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Gaston Lagaffe (2018)
People are too hard on this movie!
The score for this movie actually made me write my first review ever in all my years on this site.
I only recently discovered that this movie exists by accidentally finding a trailer on YouTube. My reaction was mixed between cringe and excitement, excitement because I adore the work of Franquin and cringe because usually "live action" adaptations are very difficult to pull off.
It is by no means a perfect film, but I think people underestimate how difficult it is to craft an overarching narrative for a movie based on one or half page comic strip gags. It brings with it a lot of difficulties. In a comic strip readers don't wonder why the lazy mail man doesn't get fired because the world is very small. In a movie however you need to construct character motivation. Additionally, I believe the comic was set in around the sixties, so the writers needed to modernize the setting and the characters a bit, and I think they did well.
Sometimes the choices they make are a little bit hamfisted, for example they turned the policeman antagonist into a meter maid, policeman in training, but in the comic this was his primary role, to give Gaston a hard time for parking without paying, so they had to fit it in somehow. Most of the time, however, I think the choices work.
What surprises me is no one seems to notice how much LOVE and respect went into this movie. It doesn't come off as a mindless cash grab at all. The boy who plays Gaston is a perfect choice, he has the posture, the looks and is very very endearing, but also annoying and a bit awful in his own ways. The readers of the comic surely remember that Gaston could sometimes be a bit of a jerk, but overall likeable. And I feel they captured this spirit.
Also they did right by the characters, Prunelle does well, as does mademoiselle Jeanne and they definitely nailed the spirit of Lebrac.
What gave me so much joy was seeing Jules de chez Smith en face and Bertrand. With those two they took the essence of the characters of Gastons slacker friends and they modernized them in a respectful way. Applause!
The story is all in all quite thin and serves mostly as a vehicle to get a lot of visual gags out there, but I think it works. They pay homage to visuals from the comics from the get go and you'll find a lot of recognizable tidbits all throughout the movie if you know the comics well. I like how they made De Mesmaeker the antagonist and how we learn what the contracts are for. The antics and inventions ramp up in the function of the plot, in my book it works.
I really feel like the people who created this movie really came from a place of respect and love for the comic and they did their utmost best to construct a movie around the world of Gaston. Their efforts are commendable and I strongly lament the negativity of the reception of this movie.
What did people expect?? How would they have wanted to see it different? It's never gonna be exactly the same, but I honestly think they stayed as close to the source material as they could or should. This movie gave me a lot of joy and is a great expansion of the Gaston universe.
I really really hope the movie was successful enough, made back a good amount of money and that the people who worked on it and the actors are proud of what they made.
Honestly the low score breaks my heart! It's not deserved.
Thank you for this very adequate slice of nostalgia! I love it.
Nymphomaniac: Vol. II (2013)
Unexpectedly gripping
Seeing as there are two parts to one story, I will be reviewing both here. I see no point in writing them separately. I'm not the biggest fan of Lars Von Trier, usually the cinematography really keeps me interested, but then in retrospect (especially after revisiting his movies on the small screen) I tend to care less for them.
I have to say this is the best movie(s) I've seen of him so far.
The creativity and quirkiness of the first movie, along with the great imagery, was for me the best part. My biggest problem was with the protagonist, she really irked me to no end. Both the rudeness of current-day Joe as the apathy and the incapability to communicate of teenage/twenties Joe really bothered me to no end. The saving factor for me in the first movie was in the last scene, where she loses her capability of achieving orgasm. It made up for the entire movie as far as I'm concerned. Her life events weren't really that interesting, and her motivation wasn't all too clear. I thought the connection with her father was convincing and well done, but not much more has stuck with me from the first film. Seligman, meanwhile, tells allegorical anecdotes that connect to her life events. I thought this was really nice.
Much as the last scene saves the first film, the last scene in the second film wrecked it, for me. This doesn't imply that I thought that the film was bad, however.
The second film shows more of the monogamous relationship of Joe, and how this fails to satisfy her. Her man (Shia Leboeuf, who, incidentally, also deflowered her when they were teens) realizes she is unhappy and tells her it's OK for her to go out and seek additional satisfaction outside of her sex life. She does so, and in the process gets on more and more experimental and masochistic territory. Push comes to shove and her man forces her to choose between her family and her obsession, and she chooses the latter. Time goes on and she becomes involved in the business of debt claiming, since she knows a lot about men's weaknesses. The transgression of the character into a criminal setting isn't really explained, and handled a bit clumsily. You could argue that it's of no importance, and you'd be right. It wasn't too bothersome. She is inspired by Willem Dafoe to manipulate a young girl into working for her by gaining her trust and filling a void her absent parents left. This works, and they have a sort of romance. A day comes when Joe has to collect debt from her ex, and she lets her protégée take care of it, pleading her not to damage anything nor hurt him. After his last payment takes place her protégée doesn't come back home, she goes to her ex's house and sees them making out. She is very hurt and decides to wait in an alley and tries to shoot him in the head. She subconsciously blocks herself from doing so as she didn't cock the gun before pulling the trigger. They beat her up and humiliate her, and this is the setting where Seligman finds Joe.
During the course of this film I got a lot more feeling for the character, an understanding surges that she is merely a victim of her condition, just as anyone else. Finally (!) I felt very sympathetic towards her. She says that telling the story has been very cathartic to her and she resolves to fight her obsession with every fiber in her being, so she can live free. I thoroughly enjoyed her revelation. She goes on to express her relief for being incapable of the act of murder, as this would've chained her for life. I agree.
The last minute which puts everything Topsy-turvy is when she finally goes to sleep, hopeful for the future. Seligman wishing her good night and leaving. Except, he doesn't. He reappears without pants and tries to penetrate her. She is shocked and outraged and he is confused because "she's slept with thousands of men". She cocks the gun, shoots him, and leaves.
This was somewhat nauseating for me. Seligman effectively undoes all of the progress made during the films, and seals both their fates. Mind you, it is an acceptable ending to me, it didn't feel forced or out of the character's personality. It's been determined during the entire film that he's capable of cool rationalization because he considers himself asexual; he's effectively a virgin. He plays very well, he's a pudgy man-child, resembling a Russian toddler, a figurehead of impotence. During the films it crossed my mind that he might want to take advantage of such an opportunity. And he does. And he does it clumsily, as his character would have. And he doesn't realize the destruction it brings with it, as his character wouldn't. It works, I really think it does. But it just made me sad, I wish it hadn't happened. But to feel for the characters is just a sign that the movie is good.
Further: It is a bit difficult to place this film within this reality as a lot of the events are a bit on the absurd side. For example: the man who beats up women who voluntarily come to him; or the two African men who want to double team the protagonist and aren't bothered when she suddenly leaves. Something that struck me as odd is the age progression of the protagonist and her romantic interest. First you get the progression of twenty something Joe into full blown Charlotte Gainsbourg Joe. This is fine, but her man is still Shia Leboeuf. When more time progresses, also Shia Leboeuf is replaced. It's a bit awkward, but not painful.