10/13/11: Nothing horrific in the world to talk about, so let's talk about Dario Argento

Actually, there is a lot of horrific stuff going on in this world.

1. Topeka, KS legalizing domestic abuse for 24 hours.
2. Republicans blocking the jobs bill, and morons from Morton just blaming Obama.
3. WWE encouraging fans to cheer on the risk taking that led to a double murder suicide (let's not forget them "canning" the only commentator who showed respect to the women's division).

I guess being overworked at my job prevents me from getting to lunch on time, so I cannot keep up with the evening news. Too busy being pissed about anything beside the crappy work conditions.

The Man or Astroman concert may have left me in a sunnier disposition, and fortunately, Netflix expecting to be paid during the second pay period has made being broke a little easier to tolerate.

Of course, my cynical nature has also allowed me to realize the downside to $15.99 service. I've almost caught up with the entire Dario Argento library that came after his "Animal Trilogy." Maybe I'm a poor example of taste not seeing those films, but the Italian Horror Genre is so much more fun when the disturbing visuals straddle the border of being tasteless. It is now back to catching up on American directors since the Takashi Miike works that I haven't seen may be a bit much even for me.

Does anyone have any suggestions on directors that I haven't had enough exposure to? Aside from "The Following" and "The Illusionist," I'm caught up on Christopher Noland, and I acknowledge I got the DiCaprio/Scorsese collaborations to catch up on. What else am I missing?

In the mean time, to clear my head so that I may start working on the website for my screenplay "Main Event of the Dead" and restoring access to the original Harshside.com files, I've decided to write a quick run down of Argento's most recent films (sans "Masters of Horror" and the film he stiffed Adrian Brody on). Hopefully, this will expose some of the so called twisted movie fans to find their ideal introduction to the director.

• "Deep Red" (1975) - Any educated modern horror director has been inspired by this picture. It runs a little on the long side, but the death sequences make it worth the slow spots that are still beautifully captured on film.
• "Suspiria (the first of The Three Mother's Trilogy)" (1977) - This is the director's masterpiece. There is not much of a story, but it is supposed to be simplistic (a tribute to the Grimm Bros) which is further enhanced by the dependency on only using shades of green, blue, and red to light the film. Argento's approach to this film could not be captured again until color replacement technology came into existence at the beginning of the millennium. The film is also paced better, and delivers even more creative murders.
• "Inferno" (1980) - Argento's sequel to "Suspiria" is not an attempt to copy its predecessor. It could not be since the tricks to make "Suspiria" had become extinct. The film is heavily influence by the godfather of the Giallo genre Mario Bava, and Argento tries to build from that.  Another marvelously captured film, which is further admirable because the story is absolute chaos. If you thought there was little story in "Suspiria," "Inferno" makes it less important to justify more violence. This feature is fun, but not the art his prior two films presented us with.
• "Tenebre" (1982) - You have to see this movie from the beginning because this feature may offer the director's finest twist. It is a return the murder mysteries from the world of withcraft. A side from the awesome twist, the film feels like a streamlined version of "Deep Red." This maybe the ideal feature for fans of the realistic psychopath genre.
• "Phenomena" (1985) - This maybe Argento's most accessible film. The cast is lead by Jennifer Connelly and Donald Pleasance which indicates his most obvious attempt to make an "American feature." The story is fast paced and involves a magical twist which seemed essentials to make a profitable western feature in the mid 80's. Fortunately, these elements do not hinder this film and may feature his most satisfying finale. Add a truly metal soundtrack (featuring Iron Maiden and Motorhead), it is irresistible. A definite must see for any horror fan.

It's 1:45 am on payday, so I better leave this filmography to focus on surrendering my funds to the cable company. I should have mailed it in, but who knows, since adding the home phone they may have cut me a break. This leaves me wondering what the next multimedia device that Comcast will come up with to encourage us to add to our bill to temporarily lower my bill. All I care about it is whether or not it arrives in a year so I can capitalize on it.