the L.D. Filmblog

"You knew this was gonna happen, didn't you? You could'a done something."    "No. There's nothing anyone could've done."

[doitgordon-blog]

And it’s another long hiatus interrupted here at my Do It Gordon cinephile page.

I am nearing my 31st birthday and there’s this restlessness bubbling inside me. I’ve watched well over 500 movies this year already and it’s like my head can’t bear it anymore. There’s so much out there still that I haven’t examined and studied and explored and savored. But it’s not enough simply to read and watch and listen. I have to DO something too. I have to act, to create, to pen SOMETHING.

Right now I’m watching Salem’s Lot [1979, miniseries], and it vaguely resembles this old movie I remember sneaking a peak at when I was younger. I was a small child, about 8 or 9 when I remember sneaking out of bed to watch something scary that my parents were watching. I remember seeing what looked like a barn or a warehouse and there were these vampires flying down from the rafters to attack and slaughter the people on the ground floor, and it terrified me so much that I had nightmares for YEARS afterwards. And only when I became 11 or 12 did I start to overcome my terror and phobia of vampires and relish it like an acquired taste. Fear had become a drug that I could get a thrill from, and I sought after anything scary for that high of being totally and paralyzingly vulnerable and afraid. Over the years I’ve watched thousands of films, at least half of them in the horror genre, but I’ve been unable as yet to rediscover what that first experience came from. And I’m hoping this is it. Maybe so I can relive that childhood memory, or maybe so I can move forward from my role as audience member to screenwriter. I am a film addict. I literally can’t stop watching.

When my laptop broke down two weeks ago, I about lost my head because I was forced to slow my intake of films. And now, just like every moment of every day I’m not working or sleeping, I am in my room, in the dark, watching something. Not creating. Not writing. Not living, whatever that may be.

I’m almost 31, and soon I fear I will be 41 and still with nothing to show for it. Still working a low wage job. Still single with no hope of changing anything. Still a failed writer with nothing but half-finished works like stillbirths. 

If only I had some use for my obsession...

[doitgordon-blog]

You can check out any time you like, but you can never leave.

I have returned! And all it took was finding myself a decent night job as a hotel front desk person. Right off the bat, I knew it: this is the perfect place for me. Mostly being by myself, and doing a bunch of routinely tasks and some paperwork. It’s just a prime opportunity for film viewing and reviewing. Anyway, this past week I started on the graveyard shift, and each night I’ve watched a favorite film of mine that takes place at a hotel. 

1st night was The Shining [1980], masterpiece horror flick starring Jack Nicholson, from god-of-directors Stanley Kubrick. 2nd night was Four Rooms [1995], comedy anthology starring Tim Roth, with segments directed by Allison Anders, Alexandre Rockwell, Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino. 3rd night is tonight, and I’m watching... you guessed it, The Innkeepers [2011], totally creepy gem from Ti West, starring Sara Paxton and Pat Healy. This movie has gone so far pretty well unnoticed by many horror fans, but if you have a passion for slow-burn fear-flicks that leave you feeling completely on edge afterwards... this is for you. Paxton & Healy work great together and the built up tension of the hotel they’re looking after just sinks deep into your skin throughout the film.

Honestly, I love these little independent films with their small casts and little-known actors. So very rewatchable, and the music by Jeff Grace is quite creepy. You’ll be humming it long after the film is over.

[doitgordon-blog]

The Escape

So I am once again distracted and dismayed. Some car problems, some internet problems, a very serious bug problem, and stumbling across an old love poem... blech. My life basically is too chaotic for anything so structured as what I’ve been attempting as of late. What’s funny is I am watching more movies than ever, just not in any mood to share. Besides, I do believe this website is more closely enjoyed when people specialize. I, on the other hand, have too many focuses to be reliably enjoyed by anyone. Lately it’s been a ton of Japanese movies: Rashomon, Onibaba, Ambition without Honor... But tomorrow I might be all about 80′s science fiction or something. Anyway, I’m off for a while, until I figure out just what it is I do want. 

[doitgordon-blog]

2010. Red, White & Blue

A film written and directed by Simon Rumley. Listed as #26 on the TasteOfCinema.com’s list of The 30 Most Extreme Movies of The 21st Century So Far.

So yeah, I’ve been making my way through this list, and some titles are quite emotionally devastating, and this one is no exception. Without a doubt one of the most scarring movies and beautifully edited to perfection. A simple revenge story told in three parts, following three journeys of three characters, each quite flawed, and each suffering and causing suffering to one another.

I don’t know why it took so long to get around to watching this one, but it may be one of the heaviest films I’ve seen for months. Definitely worth watching so long as you can stomach the blood and the emotional upheaval. What I absolutely love is how Simon Rumley is able to say so very much, while only letting us glimpses of each moment snipped throughout the story. So many things left unsaid that are quite clear for those with open eyes and a patient temperment. If you do not pay attention to films, and have your phone out all the time, then don’t even bother, because you’re gonna miss some vital piece of this artistic gem, and it will be wasted on you.

Sorry I’m so bitter. Just venting through the leftover rage this story has seeped into me. Please watch it.

[doitgordon-blog]

2008. In Bruges

A film written and directed by Martin McDonagh, who is one of my favorite writers in the business. This movie I saw for the first time on a random video rental, and it has an amazing cast of characters in unusual and often bizarre circumstances, dancing around and often slouching towards a most serious subject. Responsibility, guilt, and the matter of honor in suicide. A very tense film at times, and at others it becomes quite ridiculous. Definitely a rewatchable film, probably could be called a crime drama-slash-black comedy.

I just recently watched Calvary [2014], which is directed by Martin McDonagh’s brother, John Michael McDonagh, and it also stars Brendan Gleeson, who does a remarkable job in both movies and is one of my favorite actors, just can’t get enough of watching him on-screen. The on-screen villain is played by Ralph Fiennes, naturally, and the antihero is played by Colin Farrell, who portrays a good-hearted, though quite childish Irish bloke, who on his very first job as a hired killer, accidentally slays a young boy with a stray bullet. A tormenting yet not-altogether-hopeless film with hard truths to share and no punches pulled.

Like I said, when it comes to dark comedy and stories of depth from the unlikeliest of places, it don’t get much better than In Bruges.

[doitgordon-blog]

1974. Zardoz

A film written and directed by John Boorman. Imagine you are in the future, only it’s the sort of Twilight Zone-esque future where half the world are idiot savages and the other half are immortal tools, then throw Sean Connery into the mix, and never freaking stop playing Beethoven for about an hour and a half. Now this is an exaggeration, but I cannot get over how weird and self-consuming this world is. Utterly ballsy and, for better or for worse, a serious influence on the world we live in.

Gotta say it’s not without its eyebrow-raising moments, but I think I need to be on several kinds of drugs to properly appreciate this bizarre little bird of a film. Nevertheless, I watched it and now I can cross it off the sheet.

[doitgordon-blog]

2015. 99 Homes 

Is a boring film. Well I say boring but what I mean is that it is sad and unveils some disturbing things that realtors are probably doing to make life miserable for people facing evictions... pretty much everything you might’ve guessed from the trailer. And yes, I’m usually all over Michael Shannon, and he is vibrant in his role in this film as per usual, but the story just could not keep ahold of me. This is a feel good picture, which means I’m gonna forget all about it in the morning, and just as well.

[doitgordon-blog]

2003. High Tension

This film was written by Alexandre Aja and Grégory Levasseur, and directed by  Alexandre Aja. It has been associated with the New French Extremity movement, and appears as #9 on the TasteOfCinema.com’s list of The 30 Most Extreme Movies of The 21st Century So Far. This is also one of my favorite horror movies, and one that I saw in theaters when it came out in the U.S.

Visceral and gory to the extreme, this movie creeps up on you, dancing a fine line between bittersweet love story and white-knuckled slasher flick. Cécile de France, who plays Marie, makes you feel every moment like you’re right there inside her skin. The kill scenes are so horrific, they seem absurdly orchestrated, but the goal of the film is to get your heart pumping like mad. Despite the great titles that Alexandra Aja and Grégory Levasseur have come up with since High Tension, none of them have come this close to perfection in my eyes. I could see it a hundred times over, and that marks the sign of a good film.

Also, this film has a surprise ending, so please avoid all film summaries and forums for fear of spoilers, ya got me? And if you do end up getting spoiled, watch it anyway. It certainly is a great ride.

[doitgordon-blog]

2007. Someone Behind You

This film was written and directed by Oh Ki-hwan. A South Korean psychological thriller that was released in America for the 2009 After Dark Horrorfest Film Festival under the title, Voices.

Right off the bat I got to say this movies has good imagery, and the actors are all believable, however the plot is a bit confusing. Nevertheless, giving it a shot, I have to say the look and feel of it is plenty enjoyable for a horror film. As well as the seriously paranoid feeling it will leave you with. Pretty much everyone in the protagonist’s life seems to be out to get her, inexplicably. In fact, paranoia is the name of the game for this movie, and if those types of films get you excited, you’re gonna like this one. If I have to do any kind of rating, I’ll give it 2.5 out of 5 stars for extreme paranoia, great actors, and vivid imagery.

[doitgordon-blog]

new worLD order

I’ve been beating my head to try and figure out a way to keep this thing going, while also maintaining my own private film-watching goals. My intention is to watch 3 movies a day. They will be sequenced like this:

#1. A previously unseen film that fits into one of two categories [Either it will be (a) a film from before I was born, in this case that cut-off date is 1985, or it will be (b) a foreign film]. These two categories are an active pursuit of mine, to further my own knowledge of cinema both outside of my nation of origin and outside of the scope of my lifetime. I will alternate between films from very far away in time and from very far away in geography.

#2. A film I have seen before that I wish to revisit for the purpose of closer examination and/or celebration. These will be fan favorites of mine, and perhaps also of your own. This section will keep alive my desire to publicly display my love for certain films, and not to forget why they sink so heavily into my own subconscious. I intend to document a list of each film I watch in this as well as the other 2 sections so as not to repeat myself unintentionally and also to provide a sort of reference system for later use.

#3. Another previously unseen film that fits into one of two categories [Either it will be (a) a film that has been released since my date of birth, 1985, or (b) a film that has been released in the last twelve months]. This is intended to allow for viewings of films that I have missed since being born, as well as paying attention to those films that are most recently being made, and thereby, tending to the general interest of most film viewers. It is sad to say that most movie-watchers do not go out of their way to watch a movie unless it is new and/or trending, so this section will allow for those films to be commented upon and not forgotten in the shuffle. Once again these two categories (those after 1985 and those in the last year) will be alternated upon. Note that the last year means ultimately, the last 12 months and not simply those films released since January 1st, 2016.

These 3 sections will henceforth be known as the Distant (Foreign & Past-Gen’s), the Beloved, and the Present (Present-Gen’s & Current). I realize that in some ways this category system is very much focused on me as a film viewer and a person identifying the films made from the dawn of the invention up to the present moment as they relate to myself, but that is how this tumblr page will go, and I see no reason to change that as of yet. So stay tuned for readily-available film reviews: three-a-day in fact! And I will try to give you forward notice as to what I am watching in case you would like to tag along for the ride.

Today’s movies are:

- 2007. Someone Behind You [South Korea, released in America under the title, Voices, for the 2009 AfterDark HorrorFest] - 2003. High Tension [France, released in America in 2005]. ** I’ll be watching the dubbed version, as that was how I originally saw it in theaters ten years ago. ** - 2015. 99 Homes [released Sept. 29th]

Stay tuned for pictures and comments.

-- L.D.

[doitgordon-blog]

Genshiken Nidaime 119--

Mada x Hato moment that truly has me wondering. They dance around this coupling so delicately, and to have it building up for nearly 50-something chapters and this is their first time holding hands and it all feels so outrageously dangerous and potentially explosive... I honestly don’t know what’ll happen next, but I didn’t like how they left it. Madarame has to go after Hato, that much is certain, but I don’t know what he’ll do or say when the time comes.

All in all though, I have always been pro-Sue, mostly because I want to know what she’s like underneath all her anime-quotes and over-the-top performances. There is a person there and I think seeing her in a relationship would bring that out for once, but Hato-chan is so damn peculiar. I want to find out how that story turns out. Curiosity propels me onward.

[doitgordon-blog]

So I left Facebook today. Didn’t deactivate the account, because I want to be able to access the photos and movielists I have saved there, and I may check in from time to time and if people I worry about contact me, I would like to be able to respond. Anyhow, this website will be my sole point of contact into the world via the internet, and I plan on using it primarily for reviews, discussions, reflections, and arguments concerning my main interests: film, television, and anime. But mostly film, due to its wider reach of influence and accessibility.

I am going to allow comments on this post for my friends or anybody else who wishes to contact me, but otherwise, there is always my email or phone number for means of contact, and if you want to know what those are, please just comment and ask. If I don’t think you ought to get it. you won’t. But mostly I don’t expect more than a handful of people to bother. That’s why it is easier for me to disappear than most. Everybody else has their families and their careers and important lives to obsess about. I have me, and the few buddies throughout the years who would bother to keep up with what I’m into now.

But the long and short of it is that I want to devote more time to being creative and less to the compulsory nature of keeping up-to-date with everyone’s lives. So I’m staying out of it. My life was much simpler before Facebook, and I can’t help but feel like I got more done back then. I’m still gonna watch lots of movies and talk with people about them, but more in a face-to-face situation, or perhaps over Skype. I don’t know for sure. We’ll see how it all plays out.

So if anyone would like my contact info, or just to say hi or whatever, here’s your opportunity. 

?

[doitgordon-blog]

Hiatus Explained

Yes, so if you are a follower of this filmblog then you might be wondering, where the fuck has LD been? Reason is: work. I work two jobs, one of which is a coffee barrista job where I often open as early as 4:30am, and the other is a movie theater job where I work as late as 11:30pm. I also have a roommate who is carless, and who I also drive to his place of work as well, so I am often without sleep for days at a time, or with very little sleep as it is. This being said, actually making it home is a triumph for which my only reward is the 3-6 hours I can scrounge up until the madness begins anew. When I started this blog, I had only the one job with about 20-25 hours a week of employment to work around, and now I’m working 50-55 hours a week with very little downtime, so my movie-watching has been reduced to near-nil. This makes me literally the saddest man on earth right now. I fucking hate not getting to watch movies all the time. But at the same time, I am trying to be a self-sufficient adult and pay my rent and not be out on the street, so I am in a dilemma. 

Basically, until I figure out some better situation, you won’t be hearing from me so often from now on. Which is a shame because I really want to get back into the swing of things again. If I do get some downtime this month, I will be devoting it to a Coen Brothers marathon due to my overwhelming obsession with their film Fargo, and the subsequent amazing TV adaptation on FX which is nearing the end of its second season. The Coens are such a massive inspiration to me, and many of their films are easily on my top 50 favorite films of all time list: Fargo, Barton Fink, Blood Simple, O Brother Where Art Thou, No Country for Old Men, and of course, The BIg Lebowski. And yet there are still a dozen or so films I’ve never seen so this month I will attempt to get that marathon done and have those reviews posted here. I know that somehow I want this hobby of mine to become my full-time preoccupation but since I am a 30-year-old kid with a useless Bachelor’s degree in Literature and two part-time jobs with no career to speak of, that will probably just stay a fantasy of mine.

Also, this time of year makes me lonely, so I really want to cram as many films in to try and blot that feeling out of my head. Anyway, next year is an open book as far as film-watching projects is concerned, so I am reopening the floor for suggetions. What should I watch in 2016?

[doitgordon-blog]

Ju-on: The Beginning of the End [2014]. Japan. 91 minutes. Directed by Masayuki Ochiai.

This tenth entry into the Ju-on series is a reboot of the original story, giving viewers a first glimpse of the story from a new angle, with Toshio Saeki given center stage rather than his mother Kayako. All in all this movie has everything that a good reboot should have. Meaning that there should be enough material from the original story to resemble it in every way and yet enough things different to give your new story a more unique vision, and of course, it must be scary AF. This film delivers on all counts, and really I think would do Shimizu Takashi proud. So if you’re looking for a good J-horror movie to wash away the taste of The Grudge sequels, this is the movie for you. 

Inventive: 5/5 Quality: 4/5 Creepy Factor: 5/5 Scariness: 4/5

Apparently there is an eleventh title (Juon: The Final Curse [2015]) which came out this year but as of yet I have not found a good copy to watch with english subtitles. Maybe next year I’ll have better luck. Anyway its a good way to cap off the Ju-on series. Next up I will be watching Dario Argento’s “Three Mothers” trilogy.

[doitgordon-blog]

Ju-on: White Ghost / Black Ghost [2009]. Japan. 121 minutes. Written & directed by Ryuta Miyake (White) and Mari Asato (Black).

This double-feature is a 10-year-anniversary special devoted to the Ju-on series whose personality is wholly original and yet utterly empassioned for its inspired story. I personally found White Ghost to be a more chilling story than Black Ghost, and yet both do a great job of describing to the viewer how the Ju-on series greatly touched audiences and manage to accomplish being both violently disturbing and sickeningly dangerous, maybe even moreso than the original story. 

Inventive: 3/5 Quality: 4/5 Creepy Factor: 4/5 Scariness: 3/5

[doitgordon-blog]

The Grudge 3 [2009]. Japan & United States. 90 minutes. Directed by Toby Wilkins.

The latest in the American Grudge films has one of the dullest stories ever. Which is odd because the ending actually sells pretty well. Honestly its the whole notion of uprooting a Japanese horror classic and replanting it in Chicago which makes this story fail to really scare at all. It all feels too out of place. It would have been better if The Grudge series had done like The Ring did and translated the original story into something similar enough in an American setting. I dunno. The ending is nice, but really the whole film disappoints despite employing Shawnee Smith (of SAW fame) and Marina Sirtis (Counselor Troy from ST:TNG). All that being said, the little girl with the lung issues is absolutely adorable and a great actress and did not deserve to be stuck in this stinker of a film.

Inventive: 3/5 Quality: 3/5 Creepy Factor: 1/5 Scariness: 1/5

[doitgordon-blog]

The Grudge 2 [2006]. Japan & United States. 102 minutes. Directed by Shimizu Takashi.

So, where the first Grudge film had the fresh look of the Saekis and the disturbing original first story to fall back on, this film occurs completely outside the original storyline, and so therefore must rely upon tedious sex appeal and idiotic dialogue to keep audiences interested. There are very few moments in this film that ever feel remotely scary, which is disappointing because this film stars Amber Tamblyn, who can be remembered forever as the girl who dies first in The Ring. Unfortunately her character is incredibly boring, as are most of the characters in this film. I’d have to say the principal’s office scene is the lone redeeming moment in this film, so if you can, please just skip right past this turd. Despite Shimizu Takashi’s excellent direction, the acting and the writing is far too aggravating for any real enjoyment.

Inventive: 1/5 Quality: 3/5 Creepy Factor: 2/5 Scariness: 1/5