DEEP DIVE: Paul Verhoeven’s Cinema of E X C E S S

Yes, July's a long ways away but we must plan ahead!

This is a watch at home, discuss in person event. Note taking is encouraged!

For this deep dive, we're looking at one of the most prolific contemporary directors whose satirical edge and unflinching portrayal of excess has delighted and repulsed audiences everywhere from Cannes Film Festival to right in the comfort of their homes: Paul Verhoeven

There's a lot of angles we can take for Verhoeven's filmography. We can go the satirical route and solely look at his most satirical and heightened take on American/Western society, OR we can go the historical route and look at his lesser known European work and see how his style evolved OR we can just look at some of his most well known Hollywood films. I'd say why not a bit of all of the above?!

We're going over four films that exemplify these traits. Please watch all four before the discussion. If you can only watch a few, you're still welcome to join! If you have any trouble finding thing films, please reach out to me ASAP!

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Official Selection:

• RoboCop (1987): In a dystopian, crime-ridden Detroit, Michigan, young police officer Alex Murphy is brutally murdered by a ruthless gang, only to be resurrected by a powerful corporation as the cyborg RoboCop, who soon seeks revenge on his killers.
  Stream: Max, YouTube, Amazon
• Showgirls (1995): A mysterious young drifter who calls herself Nomi Malone hitches a ride to Las Vegas, where she finds work as a stripper and sets about clawing her way to the top of the Vegas showgirls.
  Stream: YouTube, MGM+
  Free: Tubi, PlutoTV
• Black Book (2006): In the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II, a Jewish singer infiltrates the regional Gestapo headquarters for the Dutch resistance. Things get complicated when she falls for the enemy.
  Stream: Amazon, YouTube
  Free: Tubi
• Elle (2016): A successful businesswoman gets caught up in a game of cat and mouse as she tracks down the unknown man who r*ped her.
  Stream: Amazon, YouTube

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Some precursor reads and watches regarding Verhoeven before the discussion if you're interested!

• Paul Verhoeven's Profile on They Shoot Pictures Don't They?
• How Paul Verhoeven depicts Mass Media by Fandor
• The Sounds of Paul Verhoeven by Fandor
• Critic Adrian Martin's Essay on Showgirls
• Selected Quotes from Showgirls
• Film School Reject's write up of Robo-Cop

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Other recommended titles from Verhoeven that we won't be discussing but you should still check out:

• Soldier of Orange (1977)
• Turkish Delight (1973)
• Total Recall (1990)
• Basic Instinct (1992)
• Starship Troopers (1997)
• Benedetta (2021)

We'll meet at Barquentine Brewing Company at the Edgewater Market. It is a reserved space so please make sure your RSVP is up to date well before the event as a courtesy to the business. See y'all there!