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Saturday, April 14, 2012

Movie From the Vault: Phantom of the Paradise



This movie looks like a cheesy farce, which it is, but it's also a really good movie. This Brian De Palma rock opera is obviously a takeoff of the Phantom of the Opera, but it also integrates elements of Faust and The Picture of Dorian Gray. It's a fun ride filled with fun musical numbers and it's just weird enough to stay interesting throughout.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Movie From the Vault: Forbidden Zone


This has got to be the weirdest goddamn movie I've ever seen in my life. Directed by Richard Elfman, Danny Elfman's brother, this 1982 vaudevillian grotesque is a bizarre throwback to over the top slapstick cinema that invokes the sensibilities of everything from mistrel shows to the Marx Brothers.

Danny Elfman provides the music and the sets are black box papier mache backdrops that look like they were designed for an elementary school play. The overall effect is a fun and clever film experience that is three parts Rocky Horror and one part GWAR video.