Follow Filmspotting on Twitter and Facebook
I just watched Alps last night so disturbing and playful makes me think Killing of a Sacred Deer.
“... in practice the standard for what constitutes rape is set not at the level of women's experience of violation but just above the level of coercion acceptable to men.” ― Judith Lewis Herman
Well, you know what they say... comedy is subjective. Your sense of humor may be different from mine (and judging by the number of glowing reviews out there about this film, it likely is) but I really did not care for the comedy going on here. From the first gag (in the 17th century, vendors sold "popped maize" at witch trials, yuk yuk) to the last, not a single laugh escaped my lips... but a lot of groans did. It's hard to explain why something is funny and perhaps it's just as hard to explain why something isn't. I just thought the jokes were dumb, obvious, annoying. A lot of irritating stuff about bad marriages, Kellaway's hammy drunk acting, and my lord, if I never hear "I Love You Truly" again it'll be too goddamn soon. The terrific Susan Hayward is wasted in the role of the shrewish fiancée. This is not the charming comedy of Rene Clair's early sound features Under the Roofs of Paris or A nous la liberté... it's more along the lines of the tedious comedy of The Italian Straw Hat.
Still, it would be disingenuous of me to write the movie off completely. Whatever other complaints I can lodge against it, predictability isn't one of them. Some of the jokes are telegraphed, but the whimsical story is not, and it's hard to pin down just where it's going. The special effects are delightful for the era, and Clair's inventiveness is evident. Furthermore, I've never liked Veronica Lake more. Having been more focused on noir in recent years (where she isn't at her best), I'd forgotten the talent on display in Sullivan's Travels. She's easily the shining star of this cast, and behind her striking features is a gifted comedienne. The unpredictability of the script is matched by her deft adapting to the twists and turns. Throughout it all, Lake feels utterly in control of events... even when her character isn't.
First off, let me say, that I enjoyed this. It's been a long time since I watched a modern film, that kept my attention, wondering what was going to happen next. But now that a bit of time has passed since I finished it (30 minutes), the plot holes, which I noticed while I was watching, now appear glaring. A few times, I said to myself, "OK, she gets arrested now", but it doesn't happen. And she should have been arrested for the main crime she commits. But, if that happens, the plot comes to a halt, so it is discarded for the sake of the story. Another character, commits a crime, while wearing his badge, but nothing ever comes of it. Why? Because it doesn't move the plot along. Am I disappointed in the fact that this should have left me cold, to the story overall? No. Maybe I've set the bar a bit lower now, for modern films, and I'm just happy to have a film engage my mind for a while. It was refreshing not having my eyes bombarded with intricate camera shots and angles, which is prevalent amongst today's directors. There isn't even the slightest bit of CGI anywhere on the periphery. That makes me smile!
I knew I wrote this review, but for the life of me I couldn't think of what movie it was. I cheated and looked it up so I'll let someone else try to guess.
