Guest Post: Si White offers Five Films That Stay With Him

Monday is movies. Today is the first guest post in the history of “Sounds Good!” Welcome Si White, a regular reader. Here he offers his “Five Films That Stay With Me”.

About a month ago, I decided to revisit Five Films I’m Loving Right Now. This was a set of guest posts on Off The Tracks, over a few years, where readers would write in and share some favourite film; not just favourites though – the ones that really sat with them. Sometimes this is a film you watch over and again, other times it’s a movie you watch once and it’s burned into your brain, you never need to see it again.

So I put out the call, offering up an opportunity for any readers to write in and share one here. Today, I debut the first ever “guest post” in the life of this “Sounds Good!” newsletter. So, my thanks to Si White – a regular reader across the last decade or so (as he says below, and thank you for that). I’m having the rest of today off. And below, my thanks to Si for his words and work here. Please enjoy. And feel free to get in touch if this inspires you to have a go at offering up a future Five Films list.

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I've been an enthusiastic follower of Simon's writing for something like 10 years now. From the Stuff blog, onto Facebook and now Substack. During that time, while reading his many (!) articles and posts, there'd be a little voice somewhere in the back of my mind saying "I like music and movies, maybe I could give that a go one day?" So when Simon put out the call for regular readers to submit a guest blog, I quickly emailed (before I could chicken out) to say I'd be keen to give it a shot, and I have to say, it's not as easy as he makes it seem. So thanks for the opportunity, Simon - and without further ado... 

Five Films That Stay With Me by Si White

Aniara (2018)

My (now) wife and I went, unsuspecting, to see Aniara at a film festival screening on the basis of a short synopsis that read something like "Sci-fi film where humans head off to live on Mars, but things go wrong on the way." Little did we know just how wrong things would go, and just what an ordeal we were in for. 

Aniara is based on a Swedish epic poem of the same name written in the 1950s, and is set in the not-too-distant future where climate change has all but destroyed earth and humans are moving on-mass to Mars. The vehicles that get them there are giant space-cruise-ships that have all the oxygen, food and entertainment to keep the thousands of passengers occupied during their three-week journey. Unfortunately, on this particular ship (the 'Aniara'), as per the afore-mentioned synopsis, things go about as wrong as they can when the ship veers off course to avoid an asteroid collision, but some debris hits the ship's nuclear reactor forcing the crew to dump all their fuel and the Aniara begins drifting off into space with no ability to change or resume its course. The film then follows Emelie, an employee on the ship, and her struggle to cope with her new life.

The film gives us glimpses of life on the Aniara at intervals of varying numbers of years, and the thing I remember most about the film is the sense of dread at the beginning of each new section, wondering how much worse things can get for these supremely unlucky people. It's really a study of the breakdown of a micro-society, and in abject human misery, where there is no hope of a future for anyone onboard - and they slowly begin to realise it. Things deteriorate progressively - from decadence and orgies, to cults, to mass suicides and, yes, worse still. There are moments where the ever-fewer remaining passengers (and the audience) are given a sliver of hope, only to have it snatched away again and the dread set back in. 

I don't think we said more than a few words to each other on the drive home afterwards, too stunned/affected by what we'd just seen. And I found myself thinking about certain moments in the film for a long time afterwards. I can't exactly recommend Aniara, as it was a very hard watch, but it is a very well made and effective film. 

Napoleon Dynamite (2004)

I just love this film. Probably because I heavily identify with the title character (or is it Chip?) The wholesome down-home American setting, beyond-quirky characters and underdog-almost-comes-out-on-top story combine with spot-on casting and understated/deadpan performances, to make a near flawless film. The overall tone is an absolute delight and the dialogue supremely quotable ("I caught you a delicious bass"). 

Jared Hess, despite being a pretty terrible actor (as evidenced by his future work) was born to play Napoleon, and the rest of the cast inhabit their strangely ordinary characters' skin like a glove. Did I mention I love this film? Napoleon's climactic dance routine is now legendary and the obvious highlight of the film, but there are so many other heartwarming and hilarious goings on that it's hard to pick a favourite sub-plot. From Napoleon's older brother Chip's blossoming online romance with hip-hop loving LaFawnduh from Detroit to Uncle Rico's lament for his long-lost sporting glory and his get-rich-quick schemes to Pedro's campaign for class president - we are rooting for everyone all the way (except Summer, of course!).

The soundtrack choices are superb and blend in perfectly alongside the story and characters. Classic tracks like The White Stripes' "We are going to be friends", Alphaville's "Forever Young" and of course "Canned Heat" by Jamiroquai are perfectly placed. Did I mention I love this film? I could go on about how good it is, but I think you should just go watch it and see for yourself - “Gosh.”

Freddy Got Fingered (2001)

What can I say about this film? Is it good? Is it funny? I think 99% of people who've seen it would answer a definitive "F%&* No!". My answer is, I don't know. It's definitely bizarre and I've certainly never seen anything quite like it before or since. That's probably the reason this one stays with me. Before I knew anything about the movie or Tom Green, I recall overhearing some colleagues discussing it and noticing their extreme reactions. I asked one of them "What's it about? What's it like?" He screwed up his face and responded, "Put it this way, within the first 15 minutes he's jerked off a horse". I don't really want to think too deeply about what this says about me, but right then I knew I had to see it. 

I later learned that, at the time, Green was big on MTV where he pulled outrageous and absurd (some might say "stupid") stunts, often at the expense of his own parents who were unwilling victims of his 'oddball' antics. His film debut followed in the same vein, with scene after scene of strange, offensive and seemingly pointless episodes, and not much in the way of a plot. Many of the "gags" wouldn't (and shouldn't) fly today, such as the title being a reference to Green's character falsely accusing his father of molesting his brother. The film was universally panned by critics and flopped at the box office. It swept the Razzie awards that year winning five awards including 'Worst Actor', 'Worst Director' and 'Worst Picture'. Green celebrated by attending the awards, arriving in a white Cadillac and rolling out his own red carpet. Despite all of this, and the movie's many, many flaws - to use a cliched but apt analogy, this film really is like a car crash that's so grotesque you just can't look away. I don't know if I'll ever watch it again - but I do still think about it years later.

Ghostbusters (1984)

This movie stays with me both for the film itself and for the memories it conjures up. I vividly recall seeing it at the Odeon cinema in Lower Hutt, aged six or seven, with my Dad and older brother. Back then, going to see a movie at the cinema - rather than renting a VHS from the 'Video Barn' (in Wainuiomata, where I grew up) was a real event. Looking back, I realise it was an extravagance that my parents could not often stretch to with three kids in tow, so it always felt special when we did go.

The Odeon seemed like a majestic palace – a majestic palace with Tangy Fruits and choc-top ice creams! I sat back in the cinema seat, and as the lights dimmed I remember being more than a little apprehensive. I had seen a few ads for the movie prior to going, and I knew it was going to be funny, but just how scary was it going to be? The opening scene had me on the edge of my seat, anxiety rising - but when the phantom librarian revealed her true self and sent Peter, Ray and Egon screaming out of the NYC public library - I not only didn't wet myself, I was exhilarated! I knew I could cope with whatever else was to come. 

Even at that young age, I realised that the writing was something special and these were master comedians at work. I picked up on all the great one-liners throughout the film ("Listen ...  do you smell something?") and (probably subconsciously) began to understand what made this film so much funnier than anything I had seen up to that point - timing, subject matter, delivery. In the days, weeks and years afterwards I would try, mostly unsuccessfully, to mimic what I had learned from the film to make my friends and family laugh just as hard as I had that night. Later on I learned that so much of the dialog, especially Bill Murray's, was improvised - which blew my mind even further.

Ghostbusters had just the right mix of classic comedy, jump-scares and special effects to appeal to the seven year old me back then and it continues to appeal to 40-something me today. It's an enduring classic that stands up still, nearly 40 years later. I have probably watched it 20 times over those 40 years and I'm not done with it yet.

The Witch (2015)

Prior to having kids, there really weren't many films that scared me – 'horrors' in particular were more laughable than frightening. But something happens after you have a child (and I've heard more than one Dad say this) where you somehow succumb much more easily to the intended emotional responses from film and TV than you ever did before. In other words, I turned into a big old wuss after my son Arlo was born. And not long after that I watched The Witch. 

I'm not sure if it was the ominous, old-worldly feel, set against the bleak backdrop of the winter woods in Pilgrim-era America. Or the slow dread that creeps up as you watch and is upon you before you realise it. Or maybe the blurred lines between the occult and mental illness, where you're never quite sure which side of it the characters (or you, the audience) are on? It was probably a combination of all three that had me sleeping with one eye open that night, and steering clear of forested areas for weeks afterwards. Needless to say, I'll never look at a black goat the same way again.

Simon White

www.silentdesigns.co.nz