Watched Withnail & I last night. It was recommended to me by a couple of people, but I know it's not one that the masses will be familiar with. The short plot is 2 broke, unemployed actors who are best friends decide they need some time away from home and use one of the guy's uncle's summer cottages in the country. Hilarity, homo-eroticism and dead fish ensue.
At first watch, I definitely liked it. I love British humor and it reminded me of Harold and Maude in a lot of ways. Set around the same time period (but made almost 20 years apart), it just "felt" similar to me. The style of humor was similar, the visual aspects were similar, even the scores seemed to fit the movies in the same way. I don't think Harold & Maude was actually based in the UK, but it felt that way to me.
The bulk of the movie takes place in the country with these two guys trying to get away from home and their problems, but their problems seem to follow them there. They are still broke, they still seem unlucky, and they still frustrate each other even though they are best friends. There is a great subplot with the gay uncle following them there in order to get closer to the friend. They finally decide it's time to go home when "& I" (as he is named in the credits; I realized toward the end that I didn't actually know what his name was...I found the name Marwood online but don't remember hearing it in the film) gets an audition for an acting job. When they get home they find that all their problems are still waiting for them, and though Withnail is happy to just stay home and continue to get drunk, Marwood wants to move on with his life. It helps that he has something to move on to, while Withnail has nothing. Their lives have come to a crossroads and even though they care for each other, they know it can't stay the same.
I know a lot of people haven't seen this movie so I won't say anything more except to say you will probably like it. It's worth a watch for sure - I want to watch it again because I have a feeling I will like it more the more I see it. It didn't strike me the way Harold & Maude did the first time I watched it, and I didn't think it was quite as funny, but I'm definitely glad I watched it.
And one more thing...don't threaten me with a dead fish.
Withnail & I: 3.5 out of 5.
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Jaws - Social Darwinism at its best?
My first movie for this blog is 1975’s Jaws. Starring Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss, Jaws tells the story of a New York beach town that is met by doom when a great white shark moves to town and starts committing premeditated homicide on fat Americans. I chose this film because it’s Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, and I figured I would pay homage. Jaws was made from a novel by Peter Benchley, which was inspired by a true story of a shark attack in a New Jersey lake.
When I told people I would be watching this movie for the blog, a lot of people told me it was a “perfect” movie. I guess I can see how people would say that, but for me it fell just a little flat. I enjoyed it overall, but I don’t think it’s perfect.
The movie wasted no time on the action, with the first victim dying less than 3 minutes in. I really liked that it didn’t take long to get right into the story- I’m not a fan of a ton of long, drawn out exposition in a movie. Right off the bat, though, I got angry at most of the characters.
It was really frustrating to me how political the town was – the character of Chief Brody was trying really hard to keep these people safe, and it was more about money and not disturbing the fun holiday weekend for everyone. Although it was making me mental to watch the attitudes of all these people, it hit me that it was probably very realistic. That is probably exactly what would happen in real life. And that made me very sad.
The thing I hated about this movie is that everyone was annoying. I had no empathy for any of the characters in this film, which was hard to deal with. They were all stereotypical selfish, lazy stupid Americans who cared more about their own leisure than human life. So when people started dying, I felt like they deserved it. Even when the kids died I didn't feel bad- their parents' pain seemed startlingly deserved to me. Almost as if the shark was performing his own natural selection.
Hooper, clearly, was the best character in the film. That didn’t surprise me – he was great. I loved how matter-of-fact he was about the whole thing- it was just “I can help you, or you all can die. Your choice.” He and the Chief were the only ones who made any sense throughout the whole movie.
The scenes with the shark were fun – watching it for the first time almost 35 years after it was made obviously makes me biased toward special effects. It clearly was not the best quality
My favorite part about the whole film was the score. I absolutely LOVED the music, and I thought it was one part about the movie that was truly perfect. It was dark and moody, then all of a sudden it was uplifting and jolly, and it kind of catches you off guard.
Overall, I did like this movie. It got to my emotions, but not in the way I expected. It wasn’t scary and I didn’t connect with the characters, but it pissed me off and I found myself caring about what happened even if I didn’t care about the people.
I give Jaws 3.5 out of 5.
When I told people I would be watching this movie for the blog, a lot of people told me it was a “perfect” movie. I guess I can see how people would say that, but for me it fell just a little flat. I enjoyed it overall, but I don’t think it’s perfect.
The movie wasted no time on the action, with the first victim dying less than 3 minutes in. I really liked that it didn’t take long to get right into the story- I’m not a fan of a ton of long, drawn out exposition in a movie. Right off the bat, though, I got angry at most of the characters.
It was really frustrating to me how political the town was – the character of Chief Brody was trying really hard to keep these people safe, and it was more about money and not disturbing the fun holiday weekend for everyone. Although it was making me mental to watch the attitudes of all these people, it hit me that it was probably very realistic. That is probably exactly what would happen in real life. And that made me very sad.
The thing I hated about this movie is that everyone was annoying. I had no empathy for any of the characters in this film, which was hard to deal with. They were all stereotypical selfish, lazy stupid Americans who cared more about their own leisure than human life. So when people started dying, I felt like they deserved it. Even when the kids died I didn't feel bad- their parents' pain seemed startlingly deserved to me. Almost as if the shark was performing his own natural selection.
Hooper, clearly, was the best character in the film. That didn’t surprise me – he was great. I loved how matter-of-fact he was about the whole thing- it was just “I can help you, or you all can die. Your choice.” He and the Chief were the only ones who made any sense throughout the whole movie.
The scenes with the shark were fun – watching it for the first time almost 35 years after it was made obviously makes me biased toward special effects. It clearly was not the best quality
My favorite part about the whole film was the score. I absolutely LOVED the music, and I thought it was one part about the movie that was truly perfect. It was dark and moody, then all of a sudden it was uplifting and jolly, and it kind of catches you off guard.
Overall, I did like this movie. It got to my emotions, but not in the way I expected. It wasn’t scary and I didn’t connect with the characters, but it pissed me off and I found myself caring about what happened even if I didn’t care about the people.
I give Jaws 3.5 out of 5.
Thursday, July 30, 2009
I Have Seen a Few Movies...
I've been collecting recommendations and will post the full list soon. But I wanted to list a few of the movies I have actually seen, that were recommended to me for this list. It's a short list though!
Big
Bonnie & Clyde
Fletch
Harold & Maude
Life is Beautiful
Little Monsters
Psycho
Schindler's List
Some Like it Hot
Stand by Me
The Graduate
The Jerk
The Parent Trap
The Princess Bride
This is Spinal Tap
The Wizard of Oz
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Sound of Music
So I guess I haven't been living entirely in a cave, but have been poking my head out here and there.
Big
Bonnie & Clyde
Fletch
Harold & Maude
Life is Beautiful
Little Monsters
Psycho
Schindler's List
Some Like it Hot
Stand by Me
The Graduate
The Jerk
The Parent Trap
The Princess Bride
This is Spinal Tap
The Wizard of Oz
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Sound of Music
So I guess I haven't been living entirely in a cave, but have been poking my head out here and there.
Friday, July 24, 2009
The "Why"
I am on a journey.
I am on a journey to see every movie that is considered to be a "classic." The term classic has different meanings for different people, but I think that will make this a lot more interesting.
Why am I doing this?
I am married to a movie buff. I would even venture to say he is a film geek. My husband Bill hosts a weekly genre cinema podcast called "Outside the Cinema" (www.outsidethecinema.com - sorry, couldn't resist) in which he and his co-host Chris (also host of the "Are You Serious?" podcast at www.areyouseriouspodcast.com) sit down in our house every week and talk about movies. The show has been running for about a year and a half now, and two things have happened.
1. We have become friends with people around the world who are so startlingly intelligent and well-spoken in many ways, but mainly in the world of film knowledge. People with other podcasts, general listeners and others have become "friends" through this show. The one thing we all have in common is a love for film.
2. Though I love movies, I realized that I have seen practically nothing. I'm not exaggerating. I mean, I've seen a lot of movies. But most of the films I've seen have been more current box-office offerings. I love independent film and I like a lot of different genres, but have not really seen the movies that one would consider to be "essential." There are a few that I've seen, but really it's insane how many I have not.
So, in an effort to better myself, I am on a quest to see every movie that is considered to be a "classic" in any sense of the term. Casblanca, Gone With the Wind, etc, are at the top. But if it's something you consider to be essential for any reason - even if it's not an old film - I want to watch it.
This is day 1 and I have 126 movies on the list. My Netflix account is going to get some exercise - this is going to take years. But I'm looking forward to the ride.
I am on a journey to see every movie that is considered to be a "classic." The term classic has different meanings for different people, but I think that will make this a lot more interesting.
Why am I doing this?
I am married to a movie buff. I would even venture to say he is a film geek. My husband Bill hosts a weekly genre cinema podcast called "Outside the Cinema" (www.outsidethecinema.com - sorry, couldn't resist) in which he and his co-host Chris (also host of the "Are You Serious?" podcast at www.areyouseriouspodcast.com) sit down in our house every week and talk about movies. The show has been running for about a year and a half now, and two things have happened.
1. We have become friends with people around the world who are so startlingly intelligent and well-spoken in many ways, but mainly in the world of film knowledge. People with other podcasts, general listeners and others have become "friends" through this show. The one thing we all have in common is a love for film.
2. Though I love movies, I realized that I have seen practically nothing. I'm not exaggerating. I mean, I've seen a lot of movies. But most of the films I've seen have been more current box-office offerings. I love independent film and I like a lot of different genres, but have not really seen the movies that one would consider to be "essential." There are a few that I've seen, but really it's insane how many I have not.
So, in an effort to better myself, I am on a quest to see every movie that is considered to be a "classic" in any sense of the term. Casblanca, Gone With the Wind, etc, are at the top. But if it's something you consider to be essential for any reason - even if it's not an old film - I want to watch it.
This is day 1 and I have 126 movies on the list. My Netflix account is going to get some exercise - this is going to take years. But I'm looking forward to the ride.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
