Ung flukt. Edith Carlmar. 1959. ⚄

Ironically, I had to get this Norwegian film from a bootlegger in the US. (It’s like a Norweeeegian fiiilm that you have to get from a Yoouuuuu-Essss booootlegger, as the song goes. Don’t you think?)

Here’s the bootlegger if you want to get a copy. It’s a nice DVD-R in a nicely designed cover:

[half an hour passes]

The Norwegian name means “Young Escape”, which is less of a… judgemental? name than the English one.

Carlmar directed a series of hugely (commercially) successful movies in the 50, and this was her last one. Most of the other ones were lighthearted comedies, some of which are still shown regularly on TV around Xmas time.

[the end]

That’s such… it’s such an original movie. I love Ullmann’s performance (and the others are pretty good, too — the standout is perhaps Rolf Søder as the… scoundrel?), and while the cinematography is uneven, there’s some really gorgeous shots here.

But it’s the plot that just makes you go wow, and the way they frame the Ullmann’s character’s … actions … in a non-judgemental way.

It’s a lovely, interesting movie. The scenes of a youthful getaway paradise… in the mountains… are just so much fun. The way the disturbing new character is introduced is brilliant. And I totally didn’t think they were going to stake the ending, but they did.

(Oh, and the 50s interiors: So much fun.)

Near Dark. Kathryn Bigelow. 1987. ⚄

[forty minutes pass]

Man, Tangerine Dream sure did make a lot of music for this movie… Mostly just a synth that goes “wmhaaaaaaa… aaaaa…. aaaang”.

[the end]

Well!

Normally during these movies, I’m like typing away, but I was just absolutely captivated by this movie… in addition to not having a lot to say, because it’s just such an odd movie. It’s like nothing else: The sheer delight the movie takes in following these sociopaths is just stunning, and the plot just doesn’t go where you think it would… and then it does!

I love the performances from… well… everybody except the protagonist. Bill Paxton is having the time of his life, and Lance Henriksen is more stoic than you’d think possible, and Jenny Wright is totally perfect as the ingenue.

It’s just so much more fun than a movie like this has any reason to be.

Now, I’ve seen all of Bigelow’s movies before (well, until she started making Serious Movies), but the credits on this movie reminded me that it’s written by Eric Red… and didn’t he direct some movies that were supposed to be good, too? I think I’ll buy a couple of them..

Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Amy Heckerling. 1982. ⚃

[forty minutes pass]

I… may have seen this movies back in the 80s? I mean, I pretty much watch anything that was available when I was a teenager, and you’d think this would be? But I have absolutely no recollection of seeing this movie.

And it’s not what I expected. I thought this was going to be like a John Hughes movie, but it’s a lot more like a … low-budget American indie movie: There’s so much awkward stuff going on here. Some of it is definitely on purpose, but much of it seems unintentional. I mean, just by having actors that are really bad.

But Sean Penn is awesome, dude.

[twenty minutes pass]

The further along this movie goes, the more I’m getting into it. It’s just really … amiable. There’s so many fun, inconsequential scenes — if the movie had been made 30 years later, it would all have been “cringe humour”, but it’s not: It’s just fun and silly.

[the end]

Well, that’s such a weird ending.

I wonder whether Heckerling had to fight for every single scene in here, because it seems like none of these scenes should be allowed to be in a movie like this.

It’s so much fun, and everything about it is surprising.

But what does Rogert Eber think?

(One star.)

Tee hee.

I’m watching the DVD extras now… and Heckerling hired Judge Reinhold (who was way too old for the role and much older than the other actors) because, as she said, she just couldn’t find anybody else for the role. (Reinhold was the boyfriend of Heckerling’s best friend and next door neighbour.) The person originally thought of for that role was… Nick Cage (or Coppola, as he was back then).

Oh my god.

That would have been so much better! That would have been awesome! Because Reinhold sticks out like a bloody, pustulating thumb.

(The reason Heckerling gives for not hiring him was that he was 17, so he couldn’t work as long days because, you know, child labour.)

Oh oh, right. The reason the movie seems so … out of time is that it isn’t an 80s movie at all. Heckerling says that all the things in the movie didn’t seem like such a big deal to her, but that a new… era was coming, and that’s totally right. It got an “R” rating (and almost got an “X”) because it’s out of step with time.

It’s the last 70’s teenage movie.