Street of Crocodiles (1986)

This short made me uncomfortable, and that's exactly what they were going for with this film. In that sense they have skillfully captured the nightmarish atmosphere they aimed to project. It's a little maze, bringing you from one corner of the box to the next and from one perspective of a character to another, changing what you think about the movie and the plot constantly. The beginning sets you in a mood of defying what you see, what you are made to see, I kept my eyes open to see what aspect they were trying to make me challenge, but it's not an ordinary film, the authorities are not clear figures as I had expected at first, instead it's a box with puppets owning bizarre desires. At first, I thought the puppet with the babyface would be the one to explore and rebel against the system, represented by the puppet in the suit, but then it shifted to the baby-faced and the other similar puppets being "the system", the authorities. They were deconstructing the liberated puppet-man, but I didn't know why; suddenly one of the puppets makes out with him, showing that all along there was sexual tension, supported by the scenes with unsettling sexual innuendos. The ending quote changed my view of the movie again, saying that in such a constructed life one wasn't permitted to develop dark desires, but does that mean that I'm supposed to accept those desires? Should I find it acceptable outside of this film? Gut reactions are there for a reason, they are backed by something, some good reason that isn't clear at first (when they aren't created by exposure to media). So should I update my moral sensor? I'm confused... Growing up is confusing because you're confronted with things like these that just mess you up.

Talking recently to a DVD seller about having greatly enjoyed viewing a Cznch-New Wave title,I was happily caught by surprise,when the seller sent me a DVD of Cznch Stop-motion short films completely for free!.With this week having celebrated my 9th year of being on IMDb,I felt that the perfect way to wrap it up would be to see the Cznch stop-motion,in motion.The plot:Tidying up an empty hall,a man begins to play around with a half broken puppet,who ends up coming alive.Jumping straight into life,the puppet heads down to the basement of the hall,where it discovers a hidden,broken society.View on the film:Backed by a pitch-perfect score from Lech Jankowski which combines sharp-toothed Classical music with an Industrial hum,co-writers/ (along with Bruno Schulz) directors Stephen and Timothy Quay create a wonderful decaying world,with all of the puppets being made out of torn to shreds objects,which despite not looking that cute,do have a real character about them.For the screenplay of the movie,the writers smartly decide to deliver their view on a broken society in a subtle,visual manner,which whilst adding a dept to the events taking place in the title,also allows the viewer to enjoy the treats they discover,on their walk down crocodile street.

The Brothers Quay are two of the most unique and visually surprising film makers in a long time. Street of Crocodiles is a short they made, and is full of unbelievable animation. An incredible mix of objects are used for the props and characters, creating strange effects and meanings. The visual style of Street of Crocodiles has been copied in many recent stop-go animation films, including many of the music videos for the band Tool. However, nothing can match the virtuosity of the Brothers, who support their impressive animation with political insight, dealing with the strife of their homeland in Europe. Truly amazing things are accomplished by the brothers in this film, such as using telephoto lenses to change focus in mid animation. The amount of detail and work that is put into this film is unbelievable, but the result is even more impressive.

This is truly one of the creepiest movies around. The gloomy atmosphere builds and builds until you can barely stand it. There's something about it that reminded me of the helpless childhood nightmares we've all had, even though all you're seeing is animated junk. I've known several people who were unable to view it all the way through.