difficult

My friend who came with me to last week's screening put it like this: "Well if by 'Blow-Job' he meant that it sucked, then I guess that's fine." I thought this was funny but maybe also an accurate description of how many people felt in reaction to these movies, especially Warhol's "Blow-Job" and Hollis' "(nostalgia)". These films have interesting concepts, but their execution makes the viewing very difficult and trying for the audience, especially due to high levels of boredom and a general lack of excitement, much more so than movies like "Anticipation of the Night" which were not full of excitement but still created a sense of visual wonder. As artistic works, they are interesting to discuss - I just hope I don't have to watch it again.

"Flaming Creatures" may be the exception here for me, perhaps because it was so provocative in its overt sense of deviate underground behavior and animalistic sexuality. It made itself interesting by pushing the envelope and seeking visceral shock value, and in that respect it definitely succeeded. Jack Smith portrayed this seedy hedonistic underbelly of society in a texture that worked perfectly with his underground subjects.