Maxie Zeus
08-22-2001, 07:06 PM
Welcome to ToonZone Movie Club (M), a forum devoted to viewing and discussing films selected and recommended by ToonZone members. For newbies and others just joining us, I'll start with a little explanation.
Each Friday we will be launching a new thread, inviting ToonZone members and visitors to watch a film selected from lists of titles we have received; we will then spend the following week discussing that film. We choose films that have not been widely seen by our members, so that the greatest number of us can enjoy a new cinematic experience, as recommended by some of our other members.
The (M) in the title of this (and future) threads stands for "mature." That's because the films discussed in them are intended for mature viewers, either because they contain objectionable material, or because they represent cinematic works of a particularly challenging variety. Of course, all ages and sensibilities are welcome here, and discussion will take place on a PG (or, at most, PG-13) level. The (M) is simply designed as a caution: The films here are not for all tastes or viewers. (We also maintain parallel threads--the (A) threads--for films suitable for all ages.)
* * * *
This is our first outing, and it comes a bit earlier than I had planned. But I have to leave town for the weekend, and preferred an early Club debut to a late one. I've chosen to start us off with a pair of off-kilter horror films. The (M) selection is "Picnic at Hanging Rock," from Australian director Peter Weir. This was Weir's third film, but it was one that got him a lot of international attention. Although he continued to direct films in Australia for a few years, Hollywood eventually lured him away, and today is best known for directing such critical and financial hits as "Witness," "Dead Poet's Society" and "The Truman Show."
This film showcases Weir's great talent for creating suspenseful and foreboding stories. It's set in the early 1900s, and tells of the disappearance one bright afternoon of three Australian schoolgirls, and of the effect it has on the school and local community. It's a quasi-horror film, but of a very strange kind: There are no monsters, no physical violence, no "shocks." Instead, Weir uses music, ominous silences and carefully composed images to gradually create an atmosphere of dread, madness, and vaguely occult menace. Whatever forces may be at work in the film actually become more frightening because they are never glimpsed or revealed.
It is rated PG, and is appropriate for most ages. But it has a careful and deliberate pace that, although almost hypnotic in its final effect, is at sharp variance with today's MTV-style of frenzied action and editing--not to mention the contemporary taste for gore and shock effects. It also does not have a superabundance of plot, and mostly contents itself with watching as various characters mentally unravel. Cheap thrills are not to be had here.
"Picnic at Hanging Rock" was re-edited by the director a few years ago, and even received a brief theatrical re-release before returning to video, so it should be widely available in the Drama or Mystery/Thriller sections of any well-stocked outlet. (Because it is Australian, stores with a sense of humor may file it under "Foreign.") It is available on both VHS and DVD formats.
Each Friday we will be launching a new thread, inviting ToonZone members and visitors to watch a film selected from lists of titles we have received; we will then spend the following week discussing that film. We choose films that have not been widely seen by our members, so that the greatest number of us can enjoy a new cinematic experience, as recommended by some of our other members.
The (M) in the title of this (and future) threads stands for "mature." That's because the films discussed in them are intended for mature viewers, either because they contain objectionable material, or because they represent cinematic works of a particularly challenging variety. Of course, all ages and sensibilities are welcome here, and discussion will take place on a PG (or, at most, PG-13) level. The (M) is simply designed as a caution: The films here are not for all tastes or viewers. (We also maintain parallel threads--the (A) threads--for films suitable for all ages.)
* * * *
This is our first outing, and it comes a bit earlier than I had planned. But I have to leave town for the weekend, and preferred an early Club debut to a late one. I've chosen to start us off with a pair of off-kilter horror films. The (M) selection is "Picnic at Hanging Rock," from Australian director Peter Weir. This was Weir's third film, but it was one that got him a lot of international attention. Although he continued to direct films in Australia for a few years, Hollywood eventually lured him away, and today is best known for directing such critical and financial hits as "Witness," "Dead Poet's Society" and "The Truman Show."
This film showcases Weir's great talent for creating suspenseful and foreboding stories. It's set in the early 1900s, and tells of the disappearance one bright afternoon of three Australian schoolgirls, and of the effect it has on the school and local community. It's a quasi-horror film, but of a very strange kind: There are no monsters, no physical violence, no "shocks." Instead, Weir uses music, ominous silences and carefully composed images to gradually create an atmosphere of dread, madness, and vaguely occult menace. Whatever forces may be at work in the film actually become more frightening because they are never glimpsed or revealed.
It is rated PG, and is appropriate for most ages. But it has a careful and deliberate pace that, although almost hypnotic in its final effect, is at sharp variance with today's MTV-style of frenzied action and editing--not to mention the contemporary taste for gore and shock effects. It also does not have a superabundance of plot, and mostly contents itself with watching as various characters mentally unravel. Cheap thrills are not to be had here.
"Picnic at Hanging Rock" was re-edited by the director a few years ago, and even received a brief theatrical re-release before returning to video, so it should be widely available in the Drama or Mystery/Thriller sections of any well-stocked outlet. (Because it is Australian, stores with a sense of humor may file it under "Foreign.") It is available on both VHS and DVD formats.