what are you watching?

[m o l l y]

We are only 1 hour-long episode in, but it ends with a young smiley von Trier explaining directly to the camera that he was going easy on us for part one and that we'd better get ready for a wild ride.

[ritchey]

god

[yourfriendclaire]

I really loved "Portrait of a Lady on Fire" (it's on Hulu now!) so last night I decided to go deeper into the Céline Sciamma oeuvre and watched Girlhood, which really tore my lil soul up.

I love Girlhood and will never hear Diamonds the same way again. :'-)

Oh god that scene!!!

We just did an inadvertent double feature on the failures of modernism by pairing “Girlhood” with Jacques Tati’s “Play Time,” which we watched last night. Two movies about how dehumanizing architecture can be & how people still manage to make meaning and beauty within complexes of identical impersonal residential and commercial towers...?

[m o l l y]

Wow, nice pairing. When this is all over, you should organize themed double-features. Does the New Beverly still roll that way?

[yourfriendclaire]

Oh yeah for sure!

We have some friends in the repertory film programming world in LA and we’re always riffing on fun double features and themed festivals. My best idea is for a festival screening all those late-90s/early 2000s movies about how reality is an illusion:

The Matrix
13th Floor
Dark City
Truman Show
Vanilla Sky

Etc

[joni]

[yourfriendclaire]

THEY WERE MY BOYS

[meadows]

I really loved "Portrait of a Lady on Fire" (it's on Hulu now!) so last night I decided to go deeper into the Céline Sciamma oeuvre and watched Girlhood, which really tore my lil soul up.

I watched Portrait last night and was so moved. I cried, and I'm looking forward to Girlhood.

[m o l l y]

We just started watching Lars von Trier's 1994 Danish hospital horror mini-series, The Kingdom. And oooh boy.

Update: Just finished season 1 (4 episodes) and it is so wildly bonkers. I love it. Be warned, it has its 90s bummers (every female character exists because she is necessary for the dudes' stories, use of actors with down syndrome for an atmosphere of creepy innocence...)
Bummers aside, very worthwhile watch. And, as it turns out, the young smiling von Trier greets you at the end of EVERY episode to congratulate you for sticking with it and to invite you to continue inviting both good and evil into your world.
We're watching it on kanopy.

[GARY-19]

https://vimeo.com/146194849

[01001010 01010101 01000100 01000001 01001000]

TALES FROM THE LOOOOOP

This is the show that's based on, like, viral internet robot illustrations, right? What's the deal, is it good?

YESSSS it's based on an a picture book by Simon Stålenhag, who as you mentioned is some viral internet person. It's a good series, like good little short stories within a sci-fi context!

[infopetal]

We just did an inadvertent double feature on the failures of modernism by pairing “Girlhood” with Jacques Tati’s “Play Time,” which we watched last night. Two movies about how dehumanizing architecture can be & how people still manage to make meaning and beauty within complexes of identical impersonal residential and commercial towers...?

While you're on this tip I also recommend Columbus (2017) and Exhibition (2013) if you've not yet seen them. Smaller scale in the buildings they feature but also films where modernist architecture shapes the relationships between characters.

[yourfriendclaire]

Cool, I've never heard of either of these movies! And I didn't know Viv Albertine acted?!

[infopetal]

Viv Albertine and the director, Joanna Hogg, had apparently been friends since the 1980s! Viv also writes pretty candidly about the making of the film in her memoir, which Martine sent me and I <3'd.

[ritchey]

We finished Twin Peaks season 3 last night.....our first time watching it....I am devastated

[Phil]

I accidentally watched a Star War last night. I feel depleted.

[m o l l y]

A trek usually makes one feel better than a war, IMHO.

[ritchey]

God we watched one of the new Star Wars recently, I can't remember which one and don't care, and "depleted" is exactly the right word. I felt morally depressed on a profound level. Enervated beyond recall. It was worse than the Miami Vice movie which at least had the charm of being completely insane.

[meadows]

We finished Twin Peaks season 3 last night.....our first time watching it....I am devastated

annihilatory, traumatizing, emotionally ruinous... in a good way

[uncleboatshoes]

I accidentally watched a Star War last night. I feel depleted.

Which War?

[Phil]

I accidentally watched a Star War last night. I feel depleted.

Which War?

Oh how embarrassing to have to talk about it. I watched Force Awakens. I wanted to see Old Luke on his island partly because I was reading about that real place (Skellig Michael Island).

[meadows]

how'd you like those fish women??

[ritchey]

how'd you like Luke drinking milk from that giant squealing dragon thing

[rcnederveld]

Since there's a lot of ornithology lovers out there, a friend's doc called Pigeon Kings (made pre-Tiger King) is avail to rent on most platforms as of yesterday... about guys who raise somersaulting pigeons in South L.A.

[kenbaumann]

"somersaulting pigeons"

I can only say one thing to that: hell yes.

We've been listlessly watching The Expanse, and rewatching some favorite films and others we felt we owed another viewing (most recently: Blade Runner, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and Looper).

[RCH]

Pigeon-keeping is a righteous and ancient pastime, somersaulting pigeons never more so.

I'm re watching Better Call Saul in anticipation of S4 hitting the stream.

Anyone else here a Jimmyhead...?

[ritchey]

I've never watched BCS but I know I need to! My love for Odenkirk is strong and deep.

We've been having a mini Boris Karloff festival over here. I realized I'd never seen him in anything except MAYBE Frankenstein, except I am not even positive I've ever seen Frankenstein, perhaps because I am long-term obsessed with the book and the movie's ubiquity vaguely annoys me on some level beneath consciousness even though I like James Whale. ANYWAY we watched this weird movie The Black Cat that has Karloff and Lugosi co-starring and I was thunderstruck by Karloff, his look, his charisma, his adorable little British lisp, his weird British mouth/teeth, his crazy black eyes and glowering brow. Next to him Lugosi just looks like somebody's uncle. Karloff spends that entire movie in various types of elaborate robes and pajamas and he has an insane haircut. He keeps dead women in glass boxes in the dungeon of this old military fort where he experienced war trauma as a general. Lugosi was his ex soldier, also with PTSD, who returns to the scene of the trauma to destroy Karloff for killing his wife or something, the plot is kind of hazy. There's also a hilarious American couple that is just like "haha what bosh!" and "general I didn't expect a military man to talk such nonsense" and other Americanisms. Anyway KARLOFF

Anyway since then we've watched:

- the wonderfully- and aptly-titled "THE OLD, DARK HOUSE" which is a kooky haunted house picture also starring a young Charles Laughton at his goofiest. Also has a traumatized WWI vet in it, this one is healed by falling in love with a chorus girl and then battling an ancient evil to save her. More amazing scenes where people say things like "haha you foolish old woman, what nonsense!" right to people's faces and it's somehow not experienced as massively aggressive. Karloff barely figures in this movie even though he got top billing due to having been in Frankenstein recently. He literally plays a "mute," with a fucked-up face who can't talk and whose big scene involves falling down the stairs. A disappointment w/r/t Karloff but in general I enjoyed this picture. There is some very fun 30s car stunt driving AND some pretty good miniatures. Everyone drinks gin the entire time

- "ISLE OF THE DEAD" which Gary downloaded because we have a shared interest in the Rachmaninoff piece of the same name that was inspired by the Böcklin painting of the same name. YOU GUYS THIS MOVIE TURNED OUT TO BE ABOUT A PLAGUE. It had it all--doctor in a face mask, people practicing social distancing, psychedelic sequences of water pouring over hands furiously washing over and over again. Then it devolves into this paranoid fantasy where two characters (one played by Karloff, the other one yet another foolish old woman who is told to her face she's talking clap-trap (in this case it turns out it's true though)) become convinced the plague is caused by vampires, so they persecute this glorious young babe who they think is suspiciously foxy thus she must be feeding on the blood of another woman in the house who is sickly. The sickly woman has "catalepsy" and ends up being accidentally buried alive, very disturbing. There is also a character who is ostensibly Swiss but who is played by the most American person you could ever imagine in your wildest fantasies. And he keeps baldly stating that he is Swiss, like multiple times he's like "if you were Swiss--LIKE ME--you'd know..." or "after all, I am Swiss, not American" etc. He also worships Hermes and makes a bet with the doctor that whichever of them dies of the plague first it will prove whether science or the old gods are actually real (the old gods win). Karloff is great in this, another great haircut, and he's terrifying and looming around accusing people of witchcraft

- "THE CURSE OF THE CRIMSON ALTAR"--his last film I think? He's very old and in a wheelchair in it, but still extremely charismatic. Incredible old man eyebrows at this point, they're mesmerizing. He plays a professor of the occult who collects implements of torture. I hated this film, it's that late 60s campy psychedelia exploitation vibe with horrible font and everyone dancing in go-go boots and the protagonist is basically a rapist but it's depicted as being cute. REALLY campy devil-worshiping scenes. Not nearly enough Karloff. I don't recommend it except for the aforementioned eyebrow work. I will say amazingly there is yet another character who tells people to their face that they are a hilarious old idiot talking nonsense

I also just realized that every single one of these films involves people getting caught up in weird situations where they have to bang on somebody's door in the middle of the night and beg them to let them sleep in their house. Every single one!!!!

[m o l l y]

ISLE OF THE DEAD is on the list.

I also just realized that every single one of these films involves people getting caught up in weird situations where they have to bang on somebody's door in the middle of the night and beg them to let them sleep in their house. Every single one!!!!

This is pretty uncanny. More research needs to be done. Does EVERY Karloff movie involve middle of the night door begging? Has someone written a paper on this yet?

[ritchey]

I don't know! I can't believe I only just now realized it. We will keep watching Karloffs and report back.

[ritchey]

to be fair, in the Crimson Altar the middle-of-the-night stranger-beg is more subdued; he arrives pretty normally just to ask a guy a few questions, but then it turns out the hotel in town is full, so he has to stay there instead. And Isle of the Dead is like, they go to a house to ask about why some graves have been defaced but then the plague hits so they have to stay there. BUT STILL, both are in the middle of the night. And this weird theme of staying at strangers' houses! Now I want to watch only movies where this is a plot point.

[m o l l y]

I have my Freshmen make 3-5 minute horror films each year. This plot element is popular. (Spoiler: the person who wants to stay over is either a ghost or a killer on the loose or both)

[ritchey]

I love this!

I think a lot about older times/perhaps it's still this way in super rural places, but how it seems like it used to be more "normal" to knock on somebody's door and ask to stay the night. It's always happening in historical anecdotes I encounter, also period novels. Knock on a farmer's door and his wife gives you some cheese and they let you stay in the barn; perhaps in the morning you help milk the cows as payment/perhaps not. As recently as the early 1960s there is this wild story of The Rolling Stones and the Ronettes being on a tour bus in rural England and the bus breaks down and so Keith Richards and Ronnie Spector go slogging off through a field and knock on a farmer's door and the farmer's wife gives them tea. What a wild scene! I'm reading also Richard Holmes' wonderful memoir of traipsing around Europe on foot as an 18 year old, specifically the part of his life where he's retracing the steps of Robert Louis Stevenson through rural France, and everywhere he goes people are like hey kid you need to stay in my house tonight? Here have a brandy. Or he'll go to sleep on the side of the road and in the morning a some passing fisherman gives him a flask of coffee or some shit. I miss these times though I never lived in them!

Anyway my point is that in these 1930s movies it's depicted as really normal, the idea that a rainstorm means you actually do have to beg shelter in some random person's house and they are kind of honor-bound to let you in. Interesting that your students still utilize this trope, though! When it's something they themselves have never done and probably would never do! I can't even imagine how dire an emergency I'd have to be in to bang on a stranger's house and ask to sleep in their living room! Knock on wood!

[ritchey]

oh p.s. but the best Karloff film of all is THE GHOUL. It's so good!!!! It's like a mummy movie but there's no mummy in it.

[m o l l y]

It is about a powerful ancient Jewel! Ok. Also on the ever expanding list.

Korndog and I biked around Nor-Cal for like 2 weeks a couple of years ago and this for reals happened to us. People are kind to travelers! We rolled into Ferndale planning to sleep there but the Humboldt County fair was going on and it was WILD. We had JUST arrived in town and were straddling our gear-packed bikes on the main street looking at each other, thinking were going to have to just camp on some farmland, when some dude marches up to us and is like, "oh you are on a bike tour aren't you? Ferndale is full but you can camp in my backyard and use my shower. I'm about to hit the gym. Meet me at my place in a couple of hours" and then marches off.
We set up our tent in his backyard. He brought us beers and chips and salsa and was DYING to hang out. Meanwhile his teenage son and his lil' buddy spied on us from the living room. We didn't even HAVE to beat on his door!

[m o l l y]

oops. this post was not meant to be.

[ritchey]

That is wonderful. I love this story so much. The spirit of charity and comradeship is alive and well! So maybe it's just ME who would never do this (on either side of the situation) and actually I am an uptight person (obviously true).

Your story also reminded me that I recently heard another similar story: my friend Jamie was stuck in the Denver airport at night after her flight got canceled, and she had her dog with her, and no dog food (she pathetically fed the dog beef jerky), and there were no hotel rooms for some reason, and she was standing there crying, and a lady out of nowhere was like "come on honey" and took her home with her, where she ate dinner with this nice family and was put to sleep in their lovely guest room and then they drove her back to the airport in the morning.

Anyway this all fills me with chagrin as I have NEVER done something so warm hearted for a stranger in my life. I want to set the intention to be more aware of others (e.g. crying people in airports clutching small hungry dogs/bike tourists goggling around in consternation at festival crowds) and to be more open to the universe. It feels scary and awk to think of bringing a total stranger home to sleep in my house! Why are some people so free and easy about it and others aren't? I want to be more like these people.

[m o l l y]

I feel like there are situations that feel more normal than others? Like a traveler seems easier somehow. I think if you met some stranded couple and you had an opportunity to scope them out a little you might be surprised? I think our Ferndale dude had done bike stuff before and could relate? I'm sure that dude chatted with us for 5 or 10 seconds and scoped us out before offering us shelter. He also let us sleep in his yard, not under his roof with his tween.
I realize I have definitely relied on other people's kindness way more often than I have offered my own. I used to just travel that way? What a grubby weirdo! Oh, I'm in Rome today? I'll just go hang out and chat with some folks. I'm sure by tonight I'll have found a place to sleep. You know, just complete and utter flaunting of white privilege/entitlement. Sigh.

[uncleboatshoes]

Weirdly, something like this happened to us not that long ago.

A couple months ago (maybe early Feb) it was a Friday night and I was sick for the 2nd time in a couple weeks and had gotten my wife sick the first time so I was going to sleep in the our extra room in the basement so I didn't get her sick again. I went to bed early, but around 10:30 Maya came down and said there was a kid at our door.

It was like some kind of dumb teenager who said he got jumped. He smelled a bit like booze and was drenched, it was a classic rainy Portland winter night. After opening the door and assessing the somewhat sketchy scenario for a few seconds I invited him in. He was just scared and didn't know what to do. He had lost his phone. He had a lump on his head. We tried to call his mom but he couldn't remember the phone number. We got him cleaned up a little bit and tried to figure out what to do.

Eventually, I gave him a ride home after a brief unsuccessful attempt to find his phone by the park near our house, to his house a couple miles away. He was kind of freaking out a bit, and then towards the end of our drive told me I saved his life. I don't think I saved his life, but he would've had a really shitty time getting home with no phone, drenched with a possible concussion.

Was definitely weird to get a random knock on the door for help.
I have had to do that once. In 1998 in Arctic Red River, Northwest Territory, Canada. But that's a story for another time.

[ritchey]

Wow that’s awesome. You helped a lil guy in his time of need! I love it. I wonder what he’s doing now.

Please tell us the 1998 story!

[yourfriendclaire]

Wow this thread went in an unexpected direction, I love it! Ritchey, what’s the name of that book about the history of night that we both read? There’s a lot of banging on a farmhouse door context in there—before street lighting was common, and when the world was more dense with forest and generally wilder, it was just common, agreed-upon knowledge that it was mortally unsafe to be outside at night. Like if you were in between villages, walking through the woods, and night fell before you could get home, you could very easily die from falling into a ditch or hitting your head, and everyone knew that, so giving shelter to strangers was an obvious & often reciprocated thing. Also people would just sleep in a total stranger’s bed without thinking anything of it

[m o l l y]

You guys have read all the books and seen all the movies!

[ritchey]

I believe that book was called At Day’s Close and it is amazing and as Claire and I both demonstrate you will continue thinking about it for decades!!

[ritchey]

Also yes sleeping in a stranger’s bed being NBD was such a trip when I learned it. In general sleeping in bed together seemed less intimate than it does now. There’s a bunch of entries in Samuel Pepys’ diary where he writes casually about his friend coming for dinner and staying the night and they’d lie in bed together conversing comfortably and continue their discourse in the morning and ‘‘twas the pleasantest night he ever spent etc. (also interesting that it was not normal for a married couple to share a bedroom (for the wealthy I mean—peasants slept all in one bed/one room probably)) as in that scenario for example Pepys had a wife! But she was in her own room whilst he and his bro had pillow talk all night.

[meadows]

That book is so great.

We just tried to watch Color Out of Space but it was really bad, both flimsy and unpleasant. I don't recommend it.

[GARY-19]

Don't want to derail this Thread but I'm watching this:
https://youtu.be/8emLVvAQnI8

[meadows]

I posted this in the birds thread, Gary!
It's so good right now, with the fresh little idiot babies <3

[m o l l y]

Just checked Kanopy, they have several Karloff-based films, including the the film Lured starring Lucille Ball. Has anyone seen it? My list runneth over!

[m o l l y]

Oh yeah and also, BLACK SABBATH.

[ritchey]

Whoa Karloff and Ball, together at last??? This sounds wild!

[meadows]

I just learned that there is a party plug in for Netflix where you can stream with a friend and live chat!!!!
If anyone wants to do this, I am very intrigued. Will watch anything.