The Collective Eye - September 2021

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Cinematic catharsis. Reflections on film from a pseudo intellectual perspective

WHAT SHOULD THE WORLD KNOW ABOUT YOU?

I get bored easily, so the fact that I’ve continuously run a blog for nearly 11 years never ceases to surprise me. In addition to my blog, I’m a contributor to The Dark Pages, a film noir newsletter (watch for my latest article in the upcoming Annual GIANT Dark Pages issue). On a side note, when I’m not writing I love to take my camera everywhere (much to my family’s chagrin), and photograph the Pacific Northwest.

Okay, there’s one more thing… For a while, I’ve been working on a secret writing project, an as-yet-untitled book, taking a deep dive into cinematic depictions of sideshows from the beginning of film to the present. I plan to hopefully complete it within the next couple of years. Yes, folks, you’ve heard it here first!

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR BLOG?

Cinematic Catharsis describes my sometimes contentious, ultimately cleansing relationship with film. While I wouldn’t necessarily describe all movies as “cathartic,” my experience with them as a whole has been a refuge and a release from the travails and angst of daily life. Although I focus on titles that are older (20+ years), I wouldn’t describe my blog as specifically classics-driven. And while I tend to skew toward horror and sci-fi movies, I cover an eclectic hodge-podge of genres. Life’s too short for boring movies, so more often than not, I try to emphasize those little titles that somehow slipped through the cracks. You won’t likely find many Academy Award winners here, but it doesn’t make them any less worthy of my time (or hopefully yours).

WHO/WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START BLOGGING?

I’ve been a lifelong fan of movies (and even worked at a mom-and-pop video store during the late ‘80s/early ‘90s), but I never considered writing about them in earnest until after I earned my graduate degree, in 2010. Call it a case of Stockholm Syndrome or whatever, but once I fell in the groove of writing on a regular basis for school projects, I decided I didn’t want to stop. Writing a journal entry for my Existential Counseling classes about the movie Moon (2009) became a transformative event, and from this tiny seed, my desire to write about movies grew. Not two months after I graduated, Cinematic Catharsis was born.

WHO ARE 5 OF YOUR FAVORITE DIRECTORS?

Stanley Kubrick – Kubrick certainly wasn’t the most prolific filmmaker on this list, but I admire his tireless, meticulous (almost to a fault) dedication to his craft. The fact that he directed one of my favorite films of all time, 2001: A Space Odyssey, would be enough for him to make this list, but A Clockwork Orange and The Shining just seal the deal for me. To watch a Kubrick film is to have an experience like no other.

Guillermo del Toro – The man is a treasure, and I fear we may never see his like again. A del Toro film occupies its own time and space, with its bold use of color, baroque designs and brooding themes. In spite of a growing resume of acclaimed films, I can’t help but feel the veteran director has barely scratched the surface. For every movie he’s managed to make, there’s probably a dozen ideas that never make it to the big screen.

Tod Browning – Perhaps not objectively the “best” director of the bunch, but his movies work on a subconscious level, with their themes of outcasts, the strange and the uncanny (subjects that are near and dear to my heart). The Unknown, West of Zanzibar, The Unholy Three, and above all, Freaks (which singlehandedly inspired my obsession with sideshows and my current writing project), rank among my favorites.

Hayao Miyazaki – His films never fail to make me smile, thanks to their spectacular visuals, relatable characters, and something that mainstream American animation seems to avoid at all costs: savoring the quiet, reflective moments (known as “Ma”).

John Carpenter – Carpenter’s best movies feature an irresistible (for me, anyway) mixture of pessimism and dread, along with a sardonic sense of humor (The Thing, The Fog, Escape from New York, and Halloween are among my all-time favorites). There’s something invigorating about a filmmaker who’s not afraid to have unhappy endings.

IF YOU WERE A GIANT CINEMATIC MONSTER RAMPAGING THROUGH A CITY, WHICH GIANT CINEMATIC MONSTER WOULD YOU BE & WHY?

Ghidorah. Hmm… Does he (Or should I say they?) count as one? Its awkward tri-noggin arrangement is the embodiment of chaos. Can they ever reach a consensus? What if one head doesn’t feel like rampaging on a particular day? Do they hold a vote? Somehow, at the end of the day, despite the utter insanity of having three heads confined to one body and the inevitable, perpetual bickering, Ghidorah’s heads remain united in their antipathy towards Godzilla. They present a united front, dedicated to his abject humiliation and destruction, and there’s something profoundly beautiful about that. We can learn a lot from Ghidorah.

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