5th March 2016, 09:28 AM
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 | Cultist on the Rampage | | Join Date: May 2011 Location: Leeds, UK | |
NIGHTMARE DETECTIVE – From Shinya Tsukamoto. A sullen young man has the power to enter the dreams of others. He's co-opted by a police detective on the trail of the one known as 'O', an elusive character who appears to be responsible for a number of nightmare-based deaths. They all get together for some fairly mind melting dream sequences. 'Nightmare Detective' is sandwiched somewhere in between the subtle likes of 'Vital' and 'Kotoko' in Tsukamoto's filmography, but it doesn't feel like the same kind of movie (cryptic, subdued and slightly soul searching). Nor does it bear all that much relation to his cranked up, visually fragmented earlier works like, of course, 'Tetsuo' or 'Tokyo Fist'. It has the feel of a slightly stylised mainstream horror flick for some of its duration, although it does sacrifice pacing in places for stretches of moody poise. I liked the disturbing dream monster, which is barely glimpsed but makes itself known through convulsive camera work and lots of clattering. There's some gore to be had in places, and there are generic B movie elements like the cop-psychic partnership / chase aspect, but it's a Tsukamoto flick, so it can't remain normal for all that long. The latter half and especially the climax is a mire of hallucinogenic imagery and bleak introspection, where the sides of people's heads open to reveal endless rows of teeth and ultimately – their past. There's also a disturbing bit about early trauma where a teacher forces a kid to fall on a nail, thus setting up the future dream killer's diseased psyche. Recommended – anyone seen the sequel?
MARK OF THE WITCH (the new one, not the old one) – Looking for a few cheap thrills and a story line you can really relate to? You'll roll your eyes at this one. Made by people whose only reference points can possibly be The Three Mothers trilogy, Inland Empire and a Jess Franco box set, 'Mark Of The Witch' clearly don't give a f*ck about character driven narrative. What it does give f!ck about are visuals. 'Mark of the Witch' is basically a slew of images, some of which are related enough to hint at a story. The majority are filmed in that saturated but gauzy look which is the arch-signifier of 'arty and dream-like'. I'm exaggerating, a bit, and there is a plot, sort of. Young Jordyn is celebrating her 18th birthday (just an aside, but she looks about thirty) when her aunt / guardian whoever stabs herself in the stomach, proclaiming “it is time”. Later transpires “it is time” for Jordyn's mother, who is a powerful witch, to reincarnate herself through Jordyn (or something). Cue lots of sequences of Jordyn looking scared, or acting out of character, or warding off possession, or some weird shit. 'Mark of the Witch' has attracted some really negative reviews which unfortunately speak more of the short sightedness of some 'fans' than the shortcomings of this film. As an experience, the film will absolutely frustrate viewers who demand nothing other than straightforward genre fare, but for those more into imagery and surrealism it's an interesting proposition, and I do recommend it though it's not entirely flawless. There are shifts of tone which often occur when, for example, a convincingly 'seventies' haze gives way to intrusions of crude CGI – couldn't work out whether this was intentional, but it was certainly grating to look at. Also, given its ambitions to shaft the rule book and go all trippy, it could've been a bit more elaborate with its imagery. And it's repetitive and a bit smug. But then, so am I.
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