The Odyssey is a movie theater in Second Life, dedicated to showing the best films from around the world (art house, independent, classic and more). Come enjoy the show!
Oh man, It's David Lynch time. Mulholland Drive confused the hell out of me upon first viewing, now I think I have it almost sorted out – which is probably the best you can hope for. It's a fitting film to follow Bergman's Persona, they both deal with loss of identity while taking the viewer on quite the ride. In some scenes I can see some clear nods by Lynch to the Bergman film.
It's hard to believe that this was intended to be a television show for ABC. I'm not sure whats harder to believe, that Lynch thought something this bizarre could run on television or that ABC was surprised that it was so bizarre. Either way ABC rejected it which led to Lynch shooting some additional scenes to make it work as a film. Apparently, everyone involved feels it works better this way.
I have searched the internet about this film and am very surprised to see that a fairly large percent of people absolutely hate it. It actually makes them angry and they claim it makes no sense. I really do believe that there is an actual story here and its pretty simple. Once you understand the way Lynch is telling it things start to fall in place...well enough pieces fit for it to be enjoyable for me at least.
I'd love to hear what you think, so please leave a comment.
Enjoy the show!
-Loegan Magic
MULHOLLAND DRIVE (2001) DIRECTED BY: DAVID LYNCH
Writer-director David Lynch weaves another mysteriously complex tale in this story about an amnesiac woman (Laura Harring) who's left stranded on Mulholland Drive and gets taken in by a young newcomer (Naomi Watts) who's moved to Hollywood to pursue her dreams. The two women gradually start to put the pieces of a troubling puzzle together, but the puzzle unravels a dark, sinister plot -- as well as unexpected passions.
- From Nexflix website
LENGTH: 147 minutes
RATING: R – Intended for mature audiences
LANGUAGE: English
ABOUT DAVID LYNCH
David Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound design. Indeed, the surreal and in many cases violent elements to his films have earned them the reputation that they "disturb, offend or mystify" their audiences.
- From Wikipedia
"At some time or other, I said that Persona saved my life—that is no exaggeration. If I had not found the strength to make that film, I would probably have been all washed up. One significant point: for the first time I did not care in the least whether the result would be a commercial success..."-Ingmar Bergman
Ah, Persona by Igmar Bergman. Now, here is a film that is just begging to be discussed and analyzed. I have yet to find a definitive explanation about what is going on in this film. I have yet to decide myself on my own personal theory...mine seems to vary upon each viewing. All I know is that this is one of my all time favorite films.
Bergman films have a way of painfully stripping away the bull until all you are left with is brutal honesty. While his films can be brutal they are also beautiful. You can can pretty much pause any of his films, especially Persona, at any point and the composition makes up a beautiful or at least interesting photo. I love how in Persona he uses the close up and gets in on Liv Ullman's and Bibi Anderson's faces, the whole story is told in their facial expressions – you almost don't need sound. Who cares whats going on when Liv Ullman and Bibi Andreson's faces alone can keep you captivated.
I love all of Bergman's films, this one is probably my favorite and once you have seen it you can see it's influence everywhere...Mulholland Drive anyone? This is a film I could go on and on about, but the more I say the less I seem to know when it comes to this one, so I'll stop right here. I'm interested to hear what others think about this film. Please leave a comment.
- Loegan Magic
PERSONA (1967) DIRECTED BY: INGMAR BERGMAN
To achieve more effective treatment, a nurse (Bibi Andersson) and her patient (Liv Ullmann) -- an actress who's lost the power of speech -- check into a private cottage by the sea, where the two isolated women become co-dependent and insanely jealous of each other. It's a case of the cure being worse than the affliction in this black-and-white cinematic classic directed by Swedish master Ingmar Bergman.
-From Netflix website
LENGTH: 83 minutes
LANGUAGE: Swedish with English Subtitles
RATING: NR (intended for mature audiences)
ABOUT INGMAR BERGMAN
Ingmar Bergman (14 July 1918 – 30 July 2007) was a Swedish director, writer and producer for film, stage and television. Described by Woody Allen as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera", he is recognized as one of the most accomplished and influential film directors of all time. Among his company of actors were Liv Ullmann, Gunnar Björnstrand, Bibi Andersson, Erland Josephson, Ingrid Thulin and Max von Sydow. Most of his films were set in the landscape of Sweden. His major subjects were death, illness, faith, betrayal, and insanity.
-From Wikipedia
Other Bergman films include, The Seventh Seal (1957), The Virgin Spring (1960), Winter Light (1962), Fanny and Alexander (1982).
What is their to say about Alfred Hitchcock and Shadow of a Doubt. I chose this Hitchcock film mainly because I think it's his most underrated work. It is rumored that this film was Hitchcock's favorite, mine would be Vertigo...maybe North by Northwest...wait Rope...Rear Window...okay I pretty much like them all. I also wanted to play something that was fairly accessible to fill the seats since The Odyssey was just opening.
The film stars Teresa Wright and Joseph Cotton, who are just perfect in this film. The script has a perfect balance of dark humor and suspense. The entire cast does a wonderful job playing off each other in this well written script by Thorton Wilder. The suspense is so gradual that it kind of sneaks up on you and at some point you realize that Uncle Charlie isn't messing around and by then you are gripped. In short this is a well made thriller that should not be missed if you are a fan of Hitchcock or films from the 1940's. It was nominated for an Academy Award for it's writing.
I'm sure I will be showing more Hitchcock films in the future. While his films may be a bit more main stream then most of the other films we'll be showing that doesn't mean they aren't important, influential, or artistic (His films aren't considered classics for nothing). I hope you enjoy Shadow of a Doubt, let me know what you think.
- Loegan Magic
SHADOW OF A DOUBT (1943) DIRECTED BY: Alfred Hitchcock
In trademark style, master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock directs this taut and chilling tale about Charlie (Teresa Wright), a small-town girl consumed with finding out whether her unhinged Uncle (Joseph Cotten) is a serial killer or not. The arrival of detectives and a suspicious neighbor (Hume Cronyn) only increase Charlie's paranoia. But tension builds as she draws closer to the truth, culminating in a nail-biting scene aboard a speeding train.
-From Netflix website
LENGTH: 108 minutes
LANGUAGE: English
RATING: PG (intended for mature audiences)
ABOUT ALFRED HITCHCOCK
Hitchcock directed more than fifty feature films in a career spanning six decades. Often regarded as the greatest British filmmaker, he came first in a 2007 poll of film critics in Britain's Daily Telegraph, which said: "Unquestionably the greatest filmmaker to emerge from these islands, Hitchcock did more than any director to shape modern cinema, which would be utterly different without him. His flair was for narrative, cruelly withholding crucial information (from his characters and from us) and engaging the emotions of the audience like no one else." The magazine MovieMaker has described him as the most influential filmmaker of all-time, and he is widely regarded as one of cinema's most significant artists.
-From Wikipedia
We are opening The Odyssey with Andrei Tarkovsky's film Ivan's Childhood. I'd like to say that I have some profound reason for choosing this film to open with but the truth is, I have recently watched it and the images are still swirling around in my head. I think i just wanted to share it with others so i can hear what they think about it. That's not to say that I don't think this film is brilliant.
Tarkovsky is a Russian filmmaker who pretty much makes what I would say are visual poems. You kind of just have to let them wash over you and trust it will sort itself out by the end. On a second viewing you will probably wonder why you were ever confused in the first place. I'm sure their is a fancy name for that kind of story telling, if anybody knows feel free to leave a comment. Tarkosvsky films are not the easiest to watch, often long, slow paced, non-linear, dream like images etc. Ivan is what I would call Tarkovsky light, it has all the usual elements but with a pretty straight forward plot that remains easy to follow. This may be because Tarkovsky took the film over from another director and was still discovering his visual style.
I have to admit it took me awhile to warm up to the films of Andrei Tarkovsky. My first try was at least 15 years ago when I attempted to watch Solaris, his 1972 science fiction film often compared to Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. Being a big fan of Kubrick and 2001, this film seemed like a must see. I was however, surprised to discover that I was unable to make it through the first thirty minutes of this nearly three hour long film,without dozing off. Through the years I've attempted to watch Solaris a few more times, I even tried another Tarkovsky film Andrei Rublev (1966), three hours and twenty minutes, with the same results. However, something kept calling me back to Solaris and about six months ago I made another attempt and the results were amazing.
I was immediately hypnotized by the slow pace of the film and allowed the images to wash over me. I began to understand the visual language that Tarkovsky likes to use. Images that I have since see reoccur in all his films. I was hooked. I have since watched almost all of his films and consider them all works of art that I can return to watch over and over again. Why do I find it so easy to watch his films now and not before? I have no idea. It is like a door in my mind opened up to a new part that is able to translate his imagery. Either way, I am a fan and Tarkovsky has quickly become one of my favorite film makers.
Ivan's Childhood is Tarkovsky's first feature film and is a great place to start, his student film, a short entitled, The Steamroller and The Violin is also worth a watch and available on DVD. Ivan is much more accessible then his later works while still remaining true to his visual style and themes. Let me know what you think.
- Loegan Magic
IVAN'S CHILDHOOD (1962) DIRECTED BY: Andrei Tarkovsky
Andrei Tarkovsky's debut feature is an extraordinarily moving and powerful story of war and revenge. Determined to avenge his family's death at the hands of the Nazis, 12-year-old Ivan (Kolya Burlyayev) joins a Russian partisan regiment as a scout. He becomes indispensable for his ability to slip inconspicuously through enemy lines, but as his missions become increasingly dangerous, the enemy starts taking notice.
- From Netflix website
LENGTH: 95 mins
LANGUAGE: Russian with English subtitles
RATING: NR Intended for mature audiences
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:
Andrei Arsenyevich Tarkovsky (Russian: April 4, 1932 – December 29, 1986) was a Soviet and Russian filmmaker, writer, film editor, film theorist and opera director, widely regarded as one of the finest filmmakers of the 20th century. Tarkovsky's films include Andrei Rublev, Solaris, The Mirror, and Stalker. They are characterized by spirituality and metaphysical themes, long takes, lack of conventional dramatic structure and plot, and distinctively authored use of cinematography.
-From Wikipedia
Hello and welcome to The Odyssey Cinema blog! The Odyssey is Second Life's newest cinema located at The Mill. We are dedicated to showing the best films from around the world; classic, art house, independent, and more. We hope to be an interactive community where our group members can comment and suggest the films played at the theater. We also plan on having a discussion group that will meet regularly to examine the films that have recently played. The blog will hopefully be a big part of communicating within the group and about the films being shown.
The Odyssey Cinema was created because even though Second Life has a ton of movie theaters none seemed to be showing the films I wanted to see. Most were showing old films in the public domain or new commercial titles; none seemed to be showing classic or art house films. And if a theater was showing something that I found interesting it either didn't work, I couldn't figure it out, or I had to join a group. The Odyssey has 5 goals:
To show the best films from around the world from some of the most influential directors in cinema
Allow anyone to watch a film by just pressing play on their media button(no need to join a group)
Films will always start from the beginning and more then one person can watch even if they showed up at different times.
Create an interactive community of people who appreciate film as an art.
Meet new friends and have fun!
We will post information about the movies playing to help inform our members and in hopes of getting comments or reactions to the films. If we get real motivated we might even post some reviews or analysis of some of the films being played.
Lastly, you don't have to be a film expert to be part of this community. I am far from an expert myself I just have a love for film and enjoy attempting to understand these films on a deeper level. All are welcome to be part of the community.
