Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The Feelies - Sooner Or Later

Andrzej Żuławsk - Possession (1981)



Between this, On the Silver Globe, and My Nights Are More Beautiful Than Your Days, Andrzej Żuławski may very well be the greatest filmmaker in modern cinema. To begin with, Possession is undoubtedly one of the most gorgeous films I've seen, with a story so absurd it's almost humorous and which manages to splice romance and horror seamlessly, complemented by a truly unnerving and anxiety-inducing atmosphere, all of which is tied together by insanely brilliant dialogue and sensational performances by Sam Neill and especially Isabelle Adjani. It's like Polanski meets Cronenberg meets Tarkovsky (although avoiding his pacing pitfalls which can turn some, including myself, off) all blended together to produce a genuinely innovative and compelling film.

Mondo Vision have already released a few works from Żuławski's treasure trove and they're currently working on a proper release for this as well.


Thursday, July 14, 2011

Fatih Akın - Gegen die Wand (2004)

Hands down best film I've watched in some time. Raw. Relentless. Emotionally-gripping. Unbelievable performances. A plot with so many unexpected turns. A near perfect soundtrack. Standing applause.