The Funny Farm: MONSANTO IS WAY MORE EVIL THAN I EVER COULD HAVE I...

The Funny Farm: MONSANTO IS WAY MORE EVIL THAN I EVER COULD HAVE I...:

Terrifying.

William Eggleston's Magic

Halloween has finally come! It is the time of year where I can unabashedly celebrate my all-time favorite horror (or what I consider horror) films..!

So, along with some still-frames from each film, I would like to include a short list of my ten favorite horror movies:

1. Night of the Hunter - This also happens to be my all-around favorite film. Charles Laughton creates a dream world, as seen through the eyes of two innocent children. The entire film is shot on a set with beautiful low-key lighting that is as expressive as it is symbolic.

2. Hour of the Wolf - This beautiful Bergman film has all of his usual (and suspenseful) traits; memory, terrifying dreams and the passing of time.. and of course, Liv Ullman! This is Bergman's only horror film.

3. The Ghost and Mrs. Muir - The story of a grieving widow who moves to a cottage by the sea, only to find that it is haunted by the ghost of a man! Over time, she begins to form a relationship with this ghost..

4. Rebecca - This is Hitchcock's first Hollywood film! In it, a young woman marries a handsome and wealthy man only to find out that he is tortured by the memory of his dead wife. The young woman becomes obsessed by the idea of his previous wife and slowly becomes consumed by insecurity and doubt.

5. Nosferatu

6. The Elephant Man - David Lynch's most empathetic film! A perfect commentary on the concept of "normality" and its evil presence within society.

7. Frankenstein- Which displays a similar empathy to Elephant Man. Beautiful sets, beautiful costumes, beautiful tenderness.

8. Dracula

9. Eraserhead - David Lynch's very own Metropolis! This is an excellent depiction of depression, isolation within an urban setting and suicidal tendencies.

10. The Innocents

We will live off of mangoes and love

..one more thing..

I would like to share some of Breece Pancakes short stories; they were a large source of inspiration for me while I was in Finland. They were also the cause of many late nights spent awake and dreaming of West Virginia..

Breece Pancake was a fairly unknown author in his time, but in recent years he has come to be regarded as a rare talent by contemporary writers such as Margaret Atwood and Joyce Carol Oates. He grew up in West Virginia and almost all of his stories occur in this bleak and impoverished landscape. There is only one collection of his works available for purchase (and I would sincerely recommend doing so). He committed suicide in 1979 at the young age of 26.

Trilobites, (published in 1977)

http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/77dec/pancake.htm

In The Dry, (published in 1978)

http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/78aug/pancake.htm

The Honored Dead, (published in 1981)

http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/81jan/pancake.htm

Hollow, (published in 1982)

http://www.theatlantic.com/past/docs/issues/82oct/pancake.htm

Here is a great review of his collection of short stories by Joyce Carol Oates:

http://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/13/books/pancake-stories.html?pagewanted=1

Some inspiring short films:

A girls own story by Jane Campion


A Girl's Own Story
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A Girl's Own Story Part 2
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A Girl's Own Story Part 3
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La Jetee by Chris Marker



Phantom Canyon by Stacey Steers (please go to the link; this film is really lovely)

http://www.lumeneclipse.com/gallery/22/steers/index.html

Mothlight by Stan Brakhage



I made my first 16mm film last week! I will not see how it turned out until it is screened for the entire class this Thursday- which will be a unique and nerve-racking experience. I hope that you will enjoy these short films as much as I have (or more).

I'm dedicating this post to the magic of Russia and it's photographers! If you wade through the hundreds of documentary photographers surrounding the Soviet Union and its states, you will find a magical group of artists working to convey the mystery and beauty of their country's struggles, without the crutch of depraved imagery. Here are a few:

My favorite (and one of my favorite photographers in general) Alexi Titarenko:















I love his long exposures where people appear in waves, identity-less .

This next artist is Finnish, but he dedicated much of his career to photographing Russia. Pentti Sammallahti:






Igor Savchenko:







Remigijus Treigys (from Lithuania, previously occupied by the Soviet Union):