Just bought and watched this last night:



It's been about 10 years since I last saw this film. I think I was blown away when I first saw it; but it wasn't as amazing this time....but still very good (and the Cat Stevens soundtrack is still perfect). The ending actually upset me a little this time; which I didn't expect.

It was also odd to see such a young Bud Cort, since he has grown up to look so much like the prototypical middle aged man (last thing I saw him in was Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou...as the auditor).

Ah, yes--the "bond company stooge."

It's a small role, but written very well. I wasn't a huge fan of Life Aquatic when I first saw it...but it's really grown on me.

I'm getting you a red cap and a Speedo.

I don't see a particular generational gap between the films. I was wondering if I didn't particularly enjoy Kicking and Screaming because I was eleven when it came out (though I watched it this year). I only noted Reality Bites because it is a similar type of film from the same era that I did actually enjoy.

I wonder if enjoying Kicking and Screaming is more dependent on one's personal knowledge of that era or that particular type of experience. I definitely enjoyed parts of it, but overall, I was just waiting for something more interesting to happen. The conversations alone weren't carrying it for me.

That's interesting. I just checked your profile, and you're actually a little over a year younger than me, so this age thing still sort of has me perplexed. I don't disagree that Reality Bites is far more easily enjoyable (I used to watch it on repeat), but I also don't mean that as a good thing. It ultimately teeters into cliche romance as it shifts focuses on the Ben Stiller-Ethan Hawke- Winona Ryder love triange instead of post-college emotions, which is what I think Kicking and Screaming handles so well. Agreed, Kicking and Screaming doesn't have much if any plot, but the dialogue does it for me, and the overall mood it establishes of just being stagnant after college is really well done.

As to personal knowlege of the era, again, I just see Kicking and Screaming as so much less grounded in an era. Reality Bites and the Singles soundtrack make me think of Seatle grunge, or at least how I imagined it, being a little young at the time. It's not like you see Chris Eigeman singing Violent Femmes in Kicking and Screaming. The only culture it references are films from the 70s, Kafka, and Keats.

Apologies for possibly seeming argumentative. I'm just procrastinating/avoiding studying for finals, trying to up my post count after finally starting to post, and really have taken a strong liking of Kicking and Screaming after seeing it for the first time right after the Criterion DVD came out. I think I'm just especially defensive of Noah Baumbach actually after my professional critic roomate despised The Squid and the Whale, where I saw it as one of the best films of last year (though my roomate and film is another post just waiting to be vented).

Not remotely. It's good to have you and andyroo up in here discussing actual movies. Welcome to the monkeyhouse.

Yeah, no worries, man.

I was just tossing out a theory based on my experience with Reality Bites. My sister is about 17 years older than me, and she was surprised that I enjoyed Reality Bites, presumably because it was for "her generation." I wondered if that type of theory held more true for K&S than it did for Reality Bites (for me, at least).

I think Reality Bites...bites. Ben is obviously the better man, but poor Winona adoesn't see it--bugs the shit outta me.

I can watch K & S anytime, day or night.

"Well, first I must say--it's good think we both speak fluent French!"

meh

I missed the rerelease but I finally saw this on DVD. Probably about time too. Good movie! Almost too much going to watch and appreciate in one sitting, but that's probably not a valid complaint.

Is there an end-of-year movie poll? If so, when does that usually take place? I wasn't around last year.

Yeah. ElemenoPT puts it together, and does a mighty fine job with the presentation. He also solicits blurbs for at least the top 20, so hopefully you're up for some writing.

Top 21

I vaguely remember this--didn't he get a blurb for #21 because it was something he dug?

EDIT: it was Downfall, wasn't it?

fwiw, the blurb was better than the movie.

I think he mistakenly asked me to do it thinking it was #20. By the time he realised I'd written it.

At least you enjoyed the blurb.

What is it about great sex that makes me have to crap?

Working through Season 2 of...



2 discs in and I am starting to feel like I will be seriously disappointed. Not nearly as awesome as season 1.

End is good, though.

Heh, alright. I can probably help out, though I haven't done a lot of writing on film.

When does the movie poll usually start?

He threatened to start it last week, so probably any minute now.

Just finished this (for the fourth time)...


Heading into this (for the first time, though it was a Christmas gift last year)...

Primer is near (or at) the top of my Netflix queue, so I should be seeing that in the next couple weeks. It's been recommended to me by several people now, so I really should get on with it.

Should probably nab Rocky, too...

I would love to buy this but it's like $70 at Barnes and Noble. Nothing is worth $70.

Neat, the best movie and TV show of the last few years mentioned in back-to-back posts

Freaks And Geeks is much cheaper here, and worth every damn penny: http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com/dvd.cfm?itemID=SON034820

The first 20 minutes are terrible and unintentionally hilarious. After that it's okay, but predictable and cliched as anything I've ever seen. The sub-LOTR (heck, sub Chronicles of Narnia) battle scenes don't hold my interest very much but it was fun to watch the Freudian subtexts blow up huge in the final act.

If you replace the E with a D it spells Dragon!

At least as good as I remember, seeing it back in '93. What ever happened to David Thewlis? This was his last great role (unless I missed something).

still turns up in worthwhile roles, even if they're tiny. He was that twittering friend of Maude's in The Big Lebowski and the werewolf in HP3. But yeah, he should get more and better work.

Man, David Thewlis is really great at creeping the shit out of me. British looking motherfucker is there ever was one.

Give Thewlis another 10 years or so, he can play Mark E. Smith.

I picked this up for $.25 at the Local Sally Ann. It's making me want to buy the "Just the Shows" Boxes.

Forget that. Get the complete series with all the bonus stuff. They really did a fantastic job with all the extras.

"Fucking whales?

Fuck whales."

Stellar movie. I need to see that again.

"Why are we talking on the phone?"
"I told you. We can't be too careful. Two guys in an airport... talking? It's a little fishy."

When the hell is the 90s poll? I'm way pumped for that. I jotted down a bunch of list contenders a month or so ago. So many wonderful films on that list that I jotted down. Like I said, I am way pumped.

the 90s poll is going to be insane. 95 & 99 together are better than any two years that came before them.

So many glorious comedies and "comedy"-ish movies from this period. Bowfinger, What About Bob, Kingpin, Bottle Rocket, Beautiful Girls, Groundhog Day... I could go on. I love this period of film ever so much. This is the shit that I can watch over and over again like a monkey with a miniature cymbal.

"A few words on looking for things. When you go looking for something specific, your chances of finding it are very bad. Because of all the things in the world, you're only looking for one of them. When you go looking for anything at all, your chances of finding it are very good. Because of all the things in the world, you're sure to find some of them. "

Amazing film. Best role Bill Pullman ever had.

Classic. I've been meaning to see this again. I'll be pimping this hard when we do the 90's.

I know I saw and liked this movie but I remember almost nothing from it.

An Evening With Kevin Smith II

Watched disc one. Some good laughs, but not nearly as entertaining as the first Evening With. Nothing here to match up his stories about Prince and writing a Superman script.

Only for hardcore Smith fans

Yeah, I've only watched the first disc so far, as well. Been busy with other things in the last couple weeks, but I'm planning on watching disc two in the next few days. I liked it, but it didn't have me in near-constant tears like the first Evening With Kevin Smith set.

I've been a pretty big Kevin Smith fan (more so in the past than now), so it's a worthwhile investment for me. I still need to watch the Clerks II bonus shiz, as well...

Well, I just watched it. Disc two was pretty great, especially the whole Star Wars vs. Lord of the Rings "walking" bit that was re-imagined for Clerks II. Overall, I still recall the first Evening set being better, but that seems like the kind of thing where the first is always going to be the best because it's all his A+ story material that he's saved up for years. On these ones, it's like, the great stuff since then, and the leftover stuff from before. But still, I dug it. A worthy addition to the library.

Honestly makes me want to finally add Jersey Girl to my collection. I only saw it once and thought it was okay... figured I'd wait until the ultra, deluxe DVD version, but apparently that's never going to happen.

It'll happen a week after you buy Jersey Girl

Check out the extras on Clerks II. There are a few really funny bits in there.
Jay doing the hidden penis dance from Silence of the Lambs is pretty classic.

It'll will, internet provider god willing, be appearing early next year along with the 2000- poll soon after. Looking forward to them immensely.

I wish all remakes were this good. The ending genuinely shocked me

Is this a Rip Off of Dirk Gentley?

Boing-Boing list of Cool Videos, 2006

World Trade Center kicks ass.

Definitely Stone's best since JFK. Maybe his best film evah, even if it is the subject matter talking for me.

And I finally saw Little Miss Sunchine, which was very funny. It din't have me in tears or anything, but there were some very original laughs to be had.

I saw the first disc Of Kevin Smith II as well, and no--it's not as good as the original, (welcome to the internet, what is?) but I thought it was still pretty damn funny. It's kinda weird how Jay is never really that good.