Watching this from the balcony of De Nieuwe Anita, on wooden chairs, and with a guy next to me who literally was on his phone for the entire film while producing disgustingly slimy coughs might not have been the optimal setting for watching this film. Nevertheless, this mysteriously beautiful piece of art sucked me in right from the start. Technically, the film is about Denis Lavant, in another amazing role, who has to steal a deadly virus for a bunch of thugs and about his love (amour fou, as Jeffrey calls it) for the girlfriend of the prime thug. Primarily though, I feel that it is an ensemble of great, mesmerizing, and unconventional scenes. What stood out for me was the parachuting scene which displays Lavant's incredible physical capabilities and some beautifully serene shots. And obviously, the scene where Lavant dances to Bowie's 'Modern Love' should also be mentioned. However, about halfway through the movie lost a lot of its initial momentum and I had to force myself to stay focused, which was unfortunate. Nevertheless, the occasional great scene and the magnificent use of primary colors (primarily blue and red, therefore reminding me of Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut) made for a thrilling watch. After the screening someone noted that perhaps, by the time Carax made Holy Motors, he had realized that he was more proficient in creating weird and unique scenes rather than an entire film, thus explaining the setup of that film. Definitely makes sense to me.
Gamer (3,5*)
Despite often being classified as a B-movie, for obvious reasons (poor acting, over-the-top action scenes, an excessive amount of gore, unnecessary tits), this film has much going for it. In short, one could classify this as a dystopian science fiction film and the premise is that there is one company which has been able to find a way to make mind control possible and uses that in order to create games where people pay to control other people. The first one they created is a lot like The Sims (although a lot more sexual, which I guess is inevitable when people get full control to play out their fantasies). Afterwards, a FPS game in the vein of Call of Duty is created. This is where we find the protagonist of our story, played by Gerard Butler, who is controlled by a seventeen year old kid. Eventually, with the help of a hacker organization led by Ludacris, Butler finds away to turn off his mind control and eventually kill the evil boss of the mind-control company. All in all, I think the film is a clever commentary on the way life is becoming increasingly 'gameificated' and spectacular. A contemporary version of Debord's Society of the Spectacle perhaps? Besides that, despite the fact this might be a B-movie, the way it is shot is crazy at times. Weird angles, unconventional editing, a very polished and a game-like colour scheme all contribute to that. It seems like the directors have a particular vision of contemporary society and know how to convey that in a filmic language that is both entertaining and engaging.
Superbad (4*)
What can I say? This must be the gazillionth time I have seen this film, but it remains really funny, particularly after a couple of drinks. Despite the fact that is your typical American high-school comedy that is completely fixated at losing virginity, excessive drinking, and the word dick, the constant flow of one-liners and funny situations just make this a really entertaining film("Prepare to be fucked by the long dick of the law", "Do you know what kinds of food are shaped like dicks? The best kind!", etc). Besides that, the cast is top notch: Michael Cera and Jonah Hill, who I think is at his funniest in this film, are a hilarious duo; the same goes for Bill Hader and Seth Rogan; and on top of that there is McLovin to steal a couple of laughs. What I think is usually overlooked about this film is that the soundtrack is also completely on-point. From the funky opening scene to the ending with Curtis Mayfield, everything has a certain style to it which fits the film very well. My hunch is that director Greg Mottolo has a nose for what kind of music works well in combination with the story that he tells, because the soundtrack of his next film, Adventureland (in essence also a teen flick), despite being completely different, was equally amazing and on-point. In any case, this is probably my #1 guilty pleasure.
Geen opmerkingen:
Een reactie posten