list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around American Graffiti on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/American_Graffiti/1157/default.aspx Title: American Graffiti
Year: 1973
Director: George Lucas
Plot: It's the last night of summer 1962, and the teenagers of Modesto, California, want to have some fun before adult responsibilities close in. Among them are Steve (Ron Howard) and Curt (Richard Dreyfuss), college-bound with mixed feelings about leaving home; nerdy Terry "The Toad" (Charles Martin Smith), who scores a dream date with blonde Debbie (Candy Clark); and John (Paul Le Mat ), a 22-year-old drag racer who wonders how much longer he can stay champion and how he got stuck with 13-year-old Carol (Mackenzie Phillips) in his deuce coupe. As D. J. Wolfman Jack spins 41 vintage tunes on the radio throughout the night, Steve ponders a future with girlfriend Laurie (Cindy Williams), Curt chases a mystery blonde, Terry tries to act cool, and Paul prepares for a race against Bob Falfa (Harrison Ford), but nothing can stop the next day from coming, and with it the vastly different future ushered in by the 1960s. Fresh off The Godfather (1972), producer Francis Ford Coppola had the clout to get his friend George Lucas's project made, but only for $750,000 on a 28-day shooting schedule. Despite technical obstacles, and having to shoot at night, cinematographer Haskell Wexler gave the film the neon-lit aura that Lucas wanted, evoking the authentic look of a suburban strip to go with the authentic sound of rock-n-roll. Universal, which wanted to call the film Another Slow Night in Modesto, thought it was unreleasable. But Lucas' period detail, co-writers Willard Huyck's and Gloria Katz's realistic dialogue, and the film's nostalgia for the pre-Vietnam years apparently appealed to a 1973 audience embroiled in cultural chaos: American Graffiti became the third most popular movie of 1973 (after The Exorcist and The Sting), establishing the reputations of Lucas (whose next film would be Star Wars) and his young cast, and furthering the onset of soundtrack-driven, youth-oriented movies. Although the film helped spark 1970s nostalgia for the 1950s, nothing else would capture the flavor of the era with the same humorous candor and latent sense of foreboding. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 48
Number of Lists: 52
Number of blog posts: 11
Number of discussion threads: 3
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Wed, 29 Jul 2009 08:10:56 GMTAmerican Graffiti1973George LucasIt's the last night of summer 1962, and the teenagers of Modesto, California, want to have some fun before adult responsibilities close in. Among them are Steve (<a href="/players/P____94983/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Ron Howard</a>) and Curt (<a href="/players/P____88268/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Richard Dreyfuss</a>), college-bound with mixed feelings about leaving home; nerdy Terry "The Toad" (<a href="/players/P___111866/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Charles Martin Smith</a>), who scores a dream date with blonde Debbie (<a href="/players/P____13342/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Candy Clark</a>); and John (Paul Le Mat ), a 22-year-old drag racer who wonders how much longer he can stay champion and how he got stuck with 13-year-old Carol (<a href="/players/P____56580/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Mackenzie Phillips</a>) in his deuce coupe. As D. J. <a href="/players/P____34759/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Wolfman Jack</a> spins 41 vintage tunes on the radio throughout the night, Steve ponders a future with girlfriend Laurie (<a href="/players/P___116843/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Cindy Williams</a>), Curt chases a mystery blonde, Terry tries to act cool, and Paul prepares for a race against Bob Falfa (<a href="/players/P____24238/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Harrison Ford</a>), but nothing can stop the next day from coming, and with it the vastly different future ushered in by the 1960s. Fresh off <a href=/films/13611/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>The Godfather</a> (1972), producer <a href="/players/P____85868/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Francis Ford Coppola</a> had the clout to get his friend <a href="/players/P___100308/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>George Lucas</a>'s project made, but only for $750,000 on a 28-day shooting schedule. Despite technical obstacles, and having to shoot at night, cinematographer <a href="/players/P___116529/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Haskell Wexler</a> gave the film the neon-lit aura that Lucas wanted, evoking the authentic look of a suburban strip to go with the authentic sound of rock-n-roll. Universal, which wanted to call the film <I>Another Slow Night in Modesto</I>, thought it was unreleasable. But Lucas' period detail, co-writers Willard Huyck's and Gloria Katz's realistic dialogue, and the film's nostalgia for the pre-Vietnam years apparently appealed to a 1973 audience embroiled in cultural chaos: American Graffiti became the third most popular movie of 1973 (after <a href=/films/10863/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>The Exorcist</a> and <a href=/films/32960/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>The Sting</a>), establishing the reputations of Lucas (whose next film would be <a href=/films/32762/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>Star Wars</a>) and his young cast, and furthering the onset of soundtrack-driven, youth-oriented movies. Although the film helped spark 1970s nostalgia for the 1950s, nothing else would capture the flavor of the era with the same humorous candor and latent sense of foreboding. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide48Tag Target (>10)521133http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t01347pxnpc.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/American_Graffiti/1157/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/johnnybottle2/archive/2009/1/12/39374.aspx Post By: JohnnyBottle2
Post To: JohnnyBottle2 Blog
Post Date: 1/12/2009 12:27:52 AM
Body: This movie rock and rolls. George Lucas has captured a time and place and everything is so specific. There isn't a false moment in this. The music is fantastic. The acting by Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Lemat, Candy Clark, Charles Martin Smith and Cindy WIlliams is is very good. And Harrison Ford! There he is! He's great in this. I really like this one.
]]>Mon, 12 Jan 2009 05:27:52 GMTJohnnyBottle2JohnnyBottle2 Blog1/12/2009 12:27:52 AMThis movie rock and rolls. George Lucas has captured a time and place and everything is so specific. There isn't a false moment in this. The music is fantastic. The acting by Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Lemat, Candy Clark, Charles Martin Smith and Cindy WIlliams is is very good. And Harrison Ford! There he is! He's great in this. I really like this one. http://www.spout.com/blogs/karina/archive/2009/1/8/39288.aspx Post By: Karina
Post To: Karina on SpoutBlog
Post Date: 1/8/2009 7:01:13 PM
Body: La MISSION, an American Spectrum film starring Benjamin Bratt and directed by his brother Peter, takes place in the Mission District of San Francisco, and tracks the relationship between an ex-con bus driver named Che (played by the former Mr. Julia Roberts), his son and a sexy neighbor lady who “challenges Che to reconcile the life he thought he had.” We asked Peter Bratt the 4 Questions We Ask Everyone, and his answers touched on everything from American Graffiti to Marvin Gaye to Ki-duk Kim. More after the jump. Tell us about your movie: who did you work with, what did you shoot on, why did you make it? Give us the reductive, 25-word or less, “It’s like [pop culture reference a] meets [pop culture reference b]!” pitch, then explain what the quick and dirty sell leaves out. We shot La MISSION on HD entirely on location in 26 short days. The core team was made up of myself, brother Benjamin Bratt (who was doing double time as lead actor and producer), and force of nature/producing partner Alpita Patel. The “dirty sell”: Imagine the old cars and music from American Graffiti (but with a bit more funk), the working class, ethnic flavor of Saturday Night Fever, and the soul searching of Peter Weir’s Fearless, and you have La MISSION. The real skinny: The story takes place in an urban Latino community, and centers on a violent patriarch (“Che”) who discovers that his only son (“Jess”) is homosexual. In the San Francisco Neighborhood that bears the film’s name, Che is a reformed bad boy of the street, who at middle age, finds beauty building classic lowrider cars. His son, and the friends he’s had since childhood, are at the center of his world. In many ways, Che personifies the dominant patriarchal culture that surrounds him, and like that culture, is at the threshold of great change. He is faced with a choice: maintain old habits and attitudes, OR adapt, grow and mature. In order to make this choice, Che is forced to stretch beyond his comfort zone; and it’s only from this place that he discovers what might be at stake if he doesn’t chose wisely. As a filmmaker living in an increasingly violent and dangerous world, I was drawn to the idea of transformation and the pain that often goes with it. I also wanted to fulfill a life’s dream, and make a movie with a Marvin Gaye jam in it! If you funded your film through a “day job” or through working on projects that were not your own, tell us about that. If not, tell us a story from your past work life, before you became a professional filmmaker. I worked as a carpenter before and after I made my first film. Before that, I had applied and was admitted to NYU film school. Weeks before I packed up and headed East, I sold my truck and all my tools, confidently thinking I would never need them again. It took me less than a semester to learn that film school wasn’t for me, and I dropped out and returned home to San Francisco with my chin on my chest. Carpentry was the only way I knew how to make a living, so I started all over again from scratch, buying and collecting tools as more jobs came in. After I saved enough to live on for a year, I held up in a work-for-rent, sub-basement apartment, read every “how to write a screenplay”  book  under the sun, and then sat down and  wrote the screenplay I would eventually make into my first feature. But the moral of the story is: “never say never…and most definitely never sell your tools!” Have you been to Park City before? If so, tell us your best moment (or worst, which ever is funnier). I’d been there once before, in the pre-internet days, with my film Follow Me Home. We got the film in the can for a little over a $200,000, but had to raise more for post. Needless to say, it was a long process that kept us busy almost up to the day we premiered at the Holiday One theater. I was very naïve and didn’t have an agent, a lawyer, a publicist, or any other veteran consultant, and my editor and I simply showed up with a 35mm print and NO promotional material. When we walked through town, we saw that nearly every other film team had postcards, one sheets, flyers, etc. Later that night, in a panic, we high-tailed it to Salt Lake and found an all night Kinko’s. We stayed up half the night making flyers and posting them throughout the streets and store fronts of Park City. Every morning we would rise at the crack of dawn, before the crowds filled the streets, and plastered any empty space we could find. This time around the team is a bit more seasoned, so I’m hoping to slow the pace down enough to enjoy my morning coffee. Let’s get hypothetical: You’re on death row. The night of your execution, you’re allowed to watch any two films of your choice. What would you pick for your last-night-on-Earth double feature? Good hypothetical. Rather than going with a couple films about family, friendship, or how sweet life is, I would be focused on meeting death and preparing myself for the ultimate journey. For that I’d want a road map to navigate the “hell worlds” I would surely encounter due to my evil ways. I would go with Jacob’s Ladder (based on “Tibetan Book of the Dead”) and the South Korean film that examines each stage of a person’s life, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter … and Spring. Then get on my knees and pray. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth
]]>Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:01:13 GMTKarinaKarina on SpoutBlog1/8/2009 7:01:13 PM La MISSION, an American Spectrum film starring Benjamin Bratt and directed by his brother Peter, takes place in the Mission District of San Francisco, and tracks the relationship between an ex-con bus driver named Che (played by the former Mr. Julia Roberts), his son and a sexy neighbor lady who “challenges Che to reconcile the life he thought he had.” We asked Peter Bratt the 4 Questions We Ask Everyone, and his answers touched on everything from American Graffiti to Marvin Gaye to Ki-duk Kim. More after the jump. Tell us about your movie: who did you work with, what did you shoot on, why did you make it? Give us the reductive, 25-word or less, “It’s like [pop culture reference a] meets [pop culture reference b]!” pitch, then explain what the quick and dirty sell leaves out. We shot La MISSION on HD entirely on location in 26 short days. The core team was made up of myself, brother Benjamin Bratt (who was doing double time as lead actor and producer), and force of nature/producing partner Alpita Patel. The “dirty sell”: Imagine the old cars and music from American Graffiti (but with a bit more funk), the working class, ethnic flavor of Saturday Night Fever, and the soul searching of Peter Weir’s Fearless, and you have La MISSION. The real skinny: The story takes place in an urban Latino community, and centers on a violent patriarch (“Che”) who discovers that his only son (“Jess”) is homosexual. In the San Francisco Neighborhood that bears the film’s name, Che is a reformed bad boy of the street, who at middle age, finds beauty building classic lowrider cars. His son, and the friends he’s had since childhood, are at the center of his world. In many ways, Che personifies the dominant patriarchal culture that surrounds him, and like that culture, is at the threshold of great change. He is faced with a choice: maintain old habits and attitudes, OR adapt, grow and mature. In order to make this choice, Che is forced to stretch beyond his comfort zone; and it’s only from this place that he discovers what might be at stake if he doesn’t chose wisely. As a filmmaker living in an increasingly violent and dangerous world, I was drawn to the idea of transformation and the pain that often goes with it. I also wanted to fulfill a life’s dream, and make a movie with a Marvin Gaye jam in it! If you funded your film through a “day job” or through working on projects that were not your own, tell us about that. If not, tell us a story from your past work life, before you became a professional filmmaker. I worked as a carpenter before and after I made my first film. Before that, I had applied and was admitted to NYU film school. Weeks before I packed up and headed East, I sold my truck and all my tools, confidently thinking I would never need them again. It took me less than a semester to learn that film school wasn’t for me, and I dropped out and returned home to San Francisco with my chin on my chest. Carpentry was the only way I knew how to make a living, so I started all over again from scratch, buying and collecting tools as more jobs came in. After I saved enough to live on for a year, I held up in a work-for-rent, sub-basement apartment, read every “how to write a screenplay”  book  under the sun, and then sat down and  wrote the screenplay I would eventually make into my first feature. But the moral of the story is: “never say never…and most definitely never sell your tools!” Have you been to Park City before? If so, tell us your best moment (or worst, which ever is funnier). I’d been there once before, in the pre-internet days, with my film Follow Me Home. We got the film in the can for a little over a $200,000, but had to raise more for post. Needless to say, it was a long process that kept us busy almost up to the day we premiered at the Holiday One theater. I was very naïve and didn’t have an agent, a lawyer, a publicist, or any other veteran consultant, and my editor and I simply showed up with a 35mm print and NO promotional material. When we walked through town, we saw that nearly every other film team had postcards, one sheets, flyers, etc. Later that night, in a panic, we high-tailed it to Salt Lake and found an all night Kinko’s. We stayed up half the night making flyers and posting them throughout the streets and store fronts of Park City. Every morning we would rise at the crack of dawn, before the crowds filled the streets, and plastered any empty space we could find. This time around the team is a bit more seasoned, so I’m hoping to slow the pace down enough to enjoy my morning coffee. Let’s get hypothetical: You’re on death row. The night of your execution, you’re allowed to watch any two films of your choice. What would you pick for your last-night-on-Earth double feature? Good hypothetical. Rather than going with a couple films about family, friendship, or how sweet life is, I would be focused on meeting death and preparing myself for the ultimate journey. For that I’d want a road map to navigate the “hell worlds” I would surely encounter due to my evil ways. I would go with Jacob’s Ladder (based on “Tibetan Book of the Dead”) and the South Korean film that examines each stage of a person’s life, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter … and Spring. Then get on my knees and pray. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/1/8/39287.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 1/8/2009 7:00:59 PM
Body: La MISSION, an American Spectrum film starring Benjamin Bratt and directed by his brother Peter, takes place in the Mission District of San Francisco, and tracks the relationship between an ex-con bus driver named Che (played by the former Mr. Julia Roberts), his son and a sexy neighbor lady who “challenges Che to reconcile the life he thought he had.” We asked Peter Bratt the 4 Questions We Ask Everyone, and his answers touched on everything from American Graffiti to Marvin Gaye to Ki-duk Kim. More after the jump. Tell us about your movie: who did you work with, what did you shoot on, why did you make it? Give us the reductive, 25-word or less, “It’s like [pop culture reference a] meets [pop culture reference b]!” pitch, then explain what the quick and dirty sell leaves out. We shot La MISSION on HD entirely on location in 26 short days. The core team was made up of myself, brother Benjamin Bratt (who was doing double time as lead actor and producer), and force of nature/producing partner Alpita Patel. The “dirty sell”: Imagine the old cars and music from American Graffiti (but with a bit more funk), the working class, ethnic flavor of Saturday Night Fever, and the soul searching of Peter Weir’s Fearless, and you have La MISSION. The real skinny: The story takes place in an urban Latino community, and centers on a violent patriarch (“Che”) who discovers that his only son (“Jess”) is homosexual. In the San Francisco Neighborhood that bears the film’s name, Che is a reformed bad boy of the street, who at middle age, finds beauty building classic lowrider cars. His son, and the friends he’s had since childhood, are at the center of his world. In many ways, Che personifies the dominant patriarchal culture that surrounds him, and like that culture, is at the threshold of great change. He is faced with a choice: maintain old habits and attitudes, OR adapt, grow and mature. In order to make this choice, Che is forced to stretch beyond his comfort zone; and it’s only from this place that he discovers what might be at stake if he doesn’t chose wisely. As a filmmaker living in an increasingly violent and dangerous world, I was drawn to the idea of transformation and the pain that often goes with it. I also wanted to fulfill a life’s dream, and make a movie with a Marvin Gaye jam in it! If you funded your film through a “day job” or through working on projects that were not your own, tell us about that. If not, tell us a story from your past work life, before you became a professional filmmaker. I worked as a carpenter before and after I made my first film. Before that, I had applied and was admitted to NYU film school. Weeks before I packed up and headed East, I sold my truck and all my tools, confidently thinking I would never need them again. It took me less than a semester to learn that film school wasn’t for me, and I dropped out and returned home to San Francisco with my chin on my chest. Carpentry was the only way I knew how to make a living, so I started all over again from scratch, buying and collecting tools as more jobs came in. After I saved enough to live on for a year, I held up in a work-for-rent, sub-basement apartment, read every “how to write a screenplay”  book  under the sun, and then sat down and  wrote the screenplay I would eventually make into my first feature. But the moral of the story is: “never say never…and most definitely never sell your tools!” Have you been to Park City before? If so, tell us your best moment (or worst, which ever is funnier). I’d been there once before, in the pre-internet days, with my film Follow Me Home. We got the film in the can for a little over a $200,000, but had to raise more for post. Needless to say, it was a long process that kept us busy almost up to the day we premiered at the Holiday One theater. I was very naïve and didn’t have an agent, a lawyer, a publicist, or any other veteran consultant, and my editor and I simply showed up with a 35mm print and NO promotional material. When we walked through town, we saw that nearly every other film team had postcards, one sheets, flyers, etc. Later that night, in a panic, we high-tailed it to Salt Lake and found an all night Kinko’s. We stayed up half the night making flyers and posting them throughout the streets and store fronts of Park City. Every morning we would rise at the crack of dawn, before the crowds filled the streets, and plastered any empty space we could find. This time around the team is a bit more seasoned, so I’m hoping to slow the pace down enough to enjoy my morning coffee. Let’s get hypothetical: You’re on death row. The night of your execution, you’re allowed to watch any two films of your choice. What would you pick for your last-night-on-Earth double feature? Good hypothetical. Rather than going with a couple films about family, friendship, or how sweet life is, I would be focused on meeting death and preparing myself for the ultimate journey. For that I’d want a road map to navigate the “hell worlds” I would surely encounter due to my evil ways. I would go with Jacob’s Ladder (based on “Tibetan Book of the Dead”) and the South Korean film that examines each stage of a person’s life, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter … and Spring. Then get on my knees and pray. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 09 Jan 2009 00:00:59 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com1/8/2009 7:00:59 PM La MISSION, an American Spectrum film starring Benjamin Bratt and directed by his brother Peter, takes place in the Mission District of San Francisco, and tracks the relationship between an ex-con bus driver named Che (played by the former Mr. Julia Roberts), his son and a sexy neighbor lady who “challenges Che to reconcile the life he thought he had.” We asked Peter Bratt the 4 Questions We Ask Everyone, and his answers touched on everything from American Graffiti to Marvin Gaye to Ki-duk Kim. More after the jump. Tell us about your movie: who did you work with, what did you shoot on, why did you make it? Give us the reductive, 25-word or less, “It’s like [pop culture reference a] meets [pop culture reference b]!” pitch, then explain what the quick and dirty sell leaves out. We shot La MISSION on HD entirely on location in 26 short days. The core team was made up of myself, brother Benjamin Bratt (who was doing double time as lead actor and producer), and force of nature/producing partner Alpita Patel. The “dirty sell”: Imagine the old cars and music from American Graffiti (but with a bit more funk), the working class, ethnic flavor of Saturday Night Fever, and the soul searching of Peter Weir’s Fearless, and you have La MISSION. The real skinny: The story takes place in an urban Latino community, and centers on a violent patriarch (“Che”) who discovers that his only son (“Jess”) is homosexual. In the San Francisco Neighborhood that bears the film’s name, Che is a reformed bad boy of the street, who at middle age, finds beauty building classic lowrider cars. His son, and the friends he’s had since childhood, are at the center of his world. In many ways, Che personifies the dominant patriarchal culture that surrounds him, and like that culture, is at the threshold of great change. He is faced with a choice: maintain old habits and attitudes, OR adapt, grow and mature. In order to make this choice, Che is forced to stretch beyond his comfort zone; and it’s only from this place that he discovers what might be at stake if he doesn’t chose wisely. As a filmmaker living in an increasingly violent and dangerous world, I was drawn to the idea of transformation and the pain that often goes with it. I also wanted to fulfill a life’s dream, and make a movie with a Marvin Gaye jam in it! If you funded your film through a “day job” or through working on projects that were not your own, tell us about that. If not, tell us a story from your past work life, before you became a professional filmmaker. I worked as a carpenter before and after I made my first film. Before that, I had applied and was admitted to NYU film school. Weeks before I packed up and headed East, I sold my truck and all my tools, confidently thinking I would never need them again. It took me less than a semester to learn that film school wasn’t for me, and I dropped out and returned home to San Francisco with my chin on my chest. Carpentry was the only way I knew how to make a living, so I started all over again from scratch, buying and collecting tools as more jobs came in. After I saved enough to live on for a year, I held up in a work-for-rent, sub-basement apartment, read every “how to write a screenplay”  book  under the sun, and then sat down and  wrote the screenplay I would eventually make into my first feature. But the moral of the story is: “never say never…and most definitely never sell your tools!” Have you been to Park City before? If so, tell us your best moment (or worst, which ever is funnier). I’d been there once before, in the pre-internet days, with my film Follow Me Home. We got the film in the can for a little over a $200,000, but had to raise more for post. Needless to say, it was a long process that kept us busy almost up to the day we premiered at the Holiday One theater. I was very naïve and didn’t have an agent, a lawyer, a publicist, or any other veteran consultant, and my editor and I simply showed up with a 35mm print and NO promotional material. When we walked through town, we saw that nearly every other film team had postcards, one sheets, flyers, etc. Later that night, in a panic, we high-tailed it to Salt Lake and found an all night Kinko’s. We stayed up half the night making flyers and posting them throughout the streets and store fronts of Park City. Every morning we would rise at the crack of dawn, before the crowds filled the streets, and plastered any empty space we could find. This time around the team is a bit more seasoned, so I’m hoping to slow the pace down enough to enjoy my morning coffee. Let’s get hypothetical: You’re on death row. The night of your execution, you’re allowed to watch any two films of your choice. What would you pick for your last-night-on-Earth double feature? Good hypothetical. Rather than going with a couple films about family, friendship, or how sweet life is, I would be focused on meeting death and preparing myself for the ultimate journey. For that I’d want a road map to navigate the “hell worlds” I would surely encounter due to my evil ways. I would go with Jacob’s Ladder (based on “Tibetan Book of the Dead”) and the South Korean film that examines each stage of a person’s life, Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter … and Spring. Then get on my knees and pray. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_October_13_Just_One_Day/625/36284/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: ChrisThilk
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 10/14/2008 11:24:21 AM
Body: You can't mention Dazed and Confused without also talking about the movie that it most directly is influenced by, which is American Grafitti. The story stretches into two "days" but it's all within one 24-hour period, which I think still allows it to qualify for this discussion. If memory serves (I haven't seen it in a while but I think I'm right) Empire Records also takes place over a similar stretch of time, even if it does again take place on two calendar days.
]]>Tue, 14 Oct 2008 15:24:21 GMTChrisThilkWeekly Theme10/14/2008 11:24:21 AMYou can't mention Dazed and Confused without also talking about the movie that it most directly is influenced by, which is American Grafitti. The story stretches into two "days" but it's all within one 24-hour period, which I think still allows it to qualify for this discussion. If memory serves (I haven't seen it in a while but I think I'm right) Empire Records also takes place over a similar stretch of time, even if it does again take place on two calendar days. http://www.spout.com/blogs/rik_tod/archive/2008/9/2/34638.aspx Post By: rik_tod
Post To: The Cinema 4 Pylon: SpOutpost
Post Date: 9/2/2008 10:00:29 AM
Body: Director: Stig SvendsenNorwegian, 9 minutes, colorCinema 4 Rating: 6A scene that I did not mention the other day in my piece on My Name is Yu Ming was one in which the titular character, a Chinese man who has learned Gaelic in order to seek a new and hopefully more fulfilling existence in Ireland (a course which he has suggested to himself entirely at random), engages in an impersonation of an iconic movie scene. Yu Ming, his face covered by cream as he shaves in front of his bathroom mirror, begins to perform De Niro's "You talkin' to me?" scene from Taxi Driver, repeating the famous lines in his newly learned second language, though after he does four or five bits, he drops the tough guy act and snickers nerdishly at the mirror, handily amused with his lonely antics.I started to wonder then as to whether a character in Yu Ming's circumstances and location would have not only actually had the chance to see Taxi Driver, but whether that sequence has quite the same impact dubbed into another language, where it is no longer De Niro verbally acting the part. My musing then broke down into whether, if Yu Ming had indeed seen Taxi Driver, it was as a bootleg via the black market, or then, if not, if the film were even available legally in his country. In Ireland, where My Name is Yu Ming was made, certainly it is available, and the English version would naturally carry over and play well the same there. It was the inclusion of China into the equation that had me musing.I didn't think much about this film scene that comments on yet another film scene until I watched the sixth film on the Shorts! Volume 3 DVD collection, Loose Ends, a couple of days later. Where Yu Ming only fleetingly (and without real consequence) nodded at American pop culture, this nine-minute comic Norwegian short practically wallows in it. Having recently watched Simon Pegg's Spaced for the first (and second and third) time, I couldn't held but reflect upon it when confronted with Loose Ends' pair of Star Wars-obsessed supergeeks, who start an epic battle (though always of modest proportions) over whether E.T.s belong in the Star Wars universe.Their geekitude is proven by their abilities to delve into such battle not over the better films in the Star Wars series, but over the worst one instead. But I myself shall not continue the debate, nor will I give away much more in the short, as pretty much the entire piece depends on how they play off the various permutations of this running feud. This includes the punchline, which I find personally a little underwhelming, though when I first watched it, the bit did warrant a chuckle on my part, as it did my girlfriend, who is herself a tad obsessive over the series, when I showed it to her later. At that point, though, I was past the chuckling stage over the ending, and had moved on to wondering where the rest of the Clerks-style Norwegian comedy classic, out of which this short seems to have wandered, could be. Two loser geeks rambling smartly but to little positive effect about minor details in Star Wars movies? Sounds like Nordic Kevin Smith to me, especially with a lot of Ås waddling about the place.I am still unsure about whether the title Loose Ends really works for this film, as I really don't see anything in the commonly accepted though ambiguous area of loose ends in it, nor is anything really left unresolved, nor is it Norwegian porn -- gay, straight or transgendered -- so it certainly couldn't stand for anything in the area. The title most definitely didn't prepare me for the fact that I would smacked straight off in the face with jokes about Jar Jar Binks and the slow, careful loading of an E.T. Pez dispenser. But, like the Yu Ming scene, Loose Ends set me immediately into wondering about the prevalence of American pop culture throughout the globe. Not so much about the effects of such prevalence, because I really don't care, and am, in fact, more concerned about the effects on our own country, and only regarding those things for which I hold distaste if not outright disdain.I do not doubt that someone will take me to task for considering the Star Wars films wholly American as they were filmed to a great extent in England, Tunisia and points elsewhere, and with an international cast to boot. But, production-wise and creator-wise, they are just as American as Lucas' Graffiti, though if it helps matters for the nitpickers (with whom I would often fall into rank), we could just speak of this as English-speaking culture and be done with it.In the end, we have a series of science fiction/fantasy films (let's not start that argument here) that are wildly popular throughout the world, are referenced constantly in American culture in all forms of media, and now, apparently, have inspired a Norwegian filmmaker to create his own slacker comedy short built around the incidental appearances of characters from other American films or from films in the same series which take place years in the future apart from the films under discussion (The Phantom Menace and Revenge of the Sith).That this became the subject of the film's dialogue charmed me from the start of Loose Ends, chiefly because I was not expecting it, especially from two guys (one of whom, unsurprisingly, is named Lars) driving through some undefined backstretch of the Norwegian road system in the middle of the night. I doubt if the subject were anything else of actual Scandinavian origin that I would have been drawn so quickly into the film. (Well, any subject except for lutefisk... that is so frightening and noxious a concept, that any film attempting to explain its supposed appeal has got to be fascinating straight through.) Suddenly, I am watching two fellows from a foreign land having a conversation that I could just as easily have with any of my own friends here in the States. And probably have had at some point.But the film, perhaps befitting the shabbiness of its choice of Star Wars flicks, is only an amusing trifle and the initial charm starts to wear off before the conclusion. Even in a home where I am surrounded by Harryhausen posters, Universal Monster models and Bruce Campbell knick-knacks, geek culture grows increasingly thin with me the longer I am exposed to it through the voices or actions of others outside myself. It's the main reason I have yet to actually venture to Comic-Con, even though I live not that far away. It's the main reason I have only been in a comic shop twice in the last three years. And it's also the reason I have yet to attend a film festival down here. Perhaps it stems from a self-loathing, and I don't wish to be reminded of that which I have become, a person who has been sucked into a vortex of comics, music, toys and videos from which I know no reasonable escape. Not to say that I do not enjoy my trappings nor continue to add to my various collections. But I also recognize that perhaps with a little bit of self-restraint, I might have a real home now, instead of a massive pile of what largely boils down to nothing but paper and plastic representing junk culture crammed into an increasingly crowded apartment. Who knows what I might have done with the money I would have saved over the past 25 years? I might have done something bigger than just blowing wads of cash attempting to complete my Fantastic Four collection (which I never actually did) or tracking down those elusive Cowboy Bebop soundtrack import CDs (which were subsequently swiped from me). At least Yu Ming knew enough to cut his geek foray off after a couple of Gaelic-translated Travis Bickle lines.And now you know why I am reluctant to be concerned about how our culture is affecting the rest of the world. Sometimes, I think they can just have it. And the Norwegians can certainly keep The Phantom Menace if they wish...
]]>Tue, 02 Sep 2008 14:00:29 GMTrik_todThe Cinema 4 Pylon: SpOutpost9/2/2008 10:00:29 AMDirector: Stig SvendsenNorwegian, 9 minutes, colorCinema 4 Rating: 6A scene that I did not mention the other day in my piece on My Name is Yu Ming was one in which the titular character, a Chinese man who has learned Gaelic in order to seek a new and hopefully more fulfilling existence in Ireland (a course which he has suggested to himself entirely at random), engages in an impersonation of an iconic movie scene. Yu Ming, his face covered by cream as he shaves in front of his bathroom mirror, begins to perform De Niro's "You talkin' to me?" scene from Taxi Driver, repeating the famous lines in his newly learned second language, though after he does four or five bits, he drops the tough guy act and snickers nerdishly at the mirror, handily amused with his lonely antics.I started to wonder then as to whether a character in Yu Ming's circumstances and location would have not only actually had the chance to see Taxi Driver, but whether that sequence has quite the same impact dubbed into another language, where it is no longer De Niro verbally acting the part. My musing then broke down into whether, if Yu Ming had indeed seen Taxi Driver, it was as a bootleg via the black market, or then, if not, if the film were even available legally in his country. In Ireland, where My Name is Yu Ming was made, certainly it is available, and the English version would naturally carry over and play well the same there. It was the inclusion of China into the equation that had me musing.I didn't think much about this film scene that comments on yet another film scene until I watched the sixth film on the Shorts! Volume 3 DVD collection, Loose Ends, a couple of days later. Where Yu Ming only fleetingly (and without real consequence) nodded at American pop culture, this nine-minute comic Norwegian short practically wallows in it. Having recently watched Simon Pegg's Spaced for the first (and second and third) time, I couldn't held but reflect upon it when confronted with Loose Ends' pair of Star Wars-obsessed supergeeks, who start an epic battle (though always of modest proportions) over whether E.T.s belong in the Star Wars universe.Their geekitude is proven by their abilities to delve into such battle not over the better films in the Star Wars series, but over the worst one instead. But I myself shall not continue the debate, nor will I give away much more in the short, as pretty much the entire piece depends on how they play off the various permutations of this running feud. This includes the punchline, which I find personally a little underwhelming, though when I first watched it, the bit did warrant a chuckle on my part, as it did my girlfriend, who is herself a tad obsessive over the series, when I showed it to her later. At that point, though, I was past the chuckling stage over the ending, and had moved on to wondering where the rest of the Clerks-style Norwegian comedy classic, out of which this short seems to have wandered, could be. Two loser geeks rambling smartly but to little positive effect about minor details in Star Wars movies? Sounds like Nordic Kevin Smith to me, especially with a lot of &Aring;s waddling about the place.I am still unsure about whether the title Loose Ends really works for this film, as I really don't see anything in the commonly accepted though ambiguous area of loose ends in it, nor is anything really left unresolved, nor is it Norwegian porn -- gay, straight or transgendered -- so it certainly couldn't stand for anything in the area. The title most definitely didn't prepare me for the fact that I would smacked straight off in the face with jokes about Jar Jar Binks and the slow, careful loading of an E.T. Pez dispenser. But, like the Yu Ming scene, Loose Ends set me immediately into wondering about the prevalence of American pop culture throughout the globe. Not so much about the effects of such prevalence, because I really don't care, and am, in fact, more concerned about the effects on our own country, and only regarding those things for which I hold distaste if not outright disdain.I do not doubt that someone will take me to task for considering the Star Wars films wholly American as they were filmed to a great extent in England, Tunisia and points elsewhere, and with an international cast to boot. But, production-wise and creator-wise, they are just as American as Lucas' Graffiti, though if it helps matters for the nitpickers (with whom I would often fall into rank), we could just speak of this as English-speaking culture and be done with it.In the end, we have a series of science fiction/fantasy films (let's not start that argument here) that are wildly popular throughout the world, are referenced constantly in American culture in all forms of media, and now, apparently, have inspired a Norwegian filmmaker to create his own slacker comedy short built around the incidental appearances of characters from other American films or from films in the same series which take place years in the future apart from the films under discussion (The Phantom Menace and Revenge of the Sith).That this became the subject of the film's dialogue charmed me from the start of Loose Ends, chiefly because I was not expecting it, especially from two guys (one of whom, unsurprisingly, is named Lars) driving through some undefined backstretch of the Norwegian road system in the middle of the night. I doubt if the subject were anything else of actual Scandinavian origin that I would have been drawn so quickly into the film. (Well, any subject except for lutefisk... that is so frightening and noxious a concept, that any film attempting to explain its supposed appeal has got to be fascinating straight through.) Suddenly, I am watching two fellows from a foreign land having a conversation that I could just as easily have with any of my own friends here in the States. And probably have had at some point.But the film, perhaps befitting the shabbiness of its choice of Star Wars flicks, is only an amusing trifle and the initial charm starts to wear off before the conclusion. Even in a home where I am surrounded by Harryhausen posters, Universal Monster models and Bruce Campbell knick-knacks, geek culture grows increasingly thin with me the longer I am exposed to it through the voices or actions of others outside myself. It's the main reason I have yet to actually venture to Comic-Con, even though I live not that far away. It's the main reason I have only been in a comic shop twice in the last three years. And it's also the reason I have yet to attend a film festival down here. Perhaps it stems from a self-loathing, and I don't wish to be reminded of that which I have become, a person who has been sucked into a vortex of comics, music, toys and videos from which I know no reasonable escape. Not to say that I do not enjoy my trappings nor continue to add to my various collections. But I also recognize that perhaps with a little bit of self-restraint, I might have a real home now, instead of a massive pile of what largely boils down to nothing but paper and plastic representing junk culture crammed into an increasingly crowded apartment. Who knows what I might have done with the money I would have saved over the past 25 years? I might have done something bigger than just blowing wads of cash attempting to complete my Fantastic Four collection (which I never actually did) or tracking down those elusive Cowboy Bebop soundtrack import CDs (which were subsequently swiped from me). At least Yu Ming knew enough to cut his geek foray off after a couple of Gaelic-translated Travis Bickle lines.And now you know why I am reluctant to be concerned about how our culture is affecting the rest of the world. Sometimes, I think they can just have it. And the Norwegians can certainly keep The Phantom Menace if they wish... http://www.spout.com/blogs/captainryannn/archive/2008/8/8/33738.aspx Post By: CaptainRyannn
Post To: CaptainRyannn Blog
Post Date: 8/8/2008 5:01:23 AM
Body: Since January 1st, 2008, I've been keeping track of all the films I've watched. Because I don't feel like taking the time to highlight each movie up until this point, I will start at the previous week, Week 29 and continue from now on. 328. The Dark Knight (2008) -My second time seeing it. Such a great movie. Although not good enough to be considered 'best film of all time'. 329. Teeth (2007) -The storyline attracted me to it. Within the first 20 minutes I wanted it to be done. I hated this thing so much. 330. Heima (2007) -Such a beautiful documentary for such an amazing band; Sigur Ros. Check them out if you haven't yet. 331. La Haine / Hate (1995) -One of the best French films I've seen. If there's one thing I'll remember about this movie years from now, it'll be the ending and how shocked I was after it was all said and done. 332. À ma soeur! / Fat Girl (2001) -There was something sad in the way that the relationship between Anais and her older sister works out. I can't quite place my finger on it. The whole mood of the story is it's strongest part. Even a week after watching it, it still lingers with me. 333. C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005) -I had heard much about this before but now finally got around to watching it. I enjoyed this quite a bit. It deals with real people and real family issues. 334. Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005) - When I first saw this when it came out, I really liked it. After viewing it for a second time, I can't remember why. It's filled with unrealistic dialouge and characters I didn't care about. 335. À bout de souffle / Breathless (1960) -What had been hailed to be the 'crown jewel' of the French New Wave was also the last thing I saw before I feel asleep on Thursday. I think I'm going to have to give this another try. 336. Son of Rambow (2007) -After the rave reviews and catchy trailer, I had been looking forward to this. But after finally viewing it, I was left unfulfilled and wanting something more. 337. Phone Booth (2003) -Are there plot holes? Sure. Is the story likely? Nah. I mainly watched this for mere entertainment and nothing more. 338. Dazed and Confused (1993) -Immediately reminded me of American Graffiti except this took place in the 70's. I always fall for the movies that focus on how familar characters interact with one another. Although American Graffiti played this out much better, I thought this was pretty alright. 339. Batoru rowaiaru / Battle Royale (2001) -Although the dialouge seemed kind of cheesy, I can look past that because this was one hell of a ride. A group of 9th. graders put on an island and ordered to kill each other. Man, if only America had the balls to put something like that out. 340. Dazed and Confused (1993) -Yes, I watched it again. 341. Cool Hand Luke (1960) -My dad told me I would like this film. I did more than like it. Although many of us have never worked on a chain gang, the theme and spirit that this movie has is something that we can all relate to. 342. 21 (2008) -The only reason I watched this is so I could have an opinion about it when I hear kids talking about it in the hallways. I thought it was decent. Although it had many cliches, it was a little better than I expected it to be. 343. Vanishing Point (1971) -One of the first movies from the 70's that I fell in love with. Probably one of the best road chase movies out there, it's easy to tell why Quentin Tarantino decided to use it as his inspiration for Death Proof. 344. Casablanca (1942) -Classic, classic, classic. What else can I say? 345. The Breed (2006) -Such a horrible movie. Don't ever watch it.
]]>Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:01:23 GMTCaptainRyannnCaptainRyannn Blog8/8/2008 5:01:23 AMSince January 1st, 2008, I've been keeping track of all the films I've watched. Because I don't feel like taking the time to highlight each movie up until this point, I will start at the previous week, Week 29 and continue from now on. 328. The Dark Knight (2008) -My second time seeing it. Such a great movie. Although not good enough to be considered 'best film of all time'. 329. Teeth (2007) -The storyline attracted me to it. Within the first 20 minutes I wanted it to be done. I hated this thing so much. 330. Heima (2007) -Such a beautiful documentary for such an amazing band; Sigur Ros. Check them out if you haven't yet. 331. La Haine / Hate (1995) -One of the best French films I've seen. If there's one thing I'll remember about this movie years from now, it'll be the ending and how shocked I was after it was all said and done. 332. &Agrave; ma soeur! / Fat Girl (2001) -There was something sad in the way that the relationship between Anais and her older sister works out. I can't quite place my finger on it. The whole mood of the story is it's strongest part. Even a week after watching it, it still lingers with me. 333. C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005) -I had heard much about this before but now finally got around to watching it. I enjoyed this quite a bit. It deals with real people and real family issues. 334. Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005) - When I first saw this when it came out, I really liked it. After viewing it for a second time, I can't remember why. It's filled with unrealistic dialouge and characters I didn't care about. 335. &Agrave; bout de souffle / Breathless (1960) -What had been hailed to be the 'crown jewel' of the French New Wave was also the last thing I saw before I feel asleep on Thursday. I think I'm going to have to give this another try. 336. Son of Rambow (2007) -After the rave reviews and catchy trailer, I had been looking forward to this. But after finally viewing it, I was left unfulfilled and wanting something more. 337. Phone Booth (2003) -Are there plot holes? Sure. Is the story likely? Nah. I mainly watched this for mere entertainment and nothing more. 338. Dazed and Confused (1993) -Immediately reminded me of American Graffiti except this took place in the 70's. I always fall for the movies that focus on how familar characters interact with one another. Although American Graffiti played this out much better, I thought this was pretty alright. 339. Batoru rowaiaru / Battle Royale (2001) -Although the dialouge seemed kind of cheesy, I can look past that because this was one hell of a ride. A group of 9th. graders put on an island and ordered to kill each other. Man, if only America had the balls to put something like that out. 340. Dazed and Confused (1993) -Yes, I watched it again. 341. Cool Hand Luke (1960) -My dad told me I would like this film. I did more than like it. Although many of us have never worked on a chain gang, the theme and spirit that this movie has is something that we can all relate to. 342. 21 (2008) -The only reason I watched this is so I could have an opinion about it when I hear kids talking about it in the hallways. I thought it was decent. Although it had many cliches, it was a little better than I expected it to be. 343. Vanishing Point (1971) -One of the first movies from the 70's that I fell in love with. Probably one of the best road chase movies out there, it's easy to tell why Quentin Tarantino decided to use it as his inspiration for Death Proof. 344. Casablanca (1942) -Classic, classic, classic. What else can I say? 345. The Breed (2006) -Such a horrible movie. Don't ever watch it. http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmgaming/Re_Take_the_red_pill_Recast_THE_MATRIX_1999/563/32155/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: forticus
Post To: Filmgaming
Post Date: 7/5/2008 1:32:06 PM
Body: George Lucas version of the Matrix in a computer far far away.Narration by James Earl Jones Neo-Hayden Christensen(Star Wars) Morpheus-Samuel Jackson(Star Wars) Trinity-Natalie Portman(Star Wars) Agent Smith-Mark Hamill(Star Wars) Oracle-Carrie Fisher(Star Wars) Cypher-Robert Duvall(THX1138) Tank-Ahmed Best(Star Wars) Apoc-Peter Mayhew(Star Wars) Mouse-Ron Howard (American Graffiti) Dozer-Billy D. Williams(Star Wars) Switch-Cindy Williams (American Graffiti) Agent Brown-Ewan Mcgregor(Star wars) Agent Jones-Liam Neeson(Star Wars) To be continued............................ The Keymaker-Richard Dreyfuss(American Graffiti) Train Man-Bruce Spence(Star Wars) Link-Harrison Ford(Star Wars) The Architect-Christopher Lee( Star Wars) Seraph-Ray Park( Star Wars) Commander Lock-Alex Guinness(Star Wars) Commander Locks lieutenant-Jimmy Smits(Star Wars) Twin 1-Peter Cushing(Star Wars) Twin 2-Ian Mcdiarmid(Star Wars) Merovingian-Anthony Daniels(Star Wars) Raver 1-Kenny Baker(Star Wars) Raver 2-Warwick Davis(Star Wars)
]]>Sat, 05 Jul 2008 17:32:06 GMTforticusFilmgaming7/5/2008 1:32:06 PMGeorge Lucas version of the Matrix in a computer far far away.Narration by James Earl Jones Neo-Hayden Christensen(Star Wars) Morpheus-Samuel Jackson(Star Wars) Trinity-Natalie Portman(Star Wars) Agent Smith-Mark Hamill(Star Wars) Oracle-Carrie Fisher(Star Wars) Cypher-Robert Duvall(THX1138) Tank-Ahmed Best(Star Wars) Apoc-Peter Mayhew(Star Wars) Mouse-Ron Howard (American Graffiti) Dozer-Billy D. Williams(Star Wars) Switch-Cindy Williams (American Graffiti) Agent Brown-Ewan Mcgregor(Star wars) Agent Jones-Liam Neeson(Star Wars) To be continued............................ The Keymaker-Richard Dreyfuss(American Graffiti) Train Man-Bruce Spence(Star Wars) Link-Harrison Ford(Star Wars) The Architect-Christopher Lee( Star Wars) Seraph-Ray Park( Star Wars) Commander Lock-Alex Guinness(Star Wars) Commander Locks lieutenant-Jimmy Smits(Star Wars) Twin 1-Peter Cushing(Star Wars) Twin 2-Ian Mcdiarmid(Star Wars) Merovingian-Anthony Daniels(Star Wars) Raver 1-Kenny Baker(Star Wars) Raver 2-Warwick Davis(Star Wars) http://www.spout.com/blogs/yojimbo73/archive/2008/2/18/25296.aspx Post By: yojimbo73
Post To: yojimbo73 Blog
Post Date: 2/18/2008 9:16:43 PM
Body: I was sitting in my jeep a few days ago looking through my iPod for something that would pick my spirits up for the drive home. Great little invention. Kinda makes that "10 albums on a desert island" thing useless. Just bring your iPod and you can have your entire collection. Anyway, I decided on the Counting Crows as it'd been years since I'd listened to them. Instantly I was transported to...I'll get to that in a minute. It made me think about that whole "smell is the best memory trigger" thing. Now maybe it's just a deficiency in my olfactory system, but smell has never done a thing for my memory. Sure, it's been instrumental in conjuring up old girlfriends and musty schools, but nothing really useful. Music on the other hand can open wormwholes to my past. When I hear the songs from the soundtrack of the movie that is my life I am instantly bombarded with memories. Sights, sounds, smells, the whole package. -"I Wear My Sunglasses at Night" and it's 1984. I'm at the pool getting a crappy slice of pizza from a lifeguard who looks suspiciously like Johnny from the Karate Kid. Only more tan. -"Purple Rain" sweeps me off to a middle school gym circa 1986. It's the last dance of the night (why the last song was always Purple Rain I'll never know), the smell of sweaty teens is thick in the air, as is the dissappointment in not having a John Hughes kind of night. Again. -"It Takes Two" (Rob Base) brings me to another gym and another dance, this time it's 1990. Ah, but now I'm 16, I have a license and it IS turning into a John Hughes kind of night. This could be THE night...until I find out me and my buddy have to head home. The girl I was with literaly breaks her car in a temper tantrum. Never saw her again, go figure. If only I was Long Duk Dong and she were an amazon. -The Counting Crows will always take me back to the fall of '93. I'm in a beautiful blue Vanagon with 3 people who were, and always will be (even though we've all scattered into the wind), 3 of the most important people in my life. If only we'd all lived in the same crappy apartment building, it would have been Singles. I guess that would have made me Campbell Scott because I definitely wasn't Matt Dillon. On a whim we're roadtripping to the Outer Banks. Who knew there were barely any restaurants still open during the fall, at least not in '93. It's cold, we've been driving all day and my skin is crawling from waaaaaay to much caffeine. Yet I'm happy. The kind of happy that doesn't come around that often. The kind you try to recreate, but can't because that brand of American Graffiti/Dazed and Confused kind of day just happens on it's own. So there I am in my jeep, driving home after being at work for 27 hours, the Counting Crows are on the stereo and I'm 20 years old again and I'm happy. No smell could ever do that for me. To tell you the truth, a good amount of smells make me ill. Do the smell of mud, alcohol and funk whisk me off to Woodstock '94? No, of course not. But Blind Melon, Green Day and the Rollins Band do it everytime. I'm turning 21 again at the biggest birthday party in the history of parties, drinking beers thrown to me Stone Cold Steve Austin style every time I shout "It's my birthday". And I'm happy. Just be careful when adding songs to your life's mixtape. With careful planning you too can have an epic moment like being introduced at your wedding reception to the "Throne Room overature" from the end of Star Wars (yeah, we did that ). Sometimes, though, it's taken out of your control and you end up with something like "Wind Beneath My Wings" by Bette Midler for your graduation song. In retrospect, I would have prefered Blink-182's "Dammit" to have been our song, but it had yet to be written. Maybe I'll squeeze that into the mix for my 40th birthday. Now that would be epic.
]]>Tue, 19 Feb 2008 02:16:43 GMTyojimbo73yojimbo73 Blog2/18/2008 9:16:43 PM I was sitting in my jeep a few days ago looking through my iPod for something that would pick my spirits up for the drive home. Great little invention. Kinda makes that &quot;10 albums on a desert island&quot; thing useless. Just bring your iPod and you can have your entire collection. Anyway, I decided on the Counting Crows as it&#39;d been years since I&#39;d listened to them. Instantly I was transported to...I&#39;ll get to that in a minute. It made me think about that whole &quot;smell is the best memory trigger&quot; thing. Now maybe it&#39;s just a deficiency in my olfactory system, but smell has never done a thing for my memory. Sure, it&#39;s been instrumental in conjuring up old girlfriends and musty schools, but nothing really useful. Music on the other hand can open wormwholes to my past. When I hear the songs from the soundtrack of the movie that is my life I am instantly bombarded with memories. Sights, sounds, smells, the whole package. -&quot;I Wear My Sunglasses at Night&quot; and it&#39;s 1984. I&#39;m at the pool getting a crappy slice of pizza from a lifeguard who looks suspiciously like Johnny from the Karate Kid. Only more tan. -&quot;Purple Rain&quot; sweeps me off to a middle school gym circa 1986. It&#39;s the last dance of the night (why the last song was always Purple Rain I&#39;ll never know), the smell of sweaty teens is thick in the air, as is the dissappointment in not having a John Hughes kind of night. Again. -&quot;It Takes Two&quot; (Rob Base) brings me to another gym and another dance, this time it&#39;s 1990. Ah, but now I&#39;m 16, I have a license and it IS turning into a John Hughes kind of night. This could be THE night...until I find out me and my buddy have to head home. The girl I was with literaly breaks her car in a temper tantrum. Never saw her again, go figure. If only I was Long Duk Dong and she were an amazon. -The Counting Crows will always take me back to the fall of &#39;93. I&#39;m in a beautiful blue Vanagon with 3 people who were, and always will be (even though we&#39;ve all scattered into the wind), 3 of the most important people in my life. If only we&#39;d all lived in the same crappy apartment building, it would have been Singles. I guess that would have made me Campbell Scott because I definitely wasn&#39;t Matt Dillon. On a whim we&#39;re roadtripping to the Outer Banks. Who knew there were barely any restaurants still open during the fall, at least not in &#39;93. It&#39;s cold, we&#39;ve been driving all day and my skin is crawling from waaaaaay to much caffeine. Yet I&#39;m happy. The kind of happy that doesn&#39;t come around that often. The kind you try to recreate, but can&#39;t because that brand of American Graffiti/Dazed and Confused kind of day just happens on it&#39;s own. So there I am in my jeep, driving home after being at work for 27 hours, the Counting Crows are on the stereo and I&#39;m 20 years old again and I&#39;m happy. No smell could ever do that for me. To tell you the truth, a good amount of smells make me ill. Do the smell of mud, alcohol and funk whisk me off to Woodstock &#39;94? No, of course not. But Blind Melon, Green Day and the Rollins Band do it everytime. I&#39;m turning 21 again at the biggest birthday party in the history of parties, drinking beers thrown to me Stone Cold Steve Austin style every time I shout &quot;It&#39;s my birthday&quot;. And I&#39;m happy. Just be careful when adding songs to your life&#39;s mixtape. With careful planning you too can have an epic moment like being introduced at your wedding reception to the &quot;Throne Room overature&quot; from the end of Star Wars (yeah, we did that ). Sometimes, though, it&#39;s taken out of your control and you end up with something like &quot;Wind Beneath My Wings&quot; by Bette Midler for your graduation song. In retrospect, I would have prefered Blink-182&#39;s &quot;Dammit&quot; to have been our song, but it had yet to be written. Maybe I&#39;ll squeeze that into the mix for my 40th birthday. Now that would be epic. http://www.spout.com/blogs/downwest/archive/2007/12/22/23129.aspx Post By: downwest
Post To: downwest Blog
Post Date: 12/22/2007 12:38:43 AM
Body: A well-crafted cult film about teen life in the 1960s. Well-written, directed, shot, and performed.
]]>Sat, 22 Dec 2007 05:38:43 GMTdownwestdownwest Blog12/22/2007 12:38:43 AMA well-crafted cult film about teen life in the 1960s. Well-written, directed, shot, and performed. http://www.spout.com/blogs/ushimu/archive/2007/6/20/11546.aspx Post By: UshiMu
Post To: UshiMu Blog
Post Date: 6/20/2007 11:57:51 PM
Body: Isn’t one of the best movies I’ve ever seen, it was kind of needlessly drawn out. But what I loved about this movie the most was how each scene’s background music fits the scene or the scenario. It’s a really powerful movie about the youth for its time. Great sound, great acting, great picture.
]]>Thu, 21 Jun 2007 03:57:51 GMTUshiMuUshiMu Blog6/20/2007 11:57:51 PMIsn&rsquo;t one of the best movies I&rsquo;ve ever seen, it was kind of needlessly drawn out. But what I loved about this movie the most was how each scene&rsquo;s background music fits the scene or the scenario. It&rsquo;s a really powerful movie about the youth for its time. Great sound, great acting, great picture. http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/love/MemberTagFilms.aspxlove
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