Category: Movies

Review: Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer 

On By Amy Lordan-TrippIn Amy's Movies Watched in 2017, MoviesLeave a comment

I kicked off 2017 by watching a VHS copy Henry: Portait of a Serial Killer on a CRT television. I’m thoroughly modern. For younger readers, CRT is an acronym for Cathode Ray Tube. Until LCD and plasma displays came along, CRT was the standard for televisions. Translation: the TV is old and the picture gets cut off on the sides when I watch TV.

Henry is a movie that I had always meant to watch, but hadn’t gotten around to seeing. My first job was at a video store, and I remember handling Henry. Viewing it on my VCR seemed appropriate because it made Henry seem even more gritty.

Michael Rooker, of The Walking Dead fame, churns out a disturbing performance as our titular character. Going toe-to-toe on the creep factor with Rooker is Tom Towles as Henry’s roommate, Otis. Actually, I found Otis to be waaaaay creepier than Henry.

No one has a merry life in Henry. Probably a given when “serial killer” is in the title. Tracy Arnold’s Becky is possibly the most disheartening of the three. She is down on her luck, experienced a horrible childhood, and has horrific taste in men.

Henry manages to portray a serial killer without being overly-graphic. There’s no torture porn. It’s left to the viewer to imagine the events leading up to most of the deaths.

It may not have the high production values of American Psycho or Natural Born Killers, but Henry works on a different level. Plus: it’s a fantastic time capsule from 1986. Millennials can learn all about portable videotape recorders!

Keep an eye out for that Rooker guy. I think he’s super! He may have already slithered into your galaxy. (Bad puns, I know. Sorry.)

104 Movies and a Year with Women 

On By Amy Lordan-TrippIn Female Directors, MoviesLeave a comment

For the past few years, I’ve taken on the FiftyFifty challenge to watch 50 films and read 50 books. In 2016, I fared better with the films, watching 104 movies that I had never seen before. This list doesn’t include repeat viewings of favorites like Highlander, Mad Max: Fury Road, Donnie Darko, or all things Edgar Wright.

With much remorse, I write that I only read 22 books! But I read loads of comic books, which suck up most of my reading time. I blame my fantastic Local Comic Book Shop (LCBS), The Outer Limits.

But, this post ain’t about reading!

I kept track of my movie watching on Pinterest. It was more fun when Pinterest let anyone browse boards. Now, you can only see a wee bit of a board before you’re prompted to login or create an account. For 2017, I’ll be tracking my films on Letterboxd.

My #FiftyFiftyMe Films board can be found on Pinterest

In 2016, I watched 103 movies. I also tried my darndest to watch 52 films by female directors, inspired by A Year with Women. It was hard to find female-directed movies that I hadn’t seen before. I fell short with only 22 films viewed.

I’m glad that I tried to spend A Year with Women, because I stumbled upon Maya Deren. Her short films from the 1940s were revelations! As I was mesmerized by Deren’s Ritual of Transfigured Time, I caught a glimpse of a woman and thought, “Is that Anaïs Nin? No. Yes? Yes!!! It is!” Then I completely geeked out because Nin is one of my favorite writers and I had never seen her in a moving picture before!

Check out my Year with Women Pinterest board

 

If you are a fan of avant-garde cinema, I recommend checking out Deren’s films. She was ahead of her time. I hope that someday, her films will get the Criterion treatment. Currently, Maya Deren: Experimental Films is out of print but many of her films are available to view through Amazon and YouTube. I borrowed the DVD from my Local Public Library (LPL).

My absolute favorite film of 2016 is One More Time with Feeling. This 3D documentary, shot in black and white, chronicles the creation of Skeleton Tree by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. When I saw this movie, I felt a communal sadness in the movie theatre. I’ve never experienced something like that before.

One More Time with Feeling is a study of the musician’s creative process, but also a poignant and tasteful look at how grief affects a family. The DVD is scheduled for release on March 3. That gives me something to look forward to in 2017.