Lust in the Dust


https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089523/

My Girl
Sex is a Four Letter Word.

A month or so ago I watched Fight Club the way it was meant to be experienced - in 720p on a Discord call with someone who hates David Fincher. Really kind of a stupid movie, but some of the best acting out there.

One Crazy Summer

The Woman In Red

*deletes a duplicate*

The first sentence made me smile :D


To be fair, Fight Club pretty much portrays a fragilely masculine archetype that is massively misguided and yeah, kind of stupid (and, unfortunately, organized). A lot of the stuff that happens in that movie is very much informed by characters of that mindset. Don't really know if I want to hold that against the movie itself though - it is a very thorough and craftily told character study. The jury's still out on whether its stylized way of portraying it may or may not have contributed to the glorification of said archetype. There have been compelling arguments pointing in either direction.


I'd like to see it as a heavily stylized and satirical condemnation of that shallow, violent and chauvinistic attitude by men who feel deprived for whatever reason. But on the other hand, people actually started illegal "fight clubs" after the movie came out and I'm sure, right-leaning film bros love the shit out of it for all the wrong reasons. So yeah, maybe it is stupid. I think I'll watch it again at some point to see it with fresh eyes.

A couple of movies I've watched and re-watched throughout the last few months with my girlfriend:


Brazil (1985):


Presented it to her as one of my absolute favorite movies. She enjoyed it a lot and was genuinely surprised how much the satirical asides about retro-futuristic corpo-bs are still massively relevant today. I saw my evergrowing distaste for bureaucratic reflected in it once again. Sam Lowry came across as even more of a creep though upon recent viewing. Lots of comical catharsis, also a good bit of sadness. Still a favorite.


Only Lovers Left Alive (2013):


One of her absolute favorites, and I can see why. It's wonderful. Though I do enjoy a good Jarmusch Film, I have to admit that's one of his I hadn't watched up until that point. I was missing out on something. Gorgeously shot, bitterly melancholic but also oddly life-affirming. And the OST: Chef's kiss! Loved it.


Session 9 (2001):


One of the oddball movies I had pitched to her out of a bunch of unusual or atmospheric Horror and Mystery movies. The movie polarized me a lot. I initially loved it, then later on started to pick apart the characters' actions and motivations as well as some plot contrivances. But recently, I came around to loving it again, despite some of its flaws. The location is absolutely amazing, the subtle hints and the tense interpersonal atmosphere between its players are sublime. And the horror hits different - hardly any jumpscares, no supernatural beasties. The events in the movie seem mostly real or potentially plausible, which does make it more eerie in my book. If you can look past it following an asbestos abatement crew that pretty much violates every safety protocol (which seems to be a deliberate decision and not laziness in the writing department), it is a very effective and haunting watch indeed. We both enjoyed it.

Session 9 is awesome.

I concur. :D

Watching it 25 years on and knowing it as "an important film" might have clouded my attitude somewhat, but: it's just so punishingly, consistently misanthropic and that just bleeds through into the enjoyment of the film itself. And it all feels prompted by an extremely surface-level take on nihilism and consumerism. (I did like the "self-improvement is masturbation" quip, although I was coming at it from a different angle.)

I see your point. I do see it as an in-character kind of lens - the two mains being unreliable and ultimately, despicable people (Phrasing it in a way that doesn't spoil anything to those few who haven't seen it yet, lol) we are meant to see as a cautionary tale/negative example. But there is only so much on-screen vitriol one can take until it taints the overall experience. And oof, is there some vitriol directed towards Marla. I admittedly haven't seen it in years and back when I first watched it as a teen it seemed so over the top and not life-like, I kind of dissociated from the more sociopolitical aspects and focused more on the plot, acting, cinematography, etc. I wonder how it would affect me in my current state.


I feel like the movie might have gotten even more uncomfortable because there are clowns like Andrew Tate out there fishing in a similar pond like Tyler Durden does in the movie. It is in an odd way more timely than it was back then. And that's a definite loss for society.


I think I'll deffo watch it again soon. Maybe it'll hit very different these days.

I have re-watched Fight Club now and my views are complicated.




I do have to agree with you on that one to a certain degree. There is very little sincerity, but a hell lot of cynicism in the world the movie presents. That winds up hurting what I believe to be the movie's intended message. Some parts, like that one sequence about Marla's phone call (if you know, you know.) would absolutely not be portrayed like that today. For a good reason. Such themes require a certain care and seriousness.


I stick to my original assessment that I see it as a satirical condemnation of the main players' toxic attitude. It is sprinkled throughout the entire movie - Durden is presented as a cultish charlatan. The movement is portrayed as an oxymoron - claiming to be liberating and anti-corporate, but taking on the form of a national franchise, with business deals here and there acquiring new territories. Not to mention the downright religious connotations and oppressive, highly dictated and regulated methods. Their acts of vandalism and "mischief" are referred to as "homework" - drawing comparisons to children in school.


A lot of the asides about consumerism ring shallow, because they pretty much come from shallow characters. They think themselves clever, but offer no real insight, no viable solution - only further misery and destruction + undying devotion to a self-professed leader.



And I think that's where some of its messaging seems to get muddled - while it does seem to point its fingers at those cautionary tales, it doesn't actually present a better alternative. The movie is a bit too pre-occupied with showing the absolute abyss of that mindset and plays devil's advocate a tad too long. By that point, the world it presents seems completely empty and you're just left with the impression "Thing bad. Don't become bad thing." Or, as some misguided, mostly male viewers took it "World bad and mean to me, I'll try to bend it to my will or follow someone who promises me that."


The closest it ever gets to presenting a more healthy way of dealing with the malaise of modern life is in the beginning when the protagonist allows himself to cry in Bob's arms. It is undercut by the quips and his selfish/callous attitude though. The condemnation and overall message would be allowed to blossom more if some sort of contrast were evident. And that doesn't just apply to the message of the movie, but also the storytelling.


Still a pretty solid character study though.



I'd give it a 7.5/10 these days. Not as deep as many make it out to be. But far from mindless and obviously a project a lot of creativity went into.

Dredd

Rewatched Romeo + Juliet (1996) to show to a friend. Loved it just as much as I did the first time, cried more than I did the first time (thank you, estrogen)

Bonjour

A not entirely unentertaining addition to the Matrix franchise, that ultimately winds up feeling somewhat empty. Not that there weren't any fresh takes or interesting ideas in it, but the execution feels a bit lackluster. It seems to operate on ideas and amusing, occasionally astute tidbits rather than an intriguing plot. At no point does there seem to be any sense of urgency - a thread that made the first entry so mesmerizing initially. It ain't half bad as a comedic meta-take though. In trying to pair its more sincere previous lore with the new, more irreverent and comedic take, it falters a bit though. Still, a hell lot better than the drab CGI slog that was the third movie.

Jesus fucking christ, this movie cut me to the absolute core. The least spoilery way to describe it is that it's about a shy teenage boy who finds a cheesy TV show to obsess over, and a friend to share that, but then can't take the next and most important step into that obsession.
Would genuinely love to hear a take from someone else on it, ideally with a different life experience to mine (hint, hint).

Edit: also, it's got Fred Durst in it.

I wouldn't exactly say you are selling it