Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0

Huh. I don't recall seeing a chimpanzee one.
But to me there's a division between his "outlaw" years which I think had the high watermark with Death by Hanging and his, slow, get under your skin movies, of which MC Mr L and ItRotS are part of (in that latter category, I've seen those Empire of Passion - hey, it's a kwaidan - and Gohatto, his final film. Which I think the last one is the even more misanthropic, spiteful version of MC Mr L, but assessments may vary.) Both categories agree that society is rotten though. I don't know how I felt about Senses the first time I saw it, since it was my first Oshima and I don't know what I was expecting.

My unpopular opinion (at least in the sense that it's not widely held), I greatly prefer Oshima to Kurosawa.

ETA: If I were to hazard a partial reason, I suspect Noh theater might just not be for me (I see that having only seen it show up in scenes in movies, but have never actually attended a play, but the characteristics I'm seeing in it correlate with aspects of what I'm seeing in Kurosawa movies that kind of turn me off).

The chimpanzee one is Max Mon Amour.

Appropriately, "wtf," images. Yeah, if I've heard of that one, I had forgotten it.

I think I wrote a review on my blog years ago, I'll dig it up for my thread.

Kurosawa is one of those talents who is so God like, I would struggle not to give him my preference. But because Oshima so much more reflects my sensibilities of what I like in the rhythms and textures and the general idea of film, there is something fallacious about me not picking him.


Seven Samurai is a perfect movie. It is my favorite of Kurosawa's. But I wouldn't even consider putting it on my top 100 of all time. Wheras

Oshima would at the very least represent with Lawrence, and would have another handful I'd be forced to at least mull over.



But then I think of specific sequences from Throne of Blood, or Ran, or Samurai and I have to give credit to the fact that I don't even know how a human being did those things.


Basically, it's complicated.

You know, the existence of this movie is coming back to me (probably because you've referenced it), but for some reason it never registered or stuck in my head (the obvious reasons) that it was an Oshima film.

Lynch is probably the perfect example of a director where I really only need to include one film that perfectly encompasses everything there is to love about their art. Eraserhead was the original statement of intent, Blue Velvet properly codified his sensibilities, and Twin Peaks illustrated how much he could do even when delving into a medium as fundamentally commercialised as television - however, nothing crystallises what it means to be Lynchian quite like Mulholland Drive. Another surreal mystery in a career largely defined by them, the film is ostensibly about up-and-coming actress Betty (Naomi Watts) and her efforts to help amnesiac Rita (Laura Harring) regain her memory, but things are never that simple - especially when Lynch is given as long a leash as he is given here. The jabs at the state of Hollywood filmmaking - especially in the B-plot involving beleaguered director Adam (Justin Theroux) going on his own bizarre odyssey after defying the studio suits' casting demands - aren't exactly subtle, but plot has never really been Lynch's concern so much as using it as a framework upon which he can layer all manner of distinctive tableaux that he can weave together into a greater experience (the infamous diner scene ultimately has very little connection to the film's actual plot but it's such an indelible moment that contributes to the overall air of sinister strangeness permeating the film). At once easier and harder to understand than its difficult reputation might suggest (Inland Empire seems like it exists to make this one look simpler in comparison), it may or may not be his masterwork but it feels like the one I'd rescue from the fire.

2005 ranking: N/A
2013 ranking: #67

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Iro's Top 100 Movies v3.0

Mulholland Drive used to be one of my all-time favorites before it was pushed off a while ago. I should revisit it to see if it will bounce back.

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Mulholland Dr. entered my top 10 about a decade ago and has never looked close to leaving since.

Aren't they though?



Anyhow, the Club Silencio/Rebekah del Rio singing is my favorite eye of the duck moment from Lynch, just in a visceral, emotional response.

If I'm being honest, I would put Mulholland Drive in the middle of the David Lynch pack. But that still means it is better than virtually anything else on this planet and other artists should be shamed at how much Mulholland Drive shows them up as total pointless hacks.


Also, I have no idea what my favorite Lynch is. They all come with caveats but they are also (almost) all singularly brilliant.

My earlier goal of trying to limit myself to one entry per franchise has ultimately turned out to be a somewhat arbitrary one, though I do have to acknowledge when - much as Mulholland Drive was the only Lynch film I absolutely needed to include - I know exactly which franchise entry must be included. It's because the Evil Dead trilogy is on average one of the best trilogies out there, with each of its entries carving out distinct identities while still adhering to the same anarchic approach to demonic horror. I picked Evil Dead II because it perfectly bridges the gap between the (relatively) straightforward terror of The Evil Dead and the over-the-top adventure comedy of Army of Darkness, once again seeing series hero Ash (Bruce Campbell) fend off the forces of evil from within the confines of a cabin in the woods. Taking the original's established zero-budget inventiveness and using it at least as much for comedic purposes as horrific ones, Raimi turns out one perversely delightful exercise in nerve-shredding terror that puts Ash into all kinds of slapstick scenarios made possible by the supernatural (perhaps none more infamous than him going to war with his demonically-possessed hand). I've never quite been able to discern what greater thematic or ideological depth there is to any of the malevolent mayhem seen on screen and a large part of me finds it hard to care one way or the other. Evil Dead II is a capital-M Movie that just wants to get in, show you a good time, and get out - for that, it has my loyalty and respect.

2005 ranking: N/A
2013 ranking: #22

I've always preferred The Evil Dead, but Evil Dead II is really good as well.

Good pick, Evil Dead 2 is maybe the most fun and rewatchable horror comedy I've seen, which means it's strong candidate for favourite movie of all time. Mulholland Drive is my fave Lynch, although I didn't watch Eraserhead yet.

Eh, I found the original a bit "uneventful"-feeling compared to Dead By Dawn, if I'm being perfectly honest; it's still pretty good on the whole, mind you, just not as good as its sequel.

I think the sequel loses some steam after the first half once the other characters arrive to the cabin since it abandons the twisted slapstick humor which made the first half so great. Don't get me wrong though, the second half is still pretty good. The first half, however, is one of the most unique stretches to any horror film I've ever seen. Great ending though.

The original film remains great from beginning to end, in my opinion. Heck, I'd even consider it as one of my five favorite horror films ever.

I'm in the very small minority that prefers Army of Darkness if only because, despite the goofy tone, I find the first two films a bit too sad. (I know, I know!).

I also find it infinitely quotable:

Shop smart, shop . . . S-Mart

Don't touch that please, your primitive intellect wouldn't understand alloys and compositions and things with... molecular structures.

And the bit with Ash trying to fudge the magic words never fails to make me smile.

I'm not gonna argue over which Evil Dead is the best (my vote goes to the original, whose meanness gives it a sense of transgression missing in the others), but will instead recommend Bloody Muscle Bodybuilder from Hell, a Japanese Evil Dead fan film that finds fun riffs on moments from the original. It's on Tubi in a watchable transfer.

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