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.
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.
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.”
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.
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?
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.
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.”
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!
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.
Hope you are saving Top Gun:Maverick to the final one!
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.