S+M Double Feature

[thehefner]

I saw QUILLS recently. I loved it. Wonderful, delicious fun. My only complaint from this first viewing would be the tonal change 3/4ths into the film. The serious, tragic, sad stuff felt out of place and forced, sort of like the last fifteen minutes of the otherwise amazing HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG. I want to read the play of QUILLS now, written by Doug Wright of I AM MY OWN WIFE fame. Hopefully these flaws will not be as present in the stage version. Otherwise, I loved the film.

I also just today saw SECRETARY. And I hated it. Hated it hated it hated it. I mean, I love James Spader, and there's no character he can play so unlikeable that I still don't like him. But I hated everyone else's characters. Passionately. And it didn't help that the film kept screaming "David Lynch Wannabe."

The whole "normal Americana with the 'sick, perverted' underbelly" was done a LOT better in BLUE VELVET, and when the dream sequence happened with Spader opening a red curtain that looked exactly like the iconic curtain of TWIN PEAKS, the pretentiousness of the filmmaking was revealed. But really, that could have been excused if I liked the script, characters, and/or subject matter. I could go on, but due to the passionate following this film has that I'm sure spills out amongst several of you, my readers, I shall refrain. I don't want to offend anybody.

And besides, I'm just too tired anyway. I'm coming down from a "Krank'd" high and crashing hard. After dinner, a nap sounds fine to me.

Comments

[tompurdue.livejournal.com]

Didn't you say you liked Dead Man? I caught it the other day.

[thehefner.livejournal.com]

Yeah, love it. It's pretentious too, but I still loved it. Ebert hated it though, and I don't blame him. I think I'd call it "popcorn art house," the kind of film where it's best if you don't think about it and just sit back, relax, and enjoy such things as Billy Bob saying, "Good God, Ah'm hit! Lord'a Mercy! Burns like hellfire! Gonna hafta kill sumbody now."

Even if you didn't like it, now you should see GHOST DOG: THE WAY OF THE SAMURAI.