So what, are you like, alternative now? (I love, love, LOVED Barrymore’s WHIP IT)

Whip It just may be the best teen flick the world has ever seen. It is definitely in my top ten films for 2009.  I only wish it had been released while I was growing up in high school, yearning for some representation, looking far and wide for a voice that was more relatable than - for example - Jennifer Love Hewitt's character, Amanda, in Can't Hardly Wait. Barf.

     
Whip It was just released on DVD, and I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy because I (sadly) missed it on the big screen.   So here's what's up - think irreverent comedy, inspirational story, and 1970s drive-in movie mixed into one cinematic experience.  Ellen Page stars as Bliss Cavendar, a 17 year old girl trapped in the dull and boring suburban town of Bodean, Texas.  She works at the local burger Oink Joint.  Her mother is supportive and loving, and wants nothing more than for her daughter to win beauty pageants. Bliss has something else in mind that comes in the form of roller-skates, fishnet stockings, and blue hair. When she spots a flyer for a roller derby match in Austin, she hitches a ride with her best friend Pash (Alia Shawkat) and finds her true calling. She makes the team and becomes a new local star, as "Babe Ruthless."

    The screenplay was written by Shauna Cross, from her own 2007 novel "Derby Girl”.  The screenplay follows some conventions of typical Hollywood formatting, but Barrymore's direction blows most of it away, smashing annoying clichés, and spending extra quality time with the characters. Refreshingly, Bliss' mother comes across as a real person with a real past, rather than just another controlling mom in yet another teen movie, and the "best friend" character Pash actually has her own life and personality as well.

         Even the girl-loves-boy storyline is well done.  Bliss and her musician boyfriend, Oliver are seemingly in love, and happy as hell. Oliver goes away on tour, and while in his absence, Bliss sees a photo, taken on the road, of Oliver with another girl.  When she confronts him about this on his return, he insists nothing transpired - which allows Bliss to deliver the perfect line: “I don't wanna be this girl.  The one who stands here and listens to what didn't happen”.  She kisses him goodbye, and slaps him.  Thank you, Barrymore.

        Barrymore revels in the sweat and speed of the rink, as well as the ridiculous of the restaurant and the sophistication of the pageants. She also makes great use of pop music on the soundtrack - which is amazing.  The Ramones, The Raveonettes, Peaches, Gotye, and The Breeders.

        You should also know that Whip It is really - really funny.  It offers up genuine, feel good laughs, and genuine, feel good tears.  The reconciliation between Bliss and her family in the film is really important and emotionally moving.   Growing up, I was fortunate enough to have very supportive and accepting parents.  My mom dyed my hair blue for me.  It was really lovely to watch Bliss' parents eventually come to and support her choices and who she is, inside and out.  Not only should every teenage girl see this film, but her parents should as well.

          It was also really lovely to watch Bliss not take any shit from Oliver.  I think every girl goes through a musician phase, and sometimes they never receive any sound advice on what that means while growing up.  Your parents don't want you to date him, and your friends just think it's cool. You aren't sure what to believe because you think you love the guy. Bliss goes through it, and refuses to settle for anything less than what makes her perfectly happy.

      
    Perhaps my FAVOURITE aspect of the film was the female camaraderie without the bleached blonde hair, the pajama parties, designer clothing, and Britney Spears on the stereo while getting tipsy on wine coolers with jock boyfriends.
Now, I loved Clueless as much as any girl, but as I mentioned before, I really could have used a film like Whip It growing up.  Even at 25, Whip It made me feel good about my life, my choices, and the countless gummy bears I choose to eat instead of a salad with a side of apple slices while watching the film.

         Barrymore has a sharp eye for the rough-and-tumble grunginess of teenaged life and the roller derby, and a warmhearted appreciation of the girl power that fuels it.  Everyone should see this film.


Let's do two videos to cap this review off.  For the girls, Bikini Kill - Rebel Girl. And for the boys, Sea Wolf - You're A Wolf. 

xox

Lianne Spiderbaby

Film Noir : The Appeal of the Femme Fatale in Gilda & Gun Crazy (two amazing films).

The figure of the femme fatale is a representation of the darker side of life. The visual style associated with the femme fatale is immersed in shadows and silhouettes.  The femme fatale is manipulative, smart, powerful, and she demonstrates overt sexuality.  She knows what she wants and she will carry out her plan until her goal is achieved.  The femme fatale understands that while society has laid out specific gender roles for her, she can use her manipulative demeanor and her body to gain independence and wealth (Crowther, 115).  The iconography of the femme fatale is identifiable in film noir and although variations exist across different films, the dominant reading is almost always understood: long hair (blonde or brunette), perfect make up, jewelry elegant and expensive, and eroticized costume.   The femme fatale is usually a smoker, and the iconography of guns produces a symbol of unnatural phallic power (Place, 1998, 54).  The femme fatale is obsessed with herself and her own image.  In several noir films, the femme fatale will gaze at her own reflection in the mirror, even when she is carrying on a conversation with the male protagonist in the film.  This symbolizes her self-interest over devotion to a man.  Janey Place states that it could also signify the woman's self-duplicitous nature, “they are visually split, thus not to be trusted” (Place, 1998, 58).  There are certain filmic techniques, which are used when the femme fatale is shown on camera.  The techniques are used to reinforce the construction of the femme fatale and her dominance in the film.  The lighting, camera angles, and movement all work towards this goal.  In all camera shots were the femme fatale is shown she becomes the main focus of the viewer's eye regardless of whether or not she is centered in the frame. When the true nature of the femme fatale's character is still in doubt, her face will often be covered in shadows caused by back lighting.  The use of the close-up on the femme fatale allows the spectator to read facial expression that is not privy to the male protagonist in the film.  At first, the portrayal of women in film noir might seem to support the existing social order, building up in image of a strong woman, only to punish her in the end.  However, film noir also portrays these women as confined to certain social roles, thus their reckless behaviour in search of independence is simply a response to the restrictions placed upon them in society.  For contemporary female spectators, the construction of the femme fatale in film noir can be read as positive and progressive, thus rendering her as a feminist symbol and icon.

Gilda (Charles Vidor, 1946) stars the lovely Rita Hayworth.  The character of Gilda complicates the notion of the femme fatale, because Gilda is not actually bad, nor does she commit murder.  However, Gilda is punished and is thought of as bad by the spectators and the men in the film until the movie's conclusion.  The film is set in Buenos Aires, where American Johnny Farrell (Glenn Ford) is taken in by gambling casino owner Ballin Mundson. Johnny becomes Mundson's suave right-hand-man. Before long, Mundson returns from a trip with Gilda, his new wife.  However, Johnny and Gilda have already met, they used to be romantically involved. To make Johnny jealous and earn back his love, Gilda dates and flirts with other men in front of Johnny (and behind Ballin's back).  Ballin is forced to fake his death in order to get out of trouble due to his Nazi ties. Johnny remains loyal to Ballin and although he marries Gilda right after Ballin's “death”, it is only to keep her under control.  Johnny psychologically abuses and punishes Gilda in order to tame her strong persona.  In the conclusion of the film, Johnny gives in to Gilda and admits that he loves her.  Ballin reappears from the dead and attempts to kill Gilda and Johnny, but fails, getting him killed in the process.  Gilda and Johnny leave for America as a happy couple. In Gilda, Rita Hayworth's character is a different kind of femme fatale.  Gilda does not actually do anything wrong, but she makes Johnny believe that she is evil and manipulative. Thus, Johnny punishes her brutally.  However, it is interesting that Gilda chooses to use her sexuality to manipulate Johnny even though it is not really in her nature.  She makes situations look one way (sexual) in order to manipulate a reaction on Johnny's behalf.  She is not really a femme fatale, but she plays the part in order to accomplish her goal. The woman has to take on femme fatalish qualities to achieve her desires.  After Gilda's striptease on stage, Johnny's desire and anger peaks (he slaps her across the face), but he confesses his love to her afterward.  Only then can Gilda return to her true self of domestic woman (similar to the non-femme fatales of other films).  To get what you want in society as a woman in film noir, you have to play the part of femme fatale rather than wife and mother.  Gilda is also set up stylistically and narratively to be a film about Johnny (the use of voice over signifies this to the viewer).  However, because Rita Hayworth is so compelling in the character of Gilda, and every other character in the film is so obsessed with her (as is the camera), the film becomes all about her.  Therefore, the female spectator is more inclined to cheer for Gilda in the film, taking her side over Johnny's.

Peggy Cummins plays Annie Laurie Starr, the femme fatale in Gun Crazy (Joseph H. Lewis, 1949), and John Dall plays the poor male protagonist, Bart Tare.  Since his childhood, Bart has always taken a liking to guns.  After leaving army school (he was sent there as a boy when he tried to steal a gun), his friends take him to a carnival where he encounters a beautiful girl, Laurie Starr.  Laurie is a sharp-shooting performer who loves guns just as much as Bart does.  The two fall in love and get married, but Laurie soon tires of their financial situation and tells Bart that she wants more out of life. She wants to live like the rich and powerful.  Bart agrees to commit robberies with Laurie and although he was never one to use guns for killing, he is dragged into the murderous nature of his gorgeous wife.  Bart never commits murder himself, but due to the murders and burglaries Laurie commits, the two are forced to go on the run.  In the end, Bart is forced to shoot Laurie and then he too is shot and killed by the police. In Gun Crazy, Laurie Starr is portrayed as dangerous and worthy of destruction.  However, the film also shows that Laurie is confined by the roles traditionally set to her, and Laurie's destructive struggle for independence (from her carnival agent) is a response to those restrictions placed on her.  Laurie breaks free from the carnival/gun show life but she is not totally evil.  She falls in love with Bart even though she uses him to achieve money and power.  However, Laurie is only able to fall in love with Bart because he is totally passive to her.  Her strong and aggressive demeanor crushes and dominates his personality, and Bart allows her to make decisions for him.  In Laurie, Bart desires the phallic power she possess (which is shown in the representation of guns).  At a very young age, Bart is stripped of his masculinity and this is shown in a flashback at the beginning of the film.  The film begins with an account of Bart's deviance when a policeman catches him stealing a pistol.  Once out of boarding school, Bart tries to reclaim his masculinity and uses Laurie to do so.  Laurie wants to live the rich life and own materialistic things, and Bart needs to go along with this on his journey for phallic power.  He is only redeemed when he finally uses his gun to shoot and kill her in the end, thus his masculinity is returned.  He is unable to shoot his gun at anyone until this point in the movie, and even after he shoots Laurie, he is killed as well.  Bart needs Laurie, the phallic woman who serves to shape the course of Bart's future.  The woman with the gun represents a disturbance in the hands of the male: she is a woman who has usurped the male right.  Bart's attraction to Laurie seems motivated by his desire to find someone who can embody his lost masculinity and thus allow him to find his place in the world (Krutnik, 221).

Film noir is one of the few historical periods of film where women are active, intelligent, and powerful. Thus, it is not surprising that film noir is so popular with feminists and female spectators today.  It is not the destruction of the woman in film noir that viewers remember, but rather their strong, dangerous and, above all, exciting sexuality Although the femme fatale may be destroyed in several film noir narratives, the character of the femme fatale is alive and remains important today.  For female spectators in the present day, the femme fatale of the forties and fifties is a positive representation, a symbol, and an icon.

xox

Lianne Spiderbaby

Movies Everyone Should See - ONCE

A love story.

Man meets woman

(just staying traditional for time's sake).

Man and woman fall in love. Man and woman marry and live happily ever after.

Doesn't it just warm the inner chambers of the heart. Happily ever after. In Love.

To get straight to the point, and skip the tangent that could follow the notion of "happily ever after" in movies, the movie Once is a film that takes a path to the heart far less travelled. This is a film EVERYONE SHOULD SEE. Once, a film shot and produced in Ireland back in 2006 for a mere $100,000, is one of the most beautiful, magical, and simple films I've seen in recent years. Two lonely strangers, one a broken-hearted, busker/hoover sucker guy, the other a young, immigrant, mother trying to make a living off selling roses on the street and cleaning homes, find a new life in both each other and, most importantly, in their music. This is a musical without bling, tinsel or jazz hands, without fancy camera movements or dramatic lighting. The film looks like everyday.

Besides the two main characters being the most adorable people, and the story being so simple, one of the best parts of this film is the music. It weaves in and out seemlessly as if it were to play out in real life, and when you hear the songFalling Slowly, you'll probably go out and buy it off of Itunes IMMEDIATELY(like I did). This won't be a review of a Once, because honestly, it is a movie that will leave the edge of your lips curled in a bittersweet smile, so I'll leave it at RENT THIS MOVIE! The trailer is below, and if you want a taste of the music, I've posted the song that won them an Academy Award of best original song.

Sweet and simple. It can't get better than that.

Who would win in a fight? Kathryn Bigelow or James Cameron?

I read a really great article in the Toronto Star this morning about female directors and although women have been nominated for best director, no female has actually ever won. Hollywood's sexism is a well-kept secret.  It is difficult for women to get funding for their films, and women rarely get called upon to direct films of any other genre but the romantic comedy.  Kathryn Bigelow makes films that appeal to her, regardless of their genre.  Often, her films are mistaken for those directed by a man.  For example, her film, 'Strange Days' is a thrilling, imaginative, and haunting coup of a movie.  It's a veritable mixing pot of the best elements of action, science fiction, drama, and even a little social commentary, all blended together to create a unique and memorable film.

It opens with some of the best POV shots I have seen.  Let's take a look:




We see through the eyes of a criminal as he and his compatriots commit a robbery. We are then forced to flee from the police. The action goes from indoors to out, up stairs, onto a roof, where the robber tries to make a getaway by jumping across to another building, only to fall to his death.  As it turns out, this opening point-of-view-scene is up for sale. Lenny (Fiennes) is a small time hood who deals in “playback”-experiences that are recorded by special equipment directly from one's optic nerve, and can be played back the same way, thus allowing his customers the chance to experience the ultimate in virtual reality…actual moments from other peoples' lives.

It is New Year's Eve, 1999, and in a world where millennial paranoia is running horribly amuck and unchecked, playback is the new drug of choice.  It is illegal, but Lenny, who was once a cop before being booted off the force, knows how to play the game.  In this futuristic world, there is a hidden underground market for snuff, and with this equipment, you can experience first-hand the dying…or the killing.  Lenny steers clear of it.  But eventually, somebody slips him a tape that is almost too horrifying to imagine.  A killer records a brutal rape and murder.  But it's even worse than that.  He first blindfolds his victim, then fits her with the device emitting from his own recorder.  She sees her own death from the killer's point of view while he kills her.  From then on, Lenny is in over his head in a world of mystery, intrigue, and danger.  As you can see, this is not the “typical” type of female directed film that Hollywood has come to know.

This was not Bigelow's first action film.  The vampire horror/thriller, 'Near Dark' came out in 1987, 7 years prior to 'Strange Days'.  Bigelow also wrote the script for 'Near Dark'.  Here is a clip - it's an absolutely terrifying and gritty film.



'The Hurt Locker' is Bigelow's most recent film - the film that some are critics championing as Oscar-winning material for Best Film of the year.  Bigelow has also won a few Best Director trophies at the Austin Film Critics Awards, BAFTA Film Awards, Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards - Critics Choice, National Society of Film Critics Awards, among others.   The film is gripping, challenging, and breathtaking.  It deserves to win Best Picture at the Oscars, and Bigelow deserves to win Best Director.  She has paid her dues, which the Oscars value, but she is a woman - are the Oscars ready?

The Golden Globes didn't dare to take a stand by giving her the trophy.  Of course, The Golden Globes can be a little silly at times.  They're crowd pleasers - and not to be a snob, but the GG cater to the average film go-er (which is important), but as far as film as an art form goes - the GG usually never measure up. 

Let's have a look at a clip from Bigelow's 'Hurt Locker'.



What will also make the Oscars very intriguing this year is the fact that James Cameron and Kathryn Bigelow were once married.  They are still supportive of each other, and there are apparently no ill feelings, but I'd like to believe that this will add another aspect of heated competition when it comes to the Best Director category.  James Cameron is an egomaniac.  For a film that cost five million dollars, 'Avatar' should be good.  However, many say that it doesn't measure up.  Yes, the technology is amazing, and the 3-D is a treat.  But the characters are underdeveloped, and the scent of American propaganda is overwhelming. 
  
James Cameron has already won for Best Director - for 'Titanic', which, oddly enough, is written off by some men as a well-made chick flick.  Would 'Titanic' have won if it had if been directed by Bigelow?  Or would the trophy have gone to someone else who fit the gender stereotype? 

Bigelow deserves to win Best Director for 'The Hurt Locker'.   She's a tough & talented cookie.  If Bigelow and Cameron were to get into an old fashioned high school fist fight, I'd put my money on Bigelow.  She'd be the “King of the World!!!!!”

xox
L Spiderbaby

Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others

My transformation started in grade nine. Very early. In my second month of high school, a good-looking boy in grade eleven started chatting me up.  Shortly after, grade eleven girls started bullying me. 

Now, while most girls have stories about their first high school boyfriend and being so in love, my story is different. It goes like this:  I said 'fuck it'.  I would do anything to get rid of these girls, and the tedious boy.  So, I started skipping classes and I pursued my passion at the time - punk rock and social rights.  On the weekends, instead of attending the mandatory house party, I was convincing my parents to drive me to the Oakville YMCA to see a band called Hoodrat play.  I shaved my head and ripped my fishnet stockings, and pretty soon - I had gotten rid of the grade eleven girls and the boy who caused all the problems in the first place. I didn't really care about making friends, I cared more about getting out of high school alive, and moving the fuck out of the suburbs.

There was only one person in the world that understood me - the man who would change my life forever -




Morrissey.

My first encounter with The Smiths occurred when I was 13.  My older brother, Tim, gave me a mix tape of their songs, and once I heard 'This Charming Man', everything changed.  Morrissey is well read, he is egotistical, and he sings about real things, real feelings, and real issues. I could relate to him.  'Cemetry Gates' made my obsession with Oscar Wilde feel normal. 'Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now' made it okay for me to hate life despite the fact that I had an ideal family, I had friends, and I had a horse.  I was a lucky girl, but I was a teenager, and I couldn't help but feel angry and sad.  Morrissey understood this.  So, I'd like to share a few Smiths videos with you today. 'Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others' has always given me comfort, to this very day.  It makes me feel better when my relationships fail, when confrontations occur, and when I feel less than stellar.  I hope Morrissey can bring you comfort today on this dreary Sunday.





This Charming Man



That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore



xox
Lianne Spiderbaby

 

THE TRAILER: TRYING FOR A TITILLATING TEASE

I thought before diving headfirst into the world of reviewing film, I would speak briefly to one of the unfortunate problems that plague many a moving image even before it comes out. I'm referring of course to THE TRAILER.

Now, I'm a man who respects the movie trailer. I respect them in all shapes, forms and resolutions. I'm an open-minded trailer type of guy. I rush to be at a movie on time because I love to see what trailers will open the film. Unfortunately, it seems like most films trailers these days tend to ruin films for audiences rather than titillate them.

It seems like more and more studios feel the need to either: 1) show the best parts of a film, or 2) explain the entire plot, within the 2-3 minutes of the trailer. The former speaks more to horribly unoriginal and lacklustre action films, the unfortunate phenomenon of unfunny laugh aspiring films, such as Will Ferrell's string of recent flops, or any rom-com featuring the ever disastrous acting antic attempts of Sandra Bullock.

Example un:

Question: Who came to the studio execs and said "Hey - let's make a movie about Will Ferrell as a basketball player?" That writer should be forced to watch Semi-Pro everyday, all day, for the rest of his life, to the point of questioning whether or not his life was worth all the pain and sorrow he has spread around the world caused by this piece of celluloid shittery.

Example deux:

Well honestly, I'm not even going to embed a Sandra Bullock trailer here.... its not worth the effort of pressing cmd+C and cmd+V to embed the link. Trust me. Her films are awful. Except for Speed.

Better(or worse rather) yet, here is the trailer for the remake of the Karate Kid:

While everyone knows the story of the Karate Kid, the trailer still doesn't leave any room for a differing story from the original, or better yet, become an original story unto itself instead of simply being like every other remake these days. A Mother and son move to a new, strange land. The boy gets picked on by the local kids, saved by a karate chopping, fly swatting Jackie Chan, who then trains him to fight. He then enters a Karate championship and....wait for it... manages to beat his nemesis and win!!!!!! The only real question I have: wax on or wax off?

Oh - don't end a trailer with a mediocre Star Wars joke followed by a dull, little bit of throw-up-in-my-mouth, line like "That's nasty" - No Comment...

Studios seems to think that their audiences have the intelligence and attention span of a 5 month old, semi-spasmatic Oompa Loompa suffering from an acute sense of ADD. They should look to some of the most profitable and successful films of recent years and learn from those trailers. The key: less is better. Even before a lot of trailers come out and ruin the film, many studios put forth a teaser. Notice the word within the word: TEASE. Leave it at that. Play with the audience. Empower the audience. Allow their imaginations to run wild. YES! Let them use their imaginations.

There are a couple of teaser trailer structures that stand out as being particularly good at dangling the so called carrot in front of audiences. The first: show a clip of the film, or create an entirely new clip, and leave it at that. I draw your attention to The Dark Knight trailer:

Everyone I talked to thought this opening was incredible. It left audiences salivating. It doesn't tell you anything about the plot, keeps you on the edge of your seat to the very end, and you never see the titular character. Other trailers were released late that revealed more plot details, but if they had left it at simple speculation, it still would have grossed an equal amount of box office success.

Example two is the trailer for Cloverfield.

Classic example of teasing. Once again, everything is left to speculation. Why are there explosions? What could have knocked the head of the Statue of Liberty into the middle of Manhattan? Who let out that huge belch mid-trailer??

The best part of that film was the marketing campaign. Everyone was asking - what is this film about?? Speaking to the film itself, the realistic, handheld style worked extremely well, the but the film fell short due to sacrilegious acting and unbelievably bad dialogue. Still - the trailer was exceptional.

Looking to the future, Inception is the upcoming Christopher Nolan film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Ellen Page. This is a smart trailer: it doesn't give the plot away, lots of sharp, cool visuals, and ultimately you're left with the question: what is this movie about? You're left wanting an answer, which is why so many people will end up going to see this movie.

One final note on the trailer, and more relatable to the content on this site, is the importance of music/sound. The ambient music for Inception is quite eerie and unnerving, further adding to the shroud of mystery surrounding the trailer. Often, music can make or break the success of a trailer. To illustrate this, I'll come to a close of this rant with a two trailers. Below is the trailer for the unfortunate Nicholas Cage film The Sorcerer's Apprentice, which has one of the most annoying and distracting trailer soundtracks I've ever heard.

Following that is the magical and fun trailer for the film Where The Wild Things Are, which was released last year. The use of the song Wake Up by the Arcade Fire was perfect for this trailer, speaking to the imagination of a cild and the epic quest he undertakes. And for David Bowie fans, at the bottom is Bowie performing this song live with the Arcade Fire, followed by one of my favorite excerpts from the television show Extras....See his pug-nosed face!

Bergman’s Persona (1966) + Related Songs

Persona cannot be summarized in simple terms.  Even for the trained eye, I had some difficulty figuring out exactly what was going on in this film. The film lends itself to be avant garde in the beginning (random shots of a hand being nailed to a table, an animal being slaughtered, a man’s genitalia), but soon a plot develops and the two main characters, Elizabet and Alma, are introduced. The central story revolves around a young nurse named Alma and her patient, a well-known actress named Elisabet Vogler. Elisabet has stopped speaking, and the attending psychiatrist treats the actress by sending her to an isolated seaside cottage under Alma's care. Alma, who must do all the talking for both women, becomes a little enamored of the actress.  Alma trusts Elizabet, and one evening she decides to tell her about an extremely explicit and exhilarating sexual scenario she was involved, and the terrible consequence that followed.  The two women become very close while in isolation from the rest of the world.  Their friendship is quite unique, and I’m always fascinated by cinematic portrayals of female relationships (watch Heavenly Creatures). Soon after sharing this confidence, Alma reads a letter Elisabet has written and is shocked to learn that the actress thinks of her as an amusing, and silly study.

At one point, Bergman hints at what is going to happen between the two women. Alma says to Elizabet, “I think I could turn myself into you.  If I made a real effort. I mean inside”. Alma begins to project herself onto Elizabet, and Elizabet starts to steal her identity.  Their personalities begin to split.
The film has multiple technical achievements, and the seemingly nonsequitur / stock footage montage in the beginning, is one of the most debated scenes in regards to symbolism in cinematic history. The viewer is consistently reminded that they are in fact watching a film.  Direct address on behalf of the characters, the story is often framed within images of a projected film, and at one point the film image crackles and burns through the screen.  This draws attention to our practices as spectators and how we watch films.  One of the strongest points of the film, in my opinion, was the cinematography.  Photographed by Sven Nykvist, who is a visual genius.  Some of the close-ups of the women's faces were so breathtakingly beautiful.  The film is a challenge, but it's rewarding and I have read that it's Bergman's most important film.  Thus, watch it. Now, please.

To piece together a music video with this film, I've chosen a song by one of my favourite bands of all time.  Joy Division. She's Lost Control.  When I'm in my room and no one is looking,  I like to dance like Ian Curtis.  The monotone sound of his voice is really calming.  Post-punk really does it for me.  Turns me on.  Check it out.


While you're at it, check out a song by a band called Japandroids.  The distortion gets me high.  Their single is called Wet Hair, but I prefer I Quit Girls - which is appropriate after reviewing the relationship between Alma and Elizabet.



That's all for now!
xox
Lianne Spiderbaby