HUMPDAY (2009)
This may be uncouth to say, but part of the reason why I really enjoy this movie from writer/director Lynn Shelton is that it often seems like something I would write myself.
This may be uncouth to say, but part of the reason why I really enjoy this movie from writer/director Lynn Shelton is that it often seems like something I would write myself.
The movie begins with a couple in bed who are disturbed in the night by the arrival of an old friend of the guy's. The two men haven't seen each other in a long time, while one was settling into simple domesticity, the other has been traveling the world and brings with him endless tales of his experiences. I have a script that starts out the same way and has the same basic character set-ups. Later, the characters even play a rough and inept game of basketball, something I've written into some of my scripts. This is all coincidence, of course. That's how it goes with writing, you're always running into things similar to your own.
The story does end up taking a turn that never would've occurred to me. The world traveler, Andrew, has come to town seeking funding for an art project that he's working on and he very quickly gets involved with some bohemian types (becoming the third party in an open relationship) and the local art scene. He invites his married pal Ben to a party and during a long night of drinking and toking, the subject of Humpfest comes up. Humpfest is an amateur porn festival that's being held soon, and a joke is made that Ben and Andrew should film a submission for the festival that would feature them having sex with each other. "Two straight dudes straight ballin'." The joke quickly turns into a serious plan. They're going to do this, they're going to make their "erotic art film" and it's going to be amazing.
When the guys sober up, they still push the idea forward. Part of it is that they're talking themselves into it by going on about how great and boundary breaking the idea is, other elements involved are that neither wants to be the one to back down from it first and Ben wants to prove that he's not as much of a domesticized square as Andrew thinks he is. They talk a big game to each other, but when the moment of truth arrives, will they really be able to go through with it? Not to mention, how will Ben's wife react when she hears about this?
The cast - Mark Duplass as Ben, Joshua Leonard as Andrew, Alycia Delmore as Ben's wife Anna - does a great job, especially given the fact that they improvised the dialogue.
Some may not totally buy how the guys carry on with the idea for so long, but it's a good hook for a story that held my attention throughout, having to keep watching to see how things were going to go.
Some may not totally buy how the guys carry on with the idea for so long, but it's a good hook for a story that held my attention throughout, having to keep watching to see how things were going to go.
SUMMER LOVERS (1982)
The streaming deal Starz had with Netflix ended this past Wednesday, resulting in a ton of movies being removed from Netflix Instant. One of the movies that was removed from the service, and one that I made sure to get in a viewing of before it was gone, was Summer Lovers.
This was my third time watching the movie. I had previously rented the DVD from Netflix, and when preparing to watch the online version I was surprised to see that rental had been back in 2002. It seemed like it had been much more recent than that. My first viewing was on cable in the mid-'90s, so I'm now on a roll of getting a viewing in once every decade.
The film is set in the Greek islands and begins with a peaceful village being set upon by a horde of tourists who are ready for a summer of things like windsurfing and nude sunbathing. Among the tourists are young American couple Michael and Cathy, who have rented a villa in beautiful Oia, Santorini and intend to stay for around eight weeks.
Michael and Cathy have known each other for ten years and have been dating for five. Cathy seems to be hoping that a marriage proposal might be coming soon, but we also get the impression that their lovelife is missing something and their communication isn't what it should be. All this time into their relationship and Cathy is just now letting Michael know that she has desires beneath her "goody goody" exterior. He asks her if she's ever considered having a "physical thing" on the side for variety. She hasn't, but he secretly has someone in mind.
Michael first sees French girl Lina on his and Cathy's first visit to the beach and is instantly smitten. Using binoculars, he spies on Lina at her home, which is conveniently right across from the villa. He follows her around town and soon manages to have sex with her. He says they "made love", she quickly corrects him, they just "screwed". She's willing to have sex with him, but she's seen him with Cathy and commends the fact that they truly care for each other.
The beautiful scenery has a lot to do with why I like this movie, the Greek locations are amazing. The human bodies are nice to look at as well, there is ample polygamist nudity on display. Daryl Hannah and Valérie Quennessen are very lovely as Cathy and Lina, with Peter Gallagher playing the extremely lucky man in the middle.
The characters go to some very cool places during their time together. When I watched it in 2002 a scene of them watching the Three Stooges at an outdoor theatre really captured my imagination. Watching this movie makes me want to go to Greece and stay in the exact same villa that Michael and Cathy do, which would be impossible because it's a gift shop now. A gift shop called Summer Lovers.
There's something very enjoyable and likeable about this movie. It doesn't take a sleazy approach to the sexual situations, despite the subject matter this is actually a rather nice, innocent film. It really sticks in my head over the years between my viewings and I'm sure I'll be watching it again someday, perhaps in 2020-something.
There's something very enjoyable and likeable about this movie. It doesn't take a sleazy approach to the sexual situations, despite the subject matter this is actually a rather nice, innocent film. It really sticks in my head over the years between my viewings and I'm sure I'll be watching it again someday, perhaps in 2020-something.
Jay's mention:
DEEP SEA DETECTIVES: PEARL HARBOR'S REVENGE
Deep Sea Detectives is a TV show from 2003 which starred John Chatterton, Richard Kohler, and Michael Norwood. I watched the episode titled Pearl Harbor's Revenge on Netflix and found it to be very informative and enjoyable. I have personally always enjoyed stories of the sea and the many great mysteries associated with it. This episode was a delight, as it featured the story of sunken Japanese submarine I-169 from World War II. After diving to the bottom of Truk Lagoon to avoid an American attack, the sub mysteriously never rose to the surface again. We get some great HD footage of the wreckage as it is explored for answers on what led to the disaster.
This episode also highlights some 1970s footage from another dive to the submarine and footage of bones from the sub's crew can be seen. Very, very eerie stuff.
It seems a great number of other Deep Sea Detective episodes are available to watch on Instant Viewing, so if you crave a great shipwreck exploration then you should give it a watch!
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