Fortean Films

[GNC]

I had to read up about the source book before I could be sure of the twist in I'm Thinking..., but check out the Radio Times article on the film. An explanation from someone who REALLY didn't understand it. I'm surprised it was published, they must feel a proper nana.

As for the film, the usual Kaufman miserabilism, it's getting old now, though his beef with A Beautiful Mind is something I could sympathise with! About 75% of it is a rambling chat in a car.

 

[balding13]

I watched Under the silver lake on mubi last week. Really intriguing and prescient. It has even fuelled the sort of paranoid conspiracy
-searching that it portrays, in real life.

 

[GNC]

I watched Under the silver lake on mubi last week. Really intriguing and prescient. It has even fuelled the sort of paranoid conspiracy
-searching that it portrays, in real life.

It's really good, isn't it? I really liked the massive pisstaking aimed at the conspiracy theorist central character, and the atmosphere of the film, half mystery, half parody, is so well balanced.

 

[balding13]

It's really good, isn't it? I really liked the massive pisstaking aimed at the conspiracy theorist central character, and the atmosphere of the film, half mystery, half parody, is so well balanced.

I was blown away at how well it referenced so many films, whilst being very much its own creation. In addition to a really erudite review on Bright Wall Dark Room, there are also a large amount of subreddits that explore all its potential meanings, but humorously!

 

[GNC]

I was blown away at how well it referenced so many films, whilst being very much its own creation. In addition to a really erudite review on Bright Wall Dark Room, there are also a large amount of subreddits that explore all its potential meanings, but humorously!

My favourite (in the film) was the old geezer who had written every hit song ever! Inspired bit of business.

 

[balding13]

My favourite (in the film) was the old geezer who had written every hit song ever! Inspired bit of business.

I don't know what you are talking about. If I did, I would have to accept that everything that I hoped for, that I dreamed about being a part of, is the shell of other men's ambitions.

 

[Spookdaddy]

I'll admit to getting confused over classifications - more so, it seems, as time goes by.

I know that the movie Border got a mention on the Folk Horror thread, but does it not apply itself much more to a thread like this, than that - would anyone else agree, or am I totally off?

And, has anyone else seen the Dutch movie, Borgman? I'd maybe classify that as Fortean, but would anyone else?

Both movies I love, by the way.

Discovered Borgman through investigating the actor Jan Bijvoet who does a rather brilliant turn as a much put upon orthodox Jewish criminal from Brabant, who has to duck and weave for his life in the Dutch TV series Fenix. (I am kind of enjoying the way that a swathe of Europe from Holland and Belgium to the Ardennes are, at least in terms of TV and movie crime drama, morphing into a European version of the Midwestern and Southern Gothics – but that’s another matter entirely.)

Trailer for Borgman:

 

[ramonmercado]

Stereo: Eric (Jurgen Vogel) is living in rural Bavaria, he runs a garage, is easy going, has a girlfriend. But her policeman father is suspicious of him. To be honest Eric is suspicious of himself, he's a bit dubious about his past, what really happened in his Berlin days. To add to his confusion a character called Henry starts to stalk him, Henry knows more about Eric's past than Eric does. The trouble is only Eric can see Henry. A therapist/medium with the aid of a wheelchair bound Aleister Crowley lookalike tries to help. Then a Roma man appears who seems to know Eric and attempts to involve him in a criminal scheme. A black comedy, gangster flick and revenge thriller which is quite edgy and violent. Vogel is good at portraying Eric as the confused everyman who just wants a quiet life and a family. But like Job the troubles of the world are showered upon him. Good acting all round as the film moves from fields to seedy nightclubs and a grand guignol finale. Directed and written by Maximilian Erlenwein. 8/10.

 

[ramonmercado]

Disappearance At Clifton Hill: Abby (Tuppence Middleton) returns to her home town on the death of her mother; against her sister's wishes she tries to keep the family motel running. Abby also has dark memories of the kidnapping of a boy she witnessed 25 years before. The problem is that Abby is a pathological liar so unsurprisingly the police and her sister are reluctant to believe this late report. Abby meets up with a local Fortean podcaster Walter (David Cronenberg) who believes that a local rich family were behind this and other disappearances. The supposed conspiracy also involves animal trainers. You will begin to question conflicting narratives as this tale unfolds. Some great scenes. we first encounter Cronenberg as he rises from a river pond beneath Niagara Falls, he's also a sort of mudlark diver. Directed/Co-Written by Albert Shin. On Netflix. 7/10.

 

[GNC]

You didn't mention Abby is played by the splendidly-monikered Tuppence Middleton.

 

[ramonmercado]

You didn't mention Abby is played by the splendidly-monikered Tuppence Middleton.

I forgot to emend this post, I added it in on IDb etc.

 

[GNC]

I forgot to emend this post, I added it in on IDb etc.

There we go! You don't forget that name in a hurry - she should make a film with Imogen Poots.

 

[Mythopoeika]

There we go! You don't forget that name in a hurry - she should make a film with Imogen Poots.

Imogen Gay Poots.

 

[Swifty]

This new Simon Pegg and Nick Frost comedy about ghost hunting will be on Amazon Prime from the 30th this month ..

This is worth watching for a fun chat with the cast about Forteana in general as well as this new series

 

[Okarin]

This new Simon Pegg and Nick Frost comedy about ghost hunting will be on Amazon Prime from the 30th this month ..

This is worth watching for a fun chat with the cast about Forteana in general as well as this new series

really looking forward to this I love Frost and Pegg

 

[Swifty]

really looking forward to this I love Frost and Pegg

Yeah, this could be alright. I've been involved in a youtube ghost 'hunters' channel so I'm looking forward to the piss taking.

 

[skinny]

I'm Thinking of Ending Things: Charlie Kaufman's latest film stars Jessie Buckley as a woman going to visit her boyfriend's (Jesse Plemon) parents for Christmas dinner. She's unsure about the relationship and a lot of other things. As they drive through the a snow storm she appears to hallucinate and sees anachronistic objects and buildings. Plemon's parents, Toni Collette and David Thewlis seem a bit eccentric but are warm and welcoming. Things take a strange turn as the parents ages veer from young to extreme old age. This is an odd film involving time slips, clips from Oklahoma and high school students dancing musical scenes. A janitor appears in a school at intervals during the film. A Lynchian mood prevails, far stranger and even more surreal than Kaufman's usual baroque postmodernist style. Written and Directed by Charlie Kaufman. On Netflix. 7/10.

Good cast. Really enjoying Buckley's turn in Fargo 4. She was damn good in Beast. In fact this main cast is 75% Fargo alumnus. Yay. I'm getting it.

 

[skinny]

I'm Thinking of Ending Things 5/5

That was superb. Maybe the first cinematic classic of the metatainment era. Almost flawless theatre. Do stick with it. It's long but I didn't find it sagged or became self-indulgent. It's a proper dream treatment. Certainly surreal. Poised. Heavy thematically, yet not tacky in its delivery. Just a beautifully crafted piece, even on a small screen. I enjoyed the aspect ratio, and he broke the fourth wall perfectly. We're all in it together, folks, whether we like it or not.

 

[skinny]

Should I show my 12yo daughter Twilight Zone: The Movie? I think I was about that age when I first saw it.


Rob Ager thinks the third story is as well developed as a Kubrick or Hitchcock joint. 26 min film. I think he is right. His 1hr analysis is on youtube -
TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE - film analysis of 3rd episode "It's a good life"
His videos are properly copyrighted, so I'm not sure direct linking is apt without his permission. I think he wouldn't mind a bit of positive promotion. Anyway, it's deep and engaging as always.

 

[skinny]

Referred to in the above analysis, this is well trippy.

 

[ramonmercado]

Should I show my 12yo daughter Twilight Zone: The Movie? I think I was about that age when I first saw it.


Rob Ager thinks the third story is as well developed as a Kubrick or Hitchcock joint. 26 min film. I think he is right. His 1hr analysis is on youtube -
TWILIGHT ZONE: THE MOVIE - film analysis of 3rd episode "It's a good life"
His videos are properly copyrighted, so I'm not sure direct linking is apt without his permission. I think he wouldn't mind a bit of positive promotion. Anyway, it's deep and engaging as always.

Do! Get her the short story it was based on as well. http://ciscohouston.com/docs/docs/greats/its_a_good_life.html

Season 2 of the new Twilight Zone is a tad disappointig so far.

 

[gordonrutter]

Referred to in the above analysis, this is well trippy.

That was mental but I really enjoyed it! What were the scriptwriters on!

 

[pandacracker]

That was mental but I really enjoyed it! What were the scriptwriters on!

A bit of everything by the look of it.

 

[FrKadash]

As mentioned in my post over on the FT399 thread,

https://player.bfi.org.uk/free/film/watch-the-watchers-1969-online

 

[blessmycottonsocks]

Watched the 2019 French movie "Only the Animals" (original title - "Seules les Betes") on Netflix last night.
Whilst not overtly Fortean - it's basically a murder mystery, the themes of improbable coincidences, powerful correlations between strangers and some utterly bizarre behaviour towards the dead, just about places it in this category.
It's cleverly constructed, with multiple scenes replayed from the point of view of different characters.
Initially baffling, there are clues that give you several flashes of realisation throughout the movie, right up to (literally) the final shot.
It stuck with me for some time afterwards, as my somewhat addled brain pieced together all the nuances of the main and sub-plots.
If you don't speak French, don't let the subtitles put you off, as this is a thoroughly entertaining piece of French cinema.
Contains moderate violence and a couple of sex scenes.

 

[Eponastill]

From the BBC 'Dead of Night' series, a play from 1972 called 'The Exorcist'. 1970s horror is the best really, there's something very Ghost Story For Christmas about the way it's shot - who needs fancy modern special effects eh. (Three episodes have been released by the BFI, FrKadash... but this one's been sneaked onto youtube for now)

 

[Beakmoo]

May I recommend the films by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, if no one has before. Resolution and The Endless particularly. High strangeness abounds in both films, with a slow build up to a terrifying (to me) denouement. Low budget but you really would never know it.

 

[GNC]

May I recommend the films by Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead, if no one has before. Resolution and The Endless particularly. High strangeness abounds in both films, with a slow build up to a terrifying (to me) denouement. Low budget but you really would never know it.

They have a new film out in January called Synchronic. I don't know much about it, but it sounds strange (i.e. good).

Here's the trailer (which calls it "mind-bending"):

 

[sherbetbizarre]

They have a new film out in January called Synchronic. I don't know much about it, but it sounds strange (i.e. good).

It was very good when I saw it over a year ago at the London Film Festival. Apparently they re-edited it since then to make it even gooder.

 

[GNC]

It was very good when I saw it over a year ago at the London Film Festival. Apparently they re-edited it since then to make it even gooder.

*rubs hands together in anticipation* E-e-excellent. I'm seeing it next month, something to look forward to in 2021 at last!