list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Wet Hot American Summer 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/Wet_Hot_American_Summer/184358/default.aspx Title: Wet Hot American Summer
Year: 2001
Director: David Wain
Plot: 1980s teen comedies finally get the parody they so richly deserve with Wet Hot American Summer, the first feature film from writer/director David Wain and co-screenwriter Michael Showalter, formerly of the sketch comedy troupe the State. It's the last day of the summer season at Camp Firewood, and as camp director Beth (Janeane Garofalo) prepares to wrap things up, the staff of teenage counselors realize this is their last chance to do something about the summer romances that have been brewing for the past three months. Sweet but shy Coop (Michael Showalter) is crazy about pretty Katie (Marguerite Moreau), but there's the problem of her severely moody boyfriend Andy (Paul Rudd). Meanwhile, Victor (Ken Marino) is trying to score with sexy Abby (Marisa Ryan), who is known to make friends easily, and McKinley (Michael Ian Black) and Ben (Bradley Cooper) attempt to keep their hot and heavy relationship a secret. Meanwhile, arts and crafts teacher Gail (Molly Shannon) turns to her students for comfort as her marriage falls apart, drama coach Susie (Amy Poehler) tries to whip the talent show into shape with Ben's help, and camp chef Gene (Christopher Meloni) deals with his unique sexual quirks with the help of a talking can of vegetables (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin). Beth even finds time for romance with socially inept astrophysicist Henry (David Hyde Pierce), but first Henry has to save Camp Firewood from a large piece of space junk about to re-enter Earth's atmosphere. Like Wain and Showalter, Ken Marino, Michael Ian Black, and Joe Lo Truglio (who appears in a small role) were also members of the State; fellow State alumnus Kerri Kenney was cast in a supporting role in the film, but her character didn't appear in the final cut. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 27
Number of Lists: 36
Number of blog posts: 12
Number of discussion threads: 3
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:58:43 GMTWet Hot American Summer2001David Wain1980s teen comedies finally get the parody they so richly deserve with Wet Hot American Summer, the first feature film from writer/director <a href="/players/P___292137/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>David Wain</a> and co-screenwriter <a href="/players/P___269365/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Michael Showalter</a>, formerly of the sketch comedy troupe the State. It's the last day of the summer season at Camp Firewood, and as camp director Beth (<a href="/players/P___196031/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Janeane Garofalo</a>) prepares to wrap things up, the staff of teenage counselors realize this is their last chance to do something about the summer romances that have been brewing for the past three months. Sweet but shy Coop (<a href="/players/P___269365/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Michael Showalter</a>) is crazy about pretty Katie (<a href="/players/P____50492/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Marguerite Moreau</a>), but there's the problem of her severely moody boyfriend Andy (Paul Rudd). Meanwhile, Victor (<a href="/players/P___340178/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Ken Marino</a>) is trying to score with sexy Abby (Marisa Ryan), who is known to make friends easily, and McKinley (<a href="/players/P___292124/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Michael Ian Black</a>) and Ben (<a href="/players/P___292123/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Bradley Cooper</a>) attempt to keep their hot and heavy relationship a secret. Meanwhile, arts and crafts teacher Gail (<a href="/players/P____64824/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Molly Shannon</a>) turns to her students for comfort as her marriage falls apart, drama coach Susie (<a href="/players/P___273694/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Amy Poehler</a>) tries to whip the talent show into shape with Ben's help, and camp chef Gene (<a href="/players/P___200468/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Christopher Meloni</a>) deals with his unique sexual quirks with the help of a talking can of vegetables (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin). Beth even finds time for romance with socially inept astrophysicist Henry (<a href="/players/P____56748/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>David Hyde Pierce</a>), but first Henry has to save Camp Firewood from a large piece of space junk about to re-enter Earth's atmosphere. Like Wain and Showalter, <a href="/players/P___340178/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Ken Marino</a>, <a href="/players/P___292124/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Michael Ian Black</a>, and Joe Lo Truglio (who appears in a small role) were also members of the State; fellow State alumnus <a href="/players/P___223274/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Kerri Kenney</a> was cast in a supporting role in the film, but her character didn't appear in the final cut. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide27Tag Target (>10)361233http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t22647ufq4f.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Wet_Hot_American_Summer/184358/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_June_29_Summertime/625/42883/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: leeroy711
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 7/1/2009 1:58:43 AM
Body: [quote user="mercurial"] I feel honored to post this week's theme as it will mark Weekly Theme's One Year Anniversary! Time has sure passed by quickly as it doesn't seem all that long ago that Emery asked me if I wanted to co-moderate this little brainchild of his. Anyways, here's to another year of weekly themes! Currently I'm sitting outside at my local coffeeshop where I come for the tasty caffeinated beverages and free Wi-Fi and am drenched from head to toe thanks to the blistering heat wave that is peaking now at 110 degress. Thusly I felt this week we should talk about all those movies about summer. Not just those movies that take place during the summer months, but the movies that might have been released during the summer or for whatever reason makes us reminisce about all the ups and downs associated with the season. There are those staples of summertime cinema that make everyone (kids and adults alike) think about how exciting the idea of summer was as a kid. The Sandlot, Now and Then, My Girl and White Water Summer all remind me of how much time I spent thinking about summer during the school year and couldn't wait until that last day of school so that I could toss away my school books and spend three months doing absolutely nothing. Getting a little older, Dazed and Confused became a start of summer ritual viewing for me as it perfectly captures those feelings of anticipation and all the possibilities that the summer months can hold. Some other films have tried to capture those same feelings with mediocre results. The Wackness was an interesting coming of age during the summer flick about a lackluster teenage drug dealer coping with the heat in New York after graduating high school. Adventureland had its moments with its colorful cast of outcasts running amuck at a summer amusement park as did Wet Hot American Summer but transplanted to a summer camp. My guilty pleasure summer flick is definitely Psycho Beach Party. Set in a 1950's Beach Blanket Bingo-like setting, this campy horror comedy gets me laughing every time (and a completely nude Amy Adams doesn't hurt either). But ultimately there are two movies that getting me thinking summer without a doubt. The first being one of the first summer blockbusters I saw and the other being because it takes place during summer. I vividly recall lining up to buy tickets for Jurassic Park and how amazed I was at how many people there were and how packed the theater was. Packed in a small hot theater, I was mesmerized by the movie and it still to this day makes me think of how great a summer movie can be. The other film is of course Jaws. I've gone into great detail in other discussions about how this film has pretty much ruined any summer trips to the beach for me (or any body of water for that matter) and I will forever love it for doing that. Any movie that can make a grown man go into hysterics when his friends joke around and push him over the side of a boat into a small lake during an afternoon of drinking deserves some major points. So break out the sun block and lets get talking! [/quote] Hooray for US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!... I've never really thought of this group as a brainchild but whatever works..............maybe like an adopted brainchild that Chris & I decided to raise together in spite of constant adversity and redicule from our friends and family. We named that child Weekly Theme and raised him with all the love his "traditional family structure" never gave him. I'll never forget the day Daddy Chris took off Weekly's training wheels and ran along side of him as Daddy Emery cheerfully snapped photo after photo until he crashed into Mr. Woodril's hedges and skinned his knee. That child grew and grew, everyday becoming more and more of his own man............................. And that child's name was C. Thomas Howell....... And NOOOW you know...... the RESSST of the story... Anyway..... Summer movies are great. Evertime I hear that phrase I recall the time my family and I were standing outside in line for Jurassic Park and a 15 year old girl passed out in front of us from the heat.. I think it was about 117 that day but the lines were packed. I would also mention a couple films that come to mind that I think are great examples of portrayels of the summer heat. Burtolucci's La Commare Secca takes place durring a particularly sweaty Italian summer.... Also, Chinatown is one of my alltime favorite films and it does a great job of showing a hot summer in LA.
]]>Wed, 01 Jul 2009 05:58:43 GMTleeroy711Weekly Theme7/1/2009 1:58:43 AM[quote user="mercurial"] I feel honored to post this week's theme as it will mark Weekly Theme's One Year Anniversary! Time has sure passed by quickly as it doesn't seem all that long ago that Emery asked me if I wanted to co-moderate this little brainchild of his. Anyways, here's to another year of weekly themes! Currently I'm sitting outside at my local coffeeshop where I come for the tasty caffeinated beverages and free Wi-Fi and am drenched from head to toe thanks to the blistering heat wave that is peaking now at 110 degress. Thusly I felt this week we should talk about all those movies about summer. Not just those movies that take place during the summer months, but the movies that might have been released during the summer or for whatever reason makes us reminisce about all the ups and downs associated with the season. There are those staples of summertime cinema that make everyone (kids and adults alike) think about how exciting the idea of summer was as a kid. The Sandlot, Now and Then, My Girl and White Water Summer all remind me of how much time I spent thinking about summer during the school year and couldn't wait until that last day of school so that I could toss away my school books and spend three months doing absolutely nothing. Getting a little older, Dazed and Confused became a start of summer ritual viewing for me as it perfectly captures those feelings of anticipation and all the possibilities that the summer months can hold. Some other films have tried to capture those same feelings with mediocre results. The Wackness was an interesting coming of age during the summer flick about a lackluster teenage drug dealer coping with the heat in New York after graduating high school. Adventureland had its moments with its colorful cast of outcasts running amuck at a summer amusement park as did Wet Hot American Summer but transplanted to a summer camp. My guilty pleasure summer flick is definitely Psycho Beach Party. Set in a 1950's Beach Blanket Bingo-like setting, this campy horror comedy gets me laughing every time (and a completely nude Amy Adams doesn't hurt either). But ultimately there are two movies that getting me thinking summer without a doubt. The first being one of the first summer blockbusters I saw and the other being because it takes place during summer. I vividly recall lining up to buy tickets for Jurassic Park and how amazed I was at how many people there were and how packed the theater was. Packed in a small hot theater, I was mesmerized by the movie and it still to this day makes me think of how great a summer movie can be. The other film is of course Jaws. I've gone into great detail in other discussions about how this film has pretty much ruined any summer trips to the beach for me (or any body of water for that matter) and I will forever love it for doing that. Any movie that can make a grown man go into hysterics when his friends joke around and push him over the side of a boat into a small lake during an afternoon of drinking deserves some major points. So break out the sun block and lets get talking! [/quote] Hooray for US!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!... I've never really thought of this group as a brainchild but whatever works..............maybe like an adopted brainchild that Chris &amp; I decided to raise together in spite of constant adversity and redicule from our friends and family. We named that child Weekly Theme and raised him with all the love his "traditional family structure" never gave him. I'll never forget the day Daddy Chris took off Weekly's training wheels and ran along side of him as Daddy Emery cheerfully snapped photo after photo until he crashed into Mr. Woodril's hedges and skinned his knee. That child grew and grew, everyday becoming more and more of his own man............................. And that child's name was C. Thomas Howell....... And NOOOW you know...... the RESSST of the story... Anyway..... Summer movies are great. Evertime I hear that phrase I recall the time my family and I were standing outside in line for Jurassic Park and a 15 year old girl passed out in front of us from the heat.. I think it was about 117 that day but the lines were packed. I would also mention a couple films that come to mind that I think are great examples of portrayels of the summer heat. Burtolucci's La Commare Secca takes place durring a particularly sweaty Italian summer.... Also, Chinatown is one of my alltime favorite films and it does a great job of showing a hot summer in LA. http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_June_29_Summertime/625/42880/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 6/30/2009 6:39:43 PM
Body: [quote user="mercurial"] The Wackness was an interesting coming of age during the summer flick about a lackluster teenage drug dealer coping with the heat in New York after graduating high school.[/quote] I've never heard of this one, but when I think of a movie that conveys extreme New York summer heat the best, I think of Do the Right Thing. You can feel the heat. Now if you want to feel the heat both literally and figuratively of being stuck inside and and just wanting to get out, check out 12 Angry Men.
]]>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:39:43 GMTRisseladaWeekly Theme6/30/2009 6:39:43 PM[quote user="mercurial"] The Wackness was an interesting coming of age during the summer flick about a lackluster teenage drug dealer coping with the heat in New York after graduating high school.[/quote] I've never heard of this one, but when I think of a movie that conveys extreme New York summer heat the best, I think of Do the Right Thing. You can feel the heat. Now if you want to feel the heat both literally and figuratively of being stuck inside and and just wanting to get out, check out 12 Angry Men. http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Weekly_Theme_for_June_29_Summertime/625/42867/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: mercurial
Post To: Weekly Theme
Post Date: 6/29/2009 9:38:41 PM
Body: I feel honored to post this week's theme as it will mark Weekly Theme's One Year Anniversary! Time has sure passed by quickly as it doesn't seem all that long ago that Emery asked me if I wanted to co-moderate this little brainchild of his. Anyways, here's to another year of weekly themes! Currently I'm sitting outside at my local coffeeshop where I come for the tasty caffeinated beverages and free Wi-Fi and am drenched from head to toe thanks to the blistering heat wave that is peaking now at 110 degress. Thusly I felt this week we should talk about all those movies about summer. Not just those movies that take place during the summer months, but the movies that might have been released during the summer or for whatever reason makes us reminisce about all the ups and downs associated with the season. There are those staples of summertime cinema that make everyone (kids and adults alike) think about how exciting the idea of summer was as a kid. The Sandlot, Now and Then, My Girl and White Water Summer all remind me of how much time I spent thinking about summer during the school year and couldn't wait until that last day of school so that I could toss away my school books and spend three months doing absolutely nothing. Getting a little older, Dazed and Confused became a start of summer ritual viewing for me as it perfectly captures those feelings of anticipation and all the possibilities that the summer months can hold. Some other films have tried to capture those same feelings with mediocre results. The Wackness was an interesting coming of age during the summer flick about a lackluster teenage drug dealer coping with the heat in New York after graduating high school. Adventureland had its moments with its colorful cast of outcasts running amuck at a summer amusement park as did Wet Hot American Summer but transplanted to a summer camp. My guilty pleasure summer flick is definitely Psycho Beach Party. Set in a 1950's Beach Blanket Bingo-like setting, this campy horror comedy gets me laughing every time (and a completely nude Amy Adams doesn't hurt either). But ultimately there are two movies that getting me thinking summer without a doubt. The first being one of the first summer blockbusters I saw and the other being because it takes place during summer. I vividly recall lining up to buy tickets for Jurassic Park and how amazed I was at how many people there were and how packed the theater was. Packed in a small hot theater, I was mesmerized by the movie and it still to this day makes me think of how great a summer movie can be. The other film is of course Jaws. I've gone into great detail in other discussions about how this film has pretty much ruined any summer trips to the beach for me (or any body of water for that matter) and I will forever love it for doing that. Any movie that can make a grown man go into hysterics when his friends joke around and push him over the side of a boat into a small lake during an afternoon of drinking deserves some major points. So break out the sun block and lets get talking!
]]>Tue, 30 Jun 2009 01:38:41 GMTmercurialWeekly Theme6/29/2009 9:38:41 PMI feel honored to post this week's theme as it will mark Weekly Theme's One Year Anniversary! Time has sure passed by quickly as it doesn't seem all that long ago that Emery asked me if I wanted to co-moderate this little brainchild of his. Anyways, here's to another year of weekly themes! Currently I'm sitting outside at my local coffeeshop where I come for the tasty caffeinated beverages and free Wi-Fi and am drenched from head to toe thanks to the blistering heat wave that is peaking now at 110 degress. Thusly I felt this week we should talk about all those movies about summer. Not just those movies that take place during the summer months, but the movies that might have been released during the summer or for whatever reason makes us reminisce about all the ups and downs associated with the season. There are those staples of summertime cinema that make everyone (kids and adults alike) think about how exciting the idea of summer was as a kid. The Sandlot, Now and Then, My Girl and White Water Summer all remind me of how much time I spent thinking about summer during the school year and couldn't wait until that last day of school so that I could toss away my school books and spend three months doing absolutely nothing. Getting a little older, Dazed and Confused became a start of summer ritual viewing for me as it perfectly captures those feelings of anticipation and all the possibilities that the summer months can hold. Some other films have tried to capture those same feelings with mediocre results. The Wackness was an interesting coming of age during the summer flick about a lackluster teenage drug dealer coping with the heat in New York after graduating high school. Adventureland had its moments with its colorful cast of outcasts running amuck at a summer amusement park as did Wet Hot American Summer but transplanted to a summer camp. My guilty pleasure summer flick is definitely Psycho Beach Party. Set in a 1950's Beach Blanket Bingo-like setting, this campy horror comedy gets me laughing every time (and a completely nude Amy Adams doesn't hurt either). But ultimately there are two movies that getting me thinking summer without a doubt. The first being one of the first summer blockbusters I saw and the other being because it takes place during summer. I vividly recall lining up to buy tickets for Jurassic Park and how amazed I was at how many people there were and how packed the theater was. Packed in a small hot theater, I was mesmerized by the movie and it still to this day makes me think of how great a summer movie can be. The other film is of course Jaws. I've gone into great detail in other discussions about how this film has pretty much ruined any summer trips to the beach for me (or any body of water for that matter) and I will forever love it for doing that. Any movie that can make a grown man go into hysterics when his friends joke around and push him over the side of a boat into a small lake during an afternoon of drinking deserves some major points. So break out the sun block and lets get talking! http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/1/29/40057.aspx 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
]]>Thu, 29 Jan 2009 16:01:21 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com1/29/2009 11:01:21 AMThere 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 http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/11/5/37003.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 11/5/2008 5:00:44 PM
Body: When it was announced that David Wain would be directing Role Models — taking over from The Girl Next Door’s Luke Greenfield — there was room for disappointment. After all, for Wain to follow up his anarchic cult favorites Wet Hot American Summer and The Ten with a seemingly mainstream man-child comedy — one more suited to the talents of Todd Phillips or, well, Greenfield — was to crush his fans’ hopes for something more along the lines of his wacky web series, such as Wainy Days and Stella, or the old MTV sketch comedy show, The State. But Role Models does look funny, probably because Wain ended up rewriting (with Paul Rudd and Ken Marino) Timothy Dowling’s original script. And it’s not as if Wain has suddenly gone and sold out with a bunch of really broad family films, as did his former State mates Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant, the screenwriting duo behind The Pacifier, Night at the Museum and Taxi. Still, many of us are holding out for that rumored State movie, or even better, a big screen adaptation of any of the following State sketches: Louie (aka the “I wanna dip my balls in it” guy) The ensemble behind The State was never interested in recurring characters, but MTV supposedly pressured the show to be more like SNL, and so the ironic “Louie” was born. As little more than a joke on recurring characters and their catch-phrases, “Louie” may not seem the best character to mine for a feature-length movie. But considering Wain and the others were likely just as against sketches spinning off into movies as they were against recurring characters, it would be suitable for such a film, something to lampoon the Lorne Michaels tradition, if that’s at all possible. And I can already see the ad campaigns: posters with just a release date and the words “Dip Your Balls In It.” Lincoln Logs: The Unauthorized Biography of Honest Abe After the release of Oliver Stone’s W., something like this deserves to be made into a movie. Maybe Stone could even direct it from a script by some of the State writers. It could complete his evil Republican president trilogy. And if they act quick enough, it would be awesome if the movie could go up against Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln. The Bearded Men of Space Station 11 This skit really stretches a single joke really thin (like many State sketches), but the simple premise — a space station crew is illogically incarcerated for growing beards in space — could be a mere jumping ground for an hilarious sci-fi comedy. Sure, the genre has hardly been successful outside of Spaceballs and Galaxy Quest, but if anyone can give us another great parodic outer space movie, it’s Wain and friends. Think of Hitchcock’s wrong man scenario, multiply it times five, and throw in a lot of silly shenanigans. Porcupine Racetrack This simple cross between Guys and Dolls, Cats and the “Ascot Gavotte” scene from My Fair Lady is so, so stupid, yet so, so brilliant. And a feature-length version would be as surprisingly beloved as the skit was, especially if there’s some way of also slipping in some reference to the “Gang Fight” skit (that was the “Beat It” video meets West Side Story segment involving an Amish street gang), the “Super Robby” skit (turns out the orphanage that needs saving is cruelly convincing kids they can fly out windows) and the “Mind Match” skit (the orphans are ultimately given away as prizes on a game show). If anything, a silly song penned by Teddy Shapiro would have to receive an Oscar nomination, thereby elevating the Hollywood cred of the State ensemble enough for potentially more ridiculous films. The Inbred Brothers I’ve come to realize that most of these movie ideas come from skits likely conceived by Lennon and Garant. This only furthers the point that the pair NEEDS to work on something State-related before putting on the blindfold and writing Night at the Museum 3. And there’s really no better project than a movie based on their Inbred Brothers characters, Emmett and Lyle. Think of Step Brothers with an even dumber duo. How could this not be a success? The merchandising alone is worthy: t-shirts that say “Whaddamydoin?”; talking dolls that also hit themselves in the head with sticks; Halloween costumes (I actually was a non-specific “Inbred Brother” for Halloween back in the ’90s). To make the dream complete, though, Michael Ian Black has to appear as the French exchange student. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Wed, 05 Nov 2008 22:00:44 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com11/5/2008 5:00:44 PMWhen it was announced that David Wain would be directing Role Models — taking over from The Girl Next Door’s Luke Greenfield — there was room for disappointment. After all, for Wain to follow up his anarchic cult favorites Wet Hot American Summer and The Ten with a seemingly mainstream man-child comedy — one more suited to the talents of Todd Phillips or, well, Greenfield — was to crush his fans’ hopes for something more along the lines of his wacky web series, such as Wainy Days and Stella, or the old MTV sketch comedy show, The State. But Role Models does look funny, probably because Wain ended up rewriting (with Paul Rudd and Ken Marino) Timothy Dowling’s original script. And it’s not as if Wain has suddenly gone and sold out with a bunch of really broad family films, as did his former State mates Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant, the screenwriting duo behind The Pacifier, Night at the Museum and Taxi. Still, many of us are holding out for that rumored State movie, or even better, a big screen adaptation of any of the following State sketches: Louie (aka the “I wanna dip my balls in it” guy) The ensemble behind The State was never interested in recurring characters, but MTV supposedly pressured the show to be more like SNL, and so the ironic “Louie” was born. As little more than a joke on recurring characters and their catch-phrases, “Louie” may not seem the best character to mine for a feature-length movie. But considering Wain and the others were likely just as against sketches spinning off into movies as they were against recurring characters, it would be suitable for such a film, something to lampoon the Lorne Michaels tradition, if that’s at all possible. And I can already see the ad campaigns: posters with just a release date and the words “Dip Your Balls In It.” Lincoln Logs: The Unauthorized Biography of Honest Abe After the release of Oliver Stone’s W., something like this deserves to be made into a movie. Maybe Stone could even direct it from a script by some of the State writers. It could complete his evil Republican president trilogy. And if they act quick enough, it would be awesome if the movie could go up against Steven Spielberg’s Lincoln. The Bearded Men of Space Station 11 This skit really stretches a single joke really thin (like many State sketches), but the simple premise — a space station crew is illogically incarcerated for growing beards in space — could be a mere jumping ground for an hilarious sci-fi comedy. Sure, the genre has hardly been successful outside of Spaceballs and Galaxy Quest, but if anyone can give us another great parodic outer space movie, it’s Wain and friends. Think of Hitchcock’s wrong man scenario, multiply it times five, and throw in a lot of silly shenanigans. Porcupine Racetrack This simple cross between Guys and Dolls, Cats and the “Ascot Gavotte” scene from My Fair Lady is so, so stupid, yet so, so brilliant. And a feature-length version would be as surprisingly beloved as the skit was, especially if there’s some way of also slipping in some reference to the “Gang Fight” skit (that was the “Beat It” video meets West Side Story segment involving an Amish street gang), the “Super Robby” skit (turns out the orphanage that needs saving is cruelly convincing kids they can fly out windows) and the “Mind Match” skit (the orphans are ultimately given away as prizes on a game show). If anything, a silly song penned by Teddy Shapiro would have to receive an Oscar nomination, thereby elevating the Hollywood cred of the State ensemble enough for potentially more ridiculous films. The Inbred Brothers I’ve come to realize that most of these movie ideas come from skits likely conceived by Lennon and Garant. This only furthers the point that the pair NEEDS to work on something State-related before putting on the blindfold and writing Night at the Museum 3. And there’s really no better project than a movie based on their Inbred Brothers characters, Emmett and Lyle. Think of Step Brothers with an even dumber duo. How could this not be a success? The merchandising alone is worthy: t-shirts that say “Whaddamydoin?”; talking dolls that also hit themselves in the head with sticks; Halloween costumes (I actually was a non-specific “Inbred Brother” for Halloween back in the ’90s). To make the dream complete, though, Michael Ian Black has to appear as the French exchange student. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/9/22/35408.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 9/22/2008 9:01:18 PM
Body: Happy autumn! Today marked the fall equinox for the Northern hemisphere, and while the season can be a depressing one for mainstream moviegoers (at least until Thanksgiving ushers in the holiday blockbusters and Oscar-bait releases), it is otherwise a wonderful time of the year. Having grown up in New England, I’ve always had a great appreciation for the changing leaves, the brisk weather, the pumpkin and apple picking and the foodie holidays (as a rather chunky kid, I really only liked Halloween for the candy and Thanksgiving for the stuffing of my face). I even looked forward to going back to school every September. But autumn can be a great season for cinephiles, too, despite the significant lack of worthwhile theatrical releases. For one thing, the colder weather, particularly the colder nights, keeps us indoors more often for DVD watching. For another thing, the season has lent itself nominally and spirtually to some great films by the likes of Ozu, Bergman and Rohmer, among others. Personally, I think movies set in the fall tend to look the most beautiful, although I recognize that part of my aesthetic appreciation comes with my general love for autumnal landscapes and activities. To get myself in the mood, and share the spirit with fellow fans of the fall, I’ve found ten scenes that will help us to welcome the season: 1. Opening sequence  - from Monster House (2006) I shouldn’t have to explain why this is on here, but I guess there are a ton of you who unfortunately skipped this animated film when it was out in theaters (when you could have seen it properly in 3-D). Hopefully, the beginning will entice you to watch the rest, although I admit the rest of the film isn’t quite as good as its opening. The falling leaf may remind you of the beginning of Forrest Gump, which could have been intentional since Robert Zemeckis was a producer on this film, but I much prefer this sequence, mostly because director Gil Kenan manages to make me believe it was shot by an actual camera and not just set up to look that way with a computer. 2. Cathy and Raymond walk in the woods - from Far From Heaven (2002) The opening shot from Monster House initially reminded me of the opening shot from this Todd Haynes film (yes, I have since become aware that it goes back to Douglas Sirk’s All That Heaven Allows opening). But I can’t find that sequence online, plus it would possibly be redundant to include it, so here’s another scene displaying the gorgeous fall colors as shot by cinematographer Edward Lachman. Perfectly evoking Sirk’s films, there isn’t another modern film that better recreates the Connecticut autumn foliage as well as I know it. 3. Opening sequence - from Written on the Wind (1956) More blowing leaves. With much less grace than the one from Monster House, of course. But as much as I love the falling leaves that come with this time of year, I do get frustrated with all the dry, brown ones that slip through your door later on in the season. In any event, I had to include something from Sirk, despite an apparent lack of clips from his films available on YouTube. 4. Moon vs. Flying Snow - from Hero (2002) If you want evidence that YouTube isn’t the proper format with which to watch film clips, check out the above sequence from Zhang Yimou’s historical spectacle. Still, you should be able to tell that those colorful blurs are leaves. If there’s anything I’d like to do more than jumping into a pile of leaves right now, it’s flying through a flurry of blowing leaves, with or without a blade. 5. Paul Rudd scares a little kid - from Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) Enough blowing leaves. Let’s move on to the first big holiday of the season: Halloween. But to make things interesting, I’m not including any favorite scenes from It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown or even from the original Halloween. Save those for another month or so. Instead, take a look some scenes from one of the Halloween movies you probably haven’t seen, or at least don’t like as much. Why? Because Paul Rudd is in it. I don’t know about you, but I find no better way to celebrate the beginning of autumn than to ritually put my copy of Wet Hot American Summer back on the shelf and then rent Halloween 6 and let Rudd link the seasons together. He’s not as funny here as in WHAS, but he still unintentionally has me laughing in the scene where he explains the origin of Michael Myers’ powers and in an earlier bit where he inadvertently makes a kid drop his pumpkin (fast forward the above clip to 8:01). 6. Cary Grant gets horny in a graveyard - from Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) Here’s another great Halloween movie that isn’t too Halloweeny, so it’ll hopefully get you more in the mood for the fall than for trick or treating. Though it’s clearly a set, I’ll always love the autumnal outdoor scenes from this adaptation of the high school drama staple. In particular, I like the bit above (fast forward to 6:00), where Cary Grant lecherously chases his new bride around a tree. I so wish autumn in Brooklyn still looked so quaint. And I so wish I could have married Priscilla Lane. 7. Jim Morrison ruins another Thanksgiving - from The Doors (1991) And now we move on to the other big holiday with a look at my favorite Thanksgiving scene in all of cinema. Maybe it’s because I’ve had many a dysfunctional turkey day myself, and watching Pam throw the sweet potatoes and Jim stomp on the duck, let alone the other awkward moments involving sex partners and murder attempts, always makes me realize that I could have experienced worse. By the way, The Doors are also a good band to think of in terms of the transition from summer to autumn because of their songs “Summer’s Almost Gone” and “Indian Summer.” 8. Sam Raimi evokes Buster Keaton - from Indian Summer (1993) Speaking of Indian Summer, that wonderfully warm spell that comes later in the season following the first frost and before it really starts to get cold, here is one of its many cinematic namesakes. It may not even be the best of the films with this title, but some of the visuals are good for celebrating the seasonal cusp. Also, Sam Raimi is hilariously memorable as the camp maintenance man. In one great scene in the above montage, he reminds me of Buster Keaton as he attempts to pull fallen luggage out of the lake. 9. India-shaped harvest - from Mother India (1957) No list of autumn-themed movies would be complete without something related to a harvest, though I’m certain that I’m veering off season a bit by using Mother India as my choice of such a film. I’m pretty sure the harvesting of wheat in India occurs in the Spring. Regardless, it’s the film that first pops into mind when I think of harvest, likely because of the incredible India-shaped crop set piece seen above. (Click on the image to get the un-embeddable clip). 10. “Skunk” invades Oktoberfest - from Strange Brew (1983) Another great thing that happens in autumn, specifically the beginning of autumn, is Oktoberfest. And sure, I probably could have included a clip from Broken Lizard’s Beerfest, which actually takes place in Munich. However, nobody can deny that Strange Brew is a funnier film, and there’s no better Oktoberfest-set scene than the one in which Hosehead the dog flies into a Canadian celebration, is mistaken for a skunk and successfully saves hundreds of people from drinking contaminated beer. Hosehead is a true hero. Yet for some reason nobody has honored the beer-loving canine by putting a clip of the scene up on YouTube. So, we’ll have to make due with a montage from the film set to a song about beer, which has a few minimal flashes of the Oktoberfest part. Enjoy, eh? Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 23 Sep 2008 01:01:18 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com9/22/2008 9:01:18 PMHappy autumn! Today marked the fall equinox for the Northern hemisphere, and while the season can be a depressing one for mainstream moviegoers (at least until Thanksgiving ushers in the holiday blockbusters and Oscar-bait releases), it is otherwise a wonderful time of the year. Having grown up in New England, I’ve always had a great appreciation for the changing leaves, the brisk weather, the pumpkin and apple picking and the foodie holidays (as a rather chunky kid, I really only liked Halloween for the candy and Thanksgiving for the stuffing of my face). I even looked forward to going back to school every September. But autumn can be a great season for cinephiles, too, despite the significant lack of worthwhile theatrical releases. For one thing, the colder weather, particularly the colder nights, keeps us indoors more often for DVD watching. For another thing, the season has lent itself nominally and spirtually to some great films by the likes of Ozu, Bergman and Rohmer, among others. Personally, I think movies set in the fall tend to look the most beautiful, although I recognize that part of my aesthetic appreciation comes with my general love for autumnal landscapes and activities. To get myself in the mood, and share the spirit with fellow fans of the fall, I’ve found ten scenes that will help us to welcome the season: 1. Opening sequence  - from Monster House (2006) I shouldn’t have to explain why this is on here, but I guess there are a ton of you who unfortunately skipped this animated film when it was out in theaters (when you could have seen it properly in 3-D). Hopefully, the beginning will entice you to watch the rest, although I admit the rest of the film isn’t quite as good as its opening. The falling leaf may remind you of the beginning of Forrest Gump, which could have been intentional since Robert Zemeckis was a producer on this film, but I much prefer this sequence, mostly because director Gil Kenan manages to make me believe it was shot by an actual camera and not just set up to look that way with a computer. 2. Cathy and Raymond walk in the woods - from Far From Heaven (2002) The opening shot from Monster House initially reminded me of the opening shot from this Todd Haynes film (yes, I have since become aware that it goes back to Douglas Sirk’s All That Heaven Allows opening). But I can’t find that sequence online, plus it would possibly be redundant to include it, so here’s another scene displaying the gorgeous fall colors as shot by cinematographer Edward Lachman. Perfectly evoking Sirk’s films, there isn’t another modern film that better recreates the Connecticut autumn foliage as well as I know it. 3. Opening sequence - from Written on the Wind (1956) More blowing leaves. With much less grace than the one from Monster House, of course. But as much as I love the falling leaves that come with this time of year, I do get frustrated with all the dry, brown ones that slip through your door later on in the season. In any event, I had to include something from Sirk, despite an apparent lack of clips from his films available on YouTube. 4. Moon vs. Flying Snow - from Hero (2002) If you want evidence that YouTube isn’t the proper format with which to watch film clips, check out the above sequence from Zhang Yimou’s historical spectacle. Still, you should be able to tell that those colorful blurs are leaves. If there’s anything I’d like to do more than jumping into a pile of leaves right now, it’s flying through a flurry of blowing leaves, with or without a blade. 5. Paul Rudd scares a little kid - from Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) Enough blowing leaves. Let’s move on to the first big holiday of the season: Halloween. But to make things interesting, I’m not including any favorite scenes from It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown or even from the original Halloween. Save those for another month or so. Instead, take a look some scenes from one of the Halloween movies you probably haven’t seen, or at least don’t like as much. Why? Because Paul Rudd is in it. I don’t know about you, but I find no better way to celebrate the beginning of autumn than to ritually put my copy of Wet Hot American Summer back on the shelf and then rent Halloween 6 and let Rudd link the seasons together. He’s not as funny here as in WHAS, but he still unintentionally has me laughing in the scene where he explains the origin of Michael Myers’ powers and in an earlier bit where he inadvertently makes a kid drop his pumpkin (fast forward the above clip to 8:01). 6. Cary Grant gets horny in a graveyard - from Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) Here’s another great Halloween movie that isn’t too Halloweeny, so it’ll hopefully get you more in the mood for the fall than for trick or treating. Though it’s clearly a set, I’ll always love the autumnal outdoor scenes from this adaptation of the high school drama staple. In particular, I like the bit above (fast forward to 6:00), where Cary Grant lecherously chases his new bride around a tree. I so wish autumn in Brooklyn still looked so quaint. And I so wish I could have married Priscilla Lane. 7. Jim Morrison ruins another Thanksgiving - from The Doors (1991) And now we move on to the other big holiday with a look at my favorite Thanksgiving scene in all of cinema. Maybe it’s because I’ve had many a dysfunctional turkey day myself, and watching Pam throw the sweet potatoes and Jim stomp on the duck, let alone the other awkward moments involving sex partners and murder attempts, always makes me realize that I could have experienced worse. By the way, The Doors are also a good band to think of in terms of the transition from summer to autumn because of their songs “Summer’s Almost Gone” and “Indian Summer.” 8. Sam Raimi evokes Buster Keaton - from Indian Summer (1993) Speaking of Indian Summer, that wonderfully warm spell that comes later in the season following the first frost and before it really starts to get cold, here is one of its many cinematic namesakes. It may not even be the best of the films with this title, but some of the visuals are good for celebrating the seasonal cusp. Also, Sam Raimi is hilariously memorable as the camp maintenance man. In one great scene in the above montage, he reminds me of Buster Keaton as he attempts to pull fallen luggage out of the lake. 9. India-shaped harvest - from Mother India (1957) No list of autumn-themed movies would be complete without something related to a harvest, though I’m certain that I’m veering off season a bit by using Mother India as my choice of such a film. I’m pretty sure the harvesting of wheat in India occurs in the Spring. Regardless, it’s the film that first pops into mind when I think of harvest, likely because of the incredible India-shaped crop set piece seen above. (Click on the image to get the un-embeddable clip). 10. “Skunk” invades Oktoberfest - from Strange Brew (1983) Another great thing that happens in autumn, specifically the beginning of autumn, is Oktoberfest. And sure, I probably could have included a clip from Broken Lizard’s Beerfest, which actually takes place in Munich. However, nobody can deny that Strange Brew is a funnier film, and there’s no better Oktoberfest-set scene than the one in which Hosehead the dog flies into a Canadian celebration, is mistaken for a skunk and successfully saves hundreds of people from drinking contaminated beer. Hosehead is a true hero. Yet for some reason nobody has honored the beer-loving canine by putting a clip of the scene up on YouTube. So, we’ll have to make due with a montage from the film set to a song about beer, which has a few minimal flashes of the Oktoberfest part. Enjoy, eh? Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/3/6/25934.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 3/6/2008 5:01:00 PM
Body: There may not be any literal baton passing going on in the marathon-set screwball comedy Run, Fatboy, Run, but the movie, which was directed by Friends star David Schwimmer, is noteworthy for its hand-offs. The first has to do with the writing of the film, which began as an original screenplay by American actor/comedian/writer Michael Ian Black (Wet Hot American Summer) and was later reworked by British actor/comedian/writer Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead). Despite the screenplay credit confusingly indicating the two writers collaborated, it is more a matter of one taking over from the other and going the distance with it. The second pass relates to the actors. Although Run, Fatboy, Run is sold as a Simon Pegg comedy, the true stand-out is lesser-known Dylan Moran, who supports as Pegg’s character’s best friend. Familiar to most Brits as the star of the Channel 4 series Black Books (which I keep meaning to finally rent), Moran has also appeared in minor roles in the movies Shaun of the Dead, Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story and Notting Hill, none of which really showcased his talent the way Run, Fatboy, Run does. Because it was probably not intentional for Moran to upstage Pegg, though, it has to be said that rather than a hand-off of the spotlight, this is more a stealing of the show. And boy does Moran make a great getaway towards the finish line. (more…) Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Thu, 06 Mar 2008 22:01:00 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com3/6/2008 5:01:00 PM There may not be any literal baton passing going on in the marathon-set screwball comedy Run, Fatboy, Run, but the movie, which was directed by Friends star David Schwimmer, is noteworthy for its hand-offs. The first has to do with the writing of the film, which began as an original screenplay by American actor/comedian/writer Michael Ian Black (Wet Hot American Summer) and was later reworked by British actor/comedian/writer Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead). Despite the screenplay credit confusingly indicating the two writers collaborated, it is more a matter of one taking over from the other and going the distance with it. The second pass relates to the actors. Although Run, Fatboy, Run is sold as a Simon Pegg comedy, the true stand-out is lesser-known Dylan Moran, who supports as Pegg’s character’s best friend. Familiar to most Brits as the star of the Channel 4 series Black Books (which I keep meaning to finally rent), Moran has also appeared in minor roles in the movies Shaun of the Dead, Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story and Notting Hill, none of which really showcased his talent the way Run, Fatboy, Run does. Because it was probably not intentional for Moran to upstage Pegg, though, it has to be said that rather than a hand-off of the spotlight, this is more a stealing of the show. And boy does Moran make a great getaway towards the finish line. (more…) Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/2/12/25055.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 2/12/2008 5:01:32 PM
Body: Last October, we learned that David Wain (beloved director of Wet Hot American Summer) would be taking over the helm of Universal’s Little Big Men, a pre-packaged comedy starring Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Elizabeth Banks, Jane Lynch and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad’s “McLovin”). For all of us who love WHAS, The Ten, The State, Stella, Wainy Days and anything else having to do with Wain, it was great news. The script was re-written by Wain and Rudd and Ken Marino, who also co-wrote The Ten, and was adapted (I’m guessing) from the earlier screenplay by Timothy Dowling (George Lucas in Love). And it features some of Wain’s regulars, including Kerri Kenney, Joe Lo Truglio, and A.D. Miles. According to a recent interview with Wain on IESB.net, the film is currently in post-production with hopes of an August release. But according to MTV Movies Blog today, Wain claims his latest film, which is supposed to be getting a new title, won’t be as absurdist as his fanbase is used to. Wain hints that we should actually be prepared for some tears, in fact. The blog notes that he was being sarcastic, but considering the disappointingly un-Stella-ness of Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black’s solo writing and directorial works, it wouldn’t be that surprising if Little Big Men is actually more tame and straight-forward that we want from a Wain picture. Oh well, I’m sure he was just joking with MTV, and I have nothing to worry about. I mostly just wanted an excuse to write about Wain and the film. Also, I wanted to note that in that IESB interview, which is about a month old, Wain admitted that he and the gang are currently working on a State movie. Fortunately, there’s no possible way that one could be sappy. I’ll still bring the Kleenex, though, because I’m sure to tear up from laughing so hard. Check out the video above for some classic State-era Wain. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 12 Feb 2008 22:01:32 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com2/12/2008 5:01:32 PM Last October, we learned that David Wain (beloved director of Wet Hot American Summer) would be taking over the helm of Universal’s Little Big Men, a pre-packaged comedy starring Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Elizabeth Banks, Jane Lynch and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad’s “McLovin”). For all of us who love WHAS, The Ten, The State, Stella, Wainy Days and anything else having to do with Wain, it was great news. The script was re-written by Wain and Rudd and Ken Marino, who also co-wrote The Ten, and was adapted (I’m guessing) from the earlier screenplay by Timothy Dowling (George Lucas in Love). And it features some of Wain’s regulars, including Kerri Kenney, Joe Lo Truglio, and A.D. Miles. According to a recent interview with Wain on IESB.net, the film is currently in post-production with hopes of an August release. But according to MTV Movies Blog today, Wain claims his latest film, which is supposed to be getting a new title, won’t be as absurdist as his fanbase is used to. Wain hints that we should actually be prepared for some tears, in fact. The blog notes that he was being sarcastic, but considering the disappointingly un-Stella-ness of Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black’s solo writing and directorial works, it wouldn’t be that surprising if Little Big Men is actually more tame and straight-forward that we want from a Wain picture. Oh well, I’m sure he was just joking with MTV, and I have nothing to worry about. I mostly just wanted an excuse to write about Wain and the film. Also, I wanted to note that in that IESB interview, which is about a month old, Wain admitted that he and the gang are currently working on a State movie. Fortunately, there’s no possible way that one could be sappy. I’ll still bring the Kleenex, though, because I’m sure to tear up from laughing so hard. Check out the video above for some classic State-era Wain. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/2/1/24625.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 2/1/2008 4:01:19 PM
Body: I’m sure that David Wain was just joking when he told MTV Movie’s Blog that there’s been talk of a musical adaptation of Wet Hot American Summer. But that hasn’t stopped me from thinking about it in depth. At first I was really excited. From the very beginning I’ve loved both the movie and its soundtrack (which I had to hand craft, since an actual WHAS album doesn’t exist) and would definitely be interested in seeing the whole thing acted out on stage. But now I’m realizing its a bad idea, and I’ve included that van crash scene as a metaphor for the concept. Sure, I would love to see the movie acted out on stage, but in the same way I loved watching my buddy play “Data” in an off-Broadway musical version of The Goonies. And in the same way I’d love to see the Con Air and Mystic Pizza musicals starring the fictional Jenna Maroney (winner of a NYC film critics award for Best Actress in a Movie Based on a Musical Based on a Movie). But is it something I can see really being any good? Not at all. As much as I can imagine a singing can, and as much as I’d love to hear Paul Rudd sing a song about “Lindsay” tasting like burgers or about what a pain it is to clean up after himself or about his journal (pronounced gurnal — and rhymes with infernal, in case the lyricist is reading), I just couldn’t see all the characters, subplots and jokes making their way sufficiently onto the stage. And as the van crash is my most favorite gag in the film, I’d hate to see it unused (or used, since it just wouldn’t work the right way). Then again, if Wain and company could find a way to make it all fresh and have new, more theatrically appropriate humor, I would be first in line. And speaking of new material, how exciting is it that Wain (hopefully telling the truth) says he might shoot some kind of “new addendum” to the film for an upcoming special edition DVD? I’m suddenly not feeling as sorry that I lent my original WHAS DVD to a friend who never returned it. Anyway, I don’t know if this is a coincidence, or if it’s even worth sharing, but tonight I was already planning to fondle some sweaters fondue with cheddar. I swear it’s true! Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Fri, 01 Feb 2008 21:01:19 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com2/1/2008 4:01:19 PM I’m sure that David Wain was just joking when he told MTV Movie’s Blog that there’s been talk of a musical adaptation of Wet Hot American Summer. But that hasn’t stopped me from thinking about it in depth. At first I was really excited. From the very beginning I’ve loved both the movie and its soundtrack (which I had to hand craft, since an actual WHAS album doesn’t exist) and would definitely be interested in seeing the whole thing acted out on stage. But now I’m realizing its a bad idea, and I’ve included that van crash scene as a metaphor for the concept. Sure, I would love to see the movie acted out on stage, but in the same way I loved watching my buddy play “Data” in an off-Broadway musical version of The Goonies. And in the same way I’d love to see the Con Air and Mystic Pizza musicals starring the fictional Jenna Maroney (winner of a NYC film critics award for Best Actress in a Movie Based on a Musical Based on a Movie). But is it something I can see really being any good? Not at all. As much as I can imagine a singing can, and as much as I’d love to hear Paul Rudd sing a song about “Lindsay” tasting like burgers or about what a pain it is to clean up after himself or about his journal (pronounced gurnal — and rhymes with infernal, in case the lyricist is reading), I just couldn’t see all the characters, subplots and jokes making their way sufficiently onto the stage. And as the van crash is my most favorite gag in the film, I’d hate to see it unused (or used, since it just wouldn’t work the right way). Then again, if Wain and company could find a way to make it all fresh and have new, more theatrically appropriate humor, I would be first in line. And speaking of new material, how exciting is it that Wain (hopefully telling the truth) says he might shoot some kind of “new addendum” to the film for an upcoming special edition DVD? I’m suddenly not feeling as sorry that I lent my original WHAS DVD to a friend who never returned it. Anyway, I don’t know if this is a coincidence, or if it’s even worth sharing, but tonight I was already planning to fondle some sweaters fondue with cheddar. I swear it’s true! Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2007/11/13/21661.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 11/13/2007 2:01:16 PM
Body: Michael Showalter (writer/director/star of The Baxter; writer/co-star of Wet Hot American Summer) is blogging at PopWatch today to promote his new comedy CD, Sandwiches & Cats, which features guest appearances from Janeane Garofalo and Eugene Mirman. In his first blog entry, Showalter discusses that strange phenomenon that occurs on reality dating shows, wherein every single contestant claims to have fallen in love with the prize bachelor or bachelorette by the second episode. He’s particularly concerned with how this plays out on A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila: The sad thing is that Tila can only fall-in love with one of them. There is only room in her heart for one man or woman. And that lucky guy or gal will be Tila’s new main squeeze, and he or she will know how hard-earned their relationship with Tila was. And years from now, when Tila and whomever she chooses are old and gray and living together somewhere secluded, they will look back at this experience and have an amazing tale to tell their grandchildren of how they met. What they won’t say is that their road to happiness was littered with broken hearts. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Tue, 13 Nov 2007 19:01:16 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com11/13/2007 2:01:16 PMMichael Showalter (writer/director/star of The Baxter; writer/co-star of Wet Hot American Summer) is blogging at PopWatch today to promote his new comedy CD, Sandwiches & Cats, which features guest appearances from Janeane Garofalo and Eugene Mirman. In his first blog entry, Showalter discusses that strange phenomenon that occurs on reality dating shows, wherein every single contestant claims to have fallen in love with the prize bachelor or bachelorette by the second episode. He’s particularly concerned with how this plays out on A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila: The sad thing is that Tila can only fall-in love with one of them. There is only room in her heart for one man or woman. And that lucky guy or gal will be Tila’s new main squeeze, and he or she will know how hard-earned their relationship with Tila was. And years from now, when Tila and whomever she chooses are old and gray and living together somewhere secluded, they will look back at this experience and have an amazing tale to tell their grandchildren of how they met. What they won’t say is that their road to happiness was littered with broken hearts. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Loved-It/MemberTagFilms.aspxLoved-It
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