Film memories #1: Gerry by Gus Van Sant
A couple dudes take a hike in a desert area and get lost in it, and go a little crazy. I won't spoil it but it isn't a cheery film, but when I 1st saw it in 2004, in my little Taoist phase, it made an incredible impact on me.
For starters what's the music that opens it up? Arvo Part's Spiegel I'm Spiegel, thee most pure and simple but deeply affecting piece of music, as you're in the car driving to where they'll leave the car on their doomed hike.
There's a sparseness to this film that was a healing balm for me as I was extremely disgusted with blockbusters at this time. This was the kind of movie I didn't know you could get, I think I always knew there was good stuff that wasn't readily available, but there it was in Movie Time, that was the name of the rental place that used to be the one place I couldn't stay away from in this little town I live in, I even could have small talk with the lady that worked there, so friendly!!
But anyways I felt like talking about films that meant something to me as a bit of nostalgia, I visited Movie Forums yesterday, a guy there has his own thread where he talks about his new 4K's and he does it so well, and it makes me sad but with a smile remembering my poor knock off version of collecting films and being transported to other worlds and situations that were radically different from whatever was most popular at the time. It was at this time that the vapors of the indie spirit of the 90s still wafted around.
When I showed Gerry to my folks it totally fell flat for me though, this henceforth was not thee kind of film I was looking for, it was just a startling change from the deadening monotony of movies that felt they had to have explosions and whatnot every 5 seconds.
Films that challenged and rewarded those who stuck with it, films that be like Werner Herzog's version of a Murnau classic, now that was what was officially the first film that was the kind of film I was looking for. There was substance along with style. Gus' Gerry was like a minimalist painting not showing much, dry and hollow, with my favorite music slapped onto it. Herzog dazzled me, I went through an insomniac phase while soaking up the jungle atmosphere of Aguirre, the Wrath of God, story wise I love most the ones with Bruno S, the non actor star of The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser and Stroszeck, how I loved those ones, the use of classical music and the pleasantly jarring visuals.
There was magic in the air when I saw these, tearing up a bit
[media=https://youtu.be/t5q6QmiikM8]
It looks real and fantastic at the same time, I prefer this look so much more than the glossy kind of look too many movies have.
For starters what's the music that opens it up? Arvo Part's Spiegel I'm Spiegel, thee most pure and simple but deeply affecting piece of music, as you're in the car driving to where they'll leave the car on their doomed hike.
There's a sparseness to this film that was a healing balm for me as I was extremely disgusted with blockbusters at this time. This was the kind of movie I didn't know you could get, I think I always knew there was good stuff that wasn't readily available, but there it was in Movie Time, that was the name of the rental place that used to be the one place I couldn't stay away from in this little town I live in, I even could have small talk with the lady that worked there, so friendly!!
But anyways I felt like talking about films that meant something to me as a bit of nostalgia, I visited Movie Forums yesterday, a guy there has his own thread where he talks about his new 4K's and he does it so well, and it makes me sad but with a smile remembering my poor knock off version of collecting films and being transported to other worlds and situations that were radically different from whatever was most popular at the time. It was at this time that the vapors of the indie spirit of the 90s still wafted around.
When I showed Gerry to my folks it totally fell flat for me though, this henceforth was not thee kind of film I was looking for, it was just a startling change from the deadening monotony of movies that felt they had to have explosions and whatnot every 5 seconds.
Films that challenged and rewarded those who stuck with it, films that be like Werner Herzog's version of a Murnau classic, now that was what was officially the first film that was the kind of film I was looking for. There was substance along with style. Gus' Gerry was like a minimalist painting not showing much, dry and hollow, with my favorite music slapped onto it. Herzog dazzled me, I went through an insomniac phase while soaking up the jungle atmosphere of Aguirre, the Wrath of God, story wise I love most the ones with Bruno S, the non actor star of The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser and Stroszeck, how I loved those ones, the use of classical music and the pleasantly jarring visuals.
There was magic in the air when I saw these, tearing up a bit
[media=https://youtu.be/t5q6QmiikM8]
It looks real and fantastic at the same time, I prefer this look so much more than the glossy kind of look too many movies have.
46-50, M