Obviously there’s lots of weird trash in the direct to VHS/DVD/streaming ecosystems, but when it comes to something that actually got a first run theater release, what is your strangest?
For me, it’s Southland Tales. I actually kind of love this movie but it’s difficult to recommend because people you recommend it to might not look at you the same afterwards. The cast is positively stacked with big names, the movie looks great, and there’s a fantastic and really sad musical number half way through. This is the only movie that has truly captured the vibe of reading the biblical book of Revelation in that it’s making you go “wait, what?” every five minutes as it spirals into either intensely meaningful imagery or schizophrenia manifest on 35mm.
The look of the film is amazing. However, even as someone who loves sci-fi, it’s way too long. I know, it’s slow on purpose. It makes you feel more like you’re there. However, fuck that. I can waste my time in a lot more enjoyable ways.
I feel the same about the original Blade Runner. It had an incredible impact on the look of a sci-fi dystopia, especially Cyberpunk, but man is it slow. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, the inspiration, treads most of the same ground, and even has things that aren’t included in the movie, in the format of a short story. BR is drawn out just to be drawn out.
I appreciate what these movies did, and the messages they are trying to tell. I think they’re very flawed though, with particular emphasis on them being long but not doing anything with that time. I don’t want action sequences or anything. I just don’t want to sit around effectively watching people do nothing.