Life moves pretty fast

After setting up this blog nearly a year ago I have realised many things. Writing in any shape or form is harder than I thought it would be, and to be honest I've been very lazy (one post since last August pretty much confirms that fact!) Life and work commitments always seem to get in the way somehow, and I just never seem to find the time to put in that little bit of extra effort to finish a post. This is something I'm hoping to put right going forward due to my love for films and my desire to convey my thoughts into writing. It is not my intention though to try and say anything new or profound about the films I choose, enough will have been said already over the years by other (and probably better) blogs or budding writers, so instead I'm setting out to simply jog some memories. I believe there's nothing better than watching a film you haven't seen for ages and having all those feelings of it come flooding back like memories from a forgotten childhood.

Anyway moving on... We've all been there haven't we? That moment where we wake up in a morning, hit the snooze button on the alarm clock, roll over and think do I really have to get up to go to work (or school as I used to think in my younger days)? What if I just pretend I'm sick so I can take the day off? FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF directed by the late John Hughes is a film where these thoughts are put into motion one fine morning by Ferris Bueller (the excellent Matthew Broderick in arguably his greatest and certainly most recognised / remembered performance). Released in 1986 the film was an instant success and is also arguably John Hughes' finest hour where everything just clicked and came together brilliantly. Back in the 80's John Hughes became the master of teenage movies like The Breakfast Club and Weird Science but he really hit his peak here. The fact he wrote the script in just 6 days is even more impressive.

 

There aren't many films out there that are instantly re-watchable but FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF certainly falls into that category for me. Every time I finish watching it I could easily start it all over again and bask in its comedic genius. Take the first 30 minutes of the film for example, which basically revolves around Ferris relaxing at home while he tries to convince his best friend Cameron to come and pick him up, due to the fact he doesn't own a car (something he reminds us of on numerous occasions). Simple I know, but the way it is executed is nothing short of exceptional and the randomness of certain scenes is inspired.

 

After Ferris has very convincingly persuaded his parents he is sick with his clammy hands trick they leave and he utters the words "They bought it". At this point a super cool MTV logo with rock music bursts into action (I really miss those!), and then the fun begins. Ferris Bueller is just the epitome of coolness and everybody loves him, he's just the kid we all wish we could have been when we were young - cocky and confident. He gleefully tells us that this is his 9th sick day and he'll most likely have to "barf up a lung" if he's to go for 10. It's Broderick's charm and personality that really bring the character of Ferris to life, whether he's quoting John Lennon or explaining his tricks of the trade to faking out the parents, his interaction with us - the audience, is what gives the film its humour and makes it so much fun. The film is basically like a user guide of how to have fun and enjoy yourself.

 

 

Following the at home antics from the first section of the film, and after Ferris has cleverly sprung his girlfriend from school, they embark on a trip to Chicago in a rather nice red 1963 Ferrari GT California that he "borrows" for the day from Cameron's father (he really should have locked the garage). Some of the later scenes aren't quite as much fun and do get a little silly (street parade anyone?)  but overall Hughes keeps things flowing along very nicely by keeping us exceptionally entertained along the way. He also had an excellent taste for music as the soundtrack throughout is excellent, and even has time to squeeze in a few bars of the Star Wars theme music for good measure. We even get some unexpected soul searching, after Cameron's excess mileage on the Ferrari breakdown (his father memorises it and never drives it), with typical dilemma's of what will happen to us when we leave high school? What will we do with the rest of our lives when we grow up? We also get a lesson in how to stand up to ultra strict parents, but I think sending your Fathers  pride and joy Ferrari through a glass window into a ravine (although brilliant) is probably not recommended.

 

 

I think the reason I'm so fond of this film is that it reminds me of being young, when you don't have a care in the world, no responsibilities and all you want to do is go out and have fun. This was a time of my life I remember with great fondness and now as I get older I appreciate it more. Lets face facts, getting old just isn't as much fun and life just seems to become more mundane, monotonous and boring the older we get. Everyday life becomes pretty much the same - we get up, go to work, come home, go to sleep and repeat these same actions on a daily basis. Every time I watch FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF it reminds me that even though life can be mundane and hard sometimes we just have to make the most of it and go along for the ride. Our lives are very much what we make of them and there are always highs as well as lows, and good days as well as bad days, but one thing that life should never be is boring. FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF always reminds me of this and makes me remember to have more fun. If I'm ever feeling sad or down this is the film I'll watch to cheer me up. It's just infectious and an absolute riot, it also never fails to put a smile on my face. Not too much more to say really so I'll end with Ferris's own words: "Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once in a while you could miss it". How right he is...

 

 

 You still here? It's over. Go.

 

 

 

 

Not economically viable

 

After deciding to start this blog I really couldn't decide which movie to begin with. I mean there have been so many great ones made over the years singling out the first one to start writing about wasn't easy. Luckily, but strangely, the decision was made for me when I discovered a hole in my shoe while at work, weird I know, but the first thing this strange occurrence made me think of was Michael Douglas in Falling Down. Why, you may be asking? Well there is a scene where his character William Foster (D-Fens), after abandoning his car in a traffic jam and terrorising a Korean convenience shop owner over the prices of his goods, stops for a sit down to realise there is a gaping hole in his shoe. Why this thought was the first thing that entered my mind I do not know, maybe it was fate or maybe it was just my movie brain working overtime. Either way the decision was made.

 

Released on the 4th June 1993 and directed by Joel Schumacher (yes he was also responsible for the awful Batman & Robin) Falling Down has to rank as one of my all time favourites and I cannot believe that it is now 20 years old this year. It tells the story of William Foster or D-FENS (private registration on his car) a defence worker who one morning while on his way to work, stuck in his car in a traffic jam on a hot day with no air con & a buzzing fly, decides he just can't take it anymore, abandons his car and declares he is "going home". The film follows his exploits / adventures as he makes this journey walking across various parts of L.A. with often unhinged and violent consequences. As the story unfolds we learn that D-FENS, even though he states he's going home, isn't welcome there at all as his wife has divorced him and wants nothing to do with him due to his quite severe anger management issues. It is these anger management issues that the film focuses on as he encounters a variety of people from gang members, angry shop owners and fast food staff members that won't serve him breakfast at 10.32 as they stop serving at 10.30.

 

On the other side of this story is Prendergast, played by the brilliant Robert Duvall, a cop on his last day at work before retiring, who gets himself entangled with D-FENS and attempts to stop him before it's too late. During the film we learn that Prendergast is in fact retiring early to move away with his wife following the untimely death of their young daughter. At first he comes across as a weak individual as his own Police Captain derides him for wanting to retire early and for the fact he now sits behind a desk instead of being out in the firing line. His colleagues also goad him about retiring but he just takes it all on the chin. As the film progresses you start to realise that he doesn't really want to retire or move away but feels he has to for the sake of his wife who is suffering from depression and frequent breakdowns. It's a great example of how sometimes we do things in life and give up things to please other people even though, ultimately deep down, we don't really want to. By the end of the film he becomes a changed person and his encounter with D-FENS seems to give him some sense of purpose in his life again. I think in some ways it says to me that sometimes in life we have to make our own choices and not be guided by others, even the ones we love. Duvall portrays the character brilliantly.

 

 

Of course the film would ultimately be nothing if it wasn't for Michael Douglas himself. Apparently, no studio at the time wanted to make it and it was only when Douglas (a big star at the time after Basic Instinct) ended up reading the script, declaring it the best he had read, that the film started to get studio backing and ultimately got made. According to imdb Douglas also considers FALLING DOWN to be one of his favourite performances and I couldn't agree with him more. I would also consider it to be the best performance of his career, he just suited and played the role perfectly with the right balance of humour, anger and violence. How he didn't at least get Oscar nominated I'll never know but most of the truly great performances never really do. I just love the humour he brings to the many situations. There are many great scenes but one of my favourites has to be the one with the Korean shop owner with the extortionate prices as the build up and then destroying of the shop with a baseball bat is just brilliant (clip below). Love the "do you know how much money my country has given your country?" part, it just cracks me up every time.

 

 

 

Another great scene is the passing through on the golf course and who can forget the whammy burger breakfast encounter, both absolutely hilarious!

 



 



 

As good as Michael Douglas's acting is though in pretty much every scene, the whole film is expertly directed by Joel Schumacher who must also be given great credit for bringing everything together brilliantly. For me this is also the best film he has directed in his long career (although I did very much enjoy Tigerland and Phone Booth). For this film alone I can certainly forgive him for the Batman & Robin abomination.

 

FALLING DOWN focuses on many themes during its running time. One of the strongest themes in the movie is the decline of society and civility. Throughout the film, D-FENS is confronted by intolerant, angry, and arrogant characters that show no politeness or courteousness. His reaction varies in each of the situations he finds himself in, but his patience with them declines as his day continues, and the resolution of each one is increasingly violent in character. Los Angeles is depicted as a polluted city that is unclean and dominated by criminal gangs and inhabited by the diseased and homeless. Essentially, Schumacher uses the location as a microcosm of American society at this time, which in the early 1990s was experiencing numerous negative social impacts, including recession, high crime rates and the 1992 L.A. riots.

 

 

The movie poster declared the film as a tale of urban reality and for me it really is. I think all of us at some point in our lives can relate to the D-FENS character as the strains of everyday life and the modern world can often overpower us, make us angry and make us sad to the point where we become completely disillusioned with our lives and just want to lash out at all the unfairness we often encounter in this world, whether it be at home, work or in society. The film dares to show us what can happen when we are pushed to breaking point and I think this is why I love it so much. To my mind there really hasn't been a film quite like it since it was made and for me it really has stood the test of time and is relevant even more to this day. If by some chance you haven't experienced it I urge you to go and find it on DVD and enjoy. For those who, like me, have seen it many times, I think it might just be time for another re-watch.