Video Beaverhausen: The Bay Ridge Picture Show

A little film fest in Kevin's apartment tonight, with everything screened on large, hi-def Apple desktop. Breakfast, lunch and dinner accompanied each film as appropriate, including coffee and pinot noir.

Our first film was Grand Budapest Hotel. It kicked off the event beautifully and really can't compare this film to anything I've seen before. It's basically a comedy but full of action, suspense and melodrama. Played in a controlled and rather droll acting style, the element of camp is quite strong throughout. Wild, wacky, yet heartbreaking at many times, this is not to be overlooked.

Wes Anderson artfully directs a fine cast that includes Ralph Fiennes, F. Murray Abraham, Aiden Brody, Matthieu Amalrec, William Dafoe, Jeff  Goldblum, Bill Murray, Jude Law, Harvey Keitel, Edward Norton and Sabrina Ronan.

Second film up was Suddenly Last Summer, that alternately had us in laughter and tears. I reviewed the tragi-comedy earlier this year.

http://djbuddybeaverhausen.blogspot.com/2014/07/cine-beaverhausen-suddenly-last-summer.html

Finally, over mushroom pizza and pinot noir, we watched "Fatal Attraction" Glenn Close carefully goes over the top in a well-modulated portrayal of NYC crazy with a vengeance. At the time of its theatrical release, I was offended by what I perceived as a Reagan-era anti-feminist story of a psycho professional woman vs. the perfect housewife. Now, stripped of that '80s political baggage, it's just good fun.

Too bad Glenn's character didn't live. Her meat market condo would be worth a fortune!

The original finale had Glenn's Alex character committing suicide to "Madame Butterfly." It didn't butter up or fly with test audiences. So they reshot a more Friday the 13th-styled ending with our girl superhumanly sitting up from under a tub of water for more mayhem.

Camp classic.

And so, I await our next film and feast fest planned for Thanksgiving weekend.