WKNDwatchlist: Ladies in Black, Blue Velvet and A Clockwork Orange

This week, we talk about three radically different tests of innocence, from sunlit department store awakenings and rotting suburban noir to the milk-bar ultra-violence of dystopian conditioning, in Chroma Shock.

Ladies in Black

Set in a 1950s department store in Sydney, Ladies in Black is a charming, ornate coming-of-age period drama that follows a teenage girl opening her eyes to new opportunities alongside two salesladies grappling with love. Enmeshing post-war immigrant cultures with light domestic friction, it delivers a sweet, stylish, and realistic portrait of cutting the apron strings and forging your own path.

Blue Velvet

David Lynch’s classic neo-noir plunges Kyle Maclachlan and Lauren Dern as a wholesome, innocent pair headfirst into a dangerous web of small-town dysfunction. Anchored by the unforgettable, strange dynamic between a forlorn Isabella Rossellini and terrifying Dennis Hopper, it moves from erotic and surreal interludes to a bizarre kidnapping – a deeply intoxicating, unsettling and silky film that never offers a dull moment.

A Clockwork Orange

Stanley Kubrick’s provocative, boundary-pushing dystopian oddity stars Malcolm McDowell leading a cane-wielding gang through the city on a rampage of choreographed “ultra violence” and classical music. Packed with sexual encounters and bizarre state-sponsored brainwashing techniques, this confrontational masterpiece operates with sheer directorial flair to create a disturbing, risqué chronicle from the edge.

What are you watching this weekend? Let us know! For more reviews, head over to splingmovies.com. And remember: Don’t WING it, SPL!NG it!