Of the political thrillers, Dr. Strangelove is pitch-black gonzo pre-apocalyptic satire and still sadly relevant, especially its intersection of male sexual insecurity with nuclear launch codes; it is worth seeing at least once if you never have. I haven't seen either Advise & Consent or Fail Safe in years—about the former, what I mostly remember is a subplot concerning a married young senator being cruelly blackmailed over an affair he once had with a former shipmate; I think it is intended as a sympathetic portrayal, but the way every other queer male character in the movie is some kind of screaming negative stereotype makes the whole thing much more homophobic than I hope Preminger intended. I remember the latter as the non-comedic version of Dr. Strangelove and actually very good, including Walter Matthau in a serious role. I have never seen Seven Days in May and so can recommend neither for nor against it.
(because, as you say, many people do mind them, and it's the sort of thing that's even joked about in everyday discourse--nobody can claim to be unaware of the fact that spoiling things is a thing)
Right! So why would you?
Recapping the plot is the sort of book-report thing that people are supposed to get away from in elementary school.
no subject
Thank you! I can recommend nothing about Suddenly except Sinatra, but he's worth enduring the rest for. I found Seconds excruciatingly painful to watch for personal reasons, but for most viewers I think it would play as unusual, thoughtful science horror with a strong element of social critique: what it costs to realize the peculiarly American fantasy of reinventing yourself from scrach and starting all over, no strings attached, even the ones you might realize later that you miss. Rock Hudson gives probably the performance of his career. I expect The Comedian to be excruciatingly painful for most people to watch, but if you want to see Mickey Rooney as an utterly believable monster of a talented egomaniac and Mel Tormé as the brother who has been quietly allowing himself to die a little more every day to protect him for years, it is done impeccably. I know Frankenheimer didn't just direct nightmares, but they seem to be the ones of his I've seen.
Of the political thrillers, Dr. Strangelove is pitch-black gonzo pre-apocalyptic satire and still sadly relevant, especially its intersection of male sexual insecurity with nuclear launch codes; it is worth seeing at least once if you never have. I haven't seen either Advise & Consent or Fail Safe in years—about the former, what I mostly remember is a subplot concerning a married young senator being cruelly blackmailed over an affair he once had with a former shipmate; I think it is intended as a sympathetic portrayal, but the way every other queer male character in the movie is some kind of screaming negative stereotype makes the whole thing much more homophobic than I hope Preminger intended. I remember the latter as the non-comedic version of Dr. Strangelove and actually very good, including Walter Matthau in a serious role. I have never seen Seven Days in May and so can recommend neither for nor against it.
(because, as you say, many people do mind them, and it's the sort of thing that's even joked about in everyday discourse--nobody can claim to be unaware of the fact that spoiling things is a thing)
Right! So why would you?
Recapping the plot is the sort of book-report thing that people are supposed to get away from in elementary school.
That is an excellent way of putting it. Sigh.