Here are our guides for the absolute best movies on Netflix, must-see Netflix original series, documentaries, docuseries, and movies. The French film, which debuted this week on the streaming platform, attempts to use the legendarily violent, bloody, terrifying, yet somewhat campy Grand Guignol theatrical tradition as a vehicle to explore modern issues. We never quite understand what they are. theatrical tradition as a vehicle to explore modern issues. When a copycat criminal perpetrates real-world crimes based on Paula’s gruesome stage fantasies, she is forced to think about what responsibility she might have and if she will soon become a real-life victim. Here are our Netflix guides for the best war movies, documentaries, anime, indie flicks, true crime, food shows, LGBT movies, gangster movies, Westerns, film noir, and movies based on true stories streaming right now. More film noir than horror, this film has a wonderful aura of mystery. The influence of Grand Guignol cannot be understated in theater, film, and television: You can trace elements in the work of many great modern directors, from Quentin Tarantino to Guillermo del Toro, back to Grand Guignol. He’s immediately intrigued and determined to learn more about the glamorous, aloof star. Every horror story needs a victim, and Paula (Anna Mouglalis) has been the victim more times than she can count. Voted most likely to ruin her brain with junk films. These seem to be influenced in part by the awful director who is determined to drive Paula insane for some reason? European films that reach American soil are known for their technical mastery and narrative daring. Hulu’s ‘Bad Hair’ has good scares but needs more shape, Before the rise of film and television, the theater was not just a place where people went for high-brow entertainments and musicals. Change ), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Good work deserves recognition even in weak films, and this group leaves you wishing you had a ticket to their theater. Grand Guignol, named for the Parisian theater that perfected the form and where the bulk of this film is set, is perhaps only familiar to those who took theater history in college. This film offers neither. have taken on the realities of the theater more compellingly on film, and. While the artists behind this film might love the theater, we will have to take their word for it. Set to premiere at BIFF, we have your first look at Franck Ribiere‘s The Most Assassinated Woman In the World, which is set against the backdrop of the infamous Theatre Grand Guignol. The special makeup effects of Jean-Christophe Spadaccini, and the visual effects team comprised of Guillaume Pondard, Gael Durant, Cedri Decottignies, and Dave Decottignies, deserve special recognition. The (in)famous Paula Maxa has the distinction of being murdered every night at the Grand Guignol Theatre, much to the dismay of a die-hard group of protestors. In order to “live” the dream, you just “be” the dream. I expected more to happen with the religious zealots, and almost all of the character motivations are confusing. This is the kind of film where I anticipate a clever twist, but the end is just…a very French ending indeed. A ... A popular but obnoxious comedian, Ray Kelly (Steve Guttenberg), was killed in his home in the early ‘90s, now, years later, an equally ... Six armed gangsters are holed up at their safe house in the country. Paula clearly has some discomforts as the dead woman onstage who inspires the deaths of women offstage. The rest of the cast lends similar support. Based in Los Angeles, he works in television drama as a writers assistant. Imagine a life where your art is the daily endeavour of creating your own death in the most exquisitely horrific manner possible. In this well-trodden territory, The Most Assassinated Woman in the World has little to add and seems unsure of what if wants to say. A popular but obnoxious comedian, Ray Kelly (Steve Guttenberg), was killed ... Six armed gangsters are holed up at their safe house in the country. . Welcome to 1930s Paris, a world full of cigarettes, drama, religious zealots, and…murder? Grand Guignol, named for the Parisian theater that perfected the form and where the bulk of this film is set, is perhaps only familiar to those who took theater history in college. ( Log Out /  Hundreds of years of storytelling and performance came before film and television, and there is something visceral and beautiful about live performance that even the best films can’t replicate. Similarly, the lighting is as atmospheric as you could want, with the cobbled streets of Paris a dangerous and tantalising place where the well-heeled will happily have their evening dress spotted with grue to add a little frisson, and danger offers performers the chance to see if some higher human understanding can be reached. Still not sure what to watch tonight? ( Log Out /  The Film: The Most Assassinated Woman in the World. Dismiss. Behind the crime story, there is the story that is seemingly required to unfold in any film about the theater: Can the Grand Guignol survive in the face of calls for censorship, tight financial circumstances, and of course, the coming rise of the cinema? We never quite understand what they are. I feel like I paid a reasonable amount of attention and was still left confused AF so I don’t think you missed much. This latter emotion is the primary concern of Netflix‘s The Most Assassinated Woman in the World. There is some comment to be made on our present moment through the lens of the once beloved gross-out genre of Grand Guignol, something that connects our historic fascination with dead, pretty women with the current moment, but this film is not sure what that might be. Without spoiling things, let’s just say that this is not a parable for the Me Too moment after all. That magic means the medium will live on regardless. took home an Oscar, these people helped create a vision of Grand Guignol for the 21st century that is nothing short of astonishing. Thankfully, the film spends more time on its gruesome moments than it does hand-wringing about the fall of the theater. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. You have to give credit to the theater crew for keeping things fresh–Paula’s deaths are always gruesomely staged with a disturbing amount of attention to detail. This absence of thematic commitment verges on malfeasance at the end of the film when what was previously just clumsy veers into problematic territory. One is ... © STARBURST Magazine - all rights reserved, Please note delivery times may be affected by the current global situation. Sadly, The Most Assassinated Woman in the World fails to capture any of what makes the theater special. This arc is far less interesting than the murder-mystery plot and has been tackled with greater depth elsewhere. First is an older man with his young lover in a private box. ( Log Out /  Just as the makeup team from Suicide Squad took home an Oscar, these people helped create a vision of Grand Guignol for the 21st century that is nothing short of astonishing. Anna Mouglalis (Kiss Of The Damned) stars as Paula, the woman whose composition of sensuous mime and powdered speech connect with her audiences as, night after night, they see her stabbed, burned, beheaded and mutilated for their (but also her) beautification. Another person of importance is a journalist, Jean, writing a story about the Grand Guignol as a den of depravity. has done it with more heart on television. I loved the tone though xoxo. Brenden Gallagher is a politics reporter and cultural commentator. As an added bonus, the film fits in nicely with the blog collab’s unoffical subtheme:  Women Who Look Good Smoking. The choice to re-create Paula’s past onstage seems rather ominous. In this well-trodden territory. Unfortunately, the story that the film tells is far less exciting than the art form to which it pays tribute. Showcasing the best of movies, and film festivals from around the world. The theater has lessons to teach us.