Grotesque

The word grotesque, originally a noun (1560s), from Italian grottesco (through Middle French), literally "of a cave", from Italian grotta (see grotto). The original meaning was restricted to an extravagant style of Ancient Roman decorative art rediscovered and then copied in Rome at the end of the 15th century. The word first was used of paintings found on the walls of basements of Roman ruins that were called at that time Le Grotte (The Grottoes) due to their appearance. These "caves" were in fact rooms and corridors of the Domus Aurea, the unfinished palace complex started by Nero after the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64, which had become overgrown and buried, until they were broken into again, mostly from above. Spreading from Italian to the other European languages, the term was long used largely interchangeably with arabesque and moresque for types of decorative patterns using curving foliage elements.

Since at least the 18th century (in French and German as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, fantastic, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus is often used to describe weird shapes and distorted forms such as Halloween masks. In art, performance, and literature, however, grotesque may also refer to something that simultaneously invokes in an audience a feeling of uncomfortable bizarreness as well as sympathetic pity. More specifically, the grotesque forms on Gothic buildings, when not used as drain-spouts, should not be called gargoyles, but rather referred to simply as grotesques, or chimeras.

Grotesque (disambiguation)

Grotesque was originally a style of ornament in art, and today also means strange, fantastic, ugly, or bizarre.

Grotesque may also refer to:

Literature, film and television

Other

Grotesque (2009 film)

Grotesque (グロテスク, Gurotesuku) is a 2009 Japanese splatter horror and exploitation film written and directed by Kōji Shiraishi.

Plot

A young couple Aki and Kazuo are snatched off the street while having their first date as a romantic couple after a few years working in the same office. They wake up shackled in a basement that has plastic-covered walls. With no further explanation, a sadistic madman degrades, tortures and mutilates them. He punctures Kazuo's belly with a screwdriver and slices his tongue, then sexually assaults each in turn, forcing the other to watch. Sometimes, he stops the torture to provide medical assistance and cure the couple's wounds, so they can continue alive for a long period of time. This way, he cuts off all their fingers, makes collars with them, pops out Kazuo's right eye, removes the girl's nipples and cuts off her right arm.

As the torture progresses, it is revealed he is simply doing it for sexual stimulation, and tells the couple he wants the two to survive. He finally castrates Kazuo, claiming he has found all the sexual relief he needs, so no longer needs the couple's "services". The couple is moved to a room which resembles a modern and clean hospital room, where the kidnapper takes care of the couple's wounds. It gradually becomes apparent that the man has professional medical training, refined manners, taste for classical music and good wines and dresses in expensive clothes when he is not in surgeon dress. He even mentions he is a wealthy man, which suggests he may be a reputable surgeon, not merely a violent sadist, looking for an extreme way to obtain satisfaction in his lonely life. The couple also notes the doctor has a particular rotting smell always present behind his clean and elegant appearance.

Angels (Within Temptation song)

"Angels" is a song by Dutch band Within Temptation from their third studio album, The Silent Force. It was released as the third single from the album on 13 June 2005, also accompanying a music video. The video earned the band a Golden God Award on the following year.

Track listing

Music video

The video is shot in a desert in Spain. It tells the story of a group of vigilante angels who make it their mission to wipe out evil. Sharon den Adel is a woman who has been seemingly abandoned on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere. She accepts a lift from a priest, who takes her back to his home. The priest is in fact a demonic serial killer, who adopts different disguises to get to his victims. All of these disguises are trustworthy people, like a doctor, a police officer, a clown, judge, or a priest. As Sharon stumbles upon a board full of newspaper clippings in the killers home, which are about his previous victims, he seemingly overpowers her with chloroform. He takes a tied up Sharon to the middle of the desert to bury her alive. However, Sharon immediately awakens as the other angels approach (the other band members) and is revealed to also be one of the angels, who was left at the side of the road as bait for the serial killer, during which time the rest of the vigilantes appear and the killer is confronted with the spirits of his victims, who destroy him. The vigilantes then move onto their next target.

Angels (Marvel Comics)

An angel is a fictional entity within the Marvel Comics universe, based on the angels of the Abrahamic faiths. Their first Marvel Comics appearance was Marvel Tales #133. In the religious text of Christianity, Judaism, Islam and Zoroastriansim, angels are believed to be guardians of mankind and messengers of God; indeed, "angels" originates from the Greek word for messenger. In Hebrew they are mal'ach, (again messenger), Abbir (mighty) or Elohim (Godly beings).

Powers and abilities

The abilities and physical features of angels are widely varied and many seem able to alter their appearance at will, but most favor beautiful humanoid forms with large, birdlike wings growing from their backs. They are immortal and do not age. Most angels seem to have varying degrees of superhuman strength, and they often can fire bolts of heavenly fire from their hands or summon burning swords at will. They can make themselves invisible to humans, although rare sensitives may still see them. Many angels can generate illusions and compel humans to obey their will, and some can resurrect the dead by sharing their own divine essence with the deceased. When slain, the Grigori angels spontaneously combusted; whether other angels would likewise is uncertain.

Angels (2014 film)

Angels is a 2014 Indian Malayalam social thriller film and the directorial debut of Jean Markose. The film stars an ensemble cast consisting of Indrajith, Asha Sarath, Joy Mathew, Prem Prakash, Parvathy Menon, Baiju and Dinesh Panicker. Story and screenplay were written by Jean Markose and Toni Tomy, dialogues were co-written by Shabu Kilithatil. It is a rip-off from the South Korean film Confession of Murder (2012). This film is a Moderated Success and Hit.

Production

Filming took place at Chitranjali Studios in Thiruvananthapuram. The film is Produced by Linu Issac, Hisham Basheer, Saju Azad, Maya Kartha under the banner of Cloud 4 Cinemas. Music is composed by Jakes Bejoy, with Sujith Sarang as cinematographer and Sreejith Sarang as editor. Principal filming completed on 5 June 2014. During filming, there was a shoot day when director Jean Markose was incapacitated due to a high fever, and Indrajith stepped in to temporarily direct a hospital scene featuring Tara Kalyan. Film producer Linu Issac stated "Indran (Indrajith) rocked it."

Blood (TV series)

Blood (Hangul: 블러드; RR: Beulleodeu) is a 2015 South Korean television series starring Ahn Jae-hyun, Ji Jin-hee, Ku Hye-sun and Son Soo-hyun. It aired on KBS2 from February 16 to April 21, 2015 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 22:00 for 20 episodes.

Plot

Park Ji-sang is a doctor specializing in hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery at Taemin Cancer Hospital, the best hospital in the country. He is also a vampire. Despite seeming cold and unfeeling, Ji-sang masks his soft heart and inner pain and yearns for closeness with people. He believes very strongly in the sanctity of human life, and suppresses his thirst for blood to treat terminally ill patients and save lives.

Among his colleagues is Yoo Ri-ta, a hotshot physician who entered medical school at the age of 17 and is also the niece of the chaebol group chairman who owns the hospital. Ri-ta is highly capable but snooty and prideful, yet Ji-sang finds himself falling for her. He also gets drawn into a conflict between good and evil as he encounters Lee Jae-wook, a two-faced hospital chief who gains everyone's trust with his gentle demeanor, but inwardly harbors a dangerous ambition for power and a talent for cruelty.