RSS Posted March 21, 2011 Report Share Posted March 21, 2011 In this mammoth episode, Desmond and Darryll finally talk about the elephant in the room. They also talk about Dario Argento and the Blu-ray release of his film Inferno. Then Desmond goes solo on Devil's Playground before tackling a bunch of awesome feedback. The following terror tunes can be heard: "Maiden, Mother & Crone" by The Sword, "Inferno Finale" by Keith Emerson, "The Rage" by Judas Priest, and "Going Down" by The Creepshow. [ 1:36:15 || 44.1 MB ] The above is from: http://www.earth-2.net/podcasts/dreadmedia/episodes/dreadmedia_186.mp3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Man Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 Wow, did I blabber on in this review, or what? I wonder if I need to qualify my 3 star rating a little. I just appreciate any attempt at capturing a dream logic on film. This one was largely unsuccessful but there were a few scenes that have lingered on in my mind. Especially the opening sequence in the water. I enjoy Argento's visual flair (in small doses). I just wish he wasn't so hung up on the slasher aesthetic. It feels like a crutch to avoid the responsibility of telling a deeper story. This one was all surface flash but at least some of that flash was pretty fun to look at. Miskatonic River Press has a book of Call of Cthulhu scenarios titled Our Ladies of Sorrow. Inferno has made me a little more curious about this product. Also, Kim Newman's novel, Judgement of Tears, the third story in his Anno Dracula series, explores further the Three Mothers of Rome mythos. I've mentioned Newman before on Dread Media. He's one of my favourite authors and I highly recommend his work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koete Posted March 22, 2011 Report Share Posted March 22, 2011 I've only seen one Argento film, Suspiria, which I liked but didn't think it lived up to the hype surrounding it. When you were discussing Inferno not having a link to the real world, it made me wonder if it was going for an expressionist feeling akin to the world of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Having not seen the film, I don't know if this was Argento's intention, but I gather that his attempt at world building was not well crafted in any case. I've seen Leprechaun I and II. I wish I had not. Congratulations on your latest short story publication news Des. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Man Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 I wouldn't call what Argento does, "world building" by any stretch. His style consists of little more than a few interesting camera angles and some primary colored gels on his lights. Very artificial and shallow. Comparing Inferno to the The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari does a disservice to that monumental film. Having said that, I can't help feeling that, given an interesting and/or compelling story to tell, Argento's visual style of filmmaking could be quite effective. His grasp of the Dream logic type of narrative is promising. I'm trying to find a relevant comparison. My David Lynch reference during the review really only met half the bill in that many of Lynch's films deal with the premise of "the girl in trouble," but his visual and narrative flair is far more sophisticated than Argento's. No, I'm thinking more of a Richard Stanley type. Argento's camera is a little more crisp but they share the same lack of depth in both character and story and an over-reliance on cliched narrative tropes. I feel it's really only Argento's innate Italian-ness that saves him. As Dread mentioned, his knack for casting beautiful Italian women and placing them in situations that usually result in gruesome death is what seems to provide him with a free pass among horror fans. I'm willing to give Argento another shot, though, if only because I find his films compelling from a critical standpoint. In other words, it's fun to tear his movies down and see how they tick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dread Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Wow. Well said. We will cover Argento again...when a DVD company sends me a screener and that's it. Maybe Deep Red but I can't seem to find my copy of that one anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koete Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Comparing Inferno to the The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari does a disservice to that monumental film. Believe me, I would never want to do disservice to Caligari. I was merely wondering if Argento was trying to employ an expressionist style, but I can see from your explanation that that is certainly not the case. I agree with Des, very well said post, I have a better grasp on the failings of the movie. I should probably watch the movie before trying to posit craft to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dread Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Ha! No, it was fair. But Caligari has a story far more compelling that Inferno. And it's craft far outdoes anything that Argento has ever done. That is a masterpiece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Koete Posted March 23, 2011 Report Share Posted March 23, 2011 Ha! No, it was fair. But Caligari has a story far more compelling that Inferno. And it's craft far outdoes anything that Argento has ever done. That is a masterpiece. Oh, I'm sure. If I were to actually compare a film to Caligari, I could't think of one because it is without compare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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