list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around American History X 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_History_X/128875/default.aspx Title: American History X
Year: 1998
Director: Tony Kaye
Plot: Tony Kaye made his feature directorial debut with this dramatic exploration into the roots of race hatred in America. In a shocking opening scene, teen Danny Vinyard (Edward Furlong) races to tell his older brother, neo-Nazi Derek (Edward Norton), about the young blacks breaking into his car in front of the house, whereupon Derek gets his gun and with no forethought shoots the youths in their tracks. Tried and convicted, Derek is sent away for three years in prison, where he acquires a different outlook as he contrasts white-power prisoners with black Lamont (Guy Torry), his prison laundry co-worker and eventual pal. Meanwhile, Danny, with a shaved head and a rebellious attitude, seems destined to follow in his big brother's footsteps. After Danny writes a favorable review of Hitler's Mein Kampf, black high-school principal Sweeney (Avery Brooks) puts Danny in his private "American History X" course and assigns him to do a paper about his older brother, who was a former student of Sweeney's. This serves to introduce flashbacks, with the film backtracking to illustrate Danny's account of Derek's life prior to the night of the shooting. Monochrome sequences of Derek leading a Venice, California gang are intercut with color footage of the mature Derek ending his past neo-Nazi associations and attempting to detour Danny away from the group led by white supremacist, Cameron (Stacy Keach), who once influenced Derek. Director Tony Kaye, with a background in TV commercials and music videos, filmed in L.A. beach communities. Rated R "for graphic brutal violence including rape, pervasive language, strong sexuality and nudity." ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 122
Number of Lists: 101
Number of blog posts: 9
Number of discussion threads: 13
SpoutRating: 4
]]>Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:13:08 GMTAmerican History X1998Tony Kaye<a href="/players/P___263837/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Tony Kaye</a> made his feature directorial debut with this dramatic exploration into the roots of race hatred in America. In a shocking opening scene, teen Danny Vinyard (<a href="/players/P____25376/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Edward Furlong</a>) races to tell his older brother, neo-Nazi Derek (<a href="/players/P___215904/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Edward Norton</a>), about the young blacks breaking into his car in front of the house, whereupon Derek gets his gun and with no forethought shoots the youths in their tracks. Tried and convicted, Derek is sent away for three years in prison, where he acquires a different outlook as he contrasts white-power prisoners with black Lamont (Guy Torry), his prison laundry co-worker and eventual pal. Meanwhile, Danny, with a shaved head and a rebellious attitude, seems destined to follow in his big brother's footsteps. After Danny writes a favorable review of Hitler's Mein Kampf, black high-school principal Sweeney (Avery Brooks) puts Danny in his private "American History X" course and assigns him to do a paper about his older brother, who was a former student of Sweeney's. This serves to introduce flashbacks, with the film backtracking to illustrate Danny's account of Derek's life prior to the night of the shooting. Monochrome sequences of Derek leading a Venice, California gang are intercut with color footage of the mature Derek ending his past neo-Nazi associations and attempting to detour Danny away from the group led by white supremacist, Cameron (<a href="/players/P____37233/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Stacy Keach</a>), who once influenced Derek. Director <a href="/players/P___263837/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Tony Kaye</a>, with a background in TV commercials and music videos, filmed in L.A. beach communities. Rated R "for graphic brutal violence including rape, pervasive language, strong sexuality and nudity." ~ Bhob Stewart, All Movie Guide122Tag Target (>10)1019134http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t02689bgrtn.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/American_History_X/128875/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_April_6_Everything_Aussie/625/41513/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: mercurial
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 4/8/2009 4:46:24 PM
Body: I want to wait on writing any critiques about Australia before I see it again. It was a beautiful film, but there was just something that was holding it back from being a truly magnificent film. I really liked Baz Luhrmann's other Aussie centric film Strictly Ballroom. It was interesting to watch it after seeing all of his later films and seeing how his personal style blossomed from his first film. A film that completely transformed my life was Muriel's Wedding. It was one of those movies that I could totally relate to at the time of my life that I first watched it and remains a favorite to this day. Toni Collette (pre-Sixth Sense), Rachel Griffiths (pre-Six Feet Under) and an ABBA score, gotta love it. You can't mention Australian films without mentioning Paul Hogan and the indelible Crocodile Dundee. One of those horribly bad yet awesomely good films that you can't help but love. Lest we forget that it was nominated for a Best Screenplay Academy Award. Something to think about. Somersault was a really interesting independent flick from down under. Abbie Cornish was insanely good as the emotionally and physically scarred runaway looking for herself in a chaotic ski town. Worth checking out. Yes, I'm going to say it: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. A bunch of drag queens consisting of Agent Smith from The Matrix, Leonard Shelby from Memento, and General Zod from Superman driving through the outback in a pink bus. 'Nuff said. One that ALWAYS make me tear up is Babe. Cute little talking pig trying to be a dog. For the longest time I thought this was an English film but eventually found out that it was an Aussie pic. Another family friendly Aussie film is The Rescuers Down Under. Interestingly, both of the Rescuers movies deal with extremely dramatic issues of kidnapping and child abuse which I really respect considering they are Disney films. Preempting American History X with the remorseful, introspective Neo Nazi rethinking his life, Romper Stomper had Russell Crowe and quite a bit more emotion. And I'm gonna go ahead and mention Dead Alive since I doubt we're going to get around to doing a Weekly Theme on New Zealand films. It is probably my favorite slapstick comedy / horror film. Love Love Love it. Quigley Down Under - I vaguely remembering my parents dragging me to this at the movie theater when I was 8 years old. All I remember was that my Gummi Bears were a helluva lot more interesting that the movie.
]]>Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:46:24 GMTmercurialWeekly Theme4/8/2009 4:46:24 PMI want to wait on writing any critiques about Australia before I see it again. It was a beautiful film, but there was just something that was holding it back from being a truly magnificent film. I really liked Baz Luhrmann's other Aussie centric film Strictly Ballroom. It was interesting to watch it after seeing all of his later films and seeing how his personal style blossomed from his first film. A film that completely transformed my life was Muriel's Wedding. It was one of those movies that I could totally relate to at the time of my life that I first watched it and remains a favorite to this day. Toni Collette (pre-Sixth Sense), Rachel Griffiths (pre-Six Feet Under) and an ABBA score, gotta love it. You can't mention Australian films without mentioning Paul Hogan and the indelible Crocodile Dundee. One of those horribly bad yet awesomely good films that you can't help but love. Lest we forget that it was nominated for a Best Screenplay Academy Award. Something to think about. Somersault was a really interesting independent flick from down under. Abbie Cornish was insanely good as the emotionally and physically scarred runaway looking for herself in a chaotic ski town. Worth checking out. Yes, I'm going to say it: The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. A bunch of drag queens consisting of Agent Smith from The Matrix, Leonard Shelby from Memento, and General Zod from Superman driving through the outback in a pink bus. 'Nuff said. One that ALWAYS make me tear up is Babe. Cute little talking pig trying to be a dog. For the longest time I thought this was an English film but eventually found out that it was an Aussie pic. Another family friendly Aussie film is The Rescuers Down Under. Interestingly, both of the Rescuers movies deal with extremely dramatic issues of kidnapping and child abuse which I really respect considering they are Disney films. Preempting American History X with the remorseful, introspective Neo Nazi rethinking his life, Romper Stomper had Russell Crowe and quite a bit more emotion. And I'm gonna go ahead and mention Dead Alive since I doubt we're going to get around to doing a Weekly Theme on New Zealand films. It is probably my favorite slapstick comedy / horror film. Love Love Love it. Quigley Down Under - I vaguely remembering my parents dragging me to this at the movie theater when I was 8 years old. All I remember was that my Gummi Bears were a helluva lot more interesting that the movie. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/10/15/36372.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 10/15/2008 6:00:41 PM
Body: Seth Rogen & Elizabeth Banks In “This Is Not Sex” Directed By Tony Kaye from Mean Magazine on Vimeo. It’s a tired gag, but filmmaker Tony Kaye (American History X) has fun with the “it’s not what you think” shtick and manages to make it work better than normal. However, whether it’s actually thanks to him or to the ever-lovable Elizabeth Banks and Seth Rogen is unclear. What is clear, at least, is that this promotional video for Kevin Smith’s Zack and Miri Make a Porno is probably too good for the feature film it’s linked to. Kaye is the one who should be releasing his eighth movie, while Smith should be the one making experimental non-commercials for him. The other thing I have to say about any promotional materials for Zack and Miri is this: more Darryl Robinson! That man is comedy gold, and while the poo in the toilet joke in the trailers is funny, it’s mostly Robinson’s bits that have me interested in this movie. And I hate the idea of wanting to see another Kevin Smith flick after Clerks II, so for anyone to make this seem appealing to me is worth his weight in gold. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Wed, 15 Oct 2008 22:00:41 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com10/15/2008 6:00:41 PM Seth Rogen & Elizabeth Banks In “This Is Not Sex” Directed By Tony Kaye from Mean Magazine on Vimeo. It’s a tired gag, but filmmaker Tony Kaye (American History X) has fun with the “it’s not what you think” shtick and manages to make it work better than normal. However, whether it’s actually thanks to him or to the ever-lovable Elizabeth Banks and Seth Rogen is unclear. What is clear, at least, is that this promotional video for Kevin Smith’s Zack and Miri Make a Porno is probably too good for the feature film it’s linked to. Kaye is the one who should be releasing his eighth movie, while Smith should be the one making experimental non-commercials for him. The other thing I have to say about any promotional materials for Zack and Miri is this: more Darryl Robinson! That man is comedy gold, and while the poo in the toilet joke in the trailers is funny, it’s mostly Robinson’s bits that have me interested in this movie. And I hate the idea of wanting to see another Kevin Smith flick after Clerks II, so for anyone to make this seem appealing to me is worth his weight in gold. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Weekly_Theme_for_July_29_Locked_Up/625/33154/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: leeroy711
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 7/27/2008 11:21:05 PM
Body: I got this idea from watching The 400 Blows this weekend. It only took me about 5 minutes to come up with a pretty long list of films that have to do with being incarcerated in some sense. Some films use this setting as the backdrop of some grave injustice such as false accusation such as Jim Sheridan’s fantastic film, In The Name Of The Father. Sometimes the jail cell is used in comedies like Jim Jarmusch’s Down By Law. Other times we just deal with the emotional and mental drama associated with dealing with your loss of personal freedom such as in American History X and The 25th Hour. And I haven’t even mentioned escape films, like The Shawshank Redemption and Brute Force which is somewhat of a sub-genre in itself. So, with the plethora of films we’ve seen dealing with being locked up in mind, let’s hear about which are some of your favorites. More specifically, what is your favorite scene, shot inside a jail cell or detention center of some sort? For me, there are two scenes that have touched me for drastically different reasons. The first is the triumphant moment in which Luke (Paul Newman) in Cool Hand Luke chokes down his 50th egg. You really can’t help but to rejoice and laugh at the same time with this one. The second one for me is one of the most unforgettable scenes of all time. The moment that Giuseppe (Pete Postelthwaite) dies in In The Name Of The Father leads into a great shot. All of the inmates light pieces of paper and throw them out of their cell windows yelling, “Giuseppe’s dead!” The prison walls look as though they are crying tears of flames. Well, that’s what I’ve got, let’s hear it. Remember, I also want to know about some of your favorite specific scenes as well. Emery
]]>Mon, 28 Jul 2008 03:21:05 GMTleeroy711Weekly Theme7/27/2008 11:21:05 PMI got this idea from watching The 400 Blows this weekend. It only took me about 5 minutes to come up with a pretty long list of films that have to do with being incarcerated in some sense. Some films use this setting as the backdrop of some grave injustice such as false accusation such as Jim Sheridan&rsquo;s fantastic film, In The Name Of The Father. Sometimes the jail cell is used in comedies like Jim Jarmusch&rsquo;s Down By Law. Other times we just deal with the emotional and mental drama associated with dealing with your loss of personal freedom such as in American History X and The 25th Hour. And I haven&rsquo;t even mentioned escape films, like The Shawshank Redemption and Brute Force which is somewhat of a sub-genre in itself. So, with the plethora of films we&rsquo;ve seen dealing with being locked up in mind, let&rsquo;s hear about which are some of your favorites. More specifically, what is your favorite scene, shot inside a jail cell or detention center of some sort? For me, there are two scenes that have touched me for drastically different reasons. The first is the triumphant moment in which Luke (Paul Newman) in Cool Hand Luke chokes down his 50th egg. You really can&rsquo;t help but to rejoice and laugh at the same time with this one. The second one for me is one of the most unforgettable scenes of all time. The moment that Giuseppe (Pete Postelthwaite) dies in In The Name Of The Father leads into a great shot. All of the inmates light pieces of paper and throw them out of their cell windows yelling, &ldquo;Giuseppe&rsquo;s dead!&rdquo; The prison walls look as though they are crying tears of flames. Well, that&rsquo;s what I&rsquo;ve got, let&rsquo;s hear it. Remember, I also want to know about some of your favorite specific scenes as well. Emery http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/7/22/32892.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 7/22/2008 12:00:34 PM
Body: If there’s one thing I relate to on the big screen, it’s the depiction of fraternal relationships. I’m the middle of three brothers (excluding the half-brother I only knew as a toddler and the former stepbrother I only knew briefly as an adult), and at different points in my life I’ve either hated them or considered them my best friends. So, yeah, I can’t wait to see Step Brothers, starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as new siblings who go from being enemies to BFFs when forced to live together. Choosing a handful of favorite movies about brotherhood is really tough. After all, tales of brothers go all the way back to almost the beginning, with the story of Cain and Abel. And a number of favorites can’t exactly be discussed, because the revelation of brothers, especially twin brothers, is often the surprise twist in films. So, before you start naming a thousand other films about brothers that I’ve forgotten (such as The Brothers McMullen and Legends of the Fall), keep in mind that I’ve actually left out a whole pile of brother films, and this is more of a personal favorites list. Coupe de Ville – If there’s one movie that seemed to define my brothers and I growing up, it’s this underrated road movie about three estranged siblings (played by Patrick Dempsey, Arye Gross and Daniel Stern) delivering the titular automobile to their father (Alan Arkin). As kids, my brothers and I couldn’t have been any more different, just like the guys in the movie. For at least half a decade, until he seemed to disappear after he left the sitcom Ellen, Gross was like my cinematic alter ego, just because I felt a kinship with his middle-brother character in Coupe de Ville so much. Twins – While I’m on the subject of identification, here’s another movie I was able to relate to, as my older brother was (in my young, confused mind) like Schwarzenegger and I was a fat kid. Now that we’re in our 30s, we’re fortunately more physically balanced (or is it just that my perception has matured?). The Godfather Part II – At one time or another, to one degree or another, most of us with brothers have unfortunately had fratricidal thoughts. Again, murdering one’s brother is a plot that goes back to The Book of Genesis, and the theme shows up in some of the greatest of stories, from Shakespeare’s Richard III to the Shakespearean animated film The Lion King. But as I never wanted to murder either of my brothers for gain of power, I’m including this film instead. Oh, wait, I guess I never actually struggled with the idea of whether or not to kill my brother because he’s a liability and an embarrassment, either. The Public Enemy – In fraternal stories, if brothers aren’t trying to kill each other, they’re at least following separate paths, morally and occupationally. Typically, one is a criminal and the other is a cop, politician or priest. This particular gangster film doesn’t portray the divergence as clearly as subsequent films, such as Johnny Dangerously, We Own the Night or any number of Bollywood films, including the classics Deewaar. But it’s the scene in which the brothers argue about their differences and, ultimately, their similarities, that makes the film that much more interesting. Amar Akbar Anthony – Like Deewaar, this film stars Indian superstar Amitabh Bachchan and is also about brothers. This time, though, there’s three of them, and each one allegorically represents a different prominent religious group of post-colonial India. Bachchan plays the Catholic one, and the film is worth checking out just for his musical number involving a giant Easter egg. The Best of Youth – Another film about brothers that also represents its nation’s history, this six-hour saga is even longer than the mere three hour Amar Akbar Anthony. If you’re ever in a fraternal mood, you can fill up a whole day of loosely learning about India and Italy via these movies. Or you can simply enjoy two great movies about brothers. American History X – After fratricide and divergence, another common plot involving brothers is the one found here: elder brother tries to keep younger from following in his footsteps. Interestingly enough, Edward Furlong plays the younger in both this film and in Little Odessa. Adaptation – My younger brother and I are differently creative, and in the past we’ve been mistaken for being twins (unlike me and my older brother being like Twins). So, of course, I had to be a sad sack and identify with the protagonist of the story, while viewing the character’s more popular, more successful brother as my own brother. I guess that would put the third act into a sort of wish fulfillment of fratricide. Maybe I need to stop this list before it upsets my currently great relationships with both my brothers. Big Night – Though differently creative, my younger brother and I have at times worked really well together. As many brothers in history have. Though we never attempted to operate a business together, we were in a band together. I guess for that reason I could have used The Blues Brothers here instead, but I like Big Night a whole hell of a lot more. The Darjeeling Limited – Return of the brotherly trio on a trip. Only this time the father has died (good ol’ Oedipal patricide is almost as popular as fratricide – not that any of the brothers killed Dad; I’m merely talking about wish fulfillment for the audience again) and the brothers are even more different (who would ever believe Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson and Adrien Brody as actual siblings?). I wonder if Wes Anderson ever saw Coupe de Ville. Or Amar Akbar Anthony. And here’s 10 more favorite brother films: Simple Men; Rain Man; La Bamba; Undertow; The Brothers Grimm; The City of Lost Children; The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford; Thirteen Days; The Funeral; The Wind that Shakes the Barley. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:00:34 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com7/22/2008 12:00:34 PM If there’s one thing I relate to on the big screen, it’s the depiction of fraternal relationships. I’m the middle of three brothers (excluding the half-brother I only knew as a toddler and the former stepbrother I only knew briefly as an adult), and at different points in my life I’ve either hated them or considered them my best friends. So, yeah, I can’t wait to see Step Brothers, starring Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly as new siblings who go from being enemies to BFFs when forced to live together. Choosing a handful of favorite movies about brotherhood is really tough. After all, tales of brothers go all the way back to almost the beginning, with the story of Cain and Abel. And a number of favorites can’t exactly be discussed, because the revelation of brothers, especially twin brothers, is often the surprise twist in films. So, before you start naming a thousand other films about brothers that I’ve forgotten (such as The Brothers McMullen and Legends of the Fall), keep in mind that I’ve actually left out a whole pile of brother films, and this is more of a personal favorites list. Coupe de Ville – If there’s one movie that seemed to define my brothers and I growing up, it’s this underrated road movie about three estranged siblings (played by Patrick Dempsey, Arye Gross and Daniel Stern) delivering the titular automobile to their father (Alan Arkin). As kids, my brothers and I couldn’t have been any more different, just like the guys in the movie. For at least half a decade, until he seemed to disappear after he left the sitcom Ellen, Gross was like my cinematic alter ego, just because I felt a kinship with his middle-brother character in Coupe de Ville so much. Twins – While I’m on the subject of identification, here’s another movie I was able to relate to, as my older brother was (in my young, confused mind) like Schwarzenegger and I was a fat kid. Now that we’re in our 30s, we’re fortunately more physically balanced (or is it just that my perception has matured?). The Godfather Part II – At one time or another, to one degree or another, most of us with brothers have unfortunately had fratricidal thoughts. Again, murdering one’s brother is a plot that goes back to The Book of Genesis, and the theme shows up in some of the greatest of stories, from Shakespeare’s Richard III to the Shakespearean animated film The Lion King. But as I never wanted to murder either of my brothers for gain of power, I’m including this film instead. Oh, wait, I guess I never actually struggled with the idea of whether or not to kill my brother because he’s a liability and an embarrassment, either. The Public Enemy – In fraternal stories, if brothers aren’t trying to kill each other, they’re at least following separate paths, morally and occupationally. Typically, one is a criminal and the other is a cop, politician or priest. This particular gangster film doesn’t portray the divergence as clearly as subsequent films, such as Johnny Dangerously, We Own the Night or any number of Bollywood films, including the classics Deewaar. But it’s the scene in which the brothers argue about their differences and, ultimately, their similarities, that makes the film that much more interesting. Amar Akbar Anthony – Like Deewaar, this film stars Indian superstar Amitabh Bachchan and is also about brothers. This time, though, there’s three of them, and each one allegorically represents a different prominent religious group of post-colonial India. Bachchan plays the Catholic one, and the film is worth checking out just for his musical number involving a giant Easter egg. The Best of Youth – Another film about brothers that also represents its nation’s history, this six-hour saga is even longer than the mere three hour Amar Akbar Anthony. If you’re ever in a fraternal mood, you can fill up a whole day of loosely learning about India and Italy via these movies. Or you can simply enjoy two great movies about brothers. American History X – After fratricide and divergence, another common plot involving brothers is the one found here: elder brother tries to keep younger from following in his footsteps. Interestingly enough, Edward Furlong plays the younger in both this film and in Little Odessa. Adaptation – My younger brother and I are differently creative, and in the past we’ve been mistaken for being twins (unlike me and my older brother being like Twins). So, of course, I had to be a sad sack and identify with the protagonist of the story, while viewing the character’s more popular, more successful brother as my own brother. I guess that would put the third act into a sort of wish fulfillment of fratricide. Maybe I need to stop this list before it upsets my currently great relationships with both my brothers. Big Night – Though differently creative, my younger brother and I have at times worked really well together. As many brothers in history have. Though we never attempted to operate a business together, we were in a band together. I guess for that reason I could have used The Blues Brothers here instead, but I like Big Night a whole hell of a lot more. The Darjeeling Limited – Return of the brotherly trio on a trip. Only this time the father has died (good ol’ Oedipal patricide is almost as popular as fratricide – not that any of the brothers killed Dad; I’m merely talking about wish fulfillment for the audience again) and the brothers are even more different (who would ever believe Jason Schwartzman, Owen Wilson and Adrien Brody as actual siblings?). I wonder if Wes Anderson ever saw Coupe de Ville. Or Amar Akbar Anthony. And here’s 10 more favorite brother films: Simple Men; Rain Man; La Bamba; Undertow; The Brothers Grimm; The City of Lost Children; The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford; Thirteen Days; The Funeral; The Wind that Shakes the Barley. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/peterfecteau/archive/2008/7/7/32220.aspx Post By: peterfecteau
Post To: peterfecteau Blog
Post Date: 7/7/2008 12:05:24 PM
Body: I can't help but compare this film to American History X. While the latter was a bit more on the front line and hit closer to home, This is England is quite gritty. Shaun, the lead, is a lost preteen that has recently lost his father to that war in the Falklands. His Mother is struggling and he is bullied in school. He finds solace with Woody, an older boy and his group of friends. When Combo, an old friend of Wood's, is released from prison, he tries to recruit the group into a racist agenda. Shane is sucked in by Combo's father-like presence and we see the plot line turn grim.
]]>Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:05:24 GMTpeterfecteaupeterfecteau Blog7/7/2008 12:05:24 PMI can't help but compare this film to American History X. While the latter was a bit more on the front line and hit closer to home, This is England is quite gritty. Shaun, the lead, is a lost preteen that has recently lost his father to that war in the Falklands. His Mother is struggling and he is bullied in school. He finds solace with Woody, an older boy and his group of friends. When Combo, an old friend of Wood's, is released from prison, he tries to recruit the group into a racist agenda. Shane is sucked in by Combo's father-like presence and we see the plot line turn grim. http://www.spout.com/blogs/peterfecteau/archive/2008/7/7/32219.aspx Post By: peterfecteau
Post To: peterfecteau Blog
Post Date: 7/7/2008 12:05:05 PM
Body: I can't help but compare this film to American History X. While the latter was a bit more on the front line and hit closer to home, This is England is quite gritty. Shaun, the lead, is a lost preteen that has recently lost his father to that war in the Falklands. His Mother is struggling and he is bullied in school. He finds solace with Woody, an older boy and his group of friends. When Combo, an old friend of Wood's, is released from prison, he tries to recruit the group into a racist agenda. Shane is sucked in by Combo's father-like presence and we see the plot line turn grim.
]]>Mon, 07 Jul 2008 16:05:05 GMTpeterfecteaupeterfecteau Blog7/7/2008 12:05:05 PMI can't help but compare this film to American History X. While the latter was a bit more on the front line and hit closer to home, This is England is quite gritty. Shaun, the lead, is a lost preteen that has recently lost his father to that war in the Falklands. His Mother is struggling and he is bullied in school. He finds solace with Woody, an older boy and his group of friends. When Combo, an old friend of Wood's, is released from prison, he tries to recruit the group into a racist agenda. Shane is sucked in by Combo's father-like presence and we see the plot line turn grim. http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmgaming/Re_TOP_5_MOVIES_TO_TEACH_AN_ALIEN_ABOUT_EARTH/563/31495/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: laylor
Post To: Filmgaming
Post Date: 6/21/2008 4:24:17 AM
Body: 1. Office Space -the drudgery of day to day life is important for them to see, in case they are expecting earth to be the best thing ever every single day 2. Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex but Were afraid to Ask... -a humorous look at how we "do it"...what to and what not to expect 3. American History X -sometimes we just don't get along, unfortunately 4. Starship Troopers -don't be surprised if we are incredibly scared by you 5. Epic Movie -we sometimes think we are funny but fail miserably
]]>Sat, 21 Jun 2008 08:24:17 GMTlaylorFilmgaming6/21/2008 4:24:17 AM1. Office Space -the drudgery of day to day life is important for them to see, in case they are expecting earth to be the best thing ever every single day 2. Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex but Were afraid to Ask... -a humorous look at how we "do it"...what to and what not to expect 3. American History X -sometimes we just don't get along, unfortunately 4. Starship Troopers -don't be surprised if we are incredibly scared by you 5. Epic Movie -we sometimes think we are funny but fail miserably http://www.spout.com/blogs/leeroy711/archive/2008/5/17/29394.aspx Post By: leeroy711
Post To: leeroy711 Blog
Post Date: 5/17/2008 3:36:05 PM
Body: ***** out of 5 stars Directed By: Shane Meadows Starring: Paddy Considine, Toby Kebbell, and Gary Stretch Language: English Released: 2004 Synopsis: This film is about a soldier, Richard (Considine) who returns home to his small town in the Midlands of England to take revenge on the group of thugs, led by Sonny (Stretch) that, years ago brutalized his mentally challenged brother, Anthony (Kebbell). He starts out with a carefully calculated plot designed to terrorize the group. But soon enough, he ups the ante, picking them off one by one in a fashion that leaves the remaining few begging for mercy. As the story unfolds we learn piece by piece, the events that took place those many years ago that lead to Richard’s rage. Review: I can’t really say anything bad about this film as a whole; I fully enjoyed it and was very surprised at how well the scenes were put together on a seemingly limited budget. It seemed to pay homage somewhat to Taxi Driver (disillusioned veteran in green jacket goes on killing spree) while still staying true to its own story. The acting was outstanding, especially in the case of Paddy Considine, who co wrote this story with director Shane Meadows. I don’t think I’ve seen him in anything since his superb performance in Jim Sheridan’s In America but I will be looking for his work in the future. Much like Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver, Considine pulled off a performance that not only was menacing and haunting, but still loveable and identifiable. Toby Kebbell, who played Richard’s mentally challenged brother, also put together a very believable act. And, in case you were wondering; no, Kebbel is not really mentally challenged. These two characters shared the majority of the screen time with a supporting cast of thuggish drug dealers who were who were also portrayed adequately. This film is full of flashbacks which are all done in black and white. In this way, the format was similar to American History X. I didn’t find the black and white to be particularly elegant or artsy. I think it was just though of as the best and more distinct way to separate the ongoing story from the background. The camerawork I was more impressed with were in some of the more intense scenes leading up to the killings. I’ve read a few reviews of this film that painted to be a bit more “stylish” than I think it was but none the less, the cinematography was quite sufficient to help create some very thrilling scenes. Possibly, the most fundamentally important aspect of this film was the character development of Richard. This was what created the bond between the story’s main character and the empathy of the audience. This was done wonderfully. There is no question, from this film’s opening narrative of: “God will forgive them. He'll forgive them and allow them into Heaven……….. I can't live with that.” to its dramatic finish, that Richard’s anger is completely justified. You will most definitely find yourself cheering for the monster throughout. This was the first Shane Meadows film I’ve seen. His filmography on Spout reveals that this is his “Most disliked movie”, averaging only three stars. If this is an accurate depiction of what I should expect from the rest of his films, he will surely and quickly fall into becoming one of my new favorite directors. I am now very much looking forward to next week’s delivery of This Is England. It’s been very easy for me to fall for the work of some of these very intriguing British directors, such as Danny Boyle, Jim Sheridan and Guy Ritchie. I give this film five stars and my full recommendation, primarily because this is the type of film that will not only make it very quickly to my collection, but it is one that I will surely be watching time and time again.
]]>Sat, 17 May 2008 19:36:05 GMTleeroy711leeroy711 Blog5/17/2008 3:36:05 PM ***** out of 5 stars Directed By: Shane Meadows Starring: Paddy Considine, Toby Kebbell, and Gary Stretch Language: English Released: 2004 Synopsis: This film is about a soldier, Richard (Considine) who returns home to his small town in the Midlands of England to take revenge on the group of thugs, led by Sonny (Stretch) that, years ago brutalized his mentally challenged brother, Anthony (Kebbell). He starts out with a carefully calculated plot designed to terrorize the group. But soon enough, he ups the ante, picking them off one by one in a fashion that leaves the remaining few begging for mercy. As the story unfolds we learn piece by piece, the events that took place those many years ago that lead to Richard&rsquo;s rage. Review: I can&rsquo;t really say anything bad about this film as a whole; I fully enjoyed it and was very surprised at how well the scenes were put together on a seemingly limited budget. It seemed to pay homage somewhat to Taxi Driver (disillusioned veteran in green jacket goes on killing spree) while still staying true to its own story. The acting was outstanding, especially in the case of Paddy Considine, who co wrote this story with director Shane Meadows. I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;ve seen him in anything since his superb performance in Jim Sheridan&rsquo;s In America but I will be looking for his work in the future. Much like Robert DeNiro in Taxi Driver, Considine pulled off a performance that not only was menacing and haunting, but still loveable and identifiable. Toby Kebbell, who played Richard&rsquo;s mentally challenged brother, also put together a very believable act. And, in case you were wondering; no, Kebbel is not really mentally challenged. These two characters shared the majority of the screen time with a supporting cast of thuggish drug dealers who were who were also portrayed adequately. This film is full of flashbacks which are all done in black and white. In this way, the format was similar to American History X. I didn&rsquo;t find the black and white to be particularly elegant or artsy. I think it was just though of as the best and more distinct way to separate the ongoing story from the background. The camerawork I was more impressed with were in some of the more intense scenes leading up to the killings. I&rsquo;ve read a few reviews of this film that painted to be a bit more &ldquo;stylish&rdquo; than I think it was but none the less, the cinematography was quite sufficient to help create some very thrilling scenes. Possibly, the most fundamentally important aspect of this film was the character development of Richard. This was what created the bond between the story&rsquo;s main character and the empathy of the audience. This was done wonderfully. There is no question, from this film&rsquo;s opening narrative of: &ldquo;God will forgive them. He'll forgive them and allow them into Heaven&hellip;&hellip;&hellip;.. I can't live with that.&rdquo; to its dramatic finish, that Richard&rsquo;s anger is completely justified. You will most definitely find yourself cheering for the monster throughout. This was the first Shane Meadows film I&rsquo;ve seen. His filmography on Spout reveals that this is his &ldquo;Most disliked movie&rdquo;, averaging only three stars. If this is an accurate depiction of what I should expect from the rest of his films, he will surely and quickly fall into becoming one of my new favorite directors. I am now very much looking forward to next week&rsquo;s delivery of This Is England. It&rsquo;s been very easy for me to fall for the work of some of these very intriguing British directors, such as Danny Boyle, Jim Sheridan and Guy Ritchie. I give this film five stars and my full recommendation, primarily because this is the type of film that will not only make it very quickly to my collection, but it is one that I will surely be watching time and time again. http://www.spout.com/groups/Top_5/Re_Top_5_black_and_white_movies_made_after_1970/190/27783/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: mercurial
Post To: Top 5
Post Date: 4/25/2008 1:11:46 AM
Body: Entirely in B&W: 1.) Angel-A 2.) Ed Wood 3.) Clerks 4.) Man Bites Dog 5.) Swoon Runner-Ups: Paper Moon, Pi Partially B&W: 1.) American History X 2.) Sin City 3.) Zentropa, or Europa (depending on your country) 4.) Pleasantville 5.) Memento Runner-Up: Renaissance, The Blair Witch Project
]]>Fri, 25 Apr 2008 05:11:46 GMTmercurialTop 54/25/2008 1:11:46 AMEntirely in B&amp;W: 1.) Angel-A 2.) Ed Wood 3.) Clerks 4.) Man Bites Dog 5.) Swoon Runner-Ups: Paper Moon, Pi Partially B&amp;W: 1.) American History X 2.) Sin City 3.) Zentropa, or Europa (depending on your country) 4.) Pleasantville 5.) Memento Runner-Up: Renaissance, The Blair Witch Project http://www.spout.com/blogs/nevermoresraven/archive/2008/4/19/27527.aspx Post By: NevermoresRaven
Post To: NevermoresRaven Blog
Post Date: 4/19/2008 11:28:56 PM
Body: "American History X" is a movie about racism, and anyone who knows me(or read my review of Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing") knows how I feel about movies that try to seem intellectual and edgy by covering racism. This movie, however, covers it in the sense of a family trying to stop it, and to top everything on it's a white family.So how do you take a movie about an older brother who goes to jail as a Neo-Nazi jerk who kills two people in his fornt yard(and commits other crimes as seen in flashbacks) and make it touching and profound? Add in a little brother who's following in his footsteps.The plot may come across as a little thin(yeah, we get it, people are racist), but this doesn't bother me so much with this film because it shows the other side of things, it shows the reasoning that these people have for being the way they are(and promptly shows how twisted and vile it is). But it also focuses less on a "White people are all racist pigs" aspect and more on a "Ideals can be easy to corrupt" view. By showing the leader of the Neo-Nazi group as a man who uses the kids to his own sick agenda, you get an idea of the fact that these kids aren't really bad.....just misguided fools following the words of a psychopath. The cinimatography in the film lends to a simple, yet compelling, idea. Using both color and black and white shots(color for current, black and white for the past) adds a new aspect. In a film about racism and the devides of skin color and ideas, the black and white shows how everything is really shaded in gray. It's a neat touch, and I like it.The only things I dislike about this movie are the somewhat thin plot, the idea that Derek has become some informant for the cops and not explaining it, and the ending.So unless you're a member of the KKK, or a Neo-Nazi, or just some closed minded dolt then you should see, and enjoy, this film. It gives a new look at racism, but keeps the pont there in the end.
]]>Sun, 20 Apr 2008 03:28:56 GMTNevermoresRavenNevermoresRaven Blog4/19/2008 11:28:56 PM&quot;American History X&quot; is a movie about racism, and anyone who knows me(or read my review of Spike Lee&#39;s &quot;Do the Right Thing&quot;) knows how I feel about movies that try to seem intellectual and edgy by covering racism. This movie, however, covers it in the sense of a family trying to stop it, and to top everything on it&#39;s a white family.So how do you take a movie about an older brother who goes to jail as a Neo-Nazi jerk who kills two people in his fornt yard(and commits other crimes as seen in flashbacks) and make it touching and profound? Add in a little brother who&#39;s following in his footsteps.The plot may come across as a little thin(yeah, we get it, people are racist), but this doesn&#39;t bother me so much with this film because it shows the other side of things, it shows the reasoning that these people have for being the way they are(and promptly shows how twisted and vile it is). But it also focuses less on a &quot;White people are all racist pigs&quot; aspect and more on a &quot;Ideals can be easy to corrupt&quot; view. By showing the leader of the Neo-Nazi group as a man who uses the kids to his own sick agenda, you get an idea of the fact that these kids aren&#39;t really bad.....just misguided fools following the words of a psychopath. The cinimatography in the film lends to a simple, yet compelling, idea. Using both color and black and white shots(color for current, black and white for the past) adds a new aspect. In a film about racism and the devides of skin color and ideas, the black and white shows how everything is really shaded in gray. It&#39;s a neat touch, and I like it.The only things I dislike about this movie are the somewhat thin plot, the idea that Derek has become some informant for the cops and not explaining it, and the ending.So unless you&#39;re a member of the KKK, or a Neo-Nazi, or just some closed minded dolt then you should see, and enjoy, this film. It gives a new look at racism, but keeps the pont there in the end. http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Loved-It/MemberTagFilms.aspxLoved-It
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