Movies, movies, movies. And my boring opinion of them.

Sunday 22 September 2013

92. The Blair Witch Project

The movie that spawned a movie genre all by itself. The found footage movie.
It's incredible to think it was 1999 before anybody had the idea to make a movie entirely filmed on handheld cameras for a fraction of the production costs of the usual noises in the dark scary movies.

Watching Blair Witch back now, one might be unimpressed by a film in which all the tension and suspense is created by the cast hearing noises in the woods. There is no CGI monsters or vast amounts of gore just intelligent use of the surroundings and the directors being smart enough to create a back story to the legend that one could actually believe in. The kind of legend that spreads around a town or a playground to explain a scary old house.
Keeping to a relatively short run time keeps the movie fresh for repeat viewings and contains, in my opinion, the single most accomplished end scene when it comes to horror movies, sticking with you as it does for days afterwards.

Its incredible to think that nearly everybody involved in this movie peaked with it, with nobody in the principal cast or either of the directors matching their early success with later choices.

93. Dogville

Although not always a fan of Lars Von Trier's work, ranging as he does from five star genius to one star hack.
Luckily, Dogville falls into the former camp using stripped bare, theatre stage like sets and masterfully understated performances from all involved to create a world that is starkly realistic and bleak. This is a work of such originality that each of the individual chapters takes us in an unexpected direction with a climax that brings joy considering what we have experienced along with Grace, throughout her time in the town, during which she is subjected to horrific violence and kept as a slave. 

Dogville was followed by the sequel Manderlay, in which Grace is recast and relocated but as a double bill the films are a triumph in spite of their length. This is the first of two Von Trier films on the list.