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Author Topic: The Bondo Collection Revisited  (Read 12281 times)

Bondo

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Re: The Bondo Collection Revisited
« Reply #80 on: November 14, 2014, 09:53:19 AM »
Gun Hill Road (2011)

Previously I made the decision to trim the Bondo Collection by cutting films that are already part of a broad cultural canon, lately I've started a process of bolstering the Collection again by digging a bit deeper in my personal picks. Gun Hill Road is a good example of the kind of film that will get added as part of this process. It is a film with some flaws that keep it from being a film I recommend as "great" but it is still a strong film and more importantly has some very specific things to offer that make it important .

At its center, Gun Hill Road is a story about Michael's transition to Vanessa (played by trans actress Harmony Santana), and the effect this has on the highly macho father Enrique (Esai Morales), recently out of prison and struggling to understand what happened to the son he thought he had. One of the standout scenes is a pretty simple one, just watching the process of Vanessa preparing for a night out, the sheer amount of effort (and at other points risk) she is willing to go through to claim this identity. This contrasts with a later scene as Enrique lashes out in a way that in some ways is more punishing than simple physical abuse would be. Rough hewn though it may be, this portrait of a transgender character, especially in the context of a non-white, blue-collar setting and an even more present cultural machismo, is powerful and essential.

B+

Bondo

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Re: The Bondo Collection Revisited
« Reply #81 on: January 16, 2015, 12:41:49 AM »
Save Me (2007)

One thing I'm hoping with this long-term marathon is revisiting not only movies that have made the Collection to see if they are worthy but revisiting some that seemed just outside it but otherwise were good candidates. This film about gay reparative therapy was one such. I'm sure it has a perfectly fine payoff that made me appreciate it the first time, but I only needed 30 minutes of rewatch to know it wasn't going to be working its way into the Collection.

Bondo

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Re: The Bondo Collection Revisited
« Reply #82 on: January 18, 2015, 11:33:08 PM »
Cats (1998)

Well, if my internet keeps being shoddy, I'm going to be doing a lot more rewatching of things I own. Based on Eliot's poems, Cats was always going to be a bit lacking in plot. However, the thing that struck me the last couple times (as opposed to seeing the musical live as a kid) is the emotional power of the Grizabella arc that is the only real arc in the show, the rest being just name-checking of some of the cats, complete with descriptions that make you go "hey, that's my cat." You could say Grizabella is an example of the way society casts women aside when they age, and we watch as the group comes around to her.

But really, it's just about some catchy songs (the thing that kept me from singing along to it was the lingering effects of my respiratory illness, not lack of knowing the lyrics) and some good dance. And cat orgies. I don't think it's just the fetish I've developed for dancers in cat unitards that makes me see a strongly suggestive subtext here. Or watching the ladycats go crazy for Rum Tum Tugger, maybe just text. The film does kind of screech to a halt in the middle, with the most memorable and pacey songs at the start and end, but I still delight in this.

B+

Bondo

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Re: The Bondo Collection Revisited
« Reply #83 on: January 22, 2015, 12:17:33 PM »
Clerks II (2006)

When this came out, I may have made suggestions to the end that Jeff Anderson should be nominated for Best Supporting Actor. I still think there is a reasonably strong dramatic heart to this story, perhaps more valid now that I'm the age of the characters. It's all about how we project the expectations of others upon ourselves rather than mapping our own path to happiness, and how doing this ultimately leaves us unhappy. That is something I can totally relate to. What hasn't aged as well is Kevin Smith's sense of humor. With Randall being a focal point of a lot of this, it kind of works against my view of the performance, even though his character also provides the best dramatic beats. I still appreciate this film but don't feel the need to keep it in the Collection.

B

Zoolander (2001)

As a comedy, Zoolander is a decidedly more empty affair. I suppose it makes a slight point about corporate control of the world, but it isn't a sophisticated satire. But it is just so delightfully zany and enjoyable. I quote so many lines from this. The day before my rewatch, referencing the fact that the only urinal in the bathroom at my new workplace is very low (ADA compliance I'm sure), I busted out with "what is this, a center for ants?" I constantly feel like I'm taking crazy pills.

B+

smirnoff

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Re: The Bondo Collection Revisited
« Reply #84 on: January 22, 2015, 04:01:52 PM »
Zoolander (2001)

I quote so many lines from this.

Surely it's best quality. :)

maņana

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Re: The Bondo Collection Revisited
« Reply #85 on: January 22, 2015, 04:27:34 PM »
I'm boycotting Zoolander in solidarity with Todd Glass.
There's no deceit in the cauliflower.

oldkid

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Re: The Bondo Collection Revisited
« Reply #86 on: January 22, 2015, 05:03:09 PM »
I saw the stage play Cats and I never thought it would make a good film, although it is an excellent musical.  I never bothered seeing the film, because I was happy enough with my memories of what I saw on stage.
"It's not art unless it has the potential to be a disaster." Bansky

Bondo

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Re: The Bondo Collection Revisited
« Reply #87 on: January 23, 2015, 12:06:16 AM »
The DVD is a filmed staging, though a staging meant for the camera, not for an audience. Basically, it is getting to watch from close up. So it isn't really movie magic, but it does allow the performers to convey a bit more with facial expression than they would to the balconies. That made a measured difference for me.