DR. STRANGELOVE by jaiskizzy

(or how i learned to stop worrying and love the bomb)

in this stanley kubrick black comedy masterpiece, a u.s. general goes insane and orders an aerial attack on russia. the president and his men gather in the pentagon war room to prevent a nuclear crisis. and a b-52 bomber crew will stop at nothin to accomplish their mission.

as serious as the plot may sound, this movie is darn hilarious. but unlike all-out comedies, the gags and jokes arent forced down your throat to get a laugh. they are really part of the narrative flow that you'd find yourself tickled by (unlike most pinoy comedy flicks that contain unnecessary out-of-story scenes that the writer heard as anecdotes from drinkin buddies). the dialogue is impeccable and realistically funny, with perfect delivery from the actors, such as the phone conversations between the american president and the russian premiere, without hearing the latter's voice. most of the sequences are plain talk and limited only to three locations (an office, the pentagon war room, and inside a b-52) but the story progresses splendidly.

i believe that it is, however, the actors that carry this wonderful film. this is the most colorful black and white film ive ever seen, due to their amazing talents. peter sellers plays three roles in the film (the dull captain mandrake, the gayish president muffley and the eccentric dr. strangelove) and he plays them all very well. he's really a great comedian with perfect timing and blend of physical and verbal comedy. but my favorite is general buck turgidson, portrayed magnificently by george scott, the one tasked to face the president and explain everything to him. his lines were awesome and he never fell out of character, always loud and obnoxious, a true anti-communist general, very much convincing and highly amusing.

i never really saw this movie as sexual as many critics said (it began with a coitus-like scene of a plane refueling another and ended with an mulit-orgasmic display of exploding bombs). what i saw was a remarkable fun film and its unique humor, unforgettable characters, and memorable scenes. absolutely brilliant. definitely another one of my favorites.