Flying monkeys
I saw a film the other night that had something of a "flying monkeys" theme. And no, it wasn't The Wizard of Oz. Good film, though, The Wizard of Oz. Scared the bejeezus out of my niece one summer afternoon a few years ago. I guess she was about six years old at the time. Still, I'm getting sidetracked.
The film in question this time around was Harry, He's Here to Help, a French movie from the year two thousand. (In the United States, it's called With a Friend Like Harry.) The movie tells the story of a seemingly chance encounter between two 30-something men who were at school together. They get to chatting and spend the evening together.
Before long it becomes clear that this is a stalker-type tale with a darkly comic undertone: think Single White Female meets Funny Games, with a good dash of Hitchcock.
It's good stuff. Funny. Edge of the seat in places. Intense. Crazy. Lots of stuff to please the many and the few. And it has great performances from the four leads, as well as talk of flying monkeys, eggs, and orgasms. Well worth a look.
The film runs just short of two hours. Which reminds me... I've noticed that US films seem to be getting shorter, while European films seem to be getting longer. It used to be that 2 hours was the norm for American movies, and 90 minutes for Europe. That trend has now reversed. Does this says more about the ever-dwindling attention span of young Americans or about the ability of European film-makers to create a story more worthy of our time? Discuss.
The film in question this time around was Harry, He's Here to Help, a French movie from the year two thousand. (In the United States, it's called With a Friend Like Harry.) The movie tells the story of a seemingly chance encounter between two 30-something men who were at school together. They get to chatting and spend the evening together.Before long it becomes clear that this is a stalker-type tale with a darkly comic undertone: think Single White Female meets Funny Games, with a good dash of Hitchcock.
It's good stuff. Funny. Edge of the seat in places. Intense. Crazy. Lots of stuff to please the many and the few. And it has great performances from the four leads, as well as talk of flying monkeys, eggs, and orgasms. Well worth a look.
The film runs just short of two hours. Which reminds me... I've noticed that US films seem to be getting shorter, while European films seem to be getting longer. It used to be that 2 hours was the norm for American movies, and 90 minutes for Europe. That trend has now reversed. Does this says more about the ever-dwindling attention span of young Americans or about the ability of European film-makers to create a story more worthy of our time? Discuss.
permalink posted by * (asterisk) at 2:38 PM
4 Comments:
Okay, my to see list is getting way longer...and my to do list is being ignored...yikes...
My bum goes numb after an hour so I wait for the dvd then I can stretch me legs and drink beer. Works for me.
My interest is officially piqued... I'm going to have to look into this movie.
I LOVE Hitchcock... and the rest... it just sounds like a great mix. Thanks for the recommendation! I always appreciate a good movie rec.
This film is fantastic. You should check out another French film called 'Lemmings' which came out recently by the same actor and director. It has the same dark mood and it often interchanges between fantasy and reality. As for the question, I agree, I think foreign films are longer simply for the reason that the stories are a bit more complex and involved. Although when we went to see Lemmings, we both commented that it was a bit too long.
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