Movies
I'm not very familiar with the work of Hal Ashby. Apart from seeing Being There years ago, I never really bumped into his, work with most of his oeuvre being a complete blank. Harold and Maude is a film with quite a legacy though, so I figured it was time to give Ashby another go. Much like Being There, I found a decent film that left me relatively cold. At least Harold's character is pretty fun, with his gruesome fake suicide attempts lending the film a darker streak. This includes the deadpan reactions of his mother, who seems largely unfazed by Harold's cries for attention. The film takes a more dramatic turn when Harold meets Maude, an older lady where he finds the warmth and attention he's craving. I liked the dark comedy elements, but they are rather few and far between. The dramatic portion of the film is less interesting, with a somewhat tepid relationship directing the plot, let down by the rather dull and unattractive cinematography and a middling soundtrack. At least it was short and good for a couple of chuckles, but that's about it.Read all
When the credits started rolling, I wondered what the point even was. I guess this film is fun when you like the 60s/70s USA vibe. The people, the mentality, the costumes. Other than that, you follow an insufferable man dealing with a bunch of terrible women, and then the film is over. I hated all the characters, didn't care for the drab presentation, got annoyed at the conversations, and never quite figured out why this needed to last almost 2 hours. This is the type of film that just doesn't do anything for me, despite the fact that it has a somewhat positive reputation. To each their own.Read all