The Canyons (2013)

Tagline: It's not the hills.

Filmul anului:) ? ceea ce trebuia Passion sa fie si nu e :(. Scandalul anului cu desavirsire si un clasic cinic si noir despre Hollywood, companion bun la Body Double, Lost Highway si Mullholland Falls. Noul film al lui Paul Schrader (FYI, unul din Movie Brats, scenaristul lui Taxi Driver, devenit regizor de filme cu misfits underground din seria acelasi film over and over again, deci mai auteur ca Scorsese :), il pune si mai aproape de vechiul sau prieten si ulterior si inamic, Brian de Palma, si de William Friedkin (ca atmosfera si soundscape) si desigur de David Lynch( viziunea infernala asupra Los Angeles-ului, un iad insorit la lumina zilei). The Canyons te farmeca ca movie buff din prima, cu genericul cu stilluri de cinematografe parasite, putrezind (The Last Picture Show ?). Statement-ul e facut, urmeaza explicatia, intre 2 coperti mucegaite. E o poveste tainted, pelicula otravita, putrezita, toxica, nitrat care va arde. Si intram direct in lumea decadenta, degradata, cu moravuri sexuale dereglate, excese si psihopati control freaks a lui Bret Easton Ellis (un foursome kinky e aici la piece de resistence). Ce combinatie mai shady, mai amorala decit Scharder si traumele lui calviniste, obsesia pentru pronografie si prostitutie, care au dus la American Gigolo, Light Sleeper, Auto Focus, si The Comfort of Strangers, si sexualitatea inversa a lui Ellis (American Psycho, Less than Zero, ...The Informers). Frustrarea amindoura vizavi de Hollywood e atit de vizibila, incit patrunde dincolo de ecran, la fel ca dispretul si mizantropia. Undeva e ceva atit de decadent si pervers european, incit l-ar face mindru pe Paul Verhoeven :)
din cronica din New York Times, intitulata inteligent, The Cellphone Gets Its Close-Up (cu referire la Sunset Blvd.):
Mr. Schrader and Mr. Ellis make an odd match, despite some outward affinities. Mr. Schrader is an iconoclast who’s long worked outside the mainstream, while Mr. Ellis is a literary outsider who’s well known for igniting critical outrage. Mr. Schrader tends to focus on existential loners on the margins in films that touch on subjects like pornography and prostitution, themes that have figured in Mr. Ellis’s work. But while Mr. Schrader is a deeply serious moralist who pulls you into worlds of churning emotion, Mr. Ellis delivers shocks at a chilly, seemingly noncommittal distance. (In a 1999 interview, Mr. Schrader bemoaned that the existential hero had been supplanted by what he called the “ironic hero” — the guy who asks not “should I exist?” but “who cares?”)

I totally agree :P

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The Canyons, descris simplu: American Psycho Gigolo, cu emfaza pe American (ironic, desigur). Aud comparatii cu Spring Breakers si The Bling Ring, pe care nu le-am vazut inca, insa as compara protagonistii cu cei din Savages al lui Oliver Stone, un alt flawed curio de anul trecut.
Pentru mine e primul film in care o bag in seama pe Lindsay Lohan (sorry dar asa e, la Altman si in Bobby
n-am observat-o, mai mult in spread-ul ei de Playboy as Marilyn Monroe ; si nici filme porno cu James Deen n-am vazut :) The Canyons, refuzat de festivaluri si cu cronici dezastruoase nu e un film bun, e superflawed dar e ultrafascinat si are o performanta perfect de reala (de tipul celei pe care Hitchcock a scos de la Tippi Hedren si Billy Wilder de la MM). Oare va fi Misfits-ul lui LL ?
# Some fascinating trivia facts #
-filmul a fost finantat public de Kickstarter (a costat doar 300.000 de dolari, jumate din ei adunati de la kickstarter, plus banii personali ai lui Scharder, Ellis si al producatorului Pope). Si bine le-ar fi fost sa mai aibe niste bani.
-a fost scris la oha (adica rapid si on the side) de Ellis dupa ce proiectului sau cu Scharder intitulat Bait i-a cazut finatrea. Se simte frustarea.
-accseul publicului s-a facut pe facebook intr-un mod mai deschis decit la orice alt film.
-The Canyons a fost refuzat de Sundance si Austin si a avut premiera la Venetia.
-reactiile critice majoritare; Thumbs down.
-in America a fost VOD.
-alegerea starului porno James Deen ii aprtine lui Ellis, care a scris rolul cu acesta in minte.
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tone de info pe pagina de facebook de care se ocupa chiar Paul Scharder. care a lansat un atac impotriva starului sau, care a decis, printre altele sa lipseasca de la orice publicitatea legata de film, desi a fost platita pentru asta.
I am mystified and disappointed by LL's refusal to support The Canyons. She is a producer of the film, a 25% owner. She has received wonderful reviews (among the negative) for her performance. I hired her when no one else would. She fought to keep the role when I wanted to fire her for unreliability. She has no other films in the can. She has received her $250G deferment The Venice red carpet is one of the extraordinary plums of the festival circuit. She repeatedly said she would come to Venice but never did. (...) Lindsay has given a bold, raw, naked original performance which vaults her from the s category of ingenue to leading lady. Don't get me wrong. I want LL to move forward, have a healthy life and, if possible, a career, but I disagree with her decision to (passively not aggressively) turn her back on Canyons. It's an extraordinary piece of work and serves her well. Lindsay, your work is excellent. Own it! Paul Schrader

Unul din cele mai fascinante articole pe care le-am citit anul asta si care m-a tinut toata noaptea treaz, din New York Times, Here Is What Happens When You Cast Lindsay Lohan in Your Movie, scris de Stephen Rodrick, jurnalist prieten al lui Schrader si martor al intregului proces filmic, lucru aprope neauzit, dar similar cu ce s-a intimplat la The Bonfire of The Vanities al lui De Palma (1991), unde jurnalista Julie Salmon a documentat scriptic tot filmul, rezultind cartea The Devil's Candy, de o mie de ori mai intersanta ca filmul !!!! citez:
Schrader smiled for the first time all night. He started talking about “The Misfits,” a 1961 film written by Arthur Miller and directed by John Huston. The film featured the final performances of both Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe. The shoot was torturous, 50 days morphing into 90, with Monroe spending a week in the hospital during filming.
“We’re making ‘The Misfits’ on a microbudget,” Schrader joked. He scratched his head and arched his eyebrows. “But here’s the thing: ‘The Misfits’ is actually a great film.”