Author Topic: Top 100 Club: Bondo  (Read 21705 times)

MartinTeller

  • FAB
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 17864
  • martinteller.wordpress.com
    • my movie blog
Re: Top 100 Club: Bondo
« Reply #180 on: September 11, 2021, 11:10:06 PM »
Thank you for the lengthy and reasoned responses. I agree on most counts, but there is one bit I want to address:

He wanted children and is sad he didn't get to have them. That is a completely valid sentiment, and not indicative of misogyny or patriarchy.

The patriarchal part is that he seems to feel entitled to them, and it is assumed his wife will provide them. Of course, it is also wrong for her not to have discussed it with him beforehand (and to abort "his" children without telling him), but as you point out... while it is commonplace these days to have the "I want kids" discussion before marriage, I think it's safe to say that in 1916 it was just a given that the wife would produce some babies. And I find it unfortunate is that Weber doesn't seem to fight back against that notion very much, if at all. Having said that, I certainly don't expect her to be a champion of thought that would have been very radical in her time. I was just disappointed the film didn't reflect a more feminist ideology.

Thanks for the recs! I may give some of them a looksee, though my pile of watch to stuff has gotten rather tall lately.

Sandy

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 12075
  • "The life we build, we never stop creating.”
    • Sandy's Cinematic Musings
Re: Top 100 Club: Bondo
« Reply #181 on: September 11, 2021, 11:24:35 PM »
We Are the Best!



We want the world
and we want it now
We're gonna take it anyhow
- Ramones

I'm of two minds watching this movie. Part of me is irritated at the annoying antics. I feel for the youth leaders, teachers, fast food workers... What thankless work. They're not being paid enough to have to deal with such disrespectful kids. Sheesh what a bunch of punks. That telling sentiment isn't lost on me.

If the story was only about that, I'd be pretty irritated all around, but it spends time letting me get to know the girls, which helps me empathize with them. Bobo and Hedvig are easy for me to relate to. They act in ways that make sense to me and their isolation hits home. Klara is a more difficult character. She pushes without regard and bosses people about. Maybe I'm a bit envious of it, but I know for sure I struggled with siblings and classmates who got their way by similar tactics. So having that obstacle, it takes me longer to come around. Seeing her in different situations and her father's attitude toward behavior, I'm able to piece together why she is the way she is. Her passion might be annoying, but it also drives her devotion. Bobo is fortunate to have such a spirited and loyal friend.

1SO

  • FAB
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 36129
  • Marathon Man
Re: Top 100 Club: Bondo
« Reply #182 on: September 12, 2021, 11:31:35 PM »
Dark River
I just spent 90-minutes thinking I was watching Rebecca Ferguson. On Letterboxd, people were noticing a resemblance to Michelle Monaghan. The point being, I hope Ruth Wilson is in an upcoming Mission: Impossible because they won't need masks to trade identities.

After 90-minutes of sad minimalism the name of director Clio Barnard seemed familiar to me. She made The Selfish Giant, which I am a big fan of. She also made The Arbor, which I am not. I can't think of a common theme or style between these films, which is impressive. Unfortunately, I'm still only a fan of Giant.

A couple of days ago I watched How I Ended This Summer, and the two films are ample evidence that you can get into "slow cinema". Problem is we have two different opinions on what's good/slow vs. bad/slow because I thought both films only had enough pacing for the first half.

It's truly awful to live as a Yorkshire sheep.

oldkid

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 19044
  • Hi there! Feed me worlds!
Re: Top 100 Club: Bondo
« Reply #183 on: September 13, 2021, 05:13:41 PM »
Dark River
I just spent 90-minutes thinking I was watching Rebecca Ferguson. On Letterboxd, people were noticing a resemblance to Michelle Monaghan. The point being, I hope Ruth Wilson is in an upcoming Mission: Impossible because they won't need masks to trade identities.

After 90-minutes of sad minimalism the name of director Clio Barnard seemed familiar to me. She made The Selfish Giant, which I am a big fan of. She also made The Arbor, which I am not. I can't think of a common theme or style between these films, which is impressive. Unfortunately, I'm still only a fan of Giant.

A couple of days ago I watched How I Ended This Summer, and the two films are ample evidence that you can get into "slow cinema". Problem is we have two different opinions on what's good/slow vs. bad/slow because I thought both films only had enough pacing for the first half.

It's truly awful to live as a Yorkshire sheep.

Selfish Giant is one of my all time favorites.  The Arbor is okay, not very memorable.  Should I watch this?
"It's not art unless it has the potential to be a disaster." Bansky

Eric/E.T.

  • Elite Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 3830
Re: Top 100 Club: Bondo
« Reply #184 on: September 19, 2021, 10:27:16 PM »
Skallamann

I had ten minutes on my hands, and thought, Yes, let's do Skallamann, about damn time. I'm not terribly surprised it's good, but I had no idea that music from a German musical short could actually get stuck in an English-speaking American mind. I watched Skallamann, and then did a whole bunch of other stuff like go to a soccer match, play video games, sleep, and yet "skallamann, skallamannn" just sticks in my head.

I dig the weirdness, as you begin in this sterile, depressing apartment home that doesn't really exist in the world, all for the son Frank (I'll assume he/him right now) to come home and drop the bomb of all bombs on his parents: He made out with a bald guy (skallamann). From there, we get a funny, cute song and dance with the ensemble growing larger and larger as the story of what really went down evolves and takes shape. Not like there are any shocking revelations beyond the bald guy is actually pretty hot.

After watching a few Jacques Demy shorts, you have to think Maria Bock was at least somewhat influenced, given the emphasis on bright colors adding life to the bleak winter landscape.
A witty saying proves nothing. - Voltaire

Bondo

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 23082
Re: Top 100 Club: Bondo
« Reply #185 on: September 20, 2021, 06:13:48 AM »
Important correction…Norwegian short. I saw it at an LGBT film festival and it’s such a delight, kind of ridiculing homophobia by shifting the parental concern over to a facially absurd basis of discrimination. I believe it was shown in front of Leave It On The Floor, so that was a particularly effective festival segment.

Eric/E.T.

  • Elite Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 3830
Re: Top 100 Club: Bondo
« Reply #186 on: September 20, 2021, 10:19:53 AM »
Hmmm…I wonder where I got German…

I do appreciate the witty, funny messaging. It’s one of those, don’t get angry, sing and dance them straight to hell.
A witty saying proves nothing. - Voltaire

Bondo

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 23082
Re: Top 100 Club: Bondo
« Reply #187 on: September 20, 2021, 07:58:48 PM »
Sandy, I definitely get turned off films that center on obnoxious teens being obnoxious, so I can understand that. I don't remember how much the girls got up to the obnoxiousness, but I can see why Klara could be off-putting among the three in particular. However, I found myself more drawn in by her chaotic charisma. Admittedly girls get away more leniency than boys when it comes to hi-jinx, at least with me.

Dark River

A couple of days ago I watched How I Ended This Summer, and the two films are ample evidence that you can get into "slow cinema". Problem is we have two different opinions on what's good/slow vs. bad/slow because I thought both films only had enough pacing for the first half.

I think I tried to rewatch How I Ended This Summer and didn't last far. Sometimes I feel like as much as people call grisly films one-timers, for me slow films are the more likely to only want to watch once. Dark River is slightly more on the dark side (though not explicitly so) but while I don't recall it being especially slow (I absolutely recall HIETS being slow even on first viewing) it also isn't stylish enough that I'd be compelled to rewatch it. If I was going for a tighter best of decade list, both would be quick to cut.

Sandy

  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 12075
  • "The life we build, we never stop creating.”
    • Sandy's Cinematic Musings
Re: Top 100 Club: Bondo
« Reply #188 on: September 20, 2021, 11:24:06 PM »
Sandy, I definitely get turned off films that center on obnoxious teens being obnoxious, so I can understand that. I don't remember how much the girls got up to the obnoxiousness, but I can see why Klara could be off-putting among the three in particular. However, I found myself more drawn in by her chaotic charisma. Admittedly girls get away more leniency than boys when it comes to hi-jinx, at least with me.

:) She is pretty charismatically chaotic. Not easy to resist.

1SO

  • FAB
  • Objectively Awesome
  • ******
  • Posts: 36129
  • Marathon Man
Re: Top 100 Club: Bondo
« Reply #189 on: September 23, 2021, 11:37:13 AM »
Becky

But you know what I really needed right now? Nazis getting really brutally killed. I needed to see that. Enough that I probably am overrating this film.
Your reason for liking Becky is amusing, but this was undercut by casting Kevin James as the main Nazi. It's something that ridicules them in a more subversive way, like Leslie Jones advocating to play Donald Trump on SNL. Unfortunately, he's not good in the part and oddly distracting, as is Joel McHale. The rest is routine, including the elevated amount of spilled blood.