u/RebelKiddo

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So a bit of context, as you know, my mom and I have a tradition where we watch movies she's seen from her childhood, teen years, and college years. After telling this sub I saw Excalibur, a good number asked if she's seen Zardoz because the director of Excalibur and Zardoz wanted to make a LOTR adaptation but failed to achieve it, I repeatedly brought up Zardoz and my mom forced me to watch it as a punishment as she doesn't like it compared to Excalibur, which she remembers quite fondly. This movie doesn't have any iconic moments in pop culture or lines save for a post 'James Bond' Sean Connery starring in a movie about a giant floating head while wearing a red diaper and thigh high boots (personally I'm more in favor of Snake Plissken's boots from Escape From New York) in an attempt to distance himself from his time as 007. I can safely say this movie predicted unknowingly a few things, mainly the complacency of humanity in its pursuit of knowledge, the disregard for those who suffer from mental illnesses (the Apathetics getting thrown into barns and left to stand there), the rise of AI and its forced glorification by the users of it, I kept telling my mom the "Torment Nexus" meme was just like this movie, a lot of the actors in this movie reminded me of a few current stars today, Consuella's actress reminded me of Olivia Wilde (it was the piercing green eyes) while May reminded me of the Fanning sisters, Friend was a different story, he reminded me of my life long best friend that I've known since I was a literal baby, same hair color, eye color, hair shape (as a teen he had quite a fluffy hairstyle) and same facial structure in a sense. My mom told me he'd have found it insulting if I pointed out this comparison to him. I miss him, hope he's doing well.

Anyways, I can safely nickname Zardoz "Torment Nexus: The Movie" alongside Terminator, 2001: Space Odyssey, and Subservience.

SPOILERS

First things first, RIP to Robin Williams, an incredible comedian and actor and voice actor. Seeing him in a dramatic role really emphasizes how underestimated comedians often are when it comes to dramatic roles, the comedic actor to dramatic actor pipeline is seldom talked about in my sphere of the internet (can't say what it's like in your spheres because I'm not there) but this just shows Williams is a true gem that is sadly no longer with us. I must also commend Glenn Close as feminist author and Garp's mother Jenny Fields, having seen her as Merteuil in Dangerous Liaisons and Cruella De Vil in 101 Dalmatians, I'm always so glad to see her on my screen, and to find out she got nominated for an Oscar for this and didn't win is a CRIME. This is another movie my mom had me watch with her (I mentioned in my previous review of Excalibur this is a thing we do)

A special shout out to John Lithgow for portraying my favorite character Roberta, a positive example of transgender representation we sorely need today due to the discourse surrounding transgender rights, bathroom bills, the concerning rise of transphobic hate speech on social media, it was nice to see a transwoman be treated like an every day part of life, she tells jokes, she's a protector, she's looking for a partner, she cries when she loses her best friend Jenny.

This movie is a roller coaster of emotions. I was touched, I was shocked, I was conflicted, I was upset, I didn't cry (it's pretty hard for me to cry at movies, only cried 3 times in my life) but the moments of heartbreak like Jenny's assassination, Garp finding out about Helen's affair with Michael Milton and how the collision led to their son Walt's death. It also touches on topics of sexual liberation through Jenny and her book, how feminism can be twisted into an excuse for hatred and violence with the Ellen James Society, how a group of women self harm out of solidarity for a little girl who was brutally raped and muted that literally tells them to stop, and when called out by Garp in his novel they take it upon themselves to lash out and attack them, even shooting him thanks to Pooh (a childhood "friend" who is petty and a brat) while she was dressed up in a WWII era nurse's uniform out of "solidarity" with his deceased mother. I'm sure Jenny would have LOVED the fact you shot her son, Pooh.

One thing I love is that a key part of Garp's character is that he is a writer, I am a writer myself, having been writing stories since I was 6 or 7 years old, I primarily write fanfiction now and am fervently anti AI writing, but like Jenny, my mom encouraged my writing pursuits and passion, telling me to never give up and to in her words "publish the next Great American Novel" so she can display it on her bookshelf and brag to her friends and coworker. I especially loved how Garp experienced writer's block while his mother typed her own novel, him sitting in his office alone was so relatable to me I laughed cause same man, same.

All in all, I loved this movie and am glad my mom showed me, I was able to stretch my listening ears and engage in it, paying attention to all the details that popped up. 5/5 stars.

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My mom had me watch this with her, we have a bonding thing where she shows me movies she saw as a kid and teenager or in college, lot of them are very obscure or just plain weird, such hits include Highlander, Blazing Saddles, Animal House, Poltergeist, Tremors, Escape from New York, Buckaroo Banzai, The Black Hole, Earth Girls Are Easy, and Police Academy.

This movie is gorgeous to look at, great cast of actors as staples in Arthurian legend, I was so surprised to see Helen Mirren as Morgana (I kept calling her Morgan Le Fay as that's what I grew up hearing) and a young Liam Neeson as Gawain. The character development is minimal and lacking, but it didn't distract from the main story which is the rise and fall of Camelot and King Arthur. My mom and I loved Merlin, so witty and catty at times. I grew up hearing bits and pieces of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table, never really reading any offical texts until I was like... 11 or 12 and they were watered down kids versions.

But I have to say my favorite scene was the riding of Arthur and his remaining Knights to face Mordred and his men in a final battle, they ride through a field of flowers with cherry blossom trees in bloom, petals falling down as 'O Fortuna' plays. That image is gonna stick with me in my lifetime, along with the Lady of the Lake catching Excalibur and bringing it back down into the water, and the final scene of Perceval watching Arthur sail away on the boat to Avalon.

I think this is up there with LOTR for me.

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I will admit, seeing Jeffrey Jones in a movie feels... kinda icky to me given his crimes. But hey, Colin Firth is in this and I enjoy him now after seeing him in Mamma Mia! I watched Dangerous Liaisons last night (10/10 btw) and this was recommended to me. The differences are quite stark but the core story of Valmont and Merteuil seducing and plotting are there, plus seeing a pre-The Craft Fairuza Balk is quite a pleasant surprise, she sells the wide eyed curiosity and naivete of Cecile quite nicely.

The one thing I have a gripe though is the ending, Valmont does indeed die, but Cecile marries Gercourt, she'd most likely be sent back to the convent, Danceny becomes an eligible bachelor to all of the noble ladies after winning the "duel" between him and Valmont, yet at Valmont's funeral all of his past flings, lovers, one night stands show up to mourn him. If I found out the guy I slept with and ruined my name and my family's name died in a duel I'd be ecstatic, Dangerous Liaisons outright showed and stated that Valmont had a reputation as a skirt chasing bastard who left many a noblewoman's honor besmirched in an era where that would damage her status and her prospects at marriage, so seeing him be portrayed as this romantic scoundrel kinda feels off. Plus there is little to no karma to Merteuil, yeah she has no lover by her side to woo, her longest rival and closest confidant is gone, but she still kinda gets away with it unscathed, when in Dangerous Liaisons, it was so gratifying to see her get booed at the opera and forced to leave as all of Paris knows that she is a selfish and scheming seductress, especially since she spent years constructing this facade as a perfectly respectable noble lady who is a guide to the younger girls and kind, something she treasured so dearly as it let her keep playing her games, that's why that ending shot of her removing her makeup was so poignant to me, the mask was ripped off by Danceny and by extension Valmont as his final act of revenge and all that is left is a cruel and bitter woman stuck in her own web of lies.