Jeff's Streaming Journal

December 29, 2023

Dead Man's Letters - 1986 - Konstantin Lopushansky



I thought i'd begin something that hopefully would last till i die of a heart attack or something, a long running thing, as long as possible. I choose to begin with an apocalyptic film called Dead Man's Letters as the perfect beginning. I love the sepia tone in this which is reminiscent of Tarkovsky's Stalker but oh so much more gritty, it looks more real to me.

I really love films which aren't tainted by the prettification process, to show reality warts and all, Godard's Les carabiniers is a good example of this, so if you see those kinds you know more than however i could describe it.

I read online earlier how some billionaires are buying underground bunkers, seems like some big shit's gonna go down, and the "important" people are gonna make sure they stick around. In Dead Man's Letters i see real people though, and i'll always rather see real in films than make upped people.

It does indeed check off some depressing points, a constant eerie mechanical sound you can hear in Eraserhead, the decrepitude is similar to Visions of Suffering, made some 20 years after this one, which i found on YouTube.

I hope to be able to find any film people recommend on the depressing film post and so on, why depressing? Why is that so important to me? Well i hope to find out exactly why over the course of my tenure here and in this thread. If it's not self evident yet.

Might watch HBO's Chernobyl sometime soon also, as this prefigures that event.

One shouldn't think this is a film without hope or a heart, it does, it just depicts the end, a touching speech is given well into the film, i notice after a few meal scenes that they have the same proportions, on a ration, once that food's up they'll be goners as well. But before there was a very nice poetic moment with opera, a voice whispering and nuclear explosion footage. I think i saw that this director was a protege of Tarkovsky, it shows, Tarkovsky imo has way more aesthetic qualities, whereas this film show the squalor and utter ruin of an atmosphere better.

Nocturnal Animals 2016 Directed by Tom Ford




You know it's gonna be good when the opening credits feature overweight nude women, some in an obviously over the top cgi way

"Our world is a lot less painful than the real world"

Aborting my watch of this, and cancelled Prime and all of the add ons i just don't use it enough, i had picked this to try to make the subscription worthwhile, but nope, life's too short

Glad you enjoyed it.

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IMDb
Letterboxd

First Reformed 2017 Directed by Paul Schrader




Alrighty then, i finally am ready and found it at the same time, ever since i saw it mentioned in relation to one of my favorite Bergman films i've been dying to see it, and i have a feeling it'll be ... depressing, oh yeah!!

The Killing 2007 to 2012



3 seasons, 40 episodes

I believe this is one of the core Nordic Noirs, this is how i'll be celebrating the new year. My plan here ergo is to include series also, so hold onto your hats, it's gonna get windy in Denmark!!

Ozark 2017 to 2022



4 seasons, 44 episodes

2nd of 4 shows i intend on finishing in January, often compared with the GREAT Breaking Bad, it's its own beast and i'm enjoying it so far.

Spuren des Bösen (Anatomy of Evil)




Trying this Austrian crime thriller series on for size, imdb says 8 seasons but only 2 are on MHz, each episode is movie length, i like what i'm seeing so far, and the lovely sights of Vienna. Plus i love the sound of the German language

January 2024

Criterion

1. Dheepan
2. Whore
3. The Clockmaker of St. Paul
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Mubi

1. The Beasts
2. White Material
3. The Structure of Crystal
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Arrow

1. The Four of the Apocalypse
2. Django
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MHz

1. Maigret: Maigret in Montmartre (Sn 1 Ep 1) -- 81m // 1991
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Topic

1. The Killing 1x8
2. The Killing 1x9
3. The Killing 1x10
4. The Killing 1x11
5. The Killing 1x12 (it's reassuring to see the detectives still being taken seriously at this point)
6. The Killing 1x13
7. The Killing 1x14
8. The Killing 1x15
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Whore 1991 Ken Russell



As this thread is in the movie review section, i feel it is my duty to try to put into words any thoughts on what i'm watching instead of a bare bones monthly list like above, which i will continue to do so as to make sure for myself that i'm getting the most out of each streaming service . ... Well this movie was on my to see list like forever, but as i'm watching it, it seems like the optimal time to have seen it was in the past, the subject matter is taken in a lighthearted manner, which can be off putting when there's violence involved. Funny scene in a posh French restaurant, but in no way is this Ken's finest hour, i will see Savage Messiah soon, also a to see film as Derek Jarman had a hand in that. Plus the other Ken films on Criterion this month. Nothing will ever rival The Devils imo, a dream come true would be a director's cut released.

It wouldn't be a good criticism to aim at the tone of it, Ken's style here is indicative of his work on a whole, he was i think going here for a bouncy irreverent social commentary, bringing up issues the way a stand up comedian does. Having seen a really serious and heavy movie dealing with similar themes however does cause me to look down a little on this one here.

Crave is the most expensive subscription i have, i got it mainly for HBO dramas. I have some on DVD, but it's way preferable to stream them. I love how the stories unravel, being all grown up and shit. Doing the dramas chronologically, first up OZ, pretty gritty stuff, never got past season 2. This space here will be where i put together any thoughts. 1st off is some of this stuff is very cringey. This is where i learned a new word when i first saw it conjugal. ... Lifers - a calm comes over their eyes, oh yeah, i know what that is in a way.

Getting to one of the depressing films you fine folk mentioned, care of Tubi, a google image search may have mildly spoiled it though

Fauda 2015 to present



4 seasons so far

Lives up to the hype i think after first episode, terribly topical, gripping, i like the feeling of seeing some serious plausible awful things going on, that air of authenticity, and in a THC fueled state having to actively remind myself it's just a show, that and having an attention disorder.

This shall be gone through, some of these films are LONG, but i am certain i'll like it ... i use the Canadian Criterion so i don't get some of the selections

Crave is out, i'm gonna cancel, not enough time for HBO programs, plus all of it even the best have those cringe moments, it's because of familiarity, it breeds disgust, nothing from other countries which feel culturally different are cringy, i should scrap Netflix too, for the time being, will be busy with MHz and Topic for foreign shows, CC and Mubi for fine films, and Arrow for genre, Disney should go too, just shows i like there which are more of a nostalgic purpose, you can always come back to streaming services, it's wiser and more economical to just have what you will use enough.

This looks so good, as soon as i'm alone and not being talked to i'll take 2 more gummies and watch this in complete darkness, ... or i'll do my peculiar way of watching which for many would disqualify it from being regarded as watching, anything goes in this wacky life i got going.

Coup De Torchon and The Clockmaker are both pretty great.


Particularly the former.

Sadly coup is one of the ones not in the Canadian CC site I like his style, unflashy, and sophisticated, like Rohmer but more dramatic.

White Material - 2009 - Claire Denis



Qualifies as a bleak depressing film, Isabelle Huppert is always great, this film depicts living circumstances i would not last long in, a lady somewhere in Africa has a coffee plantation, and there's war and strife going on.

Django -- 1966 -- Sergio Corbucci



Not in the least interested to see any of the modern odes to this, just the originals will do for now, I'll perhaps try to watch all the westerns on Arrow this month. ... Has such a iconic stature, seeing it with the english dub, mutes the rawness, but sometimes you need something softer and more detached, in the matter of vocal sound and performance.

Krzysztof Zanussi on Mubi


One of the many directors i've known about but never seen, will see if these can be a part of January's festivities

The Structure of Crystal




Like a Polish Through a Glass Darkly so far ... nope not like that at all, this could take awhile, looks like it's just a buddy picture, a dramaless drama, about getting along and enjoying eachother's company, which for me is like saying, you go have some real drama, we'll be here when you want it.

Illumination
The Constant Factor
Camouflage
Life as a Fatal Sexually Transmitted Disease