Suspiria (remake)

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Remo D
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Suspiria (remake)

Post by Remo D »

So... the new SUSPIRIA is guaranteed at least one more week's play at the arthouse. I'm not sure whether I should be surprised... it's the average chance you take between a "prestige" director and near-zero box office. But now that we've all at least had the CHANCE to see it? I'll speak a little more freely but will still try to avoid major spoilers.

Luca Gudagnino's SUSPIRIA qualifies as a remake in premise, characters and its fully credited awareness of the Argento/Nicolodi original. That said, it is definitely a NEW movie with its own story and its own approach to the Three Mothers and the Tanz Akademie. It does not attempt to recreate Argento's images, color palette, soundtrack or shock moments... you may anticipate some elements, but you can't coast along on memories of the original and rest assured of where it's going or what will happen next.

And yes, this is one that's going to require more than one viewing for me to properly approach, because "love it or hate it," this is surely the most ambitious horror film of the year. It delivers muted, atmospheric dread (with no candy-colored images) and harsh, painful violence out of nowhere even as it frustrates the viewer with long, leisurely dialogue passages and heavy historical context (political violence in 1977 Berlin, the residue of the Nazis)... I waited until after I saw the film to read so much as a single review, and I'm glad that I did because both the 'good' review and the 'bad' review I sampled chose to spoil a peculiar bit of casting that I must admit had me buffaloed (I knew 'something' was up but would never have come up with the specific answer on my own).

The 'good' review came from Anthony Lane of the New Yorker. He demonstrated full familiarity with the Argento original (as well as Guadagnino's previous work: I have not seen CALL ME BY YOUR NAME) and anticipated nonplussed reactions from both audiences. He delved into the socio-political context and teased out relevant theories connecting the on-screen witchcraft and the human turmoil in the background even as he acknowledged that he, too, had to watch the film a second time before arriving at any of them.

The 'bad' review came from our old friend Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle, and he was in rare form with his "empty seat" screed. The only Argento film Mick had ever seen was MOTHER OF TEARS, and not even Argento acolytes place that one near the top of the heap. On the other hand, he adored CALL ME BY YOUR NAME and is probably exactly the audience member Lane was referring to in HIS review. Mick saw nothing but gratuitous gory violence and mind-numbingly boring interludes... he declares the new SUSPIRIA a sure-fire contender for the year's worst movie. Maybe he missed TRUTH OR DARE... oh, I don't really care. These days I just get a kick out of seeing him pop off like that.

Well, here's what I'll bring to the table. This isn't Dario Argento's SUSPIRIA.

This is David Lynch's SUSPIRIA!

And yes, I'm talking TWIN PEAKS SEASON 3 David Lynch with every agonizing hang-time, every brilliant burst of inspiration, every deliberate frustration of audience expectations and every loaded detail packed into every scene just begging to be discovered and debated. All six acts beg the comparison... and then we reach the epilogue, which has virtually nothing to do with Argento and almost everything to do with... GARMONBOZIA!

I'll stop there. That one's mine.

Love it. Hate it. But if you want in on the conversation, you most certainly need to SEE it.
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Chris Slack
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Re: Suspiria (remake)

Post by Chris Slack »

Not willing to drive 4 hours to see this one, unfortunately, I'll have to wait for video.
"Regrettable... I was hoping for a colleague, but at least we have
another experimental subject..." -Mesa of Lost Women
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Darth Tanner
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Re: Suspiria (remake)

Post by Darth Tanner »

Ugh! I was really looking forward to seeing this on the big screen. But alas it is a limited release and not playing anywhere close to me (at least within reasonable driving distance). It looks like I'll have to wait and catch up to this when it becomes available to rent on Vudu. But at least the good news is I know I'll be saving more than a few bucks. In the meantime, I'll have to suffice with your positive review until I have an opportunity to see it. Maybe I'll go out this weekend to see OVERLORD or GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB instead. Thanks again, Mr. D!
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Remo D
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Re: Suspiria (remake)

Post by Remo D »

Don't freaking miss OVERLORD.
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