Last movie watched...

[Rately]

Ferris Bueller's Day Off
I'm running out of ideas for films to watch.  I don't really know what I'm in the mood for.  That usually means something light, dumb, but fun and entertaining... and that I haven't watched within the last year.  Or science fiction.  I may have to do some research.  I'm tempted to rewatched Hardcore Henry soon.  Only seen it once before.

Some recent(ish) Hidden(ish) Gems I'd recommend:

Dolemite is My Name
Cop Car
American Animals
Anna & the Apocalypse
The Kid Who Would Be King

I'd also recommend the new HBO documentary about Tiger Woods. I couldn't care less about golf, but I found it riveting.

Cop Car an underrated gem of a movie, with a great performance from the two kids, and a wonderful, malevolent Kevin Bacon.

Whoever caught this, and thought that the Director would be perfect for Spider-man should be applauded.

[Colin YNWA]

Yeah I've always struggled with the affection with which Ferris Bueller's Day Off is held. I find the main characters 'nasty'. Though maybe I need to try it again taking on board what Recrewt says?

[Hawkmumbler]

It's in many ways the perfect movie for the 80's American landscape.
Crass, morally bankrupt, and basically just an excuse to flaunt capitalist excess.

Can't stand it myself, in case that wasn't obvious already.

[TordelBack]

Ferris is explicitly an over-privileged inconsiderate asshole, and the enjoyment from the film comes largely from the depth of chaos and frustration that his wilful assholery creates for those around him.  This is basically the John Hughes formula, and it's probably a take-it or leave-it proposition for most of his work, even if you can look past the unpleasantly dated sexual aspects. Happily I can, so I get to list a silly number of his films as favourites.

The particular aspects of Ferris Bueller that work for me are:
(a). His complete mastery of a dull controlling school environment, where he not only cheats the system but has the respect and affection of all his peers, without any hint of cruelty: this is just fun, and a pretty unusual fantasy to see realised;
(b). His willingness to risk his whole school career for one chance to show his friend that he doesn't need to limit himself by reference to the expectations of others;
(c). The observation that the people who suffer most from Ferris' assholery are those who choose to pay most attention to it. If those people (Rooney and Jeanie) didn't invest quite so much time in policing Ferris' largely victimless activities, they'd have far fewer problems in their own lives.
Moral: live your own life, not other people's.
Or more properly: life move pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while,  you could miss it.

[Link Prime]

life move pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while,  you could miss it.

Pipe down Tordel, one more word of praise and these carping millennial's will demand you recreate Rooney's walks of shame to the school bus via TikTok.  

[pictsy]

A problem I have is I find the premise of the film, Ferris is trying to help is friend, completely unconvincing.  Ferris is a selfish shit who bunks off school to hang out with his friends and negs one of them into compliance.  Why did Ferris need to bring his girlfriend along?  Why did Ferris need to steal Cameron Dad's car?  Why did Ferris choose the activities?  Why is it Ferris on the parade float and not Cameron?  Because it's all about Ferris.

Cameron's story conclusion is unconvincing as well.  He's taking responsibility because he needs to stand up to his Dad?  Good luck with that.  My suspension of disbelief fails and I really don't see things ending well for Cameron.  Ferris screwed him over and Cameron told him repeatedly throughout the film to stop.  Ferris did not respect Cameron's boundaries.  Ferris knows he has done this at the end of the film.  He has so thoroughly gaslit Cameron that Cameron says he could have stopped Ferris at any time.  The film says otherwise, but whatever.  Ferris doesn't have to face the consequences of his actions.  Jeanie is entirely right about him and is right to be pissed off about the situation (and that's not even getting into the bullshit about the police thinking she's made a prank call).

Ferris is unreliable in telling us the message of the film because, as we see from the start, he is a liar and manipulator.  I don't see why that should stop with the audience.  I don't trust him, what he says is going on, what his professed intentions are, because what I see tells a different story.  I think Hawkmumbler and Colin hit the nail on the head.

Y'know, I didn't think that sleeping on it would make me dislike the film even more.  Things don't always look better in a new light of day.

[Dandontdare]

I always preferred Risky Business to Ferris Buellers Day Off ... although in hindsight that's an even dodgier premise to sell nowadays.

[TordelBack]

Because it's all about Ferris.

It's all about Ferris because he's already able to do these things. Cameron can't (yet). He's leading by example.  He brings Sloane along because they're all going to different places once school is finished, and this may be the last hurrah for their friendships. Also, it makes it less of a weinerfest.

You're not supposed to think Ferris is a great guy: he's a serial liar, a cheat and an egotist. He's even, incredibly, hard done by. But you are supposed to enjoy the wrecking ball he brings to pompous "adult" society and its norms and expectations.

Just like Buck Russell,  Kevin Macallister, Del Griffith, John Bender, Clark Griswold and even those little perverts in Weird Science. Of course you're entitled not to enjoy these characters' antics (I don't like all of them by any means) but it is the central conceit of the whole John Hughes stable.

[TordelBack]

Pretending fior a moment that FBDO isn't an '80s teen comedy for kids, but a serious film worthy of analysis: Do you think Cameron will regret this day?  Do you think his life will be better or worse for having had it, and for having had Ferris as a friend?

[pictsy]

I don't watch Tom Cruise films.  Purposefully.  If he's in it, I won't watch it.  Can't stand him.  In anything.  I'm happier not watching his films than I would be if I did.

It's all about Ferris because he's already able to do these things. Cameron can't.

And Cameron doesn't.  That also undermines the "live your own life message".  Also, is it Cameron can't or Cameron doesn't want to?  Ferris thinks he should want to, but he clearly demonstrates resistance throughout the film.  It's not all about Ferris because he's already able to do these things and Cameron can't.  It's all about Ferris because the whole film is all about Ferris.  Everyone is focused on Ferris, including Ferris.  I don't believe his conceit.

He brings Sloane along because they're all going to different places once school is finished, and this may be the last hurrah for their friendships. Also, it makes it less of a weinerfest.

Again, I think this makes my point about it being about what Ferris wants.  He wants this time with his friends.  I'm not actually given the impression the Sloane and Cameron have any real connection beyond Ferris.  It's still not about Cameron.

And weinerfest?  Really?

But you are supposed to enjoy the wrecking ball he brings to pompous adult society. 

And this is where the film misses for me, I guess.  Without this all I'm left with is an unpleasant and obnoxious character.  We've nailed down what it is I'm missing from the film.

This is a slight aside, but twice in the film I could swear it was ripping off Blues Brothers because twice I thought of that film and twice I wished I was watching it instead.  Maybe I should revisit it.

Pretending fior a moment that FBDO isn't an '80s teen comedy for kids, but a serious film worthy of analysis: Do you think Cameron will regret this day?  Do you think his life will be better or worse for having had it, and for having had Ferris as a friend?

Yes and worse.  I find the dynamic of their relationship to be very toxic.  I don't think Ferris is a good friend.

[TordelBack]

Certainly it's anyone's right not to enjoy it, and criticisms about an amoral celebration of capitalist excess are also completely valid (as with almost all Hughes films), but ultimately I do find it hard to accept that the Cameron who starts the film immobilised in bed by hypochondria, misery, and a distant controlling father would be in a better place than the Cameron who has been on a memorable hedonistic rampage through a sunny Chicago with his friend, leading to a resolution to take charge of his life and stand up to his father. That seems like a good day's work to me.

Can we have a go at Some Like it Hot next?

[TordelBack]

Oops, forgot to add this: 'weinerfest' is a joke, of sorts: the film partly takes place at the Von Steuben Day festival, and Ferris passes himself off as 'the sausage king of Chicago'.

[BPP]

Anti-porno

Hummm. Well it was pretty. Very pretty. But the 'point'... hummmm. Not sure.

The Long Goodbye (1973)
Awesome. Put it way above the sacred cows of The Godfather, ...in the West and The Deerhunter. Plus Schwarzenegger with a tash lols.

[Leigh S]

Re Casablanca

I may be biased on this one, as it is a film that means a lot to me patly due to the circumstances and timing of when I have seen it - never seen it outside of a cinema, which I thnk helps - first in 1992 for the 50th anniversary, last a few years back at the same cinema

You can definitely critique the dated casual attitudes, but you can do that to stuff as recent as "Friends" and newer.

Sam, I think is for the time a pretty "decent" if obviously flawed to modern eyes attempt to not be racist - Bogart was very much a Left Wing Liberal and there is some effort to show that Ric and Sam are friends - yes it isnt enough today for Rick to state that Sam makes his own decisions, but for the time, that's a pretty progressive statement.

Worse I agree is Captain Renault - I'd argue, that Rick and the Captain aren;t "friends" - Rick doesnt do friends.  Consider the characters in this film are stand ins for the Nations they represent - Rick represents "America First" - "I stick my neck out for nobody".  On the last watch, Rick actuaally came out worse with his self pity and moping, but again, that is a comment on selfish self isolation.  The core drive of the story is "will this man do the right thing for himself, or the Right thing for the World?"  Renault represents French collaboration and capitulation.  Ilsa and Victor are subjugated Europe fighting back. 

Viewed on both levels, the flaws of the characters are not so much mistakes that make you dislike them, but crucial to the parallel the film is drawing.

[Rara Avis]

I've recently watched The Witch which was frankly incredible. I'm not usually a fan of horror (not the jumpscare kind anyway) so this had been on the to watch list for a while. It's an absolute delight.

Also watched The Painter and the Thief the other day - I did enjoy it but couldn't quite understand her fascination with him but worth a watch none the less.

There's also a very interesting documentary about Crack on Netflix at the moment.