finished watching The Fly 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗
https://neodb.social/movie/6Rk5XmO47kVUdTevolCWqU

Yay! For my 100th movie in 2025 I had to choose an old favorite by one of those directors that seem to be one of a kind (although this one has a son that might just be the second of this kind). David Cronenberg's remake of "The Fly" is one of those wierd things where a pretty mainstream "beauty and the beast"-style monster movie starring a couple of pretty mainstream actors (Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis) fuses with usually obscure and relentless body horror where people vomit acid, lose body parts and philosophize about "penetration beyond the veil of the flesh" (not to speak of the piece de resistance; an unfortunately deleted scene featuring both a monkey-cat and self mutilation, that can be found on the bluray).

The story moves on swiftly and before we know it, things are set in motion that cannot be undone (not for lack of trying, though). Unfortunately though, it actually feels a bit rushed. Like Cronenberg starts off just wanting it to be done and over with. And it has it's share of melodrama á la "Frankenstein" or "Hunchback of Notre Dame"; segments that can be interpreted as homages to the original movie from 1958, but also as a whispered apology from the director: "I think this is stupid too. I'm only doing this for the money".

But it's not stupid. It's effective, because it contrasts against the relentless horror of the transformation of Seth Brundle into Brundlefly. The practical effects are as gruesome today as they were in 1986. And speaking of effects it's pretty mindblowing when you realize the wall- and roofcrawling scenes were made more than 15 years prior to Sam Raimi's "Spider-Man"!

All in all, David Cronenberg's "The Fly" is - despite it's flaws - well worth your attention if you're curious about the kind of stuff described above. It's a gateway movie to body horror and a milestone that has served as an inspiration to many others. For example, the "ear"-scene has been emulated by Peter Jackson in "Braindead" ("Dead/Alive") while Neill Blomkamp's "District 9" in essence is an action and sci/fi oriented reimagining of the story where, among other things, the final transformation of Wikus van de Merwe is strikingly similar to the fully transformed Brundlefly.

I can probably not recommend this movie enough.

finished reading Svenska Öden och Äventyr II - Berättelser från alla tidevarv 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑
https://neodb.social/book/2IiUA7WJlw8JxO8ZcB1BPM

Strindberg är en sån där författare som känns både svårläst och lättläst. Jag tror det handlar om att han är så väl ansedd inom de finkulturellare delarna av litteraturvärlden. Och det kan ju låta motsägelsefullt att kalla honom en svensk Dostojevskij, med de känns rätt besläktade.

En samling som denna är också både lättåtkomlig och inte. Här varvas storverk som "De lycksaligas ö", "En häxa" och den inte helt oproblematiska "Tschandala" med saker som passerar över eller åtminstone vid sidan av mitt huvud/intresse.

Spretigt? Ja, månne det. Men också ytterligare ett tecken på att Strindberg (som författare) förtjänar min respekt mer än jag kanske skulle vilja erkänna.