Dr. Stangelove, or: How I Learned to Further Respect Stanley Kubrick.
Well since I’m finding the downtime between blogs to be somewhat unbearable I thought I’d write a review of a movie that I recently saw, not necessarily a new one or one I haven’t already seen. I need something to entertain myself with. Although to me it’s almost pointless to write this review. It’s as though say, I was the biggest Nine Inch Nails fan and I basically wrote that The Downward Spiral was a good album! Because Dr. Strangelove is the stuff I feed on. To be honest I was skeptical about seeing it because although I enjoyed the other Kubrick films I had seen (The Shining, A Clockwork Orange, 2001: A Space Odyssey), I was always concerned that I wouldn’t get it or it would go over my head because of the era that it encapsulates so well. An era 23 years before mine. But after a while I gave it a shot because I was so intrigued by Peter Seller’s character and the reputation that preceded it. What I was first taken aback by is how clearly defined the humor was. I had expected it to be hidden beneath heavy layers of satire and sarcasm but I didn’t have to do much analyzing to find it. From the outright silly behavior that most characters displayed to the visual gags such as a brutal gunfight taking place under a big sign reading “PEACE”. I wouldn’t go as far as saying it was ahead of its time because it fits rather nicely in its time. I will say it took bold steps in pioneering the Black Comedy genre. And this film is dark. Surprisingly so. I can see this film being appreciated by a selection of enthusiastic film buffs such as myself and hip teenagers that want to appear intellectual. And there is a large majority of:
- “I don’t get it so, like why is this happening?”
- “How is this funny, they are just talking?!”
- “This movies boring because it’s black and white”
- “Why don’t I have any personality?”
And that’s unfortunate. I don’t have to tell you that the film business has dramatically declined in quality. And I’m sure there will be some who say “Well Mandragon, that’s your opinion, so fuck you, everyone is entitled to their own”. Well that is true but when you look at the top 10 movies at this moment, what do you find?
1. The Final Destination 3D - The number one film in this god-forsaken country has the term “3D” in it. I’m so glad Stanley’s not around to see this
2. Inglorious Basterds - understandable, damn good film, and modern enough to bring in a young audience.
3. Halloween II - I don’t know who the asshole was that let Rob Zombie near a camera but I hope he has stomach cancer.
4. District 9 - Honestly haven’t seen but I’ve only heard good things *fingers crossed* on this one.
5. G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra - *facepalm*
If you haven’t seen Dr. Strangelove and think you are mature/open-minded enough to appreciate it I encourage you to watch, if you watched numbers 1, 3 or 5….don’t bother.
