TODAY’S FILM

The Cremator, dir. Juraj Herz (1969)

I was shamefully oblivious to this Czechoslovak New Wave classic for too long, until stumbling upon a restoration of it at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival last year. What a ride I was missing! The title character is a death-obsessed businessman from pre-WWII Prague, who starts to see Nazi ideology as a means to enact his darkest tendencies. This drama boasts an impeccable editing and borrows elements from thrillers and dark comedies to drive a poignant point home. There are a lot of films that tackle the birth of totalitarianism, but few do so with as much panache as this one. Check it out on YouTube.

TODAY’S RECORD

Chiptek by she (2008)

The fact that we’re largely living digitally these days brought to my mind this virtual musical project. she is a project by Polish artist Lain Trzaska, which he alternatively explores variations on ambient and chiptune aesthetics. As the title suggests, the Chiptek EP falls under the latter category: sounds zip in and out of existence like a malfunctioning software, vocals are auto-tunes within an inch of their life and the whole affair basks in an artificial neon glow. Trzaska renders this sonic tapestry into a version of J-pop that is irresistible. “Music” is the major takeaway here: the vocal effects are pure pop perfection, like a sugar rush. Elsewhere, “Supersonic” feels like a soundtrack for a forgotten 80s game and “1997” is she trying his hand at a piano ballad and absolutely killing it. Listen to it on YouTube.