PEDANTIALAND

The Favorite Movie - Icebreaker Elevator Pitch

By Lionina - 11:59 AM

The Long Versions

Playtime
Playtime is a late work of French director, Jaques Tati, who is known for playing the beloved character of Monsieur Hulot. The film is a situational comedy filled with clever sight gags and Tati channels Chaplin albeit with less mischievousness and more clumsiness.

Each scene is presented as a discrete theme - the fascist banality of the corporate office, the common man in his home, the freewheeling chaos of a dinner club - linked together by Hulot's attempt to make sense of them. We follow Hulot as he wanders around the city encountering, and baffled by, lamps and serving platters.

Modern architecture becomes a resonant character, signifying a wide scope of social mores and attitudes. Underneath the impersonal clockwork of modernity, is a melancholy sentiment of people trying to make connections in a world that is a bit overwhelming and nonsensical. As a depiction of the urban environment, the film muses on the emotional space available for daily life.

The complexity of the direction is amazing on a technical level - composed a bit like an old Hollywood musical - where all the disparate pieces vector in all directions with an energetic synchronicity. There is very little plot or dialogue in the movie, so the spectacular imagery works as a kind of ballet, interjected with light handed commentaries from moment to moment, full of meaning. Each small interaction is a gift. And the film asks you to observe. In that way, Playtime is an arty movie, but instead of being dour, gritty, ugly and inexplicable, it is funny, joyful, and celebratory and universal.

Dune
Originally a science fiction novel by Frank Herbert, the film Dune was directed by David Lynch - he of the weird and grotesque. The narrative revolves around Spice, a substance which extends life, enables space travel, and gives supernatural powers to the humans that consume it. The Spice drives and enables the political, economical, and cultural existence of intergalactic systems. Unfortunately it can only be harvested on one planet, and "he who holds controls the spice, controls the universe." Alliances are made and broken in an effort the gain control of the Spice. But proclaimed messiah, Leto Atreides (who can see the future) upsets the natural order of business.

Herbert was interested in fundamental issues of ecological balance, investigates resource scarcity, and proposes a thought experiment by which he examines human evolution. The premise is complicated and admittedly difficult to represent visually. Plus, there a lot of hidden variables at cross purposes in the novel, a la Game of Thrones. Lynch makes parsing them even more difficult than need be with unnecessary bravura and a loose hand where fidelity is concerned. The depiction of each political faction is perplexing. The translation of superhuman powers from book to film is non-existent. However, each "alien" culture is contextually well- defined, with the Harkonnen are particularly salacious. The production is rich, with baroque flourishes that are a visual, textural pleasure - hinting at Geiger's creatures and the aesthetics of steampunk. Unlike Playtime, the grandeur of the spectacle is rather empty, but, nevertheless, deeply satisfying. The obtuse nature of the film, from the mystical to epic, signals a cult classic and by it's own logic, is utterly unforgettable.

Short Versions

Playtime
A situational comedy where the main character, Chaplinesque, explores the "modern" city. If you are OK sitting back and observing, then you will find the film funny and joyful. If you don't mind very little dialogue or plot, then the imagery will tell its own story.

Dune
A science fiction cult classic where a guy takes drugs, can see the future, and rides a giant worm. Sting is in it. He's one of the bad guys.