Musical Monday with Saro

Start your week off with something a little creepy from an artist I've just discovered. I THINK this a love song? Maybe it's about obsession? about drug use? Whatever it is, it's equal parts pretty and spooky and completely excellent. 

But the video... don't watch it with the lights off!

Please (2019)

Starring: Saro

Director: Alex Cook

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

The Cave Clown is here, there, and everywhere!

The Disconnected Clown (aka "Mysterious Displacements") (1901)
Starring: Andre Deeds
Director: Georges Méliès

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

A clown (Melies) joyously violates the laws of nature and reality in creepy ways.

This is another instance of stage-magician-turned-pioneering-filmmaker Georges Melies using special effects to bring magic tricks to the screen in a way that would be neigh impossible in a live performance. Generally, I favor his films that feature a bit more plot than this one, but the visual effects are so impressive in this one that I can't help but love it. (Plus, the rambunctious joy with which the clown performs his creepy show makes the film all the more fascinating and surreal.)

But don't just take my word for it. Click below and enjoy a couple minutes of pure weirdness and special effects that are pretty convincing even more than 120 years after this film was made.

A 120+ year-old movie that's still fresh

The Brahmin and the Butterfly (aka "The Butterfly's Chrysalis") (1901)
Starring: Georges Melies and an anonymous dancer
Director: Georges Melies
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

A sorerer (Melies) uses magic to create a beautiful winged woman by enchanting a giant caterpillar... but things don't go quite as he planned.

 "The Brahmin and the Butterfly" is one of my favorite shorts from early special effects wizard Georges Melies. It's a little goofy, a little creepy, the effects are pretty good even by modern standards, and it's got a story with a twist. All in about two minutes!

What's more, I think the story will resonate with modern audiences. Take a look and let me know if you agree! (The version I'm providing below features a modern score done specifically for this film, which makes watching it even more enjoyable.)

A dream of soul mates in black and white

I've rarely come across a more perfect short film to offer up for your viewing pleasure on Valentine's Day than this one. I hope you enjoy it!


Black and White (2021)
Starring: Chastity Cofield, Skylar McNamee, and D.W. Moffett
Director: Daniel Otero
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Can dreams become reality? Do soulmates exist outside of dreams? A young man (McNamee) and woman (Coefield) discover the answers to those questions.

Musical Monday with Mariah Carey

 

With Valentine's Day coming up, we thought we'd bring you a romantic song... well, a sort-of romantic song. It's more of a break-up-and-moving-on song, especially when taken in context of the mini-movie music video that goes with it. (And we really like this music video, because we like the ones that tell stories rather than just show musicians standing around playing instruments and singing.)

Plus, it's always good to be reminded that it's okay to play Mariah Carey songs when it's not Christmas time.

I Stay in Love (2008)

Starring: Mariah Carey and Andrew Karelis

Director: Nick Cannon

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

'Knife in the Water' is a great first feature film

Knife in the Water (1962)
Starring: Jolanta Umecka, Leon Niemczyka, and Zygmunt Malanowicz

Director: Roman Polanski

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A businessman (Niemczyka) invites a hitchhiker (Malanowicz) to spend the weekend with himself and his wife (Umecka) on their small yacht. The two men soon begin to compete for the woman's attention and to engage in a rapidly escalating battle to prove who is the most macho.

"Knife in the Water" is in a category of movies that I generally can't bear to watch: It's a story of people in a cramped space who tear each other apart on a psychological level for no reason other to tear each other apart. The better the acting and cinematic craftsmanship, the more uncomfortable the film is for me to watch. 

For example, I recognize "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf" (1966) and "Boys in the Band" (1970) as some of the very best movies I've seen, but they are not films I would watch again unless I have to for some professional (or blogging) reason. Everything about both pictures is excellent and that's what makes them so hard to watch.

I don't like watching people tear each other apart for no reason other than to tear each other apart, especially when there isn't a character that I can cast as the villain of the piece. I watch movies for the entertainment, not to watch suffering for the sake of suffering. This is the same reason why I couldn't stand those "torture porn" films that were all the rage during the early 2000s.

With all that said, I recognize "Knife in the Water" is well-acted and well-filmed. Polanski (and/or his director of photography) did a brilliant job framing scenes so even when the characters were on the deck of the boat, with an expansive horizon ahead, things felt claustrophobic even though the surroundings were open and airy.  

Similarly, the acting is universally excellent--generally restrained and in perfect keeping with the slow burn of the film's story. The calm demeanor of the characters, coupled with the way they are clearly trying to get under each others skin, along with the knowledge that none of them have anywhere to escape to when the inevitable explosion of rage happens.

The pacing of the film is immaculate almost up the very end... and perhaps even at that point. It felt to me like the aftermath of the eventual confrontations, as well as the lead-up to the film's cryptic ending felt like it dragged a bit. I don't know if that sense was just my reaction to the conflicts in the film mostly having been resolved, or if it was my unfulfilled expectation that there would be an additional twist.

"Knife in the Water" was Roman Polanski's first feature-length film, and it shows that he had a great eye for framing scenes from the very beginning, as well as pacing the story for maximum building of tension. As mentioned above, he doesn't quite manage to deliver a solid ending--we can see how much he improved as a storyteller in the similarly-structured "Cul-de-Sac" a couple years later--but this is still a very well-mounted film. It's also a fine example of what a talented filmmaker can do with a limited budget, and it's worth examining by would-be filmmakers to this day.

Musical Monday with Little Simz

In 2015, British actress and rapper and photographer released the first single for her debut album "A Curious Tale of Trials + Persons". That sentence represents the sum total of what I know about her and her work, but based on what you'll find if you click on the video below, I think you'll probably be looking her up to see what else she might have to offer. (I know I'm going to see if she's made more videos suitable for a future Musical Monday!)

Dead Body (2015)

Starring: Little Simz

Director: Jeremy Cole

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

(One word of caution, especially for Americans: If you're not used to certain British working class accents, you might want to follow along with these printed lyrics as the video plays.)

Movie Magic ala Georges Melies!

The Tiny Dancer (aka 'The Dancing Midget') (1902)
Starring: George Melies, an Anonymous Actor, and an Anonymous Ballerina
Director: Georges Melies
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A magician (Melies) conjures an assistant, eggs, and ultimately a miniature ballerina. But he's saved his greatest trick for last!

 "The Tiny Dancer" is one of the many films by stage-magician-turned-pioneering-special-effects-artist Georges Melies performs cinema-enhanced magic tricks that culminate either in a magical mishap or a visual joke of some sort. I'll not say how this one turns out, because I don't want to spoil anything.

I've said before that this type of film are among my least favorite of Melies output. That said, this one is lively and amusing enough that it kept my attention throughout. The ending also make me snicker, and I always appreciate the short films that leave me smiling (for the comedies) or squirming (for the horror films).

But why don't you check it out? It's only a couple minutes long. Let me know in the comments whether you liked it or not!

Also, if you see Elton John, recommend that he check it out, too. I think he'll love it, for obvious reasons.

Musical Monday with Zella Day

A good cover tune is one where the performer captures the essence of the song. A great cover tune is one where the artist captures the essence of the song and makes it their own in every way.

Singer Zella Day has recorded a cover of Ozzy Osbourne's "Crazy Train" that is not only great, it's FANTASTIC. What's more, it is supported by a great video that is equally effective in capturing the essence of "Crazy Train." (The only, very nitpicky complaint that I can even think to mount is that maybe it should have taken place in a train car rather than the back of an open-topped car.)

Crazy Train (2020)

Starring: Zella Day

Director: Cameron McCool

Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

Click here for a post where you can enjoy Ozzy's original "Crazy Train" song. (Scroll to the bottom.)

'Requiro' is an impressive first effort

The writer/director of the short film embedded below, Jyotsna Kamath, appears to have spent some time flirting with different creative fields and online "influencing" during the early 2000s (when her profile shots on her various social media pages make her look like she was in her late teens and early 20s. She eventually seems to have mostly given up on those pursuits and taken a job as a flight attendant... but recently returned to the self-employed and more creative realm as a wardrobe consultant (according to her LinkedIn profile).

Based on what you'll see when watching "Requiro", I think you'll agree that it's a shame Kamath was unable to stick with filmmaking. This is a low-key film driven entirely by the emotions of the three very different main characters and how the viewers relate to them. The pacing is near-flawless (with only two minor stumbles that are only noticeable because everything else is so smooth) and every shot is expertly framed. (That last part could be more to the credit of cinematographer Gagan Bains, but Kamath still had the sense to work with him on the project.)

Maybe, someday, we'll get to see more from Kamath. For now, I hope you find "Requiro" as interesting as I did.

Requiro (2014)
Starring: Omkar Ghalsasi, Akshay Deolekar, and Aakash Patil
Director: Jyotsna Kamath
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

 

Musical Monday at Shades of Gray HQ

Have you ever wondered what it's like at the Shades of Gray offices, the place where everything is in black-and-white and all time is meaningless? Well, watch the video below and you'll get a feel for it!

Dinero (2018)

Starring: Jennifer Lopez, Cardi B, and DJ Khaled

Director: Joseph Kahn

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

(Okay... so it might not be exactly like that around here, but... all right, it's NOTHING like that. But it's a new year. Maybe THIS is the year we go viral and stuff! Or Jennifer Lopez just decides to give us a dump truck full of money!)

Musical Monday with Beyonce

Here's a music video that seems to embody the historical and stylistic mishmash that is the content of this blog!


Dance For You (2011)
Starring: Beyonce Knowles and Brett G. Smith

Directors: Alan Ferguson and Beyonce Knowles

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

It's night in the city, and a private eye receives an unexpected visit...

This video would have gotten a rating of Ten Out of Ten Stars if it had ended with the Private Eye saying, "That's great, doll. But it's still twenty dollars a day, plus expenses."

Musical Monday with slenderbodies

California-based musical duo slenderbodies says that they are hoping to inspire change in the world through their dreamy, poppy tunes. Check out the "official visualizer" for their single "smilin'" and let us know if you think they might succeed! (We enjoyed the curious peppiness of the song and weirdness of the video... and we hope you will, too!)


smilin' (2022)
Starring: Alyssa Rose
Directors: Max Vehuni and Benji Cormack

Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

Musical Monday with Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats

Here's an excellent R&B song, with a music video that's part Rocky/sports documentary spoof, part performance video, and all fun! All-in-all, it's a great way to get the blood flowing for another work week!

Survivor (2021)
Starring: Nathaniel Rateliff, Rachel Matthews, Joey Pope, Luke Mossman, and Charles Martin
Director: Brantley Gutierrez

Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

A Night at the Museum: 1930s Hollywood Style

Hollywood on Parade (A-8) (1933)
Starring: Eddie Borden, Bonnie Poe, Gayne Whitman, Bela Lugosi, Charlie Murray, George Sidney, Dorothy Burgess, Charles Murray, Marie Prevost, and Rex Bell

Director: Louis Lewyn

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Wax figures of actors in their famous roles from the late 1920s and early 1930s come to life, and comedian Eddie Borden (Borden) tries to rescue Betty Boop (Poe) after she is attacked by Dracula (Lugosi).

"Hollywood on Parade" was an anthology series produced by Paramount to be shown in theaters before the main features. Some episodes were newsreel-style mockumentaries, others were mini-variety shows, and some, like the one we're featuring today is a series of related comedy skits tied together by a fanciful central story concept. Features that were present in each and every installment, however, were actors appearing as themselves or fictionalized versions of them based on their public image or whatever character they've portrayed that was most famous. The series also relied heavily on contemporary cultural and film references that would be well-known to audiences but may be very obscure to many modern viewers.

This is the first time we're featuring a "Hollywood on Parade" episode on this blog, and we think it's perfect not only for this forum, but for this time of year. Several of the actors featured are in films that have been reviewed and/or can be viewed in posts here at the blog. Even if some of the specifics of some references in this film may not be clear in their origins to many modern viewers, the genres and foibles they are having fun with are general enough in classic films and fiction that the jokes still work. Plus, given how often Betty Boop and Dracula are featured in posts around here, this is a perfect bit of fun as the Halloween festivities here at Shades of Gray approach their high point.

Click below and sit back. We think you'll like this film... and we think you LOVE it if you're into Pre-Code films, Betty Boop cartoons, and Universal's Dracula flicks!

An artsy take on a classic horror story

The Fall of the House of Usher (1928)
Starring: Hildegarde Watson, Herbert Stern, and Melville Webber
Directors: Melville Webber and James Sibley Watson

Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A traveler (Webber) is drawn into the existential nightmare-made-real shared by a brother and sister (Stern and Watson).

This 13-minute short film was the first screen adaptation of Edgar Allan Poe's short story "The Fall of the House of Usher". Its creators were more concerned with capturing what they saw as the essence and mood of the story than they were with retelling its plot. As such, this film will make little sense if you're not familiar with the story it's adapted from.

That said, while the film's creators assumed viewers would know the story even if you're not familiar with it watching this film will be an interesting and worthwhile experience. This goes double if you have an interest in film history and cinematic techniques.

What's even better? This creeptacular classic is bound to awaken and/or strengthen the Halloween Spirit within you . The version embedded in this post is one of the visually sharpest ones we could find, and it's got a modern, highly effective score that was composed specifically for it.

'Tale of the Deaf' is full of classic horror vibes

We struck a gothic tone with Anne Hathaway yesterday... and we continue it with today's spooky short film!

Tale of the Deaf (2021)
Starring: Husky and Anton Adasinsky

Director: Philip Yuryev

Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

A mysterious illusionist and organ grinder (Adasinsky) enters a shabby tavern where he takes to the stage to entertain a crowd who just abused the previous performer (Husky).

"Tale of the Deaf" is a fabulous Russian short film that was originally produced as part of an effort to spotlight popular musicians (in this case, a rapper named Husky) in mini-fright films for the Russian counterpart to YouTube. I can't speak to any other entries in the series, but this one soars far and above its gimmicky origins and rises to the level of horror movie greats. If you enjoy those classic, gothic-horror flavored films from the 1920s and early 1930s (and even some of the Hammer Film flicks from the late 1950s), you're going to get a big kick out of this one.

Almost everything about this film is perfect. From the expert use of light and shadow to make maximum use of the black-and-white format (and resulting in visuals that bring to mind the best work of filmmakers like James Whale, Tod Browning, and Benjamin Christensen), the elaborate tavern set, and a collection of background characters that are deftly given depth with some very brief, but well thought-out, touches.

The only reason that this is not a Ten-star film is that there's a bit of the ending that doesn't seem like it fits with what happened earlier in the film. It fits in over all, it's perfect in a twisted poetic justice sense, but I found myself wondering how it was happening. 

(By the way, if you happen to be a DM who runs games using the Ravenloft setting, you REALLY need to watch "Tale of the Deaf". There's a wealth of inspiration to be had from it!)

Musical Monday with the Linda Lindas

What if B-movie maestro Charles Band (the creator of many oddball doll-driven horror films) was to write and direct a music video? Well, we're pretty sure it would turn like something like the one for "Talking to Myself" by the Linda Lindas.

Talking to Myself (2022)
Starring: The Linda Lindas
Director: Ryan Baxley
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

Here's a film to step up the Halloween spirit!

Steps (2022)
Starring: Mori Christian and Kris Cummins
Director: Russell Miller
Rating: Eight of Ten Stars

A woman (Christian) movies into her just-purchased house, only to discover that the previous owner has left something behind...

"Steps" is a expertly paced and well-filmed haunted house tale. It mostly avoids the jump scares that so many creators of short films (and long-form horror films, too, for that matter) rely so heavily on. What we get here is good old-fashioned tension building through escalating weirdness

The only non-nitpicky complaint I can voice about this film is also a compliment: As the film ended, I wanted to know more. More about the main character, more about the house she purchased, more about the person who sold it to her, more about the previous owner/inhabitants... just more. Generally, stories like this that don't have the slightest hint as to why the supernatural events of the film are happening bother me. I generally feel like there should be some slight hint as to why this curse is upon a particular place or is happening to a particular person. There are some exceptions, though, like what we have here--a film so engaging that it sparks my imagination and causes me to make up the greater story surrounding it. That, in turn, makes me wish that I could know the REAL story beyond the edges of the story we are told.

But why don't you take a few minutes to check out "Steps"? Even if you aren't as impressed with it as I was, I think you'll agree that it's an excellent short film, as well as a great way to boost the Halloween Spirit!

A titanic struggle for them... fun for us!

The Bench (2014)
Starring: Daniel Rock and Josh Tichauer
Director: Melody Rock
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

A man's (Rock) relaxing moment on a lake-side bench is interrupted when a stranger (Tichauer) sits down next to him.

"The Bench" is a short silent movie pastiche that is far more effective at capturing the spirit of silent comedies than the vast majority of other efforts out there. The filmmakers didn't so much try to mimic the cliches of silent movie acting as they went for pacing and the physicality of the comedy. As such, they delivered a fun two minutes that should appeal equally to lovers of silent movies and all who appreciate well-crafted comedy.

Even more impressive: "The Bench" delivers a very timely message, and it does so in a gentle way that few filmmakers have the ability to do, or are unwilling to do. The core issue that causes conflict between the two characters in the film--and the simple way it's ultimately resolved--is a reflection of what's causing many social conflicts these days. The fact this film is almost ten years old, and still feels fresh in its message, is either a strong indictment of the state of American culture, or a strong indication of the film's high quality and timelessness. (However you choose to look at it, though, there is no doubt that "The Bench" is a superior piece of filmmaking.)

I invite you to take a couple minutes to check out this fine little film... and please let me know if you think I've steered you wrong with my praise for it.