It seems to be weird movie week here at eclexys. In a fit of curiosity, I watched al three Harry Potter movies, which I guess aren’t exactly weird but it’s weird that I, who had no interest in them before, watched them all in such quick succession. I found them alright, but I am still wondering how it is that the Potter movies and books became such a phenomenon. My neighbour Heather assures me that it’s the quality of the books, and has vowed to get a copy of the first novel into my hands so I can see for myself.
But far weirder movies have graced my PC’s screen. Earlier this week it was Terry Gilliam’s Brazil, and today it was Withnail & I. That’s right, the download that had sat in my hard drive, incomplete since before I left for Canada, finished the other night and I vowed to watch Withnail from start to finish today.
I’m tempted to just say that anything I say will not do thsi massively-beloved B rit cult film justice. I had a look around at a bunch of fan sites today and I think it’s likely, from how universally bad a job they all did of relating the plot, that the film is kind of not really abut the plot, in the way that so many great movies are.
It’s just kind of a short trip into the end of a friendship based on malnutrition, drugs, poverty, and drinking. It’s got tons of wonderful one-liners (which I’ve downloaded and may plaster into this page at some point) and tons of drug-, potty-, and gay-humor. Or, rather, British-anxiety-about-gays humor. It’s well-crafted and reminds me of other British films I’ve enjoyed very much, like Naked (which, despite the title, is about psychological nakedness and not the physical kind) and… well, the mind draws a blank at the moment.
Anyway, for a great resource on Withnail & I, go here. And I do highly recommend the movie, if you can get your hands on it.