Since Sunday I've seen Gladiator, Princess Mononoke, and Requiem for a Dream. I think I've had my fill of blood, guts and gore for a very long time. Every time I close my eyes now, something horrific from one of those films bubbles up from the recesses of my brain: a woman chopped in half, an amputated arm, an arrow decapitating a samarai. So disturbing, yet I enjoyed (if that's possible) all the films: Gladiator for its grandure and epicicity (I'm making that word up, but you know what I mean, epic-like), Princess Mononoke for its Asian insistence on fuzzy, with no discernable good guy or bad guy (granted, it left me feeling confused and I wasn't sure if the "right" person won in the end, it certainly fucked with my western mind…) and Requiem for a Dream just because. Because the cinematography was outstanding, because the performances were so right on, because I was on the edge of my seat as every character made the wrong decision over and over, bringing me to tears and horrifying me at the same time.
I think I like my movies lighter and fluffier than those I've viewed recently, on the whole. But there's something about a film that sticks with you for days on end, leaving you to question what you've just seen, and what you continue to see around you. I don't think I'll ever watch Requiem for a Dream again, I couldn't bare to, yet still, for all its horror, it's so well done, I almost want to recommend it to you.
Oh, and tomorrow night? Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. I've already got tickets. After that, it's all Disney 'till the end of my days…