QT3 Movie Podcast - The Lobster

I’m so glad you guys did this movie. In fact, I was a bit bemused, a month or so ago when I watched the DVD, to find out you hadn’t already done it, but apparently it didn’t get a US release until now? It’s such a great movie.

Anyway, Dingus is totally right about Colin Farrell’s inappropriateness for the coupled life. I mean, even setting aside his affect during the entire movie, which screams “faking it so these people will leave me alone”, the whole third act of the movie is about how the connection he has with Rachel Weisz is as arbitrary (and, yes, maybe in some sense real) as the connections forced upon people by the hotel. Even the loners buy into the absurd relationship mores - as soon as Weisz is blinded, they can’t be together, because it’s not his defining characteristic.

A coworker of mine had seen it a few months back through, uh, perhaps less-than-legal means, and has been quite insistent I check it out, and it finally opened locally today. And this might now be my favorite film I’ve seen so far this year. Much darker than I had expected, based on the trailer, but still very funny. I’m tempted to go back and see this again tomorrow.

I’m so glad that you guys did a podcast on this film because it really does warrant discussion and it is very easy to discount as too weird in the absence of talking about it. I think that it’s interesting that the main character would choose a lobster as his animal of choice, totally discounting the fact that he could easily end up on a dinner plate - I thought for sure that he was going to be the heartless woman’s meal at the end of the film.

I went to see this with my daughter for Father’s Day and I am happy to report that she liked it as well. I must be doing something right.

I liked the movie a lot while watching it (two days ago), and after hearing the podcast, I ended up loving it. Great conversation, and I especially liked @tomchick’s comments about why RW was the narrator, and @ChristienMurawski’s point about the secret conversation between CF and RW being like animal communication. Speaking of, I loved how The Heartless Woman held CF by the scruff of his neck (in a way) while she was marching him to the hotel managers. Very animal-like too.

I’d totally forgotten about the opening scene until @Kelly_Wand opened his synopsis. Who was that woman, and who was she shooting?

Ooo, side tidbit! Olivia Colman, who played the hotel manager, is Julie on Numberwang!

I’m so pleased.

Olivia Colman is awesome. She kind of got her start with Mitchell and Webb, but she was excellent in Broadchurch and more recently, Flowers. Also as the daughter of Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady.

To quote the answer Owen Wilson gives in Bottle Rocket when he’s asked why he put tape on his nose: “Exactly.”

The implication is that someone had failed to find love and had turned into a donkey. Whoever that woman was – probably a wife or girlfriend or the one with whom love failed? – she was angry at the person the donkey had been.

And the stepmom in Fleabag! But especially as Tom Hiddleston’s handler in Night Manager. She has some great scenes in that, and one in particular that you can’t miss if you want to call yourself an Olivia Coleman fan.

-Tom

Ooo, yep, forgot about Night Manager. She was great in that.

I didn’t particularly care for Fleabag and don’t think I made it past episode two…but I did forget that she was great in that Tyrannosaur movie with Peter Mullan and Eddie Marsan. That was a good one.

Basically, if you watch a lot of Brit TV, Olivia Colman is a superstar. And now she’s getting a moment in America too, which is an unalloyed good thing.

Ah, thank you. That’s the only time we see that actor? She looked so familiar that I assumed she appeared later in the movie. It’s amazing that I completely erased that weird-ass opening from my mind. I love that.

I want to call myself that, so I will do my homework!