[ominous] Dr Strangelove [/ominous]
or [perky] How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb [/perky].
That’s how the theatrical trailer presented it, anyway, and it was very apt.
The bro-in-law gave it to me a couple of Christmases ago, and I finally got around to watching it on Friday. It wasn’t entirely what I was expecting.
1. I hadn’t realised it was black and white.
2. I hadn’t realised Peter Sellers played three roles. That was cool.
3. I had no idea what the comedy in it would be like; that it was so esoteric was unexpected. I think I had thought it would be a bit more laugh-out-loud funny.
I did like it. Peter Sellers was very clever; I am not sure that I have seen him in anything else – which is a terrible burnish on my would-be movie guru plaque – but I was impressed by his physical comedy, as well as his absorption into the characters. It took me a significant while to realise that he was both Strangelove and the English dude; I didn’t realise at all that he was the president at all until maybe the end of the film!
I can’t imagine what it must have been like when it first came out. I am used to seeing apocalyptic movies, and I am not living in the Cold War so it doesn’t feel at all prescient. For a 60s audience… whew. Must have been a bit of a head-spin.
Still in the Kingdom of Heaven
Gosh, it’s so useful to have a leader who used to be a blacksmith, isn’t it? You can think up all sorts of useful little tricks to bring down the belfries.
And, much as I am embarassed to admit it, Orlando really is a bit of a cutie (sorry J, but he is). He does always play the same character, though… much like Hugh Grant. And bordering on being almost as weak-looking, too. Perfect for Paris Alexandros… what a pansy.
Kingdom of Heaven
So I borrowed this out for viewing with some students on a Medieval Day we had at school. We offered Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and Monty Python and the Holy Grail also, and I watched the former. I was glad I did, since half way through one of the teachers came and asked whether I had seen it, and if I knew where to forward it to. I hadn’t, so I didn’t; she said the kids were getting bored because it was a talkfest, with very little fighting.
Anyway, we decided to watch it tonight, since it’s our Friday and there is nothing else on TV. It’s not quite as bad as the teacher suggested yesterday, but I can see why the kids were bored. The fighting is – well, I think it’s stylised in some ways, and there really isn’t as much as I had expected. I had thought that this was set during one of the actual Crusades, but it isn’t. (but OH – we just got to the Saladin bit, and that is clever! I knew the Saracen he didn’t kill wasn’t a servant or slave… oh hang on, I thought he was Saladin himself. OK, that’s not quite as cool as I originally thought. Oh well.).
There is a lot of talking. And some bits that I find highly dubious. However, the fact that I picked it was going to be Baldwin the Leper as king has me very smug (and the mask is very cool; I wonder how Edward Norton felt about that, since you basically don’t know it’s him). And the portrayal of Saladin is very positive, for a Hollywood film. Made in 2005… so after the latest crusade was preached by Bush… I wonder if that is deliberate.
Lots of familiar faces in this film too, which is fun. Reinault, he fauning leader of the Templars, was Menelaos in another role. Jeremy Irons, hurrah! Liam Neeson, for all of 10 minutes. Guy de Lusignan… what a different role for Martin Csorkas. I loved him in Aeon Flux, and of course as Celeborn. And the lord not killed by Orlando was blown up in Spooks in very sad fashion. (Notice how I am not bothering to mention Orlando? Pft. Playing Will, again, basically.)
(Pseudo?) Historical films
I am flabbergasted that someone has bothered to make a film about Romulus Augustulus; I would not have thought that enough people would know about him and the Goths to make it worthwhile. Maybe it is indicative of the perennial hold that the Romans still seem to have over the Western imagination and self-identity… or myabe because it is relatively unknown, the producers/director thought it would be easier to cut historical corners on. Who knows; I think I will go and see it, whenever it gets released, just for curiosity’s sake. Romulus is played by that kid from Love Actually – that, I am not convinced by. Nor am I entirely convinced by Colin Firth as Aurelius – nice choice of name though.
The other, more probably pseduo, historical movie that has caught my attention recently is 300, which is about the Spartans at Thermopylae. This has great potential, I feel – nice bit of self-sacrifice, high drama, etc. I am a bit dubious, though, because it is based on a graphic novel by Frank Miller… and, having seen the trailer, it has a very similar feel to Sin City. I imagine it will be very gruesome, probably highly sexual, and – I dread – a long way from any sort of historical accuracy. I am a fan of Gerard Butler, and heck, it’s got David Wenham too (hasn’t he done well from himself?), so maybe they will be saivng graces.
I guess this brings up the whole issue of whether movies ought to be ‘factual’ and ‘true to history’ or not, much like the Inga Clendinnen question about ‘historical’ fiction. Having not seen Alexander, I won’t even bring that one up, but… I’m really not sure where I stand with this issue. I like my movies that are based on history to be fairly ‘true to life’ (ack, such tricky waters… I know this brings up all sorts of issues about what we actually can know blah blah blah). That said, if a movie is blatant about the fact that they are not, in fact, striving for accuracy, but for a jolly good movie – and they actually manage a good movie – then I can forgive a fair bit….
The Neverending Story
I am watching JTV, and the dude from Butterfly Effect has chosen the song from The Neverending Story as his request!! Ive never seen the film clip, which is of course just clips from the movie, with the occasional shot of the dude who sang it… who has really, really bad 80s hair: half blonde (the top half), the other half black; spiked on top… and long at the back. Urgh. It has, however, reminded me of just how much I loved that movie. And, to be honest, still do: I haven’t seen it in years, and I feel the urge to find it. Or to read the book, which was of course much better than the movie; and let’s not even mention the second (although at the time I liked it… only because of Jonothan Brandis…), and the third – which I watched only because of my sister – was enough to make me do something drastic.
The vid clip show Atreyu losing Artax in the Swamp… that was one of the saddest things I had ever seen on film at that point, barring only Watership Down.
Friday night movies
Faced with the prospect of watching either Polyanna or Shrek, I opted out and went for Midsomer Murders instead. That being finished, I have turned over to Polyanna…. I liked the book when I was a kid. I have even seen the original movie, with whatshername in it, Hayley Mills. And this movie has indeed lived down to my expectations: sappy and very painful (the priest is the disgusting cousin from the BBC’s Pride and Prejudice). The actress playing Polyanna is really, really bad, with a very stupid lisp (which, having said that, I hope is fake). But… since I know the story… it’s still a little beguiling.
The Inside Man
This was brilliant. Denzel Washington (magnificent; and not an entirely goody-goody character either), Clive Owen (why did that man not become Bond?), Jodie Foster (a very different role for her – and she was great). Kat saw it at the flicks in Edinburgh and said it was great then; I was sorry to miss it on the big screen. It’s actually something I would consider seeing again, in a while. Very, very clever.
My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Well, I tuned in half way through and I wish I had seen it from the start. Favourite line? “He no eat meat? What you mean, he no eat meat?? … Is OK; I make lamb.” Mahahaha.
It was so clever! And I was impressed that our Aussie Carides (Zoe or Gia… how bad that I can’t remember… I think Gia. Anthony La’Plaglia’s wife, anyhow) was in it. Reckon they must just about have hired the entirety of the Greek-American actors to play their family. And hurrah! that the dude from … that Alaskan show, with the moose (and if there were two, they’d be meese…)… ack, I can’t remember. Too late at night. Anyway, he was in it.
Just… stuff…
I seem to have lost the Warcraft CD. I don’t understand how, and I really don’t know where.
I’m watching “What Lies Beneath” at the moment; that is, it’s on the tv, and I’m deciding whether to watch something that may turn out to be just way, way too scary for me.
My friend A is deciding whether to get a momento mori tattoed on her ankle – a quote from Andrew Marvel – I’m not convinced, although at the same time it seems rather cool and at least it’s for a good reason.
I think the reason why I don’t like scary movies is because I tend to take movies a bit too seriously, at least while in the action o viewing. I guess I’m something of an ideal audience for this reason. But it’s not fun for me.
My plants are going quite well. My winter roses are beautiful – following the Ma’s advice, I’ve trimmed the flowers and put them in a bowl of water, so I can actually see them, since otherwise they’d be outside and out of sight. My daffies, though, have been beaten into the ground by the masses of rain of the last 48 hours or so.
Firewall
Well, it started off ok, but seriously, this movie has a really quite boring end. It was disappointing. Paul Bettany was great, but just wasn’t done justice. And three things really annoyed me:
1. The blue screens, while people were driving, were shocking.
2. They could use the interweb while driving. I want that technology, but I am not convinced that it is available yet, or at least not readily available.
3. The car exploded with almost no reason to. Pft.
Randomly Yours, Alex 