Experimental
The Outwaters
“Found footage” horrors often receive a bad rap because it’s presumed that they’re “easy” movies to make: scrounge together a couple thousand dollars, a consumer video camera, some amateur actors, and a loose lore around something eerie that can guarantee jump scares. Yes, the “found footage” sub-genre is one of the more resourceful outlets for DIY filmmakers, but there’s an art to it. They may not trick audiences anymore into thinking the stories are non-fictitious…
Skinamarink
I can’t quite place my finger on when audiences last received an experimental horror like Kyle Edward Ball’s Skinamarink, and I think that’s because a lot of filmmakers would be too intimidated to take a crack at it. Making a movie like Skinamarink requires a filmmaker to be brave, insane, self-aware yet purposely reject what qualifies as entertainment nowadays, and completely commit to the film’s static presentation. Ball has all of these traits, which is…
Moby Doc
An artist making an autobiographical documentary is a bold and, quite frankly, strange move. But in the case of Moby Doc, this choice is on brand for enigmatic electronic musician Moby. Early into the movie, even Moby acknowledges how seemingly unconventional this choice is. This doesn’t excuse the odd conception of Moby Doc but, at least, it gives us an idea of how self-aware the musician is. However, a detrimental line is crossed when Moby…
She’s Allergic to Cats
She’s Allergic to Cats is an absolute anomaly. Incorporating elements of American independent cinema, Jon Moritsugu-style filmmaking and even early video art, music video director Michael Reich has created something that is, at once, missing a cohesive audience and the sort of work that we need right now.
The Image Book
The Image Book is nonsense that gives experimental cinema a bad name. If a comedy had to spoof an “artsy” movie that’s “a little bit out there”, the filmmakers would try and emulate the ludicrous decisions Jean-Luc Godard makes in his latest “movie”. They might as well play portions of The Image Book instead of writing anything.
Hot Docs 2018: ‘1999’ and ‘What Walaa Wants’
1999 (DIR. Samara Grace Chadwick) A hauntingly dreamlike style of documentary and exploration of memory, Samara Grace Chadwick’s 1999 is artistically-conceived though low on information.
Paradox
Netflix is a juggernaut of content, and they’re still breaking the mould. Just take Daryl Hannah’s Paradox, for instance. Who could’ve guessed the streaming service could turn your living room into a snooty arthouse theatre? That’s a flippant comment but, boy, is Paradox excruciatingly smug. How do you rate or review this movie? Is this even a movie?
Crackerhead
I like Crackerhead, but this latest experimental experience from filmmaker Mike Klassen is making me sweat – it’s a tough movie to review if you can’t crack through Klassen’s poker face. The film’s flippant facade has anarchy written all over it, but the drive behind Klassen’s directorial decisions and stylistic storytelling suggests a deeper, poignant project.