The Monday
Jan 18th, 2010 | By Ben Peek | Category: UncategorizedIt appears that on Thursday and Friday I’m running a workshop. I hadn’t gotten any confirmation about it, so I was glad I checked.
At any rate, has anyone seen Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom? I came across it today and it has me a little curious, but I’m always a bit leery about films that are banned and controversial. Mostly, they’re just boring.
There’s more and more in the news about the Haiti disaster. Today, I saw a news program talking about how they identified the first Australian to die there. I don’t know, but that stuff just always shits me–as if it really makes the awfulness of the tragedy somehow more real to think that someone from your own country was involved. To me, it strikes of being the most selfish and inconsiderate of statements to make. As if the awfulness of seeing countless people homeless, hungry, sick, injured, dying and dead is somehow not enough for anyone of a different race or nationality to feel basic compassion.
January 30th, 2010 at 5:06 am
I’ve seen Salo. In 1994 the Australian government decided to de-ban it and some friends and I who’d just finished our graddips in cinema at Latrobe went along to see what all the fuss was about. Unfortunately, the government decided (in their infinite wisdom) to slap the ban on again and a film that would have died of natural causes long ago has this massive rep. It’s not that it’s boring - there are some funny moments - but there are horror films that have done this sort of thing much better. And also made by Italians. I much prefer Argento. Also the fact that it’s downloadable kind of takes the sting out the ban just a tad. If you are going to watch it, you know where the fast forward button is. Enjoy.