SHERDOG MOVIE CLUB: Week 156 - Mandy

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Here's a quick list of all movies watched by the SMC. Or if you prefer, here's a more detailed examination.

First Order of Discussion: How many drugs were consumed to produce this movie?

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Our Director
Panos Cosmatos

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Panos Cosmatos is a writer and director, known for Mandy (2018), Beyond the Black Rainbow (2010) and Tombstone (1993).

Our Star
Nicky Cage


Film Overview



Premise: The enchanted lives of a couple in a secluded forest are brutally shattered by a nightmarish hippie cult and their demon-biker henchmen, propelling a man into a spiraling, surreal rampage of vengeance.

Budget: $6 million

Box Office: $1.4 million

Trivia
(courtesy of IMDB)
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* Towards the end of the film, Red tells the cult leader that the psychotic drowns where the mystic swims. This is a variation of a quote by mythologist, Joseph Campbell: "The psychotic drowns in the same waters in which the mystic swims with delight." (Joseph Campbell, "Psychology of the Future: Lessons from Modern Consciousness Research"). Meaning, that there's a fine line between psychosis and spirituality.

* The weapon forged by Red was a homage to legendary metal band Celtic Frost's logo.

* Prompted a four-minute standing ovation at Cannes.

* The book Mandy reads early on during the film, "Seeker of the Serpent's Kiss", it's a prop, a fake book. It is actually the name of the musical composition playing during that scene and it is by the film's composer, Jóhann Jóhannsson.

* There are several similarities between Jeremiah Sand and real-life cult leader Charles Manson. Like Sand, Manson was also a failed musician who reportedly took it very personally when his musicianship was insulted. Sand refers to his victims as "pigs," as did Manson and his followers. Psychedelic drugs were also used before acts of violence.


Members: @europe1 @MusterX @TheOldMan @Kyojiro @HHJ @Cubo de Sangre @FrontNakedChoke @Minotauro Rex Foot @Tufts @chickenluver @Coolthulu @OMGstreetfight @Yotsuya @jei @LHWBelt @moreorless87 @HARRISON_3 @Bullitt68 @HenryFlower @BeardotheWeirdo @Zer @TheLinguist @Rimbaud82

 

Where to start. At the end I guess. I'll give it a 5/10 for trying to be different. Did anyone else feel like there were about a dozen references to other films (Silence of the Lambs, TCM, Evil Dead, etc.)?

 

I tried so hard to watch this film all the way through

 

This movie is one of the most insane things I've ever seen. Next to Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, it's basically "drug trip the movie." When you look at it, the plot is actually very, very simple. Cult kills man's wife and he seeks revenge. It's not complex. What makes it so crazy is it's execution. From the otherworldly zombie bikers to the chainsaw duel, this movie excels in making you ask the question "Ok, but why tho?" over and over and over. It's all a lot of fun, but it's so damn strange and disturbing at times that I honestly don't see myself going back to rewatch it. For some reason, critics loved this movie, and I can't understand why. It's certainly not bad, and Cage's over the top style plays into his favor here, but it's got like 90 something percent on rotten tomatoes. Seems like a bit much for something that's essentially a "what the fuck" movie. This movie doesn't even try to make sense. At first I thought it was legitimate fantasy, but then it actually tries to justify why things are so strange and it just makes it seem stranger. Those bikers were on bath salts from hell. No amount of acid does that to a person.

It was hard to tell what was actually happening, and what was possibly delusion. Like at the end scene, it seemed like Cage had been transported to another planet entirely. What's up with that? No idea. The only thing that really disappointed me about this movie is that the title character dies halfway through and doesn't do anything interesting, other than laughing at the villain's floppy penis. The villain himself was serviceable, but not really memorable in anyway. The only one that really made my skin crawl was the one bald henchman, brother swan. I also find it strange that Cage got that crossbow, and only proceeded to use it like twice. This movie is all about strange absurdity. Instead of shooting the henchman cleaning his car with my crossbow, let me throw my axe fifty feet and stick it in his skull braveheart style. I'm not sure if it was trying to be silly, but a lot of it came off as silly.

This movie was an interesting, fucked up ride through hell, and it's certainly something I'll never forget, but I don't really understand what the point of it was. Was this movie trying to say something? If it was, it got lost in all the goofy chaos. I mean, Nicolas Cage fights a nearly immortal demon biker with a battle axe. He engages in a needless chainsaw fight just for the kicks when he could have easily just shot the guy and been done with it. Scenes like those remove any chance of me taking it too seriously, although the movie itself always seemed to. I'm not really sure what this movie was trying to be, but there is a certain method to the madness. A lot of thought obviously went into it, and I could tell it was well-crafted, even though I'm not entirely sure what it was supposed to be.

Overall, I'll give it a 7/10.

 

On a four day vacation curtesy of China giving everyone 4 days off for May, will watch tonight

 

Just like the director's first film, 'Beyond the Black Rainbow' back in 2010, Mandy is a very experimental and ambitious project. I feel like the first act of the film is intentional, as it means to drag you into this "lynchian americana" world. This is how Panos works; setting up a slow and brooding atmosphere in the first act and suffocate the viewers with bold imagery and cadence. The second act is what the film really all about, a homage to 80s splatter and exploitation flicks but it still retains everything that is unique with the director's artistic vision. Accompanied by gorgeous, dreamlike ambient-synthwave score and a very memorable final shots, Mandy is a very surreal and highly stylistic sensory experience.

 

A mix of Ken Russell and David Lynch is what I was thinking.

 

Putting out a cig in woods!



I'm guessing it is foreshadowing for some future burning!

Noticed a heck of a lot of use of the color red which ties into my prediction that fire will be important. I started to take notes when the color popped up, but gave up after a while coz it was EVERYWHERE. Talk about driving a color home! Here are a few of my notes: red on the side of car / red pencil / red wires in car / red weird script (are these subtitles in the movie?) / red shirt of girl (I['m guessing that is Mandy?) / red sky / interesting play with red light ... I'm guessing @MusterX will have something to say about this single minded use of this particular color.

It was weird how it was night, and then day, and then night again so quickly. Did I miss something?

Mandy looks like a disturbed, less attractive (never thought I would say that!) human version of the Mona Lisa



Dead deer? Another foreshadowing? Bad things are on their way.

In this first half of the movie it was hard to tell what was actually happening, and what might have been imagined or dreamed. When the car full of creepers drove by, I didn't realize it actually happened until later when Asshole Jeremiah said: Get me that girl I saw. I need her now.

I didn’t like the baby starling story. Not sure how it fit in except that it resonated of Silence of the Lambs.

I liked their glass bedroom until I realized how vulnerable they were to the creepers. Folks needed a dog. Although I guess the creepers would have just killed it and then I would have been really mad.

I’m being patient and trusting about this movie...but it is not winning me over.

Those are some nice old school metal shirts though.

They did a good of making me hate Asshole Jeremiah from the start, and by association all other creepy cults. Hate the single mindedness, the selfishness, the creepiness, the using of people, the fat shaming. Everything about it. If you are in a cult, you're a fucking idiot. I have a little sympathy for Lucy, but very, very little. The rest of them can burn.

4 wheelers from hell?



Very Mad Max. I really liked Mad Max, maybe there is hope.

Oh boy. Things are going south in a hurry. Did I not mention I hate home invasion movies.
What did they sting her with?! Jesus!



When I saw you on the road the other day, you called out to me silently. I recognized you and in time you will recognize me.



Did I mention I hate cults?

Her face looks like a mask



Ah - Asshole J is a failed folk singer. Now it all adds up. Just adding to all the other cult idiocy!

Interesting that this is the first time we hear Mandy's name. And he follows it up with: Let us be so special together.

He’s less sexy than the naked jumpy guy in Roma, that is for sure. I would have laughed too. Best part of the movie thus far. Hit him where it hurts, straight in the ego.

Now she’s an ugly little whore?



Poor Lucy. This movie feels like a bad metal video.

The darker the whore the brighter the flame.



Who writes this shit?

Freaks are highly unpalatable. Just ugh. I just googled the length of this movie. Not sure how much more I can take. Too many shades of Texas Chainsaw.

I'm glad that she was in a sack when they set her on fire. I hope she was high as hell and had no idea what was happening. She seemed such an innocent soul. I'm glad she had Nick to love her before things took such an awful turn.



I also don't feel that there was much exposition of her character. She existed to be killed so that Nick would have a reason to seek revenge. Sigh.

Nick has some nice teeth around that gag. What now? Payback? That would be nice. Please. A lil action adventure would be well received at this point.



Yikes. He was tied up with barbed wire. That is hard core.

Wait, he's taking a nap.






There are too many people in this movie running around in just t shirts. And what is up with the number 44 on both their shirts. Was she wearing his shirt earlier? They certainly didn't budget a lot on clothing! @MusterX - school us on why it's that particular number! All I could come up with was that 4 + 4 = 8, which is like two 3s facing each other and 3s feel like evil numbers to me.



Nick's bathroom scene was pretty good. Appropriate overacting in his tighty whiteys.

Favourite lines:
You should go in knowing your odds aren’t that good
Don’t be negative

Maybe I’ll enjoy the Mandy section. I wish I remembered what the other two subtitles were.

So much for the revenge fantasy. Now he is caught again. How did his car blow up and become airborn from hitting a person?

Wow! They don’t even take their masks off before doing drugs. That’s commitment.



Blood to the mouth. Dafuk! and ugh!

What did he just put in his mouth? Is he trying to get to their level of crazy? He deserves a bad trip for putting anything in his mouth from that kitchen.



How does he know where to go? How did he know how to make his weapon? What is with the tiger? I'm glad there was no tiger killing.

Ax in the mouth after Mandy burning brightly comment. Seems appropriate.

Ax to the head was good.

Chainsaw shit is silly. Ok landing on the chainsaw shit was silly too.

I'm Ok with him killing the old lady. She was an evil cult idiot.

This was all part of your journey.



Strong hands! Totally squished his head like a bug. Is that even possible?

And now shit is on fire - final red scene.

Can't say this was a favourite. It felt like two different movies. The first half was weird and morbid and nightmarishly dreamy in a rotted dreary way. The second half was better, at least there was some action and movement.

What was with the final scene though? Were they on another planet?

I'll give it props in that it kept me guessing. I didn't care, but I didn't predict anything that ended up happening. So there is that.

 

I would rate it lower, but otherwise

 

I saw a little shades of most every one within myself and most of us. Hero to ID like, Corrupt infantile Manson to acolytes/cultees, even Mandy herself.
In different degrees of course.

The archtypal symbolic portrayal of Jeremiah of cult leader, powerful/delusional/impotent... ‘evil wizard of oz’ was awesome.
I saw a lot of Neo Platonic Gnostic parallels within the flick.

That said I always see a unique parallel tween Jeremiah and Connies hard core young cock guzzling fan boys that mirrors Children if the Dawn.
I’m only partially kidding.

Hard watch... as it hits with a raw darkness that’s psychological undertones are true, yet uncomfortable, or a bit close, I reckon.


But very good flick imo. 2nd favorite Cage flick after Adaptation.

 

I was blown away by this film, as it's a love letter to everything I like.

Metal

This movie is the very embodiment of metal music. Particularly doom metal. From Mandy's Black Sabbath t-shirt, to the unforgiving soundtrack penned by Johan Johansonn who collaborated with drone metal stalwarts Sunn o))). The ominous, hellish, foreboding sense of dread permeating all over this movie feels like the visual representation of Tony Iommi's riffs. The Chainsaw battle was also metal as fuck.

Psychedelia

Absolutely loved the psychedelic elements of the film. This is not a happy LSD trip aboard the yellow submarine. This is a ketamine black hole that will tear your apart. The visuals blew me away, and I did not know which parts I saw were real or intended by the movie author and which I imagined, as I saw the movie while high on psychedelics (based on the recommendation of a friend).


Camp

I thoroughly enjoyed the campiness and b-movie feel of the film. Panos does it effortlessly. He knows when to tone it down and focus on artsy elements, and knows when to ham it the fuck up and let the rivers of cheddar and blood flow.


10/10 It almost feels like this film was tailor made to suit my tastes in everything, and I absolutely loved it.

 

This thread will need more chainsaw duels.

 

BRUH.




This was one hell of a prog rock/heavy metal/synth scored neon drenched phantasmagoria. A visual and sonic experience of the highest order, a simple revenge tale executed in the most stylishly violent and creative way possible. So tender and beautiful yet haunting, devastating, brutal and fucking nuts at the same time. The things we do for love. Also, a spectacular take down of warped viewpoints and ideologies that try to strip everything from us when they have no right to.

The most crucial element of the film is the amazingly demented Nicolas Cage freak out. Obviously.

Johann Johannsson's score here is fucking aces and it's a shame we won't hear another piece of work from him but at least we have this and so many other scores to remember him by. RIP.

Also, I watched this late at night whilst being incredibly tired and struggling to keep my eyes open for chunks of it, that's not because I was bored but because I was pretty much exhausted, but it made the experience infinitely better, it felt like I was in some sort of Nicolas Cage fueled fever dream and I fucking loved it.

Oh and that chainsaw duel........

 

I'm guessing this is the main reason reactions to this film seem to differ so much, I don't think its the strangeness as surely that's so self evident that people not looking for it would likely avoid it. Moreso I think its the different expectations, if you go into this expecting a psychedelic revenge film you'll probably be well satisfied, if you go into it expecting say Lost Highway your probably going to be disappointed.

 

Amen.

I chalked it up as another homage (Blade Runner).

 

Waiting for @MusterX and @europe1 to call out that weak-ass neck breaking scene. Ain't even the '80's anymore, dudes.

 

I couldn't tell if it was playing homage or just "borrowing" but I thought of Silence of the Lambs, Texas Chainsaw, MadMax, Heavy Metal, that Mel Gibson flick where he seeks revenge, even Pan's amongst others.

 

Forgot about Heavy Metal. If you mean Payback, that movie was killer.

 

When can I get back into this club?