம். குப்ரிக் கலக்கிவிட்டார்.

லாஸ்ட் டெம்ப்டேஷன் ஆஃப் க்ரைஸ்ட், Last Temptation of Christ – நிகோலாய் கசான்ட்சாகிஸ் எழுதிய நாவல். மார்டின் ஸ்கொர்ஸஸி இயக்கி இருக்கிறார். பார்த்ததுமில்லை, படித்ததுமில்லை.

பீயிங் தேர், Being There – ஜெர்சி கொசின்ஸ்கி எழுதிய நாவல். ஹால் ஆஷ்பி இயக்கி பீட்டர் செல்லர்ஸ் நடித்தது. படித்ததில்லை, ஆனால் படம் பார்த்திருக்கிறேன். சுமாரான படம்.

ட்ரெய்ன்ஸ்பாட்டிங், Trainspotting – இர்வின் வெல்ஷ் எழுதிய நாவல். ஸ்லம்டாக் மில்லியனர் புகழ் டான்னி பாயில் இயக்கியது. பார்த்ததுமில்லை, படித்ததுமில்லை, கேள்விப்பட்டதும் இல்லை.

பர்ஃப்யூம், Perfume – யாரோ பாட்ரிக் சுஸ்கிண்ட் எழுதியதாம். டாம் டைக்வர் இயக்கியதாம். பார்த்ததுமில்லை, படித்ததுமில்லை, கேள்விப்பட்டதும் இல்லை.

சிட்டி சிட்டி பாங் பாங், Chitti Chitti Bang Bang – ஜேம்ஸ் பாண்ட் புகழ் இயன் ஃப்ளெமிங் எழுதிய சிறுவர்களுக்கான புத்தகம். டிக் வான் டைக் நடித்தது. படம் சிறுவர் சிறுமிகளுக்கு பிடிக்கும். நாவல் படித்ததில்லை.

க்யூரியஸ் கேஸ் ஆஃப் பெஞ்சமின் பட்டன், Curious Case of Benjamin Button – ஸ்காட் ஃபிட்ஸ்ஜெரால்ட் எழுதிய சிறுகதை. ப்ராட் பிட் நடித்து டேவிட் ஃபிஞ்சர் இயக்கியது. இந்த வருஷ ஆஸ்கார் போட்டியில் ஸ்லம்டாக் மில்லியனருக்கு பெரும் போட்டியாக இருந்தது. படித்ததில்லை, இன்னும் பார்க்கவும் இல்லை.

ஃபாரஸ்ட் கம்ப், Forrest Gump – வின்ஸ்டன் க்ரூம் எழுதியது. டாம் ஹாங்க்ஸ் நடித்து ராபர்ட் ஜெமகிஸ் இயக்கியது. சராசரிக்கு மேலான படம். பல ஆஸ்கார் விருதுகளை வென்றது. ஆனால் அந்த சமயத்தில் வந்த பல்ப் ஃபிக்ஷன், ஷாஷான்க் ரிடம்ப்ஷன் ஆகியவை இதை விட சிறந்த படங்கள். புத்தகம் படித்ததில்லை.

மாரத்தான் மான், Marathon Man- வில்லியம் கோல்ட்மான் எழுதிய நாவல். டஸ்டின் ஹாஃப்மன், லாரன்ஸ் ஒலிவியர் நடித்து ஜான் ஷ்லேசிங்கர் இயக்கியது. பார்த்ததுமில்லை, படித்ததுமில்லை.

மாஜிக், Magic – இதுவும் வில்லியம் கோல்ட்மான் எழுதிய நாவல். அந்தோனி ஹாப்கின்ஸ் நடித்து ரிச்சர்ட் அட்டன்பரோ இயக்கியது. பார்த்ததுமில்லை, படித்ததுமில்லை, கேள்விப்பட்டதும் இல்லை.

டிராகுலா, Dracula – ப்ராம் ஸ்டோகர் எழுதிய நாவல். கமல் ஃப்ரான்சிஸ் ஃபோர்ட் கொப்போலா இயக்கிய படத்தை சொல்கிறார். நான் பார்த்திருப்பது பழைய பேலா லுகோசி நடித்த படம்தான். லுகொசி ஒரு eerie உணர்வை நன்றாக கொண்டு வருவார். நாவல் சுமார்தான், ஆனால் ஒரு genre-இன் பிரதிநிதி.

காட்ஃபாதர், Godfather – மரியோ பூசோ எழுதியது. அல் பசினோ, மார்லன் பிராண்டோ நடித்து ஃப்ரான்சிஸ் ஃபோர்ட் கொப்போலா இயக்கிய மிக அருமையான படம். நல்ல நாவலும் கூட.

கமல் கொஞ்சம் esoteric படங்களை விரும்புவார் போல தெரிகிறது. எனக்கு மிகவும் பிடித்த, மிக அற்புதமான நாவலும், அருமையான படமும் ஆன To Kill a Mockingbird-ஐ விட்டுவிட்டாரே!

கமலின் லிஸ்டில் காட்ஃபாதர் மட்டுமே நல்ல புத்தகம், மற்றும் நல்ல படம் – என்னைப் பொறுத்த வரையில். நான் படித்திருக்கும் புத்தகமும் அது ஒன்றுதான். கமல் சொல்லி இருக்கும் படங்களில் நான் பாதிக்கு மேல் பார்த்ததில்லை. பார்த்த வரையில் காட்ஃபாதர் மற்றும் எ க்ளாக்வொர்க் ஆரஞ்ச் மட்டுமே பார்க்க வேண்டிய படம். ஆனால் அவர் சொல்லி இருக்கும் படங்களில் பல பிரபலமான படங்கள் – ஸ்பார்டகஸ், ஃபாரஸ்ட் கம்ப், பெஞ்சமின் பட்டன், சிட்டி சிட்டி பாங் பாங் – இருக்கின்றன. பார்த்திருப்பீர்கள். படித்திருப்பீர்கள். நீங்கள் கமலின் தேர்வுகளைப் பற்றி என்ன நினைக்கிறீர்கள்?

தொடர்புடைய பதிவுகள்
கமல் சிபாரிசுகள் – சிறந்த திரைக்கதைகள் உள்ள தமிழ் படங்கள்

Originally published in Rip-in Magazine Issue 046, 2007.

Genre: Horror

Actors: Malcolm McDowell, Brad Dourif, Tyler Mane, Daeg Faerch, Sherie Moon Zombie, William Forsythe

Director: Rob Zombie

Children are a delicatessen of horror films. Big, hulking and gargantuan blokes with a cleaver are still in the menu but it is an old recipe that is both passé and outdated. Children, however, add that something-special to the plate and wet the palate of tired consumers of slasher movies. After all, it’s not every season that we get to watch a ten-year-old boy slice the throat of his step-father, (literally) backstab his sister and clobber the skull of his sister’s boyfriend with a shiny baseball bat. In Rob Zombie’s Halloween, Michael Myers (Faerch) has infantilised to four feet of pure innocence and evil.

Based on John Carpenter’s original screenplay in 1978, Halloween has attracted cult-status. With an unforgettable soundtrack that is the ringtone of hardcore fans, the film has gathered itself a following of mask-wearing, plastic knife wielding devotees.

Unlike its predecessors, Zombie’s Halloween goes back in time to the awakening of Myer’s bloodlust. Slasher films do not normally bother with storyline or plot. The point is to hack and hack and hack. But the director has taken steps to introduce a rare ideology, which is ‘intrigue’, and this is evident through 45 minutes of intricate storytelling.

The audience is siphoned into the world of young Michael Myers who suffers from a severe split-personality disorder. On good days, the boy is all smiles, hugs and feminine innocence. On bad days, a Cruela Deville look-a-like nurse gets stabbed with a fork. Dr. Samuel Loomis (McDowell) is introduced as the specialised psychologist that could possibly cure Myer’s deranged personality disorder. Of course, his success rate is as slim as an anorexic drinking full cream milk.

Seventeen years passed and, to the surprise of no one, Myers manages to break out from prison. And from here onwards, it is 45 minutes of unadulterated slasher idiocy. The Incredible Oaf (adult Myers played by Tyler Mane) roams the streets of Haddonfield, unobtrusively picking up and cutting down the residents that no one seems to miss. Later on we realise that Myers plans to kidnap his baby-sister (Sheri Zombie) but for what reason, only hell knows.

You know a slasher movie as a slasher movie when more than five bullets enters the body of a nutcase and he still gets up with an insouciant gait to kill the victim. At the very end, even I doubted a bullet to the head would keep the mute monster down. But like all good horror movies, you could smell a sequel before the audience breathes out their first stale breath.

All in all, you would only watch Halloween because it is rated R and you wanted cheap thrills. If you’re hell bent on going and paying to see this flick then bring a pen to the movies. You might get an itch to draw your neighbour’s arm after the first 45 minutes.

LA NARANJA MECÁNICA (estreno  23 de octubre)

Género: Thriller-Crimen
Producción: Reino Unido-EEUU
Director: Stanley Kubrick
Intérpretes: Malcolm McDowell y Warren Clarke

Sinopsis:  Gran Bretaña, en un futuro indeterminado. Alex (Malcolm McDowell) es un joven hiperagresivo con dos pasiones: la ultraviolencia y Beethoven. Al frente de su banda, los drugos, los jóvenes descargan sus instintos más violentos pegando, violando y aterrorizando a la población. Cuando esa escalada de terror llega hasta el crimen, Alex es detenido y, en prisión, se someterá voluntariamente a una innovadora experiencia de reeducación que pretende anular drásticamente cualquier atisbo de conducta antisocial…

Després de 61 setmanes en cartellera, el propi Stanley Kubrick va retirar dels cinemes anglesos l’adaptació a la gran pantalla de l’obra d’ Anthony Burgess, La Naranja Mecánica. Bandes juvenils havien adoptat el look i les maneres dels “droogs”; fins i tot van haver morts. Kubrick es va decepcionar més del que ja ho estava amb la condició humana. Warner no va posar cap impediment; volien que el xicot del Bronx continués fent pel·lícules sota el seu segell, i qui li podia negar al creador de Lolita, Dr. Strangelove i 2001 qualsevol cosa que volgués. A més, La Naranja Mecánica ja havia sigut un èxit comercial; només My Fair Lady li havia donat més diners a Warner.

Després de que Terry Southern, escriptor nordamericà amic de Kubrick i guionista de Dr. Strangelove, li regalés l’obra de Burgess quan intentava tirar endavant l’adaptació de la novel·la Napoleon Symphony, també de Burgess, Stanley Kubrick va veure en La Naranja Mecánica una obra que s’adaptava a la naturalesa alegòrica amb la que ell entenia l’art; faria una pel·lícula amb múltiples interpretacions, sense que hagués de dir res sobre el significat. La trama del llibre la sabem tots: Alex i els seus “droogs” formen una banda que arrassa amb tot, en un Londres on el pop art dels sixties s’ha convertit en productes de moda produïts en série. Kubrick com ho narra? De forma implacable i abrumadora, gràcies a càmeres lleugeres, micros que ho captaven tot i així no havia de regravar diàlegs, llums potents que no l’obligaven a buscar la i·luminació ideal en tot moment, música de Henry Purcell arreglada pel sintetitzador Moog de Walter Carlos, la Novena de Beethoveen, l’apertura del Guillem Tell de Rossini accelerada (seqüència del trio que s’organitza l’Àlex després de la visita a la tenda de discs), la interpretació de Malcolm McDowell, i sobretot, al seu talent, que li permetia col·locar la càmera al lloc idoni i crear uns plans i unes seqüències impactants, bells, explícits i definitius, com per exemple, el contrapicat amb el que un Àlex sol i perdut descobreix que els policies que l’estan apallissant són els seus estimats “droogs”, que han hagut de deixar l’uniforme blanc per passar-se a l’uniforme blau de la policia.

Captivadora, profunda, freudiana, magnètica, sarcàstica, cínica, còmica, violenta, narrativament inquietant, explosiva…són tants els adjectius que li queden bé a La Naranja Mecánica. El millor que es pot fer és aprofitar l’oportunitat de tornar a veure en pantalla gran una de les obres més importants d’un dels grans mestres del cinema; després, que cadascú trïi l’adjectiu que vulgui. Aquest divendres es reestrena La Naranja Mecánica d’ Stanley Kubrick, una obra intemporal d’un artista genial i tan atrevit com honest.

A continuació, un extracte del documental Stanley Kubrick, a life in pictures; són els 10 minuts on s’explica com es va fer La Naranja Mecánica.

Sinopse:

Aos 10 anos, Michael Myers é um garoto problemático, excluído por todos. Sua mãe é uma stripper  e vive brigando com o namorado. Para descontar sua raiva do mundo, Michael tem o hábito de maltratar animais, até que um dia o diretor da escola descobre e informa à sua mãe que o garoto possuem tendências psicopatas. Numa noite de Halloween, fantasiado com uma de suas máscaras preferidas, ele perde totalmente o controle, assassina todos na casa e vai parar num reformatório. Depois de ficar recluso por 17 anos, ele foge da instituição e retorna à cidade em busca de vingança.

- Vi muito comentário de que o filme era uma merda e tal. Eu gostei! Curto os filmes do Rob Zombie.

- Assistido em 16/10/2009

In Halloween II raul are un nou destin. Regizorul Rob Zombie preia exact momentul in care s-a oprit in 2007 cu Halloween pentru a-l aduce inapoi pe diabolicul Michael Myer (Tyler Mane) intr-un sequel si mai inspaimantator.  La cativa ani dupa ce Michael a ucis cu furie pe oricine i-a stat in cale in drumul sau spre sora lui, Laurie Strode (Scout Taylor Compton), aceasta incearca sa se impace cu trecutul. Dar Michael are alte planuri. isi doreste o reuniune de familie, pentru a rememora masacrul trecut si a pregatit si un “cadou” pe care sora lui nu-l va uita niciodata…

Dezlantuind o serie de orori cum numai un maestru al genului horror precum Rob Zombie poate realiza, maleficul Myers nu va putea fi oprit de nimeni. Cu toate ca in oras a aparut un nou erou! Macar de-ar putea supravietui indeajuns ca sa poata opri ce pare de neoprit …

Trailer Halloween 2 :

“Well, well, well, Druges… Qual vai ser o programa hoje? Que tal um pouco da velha Ultraviolência?

Sádico, tenso, vibrante, espetacular, ousado, perfeito! Todos os adjetivos possíveis são bem empregados em algo tão perfeito como Laranja Mecânica, filme baseado no ótimo livro de Anthony Burgess, filmado por ninguém menos que ele, Stanley Kubrick – O Cara!
Alex DeLarge é um péssimo exemplo. O moleque sai a noite com os amigos pra praticar delitos, se diverte vendo os outros serem espancados, humilhados. Com uma mentalidade forte, o líder do grupo de arruaceiros é também o mais sádico. Gosta de pegar mulher quando quer, ouvir Bethoven, bater em mendigo, estuprar e praticar roubos. Só que ele não controla sua ira, nem mesmo com seus amigos, que por causa de uma brincadeira, acabam traindo o pobre Alex. Preso por assassinato, ele decide ser cobaia do “Método Ludovico”, que consiste em fazer o delinqüente deixar de ser delinqüente.
O problema é que fora da prisão, as coisas parecem conspirar contra ele. Todos que ele de alguma forma fez sofrer, farão o mesmo com ele. Destino ingrato. Alex se torna vítima de seus próprios atos e acaba pagando por isso.
São pouco mais de 2 horas de um filme denso, cheio de pompa e sentimento, que arrasa em tudo, desde o mais fútil detalhe, até a estilizada violência que o filme traz.
Kubrick não deixa nada passar. Cada ponto do filme é uma crítica ao mundo moderno, às seus defeitos e conseqüências, quase um presságio do que temos hoje. Juventude rebelde sem causa, violência em todos os pontos, evolução nas construções e tudo mais, mas um povo ainda primitivo, que não aprendeu a andar com as próprias pernas.
Os diálogos carregados de sutilezas ferrenhas a isso é o que há de mais delicioso no filme. Até as gírias usadas por Alex e seus amigos, soam com esse tom. As cores vibrantes (marca do Kubrick), com cenários extravagantes, passam a sensação de futuro próximo, o que torna o filme ainda mais autentico e verdadeiro.

A forma como Kubrick conduz seu filme é primoroso e fabuloso. Abrindo o filme com muita violência, ele não economiza nas doses pancadaria. E isso ele faz de uma forma a criarmos certo desprezo pelo personagem principal. Só que depois do tratamento, Alex acaba de alguma forma ganhando a simpatia do publico, passa de vilão a mocinho quase que instantaneamente. Essa mudança radical, da água pro vinho, mostra que ele não é o único sádico/frio/violento que existe. Todos são, e não há “Método Ludovico” no mundo capaz de mudar isso.
Enquanto tudo é desenvolvido com calma e maestria, mergulhamos cada vez mais naquele mundo imaginário que não está tão longe e tampouco diferente do nosso. Todas as coisas mostradas por Kubick no filme são planejadas com muito cuidado, são colocadas em cada momento do filme com muita paciência, e o resultado é uma explosão de imagens vibrantes e certeiras, que só com outras “assistidas” é que são sacadas.
Cada movimento de câmera, cada quadro é trabalhado para passar algum sentimento, como por exemplo, perversidade na cena em que Alex acidentalmente mata a “louca dos gatos”. Outro exemplo é quando sentimos a inocência dele quando está cantando “I’m Singing in The Rain” na banheira tomando banho.
Outra sacada genial, é que o filme não expõe a violência de maneira direta, e sim de um modo mais subjetivo, sem mostrar sangue, sem mostrar membros quebrados, sem apelar pra essas coisas tão comuns hoje em dia. Tudo é mostrado com o mínimo de violência, e por isso acaba sendo tão chocante. Voltando o exemplo do assassinato, em que Kubrick em momento nenhum mostra Alex enfiando aquele pênis no rosto dela, mas as imagens que acontecem ali são o bastante pra vermos isso, por isso sai tão chocante. E se notarem nem há sangue na cena.
Outra coisa bacana é a união entre belo e feio, algo bem constante no filme como na cena em que Alex e seus amigos vão brigar com a gangue do Billy Boy, ela começa com uma imagem bela e caminha para algo nem tão belo assim. Esse efeito é mais sentido com a trilha, cheia de Bethoven como pano de fundo da violência.

Os figurinos são outro arraso, extravagantes, exagerados, coloridos. A trilha é perfeita e atenua cada momento de maneira formidável.
Agora quanto às atuações, tudo e todos estão PERFEITOS. Malcolm McDowell está no seu melhor e memorável personagem. Com olhos azuis e sorriso jovial, o cara caiu como luva no protagonista. Não consigo imaginar outro fazendo o filme com tanto empenho e qualidade como ele. Acho que o momento mais genial é a parte em que ele vai estuprar a esposa do escritor cantando “I’m Singing in the Rain”, cena antológicaça, em que ao mesmo tempo que passa repúdio, há um certo “ar de palhaço”, que acho incrível.
O resto do elenco é ofuscado pelo Malcolm. Só que todos apresentam aquele ar asqueroso que é deliciosamente criticado no filme.
Acho que a única coisa que achei “errado”, foi Kubrick terminar o filme como terminou. O livro tem um final diferente, e que no final das contas, (interpretação minha) é uma grande metáfora sobre a passagem da adolescência para a fase adulta, já que ele começa com 14 anos e termina com 18. O lance da metáfora se dá pelo fato de ele apresentar todas as atitudes de um desordeiro quando jovem, mas quando fica adulto acaba repudiando a violência e se tornando alguém mais careta.
A versão do Kubrick ganha ares mais politizados. Nada contra, é até bom, porque termina com uma conclusão dele. O ruim disso é que na época do lançamento do filme, levaram muito a sério aquilo tudo, e a banalização foi geral. Casos de gangues como as do filme, e agindo como as gangues do filme, arrasaram a Inglaterra, obrigando Kubrick a tirar o filme de circulação, e que acabou sendo proibido. Por conta disso, no circuito pirata, muitos jovens assistiram e entenderam as mensagens. Esses caras eram Sam Mendes (de Beleza Americana), Tony Kaye (de A Outra História Americana), John Singleton (o mais jovem diretor indicado ao OSCAR, com Os Donos da Rua), sem contar os outros tantos influenciados pela magia e euforia causada por Alex DeLarge, seus Druges e um dos diretores mais fantásticos de todos os tempos, e um dos trabalhos mais Incríveis da História do cinema.

Nota: 10 (e com muito gosto!)

Clockwork Orange (1971)
Direção: Stanley Kubrick.
Elenco: Malcolm McDowel, Patrick Magee, Adrienne Corri, Miriam Karlin.
Duração: 136 min.