Ti West’s X Trilogy

By: Saint Twenty
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After hearing about Mia Goth’s legal drama I wanted to see what was going on. The only film I’d seen the actress in prior was Nymphomaniac by Lars Von Trier. What I learned after devouring this horror trilogy over the weekend is: Ti West is absolutely brilliant and Mia Goth is one of the best actresses of all time. Absolutely blown away.

Cinema if done properly, like all good art, is suppose to transform you, change you, transport you, expand your universe by shattering expectations through good storytelling. Who I was before watching X The Movie is not who I am today. What a fucking ride, to continually surprise the audience without losing the integrity of the story is no small feat. As I said in my Instagram post for this blog, I thought Maxine was reminiscent of Emily Meade’s character in The Deuce. A small town girl wanting to be famous even if it’s through avant-garde porn. Nope, nope, all is not what it seems as Howard Suber would say (read The Power Of Film Explains It All). The plot is so original, if you gave me a play by play synopsis, I wouldn’t believe you. Side note: Brittany Snow managing to fit a pitch perfect moment into a horror porn film took me over the edge, she gonna get her song in.

The scene in Pearl, where she argues with her mother is one of the best I’ve ever seen. Tandi Wright’s phenomenal. Top tier acting, writing, cinematography, production. It’s taking everything not to make this a dissertation. Fucking art. How have more people not dressed as Pearl or Maxine for Halloween? Thank you to everyone involved for this quality work. Via: Pinterest & HBO Max

Halloween Inspo: Francis Whitman

By: Saint Twenty
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Move over Royal Tenebaums, especially Margot Tenebaum, there’s another Wes Anderson costume deserving of the spotlight. Before we get into all that, Gwyneth Paltrow is literally a classic Halloween costume (read Cindy Adams Stars Versus Spectacles). Mentally ill, wannabe, never gonna be, Annabelle Wallis who? She’ll get dragged in upcoming articles. Bitch you could never, there are levels, she can’t see you from hers. Paltrow needs to get an order of protection against her. I digress.

Halloween costumes aren’t all about being sexy, it’s also about dressing balls to the wall outlandish. Out of all The Darjeeling Limited characters Francis Whitman is the most fun fit. Go grab a ton of gauze, bandages, literally two bandaids (one across the bridge of the nose, the other on the cheek), and dark makeup for bruises. While the head gear is mandatory you have the chose of a business causal suit, or stark white pj’s. Blacking out a tooth, a cane and Hawaiian lei are optional, as is a bloody nose and luggage. Trust me, you’ll be noticed. Which variation is your favorite? Via: Pinterest, Tumblr & Filmgazm

Category Is: No Means No

By: Saint Twenty
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Say it loud, say it proud, NO. One of my ex-boyfriends told me it’s my favorite word.
Wanna dance? NO.
Can I get your number Slim? NO
Wanna grab a drink? NO
Can I get a dollar? NO
Send nudes. NO…you send nudes, include the eggplant or don’t bother.
Let me take you out sometime. NO.
“Smile.” Hell NO. Don’t tell me wtf to do with my face, random ass nigga I don’t know. The fuck.
Live it, love it, be it. No means no, learn to say it and accept it, because women don’t owe you our time, bodies, energy, or a response. Via: Mean.Vintage & Violets Helll

Seeing “Jaws” Through A New Lens

By: Saint Twenty
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No joke, until recently I hadn’t watched Jaws in over twenty years. As a child I was scarred by this film, convinced sharks were lurking on every beach waiting to devour me. Was it as terrifying as I fossilized it to be? Let me tell you the suspense is timeless, a cinematic masterpiece. Bravo. But absolutely everything about the way they handled the situation was wildly inappropriate. Nobody called the government for proper equipment or resources, furthermore almost everybody was wasted out of their minds. I’m surprised more people didn’t die with their reckless drinking. That’s what stuns me most. Honestly, I don’t even think Sheriff Brody’s wife knew where she was half the time, she certainly never knew where her kids were. Absolute booze hound.

This is why no black people were involved in the hunt. Prone to being easily spooked, we’re the gatekeepers of common sense. Nigga I’m not getting on no small rickety ass boat to chase a shark of that magnitude, entrusting a man who can barely form a sentence without slurring. Leaving me to ponder who’s the real villain, the misdirected shark, or the rampant alcoholism permeating the island? Via: HBOMax

The Power Of Film Explains It All

By: Saint Twenty
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Perhaps I’ve never understood myself more than Howard Suber explaining the patterns and overarching themes that make films timeless. Why do we, as a culture, rewatch certain movies repeatedly? What makes them forever relevant? If you are to understand anything going on, start by watching The Power Of Film on HBOMax. You don’t have to take color coordinated notes like me, that’s that ElRo! ElRo! But pay attention to: heroes vs. villains, seizing control of your destiny, power of paradox, love and meaning, chimera, triangulation, and compare it to what you’re seeing now via me.

Apocalypse in Greek means revelation, all is not what it seems. Things appear a certain way, but it isn’t so. The book of revelations is the most popular biblically. Howard Suber made me aware that we are living this moment. Storytelling is everything to humanity, expressions of souls, parables of the universal laws are found there. Sorry not sorry AI art isn’t really art, but I’ll save that for a different article.

Growing up we had this forest green treasure chest, with gold trimming, filled with movies. Causing me to view them as sacred. Going to the video store was sacred. At first my sister & I had to agree on a tape, eventually we were able to choose one each, the highlight of our weekend. If my parents got one thing right, it’s my love of art, music & cinema specifically. It’s part of why I’m so eclectic, as their taste is a testament to their time passed down to me, expanded and shared. I devoured films, even minoring in it (read Who Is Serge Becker?). All is not what it seems. Who possesses the tongue that The Rolling Stones use as a logo? What does Kali mean? Who are her Greek & Roman counterparts? Who is California named after? Start there. Enjoy your time, those who aligned on the side of evil. Via: HBOMax

Updated: 7/24/2024 12:28am

Masculin Féminin Ménage À Trois

By: Saint Twenty
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Spoiler Alert

However I actually want you to watch after reading this to see if I’m bugging out, because no one seems to be mentioning the things I’m searching for. A cinema nerd, an art fanatic in general, I often research articles after finishing a book, or film. I spent the better part of an hour doing the same for Jean-Luc Godard’s masterpiece Masculin Féminin, brilliant, fortifying my belief that French New Wave is the best.
The premise of the movie being Paul, the protagonist, is about to turn 21. After serving time in the army he’s trying to figure out what he wants to do with the rest of his life. He meets Madeline, a budding chantress, falls in love, moves in with her, Elisabeth, and Catherine-Isabelle, colocs. Now while the latter is secretly in love with him, the former seems to be having an affair with Madeline. Therein lies the confusion for Madeline from what I saw. Except no one even references it. Am I nuts?

Elisabeth and Madeline’s romance is alluded to multiple times, explaining her hostility towards Paul and possessiveness of Madeline:
-When they are waiting on Madeline for lunch, Paul informs Elisabeth that the aforementioned party is pregnant. Elisabeth gets angry, telling Paul he doesn’t know Madeline like she does, that she’s lying to him. The viewer is left dubious, as Madeline starts the film admitting she lies to him. Paul gets angry and asks her, “What’s it to you?,” several times while banging on the table. Probably the only time you see him vexed. Elisabeth doesn’t answer.
In the same scene when Madeline does arrive, she empties the rest of the wine into Paul’s glass, but pours half of Elisabeth’s cup into her own to share. Intimate. Then when Paul is lost in his whistling of Bach, eyes closed, immersed in sonic memories, Elisabeth strokes Madeline sexually. After getting angry with Paul for touching Madeline’s chest to feel her heartbeat. Madeline herself telling her not to get jealous, he has a right.
Tracing her face with her finger tips twice, they stop when Paul opens his eyes. Dramatic irony. The viewer knows something a character doesn’t. Shakespeare’s forte.
– When they go to an erotic movie, Elisabeth makes sure to sit next to Madeline, who leaves a space for Paul on the other side. Seeing this Paul sits next to Catherine-Isabelle instead. Madeline makes Catherine-Isabelle switch with her, upsetting Elisabeth who was practically necking her before Madeline confesses her love for Paul, to Paul.
-Finally, in the last scene the audience finds out Paul dies, mysteriously falling from his new apartment window. Elisabeth and Madeline went to see it, because no one believed him. When Madeline wanted to move Elisabeth in with them he objected, then met his end.
The police question Madeline and Catherine-Isabelle, was it suicide, an accident, or murder? I figured Elisabeth was missing from the interrogation as she was a suspect, since they got into an argument about her moving in. Also she told Madeline to abort the child with a coat hanger. Yet still, absolutely no one mentions this relationship regarding the movie. Which is crazy. Leaving me to wonder why? It’s essential to plot, yet everyone talks about Catherine-Isabelle’s unrequited love for Paul. Did the allusions go over everyone’s head? Am I making it up, or am I just super nerdy and observant (I was a film minor, a focal point of my relationship with Serge Becker, read: Who Is Serge Becker? )?

You watch and tell me. I’ll probably write more on this film, it’s so damn good. There’s so much to discuss. Godard also wrote the amazing script. Urgh, a fucking legend. Three panoramic shots left me breathless (pun intended). I ceased to breathe, memorized, replaying them over and over again. Can you guess which three? Are you going to watch? Did you see what I saw too? Via: Serendipity.TD