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We did it, film is finally going full circle. If Vine and TikTok were meant to be Gen Y-Z’s answer to George Méliès’ “Cinema of Attractions” then Hundreds of Beavers is indie cinema’s attempt at The General and The Gold Rush. It’s a smidge overstuffed, but holy shit, the gags are divine. Imagine if Guy Maddin took a lot of coke and made a live action Roadrunner cartoon with the Jackass crew in furry costumes. That’s how them beavers roll. And so was I… on the floor laughing.
At a loss for words
~Dec. 21 Edit~
To paraphrase Ian McKellen on Stage, if you have a chance to see an artist that you love on the big screen or stage, "go! Because one day it'll be too late." This is a philosophy I want to take to heart in the new year.
I don't how many years that Hayao Miyazaki or Martin Scorsese have left. They might not make another movie again or they might out-live cinemas themselves.…
“I've seen how people have allowed their humanity to drain away. Only it happened slowly instead of all at once. They didn't seem to mind...”
Spine-chilling stuff, even more so now than in the 50s.
The movie really had me for a second. After about an hour I forgot this was a meant to be a surreal kabuki fantasy, but the fish people show and my brain just melted.
Not as exciting or scary as Kwaidan or Hausu but this is a wonderfully grim fairy in its own right.
Fearless is an overused and misused word in criticism, a cheap label for films and filmmakers that are simply transgressive and occasionally stylish. Like, is it really fearless of Tarantino to make another postmodern, ultra-violent genre flick? No. Fun, but no.
The word should be reserved for filmmakers like Nanfu Wang, who puts a political target on her head, and lays bare an entire history of family tragedy, which results in one of the most heartbreaking, personal, and vital pieces of cinematic journalism of the year.
This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.
"Is there any perversity in this?"
This is a painful one to rate.
Billie Holiday one of the most fascinating and tragic icons of American music, let alone jazz. As the film portrays, she is a singer who was trapped in a cycle of exploitation and abuse that fueled her ability as a performer, leading to a tragically early death. If nothing else the filmmakers provide a gripping narrative; yet in an attempt to shake the music doc formula up, it…
