#27: Gentlemen, You Can't Fight in Here! This Is the War Room!

(Dr. Strangelove, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb, 1964, Stanley Kubrick)

So... my last post lied. I said in the Very Brief Update that I would resume with a belated Halloween post, but on November 25th it feels a little too belated, so I'll just move on with the comedy. There will actually be a few comedies coming up probably, partly because the next Flashback Feature is a comedy I'm particularly fond of, and partly because I just feel like some comedy. So... get ready for that. And now, on with Dr. Strangelove.

I actually watched Dr. Strangelove while I was still in the midst of studying for my GRE. For those of you who don't know, the GRE is the Graduate Record Examination, and is essentially the SAT for college graduates. The long and short of it is that I needed a certain score to even be considered for the graduate program I'm applying to, and I got above that certain score, so I'm happy. However, I achieved that score by going through lots and lots of flashcards (so many flashcards...) and taking lots and lots of practice tests (so many practice tests...), and after trying to cram 1,000 obscure adjectives into my brain it was nice to take a break and watch a nice movie. Fortunately, Dr. Strangelove had shown up in my mailbox, ready to provide me with just the respite from studying that I needed (respite=GRE vocabulary word).

Dr. Strangelove had a few things going for it from the start. First of all, it was directed by Stanley Kubrick, who is quickly moving up my list of favorite directors. Kubrick was not generally known for his comedy (see: The Shining), but Dr. Strangelove ends up working really well. That leads me to the second thing it had going for it: satire. Satire is one of my favorite comedic tools because, unlike a lot of other types of comedy, it assumes that the audience is somewhat intelligent. I appreciate when my movies assume that I'm intelligent, especially when I'm taking practice tests that are repeatedly telling me that I'm not. Finally, Dr. Strangelove has Peter Sellers, who is without a doubt a comic genius. He plays three roles in the film (originally he was contracted to play four, but he hurt himself, so one was cut), including Dr. Strangelove himself. The only word for his performance (performances?) is brilliant.

So my deck was pretty much stacked in favor of Dr. Strangelove from the get go. I knew there was pretty much no way I couldn't love a black comedy directed by Stanley Kubrick that satirizes war and stars Peter Sellers. There was just no chance. And I did love it. The movie is hilarious, and it even managed to surprise me a little bit. For one thing, I wasn't expecting George C. Scott to be as funny as he was. Scott is known primarily for his portrayal of General George S. Patton in Patton, a role which is decidedly unfunny. However, unbeknownst to me, George C. Scott actually has excellent timing and physical comedy skills. Also a surprise: Peter Sellers' characters that weren't Dr. Strangelove. Sellers as the American president was absolutely hysterical. In fact, the entire portrayal of the American political system is uproariously funny. The way it's satirized almost makes it feel like the film wasn't made in the 1960's, but rather in today's political environment. Particularly amusing was the way that the American president spoke to the Russian premier over the phone. They spoke not as world leaders, but as if they were in a precarious relationship and were each struggling not to tread on the other's toes. It's funny and witty, and still surprisingly relevant 46 years later.

I just... loved this film. Once again I've been reminded why I chose to do this project. I have no idea how long it would have taken me to see Dr. Strangelove if it hadn't been for this undertaking. Unlike Cranes are Flying, I'm sure I sure I would have seen this one eventually, but it definitely would have taken me longer. I'm really glad The List goaded me into watching it now because it was a really enjoyable, humorous film that provided an excellent break from incessant vocabulary practice. It also made me feel smart during a week in which I generally felt like an idiot for not knowing what words like "pulchritude" and "malediction" meant. And, since today is Thanksgiving, I will say that for that reason I am thankful for Dr. Strangelove. I am thankful for any movie that doesn't make me feel like a flaming ignoramus.

Another Very Brief Update

Dear Loyal Readers,

I know there are only about four of you out there (hi, mom! Hi, Aunt Erin!), but I feel I should update you on the reason for my silence recently. I am currently studying for my GRE. I take it on November 17th, at which point I will return to updating. I will resume with a very belated Halloween-related update. Then who knows what will come next. Probably some comedy.

Respectfully,

Ms. Caroline H. Huff

#26: I Feel the Need... The Need for Speed!

(Top Gun, 1986, Tony Scott)

WARNING: Spoilers ahead! (Though if you don't know how Top Gun ends you're probably living in a cave and thus not reading this blog)

One of the movie theaters in Eugene shows what they call "Flashback Features" on Wednesday nights during part of the year. I've always seen the posters and thought about going, but I've never actually made it. This week they were showing Top Gun, and my mom and I decided that we were going to go see it. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances, my mom was unable to attend, so I ended up going with my friend Cameron, which ended up being a lot of fun because we could act like 5th graders during the really weird sex scene.

I really enjoyed Top Gun. It was entertaining, and Tom Cruise in the 80's was very easy on the eyes, and the fighter jet scenes were pretty cool. Tom Cruise is also just really awesome in this movie. For example, when he rode by the fighter jets on his motorcycle, Cameron turned to me and said "of course he rides a motorcycle." Yeah. Because he's a fighter pilot. And he's AWESOME. Also, thanks to my general obsession with pop culture, I already knew most of what was going to happen even though I'd never seen Top Gun in its entirety. So I was mentally and emotionally prepared for Goose dying and Iceman being a tool which probably allowed me to enjoy the film more. So, I liked it, and now everyone can stop having a cow over the fact that I'd never seen Top Gun because now I've seen it and I can move on with my life and this post. Which I will continue by talking about all of the weird things in Top Gun that I didn't really like.

1. The sex scene. I'm not super wild about sex scenes in movies in general. Not that I'm a prude or anything, I just tend to find them awkward and really uncomfortable to watch. Especially when there are other people present. The Top Gun sex scene is made particularly uncomfortable by extended periods of Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis looking deeply into each other eyes, and the fact that you can see their tongues entering each others' mouths. Let me say that again for emphasis. Tongues visibly entering each others' mouths. We all know that when people in movies kiss they use tongue, but I really don't need visual confirmation of that. It's just not necessary. Of course, as mentioned above, I saw this with my friend Cameron, and we spent the entirety of the scene trying to stifle furious laughter. So I guess it worked out just fine.

2. The soundtrack. This is kind of a half-gripe. I actually liked the soundtrack just fine for the most part. "Danger Zone" is super cheesy and is basically the song version of the line "I feel the need... the need for speed." It fits perfectly into the fabric of the film. And Tom Cruise and the rest of the pilots singing "You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling" is cinematic genius. But I borderline hate "Take My Breath Away." Unlike "Danger Zone," it's dramatic and cheesy in a bad way. It almost hurts. And the worst part is that it seems like Top Gun didn't have the budget for an entire soundtrack. Instead they just used "Danger Zone" and "Take My Breath Away" again and again. Which is all well and good if you're using this film as the basis for a drinking game, but kind of annoying when you're soberly watching it in a movie theater and you hate "Take My Breath Away."

3. The weird man-to-man interactions. Jokes get made about the homoeroticism of Top Gun all the time, and it's fairly easy to see why. The volleyball scene alone is pretty intense. And that's fine. They're dudes, they're together all the time, and they're clearly very comfortable with each other. Which is awesome. But do they really need to be having serious conversations when they're all sweaty and half naked in the locker room? And does Iceman really need to be all up in Maverick's face like that? Not really. It just kind of... makes it weird. That's all. Especially considering all the time these guys spend talking about having sex with girls. I would be totally cool with it if there was an openly gay character or two in the film, but there aren't any. There's just an abundance gay innuendo that doesn't really need to be there. However, I do want to say that the relationship between Maverick and Goose is incredible. Tom Cruise and Anthony Edwards did an incredible job of blending brotherly love with true affection. Goose understands Maverick in a way that no one else does, and when Goose dies it obviously affects Maverick in a way that nothing ever has before. Their relationship is strong and believable, and I think some of the other relationships in the film (like the one between Iceman and Slider) would have been better if they'd been developed a little bit more. Seriously, though. I'm not against gay characters in film (you should hear me talk about how much I love The Birdcage), it just bugs me that I can't tell if Top Gun is trying to be homoerotic, or if it just kind of happened because there are a lot of partially clothed men saying vaguely sexual things to each other.

So that's it. Now I've seen Top Gun. On a lot of levels I really enjoyed it. Mostly because Tom Cruise was young and attractive and slightly imperfect (those crooked teeth honestly just make him more adorable), and because I enjoyed seeing people like Meg Ryan and Tim Robbins in early roles. Also, fighter jets are cool. The things I listed above kind of bug me, but not enough to make me dislike the movie. They ultimately just gave me something to talk about in this blog. Of course, the other thing that bugs me is that Goose dies. But who knows? Maybe next time Goose won't die.

I just want to add down here that it was mentioned at this screening that if attendance doesn't go up there will likely not be Flashback Features next year. Next Wednesday they are showing Monty Python and the Holy Grail. They show an "old" film every Wednesday at the VRC Regal Cinemas. Tickets are only five dollars. Go see one.