Post by klep on Dec 7, 2015 7:39:03 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 12/07: Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
FIRST WEEK OF THE HOLIDAYS
The great thing about Christmas, as far as storytellers are concerned, is that it is such a ubiquitous holiday - with its messages both sincere and cynical so widely understood that all you have to do is include a few of its trappings in your story and it immediately creates a canvass of emotional resonance on which you can paint. Shane Black understands this as well as anyone, and he frequently uses the holiday as a sort of ironic backdrop to the proceedings in his films - getting humor from the contrast between the warmth of the holiday and the often misanthropic action in his script.
So it is with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, a neo-noir detective story starring Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, and Michelle Monaghan. In addition to his use of the Christmas season, Black also creates a level of meta-humor by having Downey's character Harry serve as a self-aware narrator wryly commenting on the action (Downey was born to deliver Black's dialog). The film also features numerous moments when characters make references to what happens "in stories like these" which serve to lampshade the direction of the plot and the tropes being employed. In other words, it's a difficult film to ruin with spoilers because the film is doing its damndest to make you see where it's going anyway.
But beyond just adding to the humor of the film, Christmas also serves to provide it with some much-needed heart. These characters are a bitter, cynical group who've all been burned by life in one way or another, but Harry and Harmony (Monaghan) at least are looking for something better. While Black doesn't do anything so obvious as directly include speeches about "the meaning of Christmas" or anything so trite, just its presence reminds the viewer of the more wholesome values just around the corner.
Undoubtedly we'll be covering other films this month which use Christmas in a similar manner, so I don't want to belabor the idea too much here. Instead, what films manage to do this poorly? What do they do wrong?
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 12/14: The Apartment
SECOND WEEK OF THE HOLIDAYS
Billy Wilder joins the club of directors with 2 Movies of the Week as we tackle this Best Picture-winning comedy starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. We'll also take a day this week to discuss the next Next Picture Show podcast Movie of the Past: Toy Story!
FIRST WEEK OF THE HOLIDAYS
The great thing about Christmas, as far as storytellers are concerned, is that it is such a ubiquitous holiday - with its messages both sincere and cynical so widely understood that all you have to do is include a few of its trappings in your story and it immediately creates a canvass of emotional resonance on which you can paint. Shane Black understands this as well as anyone, and he frequently uses the holiday as a sort of ironic backdrop to the proceedings in his films - getting humor from the contrast between the warmth of the holiday and the often misanthropic action in his script.
So it is with Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, a neo-noir detective story starring Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer, and Michelle Monaghan. In addition to his use of the Christmas season, Black also creates a level of meta-humor by having Downey's character Harry serve as a self-aware narrator wryly commenting on the action (Downey was born to deliver Black's dialog). The film also features numerous moments when characters make references to what happens "in stories like these" which serve to lampshade the direction of the plot and the tropes being employed. In other words, it's a difficult film to ruin with spoilers because the film is doing its damndest to make you see where it's going anyway.
But beyond just adding to the humor of the film, Christmas also serves to provide it with some much-needed heart. These characters are a bitter, cynical group who've all been burned by life in one way or another, but Harry and Harmony (Monaghan) at least are looking for something better. While Black doesn't do anything so obvious as directly include speeches about "the meaning of Christmas" or anything so trite, just its presence reminds the viewer of the more wholesome values just around the corner.
Undoubtedly we'll be covering other films this month which use Christmas in a similar manner, so I don't want to belabor the idea too much here. Instead, what films manage to do this poorly? What do they do wrong?
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 12/14: The Apartment
SECOND WEEK OF THE HOLIDAYS
Billy Wilder joins the club of directors with 2 Movies of the Week as we tackle this Best Picture-winning comedy starring Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine. We'll also take a day this week to discuss the next Next Picture Show podcast Movie of the Past: Toy Story!