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To try to dissect your argument, I'm reading two complaints: an unsympathetic protagonist, and a narrative that doesn't serve him a just fate. People might have different views about how "unsympathetic" Bickle is. He is definitely a pathetic/tragic/unlikeable figure, but as to whether we can relate to his mindset at all (as the Uber driver could) depends on whether we detest/criticize society even more than we detest/criticize the protagonist. Are we like Bickle, looking out from behind glass, throwing spitballs at the world from a distant remove, or are we an active part of that dirty, pornographic, politically phony society? The first complaint is answered by not how much we like Bickle, but how interesting we find him. Raskolnikoff, Macbeth, Holden Caulfield, were all S.O.B.s. None of us would want to hang out with any of them, but we are fascinated by them. Patrick Bateman from "American Psycho" is kind of an 80's Travis Bickle. He is also completely absolved at the end, which is a critique of 80s Reaganism as much as Taxi Driver was a critique of its own era. So the "happy ending" is really anything but. I wanted to respond to this because I actually felt the same way about Raging Bull upon first viewing. I did not give a shit about Jake LaMotta, and didn't care for the film as a result. I must have seen something relatable, if not sympathetic, about Bickle that I couldn't about LaMotta.

Katie... No girl. No. You need to ghost him. NOW! There's being kinky and there's demanding you say you have a life altering diseases people die from. What's next? smallpox or he is only into STI's? I mean I know my all time favorite bad movie Showgirls has the line "Everybody got AIDS and shit" but if your gonna try roleplaying Showgirls there's so many better moments.

I have to confess that I don't get the praise heaped upon Taxi Driver at all. It's a story about an isolated and psychologically unwell man who, in his alienation, becomes increasingly angry about his lot in life/the perceived failings of women and minorities/the state of the world until he concludes that the only way he can make his mark and right society's wrongs is through violence. And (overlooking Paul's alternate interpretation of the ending) Bickle is ultimately vindicated: he murders a bunch of "filth" to "rescue" an innocent, is hailed as a hero in the press, and even gains the grudging respect of the woman who once rejected him. Viewed for the first time in 2018, it reads more like Elliot Rodger apologia than a critique of misogyny. What am I missing? I am genuinely perplexed.

I love when directors don't just do a cameo for the sake of doing a cameo, but decide that they are going to play the most sadistic fuck in their own movie. The other classic example is Roman Polanski in Chinatown, who slices Jack Nicholson's nose. And not exactly sadistic, but it's disturbing when Spike Lee himself (as Mookie) throws the trash can through the window that sets off the riot in Do The Right Thing.

...

Mind blown. Now who is 7 Up the uncola?

Amy mentioned that Scorsese seemed to make a lot of movies in the "same" mold, but IMO that's only true if you look at his movies that have become the most famous. Those are usually violent movies, often involving gangsters (or at least loud Italian Americans). But if you go into the "deep cuts," his career is more varied than he gets credit for: Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore The Last Waltz New York, New York The King of Comedy After Hours The Last Temptation of Christ The Age of Innocence Kundun The Aviator Hugo Silence Seems like a lot of different stuff tackled there: small character studies, a concert film, movies about religion, a musical, a television satire, period costume dramas, a tribute to classic silent cinema. He's not always doing the same thing.

Why am I not surprised that RC Cola is the drink of choice of skeevy, 1970's porn theaters?

If I'm not mistaken, yes this movie did inspire him update: looked it up. Hinckley's lawyers actually brought up Taxi Driver in court

This so much. I don't know what to do with bros who so aggressively misinterpret these movies. Some people have the impulse to blame the filmmakers for making a movie that so many people didn't "get," but on the other hand I have little doubt that if they made a movie that aggressively celebrates the positive experiences of women or non-white people, those same bros wouldn't see the value in that either. Some people only see what they want to see -- just like Travis Bickle.

I need to smoke a cig, cuz you just fucked my shit all kinds of up

Apparently they also use dead fish like fleshlights to jack off with? There's video of it in one of the articles on shitty dolphin behavior I found but I was too afraid to watch it. Similar to Meatloaf I will do lots of things in the name of scientific research but watching dolphin porn ... I just won't do that. I will however watch a dolphin chew a puffer fish and pass it around like a fishy bong so they can get a high.

Very cool having a private hangout with 3 of my best friends. Thanks for the memories guys!

Well if your dolphin patronus is FEMALE, Taylor Anne, I bet it's cool? Most of the dolphins who played "Flipper" were female. I bet they never had dicks out. I quote wikipedia: "Female dolphins were chosen because they are less aggressive than males and their skins (unlike the skins of male dolphins) are usually free from scars and other disfigurations acquired in altercations with other dolphins, making it easier to have them pass for the identical "Flipper". As for if a dolphin can really "rape" another dolphin. It's possible the some of the females have evolved to want a gang bang? Who knows. I don't want to slut shame female dolphins. I have however read of male dolphins raping whales? like through the blow hole? And that's how they breathe so, like, it could be dangerous? (Male dolphins have also tried this with other male dolphins--see Ricky Gervais' comedy.) It's not just humans. And the inter-species stuff is freaky to me.

NO!!!! WE CAN'T BE INCLUSIVE!!! ANYONE WHO IS TEAM ANGLERFISH IS DEAD TO ME!!!!!!

Which is why I said except for the rape because it's horrid that that is how dolphins attack humans and that does warrant some anti-dolphin conversations.

Even for "dolphin rape" -- it's always dicey to judge all animal behavior by human standards. And if we are talking about human standards, then IIRC dolphins attack humans far less often than sharks, so I think the latter have earned their poor standing there.

There's also the "Sea World" effect. People like animals that can do funny tricks.

life is better with brothers

I’ve been saying dolphins are the jerks of the sea!

I just want to take this opportunity to remind everyone that the true monstrosity of the seas are dolphins not sharks. Sharks are relatively harmless. According to PBS Nova of there are nearly 500 kinds of shark but only a dozen are dangerous to humans. You're more likely to be hit by lightning than attacked by a shark. I'm sure the chance of dolphin rape and /or attack is equally low but sharks don't go around playing with the corpses of the dead infants they've killed so I like them slightly more. I've ranted about dolphins before so here's an old article from Slate: http://www.slate.com/blogs/xx_factor/2009/05/13/dolphins_are_violent_predators_that_kill_their_own_babies.html

Nicole needs to have Jason on "Why Won't You Date Me?" immediately now.

Dash Grabum! I never get tired of hearing an astonished Scott and guest(s) reacting to Zach masterfully explaining the actual mechanics of the Pokémon games. Also, Blastoise shall now forever be pronounced /'blæstwa/.