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nausicaa83A couple of new movie reviews, because I had a very shitty day and I want to take my mind off it.
The first movie is a classic, John Hughes' wonderful 1986 movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I know, I'm incredibly late to the party, especially considering I adore The Breakfast Club, and I've been meaning to check all of Hughes' filmography for years. Nothing really much to say: I loved it, it made me remember why I had such a huge crush on Matthew Broderick when I was a kid, and Hughes confirms himself one of the very few directors who actually managed to write realistic, believable teenagers.
And as a huge Blues Brothers fan, having seen what happens halfway into this movie, am I correct in assuming that if I went to Chicago and started randomly singing in the street, people would just flock to me and start dancing along in wonderful choreography? Is this your secret, Windy City? Have I cracked the code? :D
The second movie was a disappointment, for the most part. I finally got around to watch The Book Of Life, the 2014 animated movie by Jorge Gutierrez. I had read wonderful things on tumblr, and was very excited to watch it. Now, the animation is great, the backgrounds are stunning. The mexican theme, the Dias de los Muertos, the whole part in the underworld, it's all splendid. But I was expecting a lot more from the story. While Maria gets a lot of quippy lines, she's basically the prize to win for the two male protagonists. Who we are told are best friends, but we are never actually shown. By the end of the movie I was reminded of that saying "in the game of patriarchy women aren't the opposing team, they're the ball", and that's exactly what Maria is. She's the ball. She doesn't choose anything, nor do her actions affect the story in any meaningful way. Even La Muerte keeps forgiving a cheater and a liar just because she loves him and that makes it fair.
Now, don't get me wrong, there's a ton of movies who have the exact same issue, and I'm not saying this movie is bad for choosing to tell the same old story. But in 2014 it's definitely ridicolous to write characters and relationships like that. I thought we were past that, especially when it came to smaller productions. So yeah, watch it for the colourful Mexican setting and mythology, but be prepared to grind your teeth at the lazy sexism.
The first movie is a classic, John Hughes' wonderful 1986 movie Ferris Bueller's Day Off. I know, I'm incredibly late to the party, especially considering I adore The Breakfast Club, and I've been meaning to check all of Hughes' filmography for years. Nothing really much to say: I loved it, it made me remember why I had such a huge crush on Matthew Broderick when I was a kid, and Hughes confirms himself one of the very few directors who actually managed to write realistic, believable teenagers.
And as a huge Blues Brothers fan, having seen what happens halfway into this movie, am I correct in assuming that if I went to Chicago and started randomly singing in the street, people would just flock to me and start dancing along in wonderful choreography? Is this your secret, Windy City? Have I cracked the code? :D
The second movie was a disappointment, for the most part. I finally got around to watch The Book Of Life, the 2014 animated movie by Jorge Gutierrez. I had read wonderful things on tumblr, and was very excited to watch it. Now, the animation is great, the backgrounds are stunning. The mexican theme, the Dias de los Muertos, the whole part in the underworld, it's all splendid. But I was expecting a lot more from the story. While Maria gets a lot of quippy lines, she's basically the prize to win for the two male protagonists. Who we are told are best friends, but we are never actually shown. By the end of the movie I was reminded of that saying "in the game of patriarchy women aren't the opposing team, they're the ball", and that's exactly what Maria is. She's the ball. She doesn't choose anything, nor do her actions affect the story in any meaningful way. Even La Muerte keeps forgiving a cheater and a liar just because she loves him and that makes it fair.
Now, don't get me wrong, there's a ton of movies who have the exact same issue, and I'm not saying this movie is bad for choosing to tell the same old story. But in 2014 it's definitely ridicolous to write characters and relationships like that. I thought we were past that, especially when it came to smaller productions. So yeah, watch it for the colourful Mexican setting and mythology, but be prepared to grind your teeth at the lazy sexism.
