Context
This is the second time I've gone to see Fight Club. It feels like the more I go to watch it the less I understand. I was looking forward to being a pretentious filmsplainer but hell, even I barely know what happened. So I'll just talk about the few things I did notice.
So, went with some friends to a screening of Fight Club (1999) at a theater that specializes in old film screening. So we saw the original in film! It was fun, and came with all of the flaws that being on film has (less audio channels, film damage resulted in all of the color grading for the last fourth being weirdly red). We were all just kinda confused though.
The lobby was PACKED. I didn't expect that many people to show up. The line stretched around the block. Everyone was in like, red leather or Slipknot hoodies or stuff like that. There was nary any parking to be found. I didn't expect the film to have such a cult following that people would come dressed up as the characters, completely decked out, to watch. Hell, even the woman introducing the feature was dressed as Marla Singer!
But yeah, counting intermission and the delay from everyone getting into the theater I was there for about 3-ish hours. Here's my thoughts, I guess.
The actual show
Trying to unpack everything that happened in Fight Club was tough. I do remember a few things: when Fight Club starts, it's kinda fucking gay. Like the part where the Narrator has a gun jammed into his mouth at a downwards angle. The Fight Club attendees unbuckle belts, and they take off their wedding rings. A lot of them have earrings in their right ears, which, like, in the 90s was a rumored sign of homosexuality.
So I was talking about that with my friends, and they were like, "what does that even mean?"
Yeah, good question. I don't know either.
It was my second watch, and my friends' first, so that changes things a bit. None of us really "got" it. Trying to unfurl Tyler Durden's narrative purpose just led us down even more confusion. If Fight Club is a metaphor about being authentic in a cold, corporate world like the Narrator lives in, does that make Tyler "based" for blowing up all those banks? If it's some kind of anti-capitalist, anti-establishment liberatory message, why does Tyler sound so much like a "King Cobra" type of influencer, down to the faux-fur jackets and the leather pants? Durden physically liberates the Narrator from his pain, but also ruins all of his interpersonal relationships. But then the ending scene (when the Pixies kicked in I was just looking over at my friends grinning like an idiot) where the Narrator holds Marla's hand implies he's managed to find genuine human connection. The world will start over again, and he will survive without his yin-yang ikea table (which, now that I think about it, probably represents the Tyler/Narrator split).
What the hell does any of it mean? My friends said it best: "it's a movie that really needs a second watch to sink in." But what does it mean if it IS my second watch???
Also the color grading and cinematography was incredible, I really liked the ikea price scene.
The audience experience
There was a guy that would laugh really loud before EVERY joke. It kind of spoiled it for me, I feel like that ruined my friends' ability to organically appreciate each part. But just in general, the audience experience for this film was fascinating. I've never quite experienced anything like it.
everyone laughed at every bit and honestly made the watch feel all weird. It was like the room live screenings except every gunshot is a laughing moment. I didn't laugh at a lot of the jokes (namely the part where Marla "overdoses"), but every one liner the audience was cracking up. I guess it's because they've seen all these iconic line moments like 50 times, but it set the tone for my friends' first watch in a way I really didn't like. IDK.
Which like. Idk if that's weird of me but i didn't really laugh at fight club on my first watch, i found it more grim cruelty squad meta commentary than anything. More morbid than openly comedic or filled with moments to laugh at.
They didn't find the movie all that funny. I don't blame them.
other stuff I guess
But yeah, I should probably write more reviews on here in a bit. Just kinda busy with uni prep shit and whatnot. A lot's been going on, home life getting worse, allat. But I'm not giving up here.
Also watched Little Shop of Horrors today. I have a distaste for a subset of popular musical humor, which to me seems to prioritize cheap laughs over all else.,and the jokes about domestic violence and while Audrey was given some agency and interesting character development, it didn't really save her from being a very stereotypical ditzy dame character. I don't find a character joking about being handcuffed and hit by their partner during sex (nonconsensually) funny in any context, sorry.
Music was phenomenal though, if I may drop my social justice lenses for a second.
Stuff I have planned:
-Breakfast of Champions/Cat's Cradle joint review (and my complicated thoughts on Vonnegut)
-Murder Drones (ft my beloved friend (redacted))
-Punch-Out!!! and a few other emulator games I've been playing recently -my evosim idea/ cubivore review
-some comics i drew
-this other scifi comic idea i have
-mother 1 review with styro once we get more time to hang out -travel blog maybe idfk anymore
-collection of various rants ive gone on in (redacted)'s dms- idk i like talking to her about random shit that doesn't really matter. that's kind of why I started this blog, to post DM screenshots of random discussions
Also if I actually start posting on here again I might move to Bearblog or off to my defunct Neocities. Idk I'd like a little more customization, and bearblog allows for a bit more organization (but not an export feature, which is primarily why I use Mataroa)