The Bothersome Man (Den brysomme mannen, Norway-Iceland, 2006)

It will be difficult to blog about this film without spoilers… It most reminded me of Fight Club (US, 1999) in its satire on an  IKEA-built existence but while Fincher’s movie’s ‘in yer face’ this piss-take of bourgeois existence is more muted (and low budget). It effectively uses the mise en scene to present a [...]

Charley Wilson’s War (US, 2007)

To say this mess is confusing is an understatement. It ranges from a condemnation of America’s lack of reconstruction of Iraq to a celebration of childlike Mujahideen in Afghanistan. Presumably the latter is such a retro-representation of 3rd world peasants that it’s meant to be satire; read it as you will.
Even if we take the [...]

Shampoo (US, 1975)

Watchable satire; though it’s slightly unclear who’s the target: hippies; men (lead by their cocks); businessmen; women; politicians. Probably all. Beatty’s great as the stud without much of a brain, that organ doesn’t make the decisions. Great restaurant scene when a pissed Julie Christie tries to go down on Beatty who’s pretending it isn’t happening. [...]

Buffalo Soldiers (UK-Ger, 2001)

The release of this was scuppered by Sept 11 (not a time, apparently, to offer a satire on the military). The post-Cold War environment also disappeared on that date and we entered the ‘war of terror’ (I bet this lasts a lot longer than the Cold one) and this also undermines this film. Bored US [...]

Team America: World Police (US, 2004)

A bad film; though the vomit sequence is very funny. Satire can be great; this movie takes the piss out of both hawks and doves. However, it’s the hawks that win (or is that part of the Hollywood parody?). Where’s Bush? A bit faint-hearted not to include the leader of the war of terror. One [...]