tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post1129852295841947235..comments2024-03-28T02:30:08.913-04:00Comments on Not Just Movies: Until the Light Takes UsJakehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09078001374402400232noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-6682005790841733852011-07-01T01:36:18.084-04:002011-07-01T01:36:18.084-04:00Agalloch? WitTR? This is what happens when people ...Agalloch? WitTR? This is what happens when people (usually indie scene kids) come to this scene a decade too late. I agree, however, that the film has its shortcomings (not least of all the omission of Emperor) but Fenriz and Varg exemplify the genre more than anyone.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-84055409768635489602010-12-11T13:19:25.572-05:002010-12-11T13:19:25.572-05:00Albert, the most interesting aspect of the film is...Albert, the most interesting aspect of the film is how polite people like Fenriz and Varg come off. I mean, Fenriz is almost adorable, like a shy teen who never outgrew his adolescence, while Varg also comes off pleasantly even when he describes his worst actions. It's a strange thing, and something the filmmakers should have delved into further.Jakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09078001374402400232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-75351276265601603872010-12-11T11:37:32.661-05:002010-12-11T11:37:32.661-05:00I've not seen this movie, but I have always fo...I've not seen this movie, but I have always found it astounding that people like Vikernes or Euronymous --apparently so shallow-- could make music that seems to me so beautiful. There has to be some aspect of their personality that they're hiding (consciously or not). I'm sure there are some great character studies that could be made of these people, but the people interested in doing that kind of thing probably are not attracted at all to black metal.<br /><br />By the way, great blog!Albert Cumberdalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10651733114414554733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-38439963565749426262010-12-08T11:40:08.534-05:002010-12-08T11:40:08.534-05:00Ed: It was a massive missed opportunity. I underst...Ed: It was a massive missed opportunity. I understand the limitations of a low budget, but there wasn't even any effort behind the movie. They didn't have to badger these guys, but they could at least ask a hard question or two. All they cared about was the way a select few looked back on the scene, not where it went, and not even what it was like other than surface-level interviews.<br /><br />Anon: What was the point, exactly? Was it Varg's mission statement against commercialization that he typed on the computer furnished in his jail cell while recording on the synthesizer he also managed to obtain? Was it that black metal was meant to be pure, leading not only to crippling aesthetic limitations but even social and racial rules among some members? Was it that the movement was ultimately glamorized and satirized by the same hipsters who made this movie? The filmmakers do not touch on this, merely glossing over the material with its handful of interviews and lack of any follow-up. But I could certainly take lessons in complexity from you, what with your comment that says nothing about the film and could have been copy-pasted onto any review without changing a word.Jakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09078001374402400232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-8621100451551425652010-12-08T11:31:16.236-05:002010-12-08T11:31:16.236-05:00What a shallow reading of a complex film. Too bad...What a shallow reading of a complex film. Too bad you missed the point.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-67770297368147126002010-12-08T10:42:03.919-05:002010-12-08T10:42:03.919-05:00Man, I haven't seen this, but it sounds like s...Man, I haven't seen this, but it sounds like such a wasted opportunity. These bands are fascinating, not only for their extreme and troubling views and their criminal tendencies, but for their very unique and unsettling music. Black metal is such a strange scene, and so much surprisingly fantastic music has come out of these bands, from the raw and brutal early stuff of Darkthrone (probably the best "pure," lo-fi black metal) to more elaborate and experimental offerings from bands like Arcturus, Abruptum, Emperor, etc. It'd be interesting to hear about how the original regional, hermetic scene wound up influencing bands around the world, too - Sigh from Japan, the great Wolves in the Throne Room and legendary Weakling from the US, etc. There's also a weird current of naturalism in these bands that's often tied to their more extreme right-wing views.Ed Howardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18014222247676090467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-62369026210835468342010-12-08T08:02:41.518-05:002010-12-08T08:02:41.518-05:00Yeah, it's a bit easy for Varg to reject Satan...Yeah, it's a bit easy for Varg to reject Satanism after Mayhem itself helped found it as part of the scene. I mean, Euronymous actually gave and interview where he firmly stated that black metal isn't even about the sound but the Satanic quality (which really points out the ultimate hypocrisy in their "we hate trends" bullshit).<br /><br />I've never seen Black Metal Satanica, but it can't be any more lazy than this. I don't even see why it had to be limited to the Norwegian scene, other than to just do some half-assed muckraking. Like I said, I would have loved some more background for groups like Bathory and Celtic Frost (and maybe even Venom even though they were both death metal and utterly taking the piss). And no Emperor is just a stupid oversight. Even if the focus was still church-burning and such, all of the original members of the band have done time (at least Faust got kind of a mention, but only in relation to his crime). God I was disappointed by this.<br /><br /><br />The interview with Euronymous is here: http://web.archive.org/web/20070823101907/www.thetruemayhem.com/interviews/previous/euro-badfaust.htmJakehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09078001374402400232noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-494160638739613756.post-54233743586666136982010-12-08T06:54:39.097-05:002010-12-08T06:54:39.097-05:00"he also voices disgust with those who insist..."he also voices disgust with those who insisted black metal had to be tied to Satan"<br /><br />Which was a bit rich coming from someone who had a song on one of his own records called "Dominus Sathanas".<br /><br />You and I seem to have had a similar experience with this film (I was particularly astonished by its shunning of the far-right political side of the scene. And where were Emperor in all this?). The Australian DVD includes another documentary (which is available separately in the US) called <i>Black Metal Satanica</i>. Wondering if you've seen that and if so what you thought of it; personally I think it has issues of its own but it does the historical aspect far better.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com