Hi All!
Firstly, a resounding “Thank You” to Paul and Jodi for hosting February’s Club Moofie at their brand new pad (with views to the sea!).
Complete with shrines to James Gandolfini and Paul Walker (may the rest in peace), their beautiful and stylish apartment was the perfect spot to have good old natter about all things Moofie, and the evening was a perfect opportunity to get to know the lovely Jodi too.
Thanks guys!
And now to our Moofies:
The Royal Tenenbaums – Wes Anderson, 2001, Comedy/Drama
A favourite of a number of CM members, the first of Wes Anderson’s films to really express his unique visual and narrative style remains a strong example of his originality.
However, the brightness of this particular film’s quirky, odd, yet compelling nature seems to have dimmed a touch over the years since it’s release – perhaps because this very specific visual identity is also in present (and developed further) in Wes’ subsequent films, and for fans, has become very familiar. It does not seem as new and exciting now as it did then – yet, conversely, due to the style of the film, it also hasn’t dated as such- it could have been made by Wes this year, not 2001.
Telling the story of a fractured family, each member with their own secrets, anxieties and sorrows, the story weaves around Royal, the father of the main characters, and his belated and misguided attempt to engage in their lives.
Both funny and devastatingly sad at points, the general view of the film by CM was that it was a great piece of entertainment – however, perhaps suffering slightly from “Run Lola Run” syndrome – where on re-watching, the original impact of the film’s uniqueness is dulled from the passing of years and similar films creating familiarity.
On a related note, Wes’ new film has just been released to very strong reviews and is currently in cinemas: ” The Grand Budapest Hotel”.
Scores:
Nat: 3.5
Beck: 3.5
Andy: 2.5
Wendy: 3
Lals: 3.5
Sylvia: 4
CJ: 4
Renny: 3.5
Quotes:
“Gwyneth Paltrow was great. I hate her, but she was great.” – Nat.
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“I expected to think it was going to be shit, and to find it more annoying, but I was pleasantly surprised.” – Lals
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“I thought it was OK. I wouldn’t categorise it as a comedy – it was soooo sad.” – Wendy
“Comedy is tragedy plus timing” – Lals, quoting a number of others
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“It’s sad, but I found it hilarious.” – Nat.
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On Gene Hackman’s performance and character:
“That was the sharp, pointy, sticky-outy part of the movie.” – Andy
12 Years A Slave- Steve McQueen, 2013, Biography/Drama/History
One of the most anticipated and unsettling films of 2013 (and perhaps, of cinema in general), “12 Years A Slave” tells the story of a free black man who is kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South. His 12-year struggle to regain his freedom is punctuated heavily by sadistic violence and humiliation at the hands of a psychotic plantation owner and the plantation owner’s wife, amongst others. Brutal and unrelenting, several Club Moofie members also described the film as visually beautiful, with poetic, pastoral scenes and an evocative, soaring score.
The relentless brutality was too much for some – two hours being difficult to bear – but others pointed out that the reality would have been a good deal worse, and would have lasted a lifetime. Other movies dealing with slavery paled in comparison, particularly as this particular perspective is not often told, and indeed caused some retrospective anger at the glibness of the depiction of slavery’s violence in certain films – “Django Unchained” being mentioned as a specifically example. The strength and confronting nature of the violence was “needed” to create impact – with the hope that each generation seeing this film is reminded of what went on in the past.
However, some members also felt that the film was a depiction of both hope and horror – and the beautiful, intelligent crafting of this piece as a cinematic work of art, communicating an important message to it’s audience, was first and foremost what they took away from it – above the brutality.
Scores:
Nat: 4.5 (-0.5 for Brad Pitt)
Beck: 4.5 (-0.5 for Brad Pitt)
Andy: 4
Wendy: 4 (more if it was not such a hard film to watch)
Lals: 4.5 (-0.25 for Brad Pitt, and minus a sliver each for Fassbinder and Cumberbatch)
Sylvia: – no score
CJ: 4 (“I didn’t enjoy it, but 4 for the horror and beauty”)
Renny: 1.5
Quotes:
General comments:
“It was a little bit Gene Kelly and there was some interpretive dance” – Anthony (describing the film to those who did not see it).
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“I’m going to give them a really good movie loonie” – Andy, on Fassbinder’s preparation for his role.
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“It wasn’t a fun film to watch, but it was beautiful”. – Nat.
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“You like a bit of double-crumbed Cumberbatch?”- Anthony to Wendy.
“ I liked his natural hair in this one” – Wendy.
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“Cumberbatch is almost worse – at least Fassbinder is a clear sociopath”.
“Perhaps if he wasn’t married to Lady MacBeth…” – Andy (?)
“She was a be-atch.”
(Sorry, can’t remember who said these!)
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“It’s poetry – you fee the story, you are not told.” – Anthony.
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“ There are certain types of movies that you feel gutted and you want to feel gutted…and it sticks in your mind – I like that.” – CJ.
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“Paul Dano – he is such a freaky creepy actor.” Beck
“I was really happy to see his character punched up.” – Wendy.
“He’s a good squealer.” CJ.
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On Brad Pitt:
“ ‘Slavery’s really bad, OK??? (in a Californian accent)’ ” – Andy, depicting Brad Pitt’s role in the film.
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“Really good, really good, and then: oh God, Brad Pitt’s appearance!” – Beck
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“I was distracted by his big face-beard.” – Nat.
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“His appearance in the film was insulting. You’ve taken me out of that world – I’ve gone through all that and then – you fuckers! You Hollywood fuckers!” – Beck.
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“He’s good when he’s playing a bad-ass.” – Beck.
“It’s his white guilt.” – Anthony.
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“He’s a hippy! He’s from Byron Bay and rocked up to do an odd job…” Anthony.
Miscellaneous Quotes of The Night
On Fassbinder’s role in “Shame”:
“There’s a film about Fassbinder wanking and you didn’t see it?” – Andy.
“No! You’ve got to keep some of the magic.” – Beck.
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On Tom Cruise:
“He’s a vessel. Like one of those Tibetan singing bowls.” – Anthony.
“And about the same size” – Beck.
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On Jennifer Lawrence winning for Best Supporting role in “American Hustle” at the Golden Globes:
“Jennifer Lawrence has fine, perky golden globes.” – Andy
“It’s a step up from killing children.” (in “The Hunger Games”) – Beck
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On “The Wolf of Wallstreet”:
“DiCaprio is a big, wooden dolly.” – Anthony.
“He was good in ‘Inception’.” – Wendy.
“Was he good in ‘Inception’ or was the movie good around him” – Anthony.
Club Moofie 