Yeah Baby! Yeah!
I’ve made it no secret that I’m saddened by contemporary popular cinema’s lack of libidinousness and that I wish we could go back to the 1980s and 1990s where sex thrillers like Basic Instinct (1992) and Fatal Attraction (1987) were not only blockbuster events, but also nominated for Oscars. Today’s big blockbusters trend toward repressing sexuality, as if when the WWII super soldier Captain America was unfrozen from his icy prison he brought all the repressed views of his era with him. I’d rather see a more Dionysian hero unthawed: Austin Powers.
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery (1997) is basically a parody of James Bond films, specifically of the goofy Roger Moore era films that feature larger than life villains and outlandish set pieces, but they ask “how would this womanizing swinger fare in the late twentieth century?” The Ultimate Gentleman Spy, Austin Powers (Mike Meyers) is cryogenically frozen at the end of the sixties and revived, like a sexual Rip Van Winkle, in the 90s in order to stop his arch-nemesis Doctor Evil (also Mike Meyers). Powers, contrasting Evil, is lives in a world of bright colors compared to the industrial grey of Dr Evil’s lair somewhat symbolizing Powers trending toward a Bacchus-esque lifestyle of pleasure. Considering that, Powers is driven by his emotions instead of his reason, so he spends most of his mission trying to woo the distinctly fastidious Vanessa Kensington (Elizabeth Hurley).
Most of the humor comes from Powers saying ridiculous double entendres to Kensington and the camera lingering on his self-satisfied open mouth smile (displaying his cartoonishly crooked teeth) as if he is waiting for both Kensington’s and the audience’s approval. While Kensington eventually learns to loosen up (“I’m sorry that bug up your ass had to die” Powers jokes), Austin learns to adjust himself to his new context. One adjustment he doesn’t need to make however is respecting Kensington’s desire for monogamy and understanding consent when Kensington drunkenly comes onto him. This seems to fly in the face of the character being a sex obsessed little cretin, but Austin, despite his crude jokes, cares about making a safe sexual environment for his partners. In this film at least, he shows genuine affection in his own silly way.
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery and it’s sequels (neither of which hold up as well as the first film) feel as different to most of todays comedies as Roger Moore’s Bond films do to Daniel Craig’s. Cartoonist Branson Reese noted something similar in his Letterboxd review for Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), that the Austin Powers films were followed by films like The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005), so “suddenly all comedy had to be about [was] a bunch of stoned friends instead of a wacky guy and instead of jokes they [just] had to call each other gay.” There’s something refreshing about the first Austin Powers film. Take the Captain America comparison I made earlier. Much like Doctor Evil, those films exist in dull colors and take no interest in the sexuality. Austin Powers not only thrives in its sexual inclinations, but does so with sensitivity to match it’s gusto. Instead of more boring squares, the world could really go for more Austin Powers. Too groovy baby! Yeah!
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery is available for streaming on HBO Max.
Who Would Be King
What with the third season of the hit HBO show Succession currently on the air and hearing rumbles about it on my twitter timeline every Sunday, I decided to finally get around to watching the second season. I made no mistake here because I love it. While the first season largely concerned Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) making a bid to take over the large media conglomerate owned by his ailing father, Logan Roy (Brian Cox), amid the other snakes circling the throne (AKA his family), the second season depicts the fallout of this betrayal.
Many have compared the show to both Shakespeare and Arrested Development for the show’s sense of humor, intertwining storylines, depiction of the upper class, and superb writing, and both comparisons would be apt. It’s precise skewering of the uncaring elite is as sharp as the barbs thrown between them. It’s almost at American Psycho levels of contempt for the monstrously wealthy as these entitled white rich brats squabble while they stomp and ruin so many lives. It can be brutal and would be depressing if the show didn’t have so much of a comedic edge. Seeing these powerful individuals stumble and fail in weird and spectacular ways while, also, not succumbing to any real harm is such a honest portrayal of the absurd world we live in that it’s really hard not to laugh.
Succession is available for streaming on HBO Max and new episodes air on Sundays.
Stray Observations
As many people point out, the Holiday Season comes quick. Some Christmas decorations are put up on display in stores even before Halloween happens. I’m no Grinch, but it usually takes me at least the first substantial snowfall for me to get in the holiday spirit. This year though, a music mash-up of Kanye West’s “Stronger” and Wham!’s “Last Christmas” has me ready to deck the halls. Listen to it here:
In other music news, Taylor Swift released Red (Taylor’s Version) last week and, despite some friends urging me not to play any Taylor Swift on the dive bar jukebox, I have spent much of my idle time listening to it. I am no Swift Scholar, so I don’t know much of the Taylor lore outside the fact that the album was inspired by her then (2012) most recent ex-boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal and that she re-recorded Red in order to reclaim her work because most of her music is actually owned by Scooter Braun (some ridiculously named record exec). These youthful break-up songs are now paired against Taylor’s more mature outlook and contemporary collaborators (Phoebe Bridgers being one). Like I said, I’m listening to it a lot. It’s good!
I rewatched Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992) and was in awe of just how gorgeous the art direction is. The film has this ethereal quality and a style that no doubt influenced horror filmmakers like Mike Flanagan (Midnight Mass and Haunting of Hill House) and shows like Brand New Cherry Flavor. Worth watching for the visuals alone. Available on Netflix.
That’s it for this week! Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe! Share with your friends! Email me with any comments, corrections, or submissions at Nick.Dauphin@gmail.com