Post by klep on Sept 12, 2016 6:47:33 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 9/12: After Hours
Humans didn't always sleep through the night. For a long time we would sleep in two stretches of 4 or so hours each, with several hours in between. Those midnight hours would be used for any number of things, from sex to chores to going out and finding a party. It was a strange time, when strange things could happen. It's only relatively recently - in the past couple hundred years - that we've switched back to sleeping 8 hours at a time, but the strangeness of those late hours has stayed with us.
Martin Scorsese decided to explore that time with After Hours, and what better place to do it than New York City. If the night wasn't already strange enough, New York City only adds infinite depth to the possibilities.
When Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) meets Marcy (Rosanna Arquette), it's already late. She hints at the weirdness to come with her tale of bagel & cream cheese paperweights, but so far that's just garden variety New York. Even when he gets a cabbie who drives way too fast, nothing is too amiss. It's only after midnight that things start going truly odd.
Paul proceeds to stumble his way through a nightmare of strangeness, with each new incident adding new layers of confusion and exasperation to his ordeal. He's faced with unsettling art, unexpected nudity, forced haircuts, witch hunts, and much more. So much of it lands on his head that when he witnesses an actual murder he can only remark to himself "They'll probably blame that on me too."
Scorsese accentuates the sheer unbelievability of everything that goes on with a number of inspired shots. Keys fall in near-silence. A woman has mousetraps arrayed carefully around her bed. A Ziggy Stardust-looking person hands Paul a flyer in a diner. Scorsese knows that the night is strange, but he also knows how to push it. Because he doesn't want us to just see the oddity of New York City's night life, he wants us to feel it as well.
So in honor of what Scorsese wanted to convey, and in addition to general discussion of the film itself, what is your most memorable late night/early morning experience?
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 9/19: The Duke Of Burgundy
Next week we'll be looking at Peter Strickland's superb erotic lesbian lepidopterist drama. Full of beautiful shots, a great score, and two terrific lead performances this film will get into your head. The Duke of Burgundy is available on Netflix Instant and for rent on Amazon Instant Video, though it is not free for Prime members.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 9/8: Kubo and the Two Strings
Laika's latest animated effort is the film being paired with The Dark Crystal, for the attention paid to its craft. Join us Wednesday as we discuss this beautiful film. If you're very lucky, Kubo is still in theaters.
Humans didn't always sleep through the night. For a long time we would sleep in two stretches of 4 or so hours each, with several hours in between. Those midnight hours would be used for any number of things, from sex to chores to going out and finding a party. It was a strange time, when strange things could happen. It's only relatively recently - in the past couple hundred years - that we've switched back to sleeping 8 hours at a time, but the strangeness of those late hours has stayed with us.
Martin Scorsese decided to explore that time with After Hours, and what better place to do it than New York City. If the night wasn't already strange enough, New York City only adds infinite depth to the possibilities.
When Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) meets Marcy (Rosanna Arquette), it's already late. She hints at the weirdness to come with her tale of bagel & cream cheese paperweights, but so far that's just garden variety New York. Even when he gets a cabbie who drives way too fast, nothing is too amiss. It's only after midnight that things start going truly odd.
Paul proceeds to stumble his way through a nightmare of strangeness, with each new incident adding new layers of confusion and exasperation to his ordeal. He's faced with unsettling art, unexpected nudity, forced haircuts, witch hunts, and much more. So much of it lands on his head that when he witnesses an actual murder he can only remark to himself "They'll probably blame that on me too."
Scorsese accentuates the sheer unbelievability of everything that goes on with a number of inspired shots. Keys fall in near-silence. A woman has mousetraps arrayed carefully around her bed. A Ziggy Stardust-looking person hands Paul a flyer in a diner. Scorsese knows that the night is strange, but he also knows how to push it. Because he doesn't want us to just see the oddity of New York City's night life, he wants us to feel it as well.
So in honor of what Scorsese wanted to convey, and in addition to general discussion of the film itself, what is your most memorable late night/early morning experience?
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 9/19: The Duke Of Burgundy
Next week we'll be looking at Peter Strickland's superb erotic lesbian lepidopterist drama. Full of beautiful shots, a great score, and two terrific lead performances this film will get into your head. The Duke of Burgundy is available on Netflix Instant and for rent on Amazon Instant Video, though it is not free for Prime members.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 9/8: Kubo and the Two Strings
Laika's latest animated effort is the film being paired with The Dark Crystal, for the attention paid to its craft. Join us Wednesday as we discuss this beautiful film. If you're very lucky, Kubo is still in theaters.