Taking Lady Chipwich to see The Death of Stalin tonight.
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The Death of Stalin feels like a film that can’t make up its mind what it is trying to be. IMO, to call this movie a comedy, even a black comedy, and especially billing it as “one of the funniest films of the 21st century”, is a stretch. For sure there are many funny moments, but they are repeatedly overshadowed by a loathsome disrespect for human dignity. It’s more a comedy in the way that Sweeney Todd: the Demon Barber of Fleet Street or Dexter is, except for the fact that in those tales some of the victims arguably earned their demise.
In Stalin, it was really difficult to enjoy the one-liners, when families are being dragged out in the street and shot in the head or worse, every other scene.
The film accels as a fascinating look at the power struggle within the Central Committee after Stalin’s death, played at the highest stakes, and what purportedly went on behind the red (iron) curtain. Particularly strong performances by Steve Buscemi as Nikita Khrushchev and Simon Russell Beale as Lavrentiy Beria left one on perpetual edge as to who would end up next on “the new list”.
And although I can’t possibly pretend to understand the complexities of Russian political history, it would be fascinating to hear a discussion of the film by those who do, including perhaps some who lived through the Stalinist regime. Probably not going to happen soon, as the film has been banned by the Russian Ministry of Culture. Stalin reaching from the grave?
So, comedy? Depends on one’s tolerance for depravity I suppose. History lesson? Maybe. Political power struggle study? Definitely.
Now Nikita Khrushchev, that’s an interesting dude. Must know more.
Edit: My thoughts are mostly in line with this review, which undoubtedly argues the point much better than I.
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“Jamie Foxx Confirmed to Play Spawn in Todd McFarlane’s Reboot!”
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I watched Solo a few days ago. I liked most of it.
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It’s not going to feel the same though … But still will watch it
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Is he going to be a civilian contractor? Because he would’ve retired a few years ago.
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Top Gun instructor, maybe? Isn’t he just like Viper or Jester in the first movie?
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Plot twist. He’s a civilian contractor in charge of the Safety Management System and the entire two hour movie is going to be pilots doing risk assessments and determining they can’t fly due to a combination of squawks on the plane and migratory bird patterns in the training area.
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Just saw Solo. Almost fully made up for The Last Jedi, and it was very obviously a labor of love. So many very subtle Easter eggs and callouts.
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Hoping to catch it this week myself actually.
I just saw the trailer for this, and I’m conflicted. I’m already bitter about Micheal Bay destroying all the franchises I loved as a kid and I refused to watch any of the Transformer movies after the second one, but this looks a bit closer to the roots of the original cartoon and comics.
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Also, the greatest sci-fi show of all time is now available in its entirety on Amazon Prime!
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The last season was…meh though, especially the last few episodes.
Maybe it’s because of my where I was, but I teared up a bit in the last couple scenes of Sleeping in Light.
A lot of the bits and pieces that were dropped in that last season were supposed to have been followed up on later in other series that never happened or were killed before their time (RIP Crusade). Without them coming to fruition, it did feel a bit lacking for sure.
Watched “Gabriel e a Montanha” yesterday. Beautiful movie.
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Watched Drive again at the weekend (one of my favourite films) and going to start rewatching Southland as got the 2 seasons DVD for £2! It’s a great show too.
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Currently watching the “The Vietnam War - A film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick” since it appeared on the Dutch Netflix. What an amazing documentary! I knew it was good but wow, a lot of depth and historical material I’ve never seen before.
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Watched it on the plane, great scene in the stairway.
A little late to the party but Green Zone is good … here’s a clip …