Iro's Film Diary

I didn't say I was laughing.

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"Well, at least your intentions behind the UTTERLY DEVASTATING FAULTS IN YOUR LOGIC are good." - Captain Steel

Not saying it wasn't intentional, just that it didn't work.

Holy Grail is something of an anomaly when it comes to Python and also explains why I rank it far above the rest of their output.


It's a nostalgia grab, I agree, but not automatically one the "whimsical childhood" variety. It owes a debt to not just classic '80s post-apocalyptic films like Escape From New York or Mad Max 2 but also to their off-brand knock-offs like 2019: After the Fall of New York. Just because it uses a pair of teenagers for its main characters and has its protagonist idolise a comic book hero doesn't necessarily mean that the film is trying to invoke childlike whimsy.

Please do. It's one of the finest cinematic parodies ever made.

The first is a pretty straight horror but it's still unintentionally funny for the most part - in the second the humour on offer is pretty deliberate.

It's the kind of character-based humour that I like with its characters saying and doing inane things pretty much non-stop but in an enjoyably naturalistic way - this also accentuates the low-brow humour of their lyrics and stage antics rather than feel like it's compensating for it.

I can understand that with Strangelove - it technically counts as a comedy, but it's hardly a laugh riot. Lebowski, on the other hand - that tends to be a bit of an acquired taste.

I've done some short write-ups on all of them in my most recent Top 100 thread, so try checking that out.

I've actually tended to avoid most Simon Pegg comedies that don't involve a collaboration with Edgar Wright - the only one I have seen all the way through is Paul, which I didn't mind but didn't think was particularly good either. As a result, I can't totally refute your claim that he relies too much on cringe comedy - there are shades of it in the Cornetto trilogy (not so much in Hot Fuzz because he's playing a no-nonsense police officer, but definitely in The World's End as he's playing an arrogant alcoholic), but there are a variety of comedy styles on display in those films.

What, it can't be a mix of genres? Sure as hell isn't any great shakes as far as action movies go either.

Exactly. If it's not supposed to be a comedy then that'd make sense, but the sheer volume of jokes is definitely enough to confuse people.

Man, remember when this thread about me posting movies I'd seen?

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#78 - Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
Shane Black, 2005



A two-bit crook is mistaken for an actor and transferred to Hollywood, where he is forced to work a case with a detective as research for his role.

Considering how previous Shane Black scripts have ended up in the hands of action-movie journeymen like Tony Scott and Renny Harlin, it's perhaps understandable that the notorious screenwriter's directorial debut would scale things back a bit and focus more on the neo-noir and buddy comedy elements common to Black scripts more so than the action of the final product. However, even under Black's direction the end result does not feel especially comedic despite the clear efforts by cast and crew alike to invoke such a tone. Robert Downey Jr. does a likably manic performance as the ne'er-do-well who serves as our protagonist, but his fourth-wall-breaking narration does not feel especially clever or earned in this context. He makes up one half of a typical Black odd-couple with Val Kilmer's brusquely professional detective making up the other half. I like Kilmer for the most part, but despite this role being considered one of his best I struggle to enjoy what should be a winning combination of mostly-no-nonsense deadpan and frequent barbs at Downey Jr.'s incompetence. With the odd-couple dynamic in serious jeopardy here, it's definitely up to the neo-noir elements to carry the weight here.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang may have many hallmarks of a great genre comedy and should theoretically be a film I enjoy, but I just can't seem to get into it. Black's writing has provided a good backbone for action movies in the past, but stripping away the pyrotechnics does reveal how hollow his formula can be even as he goes for noir-ish parody instead of straight action. The film's attempts at comedy, which cover everything from snappy interplay between the leads to snide mockery of the entertainment industry, tend to come across as mildly clever more so than genuinely hilarious. At this point, Black invoking his usual trademarks like bickering hitmen or Christmas decorations feel less like charming quirks and more like uninspired quota-filling. They are rendered even less palatable by the film's wildly inconsistent mixture of comedy and drama, especially since the main mystery never quite feels strong enough to make up for the rest of the film's weakness. Still, at least I have to give the film some credit for invoking some grimy yet colourful cinematography that manages to adapt classic film noir's visual sensibilities to the gaudiness of 21st-century Los Angeles. I'd like to think that a third chance will change my mind, but that doesn't strike me as particularly likely.

#79 - Open Your Eyes
Alejandro Amenábar, 1997



A handsome, wealthy womaniser has his cushy lifestyle turned upside-down when one of his former lovers causes a car crash that leaves his face severely disfigured.

Open Your Eyes is a pretty decent fable of sorts about a playboy (Eduardo Noriega) whose womanising ways catch up to him when a jilted ex-lover (Najwa) sees him interact with an attractive woman (Penélope Cruz), which leads her to cause a car crash that kills her and disfigures him. Of course, the narrative is not nearly that simple. It jumps back and forth to reveal that Noriega eventually ends up in prison for murder and gradually reveals the events that led to that point. It makes for a potent mix of psychological drama and science-fiction; though it obviously makes more use of the former, it definitely doesn't skimp on providing a subtle variation on the latter. It's weird and a little shocking but still a fundamentally human film underneath its use of uncanny masks and a twisted treatment of reality. It's definitely a film of its time that seeks to provide a primarily entertaining examination of some existential themes, and though it's not the greatest example of such a film, it's still got enough quality to it so as to be worth watching in its own right.

#80 - Kill List
Ben Wheatley, 2011



A pair of ex-soldiers take on a contract where they must murder three separate people but things soon become much more complicated.

Kill List is one rather unpleasant film, and I'm not entirely sure how much of its very deliberate ugliness translates into the film being one of good quality. I get that it's trying to get under your skin, but how much is because of its success or because of its failure? It's a relatively short film that builds off a simple, exploitation-like premise - two hitmen being given a list of people to kill - and adds enough sinister mystery (from client and target alike) to intrigue but also adds too much banality to make it feel especially watchable for the most part (especially during the incredibly sluggish first act). It does get uncomfortably violent at times and never in a way that feels stylised or sufficiently justified even within the confines of the narrative; however, the extremely dour nature of the scenes between each hit can just as easily make the film drag as it can tease out just what the truth is behind the lead duo's increasingly disturbing mission. Kill List definitely has its disturbing moments, but that's about all it's got going for it as it trudges through some grimly nihilistic territory with only just enough of a hook to stop it being thoroughly awful (and even then I'm not convinced that it does stop it).

So many people rave about Kiss Kiss Bang Bang that I feel like I have to try it again. It was just ok for me the first time, and I also feel like it's the type of movie I should enjoy.

#81 - Take Shelter
Jeff Nichols, 2011



After having nightmares about a storm of apocalyptic proportions, a construction worker decides to put all his energy into building an underground shelter in his backyard.

Take Shelter definitely functions as a real less-is-more story that admittedly doesn't do anything too out of the ordinary from a narrative stand-point; fortunately, it is amply carried by a talented cast. Michael Shannon has a tendency to be a highlight (if not the highlight) in just about every film he's been in and he does very well as a family man whose increasingly disturbing nightmares make him think that he should build a proper storm shelter to protect his wife (a marvellous Jessica Chastain) and daughter (Tova Stewart). Hardly the most original or unpredictable of narratives, but seeing as this film is driven much more by character than by plot that's not such a serious issue in the grand scheme of things. Just because it's a small character-study kind of film doesn't mean that it skimps on a technical level, with everything from mundane conversations to hellish visions being rendered with aplomb.

Thanks, didn't expect four of them.

Kill List is unpleasant, but that's a movie I absolutely love. I was thinking about it for days after first seeing it.

#82 - Silent Running
Douglas Trumbull, 1972



A spaceship carrying the only remaining Earth flora in existence runs into trouble when its cargo is targeted for destruction, prompting one crewman to rebel.

A hippies-in-space tale from special-effects wizard Douglas Trumbull, Silent Running is a lean little affair thanks to its singular location, small cast, and straightforward narrative. Bruce Dern makes for a good protagonist who can bring enough depth to what could've been a thanklessly flat little role, especially as events grow more troubling as the film progresses. Trumbull's effects prowess is definitely on display with some of practical effects that are generally impressive (especially when it comes to Dern's robot friends or the spaceship exteriors), though some aspects (such as nuclear explosions) look a little too dated in their simplicity. Having songs being sung by Joan Baez and deployed at sporadic intervals certainly adds to Silent Running's off-beat personality and helps to distinguish what could have been a rather underwhelming piece of low-budget sci-fi in the wrong hands.

I like both KKBB and Take Shelter more than you and I genuinely thought you would award Shelter with at least half a popcorn more. But glad you still were positive about it. I understand if KKBB doesn't flow your boat though.

It's an anomaly they can make an exceptional themed sketch comedy movies?


Sure felt like it. My memories of Viewmasters are pretty distantly walled off from decapitations.

Regardless, I really don't like that stuff (with extraordinarily rare exception).

Will do.

I had been looking at Evil Dead 2 since I understand it to be the first movie to star Ash and give the origins for his chainsaw.

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang was really forgettable to me.
Been looking at this recently too.

No, that's not what I meant. What sets Holy Grail apart from everything else they've done (apart from Life of Brian, to an extent) is that it's united by a strong ensemble of characters in the form of Arthur and his knights. Though Arthur is clearly the protagonist and we spend the most time with him, all the knights get a decent amount of set-up; when the film splits up the knights to go on separate adventures, they prove good heroes in their stand-alone segments. Life of Brian is more coherent because it features Brian as its protagonist all the way through and rarely has a scene that doesn't feature him, but that also limits the troupe's sketch-based creativity to an extent and is a major factor in why I rank Holy Grail higher. And Now For Something Completely Different and The Meaning of Life are much more straightforward examples of sketch comedies since there are no constantly recurring characters to provide a through-line for the wackiness, but that proves limiting in a different way. I think Holy Grail is the only one to truly get the balance right.

Whether they're stringing the sketches together with the same characters or an overarching theme, all of Monty Python's stuff is pretty one-off. I was never really invested in Arthur or his knights and I wouldn't really call them strong characters by any means either. Robin's best known mainly for a minstrel that undercuts him every step of the way for example. Sure it paints him as a coward in denial, but all that does is assign him a personality trait that could apply to any one of the many other characters Michael Palin plays.

Frankly that's a lot less important to me than the amount of enjoyment I get out of each individual segment. That's why as much I like Holy Grail, I prefer And Now For Something Completely Different.

Life of Brian > Holy Grail

The Meaning of Life > Life of Brian

Nah.

Life of Brian > Holy Grail > The Meaning of Life

Although all of them are pretty entertaining and competent comedies.

Some great live action comedies:

Kamikaze Girls
Tokyo Story (first 2/3 of it at least)
Bridge on the River Kwai
Dr. Strangelove
Barry Lyndon

I find these more amateur movies like Holy Grail and This is Spinal Tap to be funny but not quite great films.