The Brother from Another Planet

I am both disappointed and excited about this post.  The disappointment is the result of the end of the 2013 Sci-Fi Experience.  I had very high hopes for this year.  In particular I wanted focus on expanding my participation this year to film/television in addition to my Hugos (they are mine).  In fact I did that and more.  As a result of Carl’s delightful non-challenge (we are teaching Emmeline to say “delightful!”) I read part 1 of the graphic novel Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo, made a return to the delightful concept album Deltron 3030 (and actual posted briefly, but I’m not sure if it counts), finally began to wade into Star Trek: The Original Series (5 or so episodes written by Hugo winners or other SF writers), and I also watched the delightful film from the 1980’s, The Brother from Another Planet - the topic of today’s post.  I’m also disappointed that I wasn’t able to write about more of these experiences so, on this last day of the non-challenge, I am tearing myself from studying for the delightful Graduate Record Examination to sneak one last review in before the closing bell.

Stats

The Brother from Another Planet (1984) – Rated R

Dir. by John Sayles

Starring Joe Morton, Daryl Edwards

109m

After Joe Morton (The Brother) escapes his home planet, where he was a slave, he crash-lands his horrible shaky light-up cardboard box delightful spaceship in New York Harbor.  Luckily for him, he passes for human as no one ever seems to notice his feet.  Aside from a few really hairy moments and his inability to speak, his assimilation is unbelievably rather uncomplicated.  Shortly after his arrival in NY however, we also learn he is being pursued by two ridiculous men dressed in black.

The Brother from Another Planet is about outsiders, featuring outsiders.  It isn’t a pretty film.  It’s dark and grainy, and the sound, lighting, and effects can be a bit wonky at times.  Nevertheless, it was precisely those elements that made it feel all the more serious at times.    

The Brother From another Planet vacillates between biting social criticism and hilarious parody.  The film plays with and goofs on traditional alien tropes but in a way that is but can be dead serious too.  “The Brother” as the speechless alien trying to interpret some of the most inexplicable phenomena that make up the modern human experience provides plenty of laughs but other times strips our social conventions to the bone with just a look.  He comes to earth and though he’s certainly the outsider, he understands so much in his wordless yet hyper-expressive way.  Morton is well worth the watch (and stay for the delightful scene featuring Fisher Stevens).

I’d like to say more, but it’s late, I’m tired, and it’s almost March.  Please check out this vastly under-appreciated, delightful film.  It’s on Netflix Instant so make it happen.

Oh, and if you were wondering: 8 times.

"Employ Political Moral Offsets"

I've been such a lazy blogger lately...and I don't have much for you right now either so I'll just leave a brief note:

Orson Scott Card has been getting a lot of attention of late.  Between the Marvel hire and forthcoming adaptation of Ender's Game, there are a lot of people asking whether it is a moral question to consume the work of an artist committed to .  I'll offer my thoughts by way of weighing-in on Alyssa's recent post in which offers several suggestions as to whether and how to watch a movie based on the work of a vocal and committed anti-gay activist.

Alyssa proffers 4 choices for people who loved the book and desperately want to see the movie but don't want to support a man with intolerable political views even indirectly.  Here was the choice most salient to me:

2. Employ political moral offsets: If Card has points on the back end, the percentage of the purchase price of your movie ticket that goes to him will still be relatively low. But even so, offset that financial contribution to his well-being with a political contribution to an organization that fights precisely the kind of hatred that Card supports. As a ballpark, I’d suggest twice the price of your ticket purchase to Freedom to Marry, an exceedingly canny organization that does all sorts of wonderful marriage equality work. The Gay And Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, which does a lot of media work, including publishing the excellent television census of LGBT characters, the Network Responsibility Index, is also a great candidate for donations.

In all likelihood, I won't see it in theaters but if I do, I'm taking Alyssa's advice and making an equal or greater contribution that will help fight hatred.  I hope everyone else who chooses to see this film will too.

The Living Dead Girl

R.I.P. (R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril VII)

I have participated in a couple of Carl’s (Stainless Steel Droppings) non-challenges over the past 10 months.  They are always really fun and very well hosted.  During the months of September and October, he is hosting another – Readers ImbibingPeril!  If you can believe it, this non-challenge isn’t even over and there are already almost 400 entries.  While this is my first, hopefully it will make a bang.  I had actually intended to only be able to read Octavia Butler’s, Fledgling, for this challenge, but last night I had the rare opportunity to watch a movie and immediately when searching for something that would fit the bill since the call is open to movies books and…anything really.  So I ended up watching Jean Rollin’s The Living Dead Girl.

Reader beware: this is gonna get a little edgy.

~~~

Stats

The Living Dead Girl Dir. Jean Rollin

Starring Françoise Blanchard, Marina Pierro, Mike Marshall

1982 – Not Rated

Watched it on: Netflix (Instant)

1h 31 m

Originally released as La Morte Vivante, The Living Dead Girl begins when three men apparently, and very irresponsibly, disposing of some toxic chemicals in a crypt (“It has to go somewhere.  They used to put it in the lake but it killed all the fish”).  Given the proximity of their disposal site to the graves of a prominent heiress, they decide to kill two birds with one stone and fit a little grave robbing in before heading out (makes sense so far).

Before they can stop gawking at how beautiful the corpses are, an earthquake spills their unnamed toxic brew.  Where previously the chemicals killed fish, the effects on the dead are much more macabre, namely it wakes Catherine Valmont into a violent and bloodthirsty rage.  And when I say bloody, I mean BLOODY…and boy is she thirsty.  Valmont goes on carelessly finger-stabbing people in the neck and drinking their blood until her childhood friend finds her and helps her hide the bodies.  But the longer Valmont is out of the grave and the more contact with Helene she has, the more she comes to realize the horror of what she must do to continue “living”.

“I’m surrounded by blood!”

In my opinion, the 1970’s and early 80’s were really the heyday of zombie filmmaking, from their social criticism to their unmatched violence, there are very few zombie films outside that era that can frighten and terrorize me like they do.  Director Jean Rollin is no exception – but nor does he fit the mold.  Rollin made his entry into horror with a series of vampire films in the 60’s.  From there he made his way into horror, zombies and pornography.  Prior to The Living Dead Girl, I had only seen and loved The Grapes of Death (a.k.a. Pesticide) so I was really excited to watch what I figured would be the last of his films that I’ll ever watch (As hardcore a horror fan as I am, I can’t say I’m much interested in titles like The Nude Vampire).

Sadly, I was pretty disappointed.  In The Living Dead Girl, Rollin does what he does best: debilitating remorse, tremendous schlock and really, really alarming eroticism.  But he really doesn’t go much further than that and I know he could have.  It turned out to just be a rehashing of several of the things that made him (in)famous, including the bloody, horror version of the money shot (compared to Rollin, Hannibal Lecter’s was pretty tame in Silence of the Lambs).  Nevertheless, it was still great gore and though the make-up wasn’t the best, you just can’t beat even marginal make-up/effects with computers (I mean, how nasty was The Fly!).  And even though I finished it silently critical, you know I double checked the lock on the front door!

Recommendation

While Jean Rollin occupies a very specific space in the history of zombie cinema, if you consider yourself a hardcore zombie/horror fan, Jean Rollin is no doubt on your list to watch and if not, ought to be.

But he was still able to keep hold the blanket!

Having been made recognizable by the famous gore hound, Rob Zombie, and also given that it is available on instant watch, you may be tempted to make this your first foray into Rollin’s strange breed of horror (because Rob Zombie influences all your cinematic experiences??).

I would urge you not to do that.

I liked The Living Dead Girl alright, but it has very little new to show the world of zombies/gore and even less to say.  Given the choice between The Living Dead Girl and his late 70’s “masterpiece” (I use the word hesitantly) The Grapes of Death instead.  Having said that, of the two, The Living Dead Girl adheres more strictly to zombie conventions if that makes any bit of difference to you.