Audition

Takashi Miike's under-stated "homage" to Misery. Not really a full-blown horror movie but some scenes are way scarier than generic shockers that you get these days. I liked this a lot. If only for its unsettling feel throughout, the social interactions have so much dead air it's eerie, even the sex scene. Add to the fact that the antagonist talks like she's in a vacuum. The build-up is really slow and boring, like a Sunday afternoon television serial but I guess the last 30 minutes of mayhem is a very good pay-off. The torture sequence blows all four hours of Hostel 1 and 2 out of the water for its sheer intensity, so intense I was covered in sweat when it was over. Next up - Shinjuku Triad Society, Rainy Dog and Gozu.

Blow Up

Had high expectations for this but ended up being a bit bored by the laborious and lingering pace. I think it has been surpassed in almost all aspects by its re-imagining, Brian De Palma's Blow Out, which was a rollercoaster ride. Michaelangelo Antonioni's masterwork, however, is probably the first movie to question reality. I liked the fact how coldly everybody reacts to the fact that a murder has been committed. I got this also because it had a Yardbirds cameo and "Stroll On" is my fave song by them. Worth watching for Jeff Beck thrashing his guitar and throwing the neck to David Hemmings ending in a weird chase sequence, but only just. Also has a tennis mime sequence which has to be seen to be believed. From a technical point of view, this is excellent, though. As entertainment or thought-provoking material, it is only so-so.

Hendrix Live at Woodstock

Despite having both his solo spots chopped off, Larry Lee features prominently in the various documentaries here. The main frontispiece, Hendrix's performance in Woodstock, suffers from not much flashiness and showmanship, although he does bite his guitar. The playing is incendiary, however. The film quality leaves something to be desired as I noticed the tarp changing colour and it's daytime. I suppose with the tonal pallettes and sonic textures presented in the concert, Hendrix would have come up with some more gems had he not died. Also has a superflous "Second Look" with only one additional song - Hear My Train A Comin' with the other tracks shot from a different angle. I thought they'd at least make it a two-fer with "Live at Monterrey". Comes with some irrelevant interviews with the lead singer of Sha-Na-Na. WTF does he know about Hendrix anyway, besides being in the same festival?