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think positive 
Side By Side
Joined: 30 Jun 2005
Location: somewhere
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The new griswald movie 'vacation' is out shortly, fancy a trip to the movies David?!
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You cant fix stupid, turns out you cant quarantine it either! |
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Dangles
Balmey Army
Joined: 14 May 2015
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| After my series of fender benders in the past two days I needed a day off work just to steady the ship, so I went and checked out The Gift which opened today. It''s a fairly generic story about how the past catches up with a guy who was an asshole in his teens. All in all it was entertaining enough for a mainstream revenge flick. |
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David
I dare you to try
Joined: 27 Jul 2003
Location: Andromeda
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| think positive wrote: | | The new griswald movie 'vacation' is out shortly, fancy a trip to the movies David?! |
Lol! I think I'll pass, thanks - never really found that series all that funny. I tend to prefer British comedy. 
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Wokko 
Come and take it.
Joined: 04 Oct 2005
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| think positive wrote: |
Starship troopers. I never understood why it copped it so bad, I still love it!! |
One of my favourites as well, apparently the book is really good too. It's a pretty deep story and has a lot of social commentary. The more serious themes are glossed over a bit in the movie, but they're still there if you look. |
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David
I dare you to try
Joined: 27 Jul 2003
Location: Andromeda
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It's supposed to be a parable about fascism, isn't it?
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Wokko
Come and take it.
Joined: 04 Oct 2005
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A critique on democracy and social responsibility. In the ST world only people who have completed military service are allowed to vote or hold public office for example, however civilians aren't discriminated against in other ways, nor is military service anything other than voluntary.
You could say that it's a parable in SUPPORT of a kind of fascism, but one built on voluntary service to humanity and meritocracy rather than blind faith in a dictator. |
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Dangles
Balmey Army
Joined: 14 May 2015
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| Not a bad idea. I wouldn't mind some sort of criteria for people to vote and hold public office. But completing military service wouldn't be it. |
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David
I dare you to try
Joined: 27 Jul 2003
Location: Andromeda
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If you're interested, here's an interview with the director, Paul Verhoeven – it seems he intended the film as political satire.
http://www.industrycentral.net/director_interviews/PV01.HTM
| Paul Verhoeven wrote: | In Starship Troopers, you depict a fascist state. Obviously you are evoking Nazism with the gray and black shades of the uniforms.
Right, right.
It's rather chilling, isn't it, the militaristic nature of this society, the brutality? And the young characters remind you of Hitler Youth, don't they?
A little bit, yeah. Although the Mobile Infantry [to which most of the central characters belong] is more normal, I think. It's more in other categories--like in Carl's [Neil Patrick Harris's] category, military intelligence--where you feel that there is this fascist streak. The Mobile Infantry's costumes are more normal, they don't have that design at all. But certainly the film is saying, "Every militaristic society has the possibility to grow into a fascistic one, if they take over too much." Because the military is authoritarian, and an authoritarian attitude is measured highly on the fascist scale.
Normally with a Hollywood film the audience wants to root for the young heroes. Here it's disturbing because they're part of a fascist war machine and it creates a strange feeling in the audience. How much of that did you intend as satirical?
I tried to indicate that without making it into the essence of the movie. Because I think the essence of the movie is really young kids fighting giant bugs. And of course, [the fascist nature of the society] was indicated in Heinlein's book even more than we did it. On the other hand, I think a lot of elements in the film put question marks around that. That was my intention. Young kids starting at three already using guns--is that really what you want?
The fascist society you portray also has some good aspects--racial mixing and the equality of men and women--which seems odd because in a fascist state you'd think they would be discriminating against people of color or against women.
Yeah, that's the interesting, disturbing thing. It's also a little bit looking at the fascist possibility even of American society. Because it's saying, "Under the surface there is always this possibility that you would get to a much more and more puritan state. Yes, you might abolish crime and, yes, you might get rid of all these things, but then are you aware how that can be achieved?" It doesn't interfere with the story, because I think the story is more about people that are really caring about each other. I don't think any of the characters, with the exception of Carl, express themselves in any fascistic way. They only believe in the citizenship [status awarded to warriors]. But they are supportive to each other; they are warm to each other; they sacrifice themselves for others. Our focus group in the movie is much more what you would call human, and not really, in my opinion, fascistic. That's the interesting thing--these [aspects] are correlated. And basically that's what I think about big societies like the American society. Look at the McCarthy period; that's a kind of a fascistic statement that was put forward, isn't it?
Sure, and we're in another very conservative period now.
That's what I mean. Some people might applaud that somebody [in the film] is caught in the morning and judged in the afternoon and killed in the evening. But I think what Starship Troopers tries to do, perhaps a little too clearly in a couple of cases with the uniforms, it's saying, "Are you aware that this is also a little bit happening in your own society? And perhaps in a way that's not so obvious to you."
Even though the movie is R-rated, you know a lot of young kids are going to see it. Adolescents and teenagers will love this picture. Do you think they'll get the point about fascism?
No, not at all. I saw it in Sacramento with a very normal audience, and also in Granada Hills [California]. I feel that the most [young viewers] see is the kids with the guns. They all got the message; they all start laughing. They realize we're saying, "Everybody has a gun in this country." I think they all see the irony.
You don't think they will misinterpret it and think the young troopers are cool?
No, I didn't get that feeling at all. The exaggeration in the style goes so over the top, they realize we were, not spoofing, but looking at a hyperbole of reality. When I saw them getting excited in the movie, it was never about that. They got excited when Johnny [Casper Van Dien] was jumping on the Tanker Bug and blowing it to pieces. And when the bugs were attacking and the troops were holding the fortress. That's where I saw them really getting excited. That's where they participated. So I don't have the feeling that they would see it as a stimulation of fascistic feelings. |
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Last edited by David on Thu Aug 27, 2015 10:49 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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Dave The Man 
Joined: 01 Apr 2005
Location: Someville, Victoria, Australia
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The Mighty Ducks Trilogy
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Wokko
Come and take it.
Joined: 04 Oct 2005
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Indeed he did, completely disrespected the source material. I have no problem with someone making a satire, but using the name of someone's work and so thoroughly disrespecting it isn't cool at all. Don't get me wrong, I still like the movie, but it took a serious political/military Science Fiction book and intellectually raped it. Waited until the author was dead at least. |
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David
I dare you to try
Joined: 27 Jul 2003
Location: Andromeda
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Does that radically change your interpretation of the film? Or do you think directorial intent only plays a small part in how a given movie can be appreciated?
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All watched over by machines of loving grace |
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Wokko
Come and take it.
Joined: 04 Oct 2005
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| David wrote: | | Does that radically change your interpretation of the film? Or do you think directorial intent only plays a small part in how a given movie can be appreciated? |
I look at the film as pulp sci fi fun and ignore whatever crap Verhoeven was trying to pull. Funnily enough people thought he was a fascist after making the parody 
I think this goes to the heart of the question 'who owns a work of art', is it the person viewing or reading who can interpret something any way they like or should the intention of the artist be respected. I've never had an adequate answer for that. |
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David
I dare you to try
Joined: 27 Jul 2003
Location: Andromeda
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One of my favourite directors, Michael Haneke, had a quote about this - I think he said that every one of his films has a hundred different versions because everyone in the theatre experiences it differently. I don't know if I ever really bought that - to me, it's like saying there are a million different Flinders Street Stations depending on what angle you're looking at it from. Obviously, there aren't; there's just one, and people observing it from a given angle are simply experiencing it from a limited vantage point. Films, too, are generally made with a pretty specific intention and I don't really know how important it is that it 'can' be understood differently. Though that doesn't mean that you can't enjoy it in whatever way you see fit.
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think positive
Side By Side
Joined: 30 Jun 2005
Location: somewhere
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Test the theory
Pick a movie and get everyone to say what they think it's about
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You cant fix stupid, turns out you cant quarantine it either! |
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swoop42 
Whatcha gonna do when he comes for you?
Joined: 02 Aug 2008
Location: The 18
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| think positive wrote: | Test the theory
Pick a movie and get everyone to say what they think it's about |
On no, please no, not that mole as your avatar. |
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