japh

so berlin alexanderplatz is fassbinder's big deal, right? i'm about halfway through the series and am still not sure what i think of the whole thing. i can't stand the main character (or anyone else, for that matter), and feel like the whole thing could have been wrapped up in a fraction of the time.

when a filmmaker chooses to luxuriate in detail or has a meditative storytelling technique that is one thing (eg bela tarr). but berlin alexanderplatz feels long because he contractually had to produce x number of hours of tv. i'm probably wrong here, but it has that feeling.

i love fassbinder. and nearly all of the 15 or so films of his i've seen so far. i love his unlikeable characters with their tedious troubles. but i'm not sure i love berlin alexanderplatz yet.

only another thousand hours or so to go before i find out.

i hadn't seen the legendary scarface since i was way young to be watching it.

in rewatching it i was expecting to be blown away. perhaps that was my problem. pop culture has given the film a status i question whether it deserves. tony montana is held as this kind of figure of gangster cool. the cartel guy you need to look up to. a figure who has made his way into the mtv cribs essentials list.

yet the man is a complete fool. is he overwhelmed by greed or is he just stupid and lucky? his success is a combination of arrogance and happenstance, and the only thing impressive is that he doesn't get whacked earlier.

i was rooting for the bad(der) guys when they finally take him out. good fucking riddance.

is this de palma's desired effect? or was oliver stone still stuck in the mindset of conan the barbarian after just having finished writing for that?

the whole thing left me annoyed for a day after watching it, and i regret giving it another go.

ps - al pacino was pretty friggin al pacino in it, though, which is worth something. although i'd still take dog day afternoon / serpico / godfather al pacino any day.

my threshold for strange and difficult things is fairly high, but this may have surpassed it.

i was in the wrong time (2000s not 1960s) and wrong place (straight not high as fuck) to enjoy it.

the story of ira cohen, the character behind it, is far more interesting.

if you're considering purchasing this i'd recommend spending your money on shrooms instead.