Heathers's Recent Activity - Spout

Film:Heathers

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:46:09 GMT

Title: Heathers
Year: 1988
Director: Michael Lehmann
Plot: A deliciously nasty black comedy, Heathers is set at a cliquish high school in Ohio. The most exclusive of those cliques is the Heathers, comprised of the prettiest and most popular girls in town. The group's leader is the manipulative Kim Walker, who orchestrates the humiliation of anyone who fails to meet her standards. Eventually, Heathers member Winona Ryder begins to exhibit a conscience; together with her hardcase boyfriend Christian Slater, Ryder plots to avenge all the unfortunate victims of the group. Before long, Heather (Kim Walker) ends up dead along with Kurt and Ram, with poignant suicide notes posted near their bodies. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 44
Number of Lists: 55
Number of blog posts: 8
Number of discussion threads: 7
SpoutRating: 3

Spout Post: Heathers: The Dead Gay Musical. Today in Film Bloggery 03/12/09

Thu, 12 Mar 2009 22:01:16 GMT

Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 3/12/2009 6:01:16 PM
Body: I guess if there’s room on Broadway for John Waters, there’s room on the stage for a movie that popularized the phrase “fuck me gently with a chainsaw.” That’s right, everyone’s favorite homicidal teen comedy, Heathers, is about to be musicalized, so get ready for a choreographed number set to “Teenage Suicide (Don’t Do It),” as well as new tunes potentially titled “It Will Be Very,” “Plain or BBQ,” and, obviously, “I Love My Dead Gay Son” (director Andy Fickman has already said that last oft-quoted line has inspired some lyrics). Of course, there seems to be new announcements of movies-turning-musicals every day. Why is this one more worthy of a Bloggery roundup than others? Because not only is Heathers one of my favorite films of all time, it’s also possibly the most sacred film ever for my buddy Monika Bartyzel (of Cinematical), who I just knew would wake up and immediately Tweet something like this: “I want to burn down Broadway and break the knees of every musical-adapting jerk out there.” For more on her response and other bloggers’ reactions, keep reading after the jump. “I thought I was pretty mad when I heard that Footloose was becoming a new musical film,” writes Monika in her expected post (partly titled “Screw You, Broadway!”) at Cinematical. “Oh no, that was nothing. Child’s play, or rather, anger. It doesn’t come close to the rage I feel now, which has made its way into my veins and numbed me to my fingers and toes. Agreeing with her is the blog Seriously? OMG! WTF?, which hopes the musical is not successful, or at least ends up seeming to be a flop: “Veronica and JD need to put a stop to this in their own special way!” Best Week Ever’s Michelle Collins has the opposite outlook (I think): “Uch, corn nuts and musical theater? It’s like I’ve fake killed myself and gone to heaven..” Michaela Drapes at Idolator is also (or legitimately) excited, despite having cringed at Hugh Jackman’s statements at the Oscars: “If the ‘return’ of the musical means that the Heathers musical will wash the nasty taste of too many installments of High School Musical from my mouth with some vicious blue liquid drainer, so be it. A similar response from Michael K at dlisted: “Normally when it’s announced that a movie is turning into a gay ass musical spectacular, I get the dry heaves in my asshole, but this shit right here has made my life.” Also optimistic is Leah Greenblatt at Pop Watch: “[Heathers] is actually kind of amazingly ripe for the stage, don’t you think?” “This could be cause for celebration or devastation,” reasons Rod at The Playlist, “depending on how the songbook turns out.” Whitney Matheson at Pop Candy simply calls the news “interesting.” “Obviously, if the musical’s a hit, the next step is to make a movie remake of that remake, which would obviously feature cameos from the original cast,” presumes Colin Boyd at get the Big Picture. And on that subject, Vulture’s Amos Barshad reaches our hearts via a 30 Rock reference: The project has been moving along incognito, with readings featuring Kristen Bell in the lead role having taken place this week. The plan is to go from a regional run to Broadway in 2010 and eventually to a big-screen adaptation. Bell will then be eligible for the coveted Best Actress in a Movie Based on a Musical Based on a Movie award. “The final cast will likely be different,” guesses Gothamist’s John Del Signore, “and while it’s unlikely Winona Ryder and Christian Slater will reprise their iconic roles, one never knows—things are a tad slow for those two these days.” Originally posted on:SpoutBlog

Spout Post: 10 Best Films About Academia

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:01:21 GMT

Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 1/29/2009 11:01:21 AM
Body: There is a good reason Hollywood continually makes Animal House wannabes and avoids producing films that actually focus on academia. Kids prefer their college movies to be about the fun stuff. And so a movie like Old School grossed $75 million while another Luke Wilson comedy called Tenure currently lacks a distributor. The latter film may also be hilarious, as a satire of the tenure process, but if it doesn’t concentrate more on beer bongs and naked co-eds, it won’t attract as big an audience. And according to some scholars, it may not even resonate with them, because it couldn’t possibly be what the process is really like. Film blogger and associate professor Chuck Tryon was quoted about the film last year as saying, “my ongoing pursuit of tenure typically involves me sitting in front of my laptop until 1 a.m., I don’t know how interesting that would be to watch.” And evident by the scathing reviews from Sundance of John Krasinski’s Brief Interviews With Hideous Men, it appears another film about academia has failed to make a strong case for the subject matter. Too bad for the late David Foster Wallace, whose stories were adapted for the film, that Gus Van Sant wasn’t at the helm. A decade ago, in an interview with Van Sant, Wallace pretty much gushed that Good Will Hunting is the most accurate film about academia ever made. Do we agree with him? Let’s just say there’s not a whole lot of competition for such an honor. But in our attempt to recognize the ten best films about academia, Good Will Hunting doesn’t quite make the top spot. 9. (tie) Elegy (2005) and The Human Stain (2003) Neither of these films is especially great, but it would be criminal for us not to recognize the work of Philip Roth, an author who depicts the academic world perfectly in his novels, particularly The Dying Animal (which is the basis for Elegy) and The Human Stain. The adaptations of these two books fail to capture much of what’s on the page, but each film has its own merit. Elegy, which primarily deals with an affair between a professor (Ben Kingsley) and a student (Penelope Cruz), is worth seeing for the more interesting relationship between that professor and his Pulitzer Prize-winning friend (Dennis Hopper). Rarely is fraternity between two members of the academic intelligentsia portrayed so enjoyably. As for The Human Stain, which also involves a professor (Anthony Hopkins) and his affair with a younger woman (Nicole Kidman), the film deals primarily with the issue of political correctness within academia. The topic is addressed nowhere near as well as it is in Roth’s novel, but it is at least a starting point for discussion, and it’s also worth seeing for an example in how not to cast a movie. 8. Soul Man (1986) If we are to include The Human Stain, it’s just as well we acknowledge this earlier comedy, which also involves ironic situations regarding race and academia. Hardly a brilliant movie, Soul Man is at least as humorous in its examination of racism as the Harold and Kumar movies. Yet it is far less esteemed. And the whole black face thing can no longer be looked down upon now that Robert Downey Jr. has that Oscar nomination for Tropic Thunder. The movie is a worthy lampoon of the politics of affirmative action and their affect on college admissions (as well as an obvious and general look at racism within the student population), but it’s especially entertaining for James Earl Jones as a professor who refuses to favor the masquerading protagonist (C. Thomas Howell) just because he’s black. 7. Back to School (1986) While Soul Man deals with the benefit of being a minority when it comes to getting into college, this film from the same year deals with the benefit of being rich. The idea that anyone with enough money can get into the school of his or her choice is depicted comically in a two-scene setup. In the first scene, a university dean (Ned Beatty) asks millionaire entrepreneur Thornton Mellon (Rodney Dangerfield) how he could possibly admit him as a student when he has no high school degree, no transcripts and no SAT scores. The movie then cuts to the punch-line scene, in which the dean and Mellon are celebrating the groundbreaking of a new business school for the university, named after Mellon, of course. Another favorite jab at academia is with the famous cameo by Kurt Vonnegut Jr., who is hired by Mellon to write a paper about his own work. The paper earns a failing grade. 6. Wet Hot American Summer (2001) You’re probably wondering how a comedy set at a summer camp could possibly be about academia. Well, it’s not specifically about academia, but it does feature a subplot involving a science professor (David Hyde Pierce) that does poke fun of the concept of tenure. This was pointed out by Elaine Showalter, an English professor at Princeton and author of the book Faculty Towers: The Academic Novel and Its Discontents, so you have to accept that it fits the list. Sure, she’s the mother of WHAS star and screenwriter Michael Showalter, but that shouldn’t take away from her observation. 5. The Paper Chase (1973) This film features a plot that could very well lend itself to the other kind of college film, but it focuses its attention on the classroom and the relationship between student and professor rather than the dorm room and social affairs. Of course, the student protagonist (Timothy Bottoms) is getting some action, but it is with the daughter (Lindsay Wagner) of the professorial antagonist (John Houseman, who won an Oscar for the performance), and so even the sex stuff is part of the politics of academia. The best scene is at the end, when Bottoms’ character gives the finger to higher education by not even bothering to look at his final grades. If only the audience was also left unaware of his marks, as the original novel leaves that revelation out. 4. Good Will Hunting (1997) David Foster Wallace may have considered this film to be the best film about academia when he discussed it with Gus Van Sant in 1998, but since that time there have been two more poignant films to deal with the subject. Plus, it never was the best film on academia to begin with. So, as much as he’s right to celebrate the film and in particular the portrayal of Stellan Skarsgard’s character and the issue of professors wanting their students to be brilliant, but not too brilliant, there are three more titles to go. 3. Wonder Boys (2000) Based on Michael Chabon’s novel of the same name, Curstin Hanson’s film cinematically captures the atmosphere of academia as well as Philip Roth does on the page (perhaps Hanson should adapt Roth?). However, one issue with this atmosphere may be that the relationships and characters, though written and portrayed wonderfully, are rather common for such a story. Also, why not change things a bit and have the main character be a film teacher rather than a creative writing teacher, which an overused profession in these kinds of movies. The switch would be more appropriate for the medium, too. Aside from these minor criticisms, though, we can barely take a red pen to this film. It’s terrific. 2. The Rules of Attraction (2002) Probably the most cynical look at higher education ever filmed, Roger Avary’s highly underrated adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis’ novel shows us just enough of the classroom and professors (i.e. canceled classes and a single professor who accepts sexual bribes) to let us understand that the joke is in how little of that side of academia is actually necessary to a film like this. In that way it kind of does for college what Heathers does for high school. Neither film is a teen sex comedy in the fashion of most high school and college movies. And neither is a satire of education institutions in the way most of the other films on this list are. Rather, they’re mockeries of the whole education system, but only in that they each consider their respective system to be already a mockery of itself. 1. Horse Feathers (1932) Nobody mocks and satirizes better than the Marx Brothers, and in this film they bring their anarchic shenanigans and brilliant puns to the world of academia. At its core is the basic college sports story, but it’s also one of the first films (if not the first film) to deal with the concept of buying students/players. In addition to lampooning that practice, Horse Feathers makes fun of intellectual gatherings and talk, the influence of trustees and nearly every other aspect of scholarship and higher education you can think of, all in the opening scene. After more than 75 years, it’s still the funniest college movie and the greatest film about academia there is. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog

Spout Post: 10 Worst Sundance Sensations?

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 19:34:28 GMT

Post By: SkyPilot
Post To: Sundance
Post Date: 1/15/2009 2:34:28 PM
Body: Reading Chris Campbell's 10 Worst Sundance Sensations is sort of like listening to someone bash your old friends. My affection for some of these films makes it hard to say whether I agree with any of his picks, which include Napoleon Dynamite, Garden State, and Brick. I can't argue with someone who says Napoleon Dynamite isn't funny, but I will argue with Chris when he says "Napoleon Dynamite is not comedy. It is merely quirky, which is not the same thing as funny." I don't mean to sound like a philosophy undergrad, but you asked for it, Chris: what is "funny"? He made me smile when he called Garden State a "homecoming of age" movie that spawned a hundred like it. Get this, though: "Any idiot can write a script of this type and fill it with quirky scenery and an obnoxious yet adorable love interest." Obviously Chris knows a lot of talented idiots. I appreciated his writing about Brick, especially the part where he says "Who wouldn't rather watch a double feature of The Big Sleep and Heathers?" Then I thought, 'I liked Brick. I thought it was gritty and exciting. How is Chris changing my mind when he's not even explaining why the movie is bad?' But maybe Chris's oldest selections are a good indicator of his judgment? I haven't seen Boxing Helena (1993) or The Brothers McMullen (1995), and I didn't even know Ed Burns was a writer/director! One of my coworkers just told me Burns was a really 'in vogue' filmmaker for a while. What do you guys think, are Jared Hess (Napoleon Dynamite, Nacho Libre), Rian Johnson (Brick, The Brothers Bloom), and Zack Braff along the same lines? In another ten years, will people be saying, "I didn't know Zack Braff was a writer/director!"

Spout Post: 10 Worst Sundance Sensations

Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:01:36 GMT

Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 1/13/2009 5:01:36 PM
Body: Getting ready for the Sundance Film Festival can be very exciting. As we await the event’s Thursday opening, we can’t stop wondering what will be the next big thing. Will this year’s hit be the highly-anticipated Michael Cera project Paper Hearts, or will it be something that we as of yet know nothing about? It’s easy to forget, however, that oftentimes the next big thing is also the next lamest thing. Sundance sensations, those films that are much-buzzed-about, that sell for a lot of money, that go on to be marketed like crazy and ultimately receive Oscar recognition, tend to lend themselves most easily to backlashes. Usually such derision is deserved, as in the case of the following ten films, each of which made a big splash at Sundance despite being bad. 10. Brick (Rian Johnson; 2005 Sundance premiere) When Blade Runner was first released, critics attacked its novelty of combining film noir with science fiction. Yet when Brick arrived in Park City, its similar genre-bending mix of film noir and teen films was welcomed as the most original film in years. In both circumstances, critics were wrong, and while Blade Runner ultimately became a classic, Brick is retrospectively even sillier now than it was when it won a Special Jury Prize “for originality of vision” four years ago. Yes, the film is a fresh idea in theory, but it doesn’t really work on screen, no matter how much you want it to or think it does. It’s simply a novelty gag for film geeks who love noir — while not quite as enjoyable for fans of the teen genre. Is there really anyone who wouldn’t just rather watch a double feature of The Big Sleep and Heathers? 9. Little Miss Sunshine (Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris; 2006 Sundance premiere) Never mind its impact on the culture of Sundance. The annoying “what will be the next Little Miss Sunshine?” idea was just a substitute for similar questions going back as far as 1990 (“what will be the next sex, lies, and videotape?”). The real problem with LMS is that it’s a decent dysfunctional family comedy that falls apart in the third act. On the positive side, it finally got Alan Arkin an Oscar. But on the more glaring negative side, it also got Abigail Breslin an Oscar nomination. Hardly worthy, also, of its Best Picture nod or its Best Original Screenplay win, the film’s success is the product of a terrific marketing team and moviegoers’ acceptance of cheesy endings — and has nothing to do with the quality of the film. 8. The Brothers McMullen (Edward Burns; 1995 Sundance premiere) While the name Fox Searchlight is now synonymous with marketing the hell out of “indie” sensations like Little Miss Sunshine, Juno and Slumdog Millionaire, the specialty division has been overdoing it with unworthy films since the very first Sundance hit they distributed. The Brothers McMullen is not necessarily a bad film, but it isn’t anything special either. Some say the 1995 fest was the downward turning point for Sundance, whether because it showed us a major “sellout” who wasn’t actually as good as he’d been celebrated as being (Kevin Smith, who disappointed with his sophomore effort, Mallrats) or because a lackluster picture like McMullen won the Grand Jury Prize. And like Smith, Edward Burns ultimately revealed himself to be something of an embarrassment, talent-wise, to the reputation of Sundance alums. 7. Garden State (Zach Braff; 2004 Sundance premiere) 2004 was the year that indie quirkiness got out of hand at Sundance (see #3). Sure, Garden State got us all into The Shins, but it also got filmmakers too into a genre I call “homecoming of age” movies, those banal stories about twenty- and thirty- somethings who revisit their homes due to a dying or dead parent and involve themselves with wacky townies in the process. Any idiot can write a script of this type and fill it with quirky scenery and an obnoxious yet adorable love interest. Sundance must still be getting countless submissions of this kind of film, but unfortunately for the rest of the world’s idiot filmmakers, they aren’t TV stars like Zach Braff. 6. SherryBaby (Laurie Collyer; 2006 Sundance premiere) Sundance has long been a haven for depressing films involving junkies and/or incest, but few have been as overrated as SherryBaby. Once again, it’s all about the star power, as the film might not have been so hyped had Maggie Gyllenhaal not been in the lead. Then again, it might have actually been a better film without her. Grandly over-praised for her performance as the easily played rehabilitating mom, the actress got undeserved kudos simply for being raw and despicable. Her Oscar snub was a relief, at least. 5. Born Into Brothels (Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman; 2004 Sundance premiere) It may have won the documentary Audience Award at Sundance and the documentary Oscar a year later, but that doesn’t excuse Born Into Brothels from being a disgrace to nonfiction filmmaking. One of the most self-satisfying docs ever made, the film will forever be marked by its footage of co-director Zana Briski figuratively patting herself on the back during a fundraiser, with which she sinfully seeks sainthood for involving herself in the lives of her film’s subjects. If documentary was synonymous with charity, Born Into Brothels would indeed be a great film, but documentaries like this should merely be an inspiration to charity, not charity itself. 4. Masked and Anonymous (Larry Charles; 2003 Sundance premiere) One of the most anticipated films of the 2003 festival due to a script co-written by Bob Dylan and an unbelievable cast including Dylan, Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Penelope Cruz, Ed Harris, Luke Wilson, Mickey Rourke, Angela Bassett, Jessica Lange and many other big names, the very messy Masked and Anonymous therefore ended up the biggest disappointment of that year. Its worth was later defended and praised by such critics as Jonathan Rosenbaum, who included it in his 2003 Top Ten list, and Salon.com’s Stephanie Zacharek. But most of us are in agreement that it’s one of the biggest wastes of talent in years. 3. Napoleon Dynamite (Jared Hess; 2004 Sundance premiere) Napoleon Dynamite’s inclusion on this list is likely to upset more people than Brick’s, but at least the Brick devotees can defend their fandom with more than just shouts of “It’s funny!” Because the thing is, Napoleon Dynamite is not comedy. It is merely quirky, which is not the same thing as funny. Jared Hess’ pop culture phenomenon does feature some highly original characters and situations, but his execution of these elements is obvious and uninteresting. “Gosh!” is neither a good punchline nor a good catchphrase. 2. The Blair Witch Project (Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez; 1999 Sundance premiere) It must be appreciated as much as attacked for its groundbreaking marketing campaign, and in many ways the film itself can be acknowledged for having a terrific premise with an almost perfect realization of that idea. But for the most part, The Blair Witch Project is a basic, amateur and poorly concluded effort that turned the appeal of indie simplicity on its head. Almost a decade earlier, when filmmakers saw Slacker and said “I can do that,” they were mostly mistaken. But The Blair Witch allowed every schmo with a digital camera to declare, “I can do that,” and be relatively correct in his or her statement. It’s okay for indie filmmaking to seem easy, but when it really is that easy, it degrades the truly talented. 1. Boxing Helena (Jennifer Lynch; 1993 Sundance premiere) Cult appeal notwithstanding, Boxing Helena was one of the first really awful movies to be up for Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize. And although in the 17 years since, the festival has been easily criticized for allowing bad films with lots of buzz and/or big name talent to be included in competition, no film has been as unworthy as this. Had it starred original choice Madonna in the part of the titular amputee, Boxing Helena might have really deserved to at least become a midnight movie. However, with its lesser-name casting, it’s barely even good enough for Skinamax programming. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog

Spout Post: Re:Weekly Theme for October 6: Revenge!

Mon, 06 Oct 2008 23:06:19 GMT

Post By: Tizzy
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 10/6/2008 7:06:19 PM
Body: [quote user="mercurial"] Well since probably my favorite film focusing solely on revenge was mentioned (She-Devil), I'm gonna have to go ahead and list those that pale in comparison. Jaws: The Revenge - The first Jaws is incredible, but not really about revenge. The fourth installment, with revenge blatantly placed in the title, is a great little B-movie that increased my fear of sharks and has made me vow to myself to never get on a floatation device that gets dragged behind a boat: cause you know great white sharks love that shit. I was recently able to see Machine Girl which was insanely gory and loaded with laughs. Premise: a young school girl gets revenge by attaching a Gatling gun to her amputated forearm and killing the bullies that picked on her and her brother. A Nightmare on Elm Street is more or less a revenge flick about Freddy killing the kids of those who killed him. Carrie gave mousy nerds in high school hope of becoming telekinetic and getting revenge on all those snot nosed cheerleaders and jocks. Death Becomes Her is all about revenge between two woman that continues throughout their entire lives. Dick presupposes that Deepthroat was just getting revenge on Nixon. Election is yet another meditation on revenge set in high school. Pick Flick or suffer the wrath of Reese Witherspoon! Friday the 13th. No explanation needed. Gladiator Maximus is all up on getting revenge. Hackers spends half the film getting revenge on those that dare to mess with computer nerds and their porn. Hard Candy was a very twisted revenge thriller. Jawbreaker and Mean Girls focus on big breasted teens plotting each others demise. Overboard has a lowly carpenter getting revenge on a bitchy debutante by surreptitiously making her into his wife and the father of his children when she gets amnesia. Rushmore has fantastic moments of revenge between Max and Mr. Bloom. The "Non-Fiction" part of Storytelling has a great bit of revenge at the end. The First Wives Club is a guilty pleasure about scorned ex-wives getting revenge on their husbands that left them for younger women. The Incredibles centers around Syndrome getting revenge on super-heroes. What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? is some classic screen legend revenge. Lastly, Wild Things. Great B-movie with acts of revenge and lesbian trysts around every corner. [/quote] I see your Jaws: The Revenge, Mercurial, and raise you one Revenge of the Nerds. I'd also like to throw Heathers into the mix of teenage revenge movies, with very dark consequences.

Spout Post: Re:Mercurial Yet Not Entirely Unrefined

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 01:37:35 GMT

Post By: mercurial
Post To: Community Recommendations
Post Date: 10/3/2008 9:37:35 PM
Body: [quote user="Dr_Gor"] I must say, Mercurial, that I like your list of "dark romantic comedies" ... I have seen about half of the movies you listed including Harold and Maude , Arsenic and Old Lace , The House Of Yes and Natural Born Killers . Good ones all and each is rather disturbing in it's own unique way. I would add to this list Heathers and Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands . And, no, I am not a total Wynona Ryder freak but she WAS in a few very good "dark and disturbing romantic comedies" . [/quote] Three great films that I also own and love immensely. I would say that for a good while growing up I was a Winona Ryder fanatic - there's just something about her in those pre-millennia films that's just so . . . yummy. [quote user="Dr_Gor"] Also, unlike you Mercurial, I AM entirely unrefined. I quit school when I was 15 (with my Mom's permission) and began working full time in a warehouse driving a forklift. I have been working ever since and I now work 10 hours a day in a machine shop to earn a living. But I CAN read and write, as you can see, and I did get my GED. I received most of my education from reading and writing (I am an unpublished author with several short stories and about half a novel that I am still working on under my belt) ... I have been called 'caveman' , 'barbarian' and even 'bigfoot' ... These names do not hurt me at all. I am proud of what I am and what I have become. < GOR > [/quote] Well, I'd say that all of that has made you pretty refined. I've more or less done nothing with my life and the only thing worthwhile I've done since college is substitute teach (which made me hate children) and write for a local magazine that doesn't pay. I'm a hermit that only leaves his mundane dwelling to get smashed at my nearby Irish pub. Count me as green with envy of your life.

Spout Post: Re:Mercurial Yet Not Entirely Unrefined

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 22:45:09 GMT

Post By: Dr_Gor
Post To: Community Recommendations
Post Date: 10/3/2008 6:45:09 PM
Body: I must say, Mercurial, that I like your list of "dark romantic comedies" ... I have seen about half of the movies you listed including Harold and Maude , Arsenic and Old Lace , The House Of Yes and Natural Born Killers . Good ones all and each is rather disturbing in it's own unique way. I would add to this list Heathers and Beetlejuice and Edward Scissorhands . And, no, I am not a total Wynona Ryder freak but she WAS in a few very good "dark and disturbing romantic comedies" . Also, unlike you Mercurial, I AM entirely unrefined. I quit school when I was 15 (with my Mom's permission) and began working full time in a warehouse driving a forklift. I have been working ever since and I now work 10 hours a day in a machine shop to earn a living. But I CAN read and write, as you can see, and I did get my GED. I received most of my education from reading and writing (I am an unpublished author with several short stories and about half a novel that I am still working on under my belt) ... I have been called 'caveman' , 'barbarian' and even 'bigfoot' ... These names do not hurt me at all. I am proud of what I am and what I have become. < GOR >

Spout Post: Sex and Death 101 - Review

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 20:31:46 GMT

Post By: mercurial
Post To: a filmblog
Post Date: 7/8/2008 4:31:46 PM
Body: With divine providence arriving neatly as an email in his inbox, Roderick Blank (Simon Baker) soon discovers that the powers that be have clued him into his future sexual proclivities and provided a list with the names of every person he will have sex with for the rest of his life. Scorned by a fetishisticly minded, abusive husband, Death Nell (Winona Ryder) becomes a champion of womanhood and embraces her own sadistic qualities as she leads the crusade / death march against those penis-wielding individuals that dare to scoff at the almighty power of the vagina. Together they amass a body count of victims (his orgasmic, hers comatose; i.e. Sex and Death 101) in this all too overwhelming slapstick, yet bordering romantic, comedy suffused with bits of erotica and horror that ultimately results in an putrid amalgam almost-could-have-been memorable film by that guy that made Heathers.

Spout Post: Re:TOP 5 MOVIES TO TEACH AN ALIEN ABOUT EARTH

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 14:54:19 GMT

Post By: chuggalug88
Post To: Filmgaming
Post Date: 6/23/2008 10:54:19 AM
Body: 1. Dr Strangelove - it shows how loveably stupid and self-destructive we are (lesson 1 - DEATH) 2. The Apartment - it shows how stupidly loveable and self-destructive we all are (lesson 2 -SEX) 3. Fight Club - it shows how we want to be loveable yet self-destructive but also "carved outa wood" (lesson 3 - MEN) 4. Heathers - because this movie contains everything you need to know about humanity (lesson 4 - WOMEN) 5. Starman - well, because it's a movie about an alien trying to understand earth. Sort of like the "Earth for total idoits" guide. (lesson 5 - JEFF BRIDGES)

Spout Post: Re:Suburban Nightmare

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 17:52:44 GMT

Post By: SkyPilot
Post To: Serialicious
Post Date: 4/27/2008 1:52:44 PM
Body: I didn't see the Shia LaBeouf-in-a-suburb remake of Rear Window, it's called disturbia, but I thought that was an interesting twist. No one's going to believe a sixteen-year-old delinquent on house arrest.

Spout Tag:love

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:13:41 GMT

love
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Spout Tag:funny

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:40:23 GMT

funny
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Spout Tag:comedy

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:42:37 GMT

comedy
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Spout Tag:romance

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:50:40 GMT

romance
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Spout Tag:murder

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 02:57:25 GMT

murder
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Spout Tag:friendship

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:50:40 GMT

friendship
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Spout Tag:dark

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 22:40:47 GMT

dark
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Spout Tag:teenagers

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 23:13:43 GMT

teenagers
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Spout Tag:suicide

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:40:50 GMT

suicide
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Number of people who tagged: 80

Number of times used: 185

Spout Tag:comingofage

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 22:51:56 GMT

comingofage
Number of films tagged: 1186

Number of people who tagged: 72

Number of times used: 219

Spout Tag:personal-classic

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 11:21:00 GMT

personal-classic
Number of films tagged: 180

Number of people who tagged: 64

Number of times used: 274

Spout Tag:genius

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:26:43 GMT

genius
Number of films tagged: 227

Number of people who tagged: 56

Number of times used: 96

Spout Tag:school

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 18:49:18 GMT

school
Number of films tagged: 1231

Number of people who tagged: 56

Number of times used: 130

Spout Tag:adolescence

Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:50:43 GMT

adolescence
Number of films tagged: 398

Number of people who tagged: 38

Number of times used: 120

Spout Tag:80s-classic

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 04:37:46 GMT

80s-classic
Number of films tagged: 44

Number of people who tagged: 34

Number of times used: 108