I Do More Than Just Sit Around Watching Movies…
although watching movies seems to be all I’m doing these days.
Thankfully most of them have been good and therefore not a complete waste of time. One of these was a film I wouldn’t have watched except that it had been requested from the library and arrived in my holds: The Darjeeling Limited. I have liked Wes Anderson’s other films, though I’d heard unfavourable reviews about this one and the trailer hadn’t piqued my interest enough to want to view it. But..the DVD was sitting by the TV and I’d already watched the other library hold I’d picked up (the Darger doc).
I was truly pleasantly surprised. Dysfunctional family dynamics as only Anderson can present them, steeped in black humour with a twist of bittersweet epiphanical happiness.
In my opinion the best part of the film is the preceding short titled “Hotel Chevalier: Part I of The Darjeeling Limited”, starring Jason Schwartzman and Natalie Portman. The deadpan dialogue is kinda Mamet-esque with shiny bits like:
| Her: If we fuck I’m going to feel like shit tomorrow. | |
| Him: [pause] That’s OK with me. | |
The dialogue in Part I ties in to the ending in the full feature Part II – satisfyingly cyclical.
Sometimes it is good to have your expectations shattered.
