Bliss

For a few years I had this vague idea that someday I would make a horror movie and I would set the bloody, neon-heavy, stroboscopic finale to the cathartic sludge metal of my favorite band Isis. I was so happy to see that Joe Begos has LITERALLY executed this concept in an absolutely perfect way. He even managed to sneak in lots of gratuitous nudity. Respect.

Yes, the plot is paper-thin, but "Bliss" bangs so hard, I hardly give a damn. What drives this psychedelic bloodshed is not just some retro-nostalgia, but unhinged rage that cuts through the material just like through your senses. The editing is super tight and Madison gives an intense performance that not only matches the style of the movie but pushes it forward and forward. Begos was in full control here, yet "Bliss" feels like all hell breaks loose. The gore is nasty and the soundtrack great.

a scummy cult object, more comfortable in its art-trash skin than mandy or green room probably because it sticks to the playbook of guys like ferrara and noe (its ceiling is pretty low for the same reason).

Has more than its share of moments, and Madison acts like a middleweight given a once-in-a-lifetime chance at the heavyweight crown, but the movie spends so much of its brief running time in complete nutso overdrive that it has nowhere to go when it's supposed to hit the climax.

Very, very trippy. It takes a certain state of mind to get into, but if you can just let go and fall into it's drug-incudes, bloody weirdness, it's just... pretty damn nice? Loved the weird camera angles, with the camera sticking to the main character at times. It's got some 'Neon Demon' vibes happening here, except with a whole lot of blood added in. Stylish and bloody. Not for everyone, but sometimes you gotta drain a few people of their blood to make some art.

dying for the knife

This certainly held my attention, and it had a strong sense of style and feel that put me in mind of some of Abel Ferrara's films, albeit with the colour turned up. Madison was very watchable in the lead, but the supporting cast didn't make quite the same impact. That being said Norm from Cheers was a surprise and not unwelcome addition. Overall, it was a lot more coherent, complete and capably assembled than I expected, even if the ending was a bit unsatisfying. Loud, violent and a bit mad.

The acting from the lead is pretty good, everyone else not so much. I was alternatingly entertained and bored while watching this. Even now I'm not exactly sure if I liked this or not.

Very cool.

Spends the entire first 30 minutes of the movie showing a girl getting completely wasted. Then there's *some* development, and then the movie ends with 5 minutes of stroboscopic lights. Mildly entertaining at least.

It's cool to worship Ferrara, he's great. But he also has his own distinct voice. This on the other hand is just an empty mish-mash of influences. The visuals still are pretty cool tho, and Dora Madison gives a nice, committed performance. So, worth a watch. This year's Mandy, tho I liked this a little better than that.