To branch out slightly further on the theme, it’s not just the Oscar directors that have some to my attention recently. One of the benefits of spending a ludicrous amount of time at film festivals is that you find new directors. New to me, that is, but with an already existing body of work.
One of the sci fi films that I enjoyed last year was Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead’s Synchronic (which you can read about here if you are so inclined). It turns out that this is their fourth feature together so that gave me an instant backlog to sink my teeth into. Let’s take a look at some of their previous efforts…
Resolution (2012)
In which graphic designer Mike takes a trip into the mountains to put his drug addict friend Chris through rehab, whether he wants to or not. A series of strange photographs begin to lead to more and stranger audio-visual discoveries…
It’s got the format of a horror film and plays with some of the tropes of the genre but what sets it apart from your standard horror fare are the fact that it relies on building an uneasy atmosphere rather than scares per se and the fact that is very much a character piece. One of the failings of a lot of horror films is that character is sacrificed in service to the horror; not something that is the case here.
The Endless (2017)
In which Benson & Moorhead themselves play two brothers who have escaped from a “UFO death cult” (the characters cameo briefly in Resolution) but, when the youngest is prompted to visit by a mysterious video, they find themselves drawn back into the mystery of what exactly it is that the cult supposedly worships…
While there was some genre-blending in Resolution, this one feels like more of a mix of sci fi, horror and fantasy, anchored by a believable pairing of Benson & Moorhead as brothers. Again, character work is key in this which helps it avoid falling into the trap of just being about the events impacting the characters. There’s also an element that reminded me a little of Midsommar - weird cults and broad daylight horror. Maybe it's a new subgenre.
In terms of viewing order, it’s definitely worth viewing Resolution before The Endless (and that’s all I’ll say about that).
Spring (2014)
In which an American spending time in Italy recovering from a recent bereavement meets an Italian woman who is more than she seems…
While the others are quite slow burn character pieces, this is definitely the most leisurely - it follows the main characters for some time before any element of fantasy / horror starts to surface. That works in its credit; for all its trappings of the horrific and Lovecraftian overtones, it is at its core a love story.
In terms of links to their other films, just the other reference to a shared character at the start so you can watch this one in any order.
Benson and Moorhead manage to blend genres within their films as well as blending an indie sensibility with an approach that would also work well within a more mainstream film. Definitely directors to stick on your watch list.
Dear Awakener,
So you want to get up in the morning? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Just follow this handy guide and you’ll soon be living a life of bright-eyed vertical wakefulness as opposed to one of louche horizontal indolence.
Prior To Sleeping
1. Set the requisite six alarms in order to maximise one of them penetrating the gloriously blissful state of slumber which you will only have really started to enjoy around five minutes prior to the first alarm going off.
2. Ensure that all bedside exits are free and clear from any obstructions, especially upturned plugs which will cause a frankly alarming level of pain to the fleshy underside of the foot when stepped upon with unintended force.
3. Ensure that any alcohol consumption is sufficient to keep you sedated until the alarm goes off, no more, no less.
Waking Up
1. Ignore Alarm No. 1.
2. Repeat procedure on Alarms 2 through 5.
3. Snooze Alarm 6 with the creeping sense of dread that this is the final chance.
4. Open eyes. Very, very reluctantly.
5. Fart (could be voluntary or involuntary at this point)
6. Obsessively check phone.
7. Regret obsessively checking phone as it appears to be more of the same shit just one day further forward.
8. Perform complex maths in the head to determine the absolute minimum amount of time needed for waste removal, bodily cleaning and clothing of the carcass.
9. Drift off for a bit.
10. Wake with a start as you realise that you have now passed the minimum amount of time needed.
11. Daydream in shower, forgetting you have limited time, then remember and panic.
12. Return from bathroom to discover snoozed alarm has been going off for the last ten minutes.
13. Hastily assemble clothing and apply remaining toiletries, hopefully in the correct order.
14. Grab essentials and leave house.
15. Come back to house having got halfway down the street when you realise you’ve forgotten your wallet / book for train / trousers.
16. Don air of absolute fury at the world for having made you late when you know full well deep down that this all your fault.
17. Repeat this process again. And again. And again.
Congratulations! You are now up. Any actions now perpetrated are your own responsibility and, if you wished to avoid all this in the first place, you probably should have just stayed in bed.
Given that Parasite is the first foreign language film to win Best Picture at the Oscars, there are suddenly loads of threads / articles recommending other Bong Joon-Ho films as well as South Korean cinema in general*. Am I going to be any exception to this? Clearly not…
The Host (2006)
In which a mutated fish monster kidnaps snack bar owner Gang-du’s daughter prompting him to attempt to rescue her from its lair...
I watched this when it came out as it garnered a fair amount of buzz amongst the sort of film sites and magazines that look outside of the US mainstream and I’m an absolute sucker for monster movies. It certainly is a monster movie with an impressive level of effects work given the limitations of the budget that Bong had to work with but, as with Parasite, there’s a certain level of social commentary mixed in there as well, both in terms of a statement on the impact man is having on the environment and a commentary on the mindless bureaucracy of government.
Mother (2009)
In which a dim-witted young man is arrested for murder and his over-protective mother sets out to prove his innocence…
One of the key things that I’m starting to see in Bong’s work is a definite blending of genres and tones. There’s some broad comedy and some very bleak comedy in here. There’s social commentary again and elements of whodunnit. Ultimately, though, much lie Parasite (although they are different films), Mother is a film that doesn;t always go the way you expect it to. In a way, it’s best to go into both this and Parasite without knowing too much about either and letting them unfold.
At this point, I feel like I should be mentioning the films that Western audiences are more likely to have seen - Snowpiercer (currently being made into a TV show) and Okja (which was, rather surprisingly i thought, co-written by journalist and documentary maker Jon Ronson) - particularly as they are both genre films so would seem to be right up my alley. However, I have to admit that I haven’t seen either of them yet. Mind you, given that Okja is a Netflix film and Snowpiercer, despite not receiving a UK cinema release, has been screened on various channels in the UK, people are more likely to have seen those.
Anyway, a couple more recommendations for you there. I saw a number of films last year by directors that I hadn’t come across before which has lead me to seek out some of them. I’ll branch out a bit next time and cover some of these non-Oscar nominated but no less worthy directors.
*I’ve seen quite a few people recommending the work of Park Chan-wook as well and quite right too. If you’re wondering where to start with his work, Oldboy is the one of his that I rate highest (make sure you get his version and not the US remake with Josh Brolin - there’s nothing massively wrong with the US version as such; it’s just a bit redundant)
Alright, you need to do this, come on, time to write. Eurgh, I need to do some writing but I don’t want to do some actual writing. Writing is hard. I mean it’s easy when you compare it to, I don’t know, lion taming but it’s still hard. I hate it but I need to have done it.
Just start. Put something down. Anything, just get going. OK, we’re moving now. Hey, that sentence was pretty good. That one was good too. I think I’m on a roll. I can do this. I can really do this.
That sentence was clunky. I’m not sure about it but I need something to connect to the next bit. Just leave it. You can come back to it. (You know you won’t come back to it, it’ll just stay there like a wordy turd but if you stop now, you’ll never finish.)
Hmm, I thought I knew what the next bit was that I was connecting to but now that I’m actually trying to write it, I have no idea what it is. (And I keep thinking about that clunky connecting sentence but I can't see a way around it.) Think, think, think. You had it when you were walking around earlier listening to music. It was really good. It flowed. No, that’s not it. Argh, that’s not even close. Oh, just leave that bit too, if you stop now, you’ll never keep going.
Alright, I’m distracted now that I can’t work out what that bit was. No, don’t get distracted. Maybe I’ll just have a quick on Twitter though, a little break to freshen up the grey cells. No, don’t check Twitter, don’t check Twitter, don’t check… ha, that is a funny cat! Hmph, that is an infuriating political opinion. Ooh, I didn't know that about a thing that I thought I knew a lot about.
Enough, enough, back to writing. Ah, I’ve lost the momentum now. What was I even saying? What was the whole point of this thing? Useless, worthless waste of space. Why did you even start writing this in the first place? It doesn’t go anywhere.
Just start typing again. Not good, A bit better. Pretty good. Nope, lost it again, that was rubbish but keep going. Ah, OK, that bit was alright.
Need to wrap this up. An ending, an ending. I don’t have one. Write a bit more, maybe it’ll just end itself. No, still not quite finished. Ah, that’ll do, I’ve run out of steam, momentum, interest, anything to say.
Quick spell check (hmm, I really don't like reading all this back). That’ll do. Alright, now publish and completely forget about the whole thing.
And that is basically all you need to do to write a blog post. Easy.
There are a number of directors who have been gathering attention due to that whole winning of Oscars that happens around this time of year. With that in mind, you might be thinking, “Hmm, I enjoyed that film but what else has this person done?” (You might not be thinking that but let’s pretend that you are otherwise you’re undermining the whole premise of this post.) Well, it just so happens that I’ve been known to watch the occasional film so let’s put that watching to good use and give you a bit of a rundown on other films you could be watching by “that person who directed that recent film what I liked.”
Today’s subject is Taika Waititi, recent winner of Best Adapted Screenplay for the film Jojo Rabbit. You can read what I thought about that film over here but here’s a brief rundown of some of his other works.
Boy (2010)
A comedy drama about the dysfunctional relationship between the titular Boy (James Rolleston) and his recently released from prison father Alamein (played by Waititi). It showcases a couple of things that are trademark Waititi - the ability to cast strong young actors (I have a general aversion to cutesy child actors and Waititi seems to manage to sidestep this every time) and a good balance between silly, endearing comedy and more emotional, dramatic elements. Plus it’s hard not to enjoy a film with a Thriller/haka dance sequence.
What We Do In The Shadows (2014)
One of my absolute favourite comedy films and a blending of the sweetness of a Waititi comedy with the deadpan mockumentary style of Flight Of The Conchords - only natural given that this one is a collaboration between Waititi and Jermaine Clement Of Conchords fame (and features a great couple of cameos from fellow Conchord Rhys Darby as polite werewolf). It’s got a strong cast overall (who have clearly been encouraged to improvise as much as follow the script) and isn’t afraid to go for the occasional full on cheesy gag (see the “dark bidding” gag). It’s also lead to to spin-off series - the naturally titled US series What We Do In The Shadows with Kayvan Noval, Natasha Demetriou and Matt Berry in the lead roles and the New Zealand show Wellington Paranormal following the adventures of the two clueless cops from the film.
Hunt For The Wilderpeople (2016)
Wilderpeople sees Waititi moving back into similar territory to Boy in this effort which follows a troubled child (Julian Dennison) in foster care who inadvertently ends up on the run with his reluctant and grieving foster parent (Sam Neill). Again, he manages to balance humour and emotion well and coaxes a genuinely funny performance out of Dennison (who would later go on to feature in Deadpool 2).
Thor Ragnarok (2017)
I also think that this is my favourite Marvel film and the only one that I’ve watched multiple times. It’s a complete departure from the previous Thor films and definitely has Waititi’s humour stamped all over it. It’s one that I’d even recommend to non-Marvel fans looking for a silly fun sci fi film that channels the energy (and to some extent the aesthetic) of the 1980s Flash Gordon film.
So there you go. A couple of hints for those of you looking for something with the same energy and fell as Jojo Rabbit. Get watching...
Oh look, I’ve been organised enough to time a blog post that’s themed to the day. It’s almost like some sort of planning or something. (Almost.)
It might seem like semantics but, to my mind at least, there is a big difference between a romantic comedy and a romcom. Romcom to me denotes a specific type of comedy, one that is often driven by an unimaginative adherence to format and formula. It likely stars a Jennifer (Aniston, Lopez, Garner) or probably Drew Barrymore and has a poster featuring two people, probably back to back, on a white background. In a romcom, the emphasis is predominantly on the rom and the com is almost a byproduct.
A romantic comedy, on the other hand, is a comedy first and foremost which deals with romantic themes. It may seem like a small distinction but there’s a world of difference between Never Been Kissed and the ones I'm talking about below. (Also, I’ve already talked about The Princess Bride, Groundhog Day and There’s Something About Mary; all of which adhere to the “couple overcome obstacles in order to be together / realise they’re meant to be together” model so beloved of the standard romcom and yet very much belong on this list of Ones That Are Great.)
Amelie
When I first saw Delicatessen, I knew that I would be following the career of director Jean-Pierre Jeunet. City Of Lost Children firmly cemented itself in my brain with its odd cross between a Grimm Fairy Tale, a Terry Gilliam film and Doom Patrol comics. Amelie was no exception with the director’s trademark directing style (a usage of cross-cutting which reminds me of Edgar Wright) and use of colour combined with quirky performances making this a delight from start to finish.
Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind
It is, at its heart, a sci fi romantic comedy in reverse as Jim Carrey’s Joel regrets his decision to wipe his relationship with Kate Winslet’s Clementine and struggles to hang on the things that made the whole thing worthwhile. Charlie Kaufman’s distinctive writing style is a favourite of mine but it’s the performances from Carrey and Winslet that sell it; Carrey once again demonstrating that comedians can be more than capable of proper dramatic heft.
Harold And Maude
Of all the romantic comedies here, none are blacker in their comedy than this one in which 18 year old death-obsessed Harold starts and friendship and then relationship with free-spirited 79 year old Maude. It is surprisingly dark at times and definitely not one that fits your traditional romcom model and is all the better for it.
When Harry Met Sally
On the face of it, this may seem like the archetypal romcom but it really isn’t. There isn’t any major external obstacle thrown in their way, it unfolds over a long period of time and, at times, each of the characters are allowed to be either obnoxious or irritating. It’s deceptively simple looking and has more the structure of a play than a film, consisting largely of conversations between the characters (most of the life events impacting them happen off-screen). It’s Nora Ephron’s script and Rob Reiner’s direction ably assisted by spot on performances from Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan that elevate this above what could be standard fare. What’s baffling is that it spawned a number of seeming imitators who managed not to imitate what made this one work in the first place.
There you go, some films with some romance in them from me. Back to bah-humbug curmudgeonry next time, I assure you.
In a move that will surprise absolutely no one given that yesterday’s post dealt with films from the 80s, let’s take a look at some of the 90s fare that stuck in the old comedy noggin and refused to budge.
Groundhog Day
“Ned! Ryerson! Needlenose Ned. Ned the Head.”
Why Do I Love It So? It’s a natural progression on from Ghostbusters. Bill Murray absolutely acing it as the time-warped Phil Connors doomed to go through the same day over and over plus Harold Ramis completely understanding that this is a film that doesn’t need the technical explanation of why this keeps happening to him; being stuck and trying to get out is funny enough. It’s also one of those films that has sneakily tricked me into enjoying what is essentially a romantic comedy.
There’s Something About Mary
“Frank and beans!”
Why Do I Love It So? I’m a man who enjoys clever wordplay, sophisticated character interplay and compex comedy craft. I’m also someone who would find it near impossible not to laugh at someone getting their genitals caught in their zip. The Farrelly Brothers knew how to to do bad taste, gross out comedy with a sense of weird style in both this and in Kingpin. It was a close call as to which of the two I would go for but this one just edges it for me.
Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery
“Who does Number Two work for?”
Why Do I Love It So? It’s in a similar vein to Bill and Ted in that it hits that dumb but lovable spot but it’s also stranger than that (as evidenced by Dr Evil’s bizarre recounting of his childhood during the group therapy session with his estranged son). It’s a mixture of a character comedy and a sketch show - a technique favoured by the Python team but something that seems to have become more ingrained in American film comedy over the subsequent decades. It’s also so infectiously good-natured that it’s hard not to love it.
The Big Lebowski
“Nice marmot”
Why Do I Love It So? It’s the sort of film that grows more and more with each rewatch, much in the same vein as Withnail And I, and the more you watch it, the more quotable it becomes. It's a film that’s hard to pin down to any one genre, having elements of comedy, detective noir, 30s musical and even farce. It’s a career best performance from Jeff Bridges and arguably one that’s he’s been reproducing shades of ever since, so inextricably linked with The Dude is he.
There were a few other comedy filmmakers of the 90s that I haven’t touched on yet and who definitely have been big parts of my comedy sensibility but I reckon they need their own posts another time...
The intention with these posts was to uncover the compacted layers of comedy that I just take for granted as the foundations of my sense of humour (such as it is). With that in mind, let’s go back to the time when I was an impressionable youth taking in cinematic purveyors of mirth that are so ingrained in me that I now just assume that everyone must have seen them (and prompting a sort confused-dog-tilting-head-to-the-side look from me when I discover that people haven’t). These are the formative ones, the ones I watched as they came out (and have watched repeatedly since) and that I was old enough to appreciate. There are plenty of other 80s comedy films that I watched as I got older but these were the ones that kickstarted my love for comedy films.
Ghostbusters
“I collect spores, moulds and fungus”
Why Do I Love It So? It’s the perfect storm for a young nerdy lad like me - a special effects laden, apocalyptic ghost story that is chock full of genuinely funny moments. This film was the springboard for a number of other films featuring the talents of Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Rick Moranis that I would also find great love for (The Blues Brothers, Little Shop Of Horrors and Groundhog Day being just a few) but it’s a film that lends itself to endless rewatching and massive quoteability.
Back To The Future
“Roads? Where we’re going, we don’t need… roads.”
Why Do I Love It So? It’s falling into that nerdy Venn diagram, this time with time travel (Doctor Who fan since the age of four so always drawn to time travel). It’s also another one that’s anchored by solid humour and strong comedy performances from Michael J Fox, Lea Thompson and, of course, Christopher Lloyd in what is unquestionably his best and most defining performance (to my mind anyway; I was just that bit too young for Jim from Taxi). It’s another film that rewards rewatching as there are plenty nice little background gags and callbacks throughout the film to the two different time periods - something that would be one of the key things I enjoy about Arrested Development (in the original run anyway).
The Princess Bride
“Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.”
Why Do I Love It So? Probably the first meta comedy that I really got into with the framing device of the grandfather and grandson commenting on and interrupting the flow of story. It also adheres to the key successful elements of the two films above - strong characterisation, genuinely funny moments and lines and that indefinable rewatchability / quotability factor. It’s chock full of great performances from people with good comedy instincts and I don;lt think Rob Reiner gets quite as much recognition as a comedy director as he deserves.
Bill And Ted’s Excellent Adventure
“Be excellent to each other and party on, dudes!”
Why Do I Love It So? How could you not? It absolutely nails main characters who are dumb as a bag of hammers but utterly lovable nonetheless and has a sense of cheerfulness and energy that is almost impossible not to get swept along with. Plus it’s another time travel comedy so I’m always going to love one of those. (I’m including Bill And ted’s Bogus Journey in with this which was less well received but I still love; however, it was released in 1991 so I can't officially list it as an 80s influence).
A selection of stone cold 80s classics that are firmly wedged in my comedy brain, there. Hmm, if today was the 80s, I wonder what could be next…
There’s a big part of me that wants to believe in the essential decency of other people. I’m not a religious or spiritual man so I don’t have faith in larger conceptual entities. I like to think that I can place my faith in humanity. Of course these days, there are seemingly big obstacles in the way of that belief, with the debacle that is Brexit and the rise of various other authoritarian governments. There is a more immediate threat to my view of humanity however. Commuters.
Now before we go on, I am going to caveat this with the admission that I am probably as much a part of the problem as anyone. There is a change that descends upon me. The mind of the commuter. Someone who has a spot on the platform where they stand, a similarly preferred spot to stand for the obtaining of a seat when there are none available and probably many other routine-ingrained ways of behaving. Is that going to stop me from having a pop at other people? Is it buggery.
“Move Downers”
It doesn’t take much to propel the regular levels of furious overcrowding into apoplectic levels of cheek by jowl cattle squeezing. This week, it was a cracked rail outside a station requiring emergency repairs that tipped things over the edge. On the way in, there is minor irritation but really deep down inside is a secret pleasure at having your working hours forcibly reduced without any real comeback (with accompanied reduction of working time provided by the increased small talk fodder of the delayed transport in the first place).
It’s when that delay extends back out into the evening that resentment really starts to bubble over. Here is where you get the startlingly impatient “Move Downers” - those who will bellow and berate at the unfortunates already inside to move down the train as they “are trying to get home” (unlike everyone else who has already squeezed themselves up against a strangers armpits for the sheer joy of transport). I get that there are times when people just hang by the door and don't use all available space but that is rarely the case. In this instance, the equally riled “Where the fuck to??” from the hellish depths of the carriage proved that untapped space inside was an illusion.
Weird Seat Changer
This one is weirdly specific and left me scratching my head. I was stood on the train as it was relatively busy (but not overcrowded). At the next station, a few people got off including one of the people that I was stood next to (as indicated above, I have my routines that usually bag me a seat). I was about to sit when a man who had been sitting down already then leapt up and barged past me in order to steal that specific seat before I could sit down. I was genuinely baffled by this and took his seat instead with a somewhat puzzled expression on my face.
Was this a special seat? Did it confer a certain authority or hitherto unsuspected mystical powers to those whose seats were placed upon it? Was it some sort of train-based live action board game and this was his next move, following an arcane and not immediately obvious set of rules? Had he just let one go and was moving from the immediate danger zone whilst still retaining a seat? Was the woman nearby unexpectedly handsy (if so, I saw no evidence)? Or was he just another weirdo like the many that you seem to encounter on a regular basis on public transport? Yeah, probably that last one.
I’m going to end this post with a tribute to public transport. It terminates here. No bus replacement will be provided.
Oh hey, my nerdy leanings also include board games because of course they do. If it’s a pretty standard nerdy box, I’m likely to tick it. I’ve talked about board games on here before but not for a long while so let’s round up a few of the games that have been gracing the various family tables and haven’t been mentioned before.
Throw Throw Burrito
The one thing that the makers of Exploding Kittens and Bears Vs Babies know how to do is make a stupidly silly yet highly entertaining game. This game is a combination of quick reflexes and sudden explosive foam-based violence in which you collect cards of the same type, all playing at the same time, and when someone gets a Brawl, War or Duel set of cards, the involved people rush to throw foam burritos at each other. It’s not a game to be played in a room with anything particularly valuable within throwing range...
Forbidden Island / Desert / Sky
All similarly themed but slightly different in their gameplay, these are cooperative games in which you play together to beat the board effectively. The jeopardy comes from the fact that, if one of you dies, the game is over. In this series, you’re rushing around the island / desert / launchpad to find all the pieces you need for your escape craft before the island sinks / desert overwhelms you, etc. There are a number of cooperative games out there (Pandemic probably being the most famous) - these are nicely simple introductions to the cooperative game as a genre.
Plague Inc.
Speaking of Pandemic, in which you group together in order to save the world from a deadly virus, this is the competitive flipside - you play competing viruses / bacteria attempting to wipe out the population of the world first. Based on a popular app, it works well as a head-to-head board game too. Probably not one that you’re going to find being advertised too much in the current climate, maybe…
Weird Things Humans Search For
A good solid Christmas time / drunken gathering party game, this one presents you with the beginnings of a Google-style search phrase and you get points for guessing what the possible options on the card are. Exactly the sort of party game at festive occasions that can prompt your prim and proper elderly relatives to reveal hitherto unsuspected depths of jaw-dropping rudeness.
So there you go, a couple of options to get you away from the screens and interacting with some honest-to-goodness human beings for a few hours. Don’t worry, the screens will still be there once you've reached your limit...
