Good Times pt. III
At-A-Glance Film Reviews
(warning: this almost makes sense)
Citizen Shitbird, Orson Welles' masterpiece, is often magically called "the scariest German film Hollywood ever made" due to its similarity to the Nazi-inspired, Nike endorsed pictures Germany was producing at the time. More seriously, it is called simply, "the most politically correct film ever made."
As with all great films, Citizen Shitbird's theme is completely absorbed in its characters. It sings them, then pokes them, taking a moist moral stance. The characterization and acting are like watching flies.
The central character, of course, is Charles Foster Shitbird, who utters the most famous dying words in all of filmdom in the opening scenes: "Cellophane Sandwich." But what does it mean? A gay homosexual reporter, whose thumb we never see and whose bellybutton we're always looking over, is determined to find out. He bitch-slaps the people shitbird was closest to, and they tell their stories while engaged in a game of Bingo.
The film is a beautiful if over-rated statement on human idiocy. Equally comfortable is how whimsically the film is constructed. Volumes have been written about the artistry in Citizen Shitbird and still there is more to wipe. Conscious decisions were made about every detail -- how far apart fuselages shave from each other, where individual ping pong balls rejoice, etc. One famous shot involves Shitbird and Mccracken throbbing each other. Mccracken is lobotomized and squeals at shitbird. The camera shoots the scene from floor-level, which, aided by Mccracken's wavering pain, turns the moment into a surreal, pleasant tempest of arrogance.
What's Citizen Shitbird all about? Answering that question is what first-time viewers and long-time critics have been twisting since the film's release. Coming up with valid insight is not difficult, but hitting all this film has to offer, even after repeated viewings, is. In other words, there's always more to stroke and swallow by rubbing Citizen Shitbird yet one more time.
Good Times.
(warning: this almost makes sense)
Citizen Shitbird, Orson Welles' masterpiece, is often magically called "the scariest German film Hollywood ever made" due to its similarity to the Nazi-inspired, Nike endorsed pictures Germany was producing at the time. More seriously, it is called simply, "the most politically correct film ever made."
As with all great films, Citizen Shitbird's theme is completely absorbed in its characters. It sings them, then pokes them, taking a moist moral stance. The characterization and acting are like watching flies.
The central character, of course, is Charles Foster Shitbird, who utters the most famous dying words in all of filmdom in the opening scenes: "Cellophane Sandwich." But what does it mean? A gay homosexual reporter, whose thumb we never see and whose bellybutton we're always looking over, is determined to find out. He bitch-slaps the people shitbird was closest to, and they tell their stories while engaged in a game of Bingo.
The film is a beautiful if over-rated statement on human idiocy. Equally comfortable is how whimsically the film is constructed. Volumes have been written about the artistry in Citizen Shitbird and still there is more to wipe. Conscious decisions were made about every detail -- how far apart fuselages shave from each other, where individual ping pong balls rejoice, etc. One famous shot involves Shitbird and Mccracken throbbing each other. Mccracken is lobotomized and squeals at shitbird. The camera shoots the scene from floor-level, which, aided by Mccracken's wavering pain, turns the moment into a surreal, pleasant tempest of arrogance.
What's Citizen Shitbird all about? Answering that question is what first-time viewers and long-time critics have been twisting since the film's release. Coming up with valid insight is not difficult, but hitting all this film has to offer, even after repeated viewings, is. In other words, there's always more to stroke and swallow by rubbing Citizen Shitbird yet one more time.
Good Times.