Sauntering Vaguely Downward

Keiki pondering the Loire last Easter. Also, h/t susandennis, without your workaround tip the late evening photo post from beneath the duvet would never have happened. 😉🥂

At the weekend, Keiki expressed an interest in using a film camera. I think this might be because of one of the Miyazaki films we’ve watched recently. I showed him an array of the film cameras I have tucked away, and he picked out the Polaroid Impulse. As I haven’t used it in six or seven years, it didn’t have any film in it,. The packs only last about twelve months, so I would have had to get some new ones anyway. I didn’t want to order off Amazon as sellers there don’t seem to have any scruples about flogging expired film. I wasn’t entirely prepared for the sticker shock. I got some from Jessops, who didn’t have any colour film in stock, but did have black-and-white at £18 for a pack of eight. It focuses the mind wonderfully when you know that every time you press the shutter release, it costs £2.25.

Once I got over that, the film arrived in two days and I checked the manufacture date: October 2019. Phew. I loaded up the Impulse and instructed the children to work out two photos that they wanted to take outside in the garden.

( Closeups )

We’re saving the other four shots for a walk up the canal. I’ve also promised to rustle up some colour film, but possibly they’ll have to earn it through chores, as this could become a very expensive hobby otherwise.

...because red wine is the best drink to accompany zombie and vampire films, natch.) Pardon me, this is just me noodling about a film that came out six years ago. Most people probably saw the trailer and went either, “A zombie film; no thanks, I’ll pass” or “ZOMG cutest zombie film EVAR!”

I concur with the latter; Warm Bodies is sweet, funny, has an amazing soundtrack and is an obvious homage to Romeo and Juliet apart from the happily-ever-after ending; the names of the lead characters are “R” and Julie. R saves Julie from the other zombies, and in turn, Julie saves R from being a zombie by literally awakening his heart. His resurrection is infectious: the other zombies who haven’t been completely lost by becoming “bonies” also experience it. There’s even a charmingly awkward balcony scene. It’s a feel-good film, and being a soppy perkygoth romantic, I love watching it.

But there’s a bit of a sting in the tail, because I also can’t help overthinking it. In the beginning, the zombies are all “others” to the uninfected humans, whether they’re bonies or R-analogues. In the conclusion, the “others” are divided into two categories. The R-analogues are others who can be re-integrated by assimilation (and, er, not dining on brains any more). The bonies are irredeemable and must be shot in the head. Inevitably, I see a parallel with immigration: between acceptable immigrants, who have the resources, skills, and sufficient cultural adaptability to become part of a society, and those who don’t and therefore must be excluded.

I think this is one of the reasons the zombie concept is so appealing. It allows for a very soothing simplification of otherness, by giving human-shaped others a characteristic so repugnant, eating the living and turning them into zombies/others, that it is not difficult to justify their murder. It’s uncomplicated, comforting, and unrealistic.

And now if you’ll excuse me, I’m just going to finish this glass of wine and enjoy the shower/make-up scene soundtracked to M83’s “Midnight City”, because I refuse to let an excess of analysis spoil my enjoyment.

What were the last three films that you watched, Nanila, I hear nobody asking? Well, I’m going to tell you anyway, because the list amuses me greatly. They were: Black Panther (in the cinema), The Death of Stalin (at home) and Peter Rabbit (in the cinema).

Black Panther
I enjoyed watching this very much. The scenery and cinematography are beautiful. I liked the tech and the city design. I liked the depth of characterisation and the humour and the dealing with difficult issues, past and present. I didn't connect with it the way I did with Rogue One (See my response here), which I felt was both for and to an extent, about, me and my experience. I'm fine with that, because this film is intended to do that for black people, and I am not one.
★ ★ ★ ★

The Death of Stalin
This will probably go down as one of Armando Ianucci’s finest. If you've watched any of his political satire, e.g. The Thick of It or Veep, you'll recognise his style. The film focuses on an epoch defining event, the power vacuum left at the end of Stalin's reign, and uses it to expose the deep character flaws of his surviving inner circle as they battle to succeed him. In Beria’s case, “flaw” is an understatement as he was a violent mass-murdering paedophile rapist. But the others don't seem to be much better, although Field Marshal Zhukov comes off lightly, being an absurdly overdrawn caricature of machismo.

This all sounds depressing and it would have made dire watching if it weren't for the devastatingly hysterical dialogue. There's a scene where Khrushchev is frantically recalling every scrap of conversation that took place the night before and the way Stalin reacted to it. His wife diligently records everything and recites it back to him. What seems a cynical ploy to curry favour is also a desperate attempt to ensure his own survival by remaining off “the lists”, which were used by the NKVD (the police) to routinely round up and torture, exile or kill Stalin's enemies. Stalin's funeral is also employed to maximise the farcical effect, the staged theatrics and genuine grief of mourners repeatedly undermined by the sordid squabbling of the ruling faction.

There are some pretty horrible scenes in the film, violence both implied and explicit, but I found I could cope with it because of the bleak humour and skilful presentation of the narrative.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Peter Rabbit
This was a cinema trip for the children to celebrate Humuhumu's friend S’s little brother's birthday. Most of my parental attention was engaged in ensuring that the little ones didn't run out of snacks. I was grateful for that, as I thought it was mostly terrible. ( ”spoiler” ) There was one funny moment when Keiki leaned over and informed me in a penetrating whisper, “This is the sad bit, Mummy.” Humuhumu enjoyed it at the time but I don't think she'll be heartbroken if she never sees it again so I'll be letting that one drop quietly off the radar.
★ ★

So, two excellent films and one distinctly Meh one. Black Panther: go and see it. The Death of Stalin comes with all manner of content notes for violence and torment. If you can stomach those, then watch it. If you don't have a Beatrix-Potter-loving child then give Peter Rabbit a miss.

Whilst I hammer desperately at my photo backlog so I can record some life happenings here, have a couple of film reviews.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children: I saw this on the plane from the USA to the UK while the children were asleep. Being unfamiliar with this and book series upon which it’s based apart from the title, I thought, “Oh good, let’s check this out. Maybe I can watch it with Humuhumu in a couple of years. It’s got Eva Green in it; it must be good.”

And yes, it’s good. But as for “watching it with my child in a couple of years”, OH MY GOODNESS NO. It was TERRIFYING. And not just because of the eye violence*. All the evil monster designs were ripped straight from Pan’s Labyrinth, which, whilst also an excellent film, is SEARED ON MY MEMORY because it was so scary.

* whyyyyyy do all of the most disturbing films involve eye violence. PLEASE STOP.

Verdict: NEVER AGAIN.

Suicide Squad: Okay. I concede that this film is overall pretty terrible. It is. Let me just say that straightaway. It’s trope-tastic, cliched, nonsensical and ridiculous.

But. I really delighted in watching it. For two reasons: 1) Harley and 2) Waller. I’m a sucker for a romance no matter how screwed up it is, and Harley is the embodiment of incorrigible screwed-up romantic. She’s got the best comic timing of all the characters in the film, and if there’s anything the film desperately needs it’s some humour, which the Joker does NOT provide, despite cackling his head off at everything. And I also love that although she enjoys her idiot boyfriend’s rescue attempts (see: incorrigible screwed-up romantic), she does not actually need his “help”.

As for Waller? She is NAILS. And how. The film drives home the point that it’s shocking because she’s a tiny black woman, and because no one can see how completely ruthless she is except Harley and Deadshot (because Will Smith is in this film, and every character Will Smith plays has to be able to see The Truth at all times even if it’s NOT AT ALL in his character’s profile).

To extract maximum enjoyment from this film, I also recommend ignoring the "plot" and scenes involving Cara Delevingne.

Verdict: Will probably get caught rewatching whilst drinking whisky, cackling uproariously over the cheesiest lines and crying sentimentally over Harley / Joker.