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Reviews
Author: The JT LeRoy Story (2016)
Distracting
The subject of the film was very interesting but I became increasingly annoyed by the directors showing off. "I felt I was underwater' cut to footage shot underwater. 'I felt I was in a movie', cut to footage imitating a b movie, the director felt the need to underline everything as if the viewer could not imagine for themselves. Words were repeatedly scrawled over the image accompanied by an effect, OK for a while but it repeatedly became a stylistic tic. Tiresome. A shame because the subject was fascinating, It would have been better if the animations were in ironic counterpoint not simply illustrative. There were also many, many shots of telephones.
Onibaba (1964)
A scary masterpiece
One seen this film is never forgotten. It is a tale told with steadily rising tension, set in a landscape of swaying weeds and sighing wind. It is simple and surprising, slowing taking its time to draw you in. None of the characters are particularly sympathetic but you still find yourself being gripped and wanting to know what happens next to them. It has a superb use of black and white photography, a feeling for the texture of skin and the heat of the sun on bare flesh. With little nudity it manages also to be one of the most erotic films ever made. It scares, by very simple but powerful means. There are demons in this film but they lie within the souls of the protagonists. The music is sparse and barbaric and only comes in at the right moment.The soundtrack is made of rustling leaves, the sound of water. Stunning. Anyone who likes horror should check it out.