I know which movies to avoid and, therefore, rarely hate any I watch. That pattern was broken by
High-Rise (2015), which arrived courtesy of Netflix. It is the story of life in an ultra-modern building designed as a sort of utopia. Things go wrong, anarchy rules. Even before the chaos begins, the residents are largely jerks, so it is not a large leap for them to become thoroughly reprehensible. It is a grim view of human nature, based on the 1975 novel by J.G. Ballard, a Brit, whose work is described at Wiki as "...post-apocalyptic dystopian..." He is quoted as having said: "In a completely sane world, madness is the only freedom." His most famous book is the semi-autobiographical
Empire of the Sun, which Steven Spielberg adapted to the screen in 1987. Is
High-Rise supposed to parallel a certain country or ideology? There are two quotes over a loud speaker about capitalism at the end, which I assume are attributable to screenwriter Amy Jump. Is the viewer supposed to infer that capitalism caused the chaos? That makes no sense, at least to me. If a comparison to a country is to be made, the socialist paradise of Venezuela might fit the bill. Five years after the novel was written, Margaret Thatcher came to power, and life in the UK has improved dramatically since then. Compare the bleak cinema landscapes of the London of the '60's and '70's to the beautiful ones of the past 20 years or so. BBC productions feature lush cinematography not only of London but other parts of England. At least that's what it looks like to this Yank who has never been there. 18,000+ users at IMDb have rated
High-Rise, forging to a consensus of 5.8 of ten, way too high in my view. As a counterpoint to my opinion, I'll add that the flick received four nominations from the British Independent Film Awards. Tom Hiddleston, Taylor Swift's latest ex, stars. I doubt his appearance will hamper his burgeoning career. He is joined by Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller and Elizabeth Moss. This was director Ben Wheatley's 18th time at the helm. I am unfamiliar with his previous work. In an odd bit of trivia, someone is smoking in 80% of the scenes. Anyone turned off by vile behavior should pass. If I were to hazard a guess as to who might appreciate such fare, it may be fans of films like
Brazil (1985).
Quintuplets are working their first job - at McDonald's. Leith, Logan and Lucas Curtis all work in the kitchen at the restaurant in Potterville, Michigan, outside Lansing. Lauren works at the front counter and drive-thru, and Lindsey handles the lobby. Lucas and Lauren began working a year ago. Leith signed up in March, and Lindsay and Logan joined two months later. The five share one car. Each pitches in for gas. They are non-identical, so customers don't pin them out.
My thanks to Lorraine, who purchased
Rising Star, and to Monsey, who bought Richard Green's
There Are No Answers to the Mysteries, to the gentleman who bought a novel in Russian, and to Bad News Billy, who grossly overpaid for two cook books. He's thinking about suing a patent office he suspects is jerking him around, which he pays to find a buyer for his idea.
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
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