Round-up 18: I'm an Asshole for Not Seeing These Before (I?)

The weather has been on and off for the last few days or so. A weird combination of high winds, on-and-off rain, and occasional sunshine. Consistency is preferred, but you can’t always get what you want, The Rolling Stones once sang. The new work environment continues to prove very comfortable and inviting for me. Meeting lots of new people. Engaging with the workload and actually somewhat enjoying it. I love it when you lift up your head to see hours gone by instead of minutes, or even worse, seconds. Only major complaint is how damn exhausted I am by the time the end of the day rolls around. Despite my end-of-day exhaustion, I watched some really great films this week, and some more I haven’t seen before. Without further ado, let’s get into them.

            I started the week off watching Paul Thomas Anderson’s modern classic, There Will Be Blood (2007). As pushed by a friend of mine, and as reconfirmed by myself during the final moments of the film, I am an asshole for missing this one. I have absolutely no clue how this got shoved under the rug. For those unaware, There Will Be Blood follows Daniel Day-Lewis as a ruthless oil baron in the late 1800s to early 1900s. His character, Daniel Plainview, and his son, HW, travel through the southern regions of the nation during this transformative era as they slowly begin swallowing up oil basins and building rigs to extract it. What begins as a beautifully shot and meandering character drama quickly becomes a harrowing thriller as the titular character descends into sociopathy and violence to achieve his goals. Brilliantly structured character arcs intersect with one another as the final act unfolds. Numerous time jumps allow the audience to be exposed to different aspects of the main characters and how they all revolve around Plainview’s tragic downfall. Once you reach the final twenty minutes or so, everything falls apart within a single conversation. And the way it crescendos into an act of graphic violence, you can’t help but sit and stare. This film is a modern classic and will be remembered as such, as it already is by many film buffs (including myself). Again, huge asshole move on my part for kicking this can so far down the road. A perfect film, through and through.

            My second viewing of the week was the new comedy, Friendship (2024), starring Tim Robinson as a loser dad with no friends who becomes obsessed with his new neighbor who’s moved in down the street. I had some high hopes and expectations for this one, having seen multiple promos and trailers adjacent with fans raving about laughing for the entire runtime. I have to admit, the first ten to twenty minutes or so had me a little curious as to where this was going, but once I locked in and understood the type of comedy and absurdist storytelling that was being utilized, I loved every moment that followed. This is, in essence, I Think You Should Leave, the movie, and it works primarily due to the strongly developed story connecting the beginning, middle, and end. What could’ve been a sloppy festival of skits is actually a tightly connected miniature world that Tim’s protagonist battles through. This film also happens to be endlessly quotable, and I have a strong feeling it will be put along the likes of Superbad (2007), The Hangover (2009), and Wedding Crashers (2005) as a comedy classic, one to be studied as a benchmark of the genre. I personally feel like Friendship stands above the aforementioned comedy flicks just due to its immense commitment to something new in style and structure. Keeps you on your toes throughout, in all the best ways.

            My next watch was another classic that was on my “I’ll get to it when I get to it” list, which I am once again deeply ashamed for having ignored. David Lynch passed away not too long ago, and with that, died one of the greatest creative minds of our time. I am fully convinced he will be regarded alongside the likes of Kurosawa, Kubrick, and Goddard. All this to say, I finally got around to viewing Blue Velvet (1986), which I am now completely enamored with as probably my favorite Lynch film to date. The story follows Kyle MacLachlan as a young man back from school in his small, idyllic American suburb when he stumbles across a severed human ear in a field. After taking it into the local police station, his curiosity gets the better of him as he sets off into the secret underworld of a town once thought to be innocent. Dennis Hopper plays the antagonist of the film, a twisted and demented rapist who organizes a kidnapping plot with Isabella Rossellini’s husband and son. Lynch masterfully weaves tense and uncomfortable violence and thrills with his classically absurdist dry comedy, and it shouldn’t work, but somehow does. For those who have seen the film, there is one scene in particular that happens about halfway through that really pushes the boundaries with its portrayal of graphic sexual violence. It’s handled with a particular intelligence in how the protagonist is positioned in the scene, putting us in his shoes as we witness the horror. Once again, a testament to Mr. Lynch’s genius behind the camera, and moreover, his innate ability to tell horrifying stories with weight and empathy for the characters and worlds they inhabit. Out of all of his films, this is definitely his most accessible as well, with a pretty straightforward plot design. So, all this to say, if you were like me before this and hadn’t seen it, I cannot begin to recommend it enough. I miss David Lynch more and more every day.

            I wrapped up the week with a rewatch, one I haven’t seen in probably four or five years. Rob Reiner’s This is Spinal Tap (1984) has to be one of the funniest films ever fuckin’ made. I recall watching this late at night, sometime in my later high school years, and low-key being disappointed by it. I remember laughing a handful of times, but ultimately not understanding what the film was trying to be. Last night, everything clicked into high gear when it came to this film. Every single scene of them talking nonsense absurdity had me laughing my ass off. It’s the pinnacle of not taking itself seriously, going to lengths that if executed with the wrong cast or direction could be unbearable, but because of the intelligence of those involved, it mostly lands all on its feet. With a few exceptions of some musical numbers that feel padded for the runtime, the pacing is wicked fast and operates well within its sub-90-minute runtime. Endlessly quotable and easily the hardest I’ve laughed in a while. The scene with the miniature bread catastrophe stands out as a classic alongside “D minor, the saddest of all keys”.

            I had a great time with this week’s viewings. It’s always a great (and painfully simple) reminder to watch something new, branch out, and breach the comfort zone walls. I go through these phases of watching new material and then regressing into rewatching the same comfort films over and over again. How does one break that? A rhetorical question to wrap up this week. Have you seen these films? What did you think of them? Am I a raving lunatic with horrible takes? Let me know below. Until next week.