a visual collective outlet of inspiration
there is a movie on netflix that is under the radar, it’s a true gem. it’s portuguese and the name is “a deriva.” so beautiful, sensitive and stylish. writing this post makes me want to see it again. by pp.
must be considered films
luna nera
watched louis malle’s masterpiece ‘black moon’ last night. like an alice in wonderland meets brazil meets dante’s inferno. perhaps in this instance, it isn’t a world that is worth becoming; however, it is certainly a film worth a watch. by sv
1964 my summer with sophia and carlo
“everything you see, i owe to spaghetti.”
when carlo ponti and loren married in 1957, he promised her “the most beautiful house in the world.”and here it is…
enjoy. carlo ponti and sophia loren in their roman villa and “amongst friends”… when sophia was 14, she entered a beauty contest and although she didn’t win, she caught the attention of successful film producer carlo ponti, who was some 22 years older than her at the time. charmed by her beauty and intelligence, ponti took her under his wing and married her seven years later. photos of the young sophia loren and director carlo ponti by alfred eisenstaedt. by fm
moonrise kingdom, an ethereal place
perhaps i am biased, but considering the amount of garbage that is forced upon us these days, wes anderson is a persistent and glorious breath of fresh air. i was fortunate enough to see ‘moonrise kingdom’ this past weekend, and combining the effortless style and wit of all his other movies, i truly think he has perfected his craft with this one. taking the elements of detail to an entirely new level and juxtaposing them with an unforgettable cast, anderson proves that he is truly a cinephile’s hero. despite the wondrous performances of big name actors, suzy and sam, the star-crossed lovers and protagonists outshine all others on the screen. played by kara hayward (a pubescent margot tenenbaum) and jared gilman (a hemingway-esque noble young man) you are completely drawn to their love, its genuine intent and post-modernist determinism. there is the languid air of an orphaned child and parental issues as in all other anderson films, but this is positively delightful. and if you have a soul, you will want to see it immediately. by sv
harmony korine’s spring breakers – girls gone wild
“When I wrote the script, I started thinking about girls in bikinis with guns, wearing ski masks,” Korine recalls. “I was like, ‘Where would you see that?’ And the idea of spring break came to me. I just started imagining girls on spring break robbing places.”. hk
leave it to harmony korine to come up with crazy movies, the new ones don’t seem to be different, but are still fun in perspective by pp.
stardust memories
while we’re on the topic, here is a scene my personal favorite woody allen movie, stardust memories. a perfect song from louis armstrong soothingly in the background, and allen’s stunning ode to “8 1/2” make me smile even greater each time i see it. not to mention the incredible line, “to you, i’m an atheist; to God, i’m the loyal opposition.” by sv
Moro, lasso, al mio duolo
translated to mean “wearily, i die of agony”, this is the title of one of gesualdo’s madrigals, featured above in werner herzog’s “death for five voices” …herzog has said out of all of his films, this one is incredibly close to his heart. one can see why, carlo gesualdo was a fascinating figure. a man whose credits include nobleman, composer, chromatic engineer, lutenist—and of course, murderer. carlo killed his wife (and also first cousin) donna maria d’avalos and her lover when he caught them “in flagrante delicto.” notwithstanding any of his passions or shortcomings, gesualdo was if nothing else, a magnificent composer of delightfully haunting tunes. by sv
when pigs fly
photo taken on the set of sara driver’s ‘when pigs fly’. rachael bella and marianne faithfull star as two souls conjoined by the fact that they died in the same chair, years apart. photo by nan goldin. by sv
the hunger
david bowie and catherine deneuve from tony scott’s 1983 film, ‘the hunger’ by sv
knife in the water
fifty years ago today, roman polanski made a simple boat trip terrifying. by sv
Enter the Void: Gaspar Noé 2009
was not a fan of irreversible, i found it obnoxious and sensationalist. however, i just met nathan brown, the lead actor in the film, and now i have to give this a shot. the trailer seems worthy of a chance but knowing gaspar, there will be surprises indeed… by uh
Naughty Men: Gerard Depardieu + Abel Ferrara + Dominique Strauss Kahn
talking about naughty politicians…. abel ferrara to direct a film about the sexual fiasco of the french presidential hopeful and head of the IMF, mister dominique strauss kahn. gerard depardieu will simply play himself. while i’m not a fan of khan, and quite familiar with his past behaviors i am near certain the new york incident was a setup for an obvious trap. the film by ferrara will certainly tell such a story, let’s just hope it’s not over the top and obnoxious as abel can sometimes be. by dd
