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GUMMO/Harmoney Korine

HysteriX

17:59 / 03.09.01

If you haven't seen it, then do so. This was the most disturbing movie I'd ever seen until Julien Donkey-Boy. Maybe it's just me and the drugs, but I've watched this film over and over again and have depicted many subliminal or underlying messages adn under tones. i.e. The bathtub scene (disgusting) to me illustrates how humans are just wallowing in their own filth even eating in it with mommy right by our side washing our hair, but we're conscious of it we see all this shit. When he rubs the bar of soap on the wall to clean off some of the scum, that says to me that some are making an effort to change things only in futility.
There others I could easily point out but I want to know what others think.

[ 03-09-2001: Message edited by: Dr. Face-Cock ]

uncle retrospective

22:29 / 03.09.01

This film nearly killed some of my friends. Mid mushroom night someone put this on and made them watch it all.
burrrrrrrr....

Your right its one of the most fucked things I've ever seen, but it's far too weird. You can just switch off at laugh at the chair wressln' and the black, deformed, gay dwarf. (really).

Worth subjecting yourself but I'd say just watch Kids.

autopilot disengaged

22:43 / 03.09.01

harmony's a genius. a fucked-up, self-destructive genius for sure, but let's be honest - that's the way we like them. gets to go out with chloe sevigny as a reward, too.

he's working way, way out there, making films that are light years from what we've come to expect even from the indie sector. chloe said that 'donkey-boy' originally had a script, but when it came to filming, harm just threw it away and made the actors improvise.

he's also piecing together a documentary film wherein he gets himself beaten up by assorted people. quite badly, sometimes. it's called 'fight harm' (i still say 'fight harmony' would've been better).

see also: the dogma resurgence + some of the really raw underdog indies from britain - 'ratcatcher' and 'the war zone'.

or don't.

johnny whatif

07:47 / 04.09.01

Sweet Jeebus... Gummo is one of the most disturbing things i have ever allowed past my eyelids...

High Point : Chair rasslin'... I was on the floor in tears of laughter.

Low Point : Skinny bunny-ear-wearing redneck kid. Scared the shit out of me. Right out.

Demented!

quote: he's working way, way out there

Add about six more "way"s to that sentence...

CameronStewart

11:38 / 04.09.01

Jury's still out on Korine for me. I thought Gummo was a fascinating, disturbing film, but I'm not entirely convinced that it was Korine that was resposible. Since a good chunk of it was semi-documentary footage - he just turned his camera on the local folk and let them do their thing (i.e. the aforementioned chair-wrestling), I get the feeling that the effect would have been the same regardless of who directed it.

Haven't seen Julien Donkey-Boy yet. As I said, the jury's still out - I think he's interesting enough to keep an eye on, but I'm wary of calling him a genius just yet...

autopilot disengaged

11:57 / 04.09.01

i probably do leap into labelling people/things etc 'genius' too easily. it's just that his films are so unconventional - and it's easier to jump to those conclusions from work which is extreme, rather than carefully examining something more subtle, maybe quietly subversive.

i think when you see 'donkey-boy', though, you'll see that - though many of the situations may be spontaneous and/or resulting directly from the actors - he does manage to create (or instigate, provoke) some really incredible moments, fragments - and do it consistently. he's like a lightning-rod.

and one of the things i like about him is that he turns the power dynamic of making movies on its head.

i certainly prefer his films since 'kids' to 'kids', which i thought was overrated and hype-inflated.

we'll see if he can make lightning strike the same spot some more...

[ 04-09-2001: Message edited by: autopilot disengaged ]

Ria

16:14 / 04.09.01

from IMDB, memorable quotes:
http://us.imdb.com/Quotes?0119237

according to statistics women 45 years and up rated this film most highly...!

oh, and the French version has six minutes extra footage.

will maybe hunt up christian website reviews... if any exist...

[ 04-09-2001: Message edited by: Kriztalyne ]

No star here laces

16:57 / 04.09.01

See, thing I like about Harmony Korine is that he understands that movies aren't an auteur's individualistic vision, not even art movies are. Movies that are truly great are group efforts where everybody adds something, not just everybody dances to the director's tune. That's why donkey-boy was so compelling, and the performances in it are so fantastic - because the actors were allowed to contribute.

Similarly because Gummo was a mix of acting a real stuff it's not all about the director.

I think he's pretty good, it's too wilfully obscure to be truly great art but he's blazing trails and I personally love his movies.

Vitamin-C

12:15 / 07.09.01

korine's really into the idea of a unified aesthetic. as a result, he's exhibited in galleries, released an album, performed in poetry readings, wrote a book and just generally collaborated with like minded individuals in whatever field(see bjorks new album).

after checking out most of what he's done/achieved, i personally, can't help but admire him - regardless of how inconsistent his work can be.

what does anyone else think about the stuff he's done outside of his film-making?

Regrettable Juvenilia

12:18 / 07.09.01

Well, I thought he handled his relationship with Chloe Sevigny in an impressive and dignified manner, if that's what you mean. Especially that time when she went off to London and shagged Jarvis Cocker.

[ 07-09-2001: Message edited by: The Flyboy ]

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