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undefinable

Twin Peaks – the first season special edition DVD * David Lynch * 1990/2002

Without a doubt “Twin Peaks” is the best thing that ever happened in television-history. Reshown on several TV-stations several times, but now we have been ‘Peaksless’ for far too many years. Long ago the complete series have been made available on video. You can either look for the tapes, but I believe they are still obtainable when you know your sources. Too long after the introduction of the DVD “Twin Peaks” is available again. First in America of course, a few weeks ago Europe followed.

The editions are very different though. The European version is twice as expensive as the American version. One reason for this may be that the European version includes the pilot and the American doesn’t (…). Hoping that the American version would instead include the first episode (there is actually a pilot AND a first episode), I got the American version with the idea that I would get the pilot later. However the count starts at episode 1, this is not the first episode! Laura has already been found, Dale Cooper is already in Twin Peaks and you are already supposed to know the characters. That is really too bad, because I would have loved to get both the pilot and the first episode…

Anyway, the first series are episodes 1 to 7. Two episodes per disc plus extras on the fourth disc. Also there are some extras on the discs with the episodes, like introductions by the log-lady.

I am not going to tell you about the series. I AM going to tell you about the “special edition DVD” though. It comes in a cardboard box that you can unfold until you can place/take four discs and a small booklet. The artwork is beautiful. The box comes in a plastic slip with the picture of Laura Palmer and when you take the box out, you get the ‘wrapped in plastic’ look of her. 7 Times 45 minutes. Hell, I will have re-viewed them in a week and then I will have to wait for the second series which aren’t available yet… A Peaks-freaks must-buy!

The Tulse Luper Suitcases, part 1., the moab story * Peter Greenaway * 2003

I noticed that many of the older films of Greenaway are being released on DVD and I asumed that this was one of them. It seems -though- that the “Tulse Luper Suitcases” is a trilogy and quite recent too. However Greenaway is one of my favorite directors and this is again a typical Greenaway film, I didn’t like this film too much. The film contains the Greenaway picture-in-picture style, long scenes, taboos and nudity, but usually the man sets an atmosphere, mostly by use of repetative classical music, that I miss in this film. The ‘story’ (there never seems to be a real story in Greenaway’s films) is about a young man (Tulse Luper) who is frequently imprisoned. So often even that his life goes to play around it and he sees imprisonment as art. Luper structures his life in (I believe) 18 suitcases and 92 items that define life. A lot of stress is put on the Mormons and their philosophies. In a way, this film is a biography of Greenaway. Luper supposedly made films that were made by Greenaway ‘for real’. Anyway, a typical Greenaway film, therefor already interesting, but in comparison to the man’s other films, not the best.

Titus * Julie Taymor * 1999

I had never heard of this film before I saw it in the videostore. The back had a promising description. A bizare horror-comedy playing in Roman times with ritual murders. Some of this description is true!

“Titus” is a revision of an early play by William Shakespeare that deals with the Roman conquerer Titus. For this film Taymor has put the Romans in a more modern time. Classical costumes, but driving both horse-and- carriage and motor-cycles. The language seems to be in the original text from the play, old english. The story tells the time when the Romans just reconquered Rome from the Goths and they are in doubt who will be the new Emperor. Titus (Antony Hopkins) is a respected old legionaire who persuades the council to choose the rather effeminate Saturninus (Alan Cumming). After this, things are rapidly going downward for Titus. He looses appearance, his sons, one hand and his daughter is brutely mutilated by the two sons (Alarbus (Raz Degan) and Chiron played by Jonathan Rhys-Meyers who we know of “Ghormenghast”) of the queen of Goths (Jessica Lange) who married Saturninus. Titus appeared to go insane, but not so.

“Titus” isn’t really a horror, nor a thriller, but also not hilariously funny. Of course the setting, stages, stories, etc. are quite humerous and this mostly resulted in a pretty bizare film. It is almost three hours long, but this could have easily been one less in my opinion. Overall I found it unexpectedly strange and quite amusing to watch. Not your everyday movie indeed and also not really for the larger audience. Another weird Shakespeare play put to film, holding the middle between Baz Luhrman’s “Romeo + Juliet” (1996) and Peter Greenaway’s “Prospero’s Books” (1991).

Sånger Från Andra Våningen * Roy Andersson * 2000

songs from the second floor

I had read quite a few things about this film, but it took some effort to see it in our local ‘filmhouse’. Some people compare this film with Monty Python’s Flying Circus, others just find it hilarious. As for myself, well, it is definately a strange film with a strange kind of humour, but Monty Python? nah. By far not as hilarious and dumb and also Andersson doesn’t have the quality level (or not as much my sense of humour).

“Sånger” consists of different strange scenes which either or not have something to do with eachother. Often the only link between two scenes is that the same persons are in it. Overall there is some kind of a story in the film which is actually rather depressing. Indeed there is a lot of humour in a really vague and absurd style which sometimes does bring memories of Monty Python, but all through the film there is not that much to laugh I think. Several scenes are massive with a lot of people and enormously strange and I wonder what some scenes have to do with the rest.

So, if you like absurd humour and you can stand the extremely slow Scandinavian way of filming, try and see “Sånger Från Andra Våningen”. <3>

Salmer Fra Kjøkkenet * Bent Hamer * 2003

kitchen stories

Here we have an absurd Scandinavian film that -as far as I know- has nothing to do with any Dogma95 or similar currents. The story is completely weird. A Swedish kitchen-manufacturer investigates the kitchen-habbits of Swedish housewives, but the story starts when the investigation goes towards single Norwegian men. Observers live in their special mobile homes next to the house of their “subjects”. In the “subjects” kitchen, a high chair is placed to make the observations. The story is set in the 50’ies Scandinavian post-war situation when there were differences and rivalrly between the Scandinavian countries, especially Norway and Sweden. The film begins wonderfully with a great voice-over and strange jazzy music and an outside of the findings of the observations of Swedish housewives, great cars, caravans and interiors. From the moment that “observer” Folke Nilssen arrives in the house of “subject” Isak Bjørvik, the films becomes awfully slow, but with a subtle humour, funny situations and strange dialogues. Pitty enough after the strong start, the film slowly grows towards and rather mediocre and overdramatic ending. Totally original, nonetheless, but definitely not brilliant. <20/3/06><2>

Riget (The Kingdom) * Lars von Trier * 1994

A while ago I bought Kingdom II very cheap on video (see review elsewhere) and the search started for Kingdom I on video. It WILL be repressed some time, but it is currently sold out. After several months waiting I decided not to wait for the double-video (in one box) but buy the rather expensive English dvd-version. A BIG DISAPPOINTMENT for lovers of these brilliant series by Lars von Trier! You get two dvd’s. The first has episodes 1 and 2 and the second 3 to 5. The first dvd also has some documentary which doesn’t add much. Of course the series are brilliant and there is nothing wrong with the quality, but the makers of the dvd made a few horrible mistakes! When putting dvd1 in your player you get some kind of intro, nice but not necessary. Then a menu in which you can choose to play “episode one and two”, “episode one”, “episode two”, “episode three to five” or the documentary. Of course I wasn’t planning on chosing the first option, because then I would miss the stories of the director that come after every episode. To my major disapproval the episodes start immediately. Not the intro with the chloride-swamp and the story of the building of the hospital and no silly song! At the end you jump back to the menu in the last second of the episode, so no story by Lars and even no credits! What on earth have the producers of this dvd been thinking? What is the use of being able to watch the episodes joint together? You are not able to chose subtitles or even watch without them. Why the hell did they leave out the intro and the end? WHAT A SHAME!!

To the series then. Of course this is one of the best tv-series ever. A soap-series about a hospital in the vein of ER, but with a sick twist. Strange ghost-stories, insane characters and unexpected twists. I am not going to say more, you will have to watch it and love it (but preferable another version!). <4 for the series>

Prospero’s Books * Peter Greenaway * 1991

For a long time I thought that my all-time favorite film was not available on DVD, while all other Greenaway films are being released on DVD. While discussing something completely different, I noticed that the local library has “Kalverliefde” DVD sets which have winners of the Filmfestival Rotterdam since the beginning. One box contains short films, another five long films on three DVDs with… the 1991 winner “Propero’s Books”!! For those of you who don’t know the film, it is an impressive load of images, music, speech, symbolism and information. The film is based on “The Tempest” by Shakespeare, but only the text of the wizard Prospero seems to be from this play. For the rest this is Greenaway’s most bombastic film with long shots, picture in picture, elements going right through eachother, naked ballet-dancers, odd characters, weird colours and strange stages. Overwhelming, strange and hard to follow, but I totally adore this magnificent ‘art film’ which is unlike anything you ever saw. The “Kalverliefde” boxes are expensive, but I hope a DVD with only this film will be released some time too. For the time being, I am happy with the library copy.

π [Pi] * Darren Aronofsky * 1998

I have seen this film when it still played in the cinemas a couple of years ago. Since it is one of my favourite films and after quite some searching I finally have it on video, I thought it would be a good idea to review it afterall.

“Pi” is about a young man called Maximilian Cohen (Sean Gullette) who has had severe headache attacks since he looked into the sun too long at the age of 6. Whether or not this also played part in him turning out to be a mathematic genius, is an unanswered question. As he calls it himself, Max is a “number theorist” and he was taught by his teacher Sol Robeson (Mark Margolis). Sol had a stroke after working too hard on finding a pattern in the digits of Pi and turned out in a cynical philosopher who Max still turns to once in a while.

Max lives by three assumptions which are restated a few times in the film:
1- Mathematics is the language of nature;
2- Everything around us can be represented and understood through numbers;
3- If you graph the numbers of any system, patterns emerge.
Therefor there are numbers anywhere in nature.

Doesn’t this remind you of Pythagoras? Well, this greek “mathematician and cult-leader” is shortly mentioned.

Max sees evidence for his assumptions in the “cyclic disease epidemics”, “the wax and way of the karibu populations”, “sunspot cycles”, “the rise and fall of the nile”.

This lead Max to believe to be a pattern in the stockmarket, the finding of which is his goal. Therefor he built a gigantic computer in his appartment (which he called “Euclide”). His efforts draw the attention of two kinds of people. First people interested in this very pattern in the stockmarket. Second, a group of Kabbalists (Jewish mystics) searching for the secret name of God.

Sol speaks about a 216 digit number that his computer spat out when it crashed. Lenny Meyers (the Jew that tries to interest Max) says they are looking for a 216 digit number as the pattern in the Torah. Being written in Hebrew, the Torah is both text and numbers, since in Hebrew every letter is also a number.

Max decides to help the Jews, finds the digits again (he had them when his own computer crashed), but doesn’t want to give it away to either of the selfish groups asking for his help.

The film is shot in black and white and with magnificent progressive camera-work. The soundtrack has great drum and bass sounds by quite well-known artists (Aphex Twin for example). There are wonderful vague scenes in which Max has visions during his attacks and with only a handful of actors or places where the shooting took place, Aronofsky made a brilliant debut. Definitely a

Naked Lunch * David Cronenberg (1991)

About a year ago I was visiting friends in Canada. In the nights we watched a few Kenneth Anger films and this one (among others). Me and my girlfriend were still suffering from a serious jetlag even though we had been in America for a week, so consequentally we fell asleep during every film even if we found it enjoyable. “Naked Lunch” we watched in two parts, one at night and one in the morning. Now a year later we got a our own copy in order to watch it without jetlag.
I am not too fond of David Cronenberg, but I really need to get his other masterpiece “Videodrome” on DVD some time too. Like that film, “Naked Lunch” has the weirdest atmosphere. Peter Wellers marvelously plays Bill Lee, a bug exterminator who gets addicted to the usuage of the powder as drugs. Then Lee pops in and out of a strange world with the weirdest hallucinations. With his poker-face and too low voice, Wellers tells what he experiences when running into taling typewriters and intergalactic secret agents. The film shows the imaginary world of Bill Lee, sometimes mingled with ‘the real world’. Strange creatures, superb dialogues and the oddest atmosphere makes this film a must-see for anyone who likes strange films with curious atmospheres. -14/11/05-

Naboer * Pål Sletaune * 2005

next door

“Naboer” (“neighbour”, but the English title is “Next Door”) is a strange Norwegian horror in which a young man gets manic over the leaving of his girlfriend. Or did she leave because of his mania? Naboer is a claustrophic and slightly Videodrome-like sex-and-violence film with here and there a Japanese atmosphere. The result is not groundbreaking, but alright with some good scenes and a nice atmosphere. -20/12/06-