The temperatures in Zug are finally getting lower.
Autumn is the time when Switzerland turns from an idyllic Alpine paradise into a moody noir set piece for a slow and brooding detective story.
Especially with Halloween coming up the mood is definitely cinematic. I hope I can carve out some time in my busy schedule of crushing it and adding value to dive into this atmosphere and clear up my “To Read” and “To Watch” piles.
The focus this year will be on the…
Unknown, unsettling and unexplored
Earnest fascination with Weird Fiction has not hit me until the video game “Control,” which is great and the SCP-inspired world building is amazing. It manages to be unsettling, yet interesting enough to make you keep exploring. Not being a fan of horror, I still loved it, that it rewards you with discovering something new and unexpected when you push through. This combination of unknown, unsettling and unexplored is something I always look out for.
I saw something similar also in one of my favorite books — “Dance dance dance” by Haruki Murakami. It falls neither under a horror, nor a weird fiction label, but lends just enough mystery and surrealism to its world, that you dive right into its exploration of love, loneliness and existence. It is a part of a series of books (the so-called Rat series which I haven’t read).
So, all well and good, but what should I read or look at?
- Read one of the following: A Wild Sheep Chase, Hear the Wind Sing, or Pinball
- Watch the Swiss Army Man, a 2016 heartfelt, yet weird movie with Daniel Radcliffe (I am not sure, I still need to specify “weird” when Daniel Radcliffe is involved).
- Watch Necropolis, a cult 1980s bad horror movie about the occult. A cult-occult movie?
Zuger Filmtage
Another great thing about autumn are the Zug Film Days (Zuger Filmtage) which this year correspond with the 100 year anniversary of cinema in the canton, so we are getting to see a bunch of great classics, such as:
- Frankenstein, 1931
- Aliens, 1986
- The Goodfellas, 1990
- Psycho, 1960
I just love the tiny Zug cinemas which are essentially cocktail bars with movie halls. Do check them out if you are around.
But for now, I’ll be signing off.