Tv blabs, movie blabs, book blabs. Lots of blab, but no flab.

Tuesday, August 24

The Ladykillers

Starring Tom Hanks and written and directed by the Cohen Brothers, I laughed my way right through. I’ll start off buy saying that I’m not a fan of Tom Hanks. I don’t know why or what it is, but he just doesn’t make me want to see his films. Also, I had never previously seen a Cohen Brothers film. None of them appealed to me in the slightest, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, nor Intolerable Cruelty. Again, don’t know why, they just didn’t.

It is a little surprising I went to this film at all. Yet strangely, it appealed. Perhaps it was the combination of actors that intrigued or the look of the trailer. Whatever it was, it got me in the cinema.

Ladykillers has been labelled as a ‘black comedy’. What makes a black comedy? The juxtaposition of morbid and farcical elements to give a disturbing effect (source). Is it because we laugh at people’s misfortune? That encompasses most comedy though. Is it laughing at people’s death and how they are disposed of? Wouldn’t that make ‘Scary Movie’ a black comedy. I didn’t see this film as a black comedy. It is certainly a different humour to, say, Austin Powers, but I wasn't disturbed by the effects.

A simple story told in a simple, yet, visually interesting way. Using the cover of a ‘Renaissance Ensemble’ Tom Hanks’ Professor is mastermind of a casino heist, which is coordinated from the basement of Mrs Munson, an elderly lady who lives a quiet life in a small quiet town.

I loved the introduction of each of the characters. Mrs Munson walking all the way home gave an excellent perspective of the small town feel. The Prof’s entrance in the dark door way couldn’t have set up his character any more ominously. Each character had so much to draw from for comedy. Just thinking of ‘Mountain Water’ makes me laugh still.

Tom Hanks managed to make me forget who he was by a quarter way through. The Prof’s nervous laugh was the perfect character tick, and his scary ‘KFC Colonel’ costume and facial hair topped it off.

I look forward to seeing this film again, if not at the cinema, then it will certainly be added to my DVD collection.

0 viewers interjected with:

Post a Comment

<< Home

eXTReMe Tracker

Powered by Blogger

 

© Casyn 2004 - 2005