#it's a masterpiece. truly unforgettable and at this point in time nothing else comes close to it.

[pokemonruby]

octopath being snubbed for best score is especially surreal like even if it isn't one of those big-time mainline game series that are typically showcased at the awards you absolutely cannot deny the unparalleled genius of yasunori nishiki's compositions. especially with the smooth transitions between the day and night osts in the second game and the individual character themes, the soundtrack perfectly encapsulates the scenic, immersive, and stunning atmospheres the game's world has to offer, as well as the intense emotional beats during each of the travelers' stories, and not to mention the godly boss themes, and it absolutely never fails to deliver. octopath is not just a game but a bona fide work of art in genuinely every aspect and it pains me to see it being overlooked like this. team asano features some of the most gifted developers in the industry and god forbid they deserve more recognition.

[twentiethcenturymoviesandtv]

Carnival of Souls: Facets of Film

The chief difference between watching a movie and reading a book is that in one, you have to make up your own visuals (unless you’re reading a picture book), and in the other, you get to see someone else’s visuals.  This can be either an advantage or a disadvantage, and the difference is made entirely thanks to the production team.

The people behind the camera who make the film work have quite a job on their hands.  Once the parts have been cast, the script written, and the locations selected, all that’s left to do is absolutely everything else, ensuring that the project is suitable for release.  And of course, as you probably know, this isn’t exactly a cakewalk.

A lot goes into making a movie into a movie.  There’s set design, music, camerawork and editing, costuming, performances, special effects, and it all has to come together in a consistent way that’s genuinely entertaining.  It is these elements, these ‘facets of film’, that can take a movie with great characters and a good script, and turn it into an unforgettable masterpiece.  This is the segment of filmmaking that lends us the unforgettable score of Jaws, the unbelievable visuals of Blade Runner, and the fantastic camerawork of The French Connection.  This is the storytelling shorthand that makes a movie memorable, that helps give the audience all of the information they need to have without spelling it all out in dialogue.

The mark of a truly great filmmaker is one who knows how to use these aspects of ‘storytelling shorthand’ well, not simply competently.  It is this movie-maker who understands the elements of his movie, and knows their places.  Too often, the mistake is made of focusing the film’s time and energy in the wrong place: the trimmings, instead of the tree.  It’s a common error, one that becomes more and more obvious as the range for special effects increases.  The temptation to put the focus on how a movie looks and sounds takes over, and before we know it, the movie that we’re watching becomes more concerned with being a huge, visual blockbuster extravaganza.

Now, there’s nothing wrong with being a huge, visual, blockbuster extravaganza.  It’s these types of movies that make movie history, movies like Jurassic Park, Star Wars, or Back to the Future.  But those movies all had something in common: a balance.

In the movies listed above, in the best movies, the visual storytelling doesn’t overshadow the story it’s trying to tell.  Even more subtle films like Casablanca use their camerawork extremely effectively, without making it the point of the movie.  In short, the trimmings of film are there to accentuate, methods used to tell the story in the most effective, and best looking way possible, without losing sight of the point: the characters and story.

It is those elements that we’re going to be examining today, figuring out the answer to a question: Does Carnival of Souls use its ‘facets of film’ wisely?

Let’s take a look, starting with an element that can occasionally be overlooked: the camerawork.  (Possible spoilers below!)

A camera in the hands of a competent director looks good.  Unremarkable, but good.  It is when it is in the hands of someone who knows what they’re doing that elevates it into something remarkable, using angles, lighting, and different shots to capture the look of what the director is looking for.

As it turns out, the camerawork of Carnival of Souls is one of its best features.

The camerawork in Carnival of Souls is utilized very cleverly.  Director Herk Harvey knew how to use a camera to heighten the sense of the uncanny, using shadows and close-ups to capture the eerie atmosphere that hangs over the entire movie.  The camera is alternatively uncomfortably close and far away, letting the audience experience Mary’s terror and isolation.  Add onto that the brilliant use of unconventional angles to frame our protagonist, and we’ve got ourselves a really interesting series of shots.

There are a few examples that stand out more than others, of course.  Especially interesting is the imagery of Mary at the organ, looked down upon by the audience as she plays in the center of a web of instrument, almost swallowed up.  Another excellent example is any of the scenes involving Mary’s visions.  The shots of the undead rising from the water to twirl in the pavilion are eerie, creepy, and weird, only further emphasized by the off shots of Mary’s ghoulish doppelganger.

Also of note (and my personal favorite) is the near-dizzying shot-reverse-shot of Mary, looking down the staircase at the boarding house, and spotting The Man on the ground floor, looking up at her with that Slasher Smile.  It’s a legitimately chilling moment, only heightened by the brilliant use of the camera, intensifying the close-up.

Of course, camerawork alone doesn’t set a mood.  The music has quite a lot to do with it as well.

The soundtrack for Carnival of Souls is extremely simple: it’s organ music.  Fittingly enough, as that’s Mary’s profession, and it enables her to take part of the soundtrack.  It almost plays a part in the story, first haunting her radio so only creepy organ music is playing, and then seemingly possessing her as she plays a wild, weird song on the church instrument, accompanying the visions she’s seeing of the undead in the pavilion.

Of course, there are also times where there is no music at all.

The scenes where Mary explores the abandoned pavilion are rather quiet, silent so that the audience can hear the strange noises at the same time that Mary does.  This emphasizes, again, that ‘off’ feeling, increasing the audience’s awareness of the ‘uncanny’.  The eerie music, paired with the creepy, surrealist visuals, make a chilling combination, further heightened by the sets and makeup.

There isn’t much ‘memorable’ where sets are concerned for this film.  The film was shot on location, with the buildings left as they were.  Even the pavilion was an actual abandoned Mormon dance hall that director Herk Harvey found.  The way these settings are shot definitely heightens the scare-factor, as the locations are typically rather sparsely populated in the film, and often filmed to accentuate the shadows that increases the creep-factor of the film’s mood as a whole.  

Of course, it helps if what’s in the setting is just as creepy as the setting itself.  Luckily, the makeup artists knew how to make a movie monster on a budget.

Unlike the masterpieces like the Frankenstein monster or the Wolf-Man from Universal’s golden horror years, there’s not a whole lot to The Man’s appearance, or the appearance of the army of the undead.  They look like our traditional zombies: pale faced, black-eyed, and awkward moving, nothing if not persistent.  Ironically, Carnival of Souls pre-dates most zombie movies by a good handful of years, and in fact was the primary inspiration for George A. Romero’s zombie-codifier: Night of the Living Dead, which came out six years later.  Naturally, this means that Carnival of Souls must have been doing something right.

It was.

There’s a reason the ‘zombie look’ so familiar now is so iconic, and that’s because it works.  Carnival of Souls hit that perfect balance of human and not, adding to the gothic look of the film.  The result is a genuinely odd-looking menace, albeit one without much in personality.

All of these features come together to create something legitimately important in the realm of filmmaking: a great look.

One of the ways that a film can truly stick out among the thousands is having a truly distinct look, and in that, Carnival of Souls succeeds.  Taking a page out of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari’s book, the bizarre angles, weird music, and uncanny staging and sense of isolation truly emphasizes the surrealist horror of the film, making an otherwise okay film truly memorable.  Even without any special effects to speak of (besides the makeup, again, this movie was extremely inexpensive), the visual style of this movie almost seems like an arthouse film, helping it to stand out among the hundreds of horror films made before and since.  Every shot and every note of music is all pointing to one thing: something is not right.  Mary Henry never has to express this aloud to the audience, because we already know, from all of these hints, that the atmosphere is tense, that she should be frightened.

But there’s more to a movie’s ‘storytelling shorthand’.  All of the atmosphere in the world doesn’t do you any good unless it’s paired with some compelling performances.

Candace Hilligoss was the only professional actress in the entire cast, and it shows.  That may sound harsh, but not only is it true, it’s actually not a bad thing.  The slightly ‘off’ acting of most of the other performers really adds to that sense of uncanny, the sensation that something is wrong.  It also has the added bonus of further making Mary seem out of place, isolated, as though she is not welcome and does not belong.  It’s an extremely striking effect, off putting in the best ways.

As for Candace Hilligoss herself?  Honestly, she does an extremely admirable job.

Hilligoss is the centerpiece of this movie, capturing the audience with her wildly swinging performance.  Without much personality to work with, she portrays an unnatural character held at a distance from the rest of reality, alternating between being detached and alone, and terrified of the isolation, and of visions pursuing her.  In hindsight, the twist that Mary is dead makes a lot of sense, and a lot of it is thanks to Hilligoss’s masterful acting, lending an unforgettable Haunted Heroine performance to an otherwise bland character.

Every element utilized in this quirky little film comes together perfectly to elicit the desired emotions from the audience: discomfort, unease, and fear, which is very much the point.  Without much of a budget or access to materials that made other horror films unforgettable, the crew behind Carnival of Souls worked with what they had to create a genuinely disturbing surrealist horror film, full of clever scares to please any horror fan.  The sum is truly greater than the parts, fitting together to make up this cult horror classic that’s been remembered fondly, albeit a little late, for several years, and will continue to be remembered for several more.

Thank you guys so much for reading!  Don’t forget that the ask box is always open for questions, suggestions, discussions, or just saying hi!  Join us next time where we’re going to be discussing the behind-the-scenes story of Carnival of Souls in ‘Facets of Filmmaking’.  I hope to see you there!

[petty-crush]

An open letter/retort to the “honest trailer” for “Alien Covenant”

Of course people can disagree and of course this is a sarcastic video. But since this contains a lot of knee jerk, being negative for views comments, (and because people may get fooled by just watching this video)I think this is a good place to dissect frogs.

My bias; I think “Covenant” is a truly great film. Spectacular in ideas, behaviors, visuals, and pure fun. I loved it. I am clearly willing to die on a hill for it

The main gap is that it’s really a different series, under the mask of the “Alien” series. It actually veers closer to the 1932 film “Island of lost Souls”. Ship of survivors representing normal veer into uncharted territory; a mad scientist bending the rules of biology encounters and clashes with them; the monsters he creates go to war with the ship. And in this film evil wins.

It also contains genuinely great performance(s) from Fassbender, grand sketches of gods wrecking the cosmos, humanity abandoning its children to go after unanswerable questions, and more that harken back to Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein” sandbox of sci fi.

To me, this film is all about David. The humans are cannon fodder for them. Which justifies their characterization. Also, he’s clearly a stand in for Ridley Scott and the work + wonder of being an artist, film director in particular.

I love this. I can see others liking it less, but is beautifully realized, staged, and executed.

So what are people looking for? Well…

[quotes around their words, mine by themselves]

“From Ridley Scott, one of the best directors… And one of the worst”

-first off, I think an artist is judged by their best work, not overall average

Scott can be quite varied. I personally favor going to cosmos than staying in your lane. Sometimes that make mistakes, but interesting ones.

Make no mistake though: “The Counselor” is a first rate film, acidic in the extreme, but so totally gonzo that it makes you breathe a different air. It’s the kissing cousin to “Covenant”, and both show a director willing to try new ideas and tones, and pulls it off spectacularly. Both have no interest in making the viewer feel good or flatter them, which definitely pushes some people away

“There are now more bad alien films than good ones”

-first off, where is “Prometheus”? Isn’t it an alien film? If not, and “covenant” is clearly a sequel to it, then maybe this film should be judged apart from the Ripley saga.

-I have wondered at times if calling it “Prometheus: Covenant” would have cut down on the confusion

-“Alien 3” is a spectacular film. It fully commits to the idea of Ripley having courage and purpose to her life as she knows she will die. It is completely different to “Aliens”(which may have been its problem concerning reception,as we will see) and “Alien”, it forms a perfect trilogy. Fincher may hate how fucked he got by the system, but it is a beautiful and wonderful film

“Alien resurrection” less so. But it is an odd, French splatter cartoon; certainly worth watching, not at all bad.

The “vs predator” films are largely minor, and I have no qualms with considering them less successful films.

-What makes the alien series great is that with each film the xenomorph changes to be what the film needs it to be. It’s flexibility storytelling wise is impressive. The problem comes when a audience only wants one type of story done

“When Ridley Scott wanted to talk about the meaning of life, he wanked for two hours”

-“Prometheus” has nothing to do with life, and everything to do with death. The characters in the film want to know about life (particularly Shaw since she can’t give birth) but they are punished at every turn, showing the universe to be uncaring.

Disagree with that statement or not, that is the rule that “Prometheus” and “Covenant” is abiding by.

Hell the first shot of “Prometheus” is an engineer killing himself. “Covenant” starts with life and realizing how the creator will die. There is consistency in this film universe.

And it also totally vibes with “Alien”.

“Save the philosophical stuff for ‘Blade Runner’, I want a short haired girl, in a tank top, fighting a xenomorph, who kills it by sucking it into the vacuum of space”

-and now we come to the real discussion/thorn in the side; this film isn’t a damn thing like “Aliens”

One thing that makes the alien series so fascinating is how it allowed two totally different filmmakers to make their masterpiece.

Also, it’s the rare series where the sequel brought in a bigger and wider audience.

I bet money that most people really only like “Aliens”. And that’s no shame, it’s a brilliant film. It’s strengths are the set pieces, the use of xenomorph as locusts, and characters that are simple but snappy and endearing.

In comparison to “Alien” which is cold, weird and slow moving (and brilliant) “Aliens” charm is more warm and dynamic. It doesn’t ask you to wait, it asks you to hold on. It gets kids in the door with Newt, it sets up a deep chord with Ripley giving her mother like affection , and it also makes Ripley more feminine and kick ass (she was wonderfully butch and joyfully selfish in “Alien”)

Cameron said it best in his critique of “Covenant”; “ I don’t like films where you invest in a character and they get destroyed at the end.”

Some people share that opinion. Ridley Scott does not. (Nether do I)His films generally have had the protagonist go through hell and often destroyed them. I admire that in him.

But that point of view explains why “Aliens” is so successful; it makes us love the characters and be sad when their friends die. Cameron is a genius, and is warm with his characters. Scott is also a genius, and picks their wings off like a cruel child.

Every alien film post “Aliens” has had to bear that cross, of creating such lovable stock characters. “Alien 3” didn’t give a shit, and made a impressive gathering of detached male prisoners. “Resurrection” came close with goofy space pirates, but were weird as shit.

In my opinion, if “Alien” came out after “Aliens” it would have not been as warmly received, because, got damn, is it cold and weird and hurts its people. It’s suppose to. The reaction to “Prometheus” and “Covenant” shows that all too clear.

Finally, Scott clearly does not give a shit about any alien film after his. I don’t think the Prometheus saga will show the queen alien because it came after Scott and he considers it invalid.

With this in mind, I can see how people are upset. Cold, hateful, sadistic are what “Covenant” are. And I love it for that.

I love mean films with a purpose and artistic flourish. And the Prometheus saga does it so well.

If you came to “Covenant” to root for its human characters, you are fucked (and kinda an idiot). Scott is making big budget sci fi epics about the mass murder of nature and survival of artists.

You can hate that, but call a spade a spade.

“In a franchise full of unforgettable characters”

(Shows only “Aliens” characters)

What about Dallas? Ash? Clemens? Golic? Call? Elgyn? Gediman?

There exists good characters other than the second film, guys

Once again, this love for “Aliens” blinds people to everything else

“Forget the humans”

Duhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

-but also, that slipping on blood part was (intentionally) hilarious

“Freshman philosophy class…two versions of same pretentious professor..flute”

-why do I get the feelings that the people who say stuff like this never study philosophy and just consider anything even slightest bit about talking about feelings and ideas just stoner shit, because they are the only people that talk about those subjects they let in their social circle?

I dunno, the idea about humanity killing its children for vague reasons, someone trying to better himself against cruelty and going mad himself, and finally having the courage to create something even when everyone else tells him to stand down sounds pretty universally relatable and human to me.

And even if it was pretentious, that is what art is, to subtract the distractions, and focus on what you want the world to be

-to me, David is sad Walter cannot create, like Scott is upset younger directors don’t get to make original universes and material. But David is also a fucking maniac who will stop at nothing, to whom other lives means nothing. That kind of grand vainness is perfectly at home in the world and its what art leisure to create out of whole cloth

But all of this gets in the way of watching strong men blow things away with guns, doesn’t it? (“aliens” did this to show how ineffective the marines were, not to worship them)

-the flute adds to the fantasy element, of the pied piper trying to lure others away, to their doom

Plus, it’s just fucking funny

“Snickers at 'I’ll take care of the fingering’”

See? This film is just so much fun

“I was not expecting this much flute playing”

I love it when films surprise me. I adore it when filmmakers follow their strange urges and give us scenes I never saw coming.

I love the scene of David tempting Walter with the flute.

I marveled at the scene where David drops his black plague on the engineers(who look totally different).

I looked around as David played the fucking theme to “Prometheus” on his flute. I starred at the other audience members, as if to ask “is this the real life?”

I laughed uproariously as just when you think it’s safe the xenomorph tracks the two pilots shower sexing, like it’s 1982 slasher time.

As soon as the humans delver us to David, I could see who this film was about. And really, the humans are just for showing his gentle and different Walter is.

Ridley Scott delivered a new horror classic, with a eye towards the 70’s and 30’s, but both feet in the present, with the score and design to make it work.

The first victim convulsing and back blood shooting. David acting as satan. Terror of trapped in the sick bay. The aforementioned shower scene. The cross bearing xenomorph rejects. The puppet master pulling the strings of the first post face hugger.

This is a brilliantly conceived, written, directed, and persevered treat for horror fans. I loved every second of it.

“Thrill of seeing the xenomorph move. In full daylight. Which just looks…wrong”

This is the best point of the video, though I disagree with the conclusion.

It is weird and against the vibe of the Ripley saga for the xenomorph to be a servant. But clearly these creatures are the hounds to mr burns. Satan. Evil mad dr Moreau.

It definitely gave the the film a totally new vibe. As did all the green life. But isn’t that what films are about, showing new images?

It just looks so damn different. I like different. Different and great-even better.

“Cgi Ripley?”

That would be pretty weird. But since I more or less wash my hands of any continuity, why not?

It’s probably just a spur of the moment statement. But also incredibly funny

“It asks [x] questions but leaves you wondering [y]”

Mac, the real question is, do you like to create? That’s all this film is about. The joy of creation. Of weaving something new out of something old.

Like, Ridley is literally exploiting his own creation. It’s surreal and the best.

“Compares terminator series to Alien series”

This is more apt, but in a different way.

For both series, The first film is a stand alone classic. A low key masterpiece. The second is an expansive blockbuster which really really skewed expectations for future films.

The comparison ends there though. Sigourney Weaver has way way more character to work with. Poor Schwarzenegger had so so directors to work with, while the Alien series put down the work of real filmmakers making challenging art.

I enjoy the terminator series, but it’s clear that it’s so much the work of one man (James Cameron) so no one else can make it work. But the fluidity of the xenomorph makes every single film worth watching and honestly essential.

The second film in both series cast a long shadow. But while the following films in the terminator series really don’t hold up if stand alone, the following xenomorph films all showcase a different side to hubris and death

Which is honestly the best way to approach this film. Something new, vibrant, and bizarrely personal

Respecting and knowing horror and monsters films for what they do helps too

“Me at the idea of six more alien films”

I love it. I usually get tuned out after a few films, but this Prometheus saga just works. The possibilities are endless.

Ridley Scott deserves the highest kudos for turning this series into greatness

In a certain way, “Alien” is “Halloween”, perfect in its execution and of its singularity.

Prometheus saga is Friday the 13th series. Messier, off to an odd start, but a snowball of its own delights that fosters an utterly nihilistic universe. Like Jason, David is too good for just one film, and we need those eight films of him. It may indeed prove to be the essentials space monster-mad scientist series, just like Jason is the essential slasher killer.

Is this pizza to a steak? Yes, but each have their own pure delights, and like a certain pie, it just gets better and beautifully blurrier with each dizzying bite

Long live Prometheus saga; may it rule in hell for an eternity. Just as “Covenant” does in my heart.