The Community

Hey there!

Man, this film is absolutely brilliant. The pacing? Insane. That dark humor? Top-tier. It’s major league stuff—feels like you're watching it on speed. There isn't a single moment where you lose interest in the plot; you just end up powering through the whole thing in one sitting with your jaw hitting the floor. Pure, unadulterated madness. A total masterpiece... 👍

If this movie were a drink, it would be straight tequila. Just slams you right in the face.

Seriously, go watch it. For me, it’s easily the second best film ever made (right after Pulp Fiction, obviously, and Amorres perros).

I caught it in theaters back in the day—it’s from 2000, after all—directed by Alex de la Iglesia, the same guy who gave us that gritty "Perdit Durango."😉

When it comes to modern American cinema, I'd say Alfonso Cuarón (Y tu mamma also), Alex de la Iglesia, and Alejandro González Iñárritu (though I have no idea what the hell he was thinking trying to embarrass himself with that piece of junk "21 Grams") are basically the absolute gold standard.👍
It’s honestly some of the best stuff in global cinema right now.

"The Community" is absolutely fantastic, though if you really want to elevate your game, you should hunt down "The Day of the Beast"—it’s even better, trust me!!
by the way, Alfonso Cuarón and Alejandro González Iñárritu are both Mexican.

[off] Alex de la Iglesia is actually heading over to New York in about ten days for the festival! 🙏

Robert Cooper41 said:[off] Alex de la Iglesia is coming to New York in about ten days for the film festival! 🙏

Oh, for crying out loud!!! Why on earth didn't I see this post when it actually mattered? 🙄 ...instead of seeing it now... that festival is definitely over and done with. And honestly, I should have told you to ask Alex de la Iglesia if he needs me for a role in his next film. I've got all the right qualities: I can scream hysterically in Spanish—"Deja me John!!"... and if it comes down to it, I'm more than willing to wear a wet t-shirt. I figure that should be enough to get me an audition... 😁 AAah... there goes my chance at stardom...

BUT ANYWAY... The Community is airing on Thursday, March 31st on ABC at 11:55 PM. If anyone happens to be watching, feel free to jump into this incredibly deep and meaningful discussion... 😁

P. S. Yeah, I know they're Mexican, but I've heard people lump them all together under "Spanish cinema" plenty of times... and honestly, it's just easier for me to think of it that way.

Jonathan Ward5 said:Oh, for heaven's sake!!! Why on earth didn't I catch this post when it actually mattered? 🙄 ...because by now, that whole festival is surely long gone, and I haven't even mentioned that I should have asked Alex de la Iglesia to cast me in his next flick! I mean, honestly, I've got all the right qualities: I can scream hysterically in Spanish—"Deja me John!!"—and if the scene calls for it, I’m perfectly willing to wear a wet T-shirt. Surely that would be enough to get my foot in the door, wouldn't it? 😁 AAah... excuse me, the lady with the cookies just walked by.

BUT ANYWAY... The Community airs this Thursday, March 31st on ABC at 11:55 PM. So, if anyone happens to be watching, feel free to jump into this incredibly deep and meaningful discussion. 😁

You probably would have made the cut with those "acting" skills of yours. 😁
Though, mind you, the requirements for "Crimen Ferpecto" were a little different:



The film is fantastic, maybe even better than "The Community"... though I really ought to give that one another look just to be sure.
A lucky real estate agent... A decomposing corpse... A community of greedy neighbors... 300 million hidden under a floor tile... Something stinks in this house. 😁 😁

Holy hell, what a MOVIE... this Community is a pure adrenaline rush!!! 👍 👍 I seriously can't believe I'm watching this for the second time and it's still pumping me up like it's the first run...

The visuals alone look better than any Madonna music video ever made. Forget Vogue—that scene where Carmen Maura tosses that suitcase at the witches and basically "uninstalls" her from the building, only for her to snag a sheet on the way down and land right on top of it while blood just starts spreading everywhere 👍 ...yeah, Vogue wouldn't stand a chance against that 😁

There’s something intensely comic-bookish about this thing—it's like colorful, kitschy graphic novel stuff. Honestly, it might have even worked better as a black-and-white comic; there's this heavy Pop Art vibe that hits you right from the opening credits!!! Pure Pop-Art!!

It’s dark, man, how it plays with the concept of TV within the movie itself. That commercial suggesting money is the ultimate drug? And then when it cuts to that documentary about those "servants"—aka the neighbors... absolute mastery! This film is freaking INSANE!!! 🙏

Carmen Maura was absolutely legendary, man. She just crushed it. Seriously, she might just be the greatest actress to ever do it. Period.

Robert Cooper41 said:They’d probably get by with those kinds of "acting" skills... 😁
Though, even for the last "Crimen Ferpecto," the requirements were a little different:

Oh man, wow. That girl on the left looks almost exactly like me. 😁 aaahahaha

[The film is great, maybe even better than "The Community"... which I really need to go back and double-check regardless.

Give me a break, Robert Cooper41... suddenly everything American or Mexican is better than "The Community" in your eyes? /so tragic/ *sighs* /while painting my nails* 😢

[A lucky real estate agent... A decomposing corpse... A community of greedy neighbors... 300 million hidden under a floor tile... Something smells rotten in this house. 😁 😁 [/B]

...money is the strongest drug there is... 😈 😉

I completely agree about Carmen Maura; she’s truly phenomenal. My absolute favorite performance of hers has to be in Pepa, Julia, Bom and other girls... back around 1980, I believe.

With talents like Abrilov, Maurov, sanchez'Gijonov, and Forqueov, this is a country blessed with incredible actresses. And then you have the younger generation like Pazova and Watlingov... honestly, hats off to them all.

It was quite an experience seeing Alex de la Iglesia in Mexico City, though his talk to the audience didn't exactly feel like a cohesive story. Perhaps he’s just naturally eccentric, or maybe he’s just a little out there... they did insist he show up for an 11 AM screening, after all.

"Carmen Maura is phenomenal to me too, though her best role was definitely in Pepa, Luci, Bom and other girls from the pile. That was back around 1980, I think."

Exactly. Carmen Maura is just out of this world... ah... the greats all seem to agree on that one 🎉 👋 hehehe

"Abrilov, Maurov, sanchez'Gijonov, Forqueov...."
+Ana Lopez Mercado

But wait!!!!!!... I was looking at the IMDb trivia for "The Community" and found this: "Towards the last third of the film, when Julia is searching a way to exit the building, she skips through the dead rich man's diaries and several maps of the house can be seen. But one of the last ones, on the left page, is a drawing of the comic book "13, Rue del Percebe" by American comics artist Francisco Ibáñez".

And now... that Ibáñez guy is one of the most popular American comics creators... and that strip "13, Rue del Percebe" is all about neighbors!!!! (at least, that's what I gathered from my limited grasp of the language 😬 ) - "A collection of ridiculous stories from this community of neighbors where every floor guarantees a laugh."

Here's the comic panel:



So he REALLY took inspiration from the comic!!! That's actually pretty cool, you can really see the connection if you look closely 👍

And what exactly is a FEST? Like a festival or an awards ceremony?.. and what was Alex de la Iglesia even messing around with? 😁

@Robert Cooper41: Hmm, I just realized what a total nonsense thing I wrote there... yeah, I see now that she's "the left one" type 😁 , but it doesn't matter. I don't look like either of them. Unfortunately... 😁

Jonathan Ward5 said:Wait, what exactly is this FEST? Is it just some big festival or an awards ceremony? And what was Alex de la Iglesia actually rambling about? 😁

@Robert Cooper41/">@@Robert Cooper41: honestly, now that I look back, I realize what a total blunder I made in my last post... yeah, I see now that he's definitely one of those "left-leaning" types 😁 , but frankly, it doesn't change much. I don't really resonate with either of them, unfortunately. 😁

FEST is the big film festival held in Mexico City.

The woman on the right is female... and that’s where the real hook of the plot lies: she's standing next to the main flirtatious guy at a massive department store, but the crudest woman there catches him during a certain... let's call it a "random" murder, and then forces him into the exact situation depicted in the photo—a wedding! 😁

Alex de la Iglesia actually came out on stage alongside the screenwriter to address the audience, though he didn't say a single word about his own movie... instead, he spent the time venting about how the women in Mexico City are way too tall for the short, stout Spanish guys, while noting how great it is that everyone is just focused on eating and drinking! 😁
He was wearing this massive T-shirt the whole time that said "The Misfits".

And yes, he is a huge fan of American comics, those old-school genre films from the 1950s, and all things trashy...

Robert Cooper41 said:Alex de la Iglesia actually stepped out on stage with his screenwriter to address the crowd, though he didn't say a single word about his own movie... instead, he spent the time complaining about how much taller the women in New York are compared to the short, stout Spanish guys, while basically noting how great it is that everyone is just there to eat and drink 😁
He was rocking this massive "The Misfits" t-shirt the whole time.

Oh, and yeah, the guy is a total sucker for American comics, those cheesy 50s genre flicks, trash cinema... the whole works...

Interesting.

I guess I’ll have to check out Crimen Ferpecto if you're talking it up this much.

So, they're showing Crimen Ferpecto at the AMC right now.

Man, this movie is absolutely wild. My favorite part has to be when he claims there aren't any ugly women out there driving Ferraris. Hahaha... or that moment when Gabor’s wife asks that young girl, "How are you going to survive on a teacher's salary? Living in a gymnasium?" Hahaha...

The opening sequence is pure genius... The film itself is great, though I felt like it lost its momentum a bit toward the end—specifically during that bit where he's trying to figure out how to get rid of her. Honestly, I think Neighbors was much better just because the pacing never drags, plus the whole thing feels a bit more bizarre overall.😍

All in all—Crimen Ferpecto gets an 8, even if the subtitles were idiotically translated as "Ševac and his singer."👍

I couldn't agree more—Carmen Maura is absolutely phenomenal, just as she always is!🙂))
Such a sweet film.😉

Has anyone checked out Almodóvar's new film, Volver?

Carmen Maura is in it again, playing an older woman. Honestly, that kind of casting is pretty rough on actresses.
Personally, I thought she was at her absolute best in Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown.

Jonathan Ward5 said:yo!

This film is absolutely brilliant. The pacing, the dark humor—it’s top-tier, right up there with *Speed*. You never lose interest in the plot; you just watch it in one sitting until your jaw hits the floor. Pure madness. A masterclass... 👍

If this movie were a drink, it would be straight tequila. A punch to the face...

You seriously need to watch it. For me, it’s the second best film of all time (right behind *Pulp Fiction*, obviously, and *Amorres*)...

I saw it in theaters back when it came out in 2000. It was directed by Alex de la Iglesia, the guy who gave us the gritty *Perdit Durango*... 😉
Speaking of modern masters, for me, Cuarón (*Y Tu Mamá También*), Iglesia, and Iñárritu (though I have no idea what he was thinking with that trash *21 Grams*) are absolute essentials...
👍 One of the finest pieces of contemporary global cinema...

An excellent black comedy, though I suppose I expected a bit more. I thought the neighbors would be murdering each other, rather than teaming up against one woman. But that angry Darth Vader... incredible...
When it comes to films about neighbors and apartments, *Delicatessen* is much better... 😁
And from the same director, his twisted, brutal, and highly entertaining horror *The Day of the Beast* is far superior...

Solid film.
Caught it on HRT about six months ago—obviously after midnightso naturally, as few people as possible get to see a quality movie...

"Crimen Ferpecto" was actually translated as "Ševac and his Singer" !?!?!?!?
🤣 😂 😵 🤮

And honestly, that clever little play on "perfectly-ferfect" works so well in almost every language out there... but what does Alex de la Iglesia know about the actual soul of his own movie, or how it should be titled? Does he even care? 🙄

Anyway, I caught it again on TV a few days ago... and man, it’s still better than most things out there; there's just a massive mountain of tiny details I completely missed the first time around.

aha 🙄 - "The Butcher and His Songbird"
I don't even know if that's actually the movie... I've never sat through anything with a title like that before...