We are two months away from the end of the year and in all honesty, I wish it would end right now as I do not know if anyone will survive the next year. Considering the chaos, we are in with the Israel-Gaza conflict still happening as well as other events around the world including Argentina leaning towards the right with help from the U.S. That is nothing compared here in America as another government shutdown has happened where 42 million Americans, me included, will not have access to SNAP as people are starving while our fuckhead dictator has decided to destroy the east wing of the White House to create a stupid ballroom that is nothing more than a reflection of his own ego. America. We are the worst country in the world and based on an article I saw on The Guardian in the U.K. Yes, we are living in a golden age of stupidity.
This was not a good month for me personally as my plans to watch a bunch of horror films this month went down the drain thanks in part to visitors from family friends who have now unfortunately overstayed their welcome. Since my dad’s passing, they have been there for us getting my mother a new refrigerator, a new dishwasher, the air fryer, and a bunch of things as they have been helpful. This year, however, they went too far though they did fix the refrigerator because of a leak. Yet, I have always felt that no matter how much they help us. I always feel like we owe them in many ways as they come to Atlanta once a year to get things out of storage little by little and then return to Panama or to Philadelphia where their daughter lives with their son Luca. We give them a place to live but I have noticed a pattern whenever they come here or whenever they are set to arrive as it always lead to problems with me and my mother.
The same arguments have always led to some horrible things, and I have now noticed that it has become quite negative. This year was no exception as I tried to tell her that something was not right, and I always knew something bad was happening. She ignored it as usual but then came the unexpected visit of their daughter, her husband, and Luca as a surprise as they invaded the house. It became too much for me to deal with as I started to isolate myself in my room and I could not deal with all the drama that is happening as they would try to give me gifts that I do not need. Food that I have never eaten before and would not like. Clothes that I do not need as I have more than enough. After they left the house as we had to babysit my niece for a few days as my sister had to go out of town for work. My mother realized the truth as she decided not to have them next year as it was too much for her as well. Especially as she often talks to one of them as that woman always complains and complains about everything.
It is things like that I could not deal with as I do not want to go through that again as I nearly relapsed into serious depression. My mother is right now just trying to focus on the upcoming holidays while also being someone for her cousin to talk to as she is going through her own depression since she has no kids at home anymore. Plus, her husband is often away at work leaving her to be with just her pets as this sense of loneliness is alarming. We did invite her for the holidays or sometime early next year as she is my mother’s favorite cousin and I have always been fond of her.
In the month of October, I only saw 6 films in 3 first-timers and 3 re-watches with one film being directed or co-directed by a woman as part of the 52 Films by Women pledge. Honestly, pathetic considering that October is a favorite month of mine in watching horror as the highlight of the month has been my Blind Spot film in Cure. Given the lack of films that I saw this month, I will not post any lists as I did not really watch much other than the channels I am subscribed to on YouTube and old seasons of King of the Hill including parts of season 4 as I had not watched some episodes from that season and everything else from that series until the most recent season.
In November, I plan to watch new releases such as Kathryn Bigelow’s A House of Dynamite and Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein while I am unsure what other new releases I hope to watch. The Blind Spot for November will be Alfred Hitchcock’s Notorious while I am unsure if I will finish my Auteurs piece on Robert Eggers as I have now been thinking about updating my Auteurs piece on Paul Thomas Anderson as every upcoming Auteurs piece that I have previously announced will be slated for next year.
Before I bid adieu, given that this was an intense month for me. This was also a month of incredible loss as the passing of Diane Keaton this month has been a shock and a sad one as she is an icon in cinema. I grew up watching her films as a kid and the idea of not having Diane Keaton around is unimaginable as she will be missed. This is also a reminder that given the passing of Robert Redford and Gene Hackman this year that a lot of these giants of New Hollywood are starting to become less as if they were the last true film stars of their kind.
Also passing away include Tcheky Kayro who passed away earlier today, June Lockhart, filmmaker Peter Watkins, local Philadelphia rock DJ Pierre Robert, Maria Riva, saxophonist James Senese, Prunella Scales of Fawlty Towers, jazz legend Jack DeJohnette, Bjorn Andresen, David Ball of Soft Cell, Robert Lawrence Horne aka Mo of Men on a Mission, chess grandmaster Daniel Naroditsky, Martine Brochard, baseball legend Sandy Alomar Jr., poster creator Drew Struzan, casting director Jackie Burch, John Lodge of the Moody Blues, Thommy Price of Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Paolo Bonacelli, filmmaker Ken Jacobs, Dame Jane Goodall, and two of the finest musicians of the 20th/21st Century in D’Angelo and “Space” Ace Frehley of KISS. Godspeed to you all and we will miss you. Another notable figure that passed is Lostprophets vocalist Ian Watkins who was killed in prison for a bunch of sick shit including pedophilia and an attempt to rape a baby. Well, fuck him and to the prisoners who killed him. Thank you. One less motherfucker to deal with. Until then, this is thevoid99 signing off…
Written and directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Kyua (Cure) is the story of a detective who is trying to uncover a series of murders committed by different people, yet all bear the same hallmark as he also deals with a mysterious amnesiac who might be linked to these murders. The film is a psychological horror film that explores a man who is trying to understand the motives of these murders as well as going into a labyrinth of dread and fear. Starring Koji Yakusho, Masato Hagiwara, Tsuyoshi Ujiki, Anna Nakagawa, Yukijiro Hotaru, Yoriko Doguchi, Denden, Ren Osugi, and Masahiro Toda. Kyua is a gripping and haunting film by Kiyoshi Kurosawa.
The film is about a series of murders committed by different people that all bear a mark of X on the body where a detective tries to solve the mystery where he encounters an amnesiac who is linked to these murders. It is a film that is not just a cat-and-mouse murder mystery but also a film that explores what will drive people into the darkest depths of their soul to kill someone. Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s screenplay has a straightforward narrative, yet it has a structure that is unconventional in its study of human nature as this detective in Kenichi Takabe (Koji Yakusho) who is investigating the case as the people who committed these murders are ordinary people with no criminal history. Among them includes a police officer and a doctor who commit grisly murders with no memory of why they did what they did yet they would all encounter a mysterious man before they committed these murderous acts.
The second act is about this mysterious man in Kunihiko Mamiya (Masato Hagiwara) who appears in the first function as he would wander aimlessly around Tokyo’s suburbs and a beach where he would have no clue where he is and asks questions. Then he would pull either a lighter or an object to hypnotize them as he would eventually be captured. However, Takabe’s interrogations with Mamiya would prove to be troubling where Takabe learns more about Mamiya’s background and his methods where he would also have troubling hallucinations of his own. Especially about his wife Fumie (Anna Nakagawa) who has bouts with schizophrenia and often gets lost where Takabe was hoping to take her on holiday after the case is finished. The third act is about Mamiya’s methods as well as discoveries made by Takabe’s friend in a forensic psychologist in Shin Sakuma (Tsuyoshi Ujiki) on where Mamiya learned these methods leading to disturbing revelations.
Kurosawa’s direction is mesmerizing not just in the compositions he creates but also in the atmosphere he brings that also has elements of offbeat yet dark humor. Shot on location in and around Tokyo, Kurosawa creates a film that does not play like a conventional horror film as it opens with Fumie reading Bluebeard at a mental hospital as it sets the tone of what Takabe would deal with. Even as these murders would prove to be gruesome where Kurosawa uses a lot of wide and medium shots to capture the scope of the locations and settings as well as long shots to have scenes linger throughout the film. There are a few close-ups in the film, yet Kurosawa maintains a distance at the action such as the first kill where it is shown in a wide-medium shot in a hotel room as the violence is swift and sudden. There are also bits that are filled with dark humor where a man would jump out of a window as it would be so abrupt in a comical manner in a wide shot.
During the film’s second act, Kurosawa would maintain an element of intrigue where Takabe would interrogate Mamiya in a prison cell as it goes on for minutes where Kurosawa would keep the camera moving while also knowing when to have the camera be still. There is also this sense of dread as it relates to a lighter that Mamiya carries that he uses to hypnotize people only it would not work on Takabe. Still, Takabe’s encounter with Mamiya would have a surreal effect on him as he sees things that play with his own mind. The third act is not just about who influenced Mamiya but also what people would do under things beyond their control as it relates to human nature and the expectations of society. Even as Sakuma would make a discovery himself where he would also start to lose his own grip on reality, leading to Takabe dealing with his own issues including his own feelings about his wife who is also unraveling due to her illness. Overall, Kurosawa crafts an unsettling and evocative film about a mysterious murder case committed by different people unaware of their actions.
Cinematographer Tokusho Kikumura does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on low-key and available light for some of the interior scenes at night along with its usage of available light for the exterior scenes including some eerie yet natural colors in some of the surreal moments in the film. Editor Kan Suzuki does excellent work with the editing where a lot of it is straightforward apart from a few surreal sequences that involve abrupt jump-cuts that does play into the nightmare that Takabe would deal with. Production designer Tomoyuki Maruo and set decorator Fumiaki Suzaka do amazing work with the look of Takabe’s home as well as the mysterious home of Mamiya that is filled with books and animals as it adds to the sense of dread that would loom throughout the film. Costume designers Hiroshi Koto and Ryusui Morita do terrific work with the costumes from the clothes that Takabe wears as well as the sweater and loose pants that Mamiya wears.
Special makeup effects artist Yuichi Matsui does fantastic work with the makeup effects design of the gore and the X mark on necks of the murder victims. The sound work of Hiromichi Kori is superb for its sound in maintaining an atmosphere in creating that sense of dread and terror as it is a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Gary Ashiya is wonderful for its mixture of somber piano pieces as well as a few ambient and electronic bits to play into the suspense.
The film’s marvelous ensemble cast include some notable small roles from Masahiro Toda and Misayo Haruki as a couple who meet Mamiya and invite him to their house, Touji Kawahigashi as Fumie’s psychiatrist, Hajime Tanimoto as the police chief, and Ren Ogusi as a police officer in Fujiwara who would share a police box with the officer who captured Mamiya in the first act. Denden is terrific as the police officer Oida who would encounter Mamiya and arrest him only for things to go wrong. Yukijiro Hotaru and Yoriko Doguchi are fantastic in their respective roles as the businessman Kuwano and Dr. Miyajima as two people who would meet Mamiya as their encounters with him would bring trouble. Anna Nakagawa is excellent as Takabe’s wife Fumie as a woman that is dealing with her own schizophrenia and memory issues as she unknowingly becomes a burden for her husband despite his love for her.
Tsuyoshi Ujiki is brilliant as the forensic psychologist Shin Sakuma who helps Takabe in the investigation as he would make a discovery about Mamiya’s methods only to start to lose his grip on reality during his study of Mamiya. Koji Yakusho is great as Kenichi Takabe as a police detective who leads the case of the series of murders as he starts to lose control in his pursuit and his own encounters with Mamiya where he tries to stay grounded as he also deals with his wife’s mental illness where he would imagine things that shock him. Finally, there is Masato Hagiwara in a phenomenal performance as Kunihiko Mamiya as this amnesiac who wanders around places and meets people where he repeatedly ask questions and then hypnotize them. It is a performance where Hagiwara has this air of restraint and calmness that is unsettling as the only time, he shows any emotion is a scene in his cell by himself during the third act as it only leads to more trouble as a man who is in control of everything as he creates one of the finest antagonists ever captured in cinema.
Kyua is a tremendous film by Kiyoshi Kurosawa that features spectacular performances from Koji Yakusho and Masato Hagiwara. Along with its supporting cast, study of human nature, eerie visuals, and an unsettling atmosphere in its sound and music. The film is an unconventional psychological-horror film that explores a series of murders committed by different people who do not remember what they did as they are all connected by a mysterious figure as it plays into their darkest fears. In the end, Kyua is a sensational film by Kiyoshi Kurosawa.
Directed by Serge Bromberg and Ruxandra Medrea Annonier, L’Enfer d’Henri-Georges Clouzot (Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Inferno) is a documentary film about Henri-Georges Clouzot’s attempt in making a film entitled Inferno in the 1960s as it would remain unfinished and abandoned. Through available footage, re-created images, and interviews with people who worked on the film, the documentary explores one of cinema’s great figures and its attempt to create a film project that would unfortunately remain unfinished. The result is a tremendous and compelling film by Serge Bromberg and Ruxandra Medrea Annonier.
Four years after his last feature film in La Verite starring Brigitte Bardot, Henri-Georges Clouzot has finished a script he wrote with Jean Ferry and Jose-Andre Lacour as it would revolve around a hotelier’s suspicion about his wife having an affair with another man as he becomes paranoid and jealous. Set in the Cantal region in France, the film is to be this surrealistic-drama that was the antithesis of what was happening in French cinema in the 1960s that was dominated by the French New Wave. The film would also have references to Dante’s Inferno and Marcel Proust’s In Search of Lost Time with the latter being the name of its protagonists in Odette and Marcel. The film was to star Romy Schneider as Odette and Serge Reggiani as Marcel with an ensemble that was to include Dany Carell, Jean-Claude Bercq, Maurice Garrel, and Mario David. With Columbia Pictures offering to fund the film giving him an unlimited budget, which was unusual for a non-American director making a film in his native language, Clouzot would take advantage of this offer to experiment with visuals.
The documentary on the making and unmaking of Clouzot’s film features interviews with several people who participated in the production including actress/comedienne Catherine Allegret who had a small role in the film as her mother Simone Signoret who had worked with Clouzot in Les Diaboliques. Another notable figure involved in the production is filmmaker Costa-Gavras who was then an assistant director helping Clouzot with the production. The footage from the unreleased film is provided by Clouzot’s widow Ines who met co-director Serge Bromberg in an elevator when it was stuck as she had 150 cans of film reels featuring outtakes and scenes that were shot in the production. Most notably colorful outtakes are included that play into Clouzot’s experiment with colorful photography, lenses, and practical lighting effects. It would play into Marcel’s own paranoia in what he sees as it adds a surrealistic tone to the film.
Since much of the film’s original audio was lost, Bromberg and Ruxandra Medrea Annonier would have Berenice Bejo and Jacques Gamblin perform scenes in a soundstage to dialogue that were either lost or not recorded. Shot by Irina Lubtchansky and Jerome Krumacker, the scenes showcase the drama that Clouzot was aiming for while the interviews are presented in a unique fashion with production designer Nicolas Faure putting up screens in a room while the interviewees are sitting that include Irina’s father William who was an assistant cinematographer on the film. Several people who worked on the film reveal what went wrong during the production as it was shot near Garabit viaduct including an artificial lake that was to be drained as it was one of many problems. Editor Janice Jones gathers much of the outtakes and available footage from the film that includes an actor standing in for Reggiani in running sequences. Bromberg and Annonier also reveal that since the film was shot in the Cantal region, it was also during one of its hottest years that added to the troubled production including tension between Clouzot and Reggiani as the latter was becoming frustrated with Clouzot’s demands.
The sound work of Jean Gargonne and Jean-Guy Veran is superb in not just creating sound textures in what Clouzot might have wanted but also in the sparse nature of the performances from Bejo and Gamblin. One key scene involving the rare audio that was found from the film is presented as it is in decent condition though it is a shame that a lot of the film’s original audio is lost. The film’s music by Bruno Alexiu is a mixture of somber piano pieces that play into the footage of the film as it adds a lot of dramatic weight as well as some eerie electronic pieces for the lighting experiments in the film. Even as the piano pieces also play into how the production was abandoned due to Clouzot having a heart attack as the film was shelved as Clouzot would eventually make one more feature film in 1968’s La Prisonniere before his death in 1977.
Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Inferno is a phenomenal film by Serge Bromberg and Ruxandra Medrea Annonier. It is a riveting documentary film that explores one of the best films that never got made as well as exploring what happened to a film that had so much intrigue only to fall apart three weeks into production. It is also a look into the creative process with those involved in the film explaining what happened and why it was never finished. In the end, Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Inferno is a sensational film by Serge Bromberg and Ruxandra Medrea Annonier.
Henri-Georges Clouzot Films: (Caprice de Princesse) – (Tout pour l’amour) – (The Murderer Lives at Number 21) – (Le Corbeau) – (Quai des Orfevres) – (Manon) – (Miquette et sa mere) – The Wages of Fear - Les Diaboliques - (The Mystery of Picasso) - (Les Espions) – (La Verite) – (Grand chef d’orchestre) – (La Prisonniere)
Written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, The Dead Don’t Die is the story of a zombie invasion at a small American town where its locals deal with the situation through absurdist means. The film is an offbeat zombie-comedy where groups of locals and local law enforcement deal with a mysterious zombie invasion. Starring Bill Murray, Adam Driver, Chloe Sevigny, Tilda Swinton, Selena Gomez, Tom Waits, Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover, Caleb Landry Jones, Austin Butler, Sara Driver, Rosie Perez, RZA, Carol Kane, and Iggy Pop. The Dead Don’t Die is a witty and offbeat film by Jim Jarmusch.
Set in a small rural town called Centerville, the film revolves around a mysterious zombie invasion caused by polar fracking that has altered the rotation of the Earth’s axis. It is a film with a simple premise as it relates to locals and local law enforcement dealing with a zombie invasion with some unique commentary observed by a local recluse in Hermit Bob (Tom Waits) who would narrate as he walks around the woods seeing what is happening. Jim Jarmusch’s script has a unique narrative as it play into multiple characters including locals, the law enforcement, a Scottish undertaker who carries a samurai sword, traveling hipsters, a trio of juvenile delinquents, and a MAGA farmer. Notably in their reaction to the news about the Earth’s axis being off its rotation which explains watches and smartphones not working as well as day and night being off with the dead rising from the grave on the latter. The script also play with the dialogue as well as certain phrases that would become gags.
Jarmusch’s direction is also offbeat as it is set in a small town that is shot on various locations in small towns in upstate New York. While Jarmusch would include wide and medium shots of the locations that include the mountains near these small towns. Much of his direction is intimate in the usage of medium shots and close-ups as it opens with Chief Cliff Robertson (Bill Murray) and Officer Ronnie Peterson (Adam Driver) trying to talk to Hermit Bob over claims that he stole some chickens from the local MAGA farmer Frank Miller (Steve Buscemi). The film then goes into offbeat elements with Chief Robertson and Officer Peterson noticing that it is 8 PM and it is still daylight with their watches and phones not working. Jarmusch’s approach to horror is more comical as the first two zombies who would appear during nighttime with the moon glowing would create havoc all because they want coffee. It would then lead to other mysterious events where Chief Robertson, Officer Peterson, and Officer Mindy Morrison (Chloe Sevigny) try to comprehend what happened with Officer Peterson realizing it is a zombie invasion.
Jarmusch would also create moments that are suspenseful yet also play into humor with characters realizing some of the zombies they killed as well as things with which they could not deal. A trio of juvenile delinquents in Stella (Maya Delmont), Olivia (Taliyah Whitaker), and Geronimo (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) are easily the smartest characters in the film as they figured out how all of this happened while dealing with their adult supervisors treating them like idiots. Jarmusch also play into the idea of consumerism in what these zombies want in the words they say as Jarmusch also puts in some satire as it relates to conspiracy theories and fake news with a news reporter in Posie Juarez (Rosie Perez) providing the news on nearby locations. The sense of surrealism and odd things would occur that includes the presence of the new local undertaker in Zelda Winston (Tilda Swinton) who is an oddball that practices Buddhism, carries a samurai sword, and speaks in a Scottish accent. Even as she participates in a climax that also strays from convention in a film where moments of the fourth wall is broken. Overall, Jarmusch crafts a quirky and humorous film about a group of locals dealing with a zombie invasion.
Cinematographer Frederick Elmes does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its emphasis on low-key lighting and shadows for the exterior scenes at night including shots at the cemetery as well as colorful lighting for some of the interior scenes. Editor Affonso Goncalves does excellent work with the editing with a few elements of jump-cuts, slow-motion shots, and other stylish cuts to play into the film’s humor. Production designer Alex DiGerlando, with set decorator Kendall Anderson and art director Julia Heymans, does fantastic work with the look of the diner where some of the characters socialize as well as the police base where some of the action happens. Costume designer Catherine George does nice work with the costumes as they are straightforward, including a few stylish bits in the clothes that the zombies wear.
Special makeup effects designer Michael Marino does amazing work with the look of the zombies as they all have a different look to play into their own wants as it also has elements of quirkiness in how they move. Special effects supervisors Michael Fontaine and Johann Kunz, along with visual effects supervisor Alex Hansson, do terrific work with the visual effects as it relates to the moon as well as scenes involving the zombie and a major moment in the film’s climax. Sound designer Robert Hein does superb work with the sound in how music sounds from a car as well as sound effects that play into the zombie apocalypse. The film’s music by SQURL and Carter Logan is wonderful for its low-key electronic score with contributions by Jim Jarmusch that play into the film’s suspense and humor while the music soundtrack features an original song by Sturgill Simpson that is played throughout the film.
The casting by Ellen Lewis is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Sturgill Simpson as a guitar-carrying zombie, Charlotte Kemp Muhl as a fashion zombie, Jodie Markell as a woman on TV talking about her missing cat, Eszter Balint as the diner waitress Fern, Rosal Colon as a janitor working at the diner, RZA as delivery worker who is friends with the gas station/toy shop owner Bobby that has some unique views on the world, Carol Kane as a dead town drunk who comes alive as a zombie who wants chardonnay, and the duo of Iggy Pop and Sara Driver as two zombies that wants coffee. Larry Fessenden is terrific as a motel owner in Danny Perkins who is becoming upset over his cats disappearing while Rosie Perez is superb as the local news reporter Posie Juarez who reports all the mysterious events on the news. The trio of Maya Delmont, Taliyah Whitaker, and Jahi Di’Allo Winston are fantastic in their respective roles as the juvenile delinquents Stella, Olivia, and Geronimo.
The trio of Austin Butler, Lukas Sabbat, and Selena Gomez are excellent in their respective as a trio of hipster travelers in Jack, Zack, and Zoe with Gomez being the standout as a young woman with a love for Sturgill Simpson. Caleb Landry Jones, Danny Glover, and Steve Buscemi are brilliant in their respective roles as town locals in the gas station/toy store owner Bobby, the hardware store owner Hank Thompson, and the MAGA farmer Frank Miller as locals who deal with the zombie invasion with Buscemi being ignorant about what is happening. Tom Waits is amazing as the local recluse Hermit Bob who is the observer in the film as he realizes something is going wrong as he does everything he can to be away from the chaos. Tilda Swinton is incredible as the local undertaker Zelda Winston who is an odd newcomer to the town in what she wears as well as practicing Buddhism and carries a samurai sword as Swinton brings a lot of fun to her character.
Finally, there is the trio of Bill Murray, Adam Driver, and Chloe Sevigny in remarkable performances as the local law enforcement in Chief Cliff Robertson, Officer Ronnie Peterson, and Officer Mindy Morrison. Sevigny provides that sense of fear of a woman who is unprepared for zombies while becomes emotional over the fact that she must kill people she knew. Driver’s performance is low-key in his humor as he is someone who drives a small smart-car while also comments on everything that is happening where he breaks the fourth wall at times. Murray’s performance is subdued as a police chief who is taken aback at what he is facing as he was hoping to retire as he later copes with the severity of the situation he is in.
The Dead Don’t Die is a marvelous film by Jim Jarmusch. Featuring a great ensemble cast, an offbeat and witty take on the zombie movie genre, colorful visuals, and an eerie yet odd music soundtrack. It is a film that plays with the tropes of the zombie film genre while also being subversive in its approach to the genre. In the end, The Dead Don’t Die is a remarkable film by Jim Jarmusch.
