Constant Escapism: The Top Films of Stan

IdleRich

IdleRich

IdleRich
WashYourHands said:
Stan is Michael Holding and Brian Close
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He's split himself in two to face his own deliveries... I was thinking he would be two bowlers, one from each end thus maintaining a relentless attack on us.... but he fooled me totally to fold inwards and fight amongst his selves. I did not see that coming.
 
Clinamenic

Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
Huh, one thing that strikes me as postmodern in a way that isn;t trying to be postmodern is the quirky film.

Just watched The Hunt for the Wilderpeople which I would describe as quirky, alongside such films as those of Wes Anderson, Michel Condry, Jean-Pierre Jeunet, etc (those three are among my favorites).

There was actually an essay I read a while back about quirkiness as a genre - forget if it was theory-based or not - and it went into detail about characteristics of these films. A sense of humor that is austerely incongruent or outright absurd, some of the characters being weirdos in a glorified manner, etc.

I could be overlooking some earlier films, but quirky does seem to be a somewhat new category. There are certainly films with quirky protagonists, but quirky as a genre seems to be an artifact of the indie film industry, however paradoxical that phrase may seem.

I'm thinking this picks up maybe around the early 70's after the whole easy rider raging bull wave, perhaps paving the market for quirk as a subgenre of counterculture?

Hints of it in Linklater, Smith, Tarantino, etc.
 
Clinamenic

Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
Spike Jones / Charlie Kaufman could be considered quirk but in a less innocent way, as those films strike me as more intelligent and susceptible to theory than the others mentioned.
 
Clinamenic

Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
I remember that essay focused on Sandler's character from Punch Drunk Love, a film which I enjoyed and admired.
 
Clinamenic

Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
But there are lines to be drawn between quirky and weird. Actually maybe innocence and/or sincerity is necessary.
 
Clinamenic

Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
John Mulaney is quirky. John Waters is weird (disclaimer I haven't seen any of his films yet).

Sorry to Bother You, another film I admire, teeters between quirky and absurdist.
 
Clinamenic

Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
A preliminary taxonomy:

Tim Burton as quirky gothic.

Wes Anderson as quirky bourgeois.

Zach Braff as quirky hipster.

Spike Jonze and Charlie Kaufman as quirky cerebral.

Michel Gondry as quirky visionary.

Harmony Korine as quirky degenerate.
 
Clinamenic

Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
Greta Gerwig also. Throw her up there. Quirky.... uh.... to be decided. (edit: overcultured? non-Catholic?)

Quentin Tarantino as quirky exploitation.

Kevin Smith as quirky burnout.

Richard Linklater as quirky existential.
 
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Clinamenic

Clinamenic

Binary & Tweed
I mentioned upthread that I thought this genre picked up ain the early 70's, but it really seemed to become more established in the 90's. Some pre-quirk and pseudo-quirk standouts:

After Hours

Maybe some Christopher Guest thing.

A hint of it in Cronenberg, for me. Quirky horror?

Don't think the Coen Brothers apply. They're more neurotic-clever than quirky.

Sofia Coppola as quirky bourgeois? (Alongside Andersen, who collaborates with Roman)

Terry Gilliam as quirky fantastic?

John Hughes as quirky whitebread?

Jim Carrey is a great persona for quirk, really emblematic.

David Lynch as quirky auteur, or at least the closest thing quirk has to an auteur?

Joss Whedon as quirky nerd?

Yorgos Lanthimos as quirky demented?
 
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