Change of plan…

by chuckofish

So, I just spent all morning writing a nice, sad post about remembering WWI and the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele (3rd Ypres), where 70,000 British, Canadian, and ANZAC soldiers died and 275,000 more were wounded between July and November 10, 1917.

Alas, when I went back to see if anyone had commented, my post wasn’t there. I don’t know what went wrong, but I’ll take that as a sign that I should discuss something cheerier today.

Therefore, I shall move from the sublime to the ridiculous and post about Thor: Ragnarok, which I saw last Tuesday evening after a long, long day at work. It kept me awake!

Directed by Taika Waititi of Hunt for the Wilderpeople fame, Thor: Ragnarok is a funny, over-the-top (no WWI pun intended) wild, escapist romp. You know how I feel about superhero movies, but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. The cast members had great chemistry and superb comedic timing, and were clearly having fun. Sure it had lots of CGI, but it fit. If you want to escape the world for a couple of hours and laugh out loud while doing it, I recommend Thor.

If you don’t want special effects, then try another movie I just watched: the great 1940 classic, His Girl Friday, starring Rosalind Russell and Cary Grant. The witty dialogue is delivered rapid-fire and no one misses a beat. I can’t wait to use the line, “You’re wonderful… in a loathsome sort of way.”

And talk about superb comedic timing…these two are perfect! The subject matter — journalists covering a corrupt local government’s mishandling of a murder case — stands the test of time. This is not a movie that would work with cell phones and computers, so let’s hope no one tries to remake it.

Given that it is the 99th anniversary of the end of WWI, you might be up for a WWI movie. Prepare to be sad. I would recommend any of the following:

  • All Quiet on the Western Front (1930)
  • Wings (1927)
  • La Grande Illusion (1937)
  • The Dawn Patrol (1938)
  • Gallipoli (1981)
  • A Very Long Engagement (2004)
  • Behind the Lines (aka Regeneration) (1997)

What have I missed?