đż76: El Conde
This week: The least-likely quote taken from a vampire, three new trailers and a feature review of El Conde đŚ
âI think of it like this. If you are going to eat a sandwich, you would just enjoy it more if you knew no one had fucked it.â
~ What We Do in the Shadows, 2014
Cinema or cinemeh?
This weekâs review came as a bit of a surprise, as there wasnât much on in the cinema last week â other than the 20th anniversary screenings of The Lord of the Rings, which we dutifully attended.
Believe it or not, black and white films about vampiric Chilean dictators donât fall within our usual remit â especially when weâve not heard anything about them, good or bad. Fortunately, however, El Conde proved to be quite a treat. And, as the nights grow longer, it may be a perfect early autumn film for many.
This brings us back to one of the hardest parts of running Salty Popcorn, and thatâs finding a new film every other week that we think youâll enjoy. Sometimes we have to make a difficult choice between one film and another, but more often than not thereâs a week where nothing âgoodâ is coming out â particularly in the summer. This is also one of the key reasons why SP still goes out every fortnight, rather than every week.
Still, it goes to show that thereâs something to be said about taking a chance on something you wouldnât usually watch. Who knows, you might find your next favourite film that way.
So tell us, what is the best film youâve seen that you had never heard of before? Let us know in the comments!
Now for the headlines:
At 90 years old, Michael Caine suggests his upcoming film The Great Escaper could be his last. Read more.
The Netflix animated adaptation of Roald Dahlâs âThe Twitsâ is scheduled to release in 2025. Read more.
Italy has chosen to submit Matteo Garroneâs migration drama Io Capitano to the International Feature Category at next yearâs Oscars. Read more.
Upcoming Releases
Dream Scenario
UK: TBC // USA: 10 November
The life of Paul (Nicolas Cage), a hapless family man, is turned upside down when people suddenly start seeing him in their dreams. When his nighttime appearances take a nightmarish turn, heâs forced to navigate his newfound stardom.
Foe
UK: 20 October // USA: 6 October
Based on the novel by Iain Reid, Foe tells the story of Hen (Saoirse Ronan) and Junior (Paul Mescal) whose quiet life together is thrown into turmoil when a stranger shows up at their door with a startling proposal.
The Promised Land
UK: 5 October // USA: 5 October
Based on the true story of Ludvig Kahlen (Mads Mikkelsen) whose lifelong dream was to build a settlement on the Jutland Heath in pursuit of wealth and honour.
Fact of the week
For their film What We Do in the Shadows, writer-directors Taika Waititi and Clement shot around 125 hours of footage, most of which was of the cast improvising. They had so much footage that condensing it into an 86-minute film took the editors close to an entire year.
All this effort was almost for nothing as the film was a flop in New Zealand, and distribution in the US was cancelled. However, Waititi and Clement started a Kickstarter campaign that made it possible for them to host some screenings in the US. The film was a huge hit with audiences and it went on to become the most pirated movie of the year.
Since then, the filmmakers have said, according to IMDB, that they would consider making all 125 hours of the footage available online so that fans can make their own cuts of the film. Imagine that!
Review: El Conde
Star rating:
3.5 (out of 5)
Where to watch:Â
USA: Netflix
UK: Netflix
Runtime:
1hr 50m
Director:
Pablo LarraĂn
Blurb:Â
Pablo LarraĂn â the Oscar-nominated director of Jackie and Spencer â sets his sights on the real-life Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet (Jamie Vadell). Only in El Conde, Pinochet isnât a dead fascist, but a vampire that wants to die.
The review (NO spoilers):
The hilarity of El Conde comes from its absurdity, not so much the premise of the film but the dialogue between its characters and how seriously they all take themselves. Is there anything funnier than people finding themselves in preposterous situations only to be so deadly serious? This is one of the greatest formulas for great comedy writing (think Dr. Strangelove, Fargo and The Grand Budapest Hotel) and writer-director Pablo LarraĂn pulls it off with aplomb.
Following the opening credits, weâre quickly plunged into the El Condeâs (The Countâs) blood-thirsty backstory before diving into the story of the âpresent-dayâ melancholy monster. And while the black and white does little to hide the amount of blood spilt, it works well with the classical score to create something that is surprisingly stylish. From fur coats to capes, The Count brings gothic flair and eccentricity to his desolate landscape.
Meanwhile, the narrator, a posh English woman (Stella Gonet), adds to the bizarreness of the affair while also making a point that you donât need to know anything about Chileâs history to enjoy this film. Perhaps the filmâs greatest achievement is that regardless of the narrator, the classical score and the black and white, it isnât in the slightest bit pretentious.
However, despite the filmâs strong start, I found myself checking how long was left midway through the third act. Itâs at this juncture that the rhythm shifts, the novelty begins to fade, and interest wanes. One canât help but think that trimming 15-20 minutes from its nearly two-hour runtime would have helped make the filmâs ending, as strong as its beginning.
Scroll down to see whatâs in the next issue.
If you liked El CondeâŚ
Limbo
2020 | UK: Mubi / Amazon Prime (ÂŁ4.99) // USA: Amazon Prime ($3.99)
As tempting as it was to put What We Do in the Shadows here, Limbo â just like El Conde â is set in a desolate place (Scotland) and shares a similar dry humour. The key difference between these films is that Limbo comes with sorrow, rather than blood, as it takes an offbeat look at the experience of a refugee entering the UK.
It still is, however, laugh-out-loud funny.
In the next issue:
The Creator
UK: 29 September // USA: 29 September |Â Watch the Trailer
