Saturday, August 31, 2024

films I saw on the plane (two weeks ago)

Qatar air are a classic old school airline when it comes to bleeping out the ‘fucks’ and I think possibly even the ‘shits’ and maybe even the ‘bitches’(!!!) in the movies they offer to customers. This when they already have a standard warning at the front saying that some passengers might be offended by some of the content for instance the political content. Weird! (I know that's presently an overused word). 

At the moment I can only remember two of the films I watched last night, though I am pretty sure I watched four. I watched What Happens Next, which is a Meg Ryan and David Duchovny romantic vehicle all set in an airport and based on a play. It was patchy and overlong, but still the two leads – the only people who talk in the fim aside from the man who does the airport announcements and sometimes, comically (?) engages with what the main characters are saying – are good. Look the plot up on wikipedia if you want to know the final scene which, I shit you not, is a brave move but ultimately not one I would have gone with if I wanted the rest of my film to be taken seriously (Meg Ryan directs). 

Perhaps more excitingly from the POV of someone who loves Melbourne locations on the screen I watched Sleeping Dogs, a Russell Crowe vehicle ostensibly set in the USA with American actors (aside from RC, who plays an American in any case) but shot in Melbourne, and I was most surprised to see Moher, the building in North Melbourne I have long been interested in, playing the part of RC’s character’s house. 




I can't quite place the above* but there were lots of locations like this , incredibly obviously Melbourne if you know Melbourne (makes you realise that inner Melbourne does have an aesthetic that distinguishes it from other cities - or am I wrong? Maybe I'm the one thinking Americans are parochial because they can accept Melbourne as an American city somewhere, but I am the parochial one?) There were scenes at the University of Melbourne, too, mainly the colleges I think. 

Now I remember I also watched a film called E… damn I can’t remember what it was called, begins with E, where there’s some nice, DIY martial arts stuff in a fairly straightforward but satisfying revenge film. Escalation, I think. The film toed the line between being a boy’s film but also slightly feminised in that one of the main police characters (and one of the few goodies) was a woman. Maybe that’s not that weird anymore (I looked it up and the film’s not called Escalation, sorry. Can’t remember but I’m very, very, very, very tired). 

I now also recall that I also watched The Beekeeper. Hilarious. Extraordinary. Incellexcelent. The shooting up of the hives was a bit unnecessary. 

* 1 Sept 2024: Laura pointed out to me that this pub is actually right next door to Moher, in fact, you can see it in the picture above. That's how much I was paying attention (and how much she does). Actually, I think I was confused by its resemblance to a pub somewhere in Carlton I have been to a couple of times - name forgotten - and also by the fact that, in the movie, Russell Crowe doesn't leave the pub and walk ten steps to get home.  

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