Monthly culture: October 2017
Thursday, November 16th, 2017 01:47 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tamaranthVery belated due to Factors. But here at last! All reviews spoilery, I'm afraid.
14OCT17: Blade Runner 2049, Greenwich Picturehouse
Beautifully shot but it left me cold. I found it very misogynist, and noted that though there are plentiful 'erotic' images (the fallen statues, the hologram et cetera) the eroticism is wholly heterosexual, created for the male gaze.
Is there some new version of the Bechdel test, where it doesn't matter so much if women are killed by other women? Because, yes, nearly all the women die -- but most of them are killed by the female replicant Luv.
A discussion of some of the perceived plot holes prompted someone to tell me that I should have watched the prequel films online, which would fill in the background. Why? A film over 2 hours long should contain all the necessary context.
And while I'm in the process of disagreeing with critical commentary, this Guardian article vexed me: I didn't find Blade Runner 2049 'smart science fiction', I found it poorly-structured and shallow. Though it raised some interesting questions, it didn't follow through.
21OCT17: The Death of Stalin, Greenwich Picturehouse
I found myself simultaneously amused and repulsed by the characters, which is a tricky balance that Ianucci sustains pretty much throughout this film. Some sterling performances, in particular Simon Russell Beale's affably-evil Beria and Steve Buscemi's Kruschev. The film was stolen by Jason Isaacs' Zhutov, who appealed to (a) my competence kink and (b) my desire for someone to come in and knock some heads together. Gosh, he does swagger wonderfully.
Other excellent elements included the Shostakovichian soundtrack -- I kept thinking it was going to break into something I knew -- and the use of different accents to denote regional USSR affiliations. Highly recommended.
24OCT17: Thor: Ragnarok, Odeon Leicester Square
Okay I saw this more than once, which I hope surprises nobody who knows me. And I shall see it again, soon. Possibly the most fun of the Marvel movies to date: Chris Hemsworth's comic talents to the fore, Cate Blanchett and Tessa Thompson as independent female characters with agency (neither needs a romantic attachment to give her backbone / motivation / support, though I do wish they'd retained Valkyrie's bisexuality). Tom Hiddleston's Loki is sharp and slithery though frequently wrong-footed (he does an excellent wet-cat line in indignation) and I especially enjoyed his brief face-off against Cumberbatch's boring Dr Strange. Other highlights included short-but-sweet cameo from Matt Damon; Stan Lee terrorising Thor; director Taika Watiti ad-libbing as Korg ...
I do think they could have stopped at a single use of the Immigrant Song, though: twice was once too many.
And Odin really is a terrible parent.
Also in October: went to Nice, moved house.
14OCT17: Blade Runner 2049, Greenwich Picturehouse
Beautifully shot but it left me cold. I found it very misogynist, and noted that though there are plentiful 'erotic' images (the fallen statues, the hologram et cetera) the eroticism is wholly heterosexual, created for the male gaze.
Is there some new version of the Bechdel test, where it doesn't matter so much if women are killed by other women? Because, yes, nearly all the women die -- but most of them are killed by the female replicant Luv.
A discussion of some of the perceived plot holes prompted someone to tell me that I should have watched the prequel films online, which would fill in the background. Why? A film over 2 hours long should contain all the necessary context.
And while I'm in the process of disagreeing with critical commentary, this Guardian article vexed me: I didn't find Blade Runner 2049 'smart science fiction', I found it poorly-structured and shallow. Though it raised some interesting questions, it didn't follow through.
21OCT17: The Death of Stalin, Greenwich Picturehouse
I found myself simultaneously amused and repulsed by the characters, which is a tricky balance that Ianucci sustains pretty much throughout this film. Some sterling performances, in particular Simon Russell Beale's affably-evil Beria and Steve Buscemi's Kruschev. The film was stolen by Jason Isaacs' Zhutov, who appealed to (a) my competence kink and (b) my desire for someone to come in and knock some heads together. Gosh, he does swagger wonderfully.
Other excellent elements included the Shostakovichian soundtrack -- I kept thinking it was going to break into something I knew -- and the use of different accents to denote regional USSR affiliations. Highly recommended.
24OCT17: Thor: Ragnarok, Odeon Leicester Square
Okay I saw this more than once, which I hope surprises nobody who knows me. And I shall see it again, soon. Possibly the most fun of the Marvel movies to date: Chris Hemsworth's comic talents to the fore, Cate Blanchett and Tessa Thompson as independent female characters with agency (neither needs a romantic attachment to give her backbone / motivation / support, though I do wish they'd retained Valkyrie's bisexuality). Tom Hiddleston's Loki is sharp and slithery though frequently wrong-footed (he does an excellent wet-cat line in indignation) and I especially enjoyed his brief face-off against Cumberbatch's boring Dr Strange. Other highlights included short-but-sweet cameo from Matt Damon; Stan Lee terrorising Thor; director Taika Watiti ad-libbing as Korg ...
I do think they could have stopped at a single use of the Immigrant Song, though: twice was once too many.
And Odin really is a terrible parent.
Also in October: went to Nice, moved house.
no subject
Date: Friday, November 17th, 2017 11:27 am (UTC)I presume those were some of the Factors.
wet-cat line in indignation
Beautifully put; that made me smile.
no subject
Date: Saturday, November 18th, 2017 08:38 am (UTC)I thought it was terrific - a knife edge balance of terror and farce, and yes, the soundtrack was very effective.