Some Films You Might Find Confronting
- 1. ALIEN RESURRECTION
- 2. RAVENOUS
- 3. LOLITA
- 4. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY
- 5. DELIVERANCE
- 6. THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU
- 7. RESERVOIR DOGS
- 8. 8MM
- 9. DOGVILLE
See also: Disturbing Movies I Don't Want to See Ever Again by andrea.
Reasons for calling these films 'confronting':
1. Transformation of a cult-favorite character. Man's inhumanity to Man graphically depicted. Human/alien miscegnation. Insultingly silly plot points. Several sorts of ugliness.
2. Suggests that cannibalism is lurking just below our civilized surface. Much blood and gore.
3. When is a man a pedophile? At what age is a girl responsible for her sexual behaviour? Explicit depiction of sexual attraction between middle-aged man and barely teenage girl.
4. Not your usual dumbed-down sci-fi flick. Requires the viewer to pay attention rather than be led by the nose, to be patient, have some basic scientific knowledge, and, worst of all, to think.
5. Realistic homosexual rape scene.
6. Monsters, part human, part animal, produced by genetic engineering. (In the book by H.G.Wells they were made by vivisection - surgery without anasthesia.)
7. Torture scene.
8. The subject is 'snuff films' (allegedly, a genre of films that show people being murdered). But you should be aware the evidence for the existence of such films is scarce, and it has been argued that they are an urban legend.
9. The abstract production design won't please some viewers. But this movie is most confronting for its misanthropy and its questionable moral argument.
I think I understand what you're getting at with "confronting" except where you state Alien Resurrection has "Insultingly silly plot points." Sure, if they are deliberately insulting, that is confronting. But if the screenwriter just did a lousy job of it, it's poor craftsmanship. Unfortunately, it's hard to guess if the screenwriter was being challenging or just incompetent. I assume, based on your comment, that you think the insultingly silly plot points in AR were deliberate?
Thanks, Jim, this is a valuable comment - as, of course, yours always are. It would have been a mistake to include "insultingly silly plot points", except that the screenwriter was someone I respect for his Buffy the Vampire Slayer scripts (on TV). His name's Joss Whedon. I even have some respect for his AR script because of its religious/moral aspects. Not that I'm religious, or morally perfect (who is?), but I'm very interested in that stuff. So, was Whedon being deliberately insulting? Possibly: the whole Alien Saga is riddled with insultingly silly plot points (e.g. the aliens kill characters that are no longer needed but keep others alive as hosts for their young - so what are they, killers or capturers?). I wouldn't put it past Whedon, a very sardonic humorist, to deliberately insert such plot points. But I don't know, so, after all, I probably shouldn't have included them as a confronting aspect.
I invited you to point out any sloppy thinking of mine, Jim, and you're doing a good job. Keep up the good work. And don't be such a stranger around here, hear?
I'm trying (both to keep you honest and to attend more frequently :). Good points regarding the screenwriter. Since you're familiar with his work, I happily defer to your intuition as to his intentions.
I'm interested in the "insultingly silly plot points" thread. The "killers vs. capturers" point is a good one, although I'd have to watch them again to be sure I can't rationalize a coherent model - e.g. when there's no queen around, they are clearly killers (e.g. the original Alien movie). However, watching them all again just to rationalize that plot point is probably too geeky, even for me.
Any other similarly insulting plot points? I thought of the scientists slipshod job of imprisoning the aliens in Alien Resurrection, but kinda thought that played the science/hubris angle quite nicely (here they come up with this elaborate system to torture the aliens WITHOUT breaking the skin, and yet it never occurs to them that the aliens could be so cunning/ruthless as to kill one of their own to escape).
Yes, now that you mention it, I suppose the icy punishment device does indicate that the scientists are aware of the aliens' acidic blood, and are naive enough to think the beasties won't deliberately spill the blood of their own kind. But, if so, why not make it explicit? Explicitness would have been more effective, I think.
Okay, how about this. The climax of ALIENS (I mean the second climax, in which Ripley-in-loader fights the queen alien) depends upon both doors of the airlock being open at once. But no airlock would be made so that both its doors could be opened together - at least, not without requiring a very elaborate procedure. Yet Ripley just presses a couple of buttons, pulls a lever, and sucko! I don't buy it.
Yeah, I've been trying to think of a logical explanation for that one. Can't do it. "You'd have to be able to have both doors open to get something bigger than the airlock on the ship" was the best I came up with, but it doesn't quite cut it for me.
And you have to wonder, Jim, about the aliens' drooling problem. Where is all that mucous coming from, and why? They don't eat their kills, so it isn't for digestion. How do they avoid dehydration with so much slobber?
I love this list...anyone with a... diverse mind.. would enjoy such diversity!
kaliipso
Thanks, kaliipso. Can you think of any titles to add to the list?
Blue Velvet. Not only is the evil lurking under the middleclass neighborhoods of America, like "Lincoln", but it lurks beneath the main character. AND, is it really the masterpiece that some suggest?
I have seen BLUE VELVET, a long time ago, probably not long after it was released; but I have to admit that it made no lasting impression on me. I'll have to watch it again before I put it on the list, otherwise I wouldn't feel honest.
Give me a rain check, too, on the masterpiece question.
I would suggest adding BUTTERFLY with Pia Zidora and Stacey Keach. It confronts incest as LOLITA confronts pedophilia. Don't be mislead by it's casting or disregard it because it is uncomfortable to watch. It is a quietly good movie.
I think I might have seen this one some years ago on tv - not certain though. Neither IMDb nor TV Guide Online give it a good rating, but I noticed two strong selling points in the credits: Orson Welles has a role in it, and the musical score is by one of my favorites, Ennio Morricone. If I see it around I'll definitely give it a look. Thanks for the suggestion.
The first movie that came immediately to mind when I read the topic was Oleanna. Have you seen it? Stars William H Macy, written by Mamet, very provocative. I watched it with a philosophical discussion group, and after the movie, we discussed. It's surprising how everyone can watch the exact same chain of events, and come away from it with such different interpretations.
I'd never even heard of this one. But I've just come from reading the comments page on it at IMDb and it certainly seems to be a strong candidate for this list. Now all I have to do is find it. Blockbuster Videos? - don't think so. I might have to go to the local university library (how appropriate)for it. Thanks. I hope I can get back to you after seeing it.
Oleanna is certainly available at Blockbuster video. The question is if that particular Blockbuster you frequent has it...try calling around to nearby BV's and asking if they carry it. They can probably even check other local Blockbusters and see if *they* carry it...
Phreak, haven't forgotten, will try to find OLEANNA, will report progress.
In my humble opinion, I would think that Resevoir Dogs could be added to this list. Having seen Tarantino's other films before this one I expected to find a great deal of violence in it but found it unwatchable after watching one of the crooks pour gasoline over a cop and then cut off his ear--on screen! yuck! Fascinating to watch? Yes--Disturbing as well? God yes.
Just happened across this old post - To this day I can't hear "Stuck in the Middle With You" without thinking of that scene.