zoothorn21

Juraj Herz's The Cremator, lost to Western audiences for many years before being recently rediscovered by the Brothers Quay, is an extraordinary surreal meditation on the political horror of 1930s Europe. Hrusínský's remarkable title performance literally and figuratively fills the screen, an alarming depiction of a deceptive and compulsive character slowly inhabited by Nazi political dogma. In some respects The Cremator recalls Polanski's claustrophobic nightmare Repulsion, though this is arguably even further out than Polanski could manage. Utterly devastating but incredibly watchable (the 90 minute running time passes in a heartbeat), this is a real find. I posted this comment because I was aware that the only other comment on the film was negative, and I really do believe it is worth your time checking this out.

Having just seen all 6 episodes of 'Beasts' on DVD, I fear that the enthusiastic posts here are from people who are relying on rose-tinted memories of a thirty-year old series. The sad truth is that, with the exception of 'Baby', none of the episodes here are very good, with a creaking budget (and sets) restricting the action terribly, and making, especially in the cases of 'Buddy Boy' and 'Special Offer', for some breathtakingly tedious and often laughable television. The much discussed 'During Barty's Party' would clearly be quite scary if you were 9 years old, but the two actors are absolutely terrible, and despite a nice concept, the show positively staggers to 55 minutes. I'm a huge fan of old British t.v., and there is much (Whistle And I'll Come To You, some episodes of Hammer House Of Horror, The Woman In Black) that has retained its power, but sadly the truth is that 'Beasts' isn't really up to much. Ironically, one of the extras on the DVD is 'Against The Crowd: Murrain', which is a fantastic and disturbing piece of television, far better than any of the 'Beasts' episodes! Rent the first disc for that alone, but be warned - it may be better to keep your memories as they are.

Having loved 'Together' and admired, for the most part, 'Lilya 4-Ever' (as well as his short films), I was dreadfully disappointed with this new work from Moodyson. In an interview about 'A Hole On My Heart' Moodyson stated that he thought it was his best and most complex film, before saying that he didn't know what the film was supposed to be about, not offering any explanation other than 'it has many layers'. Such statements reveal entirely the reason behind the film's failure. Depsite Moodyson's assertion of complexity, there is simply nothing in this 90+ minute film that could not have been adequately communicated in a short. Simply juxtaposing unpleasant images of cosmetic surgery and action men figures with home-made pornography does not constitute a complex statement on anything. In fact the film is hopelessly meandering and one has the increasing feeling that it was 'discovered' in the editing room. I'm very interested in non-narrative film-making, and I don't need a 'story' to communicate events to me, but it is evident to me when there is a severe paucity of drive and ideas, and that feeling was evident throughout a viewing of this film. It concerns me that this film will be defended by people who feel that sitting through the unpleasant content constitutes some sort of test of intellectual rigour and that those who didn't like it are not prepared to 'face up' to the reality this film purports to present. In fact the simple truth is that this is an empty film, with a painful lack of understanding of how to dramatise ideas. I really hope Moodyson comes up with something better next time - I think his talents outstrip nonsense like this.