Sunday, August 26, 2007

Egomania implodes

I have of late been trying to post a favourite film clip as a little treat for my readers (reader?) around the last weekend of the month.

I just turned up this great little scene from Spike Jonze's wonderful 'Beijing John Malkovich'. (In case, by some strange chance, you haven't yet seen this modern classic - Tulsa?? - the premise is this: downtrodden filing clerk John Cusack happens upon a magical 'portal' that allows a person to be transported inside the head of the famous actor John Malkovich [Malkovich, a good sport, agreed to play himself], to experience the world from his perspective - but only for 20 minutes at a time. Cusack tries to make money off his discovery by setting up a little tour business. Malkovich gets wind of this, and goes to check it out, posing as a client. This is what happens when Malkovich goes inside his own head - hilarious and terrifying at the same time.)


9 comments:

Anonymous said...

oh! that does look good... i like. will have to check it out when I get home tonight.

Anonymous said...

I hated that movie. That's all I remember about it.

Froog said...

OMG! I'm surprised! And disappointed....

However, I can see why it's not immediately engaging for all tastes. It is pretty far out there. And its humour is somewhat dark, misanthropic.

But that's the kind of thing I love!

You didn't even like this bit??

Anonymous said...

I had indeed heard of Being Malkovich, but never got around to watching it. Too many activities, too little time in front of the TV/Movie Screen.

Saw this little bit. hmm. terrifying indeed. I think I need to watch the movie to get the hilarious part.

Froog said...

Yes, it does gain from context, but.... come on, Tulsa: there's a bald man in a dress... singing torch songs. And Malkovich has a blast with this scene. It's bladder-looseningly funny.

Anonymous said...

I got this movie as a very cold and unwrapped birthday present once, from a guy who cared so little for me that he told me that he had been dating someone else all the time we had been dating and then told me to fuck off as he had chosen that other person. Heartbreaking? Yes! Eye opening? Not really, as all men can be like that, just like the man in the movie. But all of them always get what they really deserve in the end. Usually "nice" people like myself get treated that way, no matter how beautiful, intelligent and amazing we might be. Have I stopped being nice? No, never. Why should I change because the world is grim and men are pigs?
Have I given up on men all together? No! I just don't have them acting in roles which they might have done before.

Froog said...

Don't judge the present by the giver.

It is a great movie.

And John Cusack's character - which I assume is the one you don't like - does end up suffering the most horrible punishment ever conceived of by a screenwriter (Charlie Kaufman, you're a sick, sick, cruel, horrible genius!).

Anonymous said...

saw it. loved it. and yes, the context helps.

of the many fab parts, of which there are too many to mention in this 2 second comment.... how funny was the chimp recollecting his repressed memory?

Anonymous said...

Here it was me being anonym. (earthling).