list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Ghost World 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/Ghost_World/193725/default.aspx Title: Ghost World
Year: 2001
Director: Terry Zwigoff
Plot: Filmmaker Terry Zwigoff, who enjoyed breakthrough success with his 1994 documentary Crumb, shifts gears as he examines the lives of two young women on the verge of leaving their adolescence behind in his first dramatic feature. Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson) are two close friends who've just graduated from high school, and are trying to decide what to do with their lives. Enid is a dark-haired arch cynic who is tired of living at home with her ineffectual dad (Bob Balaban) and his annoyingly perky girlfriend Maxine (Teri Garr), while Rebecca is prettier and a bit cheerier, but no more certain about her future. While the two girls have vague plans of getting an apartment together, they seem content to while away their summer hanging out and indulging in their shared infatuation with Josh (Brad Renfro), a friend from school who works at a convenience store and doesn't seem to be especially attracted to either of them. Enid discovers that in order to get her diploma, she'll have to take an additional class over the summer, where she winds up studying art with Roberta (Illeana Douglas), who is determined to encourage Enid's creative impulses, whether Enid likes it or not. More significantly, Enid meets Seymour (Steve Buscemi), a geeky record collector more than twice her age, and while they would seem to have little in common (and Rebecca thinks he's a creep), Enid discovers a kindred spirit in fellow misfit Seymour, who shares her disgust with the world around them, and a relationship begins to develop between the two. Ghost World is based on the award-winning graphic novel by comic artist Daniel Clowes, who also wrote the film's screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 76
Number of Lists: 78
Number of blog posts: 9
Number of discussion threads: 9
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Wed, 29 Jul 2009 22:01:58 GMTGhost World2001Terry ZwigoffFilmmaker <a href="/players/P___118083/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Terry Zwigoff</a>, who enjoyed breakthrough success with his 1994 documentary <a href=/films/91294/default.aspx style='text-decoration:underline'>Crumb</a>, shifts gears as he examines the lives of two young women on the verge of leaving their adolescence behind in his first dramatic feature. Enid (<a href="/players/P_____6271/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Thora Birch</a>) and Rebecca (<a href="/players/P___200222/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Scarlett Johansson</a>) are two close friends who've just graduated from high school, and are trying to decide what to do with their lives. Enid is a dark-haired arch cynic who is tired of living at home with her ineffectual dad (<a href="/players/P____80466/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Bob Balaban</a>) and his annoyingly perky girlfriend Maxine (<a href="/players/P____26007/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Teri Garr</a>), while Rebecca is prettier and a bit cheerier, but no more certain about her future. While the two girls have vague plans of getting an apartment together, they seem content to while away their summer hanging out and indulging in their shared infatuation with Josh (<a href="/players/P___197546/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Brad Renfro</a>), a friend from school who works at a convenience store and doesn't seem to be especially attracted to either of them. Enid discovers that in order to get her diploma, she'll have to take an additional class over the summer, where she winds up studying art with Roberta (<a href="/players/P____19863/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Illeana Douglas</a>), who is determined to encourage Enid's creative impulses, whether Enid likes it or not. More significantly, Enid meets Seymour (<a href="/players/P_____9838/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Steve Buscemi</a>), a geeky record collector more than twice her age, and while they would seem to have little in common (and Rebecca thinks he's a creep), Enid discovers a kindred spirit in fellow misfit Seymour, who shares her disgust with the world around them, and a relationship begins to develop between the two. Ghost World is based on the award-winning graphic novel by comic artist Daniel Clowes, who also wrote the film's screenplay. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide76Tag Target (>10)78993http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t15385996k5.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Ghost_World/193725/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/risselada/archive/2009/11/13/44355.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Risselada Blog
Post Date: 11/13/2009 1:12:22 PM
Body: This is the fifth feature length film I've seen by director Terry Zwigoff. I chose to watch this film based on previous good ratings I've given other films by this director and to better my favorite directors by algorithm listing. Louie Bluie I've now seen all of Terry Zwigoff film's, and I find it amusing that the last one I was able to see was a documentary that I watched on a little TV in a library viewing room, since this was also the case with the first movie of his I saw. Although that film, Crumb, I watched in college in a cramped little room with a bunch of other guys and one girl. And if you've seen Crumb, you may know why that was a bit uncomfortable. I still thought it was a great documentary though, and was the beginning of my love for Terry Zwigoff. Ghost World and Bad Santa have been my favorites, but his early documentaries are good too. I would love to see him direct another documentary soon. It's his knack for finding the interesting people to base his films on that is one of his main talents. Terry Zwigoff:Total feature length films seen: 5Previous average film score: 9.25New average film score: 9 Rating: 8/10
]]>Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:12:22 GMTRisseladaRisselada Blog11/13/2009 1:12:22 PMThis is the fifth feature length film I've seen by director Terry Zwigoff. I chose to watch this film based on previous good ratings I've given other films by this director and to better my favorite directors by algorithm listing. Louie Bluie I've now seen all of Terry Zwigoff film's, and I find it amusing that the last one I was able to see was a documentary that I watched on a little TV in a library viewing room, since this was also the case with the first movie of his I saw. Although that film, Crumb, I watched in college in a cramped little room with a bunch of other guys and one girl. And if you've seen Crumb, you may know why that was a bit uncomfortable. I still thought it was a great documentary though, and was the beginning of my love for Terry Zwigoff. Ghost World and Bad Santa have been my favorites, but his early documentaries are good too. I would love to see him direct another documentary soon. It's his knack for finding the interesting people to base his films on that is one of his main talents. Terry Zwigoff:Total feature length films seen: 5Previous average film score: 9.25New average film score: 9 Rating: 8/10 http://www.spout.com/groups/Movie_Polls/Re_What_is_your_favorite_movie_directed_by_Terry_Z/657/43002/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Windbreaker
Post To: Movie Polls
Post Date: 7/11/2009 9:01:59 AM
Body: [quote user="Risselada"] Please reference this thread for the rules of this group. Sorry if anyone missed having a poll last week. I was incredibly busy. Well I still am, but I managed to make time this week. Please vote only once in each poll. Movies referenced in this poll:Art School ConfidentialBad SantaCrumbGhost WorldLouie Bluie [/quote] I've never even heard of Terry Zwigoff. Some of the films, yes. But TZ is a stranger to me.
]]>Sat, 11 Jul 2009 13:01:59 GMTWindbreakerMovie Polls7/11/2009 9:01:59 AM[quote user="Risselada"] Please reference this thread for the rules of this group. Sorry if anyone missed having a poll last week. I was incredibly busy. Well I still am, but I managed to make time this week. Please vote only once in each poll. Movies referenced in this poll:Art School ConfidentialBad SantaCrumbGhost WorldLouie Bluie [/quote] I've never even heard of Terry Zwigoff. Some of the films, yes. But TZ is a stranger to me. http://www.spout.com/groups/Movie_Polls/Re_What_is_your_favorite_movie_directed_by_Terry_Z/657/42975/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Movie Polls
Post Date: 7/9/2009 1:30:34 PM
Body: [quote user="pippin06"] [quote user="JimBell"] Although I missed Bad Santa, I'd say Ghost World is the best. While Art School was rather straight-forward and predictable, Ghost World caught me off guard. It was somewhat like Jane Austen's Emma--I read the book thinking that Emma was the heroine, and then someone said, "Re-read the first sentence" and I realized that the author was from the get-go critical of her main character. It's a fine line to do that and not get depressingly negative, not build hostility toward your central character. Zwigoff pulled it off in Ghost World. [/quote] That's a great comparison, Jim. I liked the parallel you drew with Emma; that's really spot-on. [/quote] I concur. That's a very interesting way to look at it. I think my first Zwigoff film was Crumb. I actually saw this with a bunch of people I was on the board with for our college film arts group. We would have to preview certain films to decide if we wanted to screen them for a larger audience. We actually ended up watching this in an extremely cramped little viewing room in the library. It was all men except for one girl. I think everyone felt embarassed because of that. If you've seen some of R. Crumb's drawings, then you probably know why. Still, this is a fantastic documentary! Ghost World was a total revelation to me. I feel completely in love with it. Probably because I was infatuated with both of the characters and the actresses. The beautiful Thora Birch and the then reletively unknown Scarlett Johansson. I was first most excited about Bad Santa because of the Coen brothers' producer credit on the film. I thought at one point they had a "story by" credit too, but now I'm not seeing that. The movie is so hilarious! I love the kid in the movie! Too often kids in movies are too cute and precocious. This kid was fat and dumb, but still a nice kid. I love that so much more. After all of this Art School Confidential was a bit of a disappointment, even though it still has some great moments. I still have yet to see Louie Bluie, but it sounds really great. I love that old style of music that Terry seems to be infatuated with as so do his collaborates like R. Crumb and Daniel Clowes. It looks like it's available at my library on VHS, so I'm planning on checking it out soon. Terry is one of my favorite current filmmakers.
]]>Thu, 09 Jul 2009 17:30:34 GMTRisseladaMovie Polls7/9/2009 1:30:34 PM[quote user="pippin06"] [quote user="JimBell"] Although I missed Bad Santa, I'd say Ghost World is the best. While Art School was rather straight-forward and predictable, Ghost World caught me off guard. It was somewhat like Jane Austen's Emma--I read the book thinking that Emma was the heroine, and then someone said, "Re-read the first sentence" and I realized that the author was from the get-go critical of her main character. It's a fine line to do that and not get depressingly negative, not build hostility toward your central character. Zwigoff pulled it off in Ghost World. [/quote] That's a great comparison, Jim. I liked the parallel you drew with Emma; that's really spot-on. [/quote] I concur. That's a very interesting way to look at it. I think my first Zwigoff film was Crumb. I actually saw this with a bunch of people I was on the board with for our college film arts group. We would have to preview certain films to decide if we wanted to screen them for a larger audience. We actually ended up watching this in an extremely cramped little viewing room in the library. It was all men except for one girl. I think everyone felt embarassed because of that. If you've seen some of R. Crumb's drawings, then you probably know why. Still, this is a fantastic documentary! Ghost World was a total revelation to me. I feel completely in love with it. Probably because I was infatuated with both of the characters and the actresses. The beautiful Thora Birch and the then reletively unknown Scarlett Johansson. I was first most excited about Bad Santa because of the Coen brothers' producer credit on the film. I thought at one point they had a "story by" credit too, but now I'm not seeing that. The movie is so hilarious! I love the kid in the movie! Too often kids in movies are too cute and precocious. This kid was fat and dumb, but still a nice kid. I love that so much more. After all of this Art School Confidential was a bit of a disappointment, even though it still has some great moments. I still have yet to see Louie Bluie, but it sounds really great. I love that old style of music that Terry seems to be infatuated with as so do his collaborates like R. Crumb and Daniel Clowes. It looks like it's available at my library on VHS, so I'm planning on checking it out soon. Terry is one of my favorite current filmmakers. http://www.spout.com/groups/Movie_Polls/What_is_your_favorite_movie_directed_by_Terry_Zwig/657/42955/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Movie Polls
Post Date: 7/8/2009 4:30:10 PM
Body: Please reference this thread for the rules of this group. Sorry if anyone missed having a poll last week. I was incredibly busy. Well I still am, but I managed to make time this week. Please vote only once in each poll. Movies referenced in this poll:Art School ConfidentialBad SantaCrumbGhost WorldLouie Bluie
]]>Wed, 08 Jul 2009 20:30:10 GMTRisseladaMovie Polls7/8/2009 4:30:10 PMPlease reference this thread for the rules of this group. Sorry if anyone missed having a poll last week. I was incredibly busy. Well I still am, but I managed to make time this week. Please vote only once in each poll. Movies referenced in this poll:Art School ConfidentialBad SantaCrumbGhost WorldLouie Bluie http://www.spout.com/blogs/nerd85/archive/2009/6/4/42532.aspx Post By: nerd85
Post To: nerd85 Blog
Post Date: 6/4/2009 9:32:15 PM
Body: I saw this on tv shortly after it came out of theaters. I enjoyed it (hard not to) but even as a teenager, I didn't get it. Sure I knew girls like this at my high school, albeit not quite as cut-out. Now that I'm 23...I totally get it. I found bits of myself in the three main characters. Do I want to grow up? Do I ever want to get rid of my treasured collectables and pretend that I'm like everyone else? Do I want to color my hair green while listening to the Buzzcocks?
]]>Fri, 05 Jun 2009 01:32:15 GMTnerd85nerd85 Blog6/4/2009 9:32:15 PMI saw this on tv shortly after it came out of theaters. I enjoyed it (hard not to) but even as a teenager, I didn't get it. Sure I knew girls like this at my high school, albeit not quite as cut-out. Now that I'm 23...I totally get it. I found bits of myself in the three main characters. Do I want to grow up? Do I ever want to get rid of my treasured collectables and pretend that I'm like everyone else? Do I want to color my hair green while listening to the Buzzcocks? http://www.spout.com/groups/Movie_Polls/Which_of_these_films_based_on_graphic_novels_is_yo/657/40619/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: Risselada
Post To: Movie Polls
Post Date: 2/24/2009 3:28:14 PM
Body: Please reference this thread for the rules of this group. Watchmen is coming out pretty soon, and up until last week I don't think I could ever say I'd read a graphic novel before. Someone lent me their copy of this book, and I'm actually only halfway through it still, but I'm really hooked. So for this poll I tried to pick movies that came strictly from graphic novels. For instance there were some I was originally going to add, but my research indicates that The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a comic book series and 30 Days of Night is a comic book mini-series. In the case of American Splendor I couldn't tell if these were "comic books" or "novels" (I haven't seen the movie either...) so I just left it off to keep the list as focused as possible. And as for anything Japanese or manga based, that's just another huge world that I might do another poll about later, but for now I didn't include anything from that. Sorry if I missed your favorite, but please feel free to discuss. Please vote only once in each poll. Movies referenced in this poll:300From HellGhost WorldA History of ViolencePersepolisRoad to PerditionSin CityV for Vendetta
]]>Tue, 24 Feb 2009 20:28:14 GMTRisseladaMovie Polls2/24/2009 3:28:14 PMPlease reference this thread for the rules of this group. Watchmen is coming out pretty soon, and up until last week I don't think I could ever say I'd read a graphic novel before. Someone lent me their copy of this book, and I'm actually only halfway through it still, but I'm really hooked. So for this poll I tried to pick movies that came strictly from graphic novels. For instance there were some I was originally going to add, but my research indicates that The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a comic book series and 30 Days of Night is a comic book mini-series. In the case of American Splendor I couldn't tell if these were "comic books" or "novels" (I haven't seen the movie either...) so I just left it off to keep the list as focused as possible. And as for anything Japanese or manga based, that's just another huge world that I might do another poll about later, but for now I didn't include anything from that. Sorry if I missed your favorite, but please feel free to discuss. Please vote only once in each poll. Movies referenced in this poll:300From HellGhost WorldA History of ViolencePersepolisRoad to PerditionSin CityV for Vendetta http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmgaming/Re_Recast_HIGH_FIDELITY_2000_Top_5_Challenge/563/36130/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: rustymills18
Post To: Filmgaming
Post Date: 10/10/2008 3:53:00 AM
Body: [quote user="SkyPilot"] [quote user="gsanchet"] Here's a Top Five I can't seem to find the answer for: (in keeping with the High Fidelity Theme) what are the Top Five Movies about DJing? I'm at a loss for ideas. If anyone can help, I'd be most appreciative [/quote] This is a great question. I can't do five, but here's what I can do: 4. Talk to Me -- I want to see this one. Don Cheadle plays a radio personality in the 1960s. I bet this isn't the kind of DJ you're looking for, though. 3. Ghost World -- interesting, sad flick about compulsive record collectors. 2. Hustle & Flow -- flawed but affecting movie about a pimp trying to get into the recording business. 1. 24 Hour Party People -- Comedy based on Factory Records producer Tony Wilson. He fostered the rave scene in Manchester, England, and released New Order's records. In this movie you see the club scene transformed from a place for live music to a place for DJs and ecstacy atmosphere. And here's all the films on Spout that users tagged with "DJ." [/quote] Doug Pray's Scratch could be # 5. It's a Documentary, though.
]]>Fri, 10 Oct 2008 07:53:00 GMTrustymills18Filmgaming10/10/2008 3:53:00 AM[quote user="SkyPilot"] [quote user="gsanchet"] Here's a Top Five I can't seem to find the answer for: (in keeping with the High Fidelity Theme) what are the Top Five Movies about DJing? I'm at a loss for ideas. If anyone can help, I'd be most appreciative [/quote] This is a great question. I can't do five, but here's what I can do: 4. Talk to Me -- I want to see this one. Don Cheadle plays a radio personality in the 1960s. I bet this isn't the kind of DJ you're looking for, though. 3. Ghost World -- interesting, sad flick about compulsive record collectors. 2. Hustle &amp; Flow -- flawed but affecting movie about a pimp trying to get into the recording business. 1. 24 Hour Party People -- Comedy based on Factory Records producer Tony Wilson. He fostered the rave scene in Manchester, England, and released New Order's records. In this movie you see the club scene transformed from a place for live music to a place for DJs and ecstacy atmosphere. And here's all the films on Spout that users tagged with "DJ." [/quote] Doug Pray's Scratch could be # 5. It's a Documentary, though. http://www.spout.com/groups/Filmgaming/Re_Recast_HIGH_FIDELITY_2000_Top_5_Challenge/563/36045/1/ShowPost.aspx Post By: SkyPilot
Post To: Filmgaming
Post Date: 10/8/2008 3:13:57 PM
Body: [quote user="gsanchet"] Here's a Top Five I can't seem to find the answer for: (in keeping with the High Fidelity Theme) what are the Top Five Movies about DJing? I'm at a loss for ideas. If anyone can help, I'd be most appreciative [/quote] This is a great question. I can't do five, but here's what I can do: 4. Talk to Me -- I want to see this one. Don Cheadle plays a radio personality in the 1960s. I bet this isn't the kind of DJ you're looking for, though. 3. Ghost World -- interesting, sad flick about compulsive record collectors. 2. Hustle & Flow -- flawed but affecting movie about a pimp trying to get into the recording business. 1. 24 Hour Party People -- Comedy based on Factory Records producer Tony Wilson. He fostered the rave scene in Manchester, England, and released New Order's records. In this movie you see the club scene transformed from a place for live music to a place for DJs and ecstacy atmosphere. And here's all the films on Spout that users tagged with "DJ."
]]>Wed, 08 Oct 2008 19:13:57 GMTSkyPilotFilmgaming10/8/2008 3:13:57 PM[quote user="gsanchet"] Here's a Top Five I can't seem to find the answer for: (in keeping with the High Fidelity Theme) what are the Top Five Movies about DJing? I'm at a loss for ideas. If anyone can help, I'd be most appreciative [/quote] This is a great question. I can't do five, but here's what I can do: 4. Talk to Me -- I want to see this one. Don Cheadle plays a radio personality in the 1960s. I bet this isn't the kind of DJ you're looking for, though. 3. Ghost World -- interesting, sad flick about compulsive record collectors. 2. Hustle &amp; Flow -- flawed but affecting movie about a pimp trying to get into the recording business. 1. 24 Hour Party People -- Comedy based on Factory Records producer Tony Wilson. He fostered the rave scene in Manchester, England, and released New Order's records. In this movie you see the club scene transformed from a place for live music to a place for DJs and ecstacy atmosphere. And here's all the films on Spout that users tagged with "DJ." http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/9/15/35145.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 9/15/2008 11:00:43 AM
Body: One of my favorite things about film festivals is the chance you’ll have at seeing something that you’d probably never come across otherwise when you visit the multiplex or browse your rental queue. When the Toronto International Film Festival schedule was released last month and I saw Keven McMcAlester’s documentary about Dungeons & Dragons gamemasters, The Dungeon Masters, listed, I knew I had to see it. It wasn’t that I’d seen Keven’s earlier documentary about Roky Erickson, You’re Gonna Miss Me, and wanted to see this, nor did I want to see what fine cinematography Lee Daniel had crafted for the movie. No, I wanted to see this one for the geek in me. Heck, it even made Karina’s list of Films We’re Betting On for TIFF, and she doesn’t dole out the nerd love lightly. Although Dungeons & Dragons came out in 1974, the game is still played across the world, and has directly contributed to the creation and success of online sword and sorcery games like World of Warcraft and EverQuest. Almost everyone you as about the game knows that there’s a certain nerdy/geeky vibe associated with it, although most people probably couldn’t tell you anything else about it. The Dungeons Masters attempts to show you the personalities behind the dice-rolling by taking intimate looks inside the lives of three different dungeon masters who, in effect, become the game themselves. Dungeons & Dragons isn’t like Monopoly or Scrabble in the way that you play until you win. The game relies on a clever dungeon master to create roles, make up stories, plan encounters, and basically run the game as long as people want to keep playing. At face value, you’re role-playing in this game, telling the dungeon master what your character is doing at each step along the way. I’ll never forget when I was in junior high school and my best friend handed me a set of poorly photocopied instruction manuals for the game. I was instantly hooked in the lore of the game, but never became much of a player. Keven McAlester was lucky enough to find people who make running these games a big part of their lives. The three subjects of the film are Richard, Scott, and Elizabeth and at face value, they all seem to be cut from the stereotypical images of D&D players. Richard and Scott seem like clones of the Comic Book Guy on The Simpsons, while Elizabeth is bit closer to Thora Birch in Ghost World with a few extra doses of geek thrown into the mix. Although they are spread out in California, Lousiana and Florida, they share similar experiences. If you break them down to the simplest levels, Elizabeth is the heroine of the story, going from an abusive relationship to one that doesn’t work, to yet another one by the end of the film. By her own admission, “I don’t want to date children anymore, I just want to be happy.” She uses gaming as an outlet by playing (and dressing up as) a female Drow elf, because in their society women have all the power and can have men executed if they desire. Besides dungeon mastering, she also LARPs (live action role plays) as her elf character Richard portrays the antagonist’s role, and even has a villainous mustache to match. He relishes destroying and killing his players, and you can see the naked glee on his face as he begins picking them apart. He’s also serving in the U.S. Army reserves, has a family he served as a father figure for that he’s now somewhat alienated from, and is married to a woman who doesn’t have a problem with his gaming, as long as she doesn’t know anything about it. “That’s just one of the things we do… separately.” Scott serves as the tragic figure: an unemployed self-described writer who can’t find work as a hypnotherapist, and who realized you had to have money to make money as a financial advisor. He suffered a blow when he was a geeky kid at a new school and realized he could reinvent himself, and told the teacher he wanted to be called Sherlock. “My social life didn’t recover for a very long time.” Although he seemingly lays around the house all day, sometimes tinkering with his novel and playing video games rather than looking for work or helping his wife with their apartment manager position, you still pull for him to succeed. Each time Scott meets with his literary agent, you hope she’ll tell him the book has sold, and when Scott starts writing and starring in a public cable access show called “Uncle Drac’s Magical Clubhouse,” you actually want something to happen with it. Despite everything else, Scott’s a gifted storyteller in search of an outlet, which is why he says “If I could do anything, I’d want to be a paid game master.” The film could have easily taken these characters and just made fun of them, but once you get past the geek factor, it remains a portrait of three very different individuals, and you get an intimate look into their lives. The gaming almost becomes peripheral as you find out who these people are and what drives they are like at home, at work, and in their own worlds. The cinematography by Lee Daniel is, as expected, extremely beautiful. Blonde Redhead provides a musical score that is at times sad and melancholy, and other times is grand and cinematic, which is often juxtaposed by what you see on screen. Coming on the heels of a year of geek films behind Second Skin, Nerdcore Rising, Reformat the Planet, and We Are Wizards, The Dungeon Masters is a well-crafted film that peeks behind the curtain of role-playing games and gives you an unflinching look at three people who have made gaming one of their creative outlets. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Mon, 15 Sep 2008 15:00:43 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com9/15/2008 11:00:43 AM One of my favorite things about film festivals is the chance you’ll have at seeing something that you’d probably never come across otherwise when you visit the multiplex or browse your rental queue. When the Toronto International Film Festival schedule was released last month and I saw Keven McMcAlester’s documentary about Dungeons & Dragons gamemasters, The Dungeon Masters, listed, I knew I had to see it. It wasn’t that I’d seen Keven’s earlier documentary about Roky Erickson, You’re Gonna Miss Me, and wanted to see this, nor did I want to see what fine cinematography Lee Daniel had crafted for the movie. No, I wanted to see this one for the geek in me. Heck, it even made Karina’s list of Films We’re Betting On for TIFF, and she doesn’t dole out the nerd love lightly. Although Dungeons & Dragons came out in 1974, the game is still played across the world, and has directly contributed to the creation and success of online sword and sorcery games like World of Warcraft and EverQuest. Almost everyone you as about the game knows that there’s a certain nerdy/geeky vibe associated with it, although most people probably couldn’t tell you anything else about it. The Dungeons Masters attempts to show you the personalities behind the dice-rolling by taking intimate looks inside the lives of three different dungeon masters who, in effect, become the game themselves. Dungeons & Dragons isn’t like Monopoly or Scrabble in the way that you play until you win. The game relies on a clever dungeon master to create roles, make up stories, plan encounters, and basically run the game as long as people want to keep playing. At face value, you’re role-playing in this game, telling the dungeon master what your character is doing at each step along the way. I’ll never forget when I was in junior high school and my best friend handed me a set of poorly photocopied instruction manuals for the game. I was instantly hooked in the lore of the game, but never became much of a player. Keven McAlester was lucky enough to find people who make running these games a big part of their lives. The three subjects of the film are Richard, Scott, and Elizabeth and at face value, they all seem to be cut from the stereotypical images of D&D players. Richard and Scott seem like clones of the Comic Book Guy on The Simpsons, while Elizabeth is bit closer to Thora Birch in Ghost World with a few extra doses of geek thrown into the mix. Although they are spread out in California, Lousiana and Florida, they share similar experiences. If you break them down to the simplest levels, Elizabeth is the heroine of the story, going from an abusive relationship to one that doesn’t work, to yet another one by the end of the film. By her own admission, “I don’t want to date children anymore, I just want to be happy.” She uses gaming as an outlet by playing (and dressing up as) a female Drow elf, because in their society women have all the power and can have men executed if they desire. Besides dungeon mastering, she also LARPs (live action role plays) as her elf character Richard portrays the antagonist’s role, and even has a villainous mustache to match. He relishes destroying and killing his players, and you can see the naked glee on his face as he begins picking them apart. He’s also serving in the U.S. Army reserves, has a family he served as a father figure for that he’s now somewhat alienated from, and is married to a woman who doesn’t have a problem with his gaming, as long as she doesn’t know anything about it. “That’s just one of the things we do… separately.” Scott serves as the tragic figure: an unemployed self-described writer who can’t find work as a hypnotherapist, and who realized you had to have money to make money as a financial advisor. He suffered a blow when he was a geeky kid at a new school and realized he could reinvent himself, and told the teacher he wanted to be called Sherlock. “My social life didn’t recover for a very long time.” Although he seemingly lays around the house all day, sometimes tinkering with his novel and playing video games rather than looking for work or helping his wife with their apartment manager position, you still pull for him to succeed. Each time Scott meets with his literary agent, you hope she’ll tell him the book has sold, and when Scott starts writing and starring in a public cable access show called “Uncle Drac’s Magical Clubhouse,” you actually want something to happen with it. Despite everything else, Scott’s a gifted storyteller in search of an outlet, which is why he says “If I could do anything, I’d want to be a paid game master.” The film could have easily taken these characters and just made fun of them, but once you get past the geek factor, it remains a portrait of three very different individuals, and you get an intimate look into their lives. The gaming almost becomes peripheral as you find out who these people are and what drives they are like at home, at work, and in their own worlds. The cinematography by Lee Daniel is, as expected, extremely beautiful. Blonde Redhead provides a musical score that is at times sad and melancholy, and other times is grand and cinematic, which is often juxtaposed by what you see on screen. Coming on the heels of a year of geek films behind Second Skin, Nerdcore Rising, Reformat the Planet, and We Are Wizards, The Dungeon Masters is a well-crafted film that peeks behind the curtain of role-playing games and gives you an unflinching look at three people who have made gaming one of their creative outlets. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/blogs/chrismorrell/archive/2008/8/6/33653.aspx Post By: chrismorrell
Post To: chrismorrell Blog
Post Date: 8/6/2008 4:20:28 PM
Body: I was just blogging about "GhostWorld" ,made a reference to Ricky Gervais and saw that his new film ,with Greg Kinnear and Tea Leoni is coming out ..I speak as a total fan,but it looks just terrible ..oh well...tell me what you think...
]]>Wed, 06 Aug 2008 20:20:28 GMTchrismorrellchrismorrell Blog8/6/2008 4:20:28 PMI was just blogging about "GhostWorld" ,made a reference to Ricky Gervais and saw that his new film ,with Greg Kinnear and Tea Leoni is coming out ..I speak as a total fan,but it looks just terrible ..oh well...tell me what you think... http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/awesome/MemberTagFilms.aspxawesome
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