Wall
Displaying all 21 wall posts
Jeremiah Hammerling
5Jan12
As much as Guy Maddin's work may at first seem trite, his pastiche seems to mostly work. Part of the charm here is the 13 year old mind trying to stumble towards something meaningful. "Brand Upon the Brain" is creepy and fun.
Christian Harding
11Sep11
(cont'd) Even having been exposed to Guy Maddin’s directing style and mannerisms beforehand, I still found this wildly imaginative and frequently surprising. One of Maddin’s most admirable trademarks will always be his wonderfully dry and subtly satirical sense of humor, and I think I laughed during this moreso than any of the others I’ve seen by him.
Christian Harding
11Sep11
If My Winnipeg is Maddin’s The Tree of Life (a slightly amplified look into his earlier years and an instance of using cinema as a means of recreating the past), then let this be his The Mirror, in that they’re both surrealistic and more inconspicuous examinations of how their childhoods may have left an impact on their later lives.
richmondhill
13Aug11
Rather daffy sideshow which beguiles and bores with almost equal measure. The liberal nods and grabs from other sources need little examination – a skittish brew stretching from Nosferatu to Nancy Drew - except to say it gets by on surface detail which mask the often impenetrable self-reference of the director. It’s a diverting excursion to places we’ve all been before, albeit here under the drunken cover of darkness
Matt Barnhill
17Jun10
Thank God for Guy Maddin and his amazing imagination. There is not another movie out there you can compare this to other than Maddin's other films, and this one still stands alone. I thought that his narration was the best, and I liked Crispin Glover as well, but I always switch back to Maddin. The film is so strange and fascinating, it is great that some filmmakers are still creative and don't play it safe.
Lee Bullitt
16Jun10
i didn't hate it, but wasn't particularly impressed by it. I' pleased that someone out there is dedicated to film, but, I felt like his narration choice was really, really bad. I also didn't think the editing was as crafty as criterion writers tried to make it seem in their review of this film. I think it definitely could have been better for something trying so hard to be authentic. I enjoyed the gay moments, though
n i g h t & f o g
17Mar10
A mind-f$%k orgasm of a film that manages to pay homage to silent Hollywood, vintage horror and Nancy Drew. To hear Daniel Handler's cries of "Romania, ROMANIA!" during the LA screening with live soundtrack/narration was a true delight.
Louise_Dietrich
21Jan10
Brand Upon The Brain is fantastic. I couldn't stand to listen to Isabella Rossellini's narration but Crispin Glover was amazing.
Hideous Bitch Princess
7Nov09
Loved everything other than the narration, which I found so annoying I could barely stand it.
Brendan
16Oct09
I loved it. Truly like nothing I'd ever seen and strangely enrapturing. A breath of fresh air if there ever was one, it's like some lost silent print seen through the eyes of a schizophrenic mariner set adrift in the middle of the ocean alone. It was fantastic, but not for everyone. Heartily recommended if you think you can 'get it', avoid at all costs if you can't. "Too much for Guy!"
John Trigonis
3Jun09
What a wondrously strange picture. Every second of it was like a hard jab into my mind, and after a while I became beautifully numb with total understanding...I think! Next up for me from the Maddin canon is The Saddest Music in the World.
Christopher Smith
11Jan09
Another innovative and surreal cinematic experience from Guy Maddin. The fevered, bizarre and darkly comic imagery creates an effective and engrossing nightmare in what is possibly Maddin's darkest - and surprisingly most coherent - film to date. It may go on a bit too long, but this is a unique experience and a must for fans of avant-garde cinema. Excellent score by Jason Staczek.
Maria
18Dec08
The synopsis expresses my feelings on this film best; "sensory overload." It's one of the most visually imaginative interpretations of the hidden context in silent films. A horrific story peppered with many comical visuals and characterizations. I look forward to seeing more from Maddin.