Teorema

Sunday, December 30, 2007

This one was Andy's suggestion.

You know when you're watching a movie, or show, or whatever, and they do a parody of some pretentious, foreign arthouse film. It's always, like, a bunch of people in a field or the desert, and nothing really happens, and the dialogue is all either mundane or oblique, and then randomly it turns black and white maybe? Well, I think Teorema might be the film they are referring to. Or maybe they are inspired to this Passolini fellow who directed. Either way, this movie is the exact image that is conjured in our minds when someone refers to a movie as a pretentious bore.

Not exactly the best choice for our marathon, but oh well. We're pioneers, we try new things. And it wasn't terrible, just boring. I'm all for weird, experimental shit, but this just didn't engage me on any level. Lots of silence, and people walking around slowly doing vague things, and it's not particularly well shot or thought-provoking. I mean, for shit's sake, I've watched and enjoyed Antonioni movies. I love Fellini's 8 1/2. I'm ok with weird and slow. Just give me something to chew on. I think this one wants to be enigmatic. It's certainly impenetrable, but not in a way that inspires the viewer to explore its depths. It leaves you scratching your head, but only for like 5 minutes. Then you completely forget about it.

This new year, for the next couple of months, I've pledged a Kommittment to Klassiks, where I will make an effort to watch more older films, and weird art house films, and beloved directors that I am unfamiliar with, and try to branch out a bit in to things I haven't seen. I will watch more westerns, some Fassbinder, some Preminger, I want to see The Best Years of Our Lives, more Kurosawa, probably more Antonioni, maybe try Douglas Sirk, continue further with Humphrey Bogart and John Huston, maybe catch some obscure Hitchcock even though I feel well rounded with his stuff, see some more of the beloved 70's golden era whatever the fuck movies, and then just all sorts of oth random shit I'm ignorant of. Give new things a try. (I'll try to cut back on the slasher movies and that shit, but only a little bit. One man's trash is another man's treasure). Well, I did my good deed with Passolini, and I wash my hands clean. I don't think he'll be on my list for the coming year.



HEY KIDS! DAN'S FREE, SUPER-SPECIAL, BONUS, ALTERNATE REVIEW OF PASSOLINI'S TEOREMA!!!!! :


What the fuck?!