Vic Sage

shit. stuck with autopick again this year.

finally caught up with this on dvd. my wife and i both hated it. Like SQUID AND THE WHALE (and i didn't), it's a wallow in "dysfunctional family" melodrama, light on plot and heavy on unlikeable characters making bad decisions. sure, the acting is good... with this cast, it would be hard for it not to be. but to what purpose? for another "we always hurt the one we love" slice of bullshit? whatever, dudes.

I found my Cameron Crowe article: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=9063&p=221459#p221459

yes, some survival instinct kicked in an prevented me from ever seeing it.

probably my least favorite of the Cameron Crowe ouevre, but i still liked it overall. I posted a lengthy discussion of Crowe's films (focusing on ALMOST FAMOUS) somewhere in the black pit of the Pool.

You have contempt for my generation? Whatever, dude! well, if the generation's values and character are defined by such films as these, who wouldn't be contemptuous? But I will certainly grant you that the films (and my prejudices) may be heinously inaccurate in that regard... Still, i start from a premise of contempt and modify from there. Its my job as a cynic and misanthrope.

This brilliant thriller still works because it is utterly unreliant on effects and depends, instead, on script, performances and formalist (rather than formulaic) storytelling devices , like textbook use of music to heighten tension. Its themes are as universal as Ahab, and so the story is not dated by parochial messages or concerns. Beyond its quality as a film, it invented the modern Hollywood blockbuster and became an important touchstone in our cultural history. It also launched the career of one of the most influential filmmakers of the late 20th century.

i liked them both, mostly because i too had contempt for the Gen x it was (probably falsely) portraying. It reinforced my prior notions about the generation that came after me, in an amusing way. I would likely hate them both, however, if i were of that generation.

As a kid, i remember watching COURTSHIP OF EDDIE'S FATHER, and i loved the opening title song. Then, i saw a tv special called the POINT, and my brother told me the same guy wrote the CEF theme song, and he gave me the album NILLSON, SCHMILLSON and i became a fan. He had this lovely voice, and wrote songs which juxtaposed old fashioned sort of melodies with bizarre, darkly comic lyrics. I liked SON OF SCHMILLSON too, though it was more inconsistent. I liked the John Lennon-produced PUSSYCATS, but you could definitely hear the strain on his voice. I lost track of him after that. I watched the doc on Netflix and found it compelling enough.

I wanted to comment on this after some thought , it holds up better than Jaws IMHO... i think you needed some more thought.

congrats on your clean sweep, but that night was hardly "perfect". It was just about the worst Oscar show ever.

i gave it 2.5, just cuz i love Jeff Goldblum and the dinos are pretty cool. but otherwise, what Bucket said.

My son and i enjoyed it thoroughly, even though neither of us is partial to Michael Cera-hipster-snark or even anime-with-a-wink. In fact, we generally prefer our anime winkless and our Cera snarkless.

fuck yeah

metirish wrote: Not being a prick here but I heard Bridges say on the radio yesterday that they made a movie from the book and didn't remake Wayne's movie, apparently that was a big distinction for Bridges and the Coen's. yes, i remember hearing them say that, too. but the book is utterly unknown to me (and, i think, is relatively obscure to most) and the film is quite familiar to me. If there was a radical difference in the narrative or characters, i would've necessarily have called it a remake of the book, to point out the differences in the films. but i found the movies quite similar... in narrative, if not in tone and quality. The Wayne film is really mediocre, with irritating performances by Kim Darby and Glen Campbell, and a cartoonish turn by the Duke. He was owed an Oscar, so for his sins they gave him this one. I much prefer this version. I really appreciated the restraint the Coen bros demonstrated... not their usual pyrotechnics, just good solid storytelling. Its got sentiment, without sentimentality. Great performances by all. It's not UNFORGIVEN, but its a damn good western, which is good a thing as i can think of in this ole world, i reckon.

The Coen Brothers have remade the John Wayne western which earned Wayne his only Oscar. Thoughts?

Dolly Parton's bra doesn't hold up well. This thing sags like... well... Dolly Parton's bra. times 10. or something.

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: I'm with Ben on the Gopher business. It was stupid. This should have been a movie about a poor kid weighing an invitation to privileged adult society against the cost to his soul. yeah, it should have been alot of things, but it wasn't. The central story was (a) badly written, and ( badly acted, so all that was worthwhile in it was Bill Murray insanely ad-libbing entire monologues, and Chevy's womanizing zen golfer. Oh, and the gopher dance. And the boobies. which are nice.

Murray's spontaneous riffs, and his ongoing battle and the Gopher, are what make the movie worth watching. and, of course, the gratuituous boobage. The rest is worthless. and Ben, i LOVE the gopher dance... so i got THAT goin' for me, which is nice.

great great great movie

While i didn't go to film school, i studied film in HS and college, and on my own. I used to work in the movie biz, and Oscar parties and pools were commonplace. even after changing careers, i kept hosting a party, and ran a pool at my office. i often won. i almost always saw all the nominated films. for a while, i made some money reviewing movies. hard core movie buffs i know would often call me to answer movie trivia questions, or get my insight on some film or actor or director, or whatever. One friend would call me from the video store, perhaps in a Sturges mood, asking whether he should rent CHRISTMAS IN JULY or MAD WEDNESDAY (answer: MAD WEDNESDAY). He lamented the lack of a "portable Ralph" for such occasions (my name is Ralph, for those of you who didn't know that). so when i tell you i've only seen 2 of the movies out of this year's (TEN!) nominees, and one of them was TOY STORY 3 at my son's behest, and that i don't really care about the show, the nominees, the outcome, etc, that should indicate a watershed moment in my life. I am sad, but just for a moment. And then i move on.

Finally caught up with this one and I liked it alot. And yes, it's part of that post-modern coming of age JUNO subgenre. And for some, that's not a bad thing. i try to define the subgenre's elements here: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=8008 also: Probably wasn't more popular due to lack of the Apatow-ness now expected from teen romance flicks. that's ironic, since one of my favorite characters is the bespectacled russian lit nerd pal, who i first saw in Apatow's classic cult sitcom FREAKS & GEEKS, which i'm now watching on IFC.

purely gut reaction, with little to no analysis... Wright Pagan Santana Dickey Pelfrey Davis Niese Takahashi Rodriguez Reyes Bay Thole Beltran Dessens Parnell Feliciano Acosta Carter Francoeur Barajas Tejada Castillo Duda Blanco Gee Misch Mejia Nieve Valdes Cora

you mean he's not?

smg58 wrote: It came out the summer I turned 7, no other movie has ever left as big of an impression on me, and I can't imagine one ever will. The adult me would concede that Empire was the superior movie (and lament the degree to which the franchise tanked from there). But the original Star Wars still holds up really well, and will always hold that special place. even though i was 16 that summer, i feel the exact same way.