NRoberson86

The jokes are often cheap. Nothing feels earned. Talk on the podcast was though this is some revered comedy these days. I haven't had this movie be a constant presence since the days of friends going into a Blockbuster stoned and not knowing what to walk out with. It's OK. It has a few good laughs. Not worthy of The Canon.

And Minority Report is on HBO Go/Now.

If you can stomach some commercials here and there, it's streaming for free at TubiTV: https://tubitv.com/video/307567/seconds

I'm voting no. This is a decent film, but the pacing is a bit off. Maybe it's knowing the twist that makes one feel this way. Had not seen this before, but knew what a "Stepford Wife" was. I was begging this thing to get to its reveal. In hindsight, perhaps that's what made Get Out a better viewing experience: not knowing the details of the scheme. Also, Get Out's humor played better to me. Again, I think it's an interesting film with a thought-provoking story. Yet I don't find it to be engrossing enough to be worthy of the Canon. Many of the performances felt a bit stilted to me, especially that of Paula Prentiss and the Men's Club. Like Putney Swope, this is a film I would love to discuss, but do not think of as an all-time great.

Today a Nazi killed someone in America and the president said there were "many sides" to it. A very dark day. As the news unfolded I was watching The Battle of Algiers. That felt very awkward and surreal. Later in the evening I watched Nine to Five, and I felt empowered, committing myself to attending a rally at Union Square to protest the Nazis. But damn if Whorehouse isn't charming as all get out. Nine to Five gets it though. Watching Tomlin as Snow White killing her boss is incredible. Watching Dolly is always amazing. Let's overthrow our bosses and construct worker committee rule like these ladies do.

Man, this thing IS really hard to get ahold of legitimately. There's a 480p copy up at DailyMotion:

This is the kind of movie I love being introduced to, showing other people, and talking about with curious strangers at a bar. It is experimental and unabashedly messy. One of the all time pinnacles of film though? Not so sure. I vote no.

I ended up voting no for most of the reasons discussed on the podcast. It took me three days to trudge through the first hour of the movie. That might mark me as a bad viewer, but it's the truth. The musical numbers are spectacular, sans the casual racism of the time. However, from the sound of it, there are better Berkeley films out there. I have not seen them though, but I now want to and will seek them out as soon as my current batch of library DVDs gets returned. In terms of the racist elements and the trouble with a "That's the way it was!" argument, I kept thinking on a recent screening of The Taking of Pelham One Two Three that I had the pleasure of seeing. (Shoutouts to Film Forum--great programming, terrible seats.) The casual racism and sexism in that film comes from unlikable characters mostly. When our hero Matthau slips up it's the victim of his subconscious racism that gets the last laugh. Nothing to really add to my no vote here, just enjoyed thinking on the difference between discrimination being represented in film. In Footlight Parade, our hero casually engages in it with no deeper acknowledgement. 41 years later it's still present but with a wink and a nod. So basically, I welcome a nuclear strike from North Korea. Thanks for reading!

I am white, male, and generally useless. I am gay so I guess I get those diversity points, but I still have to go with Lost in Translation. One big useless thing I have is a history degree and some radical leftist politics that such a degree helped nurture. Marie Antoinette and the entire monarchy had it coming, deservedly so I would add. It's a fun movie with its juxtaposition of punk/art rock and high society (such contrast!) but I can't stand an attempt to rehabilitate the ghouls that held society's chains, whether they knew they held such sway or not.

Black Orpheus is also available for rental/purchase on Vudu, but only in standard definition. If you're watching on a small screen though, it's an equitable option.

Would someone say that they're as overrated as, say, LA LA LAND?!

This is an easy and hard NO. Some have mentioned this reads as fan fiction, and I couldn't agree more. I was rolling my eyes throughout. Sure, the production and costume design is exquisite, but everything else is incredibly cornball. This is a high school theater geek's idea that never should have seen the light of day.

Well, that turned out to be an ominous comment.

Well, this of course sucks for many reasons. I hope the woman is able to get some amount of closure and move forward. As for the show, I hope it does continue. I have no idea who a replacement host should be but I hope there is one. Perhaps the idea of guest hosts as trials for awhile is a good one.

Ah, well, SHIT.

No idea what you're talking about.

Went to a screening of Happiness about two weeks ago and loved it. Excited to visit this previous work.

It was enjoyable, but it's not an all-time great. There's no cultural resonance, and that ending does discount it quite a bit. Also, EXCELSIOR.

I didn't know how to vote until I realized I've brought this film up with everyone I've interacted with since watching it. It's a yes.

I forgot about Boyz n the Hood. I'd want to see that go too.

My choices: Two-Lane Blacktop Working Girl Pennies From Heaven

This is a tough one, but I think I'm going to ultimately vote no. I remember the marketing and the hype. My friend had The Blair Witch Project: A Dossier book and let me read it before I even saw the film in '99. I was all aboard. The movie, to my knowledge, didn't play at any of my nearby theaters, so I saw this months later for the first time on VHS. I remember being a little underwhelmed, but also intrigued. The mythology was captivating. I loved pausing the film to find little things alluded to in the companion book, such as the hand prints on the walls at the end. Yet upon re-watching--for maybe the first time since '99 or 2000--the feeling of being underwhelmed is magnified. I'm bored when the screen is nothing but blackness and shouting, when it's just on a closeup of a shoe. Were this film's techniques (both in film making and marketing) an innovative gamble? Absolutely. They paid off in spades. But they don't withstand the test of time. Removed from the hype and the marketing the film falls flat, and is kind of boring and at times downright annoying. I think films in a canon should be able to stand on their own, which is why a lot of us chose Star Wars over The Empire Strikes Back. I think the same logic applies here. The Blair Witch Project needs supplemental material to shine, and therefore it should not be in the canon of all-time greats. Worthy of study? Yes. Worthy of enshrinement? Maybe not.

I don't share many of Amy's specific criticisms of the film, but I agree with her overall sentiment: good but not outstanding. It's watchable and enjoyable, but lacks anything truly mesmerizing. This gets a soft no vote from me.

Virtuosity or bust!

Here's NSFW stills from The Man Who Fell to Earth. I'm leaning toward not-a-codpiece. NSFW! NSFW! You've been warned. http://66.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_libgupfzuq1qgfl04o1_1280.jpg http://66.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_libgy24aLJ1qgfl04o1_1280.jpg http://www.omgblog.com/images/DavidBowie005-thumb.jpg