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    <title>Slacker's Recent Activity - Spout</title>
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      <title>Slacker's Recent Activity - Spout</title>
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      <title>Film:Slacker</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/films/Slacker/31631/default.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<table width='100%' style='font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><tr><td><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t48535wq26t.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' /></td>
<td>
<strong>Title:</strong> Slacker<br/>
<strong>Year:</strong> 1991<br/>
<strong>Director:</strong> Richard Linklater<br/>
<strong>Plot:</strong> One of the key American independent films of the 1990s, <a href="/players/P____99850/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Richard Linklater</a>'s feature debut is an audacious look at the twentysomething culture in the college town of Austin, Texas. Set over the course of a 24-hour period, the film is a collection of short, unconnected glimpses into the dropout subculture, touching base with a variety of musicians, students, street people and general eccentrics. While there's no real plot to speak of, Linklater's eye for nuance and gift for dialogue are superb, and the portrait he paints is so uncannily accurate that the term "slacker" was almost immediately co-opted as a media buzzword, one interchangeable with the similarly-overused "Generation X." Regardless, the film is an evocative reflection of a community and its culture and remains a definitive artifact of its time and place. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide<br/>
<strong>Times Tagged:</strong> 14<br/>
<strong>Number of Lists:</strong> 24<br/>
<strong>Number of blog posts:</strong> 10<br/>
<strong>Number of discussion threads:</strong> 2<br/>
<strong>SpoutRating:</strong> 3<br/>
</td></tr></table>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 14 Jul 2009 01:19:14 GMT</pubDate><spout:Title>Slacker</spout:Title><spout:Year>1991</spout:Year><spout:Director>Richard Linklater</spout:Director><spout:Plot>One of the key American independent films of the 1990s, &lt;a href="/players/P____99850/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'&gt;Richard Linklater&lt;/a&gt;'s feature debut is an audacious look at the twentysomething culture in the college town of Austin, Texas. Set over the course of a 24-hour period, the film is a collection of short, unconnected glimpses into the dropout subculture, touching base with a variety of musicians, students, street people and general eccentrics. While there's no real plot to speak of, Linklater's eye for nuance and gift for dialogue are superb, and the portrait he paints is so uncannily accurate that the term "slacker" was almost immediately co-opted as a media buzzword, one interchangeable with the similarly-overused "Generation X." Regardless, the film is an evocative reflection of a community and its culture and remains a definitive artifact of its time and place. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide</spout:Plot><spout:TimesTagged>14</spout:TimesTagged><spout:taglevel>Tag Target (&gt;10)</spout:taglevel><spout:Numberoflists>24</spout:Numberoflists><spout:NumberOfBlogPosts>10</spout:NumberOfBlogPosts><spout:NumberOfDiscussionThreads>2</spout:NumberOfDiscussionThreads><spout:SpoutRating>3</spout:SpoutRating><spout:FilmCoverURL>http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t48535wq26t.jpg</spout:FilmCoverURL><spout:SpoutFilmDetailURL>http://www.spout.com/films/Slacker/31631/default.aspx</spout:SpoutFilmDetailURL><spout:type>Film</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Sundance Stories of Yore: Pi</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/1/15/39569.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t48535wq26t.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/9325/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog on spout.com</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 1/15/2009 3:00:55 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> Each day this week, Christopher Campbell will take a look back at a “classic” film that played the Sundance Film Festival. Today’s installment: Darren Aronofsky’s Pi (1998).
Today’s story is a little shorter than the rest in this series, but it’s worth remembering because it involves another instance where one Sundance success directly resulted in the making of a later Sundance success (a la Slacker leading to Clerks). The earlier film in this case was Welcome to the Dollhouse, which Darren Aronofsky saw at the 1996 festival. In Peter Biskind’s book Down and Dirty Pictures, Aronfsky comments on the experience: “I thought it was such a unique, weird film, that it really gave me the courage to go back to New York and just try to throw something together.” That November he was in production on Pi.

A little over a year later, the stylish black and white Pi premiered at Sundance. When he submitted the film, Aronofsky thought maybe it could fit into the festival’s midnight program. Instead, it was selected for competition, alongside High Art, Buffalo ‘66, Next Stop Wonderland and Slam, which would win the Grand Jury Prize. Aronofsky would go on to win the Best Director award, but that wasn’t until near the end of the festival. Days beforehand, the filmmaker was given a first impression that Pi might leave Sundance with bupkis.
The first screening, an all-industry presentation, did not go so well. Miramax’s Harvey Weinstein apparently refused to see the film. October Films’ Bingham Ray reportedly hated it and walked out. When the movie ended, there was little applause and not one person asked a question during the Q&A. Fortunately, one important person eventually saw Pi and liked it enough to make it a modest hit while also taking Aronofsky’s promising career under his wing: Amir Malin, who’s company Live Entertainment would soon be renamed Artisan Entertainment and would soon explode as one of the most successful independent distributors of the late ‘90s.
Below is the first 20 minutes of Pi. The rest of the film can be found on YouTube in segments if you get hooked.
 Originally posted on:SpoutBlog<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 15 Jan 2009 20:00:55 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>SpoutBlog</spout:postby><spout:postto>SpoutBlog on spout.com</spout:postto><spout:postdate>1/15/2009 3:00:55 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>Each day this week, Christopher Campbell will take a look back at a “classic” film that played the Sundance Film Festival. Today’s installment: Darren Aronofsky’s Pi (1998).
Today’s story is a little shorter than the rest in this series, but it’s worth remembering because it involves another instance where one Sundance success directly resulted in the making of a later Sundance success (a la Slacker leading to Clerks). The earlier film in this case was Welcome to the Dollhouse, which Darren Aronofsky saw at the 1996 festival. In Peter Biskind’s book Down and Dirty Pictures, Aronfsky comments on the experience: “I thought it was such a unique, weird film, that it really gave me the courage to go back to New York and just try to throw something together.” That November he was in production on Pi.

A little over a year later, the stylish black and white Pi premiered at Sundance. When he submitted the film, Aronofsky thought maybe it could fit into the festival’s midnight program. Instead, it was selected for competition, alongside High Art, Buffalo ‘66, Next Stop Wonderland and Slam, which would win the Grand Jury Prize. Aronofsky would go on to win the Best Director award, but that wasn’t until near the end of the festival. Days beforehand, the filmmaker was given a first impression that Pi might leave Sundance with bupkis.
The first screening, an all-industry presentation, did not go so well. Miramax’s Harvey Weinstein apparently refused to see the film. October Films’ Bingham Ray reportedly hated it and walked out. When the movie ended, there was little applause and not one person asked a question during the Q&amp;A. Fortunately, one important person eventually saw Pi and liked it enough to make it a modest hit while also taking Aronofsky’s promising career under his wing: Amir Malin, who’s company Live Entertainment would soon be renamed Artisan Entertainment and would soon explode as one of the most successful independent distributors of the late ‘90s.
Below is the first 20 minutes of Pi. The rest of the film can be found on YouTube in segments if you get hooked.
 Originally posted on:SpoutBlog</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Sundance Stories of Yore: Clerks</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/1/13/39490.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t48535wq26t.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/9325/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog on spout.com</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 1/13/2009 7:00:55 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> Each day this week, Christopher Campbell will take a look back at a “classic” film that played the Sundance Film Festival. Today’s installment: Kevin Smith’s Clerks (1994).
It’s only fitting to follow yesterday’s post on Slacker with the Sundance story of Clerks, since Kevin Smith was directly influenced by Richard Linklater’s film. And like Linklater, Smith nearly didn’t go to Sundance with his breakthrough indie, although in his case it was initially a matter of choice rather than rejection. According to Peter Biskind’s book Down and Dirty Pictures, Smith says about the decision, “We never even thought about Sundance. That was not a festival that we were meant for.”

Instead, Smith and producer Scott Mosier figured their best bet was at the 1993 Independent Feature Film Market in NYC, where they disappointingly screened Clerks to an audience of only a few people. Incidentally, they might have had at least one additional significant viewer had Mosier not told Miramax acquisitions man Mark Tusk that his film was “not a Disney movie.”
Of course, it’s not likely that Miramax would have picked up Clerks even with Tusk in attendance at that screening. Fortunately, as noted in John Pierson’s book Spike, Mike Slackers and Dykes and elsewhere, Sundance advisory committee member Bob Hawk did see the film at that IFFM showing, and he tirelessly fought to have it selected for the upcoming festival. So, in a way, Smith became a Sundance alum by accident.
As for Miramax’s acquisition, that’s another great story. After the original rejection of Tusk at IFFM, Miramax had a few more chances to see Clerks. The first was through a tape sent to Tusk, through which he became a fan; then came a 16mm screening at the Tribeca Film Center in which Harvey Weinstein reportedly left after 15 minutes. It took the magic of Sundance, however, to get the film and the distributor to fully connect. Clerks became a hit partly on the basis of Smith’s story and his ability to entertain during the Q&As. By the end of the festival, Weinstein, who had made a surprise return to Park City that year, and who had been rumored to have left Sundance early, was reluctantly convinced by Tusk to attend the last screening and stay at least until the “blowjob stuff.” This time, apparently, Weinstein loved it. And when he met Smith afterward, he reportedly said something along the lines of, “Great fuckin’ movie, I want to put a fuckin’ soundtrack on it, and put it in the fuckin’ multiplexes.”
It’s possible that Clerks is funny enough to have acquired fans on its own merits, as it appealed to Tusk upon his first viewing. But sometimes it takes the crowds of Sundance to show just how popular a film can be with a real audience. The subsequent buzz combined with the marketing of Smith as a personality and a filmmaker with an interesting story helped get Clerks a distribution deal, and it’s worked somewhat for others since, if only on smaller scale.
Below is the NSFW scene from Clerks that Tusk promised Weinstein he’d enjoy.
 Originally posted on:SpoutBlog<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 14 Jan 2009 00:00:55 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>SpoutBlog</spout:postby><spout:postto>SpoutBlog on spout.com</spout:postto><spout:postdate>1/13/2009 7:00:55 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>Each day this week, Christopher Campbell will take a look back at a “classic” film that played the Sundance Film Festival. Today’s installment: Kevin Smith’s Clerks (1994).
It’s only fitting to follow yesterday’s post on Slacker with the Sundance story of Clerks, since Kevin Smith was directly influenced by Richard Linklater’s film. And like Linklater, Smith nearly didn’t go to Sundance with his breakthrough indie, although in his case it was initially a matter of choice rather than rejection. According to Peter Biskind’s book Down and Dirty Pictures, Smith says about the decision, “We never even thought about Sundance. That was not a festival that we were meant for.”

Instead, Smith and producer Scott Mosier figured their best bet was at the 1993 Independent Feature Film Market in NYC, where they disappointingly screened Clerks to an audience of only a few people. Incidentally, they might have had at least one additional significant viewer had Mosier not told Miramax acquisitions man Mark Tusk that his film was “not a Disney movie.”
Of course, it’s not likely that Miramax would have picked up Clerks even with Tusk in attendance at that screening. Fortunately, as noted in John Pierson’s book Spike, Mike Slackers and Dykes and elsewhere, Sundance advisory committee member Bob Hawk did see the film at that IFFM showing, and he tirelessly fought to have it selected for the upcoming festival. So, in a way, Smith became a Sundance alum by accident.
As for Miramax’s acquisition, that’s another great story. After the original rejection of Tusk at IFFM, Miramax had a few more chances to see Clerks. The first was through a tape sent to Tusk, through which he became a fan; then came a 16mm screening at the Tribeca Film Center in which Harvey Weinstein reportedly left after 15 minutes. It took the magic of Sundance, however, to get the film and the distributor to fully connect. Clerks became a hit partly on the basis of Smith’s story and his ability to entertain during the Q&amp;As. By the end of the festival, Weinstein, who had made a surprise return to Park City that year, and who had been rumored to have left Sundance early, was reluctantly convinced by Tusk to attend the last screening and stay at least until the “blowjob stuff.” This time, apparently, Weinstein loved it. And when he met Smith afterward, he reportedly said something along the lines of, “Great fuckin’ movie, I want to put a fuckin’ soundtrack on it, and put it in the fuckin’ multiplexes.”
It’s possible that Clerks is funny enough to have acquired fans on its own merits, as it appealed to Tusk upon his first viewing. But sometimes it takes the crowds of Sundance to show just how popular a film can be with a real audience. The subsequent buzz combined with the marketing of Smith as a personality and a filmmaker with an interesting story helped get Clerks a distribution deal, and it’s worked somewhat for others since, if only on smaller scale.
Below is the NSFW scene from Clerks that Tusk promised Weinstein he’d enjoy.
 Originally posted on:SpoutBlog</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: 10 Worst Sundance Sensations</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/1/13/39472.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t48535wq26t.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/9325/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog on spout.com</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 1/13/2009 5:01:36 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> Getting ready for the Sundance Film Festival can be very exciting. As we await the event’s Thursday opening, we can’t stop wondering what will be the next big thing. Will this year’s hit be the highly-anticipated Michael Cera project Paper Hearts, or will it be something that we as of yet know nothing about?
It’s easy to forget, however, that oftentimes the next big thing is also the next lamest thing. Sundance sensations, those films that are much-buzzed-about, that sell for a lot of money, that go on to be marketed like crazy and ultimately receive Oscar recognition, tend to lend themselves most easily to backlashes. Usually such derision is deserved, as in the case of the following ten films, each of which made a big splash at Sundance despite being bad.



10. Brick (Rian Johnson; 2005 Sundance premiere)
When Blade Runner was first released, critics attacked its novelty of combining film noir with science fiction. Yet when Brick arrived in Park City, its similar genre-bending mix of film noir and teen films was welcomed as the most original film in years. In both circumstances, critics were wrong, and while Blade Runner ultimately became a classic, Brick is retrospectively even sillier now than it was when it won a Special Jury Prize “for originality of vision” four years ago. Yes, the film is a fresh idea in theory, but it doesn’t really work on screen, no matter how much you want it to or think it does. It’s simply a novelty gag for film geeks who love noir — while not quite as enjoyable for fans of the teen genre. Is there really anyone who wouldn’t just rather watch a double feature of The Big Sleep and Heathers?



9. Little Miss Sunshine (Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris; 2006 Sundance premiere)
Never mind its impact on the culture of Sundance. The annoying “what will be the next Little Miss Sunshine?” idea was just a substitute for similar questions going back as far as 1990 (“what will be the next sex, lies, and videotape?”). The real problem with LMS is that it’s a decent dysfunctional family comedy that falls apart in the third act. On the positive side, it finally got Alan Arkin an Oscar. But on the more glaring negative side, it also got Abigail Breslin an Oscar nomination. Hardly worthy, also, of its Best Picture nod or its Best Original Screenplay win, the film’s success is the product of a terrific marketing team and moviegoers’ acceptance of cheesy endings — and has nothing to do with the quality of the film.



8. The Brothers McMullen (Edward Burns; 1995 Sundance premiere)
While the name Fox Searchlight is now synonymous with marketing the hell out of “indie” sensations like Little Miss Sunshine, Juno and Slumdog Millionaire, the specialty division has been overdoing it with unworthy films since the very first Sundance hit they distributed. The Brothers McMullen is not necessarily a bad film, but it isn’t anything special either. Some say the 1995 fest was the downward turning point for Sundance, whether because it showed us a major “sellout” who wasn’t actually as good as he’d been celebrated as being (Kevin Smith, who disappointed with his sophomore effort, Mallrats) or because a lackluster picture like McMullen won the Grand Jury Prize. And like Smith, Edward Burns ultimately revealed himself to be something of an embarrassment, talent-wise, to the reputation of Sundance alums.



7. Garden State (Zach Braff; 2004 Sundance premiere)
2004 was the year that indie quirkiness got out of hand at Sundance (see #3). Sure, Garden State got us all into The Shins, but it also got filmmakers too into a genre I call “homecoming of age” movies, those banal stories about twenty- and thirty- somethings who revisit their homes due to a dying or dead parent and involve themselves with wacky townies in the process. Any idiot can write a script of this type and fill it with quirky scenery and an obnoxious yet adorable love interest. Sundance must still be getting countless submissions of this kind of film, but unfortunately for the rest of the world’s idiot filmmakers, they aren’t TV stars like Zach Braff.



6. SherryBaby (Laurie Collyer; 2006 Sundance premiere)
Sundance has long been a haven for depressing films involving junkies and/or incest, but few have been as overrated as SherryBaby. Once again, it’s all about the star power, as the film might not have been so hyped had Maggie Gyllenhaal not been in the lead. Then again, it might have actually been a better film without her. Grandly over-praised for her performance as the easily played rehabilitating mom, the actress got undeserved kudos simply for being raw and despicable. Her Oscar snub was a relief, at least.



5. Born Into Brothels (Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman; 2004 Sundance premiere)
It may have won the documentary Audience Award at Sundance and the documentary Oscar a year later, but that doesn’t excuse Born Into Brothels from being a disgrace to nonfiction filmmaking. One of the most self-satisfying docs ever made, the film will forever be marked by its footage of co-director Zana Briski figuratively patting herself on the back during a fundraiser, with which she sinfully seeks sainthood for involving herself in the lives of her film’s subjects. If documentary was synonymous with charity, Born Into Brothels would indeed be a great film, but documentaries like this should merely be an inspiration to charity, not charity itself.



4. Masked and Anonymous (Larry Charles; 2003 Sundance premiere)
One of the most anticipated films of the 2003 festival due to a script co-written by Bob Dylan and an unbelievable cast including Dylan, Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Penelope Cruz, Ed Harris, Luke Wilson, Mickey Rourke, Angela Bassett, Jessica Lange and many other big names, the very messy Masked and Anonymous therefore ended up the biggest disappointment of that year. Its worth was later defended and praised by such critics as Jonathan Rosenbaum, who included it in his 2003 Top Ten list, and Salon.com’s Stephanie Zacharek. But most of us are in agreement that it’s one of the biggest wastes of talent in years.



3. Napoleon Dynamite (Jared Hess; 2004 Sundance premiere)
Napoleon Dynamite’s inclusion on this list is likely to upset more people than Brick’s, but at least the Brick devotees can defend their fandom with more than just shouts of “It’s funny!” Because the thing is, Napoleon Dynamite is not comedy. It is merely quirky, which is not the same thing as funny. Jared Hess’ pop culture phenomenon does feature some highly original characters and situations, but his execution of these elements is obvious and uninteresting. “Gosh!” is neither a good punchline nor a good catchphrase.



2. The Blair Witch Project (Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez; 1999 Sundance premiere)
It must be appreciated as much as attacked for its groundbreaking marketing campaign, and in many ways the film itself can be acknowledged for having a terrific premise with an almost perfect realization of that idea. But for the most part, The Blair Witch Project is a basic, amateur and poorly concluded effort that turned the appeal of indie simplicity on its head. Almost a decade earlier, when filmmakers saw Slacker and said “I can do that,” they were mostly mistaken. But The Blair Witch allowed every schmo with a digital camera to declare, “I can do that,” and be relatively correct in his or her statement. It’s okay for indie filmmaking to seem easy, but when it really is that easy, it degrades the truly talented.



1. Boxing Helena (Jennifer Lynch; 1993 Sundance premiere)
Cult appeal notwithstanding, Boxing Helena was one of the first really awful movies to be up for Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize. And although in the 17 years since, the festival has been easily criticized for allowing bad films with lots of buzz and/or big name talent to be included in competition, no film has been as unworthy as this. Had it starred original choice Madonna in the part of the titular amputee, Boxing Helena might have really deserved to at least become a midnight movie. However, with its lesser-name casting, it’s barely even good enough for Skinamax programming. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 13 Jan 2009 22:01:36 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>SpoutBlog</spout:postby><spout:postto>SpoutBlog on spout.com</spout:postto><spout:postdate>1/13/2009 5:01:36 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>Getting ready for the Sundance Film Festival can be very exciting. As we await the event’s Thursday opening, we can’t stop wondering what will be the next big thing. Will this year’s hit be the highly-anticipated Michael Cera project Paper Hearts, or will it be something that we as of yet know nothing about?
It’s easy to forget, however, that oftentimes the next big thing is also the next lamest thing. Sundance sensations, those films that are much-buzzed-about, that sell for a lot of money, that go on to be marketed like crazy and ultimately receive Oscar recognition, tend to lend themselves most easily to backlashes. Usually such derision is deserved, as in the case of the following ten films, each of which made a big splash at Sundance despite being bad.



10. Brick (Rian Johnson; 2005 Sundance premiere)
When Blade Runner was first released, critics attacked its novelty of combining film noir with science fiction. Yet when Brick arrived in Park City, its similar genre-bending mix of film noir and teen films was welcomed as the most original film in years. In both circumstances, critics were wrong, and while Blade Runner ultimately became a classic, Brick is retrospectively even sillier now than it was when it won a Special Jury Prize “for originality of vision” four years ago. Yes, the film is a fresh idea in theory, but it doesn’t really work on screen, no matter how much you want it to or think it does. It’s simply a novelty gag for film geeks who love noir — while not quite as enjoyable for fans of the teen genre. Is there really anyone who wouldn’t just rather watch a double feature of The Big Sleep and Heathers?



9. Little Miss Sunshine (Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris; 2006 Sundance premiere)
Never mind its impact on the culture of Sundance. The annoying “what will be the next Little Miss Sunshine?” idea was just a substitute for similar questions going back as far as 1990 (“what will be the next sex, lies, and videotape?”). The real problem with LMS is that it’s a decent dysfunctional family comedy that falls apart in the third act. On the positive side, it finally got Alan Arkin an Oscar. But on the more glaring negative side, it also got Abigail Breslin an Oscar nomination. Hardly worthy, also, of its Best Picture nod or its Best Original Screenplay win, the film’s success is the product of a terrific marketing team and moviegoers’ acceptance of cheesy endings — and has nothing to do with the quality of the film.



8. The Brothers McMullen (Edward Burns; 1995 Sundance premiere)
While the name Fox Searchlight is now synonymous with marketing the hell out of “indie” sensations like Little Miss Sunshine, Juno and Slumdog Millionaire, the specialty division has been overdoing it with unworthy films since the very first Sundance hit they distributed. The Brothers McMullen is not necessarily a bad film, but it isn’t anything special either. Some say the 1995 fest was the downward turning point for Sundance, whether because it showed us a major “sellout” who wasn’t actually as good as he’d been celebrated as being (Kevin Smith, who disappointed with his sophomore effort, Mallrats) or because a lackluster picture like McMullen won the Grand Jury Prize. And like Smith, Edward Burns ultimately revealed himself to be something of an embarrassment, talent-wise, to the reputation of Sundance alums.



7. Garden State (Zach Braff; 2004 Sundance premiere)
2004 was the year that indie quirkiness got out of hand at Sundance (see #3). Sure, Garden State got us all into The Shins, but it also got filmmakers too into a genre I call “homecoming of age” movies, those banal stories about twenty- and thirty- somethings who revisit their homes due to a dying or dead parent and involve themselves with wacky townies in the process. Any idiot can write a script of this type and fill it with quirky scenery and an obnoxious yet adorable love interest. Sundance must still be getting countless submissions of this kind of film, but unfortunately for the rest of the world’s idiot filmmakers, they aren’t TV stars like Zach Braff.



6. SherryBaby (Laurie Collyer; 2006 Sundance premiere)
Sundance has long been a haven for depressing films involving junkies and/or incest, but few have been as overrated as SherryBaby. Once again, it’s all about the star power, as the film might not have been so hyped had Maggie Gyllenhaal not been in the lead. Then again, it might have actually been a better film without her. Grandly over-praised for her performance as the easily played rehabilitating mom, the actress got undeserved kudos simply for being raw and despicable. Her Oscar snub was a relief, at least.



5. Born Into Brothels (Zana Briski and Ross Kauffman; 2004 Sundance premiere)
It may have won the documentary Audience Award at Sundance and the documentary Oscar a year later, but that doesn’t excuse Born Into Brothels from being a disgrace to nonfiction filmmaking. One of the most self-satisfying docs ever made, the film will forever be marked by its footage of co-director Zana Briski figuratively patting herself on the back during a fundraiser, with which she sinfully seeks sainthood for involving herself in the lives of her film’s subjects. If documentary was synonymous with charity, Born Into Brothels would indeed be a great film, but documentaries like this should merely be an inspiration to charity, not charity itself.



4. Masked and Anonymous (Larry Charles; 2003 Sundance premiere)
One of the most anticipated films of the 2003 festival due to a script co-written by Bob Dylan and an unbelievable cast including Dylan, Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Penelope Cruz, Ed Harris, Luke Wilson, Mickey Rourke, Angela Bassett, Jessica Lange and many other big names, the very messy Masked and Anonymous therefore ended up the biggest disappointment of that year. Its worth was later defended and praised by such critics as Jonathan Rosenbaum, who included it in his 2003 Top Ten list, and Salon.com’s Stephanie Zacharek. But most of us are in agreement that it’s one of the biggest wastes of talent in years.



3. Napoleon Dynamite (Jared Hess; 2004 Sundance premiere)
Napoleon Dynamite’s inclusion on this list is likely to upset more people than Brick’s, but at least the Brick devotees can defend their fandom with more than just shouts of “It’s funny!” Because the thing is, Napoleon Dynamite is not comedy. It is merely quirky, which is not the same thing as funny. Jared Hess’ pop culture phenomenon does feature some highly original characters and situations, but his execution of these elements is obvious and uninteresting. “Gosh!” is neither a good punchline nor a good catchphrase.



2. The Blair Witch Project (Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez; 1999 Sundance premiere)
It must be appreciated as much as attacked for its groundbreaking marketing campaign, and in many ways the film itself can be acknowledged for having a terrific premise with an almost perfect realization of that idea. But for the most part, The Blair Witch Project is a basic, amateur and poorly concluded effort that turned the appeal of indie simplicity on its head. Almost a decade earlier, when filmmakers saw Slacker and said “I can do that,” they were mostly mistaken. But The Blair Witch allowed every schmo with a digital camera to declare, “I can do that,” and be relatively correct in his or her statement. It’s okay for indie filmmaking to seem easy, but when it really is that easy, it degrades the truly talented.



1. Boxing Helena (Jennifer Lynch; 1993 Sundance premiere)
Cult appeal notwithstanding, Boxing Helena was one of the first really awful movies to be up for Sundance’s Grand Jury Prize. And although in the 17 years since, the festival has been easily criticized for allowing bad films with lots of buzz and/or big name talent to be included in competition, no film has been as unworthy as this. Had it starred original choice Madonna in the part of the titular amputee, Boxing Helena might have really deserved to at least become a midnight movie. However, with its lesser-name casting, it’s barely even good enough for Skinamax programming. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Sundance Stories of Yore: Slacker</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2009/1/12/39421.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t48535wq26t.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/9325/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog on spout.com</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 1/12/2009 4:01:02 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> Each day this week, Christopher Campbell will take a look back at a “classic” film that played the Sundance Film Festival. Today’s installment: Richard Linklater’s Slacker (1991).
Richard Linklater’s breakthrough film, Slacker, almost never played Sundance. According to John Pierson’s book Spike, Mike, Slackers & Dykes, Competition Director Alberto Garcia “did not particularly like the film.” In fact, Linklater was initially rejected when he submitted Slacker for the 1990 festival, at the time still called the US Film Festival. So, that summer, he self-released the film in his hometown of Austin, Texas, with much success. But the biggest success was yet to come.

That same year the film was selected for at least one other film fest, Seattle, and after being reviewed there by Film Comment’s Robert Horton, Slacker acquired the interests of both Orion Classics and Pierson, who had already earned his reputation for being an indie film guru. However, even with a distributor and a high profile rep behind the film, Garcia was still hesitant.
Something finally convinced him, and Slacker was reluctantly invited to the 1991 fest, now officially renamed Sundance, alongside such important films as Hal Hartley’s Trust, Barbara Kopple’s American Dream and Todd Haynes’ Poison. Yet even then it was slow in garnering fans. Pierson writes that the film’s 10PM Saturday night screening at the Egyptian consisted of the following reception: “one-third loved it, one-third walked out, and one-third fell asleep.”
By the end of the next week, Slacker had fared better in subsequent screenings, but it lost the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize to Poison. At least it showed at Sundance, though, and Linklater was able to become one of the festival’s most prestigious alumni (ten years later he would even premiere two new films, Waking Life and Tape, at the 2001 fest). Nowadays, Sundance might not accept a film it had already rejected, particularly if that film screened at other festivals before playing Park City, since the big fests now prefer to feature exclusive premieres.
Slacker is available for free in its entirety on Hulu and on YouTube. The latter version is embedded below without commercial interruption:
 Originally posted on:SpoutBlog<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 12 Jan 2009 21:01:02 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>SpoutBlog</spout:postby><spout:postto>SpoutBlog on spout.com</spout:postto><spout:postdate>1/12/2009 4:01:02 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>Each day this week, Christopher Campbell will take a look back at a “classic” film that played the Sundance Film Festival. Today’s installment: Richard Linklater’s Slacker (1991).
Richard Linklater’s breakthrough film, Slacker, almost never played Sundance. According to John Pierson’s book Spike, Mike, Slackers &amp; Dykes, Competition Director Alberto Garcia “did not particularly like the film.” In fact, Linklater was initially rejected when he submitted Slacker for the 1990 festival, at the time still called the US Film Festival. So, that summer, he self-released the film in his hometown of Austin, Texas, with much success. But the biggest success was yet to come.

That same year the film was selected for at least one other film fest, Seattle, and after being reviewed there by Film Comment’s Robert Horton, Slacker acquired the interests of both Orion Classics and Pierson, who had already earned his reputation for being an indie film guru. However, even with a distributor and a high profile rep behind the film, Garcia was still hesitant.
Something finally convinced him, and Slacker was reluctantly invited to the 1991 fest, now officially renamed Sundance, alongside such important films as Hal Hartley’s Trust, Barbara Kopple’s American Dream and Todd Haynes’ Poison. Yet even then it was slow in garnering fans. Pierson writes that the film’s 10PM Saturday night screening at the Egyptian consisted of the following reception: “one-third loved it, one-third walked out, and one-third fell asleep.”
By the end of the next week, Slacker had fared better in subsequent screenings, but it lost the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize to Poison. At least it showed at Sundance, though, and Linklater was able to become one of the festival’s most prestigious alumni (ten years later he would even premiere two new films, Waking Life and Tape, at the 2001 fest). Nowadays, Sundance might not accept a film it had already rejected, particularly if that film screened at other festivals before playing Park City, since the big fests now prefer to feature exclusive premieres.
Slacker is available for free in its entirety on Hulu and on YouTube. The latter version is embedded below without commercial interruption:
 Originally posted on:SpoutBlog</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Re:Weekly Theme for October 13: Just One Day</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/Re_Weekly_Theme_for_October_13_Just_One_Day/625/36297/1/ShowPost.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t48535wq26t.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/5353/default.aspx'>Risselada</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/groups/Weekly_Theme/625/discussions.aspx'>Weekly Theme</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 10/14/2008 2:55:59 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> The Taking of Pelham One Two Three - one of the best action/thriller/comedy movies ever made.  A lot of it takes place in almost real time. 12 Angry Men - another one that's almost in real time, so certainly within a day. Magnolia - the EPIC of one day films. Clerks. - he was supposed to have that day off High Noon - also almost real time Kids - I think this was just one day.  It feels like it. Rope - real time My Dinner with Andre - real time Most movies based on classical theater will take place within 24 hours since this was one of the ancient restriction of good theatre.  Time, space, and subject were all supposed to be remain the same. More Linklater films - Before Sunrise / Before Sunset / Slacker These come up under one night I think Night of the Living Dead Goonies Die Hard Escape from New York Harold &amp; Kumar Go to White Castle  <br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 14 Oct 2008 18:55:59 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>Risselada</spout:postby><spout:postto>Weekly Theme</spout:postto><spout:postdate>10/14/2008 2:55:59 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>The Taking of Pelham One Two Three - one of the best action/thriller/comedy movies ever made.  A lot of it takes place in almost real time. 12 Angry Men - another one that's almost in real time, so certainly within a day. Magnolia - the EPIC of one day films. Clerks. - he was supposed to have that day off High Noon - also almost real time Kids - I think this was just one day.  It feels like it. Rope - real time My Dinner with Andre - real time Most movies based on classical theater will take place within 24 hours since this was one of the ancient restriction of good theatre.  Time, space, and subject were all supposed to be remain the same. More Linklater films - Before Sunrise / Before Sunset / Slacker These come up under one night I think Night of the Living Dead Goonies Die Hard Escape from New York Harold &amp;amp; Kumar Go to White Castle  </spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: SLACKER on Hulu</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/karina/archive/2008/10/9/36097.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t48535wq26t.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/19702/default.aspx'>Karina</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/karina/default.aspx'>Karina on SpoutBlog</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 10/9/2008 1:01:21 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> 
In a post published today on Hulu’s official blog, Kevin Smith reminisces about his 21st birthday, which he spent driving from New Jersey to New York to see Richard Linklater’s Slacker. Inspired by J. Hoberman’s Village Voice review, Smith says, “the promise of a scene centered on a Madonna pap smear of questionable authenticity was bait enough to lure us from the Jersey ‘burbs into the wilds of Manhattan-after-dark.”
17 years later, thanks to Hulu, no one will ever have to drive an hour each way for the Madonna pap smear scene again. Slacker is embedded above. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:01:21 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>Karina</spout:postby><spout:postto>Karina on SpoutBlog</spout:postto><spout:postdate>10/9/2008 1:01:21 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>
In a post published today on Hulu’s official blog, Kevin Smith reminisces about his 21st birthday, which he spent driving from New Jersey to New York to see Richard Linklater’s Slacker. Inspired by J. Hoberman’s Village Voice review, Smith says, “the promise of a scene centered on a Madonna pap smear of questionable authenticity was bait enough to lure us from the Jersey ‘burbs into the wilds of Manhattan-after-dark.”
17 years later, thanks to Hulu, no one will ever have to drive an hour each way for the Madonna pap smear scene again. Slacker is embedded above. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog » Karina Longworth</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: SLACKER on Hulu</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/10/9/36096.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t48535wq26t.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/9325/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog on spout.com</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 10/9/2008 1:01:01 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> 
In a post published today on Hulu’s official blog, Kevin Smith reminisces about his 21st birthday, which he spent driving from New Jersey to New York to see Richard Linklater’s Slacker. Inspired by J. Hoberman’s Village Voice review, Smith says, “the promise of a scene centered on a Madonna pap smear of questionable authenticity was bait enough to lure us from the Jersey ‘burbs into the wilds of Manhattan-after-dark.”
17 years later, thanks to Hulu, no one will ever have to drive an hour each way for the Madonna pap smear scene again. Slacker is embedded above. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:01:01 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>SpoutBlog</spout:postby><spout:postto>SpoutBlog on spout.com</spout:postto><spout:postdate>10/9/2008 1:01:01 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>
In a post published today on Hulu’s official blog, Kevin Smith reminisces about his 21st birthday, which he spent driving from New Jersey to New York to see Richard Linklater’s Slacker. Inspired by J. Hoberman’s Village Voice review, Smith says, “the promise of a scene centered on a Madonna pap smear of questionable authenticity was bait enough to lure us from the Jersey ‘burbs into the wilds of Manhattan-after-dark.”
17 years later, thanks to Hulu, no one will ever have to drive an hour each way for the Madonna pap smear scene again. Slacker is embedded above. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: 10 More ’90s Indies to Franchise</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/6/5/30563.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t48535wq26t.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/9325/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog on spout.com</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 6/5/2008 3:01:05 PM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> Now that we know, courtesy of Stu at Defamer, that Werner Herzog’s remake of Abel Ferrara’s Bad Lieutenant is not so much a remake as it is like a new entry into a franchise, a la the James Bond movies, we at SpoutBlog wonder what other ’90s indie favorites could be continued with similar yet “completely different” installments.
I remember back in the day thinking that Clerks should be a franchise, each film focusing on a different crappy job experience, but now that Clerks II has come and gone, that idea will likely never be realized. Of course, the concept of sequels unrelated to the original aren’t new — just look at any sequel title substituting the number 2 (or II) with the word Too. But nevertheless, here’s a few suggestions for other crazy foreign auteurs to take into consideration:

Kids - Looking back, Larry Clark’s then-shocking debut is pretty tame. Nowadays you see teens doing worse things on commercial television. So, how about someone makes another Kids movie every decade or so to expose us to the latest generation of teenagers and how appallingly different they are from the previous generation. It would be like Apted’s Up documentaries, except it wouldn’t follow the same people.

Slacker - This is Karina’s suggestion, off the top of her head, so I’ll give her credit. She likes the idea of Linklater revisiting the concept behind his monumental indie, but having it set in other cities, a la The Real World. Unlike the premise of the next Real World, though, I’d be much more excited about a Slacker Brooklyn.
Leaving Las Vegas - While we’re on the idea of transplanting locations, and because Herzog is setting his Bad Lieutenant in New Orleans rather than New York, let’s mention some films whose remakes sequels next installments could feature title changes depending on their location changes. Leaving Boston might not have the same ring to it, though. What about King of New York redone as King of St. Louis? Of course, Abel Ferrara is already turning King of New York into a franchise with Pericle il Nero, a prequel that isn’t quite a prequel (strange that he would have a problem with Herzog’s film, then).
Swingers - This one is easy. Take some hot new subculture/dance craze/music scene and exploit it, so none of the original followers like it anymore and all of the new followers can be labeled posers (no, of course I’m not bitter). Swingers wasn’t the first movie to do it; Saturday Night Fever and probably a few ’50s rock ‘n’ roll movies were viewed the same way. I wonder what scene is cool with the alternative kids these days …
The Big One - Following the success of Roger and Me, Michael Moore made this documentary in which he attempts to get interviews with other corporate heads. But now his films are mostly political and there’s less attention paid towards companies like General Motors and Nike. Sure, we’ve since seen some worthy substitutes, including The Corporation, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room and Super Size Me, but I’d like Moore to return to his hunting of the villains of capitalism and give up on his pursuit of 9/11 answers.
Breaking the Waves - Surely most movie execs were shocked at how unsexy Von Trier’s film was. After all, the story of a crippled man who sends his wife out to sleep with men for his vicarious benefit sounds like an erotic, softcore, Skinamax kind of thing. So, when do we get Breaking the Waves Too, about another crippled man with a much younger, hotter wife (just FYI, I personally have always had a crush on Emily Watson)? And since it will be have to be direct-to-video will it still need to avoid the nauseating shaky cam that made so many people sick in the theater?
Sling Blade - Having recently seen Robert Duvall in the 1972 film Tomorrow, I now know that Billy Bob Thornton’s “Karl Childers” is not that unique a character. For the next installment, I’d like to see Karl (well, a character like Karl) and his southern gothic story set in New York City. It would make about as much sense as Bad Lieutenant being set in NOLA.
Being John Malkovich - Who hasn’t wanted a franchise in which each installment goes inside the head of a different cult-figure actor? Even if it would ruin the original just a little big, I’d love Being Jeff Goldblum or Being Christopher Walken. The latter would be enormously popular.
Kolya - This Oscar-winning foreign film showed us that heartwarming tales of old, curmudgeonly Sean Connery lookalikes who learn to love the young child they’re forced to take care of are universal. But I’d like to see the same plot in other countries besides Czechoslovakia, just to be sure.
Waiting for Guffman - Oh wait, Christopher Guest has been continually remaking this movie, only without association. Never mind.
 Originally posted on:SpoutBlog<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 05 Jun 2008 19:01:05 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>SpoutBlog</spout:postby><spout:postto>SpoutBlog on spout.com</spout:postto><spout:postdate>6/5/2008 3:01:05 PM</spout:postdate><spout:body>Now that we know, courtesy of Stu at Defamer, that Werner Herzog’s remake of Abel Ferrara’s Bad Lieutenant is not so much a remake as it is like a new entry into a franchise, a la the James Bond movies, we at SpoutBlog wonder what other ’90s indie favorites could be continued with similar yet “completely different” installments.
I remember back in the day thinking that Clerks should be a franchise, each film focusing on a different crappy job experience, but now that Clerks II has come and gone, that idea will likely never be realized. Of course, the concept of sequels unrelated to the original aren’t new — just look at any sequel title substituting the number 2 (or II) with the word Too. But nevertheless, here’s a few suggestions for other crazy foreign auteurs to take into consideration:

Kids - Looking back, Larry Clark’s then-shocking debut is pretty tame. Nowadays you see teens doing worse things on commercial television. So, how about someone makes another Kids movie every decade or so to expose us to the latest generation of teenagers and how appallingly different they are from the previous generation. It would be like Apted’s Up documentaries, except it wouldn’t follow the same people.

Slacker - This is Karina’s suggestion, off the top of her head, so I’ll give her credit. She likes the idea of Linklater revisiting the concept behind his monumental indie, but having it set in other cities, a la The Real World. Unlike the premise of the next Real World, though, I’d be much more excited about a Slacker Brooklyn.
Leaving Las Vegas - While we’re on the idea of transplanting locations, and because Herzog is setting his Bad Lieutenant in New Orleans rather than New York, let’s mention some films whose remakes sequels next installments could feature title changes depending on their location changes. Leaving Boston might not have the same ring to it, though. What about King of New York redone as King of St. Louis? Of course, Abel Ferrara is already turning King of New York into a franchise with Pericle il Nero, a prequel that isn’t quite a prequel (strange that he would have a problem with Herzog’s film, then).
Swingers - This one is easy. Take some hot new subculture/dance craze/music scene and exploit it, so none of the original followers like it anymore and all of the new followers can be labeled posers (no, of course I’m not bitter). Swingers wasn’t the first movie to do it; Saturday Night Fever and probably a few ’50s rock ‘n’ roll movies were viewed the same way. I wonder what scene is cool with the alternative kids these days …
The Big One - Following the success of Roger and Me, Michael Moore made this documentary in which he attempts to get interviews with other corporate heads. But now his films are mostly political and there’s less attention paid towards companies like General Motors and Nike. Sure, we’ve since seen some worthy substitutes, including The Corporation, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room and Super Size Me, but I’d like Moore to return to his hunting of the villains of capitalism and give up on his pursuit of 9/11 answers.
Breaking the Waves - Surely most movie execs were shocked at how unsexy Von Trier’s film was. After all, the story of a crippled man who sends his wife out to sleep with men for his vicarious benefit sounds like an erotic, softcore, Skinamax kind of thing. So, when do we get Breaking the Waves Too, about another crippled man with a much younger, hotter wife (just FYI, I personally have always had a crush on Emily Watson)? And since it will be have to be direct-to-video will it still need to avoid the nauseating shaky cam that made so many people sick in the theater?
Sling Blade - Having recently seen Robert Duvall in the 1972 film Tomorrow, I now know that Billy Bob Thornton’s “Karl Childers” is not that unique a character. For the next installment, I’d like to see Karl (well, a character like Karl) and his southern gothic story set in New York City. It would make about as much sense as Bad Lieutenant being set in NOLA.
Being John Malkovich - Who hasn’t wanted a franchise in which each installment goes inside the head of a different cult-figure actor? Even if it would ruin the original just a little big, I’d love Being Jeff Goldblum or Being Christopher Walken. The latter would be enormously popular.
Kolya - This Oscar-winning foreign film showed us that heartwarming tales of old, curmudgeonly Sean Connery lookalikes who learn to love the young child they’re forced to take care of are universal. But I’d like to see the same plot in other countries besides Czechoslovakia, just to be sure.
Waiting for Guffman - Oh wait, Christopher Guest has been continually remaking this movie, only without association. Never mind.
 Originally posted on:SpoutBlog</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Siskel + Ebert + Roeper, Online 4EVAH</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2007/8/2/17054.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t48535wq26t.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/9325/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog on spout.com</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 8/2/2007 9:00:48 AM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> 
I’ve spent the morning playing around with AtTheMovies.com, a new site which serves up every existent episode of Siskel & Ebert and Ebert & Roeper online, for free. Just from a QA standpoint, it looks like there are a few bugs to work out: the above image is a screenshot of Siskel’s head from their Slacker review; the entire clip has that big black rectangle taking up half its frame. I also had a bit of trouble navigating from clip to clip; something about the way the site uses flash makes it difficult to get to a clip you’ve previously watched without searching for it all over again.
But tech issues aside, watching the clips can be a lot of fun. It’s amazing to see Ebert casually parceling out historical context in a review of something like The Lost Boys, which he actually seriously considers on its own merits before ultimately giving it a thumbs down for being “too ambitious.” Can you imagine a contemporary TV critic praising the star of a teen vampire flick for his “good, tough performance”? Somebody should really watch representative sample from each of the 20 years worth of shows, to try to pinpoint the exact moment when televised film criticism began to devolve from actual, semi-intellectual criticism to sheer consumer advocacy. Anybody up to the challenge?

      
 Originally posted on:Spoutblog<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 02 Aug 2007 13:00:48 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>SpoutBlog</spout:postby><spout:postto>SpoutBlog on spout.com</spout:postto><spout:postdate>8/2/2007 9:00:48 AM</spout:postdate><spout:body>
I’ve spent the morning playing around with AtTheMovies.com, a new site which serves up every existent episode of Siskel &amp; Ebert and Ebert &amp; Roeper online, for free. Just from a QA standpoint, it looks like there are a few bugs to work out: the above image is a screenshot of Siskel’s head from their Slacker review; the entire clip has that big black rectangle taking up half its frame. I also had a bit of trouble navigating from clip to clip; something about the way the site uses flash makes it difficult to get to a clip you’ve previously watched without searching for it all over again.
But tech issues aside, watching the clips can be a lot of fun. It’s amazing to see Ebert casually parceling out historical context in a review of something like The Lost Boys, which he actually seriously considers on its own merits before ultimately giving it a thumbs down for being “too ambitious.” Can you imagine a contemporary TV critic praising the star of a teen vampire flick for his “good, tough performance”? Somebody should really watch representative sample from each of the 20 years worth of shows, to try to pinpoint the exact moment when televised film criticism began to devolve from actual, semi-intellectual criticism to sheer consumer advocacy. Anybody up to the challenge?

      
 Originally posted on:Spoutblog</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Post: Transformers and Gen-X Nostalgia</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2007/7/24/15690.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div><img align='left' src='http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t48535wq26t.jpg' hspace='10' style='height:80px;' />
<strong>Post By:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/members/9325/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog</a><br/>
<strong>Post To:</strong> <a href='http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/default.aspx'>SpoutBlog on spout.com</a><br/>
<strong>Post Date:</strong> 7/24/2007 11:03:25 AM<br/>
<strong>Body:</strong> Over at PopMatters, Charles Moss has posted a lengthy consideration of Michael Bay’s Transformers as a “Generation X” phenomenon. An excerpt:
Brian Goldner, Hasbro’s chief operating officer, realized that most of the boys who played with Transformers in the ‘80s are now adult men. He knew that we would be suckers for it. And we are. We’ve become nostalgia-loving adults who find it comforting to revel in childhood as a sign that we don’t take ourselves as seriously as our parents, the baby boomers, had. It’s not that we have refused to grow up, but like the transforming toys we loved so much, the transformation from childhood to adulthood is one which we want to take our time making, figuring out the right twists and turns, making sure every piece of our lives is in place.
Oddly, though Moss’s piece has much to say about slackers, it’s got nothing to say about Slacker.
Moss credits Kevin Smith with bringing “Generation X out of the fanboy closet with 1994’s Clerks, which started a string of films dealing with 20-something slackers who spent most of their time discussing the finer points of Star Wars or superhero sex,” but he doesn’t mention Richard Linklater. I don’t know about you, but to me it seems more and more like Linklater is the true stand-out director of that pack of early-to-mid 90s Sundance brats, the only one with the ability to speak to tendencies common to an entire generation, and not just the Jersey-based comic-gobbling wing of it (I actually wouldn’t want to knock Kevin Smith specifically–there are numerous other directors who could be cited for nailing one specific aspect of Gen X culture while failing to grasp the bigger picture, from Gregg Araki to Wes Anderson to–but Moss brought it up).  (more…)

      
 Originally posted on:Spoutblog<br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 24 Jul 2007 15:03:25 GMT</pubDate><spout:postby>SpoutBlog</spout:postby><spout:postto>SpoutBlog on spout.com</spout:postto><spout:postdate>7/24/2007 11:03:25 AM</spout:postdate><spout:body>Over at PopMatters, Charles Moss has posted a lengthy consideration of Michael Bay’s Transformers as a “Generation X” phenomenon. An excerpt:
Brian Goldner, Hasbro’s chief operating officer, realized that most of the boys who played with Transformers in the ‘80s are now adult men. He knew that we would be suckers for it. And we are. We’ve become nostalgia-loving adults who find it comforting to revel in childhood as a sign that we don’t take ourselves as seriously as our parents, the baby boomers, had. It’s not that we have refused to grow up, but like the transforming toys we loved so much, the transformation from childhood to adulthood is one which we want to take our time making, figuring out the right twists and turns, making sure every piece of our lives is in place.
Oddly, though Moss’s piece has much to say about slackers, it’s got nothing to say about Slacker.
Moss credits Kevin Smith with bringing “Generation X out of the fanboy closet with 1994’s Clerks, which started a string of films dealing with 20-something slackers who spent most of their time discussing the finer points of Star Wars or superhero sex,” but he doesn’t mention Richard Linklater. I don’t know about you, but to me it seems more and more like Linklater is the true stand-out director of that pack of early-to-mid 90s Sundance brats, the only one with the ability to speak to tendencies common to an entire generation, and not just the Jersey-based comic-gobbling wing of it (I actually wouldn’t want to knock Kevin Smith specifically–there are numerous other directors who could be cited for nailing one specific aspect of Gen X culture while failing to grasp the bigger picture, from Gregg Araki to Wes Anderson to–but Moss brought it up).  (more…)

      
 Originally posted on:Spoutblog</spout:body></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:war</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/war/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/war/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>war</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 6175</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 179</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 606</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:02:41 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>6175</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>179</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>606</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:music</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/music/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/music/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>music</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 4341</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 144</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 481</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 01 Dec 2009 19:51:44 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>4341</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>144</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>481</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:assassination</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/assassination/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/assassination/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>assassination</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 1052</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 44</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 90</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:55:14 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>1052</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>44</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>90</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:robbery</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/robbery/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/robbery/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>robbery</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 3798</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 42</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 103</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 11 Sep 2009 21:33:51 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>3798</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>42</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>103</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:artist</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/artist/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/artist/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>artist</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 2120</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 38</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 75</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:50:40 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>2120</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>38</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>75</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:Spanish</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Spanish/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/Spanish/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>Spanish</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 44</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 27</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 54</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 20 Jul 2009 04:20:59 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>44</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>27</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>54</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:philosophy</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/philosophy/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/philosophy/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>philosophy</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 489</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 26</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 35</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:12:13 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>489</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>26</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>35</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:student</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/student/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/student/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>student</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 1420</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 24</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 63</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 17 Nov 2009 18:35:57 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>1420</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>24</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>63</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:selfdiscovery</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/selfdiscovery/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/selfdiscovery/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>selfdiscovery</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 514</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 22</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 38</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:56:35 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>514</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>22</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>38</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:eccentric</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/eccentric/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/eccentric/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>eccentric</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 382</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 18</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 28</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:04:09 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>382</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>18</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>28</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:slacker</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/slacker/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/slacker/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>slacker</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 95</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 18</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 25</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2009 17:55:14 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>95</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>18</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>25</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:psychic</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/psychic/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/psychic/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>psychic</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 276</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 15</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 23</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Sun, 16 Aug 2009 05:39:34 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>276</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>15</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>23</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:Madonna</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Madonna/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/Madonna/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>Madonna</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 15</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 14</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 23</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 04 Dec 2009 00:50:41 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>15</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>14</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>23</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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      <title>Spout Tag:anarchy</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/anarchy/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/anarchy/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>anarchy</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 96</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 12</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 15</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Thu, 16 Apr 2009 13:02:03 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>96</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>12</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>15</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
    <item>
      <title>Spout Tag:thief</title>
      <link>http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/thief/MemberTagFilms.aspx</link><description><![CDATA[<div style='display:block;height:120px;width:400px;font:10px/10px Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;'><a href='/members/0/tags/thief/MemberTagFilms.aspx'>thief</a>
<strong><br/> Number of films tagged:</strong> 358</br><br/>
<strong>Number of people who tagged:</strong> 12</br><br/>
<strong>Number of times used:</strong> 20</br><br/>
</div>]]></description><pubDate>Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:03:15 GMT</pubDate><spout:numFilms>358</spout:numFilms><spout:numPeople>12</spout:numPeople><spout:timesUsed>20</spout:timesUsed><spout:type>Tag</spout:type></item>
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