Hugo Jonker

Over the last few months, Aga and I have picked up the habit of watching movies and series in the evening. I’ve been leveraging it to introduce some typical “cultural icons” to Aga, and also to watch some “classics” that I haven’t seen in a while / at all. Here’s a short and incomplete list with my thoughts:

• Buffy the Vampire Slayer:
  I’ve watched this with Bras, Diana & the gang way back when, and now wanted to revisit and introduce it to Aga.
  Result: Fun! First season is rather dated now, though. Most episodes still work Some of the episodes I was looking forward to didn’t quite reach the dizzying hights I had edified them to. On the other hand, some episodes I expected to be throw-away monster-of-the-week ones were surprisingly good. Of course, Technology Marches On: the lack of mobile phones is sort of silly.
  Bras: you can have your DVD set back, we have finished now :)
• The Breakfast Club:
  I thought this was a classic — in my mind, it was a classic. We watched it, me full of anticipation. Was rather a let-down. I suspect it’s a case of Seinfeld is Unfunny: the movie was probably groundbreaking in its day, setting new plots and exploring new venues in storytelling, movie making, etc. However, it was so good everyone copied it, and guess what? 35 years later, all of it has been done better. Still, it probably set the stage for a lot of things.
• Footloose:
  Surprise to me! Here I expected something like “The Breakfast Club”, only less well-known. Turns out this movie aged a lot better. My guess why: where Breakfast Club was innovative just for setting the stage with “bunch of teenagers who initially hate each other but find they’re similar” (done a lot more since then), Footloose was memorable just for iconic music and a story that’s okay.
  Let’s not make it out to be more than it is: if you go in expecting another episode of Star Wars, you’ll come out feeling like you’ve just seen episode one ;-)
• The emperor’s new groove:
  Long time no see. Seriously, the story is quite pedestrian and mediocre, but the way the characters keep breaking out of the story just to interject more fun is brilliant! See below :)
  
• Notting Hill:
  One of Aga’s picks. Surprisingly entertaining! I didn’t really know much about the story, but it’s clear: Julia Roberts is really great for this romantic comedy thing :)
• You’ve got Mail:
  Another one of Aga’s picks. I thought I knew some key points in the story (such as who finds out who the other is first). Turns out I was wrong. The movie was okay, but something that really irked me was how both main characters are behaving while they’re in a relationship. Sure, their relationship may not be all that great, but still. Both of them make big steps to ensure their significant others do not find out about the emailing. Tom Hanks’ character is the moral loser here, as far as I am concerned: while Meg Ryan’s character may feel dubiously, she’s not acting on her feelings in any inappropriate way. On the other hand, Tom Hanks proposes a date, and right outside the restaurant, before meeting her, he basically proclaims he’s madly in love and wants to marry this woman he’s only ever mailed with. Dude: that same evening you go to bed in the same bed as a woman who thinks she’s your girlfriend!!
  That basically ruined the movie for me
• The Terminal:
  More Tom Hanks. Old movie that was a gift (to me) years ago, and we never came round to watching — mostly because of my gut feelings about it :)
  It was surprisingly entertaining. Goes to show: expect crap and you can be pleased by little (this movie, footloose), expect a lot and you’re in for disappointment by the same or even more (Breakfast Club).
• The Sound Of Music:
  Introducing Aga to the wonderful world of Julie Andrews Christmas movies! I recalled the movie as being a classic, but a bit dark. Lessons learned: the movie does have its dark parts, but most of it is a joy-fest of laughter and singing. It’s a classic for a good reason – much more enjoyable than I recalled :)
• Mary Poppins:
  More Julie Andrews goodness! And yes, it’s good :) We thoroughly enjoyed this one. Funny thing, this recalls to me movies that I enjoyed around the same time (like Herbie, or Witches and Broomsticks), which I’m not inclined to see. Mostly because I don’t expect them to hold up this well
• Dracula Untold:
  Last movie Aga and I saw in the cinema. I did not have great expectations going in – basically, I expected some mindless entertainment. I was positively surprised.
  Not that it’s an intellectual giant of a film, but it was more than a little entertaining, and I wouldn’t mind watching it again.
• The wizard of Oz (1939):
  The Judy Garland version. At first, I thought it was the wrong movie since it started in black and white – I was about to take out the DVD and return it :) Turns out that the color part was a major thing in this movie, and very novel at the time. It’s more or less suddenly thrusted upon the audience. Silly me :)
  The movie is more than a little enjoyable, and is warmly recommended.
• Wreck-it Ralph:
  Highly enjoyable feel-good animated movie. However, I don’t think it has a large re-watch value.
• Hotel Transsylvania:
  Similar: highly enjoyable feel-good animated movie. However, I don’t think it has a large re-watch value.
• Monsters, Inc:
  I used to love this movie, but fell out of love after watching it a few years ago. It just wasn’t as good as I remembered it back then.
  Being all disappointed in advance works wonders: the movie was quite enjoyable this time through :)
• Cocoon:
  I vaguely remembered having seen this on TV and being enamoured by it. So we picked up the DVD when we came across it.
  The movie is surprisingly entertaining. It was better than I anticipated, though it’s by no means a great movie.
• The importance of being Ernest:
  Another Aga pick. I start fidgeting during such movies, although I do enjoy them. Same for this one: enjoyable, but expect me to fidget :)
• Kung Fu Panda:
  One of Aga’s favourites. We’ve watched it a few times now (we’re wearing out the DVD I think ;-). Somehow, a lot comes together well in that movie.
• Kung Fu Panda 2:
  Another of Aga’s favourites. We’ve watched it also a few times, though less. While it suffers a bit from “unnecessarily-tacked-on-sequelitis”, it definitely is entertaining.
• Shakespear in Love:
  A rewatch for the both of us. Again, a romantic comedy, but again one that is somehow much more palatable for men. We both enjoyed the movie once again, and I noticed some things I hadn’t seen (or had forgotten).
• The artist:
  Superbly interesting concept for me. And an enjoyable movie. The last line of the movie is fantastic :)
• Singin’ in the Rain:
  Was shown outdoors, in front of the Grand Ducal palace. I hadn’t seen it before. And yes, though this list is in random order, I did see it after seeing the artist. Turns out the underlying premise is rather similar.
  Again, a very enjoyable movie, with plenty of musical highlights.
• Shoot ‘Em Up:
  I keep on loving that movie, but Aga couldn’t quite get in the spirit and didn’t like it at all.
  Hey, whenever I’m sitting on a bench late at night in a downright nasty neighborhood eating a carrot, when a pregnant woman walks by chased by an aggressive fellow with a gun, I also think “not again” ;-)
• Frozen:
  Okay-ish. I don’t get all the hype around it – then again, I’m not the target audience. (okay, so I do get the hype, I’m just not target audience ;-)
• The Thomas Crown Affair:
  Watched it twice, once with my brother and then once with my brother and Aga. It’s just quite a nice movie — although my mind made the ending scene far better than it actually was (still good, just not as brilliant as I vaguely recalled).
• The Italian Job (2003):
  Half-saw this one. Typical mediocre movie: entertaining while it lasts, but you don’t miss out by not watching it.
• Mulan:
  Another animated movie. Aga likes animated movies, as do I, so that’s an easy pick. Mulan remains entertaining, even after the third watching.

Plenty of options left though. Some from my ‘todo’ list:

• The Wiz
• The Great Gatsby (2013)
• Turbo (animated movie) – though from what I read, not that good…
• The Boondock Saints
  This is going to be a re-watch. Aga hasn’t seen it yet, so I’m curious what she’ll think about it.
• … and others!

Last weekend, Bobby visited Aga and myself here in Luxembourg. Bobby is a big movie buff, so naturally, the plan surfaced to go to the movies. As it turns out, there are quite a few decent movies playing currently.

Okay, okay, “decent” is to be understood in different ways: from shortlisted for the Oscars (The Wolf of Wallstreet) to Ye Olde Poppe Corney entertainment (I, Frankenstein). After assessing the available options, we decided to go all-out: first a very recent Luxembourgish movie about the second world war, and then another movie.

Despite my hinting that after a war movie, we could use something lightweight, we did not go to “I, Frankenstein”. (Damn!). It became the Oscar contender “12 years a slave”. We went to the cinema, and surprised the cassiere by buying tickets for basically 2 movies back-to-back. Had she had a second to think about it, she might have joined me in suggesting another movie…

Anyway, second things first: 12 Years a Slave. In a nutshell: a free black man in the USA of 1820s is kidnapped in Washington and deported to the Southern states, where slavery still exists. He then pretty much lives up to the title of the movie.

I just googled it, and in google you’ll find excerpts such as “It’s far from comfortable viewing, but 12 Years a Slave’s unflinchingly brutal look at American slavery is also brilliant” (Rotten Tomatoes).
Well, after watching Heemwei, phrases like “brutally honest” seem exaggerated. I guess that’s my main problem with the movie: it’s not at all a bad movie, but all the “brutal honesty” felt very much hidden behind a layer of Hollywood polishing. All the violence is deliberatedly filmed and shown – if someone is killed in this movie, they get an on-screen dying moment.

Contrast this with the Luxembourgish movie. It was brutal in its filming. 2 Luxembourgians, press-ganged into the German army in WW2, decide to desert and walk home. Deaths in this movie are similar to those my memory serves me up from Dutch WW2 movies (Meisje met het Rode Haar, Soldaat van Oranje, such movies). Basically, someone is shot, the victim falls over. No close up, no death struggle, no last glance into the camera. The moment of death is empty, meaningless, as are the killings themselves.

Following a discussion with Yann (office mate), it’s like the iconic D-Day scene from Saving Private Ryan: as a viewer, you suddenly (or at least: for me) are no longer sure if the cast will make it out on the other side. They might just get hit by a bullet or step on a mine or be bombed, and then they’re gone. In the words of “Fantasia”, these movies aren’t safe. My main gripe with 12 years a slave: it is safe.

Having said that: both are good movies (in my humble opinion). From either, you’ll leave the cinema feeling less than happy. If you want a brutal look at slavery, watch 12 years. If you’re interested in the brutal desolation, seeing how war arbitrarily makes its victims, watch Heemwei.

Pro-tip: don’t listen to Bobby, don’t watch both in succession. It’s a bit heavy on the soul.