spoon81

After 3+ decades of serious movie watching, I've realized I have a habit of latching on to one director I like and then seeking out everything they've directed. Which I have done with:

Alfred Hitchcock
David Lynch
John Waters
Brian DePalma
Peter Jackson
Pedro Almodovar
Stanley Kubrick

I've seen a lot of the "infamous" films, or what I call extreme cinema. Yes, I've watched Salo, Caligula, Island of Death, even some parts of the disgusting Guinea Pig series (highly NOT recommended). I like blaxploitation movies, weird Ken Russell and Paul Morrissey stuff. I've gone through the big "disturbing scene" thread here and researched some of interest like early Italian stuff (Argento) and weird stuff like House on the Edge of the Park.

So, with the beauty that is DVD and with the help of Netflix, I have found that it has become easier to experiment with this stuff. I've been checking out Takashi Miike lately (loved Happiness of the Katakuris and watching Visitor Q tonite!!). I am Not a gorehound, but I do like stuff that pushes the boundries. I like films with good sense of humor (Dead/Alive, Female Troubles, et al). I guess that's why I like Miike. His movies seem vibrant and absurd. (Much like Lynch and Almodovar films)

Any recommendations for my semi-perverse quest?
Thanx,

smw

Fellini or Godard

waskydiver

I think I would recomend David Cronenberg. Particularly:

eXistenZ
Videodrome
Naked Lunch
Dead Ringers

There are also a number of one-off films I would recomend without necessarily attributing the director's work in general. These include:

Brainscan
Carnival of Souls
Cube
Cube 2 Hypercube (I HIGHLY recomend the Cube series)
The Element of Crime
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Gummo
Jacob's Ladder
The Last Temptation of Christ
Natural Born Killers
Open Your Eyes (Vanillia Sky)
Pi
The Ruling Class
Stalker
Tetsuo I & II
Withnail and I

The Nature Boy

Well if you haven't done the Gilliam yet, I'd say that is in order. Try to get the Brazil CC(don't accept anything but), 12 Monkeys, The Fisher King or Fear and Loathing in LV as jump off point. Good call whoever mentioned Croneberg, very underrated in the freaky realm, and I'd urge that on too.

You might have a hell of a time getting it at Netflix, but Alexander Jordorowsky's films have their fans and are weird as hell. And you might track down the Cannibal Trilogy by Ruggero Deodato, a most "Extreme" filmmaker, incredibly graphic stuff going on there(implied, very realistic cannibalism, live animal slaughters). Not great films in my book, but definately extreme.

And for a well made, "extreme" film, again, probably not on Netflix, I'd offer up "Battle Royale", the quasi recent Asian release. I believe there's an all region Korean SE availble. My highest recomentation for this one.

Thrush

Takashi Miike

Original Desmond

Ruggero Deodata

Jess Franco

Umberto Lenzi (i think that's right)