Friday, May 19, 2023

Stranger Than Paradise

Stranger Than Paradise (1984)

Runtime: 89 long minutes

Directed by: Jim Jarmusch

Starring: A bunch of characters I didn’t really care for

From: Several random companies

My first Jim Jarmusch movie… and likely my last. I never like delivering these polarizing opinions and yet it’s better than lying to everyone reading this. I’ve never felt like giving the director a chance yet this happened due to-as typical-messageboard discussion. Someone recently saw Mystery Train theatrically and loved the experience. I then responded that the director was a complete blind spot to me and he said that The Limits of Control is the one film to avoid from him-which I know is a common belief. After that, I’d feel like a jerk for not then checking this out.

Unfortunately, I just don’t get it, not at all. Just WHY am I supposed to care about Hungarian Eva visiting her massive A-hole cousin in America who treats this lady like pure crap? Why am I supposed to enjoy a movie with long takes AND no establishing shots whatsoever? Why am I supposed to care about the two plus a random pal in an astoundingly aimless motion picture, whether it be New York City, Cleveland, or Florida? I just do not get why I am supposed to give a damn about ennui, a bunch of random pointless moments and only a threadbare plot; just why?

This was watched on the Criterion Channel and it turned out not to be surprised that a special feature was Sofia Coppola talking about why she loved this movie; Lost in Translation was equally pointless and aimless & such motion pictures are just ones that do NOT work for me no matter how hard I try. Ultimately, I’d like to think that my life will go on for many, many years for come; however, life is always fleeting and you never know what the next day holds. Point is, I should try my hardest to see more films that are likely to at least entertain me instead of trying hard to enjoy the pretentious twaddle that makes up far too much of the independent film world.

If everyone else enjoys that, great; I’ll be happy to further explore things more to my specific tastes instead.

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