04 April 2012

Submarine (2011)


The Brits make the movies I want to see and I don't understand America. Pretty much summarizes my current thoughts on that subject. This movie and Boy are my favorite so-called Wes Anderson rip-offs, because if they 'rip-off' something it's a cinematic ideology - get as close as you can. And that's more interesting to me than pure style. Better that the style of the movie is the bloodstream of the protagonist (than the style the bloodstream) (I prefer character-based cinema).

It's odd to me that Boy set a b.o. record in New Zealand and was NZ's #1 b.o. film in 2010 with a total of ~$6mil, but Submarine made $75,200 in NZ and $2,374,824 in the United Kingdom (the most Submarine made in any country, globally, placing #114 in the UK's b.o. totals for 2011). Submarine placed twelfth at the b.o. in its UK opening week, finishing below Paul (:296 theaters during its fifth week). The Weinstein Company opened Submarine in four US theaters, where it finished 45th, behind The First Grader (:36 screens in its fourth week), but had the fifth highest average per screen.

I don't think you can use numbers to evaluate perception of a movie, certainly not quality, but I do think these numbers represent a thing that's both specific and general. I care to make no formal accusations, but humbly submit Submarine and Weekend as two overlooked UK movies. (At least I overlooked both of them re theatrical releases.)

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