It's almost impossible to criticise this film in any conventional manner, Because most of the criticisms that you could level at it are the things it sets out to achieve.
If this were any other film you might complain that it's just as many offensive things as possible strung together; But that is entirely the point of the movie, in fact it was billed as "An exercise in poor taste". Even the terrible overacting seems to be a directorial choice, tailored to the scrip's constant use of hyperbole.
Unfortunately, just because something is deliberate, doesn't make it good, especially as the movie also, quite unintentionally, commits the cardinal sin, the one thing that really is unforgivable in a movie; for much if its runtime, it's dull.
Repulse me, shock me, make me hate you for killing a chicken just to make a movie, but by all that's unholy, please, do not bore me!
The plot, such as it is, is that (drag star) Devine has been named "filthiest person alive" and, due to the attention this brings, gone into hiding with her son, Crackers, her mentally ill egg-obsessed mother, Edith, and her traveling companion, Cotton.
Meanwhile Connie and Raymond Marbles, a couple who kidnap women, impregnate them, sell the babies to lesbian couples, and then loan the money to drugs pushers who operate in elementary schools (!) feel that they are more worthy of the "filthiest people alive" moniker, and set out to destroy Divine.
But really none of that is relevant, it's all an excuse for scenes such as toe sucking, a rape scene involving Crackers, his date and a chicken (the chicken ends up dead, but thankfully still a virgin), a "singing" asshole (a guy who can dilate his anal sphincter at will 'miming'), cannibalism , and the most un-erotic act of felacio you've ever seen; an obese man, playing a woman, sucking the flaccid cock of a man playing her son, punctuated with dialogue like "I want to give you a gift only a living mother can give" and "I want to receive it as a loving son should".
The highlight of the movie, is Edith Massy, Playing Devine's mentally changed, Egg obsessed, playpen dwelling, mother. At times she is so convincing that it gets uncomfortable to watch... If feels like they must be exploiting a genuinely disabled woman*
Finally, when the movie proper is over, there's one final thing; a non-sequitur that's one of the most famous scenes in cult / endurance cinema. I'm almost loathed to say what it is, but at the end if the day, I you're the type of person who's going to seek out an imported copy of a 70's gross-out film you probably already know about it.
Devine eats dig shit.
For real.
In one continuous shot, a little dog takes a dump, and Devine picks it up, pops it in her mouth and eats it; pausing only to flash the camera cinemas most literal shit-eating grin.
For my money though, even though it was fake, the shit eating in Saló is still worse, if only through frequency and volume. (Case in point; I described the Devine scene just with relative ease, but as soon as I began to recall Saló I say here dry-heaving at my keyboard).
I can see that, given the right crowd, the boring moments can probably be he heckled over and forgiven; indeed this movie did find some success on the midnight movies circuit; but at home, alone or with only a small group, it's a really bad movie.
I can't say 'avoid' because there's a lot if stuff that's worth seeing, if only because it's so unique, but unless a local cinema does a midnight revival screening, I can't come close to recommending it either.
I've said it many times, but I definitely like John Waters a LOT more than I like John Waters' movies; midnight screenings aside, give this a miss and track down the movie of his one man show "This Filthy World" instead - his Pink Flamingo anecdotes are wayyy more entertaining than the movie itself.
*I feel I should point out that, while certainly eccentric, Massey is not genuinely challenged in real life.
Showing posts with label Coprophagia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Coprophagia. Show all posts
Saturday, 9 March 2013
Pink Flamingos - Lisa's Review
*** SPOILERS ***
So to review the oddest, strangest movie I have ever watched. As I write, I'm not even sure how I'm going to proceed or do this, but here we go....
We follow our star Divine who has been named 'The filthiest person alive'. This seems to be a title much sought after and one Divine is very proud of. She is living under the name Babs Johnson in a trailer-park with her very odd and over sexed son Crackers, a friend Cotton and wierdest of all, her mother, who seems to be mentally ill and spends all her time partially dressed in a playpen in the living room. All she seems to do in the movie is talk about eggs, how much she loves eggs, how she wants to eat eggs.... you get the drift.
For reasons best known to themselves, a married couple Raymond and Connie Marble wish to be the filthiest people alive so they seek to find out where Divine is living to destroy her. This couple run an adoption agency with a difference. They kidnap and keep hostage young women and their gay servant Channing (yes I said gay) is forced to rape them to impregnate them. The resulting babies are then given to lesbian couples. As you can imagine this gives for some rather questionable scenes. In one scene Channing, so disgusted with having to sleep with these women, masturbates in front of one woman before sucking up the produced semen in a syringe and artifically inseminating an unconscious woman. This is much more preferable to him than having to have sex with them.
I don't see the point of going into the full storyline of the movie as it is very warped, very odd and won't convince or unconvince you to watch this movie. What I will say is that it appeared to me to be nothing more than an attempt to put what would have been considered the most shocking and repugnant things possible on screen for the era it was made (70's).
We see Divine being sent feces in a box, a chicken being crushed in a sexual encounter between Cracker and a young woman sent as a spy by The Marbles (incidentally this is completely real and the animal was subsequently eaten by the crew as its neck was broken in the scene), an extended and very close-up shot of a man whose sphincter can lip-sync, Divine going down on her son Cracker (it seems the actor had a bit of difficulty rising to the occasion by the looks of things too) but probably most famous of all, as the movie ends, Divine is shown to walk over to a dog who is defecating. She picks up the warm feces and proceeds to eat it and then smile to the camera. Lovely!
If you're the type of person who would enjoy this movie, reading the above will make you want to watch it with no more information from me. If however you have no interest in watching this movie, I doubt any further plunging into the storyline is going to change much.
What did I think? Well Asides from the chicken part which I absolutely hated, I don't really see what all the fuss is about. The sphincter bit is definately a new one on me and amusing, but the rest of the movie just seemed to be trying too hard to shock while showing things that were... well, just not that shocking.
I wouldn't go so far as to say avoid as its probably one of those you have to see just to check it off the list, if only for the singing bum, but its definately not one I would watch again or recommend.
So to review the oddest, strangest movie I have ever watched. As I write, I'm not even sure how I'm going to proceed or do this, but here we go....
We follow our star Divine who has been named 'The filthiest person alive'. This seems to be a title much sought after and one Divine is very proud of. She is living under the name Babs Johnson in a trailer-park with her very odd and over sexed son Crackers, a friend Cotton and wierdest of all, her mother, who seems to be mentally ill and spends all her time partially dressed in a playpen in the living room. All she seems to do in the movie is talk about eggs, how much she loves eggs, how she wants to eat eggs.... you get the drift.
For reasons best known to themselves, a married couple Raymond and Connie Marble wish to be the filthiest people alive so they seek to find out where Divine is living to destroy her. This couple run an adoption agency with a difference. They kidnap and keep hostage young women and their gay servant Channing (yes I said gay) is forced to rape them to impregnate them. The resulting babies are then given to lesbian couples. As you can imagine this gives for some rather questionable scenes. In one scene Channing, so disgusted with having to sleep with these women, masturbates in front of one woman before sucking up the produced semen in a syringe and artifically inseminating an unconscious woman. This is much more preferable to him than having to have sex with them.
I don't see the point of going into the full storyline of the movie as it is very warped, very odd and won't convince or unconvince you to watch this movie. What I will say is that it appeared to me to be nothing more than an attempt to put what would have been considered the most shocking and repugnant things possible on screen for the era it was made (70's).
We see Divine being sent feces in a box, a chicken being crushed in a sexual encounter between Cracker and a young woman sent as a spy by The Marbles (incidentally this is completely real and the animal was subsequently eaten by the crew as its neck was broken in the scene), an extended and very close-up shot of a man whose sphincter can lip-sync, Divine going down on her son Cracker (it seems the actor had a bit of difficulty rising to the occasion by the looks of things too) but probably most famous of all, as the movie ends, Divine is shown to walk over to a dog who is defecating. She picks up the warm feces and proceeds to eat it and then smile to the camera. Lovely!
If you're the type of person who would enjoy this movie, reading the above will make you want to watch it with no more information from me. If however you have no interest in watching this movie, I doubt any further plunging into the storyline is going to change much.
What did I think? Well Asides from the chicken part which I absolutely hated, I don't really see what all the fuss is about. The sphincter bit is definately a new one on me and amusing, but the rest of the movie just seemed to be trying too hard to shock while showing things that were... well, just not that shocking.
I wouldn't go so far as to say avoid as its probably one of those you have to see just to check it off the list, if only for the singing bum, but its definately not one I would watch again or recommend.
Saturday, 2 February 2013
Salo - Will's Review
Wow.
That was without question the most depraved thing I have ever seen; and I include "A Serbian Film" in that.
There was a point in this movie, during the films 3rd segment (it has 4, each given an on screen caption) that inspired from me I think the biggest reaction I have ever had to a piece of fiction, and I'll get to that in good time; I wasn't very far into the 2nd segment before I was wondering how this film is even legal.
Now, don't get me wrong; I absolutely think it should be legal; I strongly believe that ANY faked activity should be allowed, no matter how offensive I may personally find it, but it is a sad fact that English law does not agree, and we still have an Obscene Publications Act which can be applied to fiction.
In fact once again, as with Week 83's Antichrist, the prejudices against horror and towards "Art Film" shines through. How this can be passed uncut, while similar scenes were trimmed from week 63's Human Centipede 2, I cannot comprehend.
****SPOILERS****
As I say, the film is split into 4 sections; in the first "Anteinferno", 4 men (referred to only as duke, magistrate, bishop and president) agree to marry each others daughters, in order to bind their group together. The daughters are never seen or heard about again. Then the 4 men, along with some soldiers who work for them, abduct 18 young people (9 of each sex). They are then taken to a mansion where the daily routine is explained.
Each day, The 4 men, the soldiers, the prisoners and 4 prostitutes are to gather in the "Orgy Room", Where the prostitutes are to tell depraved tales to 'inspire' the men. The prisoners are then to act out anything that comes to the men's minds. Any disobedience will be punished, and any religious act is punishable by death.
The 2nd part of the film, "The Circle of Manias", is arguable the most depraved (although not the most stomach churning) segment. The prostitutes' stories in this section seem to center mostly around being covered in seamen. The lords' reenactments (thankfully?) do not follow this pattern; however the way the captives are treated is vile. As well as the rape which is already pretty much a given, they are humiliated and treated as subhuman constantly - not only by the lords and prostitutes, but also by the soldiers. At one point for instance the girls serve a meal to everyone else; they are naked (all of the captives are naked throughout most of the movie), one of the soldiers spits in one of the girls, which causes riotous laughter, she is then raped anally (until the president decides that it's his turn to be sodomized by the offending soldier). later all of the slaves are put on leads and made to act like dogs (during this, one is fed some food into witch a pin has been inserted, with bloody and cringe inducing results).
I can't actually put into words just how offensive the degradation in this segment is... y'all know I'm not easily shocked, but this is truly harrowing. At one point, a girl invokes the name of god, hoping to be killed as per the rules, and is devastated only to have her name added to a book. Throughout the movie, any who resist or break the rules are added to this book.
When the on-screen caption for the next segment is displayed, the viewer instantly knows that they are in trouble, because the 3rd section is called "The Circle of Shit"
The prostitutes stories refer to shit eating, and it isn't long before one of the lords takes a dump on the floor and hands a slave a spoon... suffice to say i threw up in my mouth a little.
The president orders a 'wedding' between 2 of the slaves, the girl is left naked and the boy dressed as a girl. The wedding feast is the most nauseating thing I have ever watched. Huge piles of shit are brought out and served to everyone. The Lords (and even some of the soldiers) eat the excrement with gusto - so much gusto that it fails to be repelling... it simply looks like what it more than likely is... people eating chocolate mousse. The acting on the part of the 'bride' as he is force fed however, really does sell the stuff as shit. I did actually throw up at this point (a movie watching first for me!).
You know you are in a bad place when the final segment of a movie is called "The Circle of Blood", and you are relieved.
The slaves are interrogated, and one by one turn on each other, revealing rule braking, their names added to the book.
Finally, 3 of the men watch from windows with binoculars, while the Bishop, along with the soldiers, finally kill everyone who made it into the punishment book, by way of branding, hanging, scalping, eye gouging, castration etc.
Overall, it is, as I think I have made clear, the most repugnant movie I have ever seen. I'm glad that it's legally available; I see no reason for any sane person to want to watch (much less enjoy) this movie, but everything in it is faked and consensual, and there is no reason for any "free" society to ban it. "poor taste" is subjective, after all.
That said, as I mentioned in my opening, I get the distinct impression that the only reason it is legally available is that it is somehow supposed top be "artistic", and "well made" (apparently it has something important to say about fascism too). To this, I say "bollocks", "art" is every bit as subjective as "poor taste", and therefore neither is a reason to ban, or allow, anything.
Besides which, the only thing I classed as particularly arty here was the Danté reference in the segment titles.
The political message in non existent - if not for the fact it was set in wartime Italy there would be no reason to even consider fascism As far as "well made" goes? the very 70's costumes in the wedding scene, along with the oddly grey fake flesh during the torture scenes beg to differ.
Add to all of this that the movie has no real "end" to speak of, and I'd encourage you to stay away. This is one of those that we watched... so you don't have to!
That was without question the most depraved thing I have ever seen; and I include "A Serbian Film" in that.
There was a point in this movie, during the films 3rd segment (it has 4, each given an on screen caption) that inspired from me I think the biggest reaction I have ever had to a piece of fiction, and I'll get to that in good time; I wasn't very far into the 2nd segment before I was wondering how this film is even legal.
Now, don't get me wrong; I absolutely think it should be legal; I strongly believe that ANY faked activity should be allowed, no matter how offensive I may personally find it, but it is a sad fact that English law does not agree, and we still have an Obscene Publications Act which can be applied to fiction.
In fact once again, as with Week 83's Antichrist, the prejudices against horror and towards "Art Film" shines through. How this can be passed uncut, while similar scenes were trimmed from week 63's Human Centipede 2, I cannot comprehend.
****SPOILERS****
As I say, the film is split into 4 sections; in the first "Anteinferno", 4 men (referred to only as duke, magistrate, bishop and president) agree to marry each others daughters, in order to bind their group together. The daughters are never seen or heard about again. Then the 4 men, along with some soldiers who work for them, abduct 18 young people (9 of each sex). They are then taken to a mansion where the daily routine is explained.
Each day, The 4 men, the soldiers, the prisoners and 4 prostitutes are to gather in the "Orgy Room", Where the prostitutes are to tell depraved tales to 'inspire' the men. The prisoners are then to act out anything that comes to the men's minds. Any disobedience will be punished, and any religious act is punishable by death.
The 2nd part of the film, "The Circle of Manias", is arguable the most depraved (although not the most stomach churning) segment. The prostitutes' stories in this section seem to center mostly around being covered in seamen. The lords' reenactments (thankfully?) do not follow this pattern; however the way the captives are treated is vile. As well as the rape which is already pretty much a given, they are humiliated and treated as subhuman constantly - not only by the lords and prostitutes, but also by the soldiers. At one point for instance the girls serve a meal to everyone else; they are naked (all of the captives are naked throughout most of the movie), one of the soldiers spits in one of the girls, which causes riotous laughter, she is then raped anally (until the president decides that it's his turn to be sodomized by the offending soldier). later all of the slaves are put on leads and made to act like dogs (during this, one is fed some food into witch a pin has been inserted, with bloody and cringe inducing results).
I can't actually put into words just how offensive the degradation in this segment is... y'all know I'm not easily shocked, but this is truly harrowing. At one point, a girl invokes the name of god, hoping to be killed as per the rules, and is devastated only to have her name added to a book. Throughout the movie, any who resist or break the rules are added to this book.
When the on-screen caption for the next segment is displayed, the viewer instantly knows that they are in trouble, because the 3rd section is called "The Circle of Shit"
The prostitutes stories refer to shit eating, and it isn't long before one of the lords takes a dump on the floor and hands a slave a spoon... suffice to say i threw up in my mouth a little.
The president orders a 'wedding' between 2 of the slaves, the girl is left naked and the boy dressed as a girl. The wedding feast is the most nauseating thing I have ever watched. Huge piles of shit are brought out and served to everyone. The Lords (and even some of the soldiers) eat the excrement with gusto - so much gusto that it fails to be repelling... it simply looks like what it more than likely is... people eating chocolate mousse. The acting on the part of the 'bride' as he is force fed however, really does sell the stuff as shit. I did actually throw up at this point (a movie watching first for me!).
You know you are in a bad place when the final segment of a movie is called "The Circle of Blood", and you are relieved.
The slaves are interrogated, and one by one turn on each other, revealing rule braking, their names added to the book.
Finally, 3 of the men watch from windows with binoculars, while the Bishop, along with the soldiers, finally kill everyone who made it into the punishment book, by way of branding, hanging, scalping, eye gouging, castration etc.
Overall, it is, as I think I have made clear, the most repugnant movie I have ever seen. I'm glad that it's legally available; I see no reason for any sane person to want to watch (much less enjoy) this movie, but everything in it is faked and consensual, and there is no reason for any "free" society to ban it. "poor taste" is subjective, after all.
That said, as I mentioned in my opening, I get the distinct impression that the only reason it is legally available is that it is somehow supposed top be "artistic", and "well made" (apparently it has something important to say about fascism too). To this, I say "bollocks", "art" is every bit as subjective as "poor taste", and therefore neither is a reason to ban, or allow, anything.
Besides which, the only thing I classed as particularly arty here was the Danté reference in the segment titles.
The political message in non existent - if not for the fact it was set in wartime Italy there would be no reason to even consider fascism As far as "well made" goes? the very 70's costumes in the wedding scene, along with the oddly grey fake flesh during the torture scenes beg to differ.
Add to all of this that the movie has no real "end" to speak of, and I'd encourage you to stay away. This is one of those that we watched... so you don't have to!
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