Top 100 Club: colonel_mexico

[Sandy]

I wasn't able to talk with KOL in June about this movie, but hopefully he'll also write down some thoughts about it, if he did get a chance to see it.


Eagle vs. Shark



"I know he’s in there somewhere. A little boy who loves to play... In the end that’s all you have. Hope." Rosie in Jo Jo Rabbit


I spend a good portion of this movie being rather angry. When Jarrod says to Lily, "You don't complain about anything, do you?" I say, "No shit, Sherlock!" Lily's been nothing but accommodating, while he's been arrogantly denying his own self hatred and projecting it onto everyone else, including her. She's willing to take it and I at first think it's because she's needy and I may be right, but I also may not be giving her enough credit. Either she has an arc, where she finds her worth in his absence and then forgives, or she wasn't accommodating at all, but rather she merely accepted him all along, having a better understanding of him than he did himself. It doesn't dawn on me why he is the way he is until I see the family dynamics unfold and reveal how his self hatred developed. Curse you, Waititi!, for letting me think one thing and then confronting me with my own sense of superiority about the situation. I still may be frustrated with the way he treated her (and concerned that he will continue to do so), but I'm also now acutely aware that Lily may have things well in hand and doesn't need my indignation.

[Teproc]

No worries OK, take your time!  Everything these days is a bit off so no rush or worries!

@teproc - I totally understand where you're coming from with it being messy, but I felt like it worked so well because it took a group of so-called genius and talent and turned them into a family.  The darkness is what I found incredibly funny, that underneath all of the banal quips by Dudley, or the shots of the Baumer melting down, or the neurotic helicopter-father of Ben Stiller there was a dark story of family. It's like a comedy or Wes Anderson's take on a Noah Baumbach film. That scene you mention I could see as being offensive, but I related to that on a very real level being in a place like that because of my struggles with alcoholism that most people never even realized there was an issue. All of them self-involved and stuck in their own shit without really ever bothering to realize everyone around them cares about the other.  That I could totally seeing being completely offensive if were not so true of family (or at least part of mine, including myself years ago) of being so self-involved that its almost comical of how everyone feels so alone despite living with a bunch of people where everyone can relate. They are all uniquely the same the Tenenbaum family. Still, I'm glad you got some enjoyment out of it and the music is killer! Thanks for watching!

I like the idea that it's Anderson's take on a Baumbach film, that's pretty spot-on.

[1SO]

Grand Hotel
I first watched this in 2013. At the time, I was most familiar with Joan Crawford. John Barrymore I knew by reputation for being a ham and a drunk, though he's pretty subdued here. In the past years, Lionel Barrymore has become a personal favorite and I've seen 52 of his feature films. Greta Garbo remains elusive to me, with the major exception of Ninotchka. (I'd rather watch Marlene Dietrich in any role Garbo plays.) I'm just scratching the surface on Wallace Beery, but he's better than I expected and worth a more thorough look.

I found your review and it was good to read where you're coming from because with all of the old Hollywood movies I watch I find this one to be lacking. Even for a pre-code early talkie there are scenes that languish without energy and sometimes Lionel goes really thick with a maudlin desperation. Because Garbo spends a good chunk of the film wallowing in self-pity, Joan Crawford gets to steal the film with her energy. Unfortunately, the film seemed vague to define her story. I read after this was a combination of tastefully presenting a woman with few options and cutting a lot of her scenes so that Garbo would be the clear female lead.

It's one of those films that finally snaps into place once the big surprising moment happens. Then the story is a gusher of good drama while it gives new context to everything we watched up to that point. Perhaps if I wasn't coming to the film with all of classic Hollywood that came after. Some of the staging is nicely handled, but even the hotel is lacking in terms of visual contribution or being like the 6th star of the film. I probably should've mentioned before that I didn't like this film the first time. It did play slightly better tonight, but I hoped between a 2nd chance and your review there would've been more of a revelation.

[colonel_mexico]

Lots of hyperbole in that review of mine! I think I have matured a bit on the gushing aspects, but I appreciate the story the film tells. Tragedy always touches a soft spot in my heart, as does Garbo and while this is certainly not her best it seemed more fitting for someone on their way out.  Joan Crawford is very good in this, however, and I think this was a missed opportunity to allow those scenes to play of her being finding some measure of independence in the world.  Though I am not sure what those scenes actually entailed, too bad. I'm sorry that you did not find it more appealing, I too agree that the hotel could have been a great character if we had gotten more out of like Wes Anderson did with the Grand Budapest.  I love the glitz that the big name stars brings to this, though the self-pity and languishing are probably good reasons to be turned off by the film. Still glad you gave it another go even if it ended up with the same result.  Thanks for watching, it was a great month, looking forward to MT's month next!

[colonel_mexico]

@Sandy - I'm glad you got to finally see this! I too agree that the Eagle Lord has some misogyny that shouldn't be overlooked, but perhaps in the world of comedy and for our beautiful and kind Shark she sees something more than anyone else sees. In this strange comedy of life its always interesting those we are drawn to, as if some kind of calling and even if it is only for a short time you never forget those crazy intrigues of exploring the world with another. The family dynamics are something Taika is great at, it explains so much how Eagle Lord has gotten so mixed up and at the same time is your ordinary loveable loser trying to be tougher than he really is.  Loren Horsley I thought was incredible in this, I was surprised she hasn't done more, she is demure but so funny and a bit clumsy but also tough.  The music is great throughout and I did love the scene of the screenshot you posted.  Horse, damn!  Thanks for watching!

[Sandy]

haha! Yes, that last line is great.

I always enjoy hearing why a movie means a lot to you. It gives you an opportunity for your poetic nature to shine through.

[smirnoff]

Wake In Fright

The film begins and the camera does one full rotation. Two small one-story buildings surrounded by endless outback. A railroad track divides the location, and adjacent to that is a large station platform. Its abundant size is a monument of mockery given the circumstances. The camera concludes its 360 degree Celsius shot of the Australian hellscape, and we cut to the inside of one the buildings. A classroom. After a few moments of sweaty anticipation a teacher dismisses his students. He follows the students outside shortly after but the students have already vanished... vaporized in the heat presumably. The teacher walks the 38 steps across town to his hotel, gathers his belongings, and drinks beer while he waits for his train.

This experience was reminiscent of Scorcese's After Hours, Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut and Stuart Gordon's Edmond. An man caught up in some bizarre odyssey. A spiraling experience where threatening people are often too close for comfort, the cinematography is leering and psychedelic, and the sounds are abrasive. This particular odyssey is fueled by dehydration and misery's love of company.

The adventure is an unpleasant one. Not so unpleasant as The Proposition, but in that direction. I think perhaps the Kangaroos are the luckiest inhabitants of this film, as they are eventually put out of their misery, while the humans all have to carry on, unable even to kill themselves. For these characters the presence of alcohol is all that distinguishes a good time from a bad one. What a place to end up.

___

Tough and ugly film. Actually not so unpleasant to watch as I had anticipated. I can't say I really enjoyed the experience. John Grant was never really developed enough to garner any sympathy from me. One line about his circumstances as a teacher was about all I had to go on, but it wasn't enough to make me like him. I watched as a more of an indifferent observer. It's like an anti-tourism video for Australia.

ps. sorry for the way late review.

[Dave the Necrobumper]

Yes it is not a pretty picture of Australia or the men in it. That bone dry heat can bring on an almost psychedelic experience, especially when the your view is vast landscapes that appear to only offer more of the same without end.

I found your comment that the kangaroos were the lucky ones because they got out of it (abet violently) to be an interesting view, I had not thought of it that way. I wonder if my experiences (good ones) of the outback shielded me from seeing it that way.

If you are looking for a better view of the outback environment from a film only a few years older I would suggest Sunday Too Far Away. You will see some of the same features (fortunately not a roo shoot), but in a little more positive light.

[smirnoff]

Prior to this my film experiences with the outback were as follows: Quigley Down Under, Japanese Story, The Proposition, Sweet Country, and A Cry In The Dark. But I'll keep an eye out for Sunday Too Far Away.