I'm relying on Roy's write ups here but it *seems* that among the Oscar winners there's a theme of sorts of some sort of inchoate feeling that something is off societally. Maybe it's some sort of response to Covid and the pandemic.
This comment is the short, good-parts version of the harrumph published in the PosTimes or whatever it was. Madness, chaos, dread: the story of movies today. Alt.version: the olds don't get it.
My film club presentation went mostly the same way Saturday. I loved EEAAO; I am a minority of one in our club.
There was no judgment in my question. Just *seems* there’s a theme amongst the Oscar nods of some inchoate alienation let’s say. Best picture nominations normally don’t have themes
Yeah, you got it. Your pith and succinctitude prevails. I was disparaging the mostly useless article in the paper. "Kidz these days" might have been even succincter, but that rhymes to close with sphincter, and I am too delicate to type such a word.
The dopiness of the article suggests that movies now are unique in all history because kids made 'em. As if all the previous generations of kidz didn't count for anything. Even tho their movies often were dim, dire and dreadly.
A great many people are terrified of what they think the future is like and they hate it. I think it's at the core of the 2nd (or 3rd) Great White Resentment Awakening we're suffering through now. Kids These Days is a timeless classic, but the global insecurity and uncertainty, both real and imaginary, are freaking people out more than usual, with the fascists fanning the flames for fun and profit.
Personally, I didn’t see how Carl and Yaya could be less interesting than they first seemed. Or any of the characters for that matter. I think Triangle of Sadness is a film about ideas, and the characters exist only as embodiments of different ideas. I almost turned it off halfway through, as the idea that influencers, the ultra-wealthy, and male models are vapid is not all that interesting. But once Woody came out of hiding and the hurling party commenced, I stayed for the comedy, which was truly inspired.
The denouement on the island was a good use of the smaller ideas to assemble a larger idea, and the Filipina actor was excellent. It all did kind of add up to a triangle of sadness, several maybe, depending on how you prefer to triangulate.
Is it too soon for a Ben Stiller remake? No, no, a thousand times no. I hope he's already started work on it.
Dunno. You saw more than me as I didn’t get the full circle nature of the honesty in relationships dynamic. I guess they were in a good place on the societal ladder to have meaningful interactions with both the wealthy and the less trendy factions of those who live to serve.
Might have been one of those "the craft of moviemaking" things where they started to tell one story but got seduced by the dark power of Farce. The easy laughs are the most seductive.
I had a riot watching this and I agree that Carl & Yaya end up more like chess pieces than 3-D people. Östlund does know how to develop & reveal character in absurd situations. The Square and Force Majeure are each better than Triangle and well worth the watches. The first sends up the art world, the second demolishes masculinity. Both are hilarious.
Interesting, thanks Roy. I usually don't like the genre of entertainment I call Rich People Behaving Badly. One exception to that is the show Succession, but that's because both the caliber of the writing and the performances are so good, it mitigates the people being very rich and behaving very badly.
Another partial exception was the first season of The White Lotus, which I didn't care for that much, but Murray Bartlett is my imaginary gay husband, so I sat through it for his sake, LOL. But this one sounds like it has some potential and I may check it out.
Don’t know what the debacle is, but from your description it sounds like norovirus is involved. Typical pre-COVID cruise catastrophe. As they say in the biz: “It’s National Diarrhea Week. Runs thru Friday.”
Yeah, "Swept Away" callback definitely, for the last third of the movie. And of course I'm thinking of the Wertmuller original, not the dreck that Madonna and her then-husband came up with.
Well, sure. But Hollywood — the film biz — is its own special bubble. In the real world, that sense that’s something’s off — it is, *we’ve* known for years — but that it seems to be oozing into Oscar nominated movies seems to be special in that context. Which brought me back to my initial question: is there something of a theme to this year’s best picture nominees?
I think the commentariat here had mentioned Tom Jones a couple of episodes ago. Carl and Yaya seem like the modern version of Tom & Sophia's grifting spree, the cheques for each meal carefully totted up & never paid out, riding a wave of the magnetism of "credit rating" until it comes crashing down.
Not that I actually care, but I can't figure out this "influencer" business and what motivates the audience for it. Are there people who actually enjoy watching other people post about their luxury vacations on Instagram? Why?
I noticed it took off in the aftermath of COVID (not that COVID is over but you know what I mean--American's reactions to it). Kind of reminds me of the Busby Berkeley bubbly-champagne-and-dance movies in the midst of the Great Depression.
Aspirational. To live a famous and privileged life by just being fabulously yourself. It's the 21st century American Dream. None of that problematic stuff like talent or work. All you have to do is figure out the trick and people will shower you with free stuff and likes, just for being You. This is the real Me Decade.
I guess Carl and Yaya are supposed to be the audience stand-ins, we bond with them and our reactions are supposed to be theirs? I'd have to actually watch it to see if my guess is in the ballpark. But if Yaya dumps Carl for the first acceptable sugar daddy that comes along that's not too adorable but still a classic manic pixie wounded bird dream girl for nice guy Carl to fall for. But he's supposed to win her over by the end of the movie, not wait on a former maid who knows how to gut a fish and build a fire. It sounds like they tried to bolt some disparate movie tropes together, but they should have used duct tape.
I am suspicious of movies like this one seems from your review. They strike me as being for smug people about how smug people's smugness is something the smug audience for whom they are intended are smugly beyond and can add to their smugness by scoffing at it, while all the while they should be reflecting, looking in the mirror. Even the Abigails of the world ought to feel uneasy, irked and then angry, they way you describe Carl's emotions in the opening.
I'll likely watch this film but I already feel enough like a monkey watching other monkeys behave like monkeys, and more than anything end up feeling I don't want to be a monkey. Because when I am alone, I have long since ceased with monkeying. Only when I have to interact with others, do I re-engage with my aboriginal monkey.
And yes, that is a banana and I am also happy to see you.
Great review. I actually liked the movie a lot, with the ending the only thing that confused me (I get it: everyone can decide on their own what actually happened), and left me feeling a bit cheated. The scenes with Woody were truly hilarious. The transformation of the ship into a gigantic combo Roman vomitorium and public latrine was just over-th-top enough (for me, anyway).
One slight dissent: Yaya is actually a model, with influencer being her side gig. Much is made early on of how much more she earns than Carl (also a model, but who takes the pictures for her influencer thing) for doing the same work, which was a nice way of turning the "women earn x fraction of what men do" on its head. They did seem to be the two crucial characters, which is part of why the ending was somewhat unsatisfying to me.
I'm relying on Roy's write ups here but it *seems* that among the Oscar winners there's a theme of sorts of some sort of inchoate feeling that something is off societally. Maybe it's some sort of response to Covid and the pandemic.
So. Am I tripping here or on to something?
Not just in the movies!
This comment is the short, good-parts version of the harrumph published in the PosTimes or whatever it was. Madness, chaos, dread: the story of movies today. Alt.version: the olds don't get it.
My film club presentation went mostly the same way Saturday. I loved EEAAO; I am a minority of one in our club.
There was no judgment in my question. Just *seems* there’s a theme amongst the Oscar nods of some inchoate alienation let’s say. Best picture nominations normally don’t have themes
Yeah, you got it. Your pith and succinctitude prevails. I was disparaging the mostly useless article in the paper. "Kidz these days" might have been even succincter, but that rhymes to close with sphincter, and I am too delicate to type such a word.
The dopiness of the article suggests that movies now are unique in all history because kids made 'em. As if all the previous generations of kidz didn't count for anything. Even tho their movies often were dim, dire and dreadly.
You young people… You can’t trust anything in the papers. It’s like artificially created news.
A great many people are terrified of what they think the future is like and they hate it. I think it's at the core of the 2nd (or 3rd) Great White Resentment Awakening we're suffering through now. Kids These Days is a timeless classic, but the global insecurity and uncertainty, both real and imaginary, are freaking people out more than usual, with the fascists fanning the flames for fun and profit.
And hating it, they make it worse. Geniuses, like FPOTUS.
Mister we could use a man like DW Griffith again!
LOL.
Personally, I didn’t see how Carl and Yaya could be less interesting than they first seemed. Or any of the characters for that matter. I think Triangle of Sadness is a film about ideas, and the characters exist only as embodiments of different ideas. I almost turned it off halfway through, as the idea that influencers, the ultra-wealthy, and male models are vapid is not all that interesting. But once Woody came out of hiding and the hurling party commenced, I stayed for the comedy, which was truly inspired.
The denouement on the island was a good use of the smaller ideas to assemble a larger idea, and the Filipina actor was excellent. It all did kind of add up to a triangle of sadness, several maybe, depending on how you prefer to triangulate.
Is it too soon for a Ben Stiller remake? No, no, a thousand times no. I hope he's already started work on it.
Why give so much of the movie to them, then?
Dunno. You saw more than me as I didn’t get the full circle nature of the honesty in relationships dynamic. I guess they were in a good place on the societal ladder to have meaningful interactions with both the wealthy and the less trendy factions of those who live to serve.
Might have been one of those "the craft of moviemaking" things where they started to tell one story but got seduced by the dark power of Farce. The easy laughs are the most seductive.
I had a riot watching this and I agree that Carl & Yaya end up more like chess pieces than 3-D people. Östlund does know how to develop & reveal character in absurd situations. The Square and Force Majeure are each better than Triangle and well worth the watches. The first sends up the art world, the second demolishes masculinity. Both are hilarious.
Interesting, thanks Roy. I usually don't like the genre of entertainment I call Rich People Behaving Badly. One exception to that is the show Succession, but that's because both the caliber of the writing and the performances are so good, it mitigates the people being very rich and behaving very badly.
Another partial exception was the first season of The White Lotus, which I didn't care for that much, but Murray Bartlett is my imaginary gay husband, so I sat through it for his sake, LOL. But this one sounds like it has some potential and I may check it out.
Don’t know what the debacle is, but from your description it sounds like norovirus is involved. Typical pre-COVID cruise catastrophe. As they say in the biz: “It’s National Diarrhea Week. Runs thru Friday.”
Oof.
More "Swept Away" than "Admirable Chrichton" I guess.
Class war on a desert island is pretty common - look at Robinson Crusoe-
Bob let Friday know what was what from Jump Street.
Look at Gilligan's Island!
Good review!
Yeah, "Swept Away" callback definitely, for the last third of the movie. And of course I'm thinking of the Wertmuller original, not the dreck that Madonna and her then-husband came up with.
Well, sure. But Hollywood — the film biz — is its own special bubble. In the real world, that sense that’s something’s off — it is, *we’ve* known for years — but that it seems to be oozing into Oscar nominated movies seems to be special in that context. Which brought me back to my initial question: is there something of a theme to this year’s best picture nominees?
Theme I see, if any, would be trying to please everybody.
More Rick Nelson is needed.
I think the commentariat here had mentioned Tom Jones a couple of episodes ago. Carl and Yaya seem like the modern version of Tom & Sophia's grifting spree, the cheques for each meal carefully totted up & never paid out, riding a wave of the magnetism of "credit rating" until it comes crashing down.
Not that I actually care, but I can't figure out this "influencer" business and what motivates the audience for it. Are there people who actually enjoy watching other people post about their luxury vacations on Instagram? Why?
I noticed it took off in the aftermath of COVID (not that COVID is over but you know what I mean--American's reactions to it). Kind of reminds me of the Busby Berkeley bubbly-champagne-and-dance movies in the midst of the Great Depression.
Aspirational. To live a famous and privileged life by just being fabulously yourself. It's the 21st century American Dream. None of that problematic stuff like talent or work. All you have to do is figure out the trick and people will shower you with free stuff and likes, just for being You. This is the real Me Decade.
Hope you are saving Top Gun:Maverick to the final one!
I regard that one the way Pee Wee did the snakes in the pet shop rescue https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yqfUhc4FQY
It’s a rollicking good time, the feel good movie of the year!!! But you knew that already, eh.
And Tom Cruise is like Pee Wee in his big adventure. He’s a rebel, Dottie. Doncha know.
I find it depressing that the GOP keeps electing politicians that look & feel like Francis Buxton...
Yikes, I forgot how much he looked like a mashup of DeSantis and Vance. Frightening.
I guess Carl and Yaya are supposed to be the audience stand-ins, we bond with them and our reactions are supposed to be theirs? I'd have to actually watch it to see if my guess is in the ballpark. But if Yaya dumps Carl for the first acceptable sugar daddy that comes along that's not too adorable but still a classic manic pixie wounded bird dream girl for nice guy Carl to fall for. But he's supposed to win her over by the end of the movie, not wait on a former maid who knows how to gut a fish and build a fire. It sounds like they tried to bolt some disparate movie tropes together, but they should have used duct tape.
I am suspicious of movies like this one seems from your review. They strike me as being for smug people about how smug people's smugness is something the smug audience for whom they are intended are smugly beyond and can add to their smugness by scoffing at it, while all the while they should be reflecting, looking in the mirror. Even the Abigails of the world ought to feel uneasy, irked and then angry, they way you describe Carl's emotions in the opening.
I'll likely watch this film but I already feel enough like a monkey watching other monkeys behave like monkeys, and more than anything end up feeling I don't want to be a monkey. Because when I am alone, I have long since ceased with monkeying. Only when I have to interact with others, do I re-engage with my aboriginal monkey.
And yes, that is a banana and I am also happy to see you.
Great review. I actually liked the movie a lot, with the ending the only thing that confused me (I get it: everyone can decide on their own what actually happened), and left me feeling a bit cheated. The scenes with Woody were truly hilarious. The transformation of the ship into a gigantic combo Roman vomitorium and public latrine was just over-th-top enough (for me, anyway).
One slight dissent: Yaya is actually a model, with influencer being her side gig. Much is made early on of how much more she earns than Carl (also a model, but who takes the pictures for her influencer thing) for doing the same work, which was a nice way of turning the "women earn x fraction of what men do" on its head. They did seem to be the two crucial characters, which is part of why the ending was somewhat unsatisfying to me.