My non-consistent blog is back. I’ve been off the grid in the mountains of North Carolina, traveling to the bayou, and starting grad school. But fear no more, I’m back. Even while off the grid I have been consuming what I can. Here’s a quick speed round before I get into the movies. In the NBA finals, Giannis Antetokounmpo silenced the haters and put on a SHOW. 50 points and 14 rebounds. Loki concluded and it was the best thing Marvel has put out since Avengers: Endgame. I’m starting a theory that Owen Wilson’s character is the same person from Midnight in Paris. Last, the Tokyo Olympics Games. Of course, I focused on track and field the most. Shoutout to Raven Saunders who earned silver in the shootout with endless amounts of confidence and high energy (I met Saunders at the NCAA regional track meet and she was incredibly humble). After the event, Saunders was vocal for those effected by mental health problems and even talked about her own struggles. Another main takeaway, age doesn’t matter! Athing Mu (18-years-old), Sydney Mclaughlin (22-years-old), and Jakob Ingebrigtsen (20-years-old) all took home gold.
Now onto the movies. All of these were films I watched before my excursion. Much more to come!
Fallen Angels (1995) Criterion Channel
Fallen Angels is a Hong Kong film that was written and directed by Wong Kar-wai. I watched this because I’ve seen clips of this movie and I was drawn in by its visuals. Specifically, the still captured above. Wong Kar-wai loves that shot because he uses that location at least three different times. Glad we’re on the same page. I went in expecting an intense thriller but soon discovered this is a drama/romance movie. The strongest part is the visuals and its sometimes experimental camera work. It’s almost entirely shot on a wide camera lens and handheld. This makes you feel like you’re in the same room with the characters. Sometimes too close and uncomfortable. It is disorienting but it represents how we look and move about life. The story follows a hitman, his partner, and a mute, as they slowly wander in the night in a neon Hong Kong, all looking for love. Wong Kar-wai does a good job showing what it’s like when love moves faster than you, in an environment that doesn’t wait for anyone. Their relationships are quick but also slow at a moment's notice, variations at different turns. I’m glad I watched this. I now appreciate every time I drive through a tunnel.
3/5
The Last Days of Disco (1998) Starz
I was getting tired of Sean Fennessey, of The Big Picture podcast, referencing this movie nonstop. I had to see what he was raving about. Sean, thank you and you’re welcome. Wow, I loved it. Walt Stillman’s The Last Days of Disco was one of those films where people just talk and hang out. I’m a big fan of that. This movie revolves around a group of young up-and-coming professionals as they navigate their lives in New York City at the end of the disco era. It immerses you in their lifestyle and world. The strength of this is the dialogue. It’s great and witty and makes even the assholes likable. They’re pretentious and contrived but it’s entertaining. Noah Baumbach probably has this on his top movies on Letterboxd. The pseudo-intellectual conversations like judging someone’s seriousness as a writer because they like Spiderman.
Somehow they can hardly afford an apartment yet they can go out in NYC every weekend. That’s movie magic. Half of the movie takes place in a disco where they dance, drink, and get thrown out for working in advertising. I love movies that give you a window to a specific time and “vibe” (for lack of a better word) and I’m wondering if you could classify this as a period piece. If that’s the case, I’m a huge period piece guy.
4/5
Metropolitan (1990) HBO Max
“I don’t read novels. I prefer good literary criticism”
This line speaks of so many people today (and possibly myself). I owe that to Youtube and Wikipedia. This is Walt Stillman's film before The Last Days of Disco. The first quote lets you know all you need to know about what goes on in this movie. Pretentious dialog - not in a bad way. The movie follows a group of upper-class young college students that takes place almost entirely at after-parties of elegant dances. Most of the characters are trying hard to present an image of being a boujee. The conversations they have are funny and some of the characters try so hard to act smart that it comes across as satire. I wasn’t as fond of this movie as I was of his other work but it is still charming in parts. Sometimes the movie feels like one long scene which can be a turn-off. If you like The Last Days of Disco I recommend this next.
2½ / 5
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