Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Rainbow with Egg Underneath and an Elephant: Thoughts on Harold and Maude


Harold and Maude is my favorite movie.

I discovered it many years ago while in high school, having heard about it once or twice through various pop culture references (like There’s Something About Mary). A friend of mind pointed it out to me in a video store and told me I should buy it. “I haven’t seen it,” I protested. “I don’t like buying movies I haven’t seen.”

“You’ll like this one,” she insisted. “If you don’t, I’ll buy it off you.”

How could I lose? So, I bought it, took it home, watched it, and fell in love with it.

I’ve watched it countless times and have bought it twice more, first on DVD and then again on Blu-Ray (thank you, Criterion!).

Whenever someone tells me what their favorite movie is, I’m inclined to ask why. What is it about that particular film that brings you back to it time and time again? For some, the answer is simply entertainment. For others, it’s nostalgia. For me and Harold and Maude, it is because of the film’s mindset, life-affirming but with a twisted sense of humor. The film is rebellious, but sweet, a celebration of life that focuses on death and, on top of all that, a love story that is about love, not just of another human being, but of all humanity, of all that life and the world has to offer, the good and the bad.

Before I continue, I should warn you: SPOILERS AHEAD. If you haven’t seen the film, you might want to go do so before reading any further.

Monday, March 10, 2014

Whatever Happened to the Spoof?


The wise man says: “Dying is easy. Comedy is hard.”

Today, friends, I am saddened to announce the death of one of my favorite kinds of movie: The Spoof.

Perhaps, one day, it will rise and live again like Peter Boyle’s monster, but, for now, allow me to eulogize this lost form of filmmaking. I will speak not of what it has become, a meaningless string of pop culture references, bodily fluid jokes and cameos by celebrities who will do anything to get their names in print, but rather, for what it was: a delicate balancing act of homage, roast and celebration, for the best spoofs were only slightly removed from their serious precursors.

Monday, March 3, 2014

Of Capes and Cinema


Marvel  vs. DC.

To some, this argument is as inconsequential as “Chocolate vs. Vanilla.”  To others, this is as important as Republican vs. Democrat or Protestant vs. Catholic.

To us geeks, it is a very important argument. I have friends who are staunch Marvel fans, pointing to Marvel’s deeper characters and struggles with real-life problems as evidence that their title is superior. For DC supporters, the argument stands that without DC, there would be no Marvel, and that the DC pantheon of heroes reads more like the gods on Olympus than acrobats in tights.

But, this is a movie blog, so, I’m going to discuss Comic Book Movies, which is a whole other ball of wax.