Saturday 2 April 2011

Rubber


For no reason.  If Rubber were to have a motto, that would be it.  According to the film's opening monologue, all great movies have things happen in them for no reason.  ET is brown for no reason.  Nobody uses the can in TCM for no reason.  JFK is shot for no reason.

I fought the urge to put up my hand.  "Um, ET's brown because he was designed that way.  You don't see people use the toilet because that's boring, and JFK was shot because someone wanted to kill him.  And that actually happened.  In real life."

"Will you shut up.  You're ruining it."

"I'm not ruining anything.  This prologue is completely unnecessary.  I already know this film is going to be quirky and weird.  It's about a goddamn tire that kills people.  I don't need a man dressed as a cop to lecture me on standards and expectations."

"Yeah well..."

"Killer tire.  Killer tire."

"Entirely unexpected, right?  Amiright?"

"Well, not really.  I mean:

"

"But it's so crazy.  Don't you get it?  And postmodern."

"I'm not sure you using that word correctly.  Rubber isn't postmodern.  Rubber's just strange, verging on surreal.  I think that's more what you're going for.  Surrealism.  Maybe even satire.  And I'll tell you what--you  even succeed at times."

"See!  I--"

"Let me finish.  I said 'at times'.  Really, I think it's that opening bit that kills it.  Tough break, man."

"But what about the Greek chorus?  And the meta-narrative?"

I shrugged.  The film had me there.  The chorus was entertaining.  I couldn't decide if the meta-narrative was brilliant or smacked of effort.  I thought really hard a moment.  Then it came to me, "

"

"You always gotta win, don't you.  Why are you like this?"

I shrugged again.  "No reason."





1 comment:

Ty said...

This looks like a lot of fun!