On Sunday I had the pleasure of seeing two films at the Melbourne International Film Festival or MIFF for short. It’s a great festival and in terms of volume and sheer variety of films on offer nothing beats in this country. It’s one of those winter institutions that every year you find yourself on a weekend afternoon in the city lining up to see something you pray to God/Buddha is worth lining up for.
The first film was one that I’ve been trying to see for a while now, entitled “Waking Sleeping Beauty.” Essentially this film was a documentary chronicling the rise of Disney’s animation department from the mid 80’s to mid 90’s. On the brink of closure it provides us with a insight into how a few guys including Roy Disney, turned the fledgling studio around in a matter of years to become something of a annual phenomenon. Now during this film I had a chance to look around the audience and to my surprise and pleasure I noticed that most if not all the people seated were late Gen Y’s or Gen X’s. This was the stuff we grew up on, Aladdin, Lion King, Beauty & the Beast, Little Mermaid, Toy Story.
Noticeably there was a collective point in the film when the lyricist for the Little Mermaid; the late Howard Ashman talks us through the first beats and notes of “Under the Sea” I could of sworn that everyone in the audience was smiling as those first few chimes rang in as he described the procession of characters. “First we have Sebastian and he’s conducting, then we bring in the clams and the sea horses, and then we begin the singing.” Literally in that moment I and everyone else in that room was 10 again.
Go on I dare you, listen to the first few bars and not get nostalgic.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzrIBut8Fo8
It was great to see how a group of rag tags guys and a few suits worked together to create some of the most precious memories of our childhood. But enough of that before I start building a time machine in search of better times. Although I will say at one stage I had watched Aladdin so many times that I could recite the entire movie from beginning to end that includes, songs, dialogue and music. Other notables included crazy facts such as the animators choosing to work on Pocahontas instead of the Lion King thinking the Lion King was going to be the flop of the two. Plus a Beauty and the Beast short film, which was the original before the director got kicked off sending team Disney to the start again, realizing the first incarnation was too serious.
All in all a great doco that really lifted the lid, and what added to the enjoyment was the minimal, yes I say MINIMAL participation of the audience. The most you got from us in that film was a smile and that’s how it should be.
So after this it’s about four in the arvo, I go for a walk around the city with my mate before heading to the next screening with another bunch of friends.
This experience would turn out to be one of the most annoying I’ve had in a while.
So the film in question here was none other than “Scott Pilgrim versus the World” Now the first indicator that this was going to be a long night was when we rocked up to the cinema and saw what was no less than a snaking 300 meter line. This line essentially came out from the cinema, down an alleyway up along the other wall of the alleyway and then down the street. Luckily my friends had special passes, which sent them to the front of the queue and which allowed them to save me a seat. Could not imagine watching that film from the front row. So at the back of this line I stand and wait and listen to the myriad of conversations that are only on offer during the festival, one guy loudly talking about the greatness of Danish Cinema whilst another guy wearing a “Vote 1 Sex Party” t – shirt and doing his best to indoctrinate an uninterested girl.
After about an hour the line moves and we find ourselves relinquishing our phones seeing as this is a very premature screening of the film and they don’t want anything inside that can act as a recording device. Well after finding my mates I take my seat and almost immediately the film starts. I’ll warn you now that the next few paragraphs have nothing to do with the film itself, if you want a review –
“It was a good film, not unbelievable but I did enjoy it and found the combination of both film and video game quite outstanding, add to that the subtle video game soundtrack references, such as the Zelda fairy theme and I was relatively impressed for the most part. Evans and Routh were also cool guys.”
Okay simply put what ruined this film for me, in every sense of the word was one thing – FANBOYS! Now I had only experienced this very lightly in the past when I went and saw “Fantastic Mr Fox” at the Nova earlier this year. What I experienced then I experienced on Sunday but ten fold, no twenty fold, no thirty fold!
Laughing! F- ing laughing at everything!
Now I love going to a comedy and laughing myself stupid, seriously one of the best experiences I’ve had this year was “Hot Tub Time Machine.” I could not get enough of that film, dead set just an awesome experience to be watching that with my mates and laughing to the point of tears. Especially when Rob Corddry is banging the girl and giving a running commentary at the same time. But this experience is something entirely different, now maybe I’m new to it but my friend has experienced too. He calls it the “Indie Cinema” effect, claiming that people laugh at unfunny moments to prove how “Indie” they are.
Well ladies and gentlemen who probably don’t read this blog “Scott Pilgrim” had this in spades. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy it, it was that I didn’t know when to enjoy it. Nearly every moment was a laugh riot according to these indie/fanboys. Now the Greater Union cinema holds 750 people, it’s big and that means big fanboy laughs. There were times when the laughter was so forced it was almost embarrassing, and it agitated me because I was looking at the screen and basically reciting Ralph Wiggum “He’s funny but not ha ha funny.” To me it kills the experience because I sit there thinking I don’t get it because I’m not splitting my sides. Look I’ll laugh when laughter is due, but there were points in the movie in which I was just sitting there thinking “What the F&*$!”
Again like that Simpsons episode where Homer becomes smart and goes to see a movie. Yet he’s the only one in the cinema not laughing at the joke and then gets kicked out because of it. I think it’s Selma who says “Wait, somebody isn’t laughing!” Truth be told I was waiting for that moment where some fanboy busting out of his Cowboy Bebop t –shirt would rock up and tell me that I wasn’t laughing hard enough. Personally I think this does two things, it cheapens the effect of the film giving it this stigma that it’s really not that good. Secondly, and this relates to the first one, the Fanboys look and sound like salesmen laughing at every innocuous moment as if trying to say “See it is a funny film, see I am laughing, it’s gotta be good because it’s just so non stop hilarious.”
Unfortunately this makes me hate a film more, almost confiding in me in some way that it can’t stand on it’s own merits and needs fanboys to prove that it’s worth a viewing. Maybe the director knows this?
But now what makes matters worse is that this sickness, has permeated into the indie movie scene. And their idea behind the forced laughter is this.
“What you’re not laughing at that moment? Well then you’re not indie enough and I’ve just totally out indied you! Man if you don’t find that moment funny why are you even at the cinemas? Only someone as truly indie as me can find that moment funny, go back to watching Hollywood Blockbusters like Terminator dude. – Don’t forget the popcorn loser!”
This is the non verbal but easily decipherable message being sent to all of us who just go to the cinema to enjoy a movie or at least hope to. Bare in mind that above quote was probably said during the end credits which white Arial font drifted over a black screen.
So that’s it for another entry, I’m still waiting on a comment, you the guy who reads this every week but is afraid to comment because you don’t want to look like the only guy who reads this every week, I dare you!
I dare you to comment on my blog!
I can't believe I ate the whole thing. 