For the 16th week of 2018 as part of Wandering Through the Shelves' Thursday Movie Picks series hosted by Wanderer. The theme is on meltdowns where it shows a character just completely losing it over something or has been building up into a sense of repressed rage that leads to complete and absolute chaos. Here are my three picks:
1. My Best Fiend
For anyone that’s aware about meltdowns in film production would think they’ve seen it all. Yet, none of them compare to the one Klaus Kinski had during the production of Fitzcarraldo which was filmed by documentary filmmaker Les Blank that never made it to the final version of his film Burden of Dreams. However, Werner Herzog would show this footage of Kinski going ape-shit on production manager Walter Saxer that is extremely scary. It was so intense that natives at the Amazon offered to take care of the situation to Herzog who politely declined as he would show this moment in his documentary about his love/hate collaboration with Kinski.
2. Me, Myself, and Irene
Probably the last great film the Farrelly Brothers ever did is from this 2000 comedy about a Rhode Island police officer whose life is shattered when he learned his wife cheated on him on their wedding day giving birth to three African-American children. Despite raising the boys himself and being a loving father to them, the man would be disrespected and mistreated by many leading him to finally snap and create another personality called Hank. The result would have Hank just finally do everything Charlie wouldn’t do as it’s one of Jim Carrey’s funniest performances.
3. Friends with Money
From Nicole Holofcener comes a comedy-drama about four women who are dealing with changes in their lives as well as the need to help one of them over her lack of finances. Yet, there’s a key scene as it relates to Frances McDormand’s character who is starting to become unhinged through not just aging but the idea that her husband might be gay. The moment that she snaps is where a couple cut in line in front of her and she fucking loses her shit. Who could blame her?
© thevoid99 2018
That scene that Kinski made is so ridiculously out of control but I've often read he was certifiable. I wasn't crazy for Friends with Money but Frances McDormand was terrific in it and that scene made much more of an impact than most any other part of the film. I've managed to avoid Me, Myself and Irene all these years, it's got the detested Zellweger in it, and I don't see that changing any time soon.
ReplyDeleteI love a good meltdown scene and since they are memorable this was an easy week to come up with three.
They Drive by Night (1940)-Joe and Paul Fabini (George Raft & Humphrey Bogart) are wildcat truckers struggling to make enough to get their own business off the ground. When Paul is seriously injured in an accident Joe goes to work for old friend Ed Carlsen (Alan Hale) the owner of a successful trucking firm and all seems well. The problems start when Ed’s much younger wife Lana (a riveting Ida Lupino) discovers that Joe is seriously involved with Cassie (Ann Sheridan) and allows her (unreciprocated) desire for Joe to take extreme measures leading to betrayal and death. Rough, tough Warner’s drama climaxes in a high grade courtroom meltdown.
Mommie Dearest (1981)-Joan Crawford (Faye Dunaway) is a huge star at a crossroads in her life and career. Released after decades by MGM and between husbands she decides to start the family she’s always wanted by adopting several children with the oldest being Christina (Mara Hobel as a child/Diana Scarwid as an adult). Madly ambitious and competitive she is not suited to motherhood and rides the children relentlessly meting out hard punishments for small infractions. Among these is a spectacular meltdown late at night when she discovers that the young Christiana has failed to take her expensive dresses off wire hangers from the dry cleaners. While Crawford was a tough customer and a harsh taskmaster and child abuse is no joke this hatchet job reeks of score settling and has been largely discredited. Faye however pours her guts into the role giving almost a kabuki performance.
Falling Down (1993)-William Foster known through most of the film by his license plate moniker D-FENS (Michael Douglas) an unemployed defense worker frustrated with the various flaws he sees in society abandons his car in LA gridlock and begins to psychotically and violently lash out against most everyone he encounters as he makes his way across the city to attend his daughter’s birthday party. The entire film is really one long meltdown.
The only one I've seen is Me, Myself, and Irene and the scene I'm thinking of is brilliant. I remember that was the first Jim Carrey movie that my mom actually made me turn off when I was a kid because she thought I was too young for it. lol
ReplyDeleteI dislike Renee squint, change face, Zellweger but this looks funny and it is realistic. Klaus is nuts...beyond nuts and what a narcissistic jerk. I feel for Frances McDormand because that has happened to me, probably everyone, I also complained and the guy told me to take a pill. The nice thing is the check out person sided with me and when the jerk gave a series of expletives, he was told to leave.
ReplyDeleteWow Klaus Kinski really lost his shit! I've been meaning to watch Me, Myself & Irene for a long time, not sure why I never watched it though. I'll try to watch it as soon as I can as that scene is hilarious. I haven't seen Friends with Money either but I feel like it deserves to be watched for Frances alone. Her meltdowns are the best.
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