Post by klep on Oct 8, 2018 6:51:14 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 10/8: The Fly (1986)
REMAKE WEEK!
At the beginning of David Cronenberg's The Fly, Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis) meets and falls for Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) some time after breaking up with her controlling, jealous stalker of an ex (and boss) Stathis Borans (John Getz). Seth seems to be nice, if a little oblivious. Confident, but not arrogant. Respectful of Veronica's boundaries, and not the type to, say, enter her apartment with the key he hasn't given back yet to take a shower.
But that changes. By the end of the film Seth is more possessive than Stathis ever was, and even more likely to lash out violently. He kidnaps Veronica and intends to fuse with her the way he did with the fly. Seth would have us believe that's the insect coming out in him from his failed experiment - that the fly's nature tends towards sociopathy and that's a change being expressed in him.
But the signs were already there. The accident that fuses Seth with the fly is the result of jealousy and insecurity - he doesn't trust Veronica, and assumes that she's scamming him or cheating on him. And even in the opening scene, he conveniently forgets she's a journalist looking for a story. Was it honest obliviousness, or was he trying to consciously deceive her about his intentions?
Through it all Veronica remains a force. She never lets go of her agency, never loses sight of her own value, and never accepts the bad behavior of the men around her. She insists on reporting on Seth's discovery despite his lame protests he didn't know she was looking for a story. She vocally rejects Stathis' repeated disgusting come-ons. She leaves Seth when he starts becoming abusive, even as she still cares for him and wants to help him. And when the idea of being pregnant with Seth's child is unbearable, she makes her own decision to abort and won't let anyone dissuade her.
We're intended to feel sympathy with Seth - his horrible transformation and his loss of humanity. Indeed a number of changes to the film were made with that in mind - most notably the infamous monkey-cat scene. But perhaps in the politics of the moment I just can't help but view the film through Veronica's eyes. The way she's surrounded by men who try to control and direct her actions and emotions. At least on this viewing I felt the true horror of The Fly wasn't the way Seth turned from a nice guy into a monster, it was confronting the idea that maybe he wasn't really that nice of a guy all along.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 10/15: 2001: A Space Odyssey
SPACE WEEK!
There are many reasons to explore space - resources, species preservation, to discover whether or not we are alone - but one of them is the quest for awe. There's a big part of us that just wants to be dumbstruck by what we find, by the wisdom we acquire. Few films capture that impulse as well as Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. Join us next week for our discussion of his masterwork of science fiction, available for rent on Amazon Video (though it is not free for Prime members).
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 10/9: Fahrenheit 11/9
Michael Moore's latest picture returns to Flint, Michigan as part of a narrative about what went wrong in 2016 that we elected a narcissistic orange ragemonster to run the country. Join us Wednesday for our discussion of this film, still in theaters.
REMAKE WEEK!
At the beginning of David Cronenberg's The Fly, Veronica Quaife (Geena Davis) meets and falls for Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) some time after breaking up with her controlling, jealous stalker of an ex (and boss) Stathis Borans (John Getz). Seth seems to be nice, if a little oblivious. Confident, but not arrogant. Respectful of Veronica's boundaries, and not the type to, say, enter her apartment with the key he hasn't given back yet to take a shower.
But that changes. By the end of the film Seth is more possessive than Stathis ever was, and even more likely to lash out violently. He kidnaps Veronica and intends to fuse with her the way he did with the fly. Seth would have us believe that's the insect coming out in him from his failed experiment - that the fly's nature tends towards sociopathy and that's a change being expressed in him.
But the signs were already there. The accident that fuses Seth with the fly is the result of jealousy and insecurity - he doesn't trust Veronica, and assumes that she's scamming him or cheating on him. And even in the opening scene, he conveniently forgets she's a journalist looking for a story. Was it honest obliviousness, or was he trying to consciously deceive her about his intentions?
Through it all Veronica remains a force. She never lets go of her agency, never loses sight of her own value, and never accepts the bad behavior of the men around her. She insists on reporting on Seth's discovery despite his lame protests he didn't know she was looking for a story. She vocally rejects Stathis' repeated disgusting come-ons. She leaves Seth when he starts becoming abusive, even as she still cares for him and wants to help him. And when the idea of being pregnant with Seth's child is unbearable, she makes her own decision to abort and won't let anyone dissuade her.
We're intended to feel sympathy with Seth - his horrible transformation and his loss of humanity. Indeed a number of changes to the film were made with that in mind - most notably the infamous monkey-cat scene. But perhaps in the politics of the moment I just can't help but view the film through Veronica's eyes. The way she's surrounded by men who try to control and direct her actions and emotions. At least on this viewing I felt the true horror of The Fly wasn't the way Seth turned from a nice guy into a monster, it was confronting the idea that maybe he wasn't really that nice of a guy all along.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 10/15: 2001: A Space Odyssey
SPACE WEEK!
There are many reasons to explore space - resources, species preservation, to discover whether or not we are alone - but one of them is the quest for awe. There's a big part of us that just wants to be dumbstruck by what we find, by the wisdom we acquire. Few films capture that impulse as well as Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. Join us next week for our discussion of his masterwork of science fiction, available for rent on Amazon Video (though it is not free for Prime members).
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 10/9: Fahrenheit 11/9
Michael Moore's latest picture returns to Flint, Michigan as part of a narrative about what went wrong in 2016 that we elected a narcissistic orange ragemonster to run the country. Join us Wednesday for our discussion of this film, still in theaters.