12.10.2008

Lives Of yo mOthers



I finally got around to watching The Lives of Others the other night. Since i was first hired at the Buff it had always been on my list.

When i first started working it was a one night rental and my coworkers and friends (trust, i keep the two groups as separated as possible) couldn't shut up about it.

Now here's my two cents. Excellent film. I mean superb stuff hands down.

It was funny though, I was thinking, as the film started noise diving towards the tear jerking finale, that this is the first German film I've seen in a long while where no one has died tragically. By the looks of things at that point, it looked like things were going to work out alright for everyone.

Just as that thought was given enough time to process some character ups and dies. In a ridiculously tragic way.

What's the deal Germany!? What, like the film wasn't already dealing with enough tragic subject matter!? Why you gotta go and break everyone's heart? You're on thin ice Germany!

Sure the academy will love you for it but it gets my panties in an uproar. It just annoys me. It isn't subtle what you're doing Germany, you can't just up the emotional tone of your already highly emotional films with death and expect the world to applaud you forever! a day is gonna come Germany, where your awesome technos and Ramsteins will revolt and nu rave German cinema will take off. Where no one dies tragically for no reason, where the heart of your pictures will focus on blond fat kids who eat chocolate and get stuck in suction tubes... Augustus Gloop was German right?

Anyways, just like how i felt with Funny Games, L.O.O. is almost an amazing picture.

The film tries to up the ante on your constitution by throwing some tragedy in your eyes but guess what? I DON'T CARE.

I have a friend who said while he was working at a movie theater he would always catch the tragic death as he was getting ready to clean up and open the doors while Lives of Others was playing. And he would shed a tear every time.
The only time my heart strings were pulled was the closing line of the picture. Which really was a beaut. But the tragic death? c'mon, just nonsense.

minus that arrow shooting straight for your heart this film was a cinematic Tijuana donkey show... in a good way.

12 comments:

La Sporgenza said...

Kris....

Brent....German
Sean Canfield.... born in Germany
Rick Walters....born in Germany

just be careful...

the coelacanth said...

kris, you wear "panties"? disturbing.

oh, also - did you get that computer from scott? seems like it, what with the three posts in two days following weeks of silence. hope that's the case, look forward to reading your contributions more frequently.

Dropkick said...

oh man, three men the columbian side of me wouldn't wanna meet in a dark alley.

the greek side however...

the coelacanth said...

the greek side of you would like to meet them in a dark alley? you do know what "greek" is, don't you? if you don't you should j-o i mean READ the back pages of NOW and EYE more often...

also - i thought you were going to u of t? how do you manage to attend classes in new york and make it back for work? is that how you're using grandpop's free air miles?

Dropkick said...

being Greek my whole life i'm well aware of the stigmatisms attached.

that's what my comment was in reference to. because I'm confident enough in my heterosexuality to make fun of my homosexual tendencies.

i did skip a class to head up to New York but it was well worth it. Sure it might have helped me in failing my mid term but the pizza is to die for down there.

My next trip planned is to the island of Lesbos off Greece. There's an all male resort that i, with the help of my grandfather, got a really great deal on. There's a spot empty on the ticket if you want it Joe. It's a king sized bed. It's sunny all year round and the fish are always biting... if you know what i mean

La Sporgenza said...

What's an "All Male Resort" doing on the island of Lesbos, for God sakes? On an altogether different topic I also think that you should use "end" instead of "side" to describe your dual heritage, Kadapolis. You know... your blow-snorting, banana-eating Colombian "end" and your ...well, Greek "end" seems clear enough.

the coelacanth said...

my comment about new york was a (apparently too) subtle jab at your inability to properly spell your own nationality. columbian? c'mon man - you don't attend classes at columbia. next time i'll be more obvious, the canadiun way.

Dropkick said...

i spell em' like i say em'

La Sporgenza said...

I didn't get the NY connection either Joe. It went right over our heads (Columbo's and mine at least). Walters mentioned he was interested in Kadapolis's Greak end btw.

Chandles said...

I like to say that Kris is a Colombian ass with Greek morals. tight and loose, all at the same time.

La Sporgenza said...

I would have said the other way 'round.

Dropkick said...

I don't know,
those Colombians have great some great asses.
I just dictate it's activity with a Greek sensibility