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TORONTO: Bitter Apple watches Timothy Spall while VACUUMING COMPLETELY NUDE IN PARADISE & Danny Boyle's STRUMPET

Published at:  Sep 14, 2001 11:14:16 PM CDT

Hey folks, Harry here... healing and so upset that I couldn't watch Timothy Spall VACUUMING COMPLETELY NUDE IN PARADISE... That just sounds so... blissful... so poignant... so completely fulfilling. Sigh. Actually I'm very distraught that I haven't seen Danny Boyle's new film STRUMPET, which seems much more in keeping with Boyle's sensibilities than THE BEACH was... Here ya go...





Hey Harry,



Despite the utter tragic events of this past week, I feel that I need to send you these reviews because, at a time like this, people need to see films. The whole world is one huge depressed ball right now, and some of us need a break to think about different things for a little bit. Thankfully, today I got lucky and found tickets to the two new Danny Boyle films Strumpet and Vacuuming Completely Nude in Paradise. Most of you know that Boyle made Trainspotting and The Beach, which are two of my favourite films, so I was really super excited to go today. Both films played in front of a packed audience, and it seemed that people really got a kick out of them. Hell, I was taken completely out of this world for just over two hours and it felt really good to be calm and happy for just a little while.


Strumpet was the first movie to be shown, and it was really great. The one thing that makes Boyle's films so enjoyable is his super-hyper kinetic camera work, and both films showcased this wonderfully today. You can take the sound out of a Danny Boyle film, and I swear to God, you'll still be entertained just by watching it. The film is about a "demented" poet named Stray Man, and his relationship with Strumpet, a woman he saved in a coffee shop, who it turns out, likes to play the guitar in the nude. There's much more to the plot than this, but I really don't want to say much more. The film feels much like an absurdist fairy tale about love, credibility and success. The acting is really good, and like all Boyle films, the soundtrack is awesome. (I swear to you that pretty soon I'm going to have to buy another copy of The Beach soundtrack because it's almost worn out from overuse) The editing was tastefully done too. A lot of quick-cuts and such, but it fits the film. For some reason, during both films, I always had to keep reminding myself that this was a Danny Boyle film. I mean, technically, you can so tell its a Danny Boyle film. However, the content and mood felt really different than his previous efforts, and both films were completely drug-free. (I know, I know, it was hard for me to believe too) I believe the best word to describe the mood would be light-hearted, but by no means am I saying it's a shallow film because that it is not. Anyways, at a scant 70 minutes, if you can catch Strumpet, go watch it.


Vacuuming Completely Nude in Paradise was absolutely hilarious. Timothy Spall plays Tommy, a JAC vacuum salesman who craves success and acceptance and finds them both in high vacuum sales numbers. Compared to Strumpet, this film is completely different, much more in your face and raging. However, theme-wise, these films are perfect complements to each other. Now, I've never laughed as hard as I did this year at any film (maybe Shrek), than I did watching this movie. One scene, in particular, has Tommy playing his own homemade motivational tape in his car, and I was seriously really close to busting a gut. He's screaming over the tape "Sell, Sell, Fucking Sell" repeatedly with hard heavy metal music as background, and driving his car like a madman, honking uncontrollably. Now, you need to picture what Timothy Spall looks like, and how great he is in this film, to understand how funny this is. Pure joy. Again, the music and visuals are off the wall brilliant. I enjoyed this film more than I did Strumpet, but the two friends that came with me enjoyed Strumpet more than Paradise, so I don't know. They're both really good films with thought and creativity put into them and everyone always has room for thoughtful and enjoyable films right?


Back to reality now, I'd just like to send out my sympathies to our very close neighbours in the U.S.. You know, all week I've been living off CNN, seeing these absolutely horrible images, and only when I was downtown today and saw actual skyscrapers that we have here staring right down at me, did I than begin to imagine what it really must be like in New York and in Washington right now. Television does not do justice at all to how horrible this is. They can put all their "America Under Attack" captions and logos on the screen, but it does not compare one bit to being there. I send out my prayers to everyone who has been affected by this, and I hope that a resolution can be obtained without the use of firearms and bombs, but that's just wishful thinking I guess. Let's be patient, because this is going to be a very long battle.



Thanks,

Bitter Apple



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    Readers Talkback

  • Sep 15, 2001 3:18:09 AM CDT

    the beach sucked...

    by cifra2

    but still, Danny Boyle's other films range from funny (Shallow Grave and A life less ordinary) to a masterpiece (Trainspotting)... so I'll be there.

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  • Sep 16, 2001 9:00:01 AM CDT

    Bad screening

    by torontoguy

    I saw both these "films" at the festival as well. I have to say that I felt ripped off because the screening wasn't from a film print but video. The beginning of the screening had a promo which said it was digital but it looked so bad that it must have been a betacam SP copy of the film. Both films were made for the BBC so there obviously wasn't a 35mm screening print made. It was like watching a large television screen. The blacks were grainy as hell and the colours flucuated in mid shot. Anyways, enough about that. Strumpet was quite bad, save a few genuinely funny scenes. Overall though it was a jumbled-up mix overdirecting and meaningless action. Ie. the mound of dirt on the Stray Man's front door step? Danny Boyle seemed to throw in everything but the kitchen sink both in content and technique resulting in what is akin to a bad abstract painting (some call it art, others call it a random mix of colours).
    Vaccuuming Completely Nude in Paradise was very funny, and yes, Timothy Spall was great. Its like Death of a Salesman on Acid. Once again the bad video print distracted from the complete enjoyment of the film but its still very funny. Boyle once again throws in superfluous camera angles but the content is funny so it is somewhat warranted this time.

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  • Sep 16, 2001 3:09:33 PM CDT

    I knew it.

    by frank black

    I knew that when I got to the bottom there would be a "The Beach sucked" post. I didn't hate it the way most people did, but I agree it lacked something. I think these sound really great.

    I also really liked "Life Less Ordinary", but my taste might suck and that was before I quit drinking.

    Hey, wait a minute I own all of Danny Boyle's movies on DVD.

    Am I crazy? Nah, I got my reasons.

    I think his movies are a step above the average popcorn movie and he picks good movies and actors.

    What do I know?

    Reply to Talkback

  • Apr 29, 2010 2:40:34 PM CDT

    Fuck you QcoIQh

    by orcus

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