VEEP meets CITY OF GOD.

more grim than funny, but still plenty funny. by far my favorite thing that Armando Iannucci has ever done.

75

Fucking hysterical, mostly for showcasing the idiocy in group government dynamics while never shying away from the violence and complete disregard for human life around the chaotic remnants of the regime. In various scenes set inside the torture chambers, background bodies are shot (both on and off screen), conveying the same narrative function as a moment where a nameless prisoner tumbles outrageously down the stairs. The Death of Stalin wrestles with hilarity and horror within the same confined, decedent spaces, and the disruptions of each are startling. In a showing before mine, a woman apparently yelled "Communism isn't funny!" before storming out. Of course, even if it wasn't funny (and The Death of Stalin almost constantly is -like a squabbling contest between imbeciles), the film suggests something far worse: that it's true and, to quote The Giant in Twin Peaks, "it is happening again."

“Who would put a lamp on a chair?”

Unabashedly declaring this the best
[dark (as FUCK)] comedy of last year;

Iannucci's the master political satirist.

stalin retire bitch

Now that's a fucking dark comedy. Very very funny and sharp and brilliant, but tonally upsetting and maybe a little confusing in a way I need some time to process? Or, just need to know more about history for. Who can say! I think I liked it!

sucking the cocks and balls of new york zionist queers

Oh properly made smart humor, how I have missed you

Humanity: The Nightmare

But an incredible premise for a movie. It could be smoother cinematically speaking, but dear god does it cut straight to the fucked, absurd core of people operating in power systems.

Just didn't click with me and felt like a chore towards the end as I began to wonder when it would end. Not sure if it was the subject matter or the genre, but this one wasn't my cup of tea.

Seen at The Springs Cinema & Taphouse. Movie #21 seen with MoviePass in 2018.

Fantastically written and performed

“smile, shake hands, and try not to call them cunts” is my new life motto.

I loved this movie.

In today's film-comedy landscape, this feels almost singular in tone. It's a much more technically accomplished effort from Iannucci, who's ever-present preoccupations with the failure to communicate find their most resonant backdrop in Stalin's Soviet Union. The cast of often underused comic actors (it's a particular joy for me to see the legendary Michael Palin on screen) doesn't miss a beat, with each actor walking a fine line between cartoon and historical figure.

One very interesting thread throughout the movie is comedy's power to disrupt (it being a laughing fit that kills Stalin). Each member of Stalin's cabinet goes to great lengths to keep their comedy honed to Stalin's sensibilities, as well. Iannucci forms a thematic link between improvisational humour and political strategy, highlighting a fascinating self-reflexivity than doesn't impede the film in the slightest.

Forgot to mention I saw this film recently, which probably says a lot right off the bat about what I thought of this film.

All in all, aside from a few specifically hilarious scenes, quite forgettable. Great comedic performances by Steve Buscemi and Jeffrey Tambor get muddied within a script that loses itself in the second half and becomes less comedy and more misguided attempts at topical political commentary.

Considering this was the same director that brought us 'In The Loop' (A FANTASTIC comedy starring Peter Capaldi that you should all go see now on Netflix), I consider this a downgrade in quality.

Just a boring boring film aside from a strong, funny first half. By the start of the third act, I was ready to start checking my watch.