dj_hottie-910-458400 Reviews

A Clockwork Orange (1971)

Rape, Ultraviolence and Beethoven- THE ULTIMATE SATIRE

[10/10 · 6 June 2011]

What can I say about A Clockwork Orange that hasn't already been said? How can I convey the magnitude of its brilliance in words? I'll try, best as I can to paint a clear picture of this masterpiece. And what can I say about Stanley Kubrick- the man was god! I've seen all of his films, but this one is my very favourite. This is his magnum opus.

It starts off with dear Alex and his droogs sitting in the Korova milk bar sipping away and preparing themselves for what they call 'the old ultraviolence,' which we'll soon see is rape and a severe beating to a particular old writer. From then on, from these events there unfolds a tapestry of chaos, weirdness and disaster. But Malcolm McDowell is just a delight. While all of this horror and oddity occurred, I never found myself blaming him. He makes Alex seem so charismatic that it's amazing.

What the hell is ACO about? A guy called Alex living in the distant future, a bizarre colorful kaleidescope of stylized clothing and living spaces and odd people in a Kafkaesque (yep, i just had to use that word) nightmare. He commits a nasty, insane (and somewhat funny) crime and does time for it. And he bumps into a few of his old...acquaintances later on, and the law attempts to cure his delinquency...in a rather disturbing way.

The cherry on top is the excellent soundtrack. The weird Moog synthesizer just adds to the strange atmosphere. And the way Kubrick artfully uses classical music, like Beethoven's 9th and Rossini's Barber of Seville overture and Thieving Magpie and William Tell Overture is simply a marvel. It's a pleasure to listen to such lovely music while watching such vivid imagery.

Anyways, that can't even begin to describe the film but all you can do is see it for yourself. I watched this as a wide eyed 14 year old and I was just bewildered by the whole damn thing, but I loved it. What's not to love? Call me crazy, but I've always though that the 'violence' in this film was over-hyped. People tend to make a mountain out of a molehill. ACO was not meant to be a goddamn tragedy, it's a biting satire that's darkly humorous and prodigal in it's predictions. It's pretty funny, when it all comes down to it, the irony, the black humor, the sharp wit of Anthony Burgess and Stanley Kubrick, the inane charm of Malcolm McDowell, the ridiculousness of it all.

And then there's people who complain that ACO promotes violence and perversion. Reallyy?? Is that so? I guess those people were jerking off for the whole time and not even paying attention. If that's what you got out of it, then you must be brain dead. The ending is unrepentant though, that's why I love it. As Alex grins and says "I was cured, alright" you realize the 'method' in which society 'cured' him.

All in all, for the open minded (the religious zealots oughta stay away) art lovers, A Clockwork Orange is a treat. Not only is it my favourite film, but one of the greatest films ever made. Come and get one in the yarbles...that is, if ya got any yarbles!

Caligula (1979)

a film that rips the guts out of humanity

[10/10 · 25 March 2011]

Caligula, without a doubt, is one of the most filthiest, most disgusting, vile films I have ever watched. No duh. That's the collective opinion of many people who've seen it. "It's disgusting! It's sooo nasty! Yuck!" But it's much more than filth and sleaze. It's a masterpiece.

It's a masterpiece of gore and sex and history, rolled into one weird package. Though not historically accurate in all respects, it is pretty literal when it comes to bringing the horrors of Caligula to life on screen. Those who aren't familiar with the emperor Caligula, or any of the Julio-Claudian emperors for that matter, won't notice much but the Roman history buffs will be annoyed that this film focuses less on the story of Caligula's life, and more on his perverse and strange acts of tyranny and sex.

There is castration, fellatio, decapitation, fisting, anal, oral, the list goes on and on. He makes his horse consul, screws his sister, leads the armies on useless expeditions, violently massacres people, rapes a bride and groom, turns his palace into a brothel and does many other stupid things. But hey, Guccione and Brass never intended to flatter Caligula.

The film starts off with a biblical passage,

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul. - Mark 8:36

How very scary. The beginning is ominous, a pulsing rhythm pounding in the background, a sort of odd Pagan music. Then we see Caligula frolicking (to say the least) in the woods with his sister, Julia Drusilla. From there on starts a bizarre two and a half hour odyssey of absurdity.

You might ask, what the hell is good, much less great, about this movie? There are many reasons why I consider Caligula brilliant.

The acting, for one. Malcolm McDowell was born to play the role of the mad emperor. He portrays Caligula as a cheeky bastard, a real son of a bitch who's a pervert and a madman. Malcolm gives the performance of a lifetime, outshadowing even his roles as Alex DeLarge in A Clockwork Orange and Mick Travis in If...Quite simply one of the best performances I've ever seen. Malcolm becomes Caligula, he descends deeply into the character and becomes insane himself.

Peter O Toole is amazing as the sick and volatile Tiberius. You can see him laughing during the elevator scene, laughing at the stupid absurd role he was playing and how his career was going down the drain, laughing at himself because he was surrounded by a bunch of naked Italian B-movie actors and Penthouse pets. Even he couldn't take the whole damn thing seriously.

John Gielgud as the suicidal Nerva and Helen Mirren as the faithful but skanky Caesonia were a nice addition.

The music, is another thing. Aram Ilyich Khachaturian's Spartacus is haunting and beautiful. Prokofiev's Dance of The Knights (AKA Montagues and Capulets) is simply stunning. It's played during the beginning credits and it sets the tone for the entire movie. Intense and atmospheric and powerful.

The dialogue is also great. During the credits we hear Caligula say "I have existed from the morning of the world, and shall exist until the last star falls from the heavens. Although I have taken the name of Gaius Caligula, I am all men as I am no man, and so, I am a god." Gore Vidal at his best. Some people say the script is cheezy or stupid, but I think it's great.

Caligula is Roman decadence, personified. The horror and indulgence of the Romans is portrayed wonderfully in this film. It's the best representation of Rome, along with the miniseries I Claudius and Fellini's masterpiece Satyricon. The nudity and violence are excessive, but most Romans were indulgent and depraved by this time period. Gone were the days of art and poetry, the days of bloodshed and the abuse of power had begun. Besides, you can't exactly make a PG Disney movie on the life of Caligula.

This movie also made me obsessed with Roman history, especially Caligula himself. Rarely has a film gripped me so powerfully.

Although I do think Caligula is an outstanding film, it obviously could've been better. Tinto Brass had something, he was making something different, maybe not Citizen Kane, but still, he'd got something special. Then Bob the perv Guccione came along and was angry that his money was being wasted, so he and his buddy edited Caligula and tore it apart and replaced key moments with porno scenes. Oh, what could've been!

Well too bad. This is the result of serious miscommunication between producer and director. People think that Caligula lacks artists merit because they assume that it's a porno because it was produced by Penthouse. If Salo is a masterpiece, why can't Caligula be a masterpiece? Why the hell not? Just because Salo was directed by Pier Paolo Pasolini. If Bob Guccione had decided to make a movie version of Salo, it'd be panned, but if Pasolini made Caligula, it'd be praised to the skies. I give Caligula a 10, just for the pure shock value of it. What a brave and bold film. You'll never see a movie like this again, ever. People compromise nowadays, censorship prevails. Who would have the guts to make such filthy mainstream movie? No one.

In conclusion, Caligula is a powerful, amazing film that is horrific and magnificent at the same time. Throughout the whole time I watched it, I was filled with dread, terrified at what would happen next. At times it was hard to swallow (get the pun?). The rating of 4.9 is ridiculous. Some people couldn't handle the nastiness, apparently. Watch it....if you have the guts to. They'll probably be torn out by the end.