MarkBaumgartner

I would love to hear a discussion about Sling Blade. It has a screenplay Oscar, amazing performances all around (especially John Ritter and Dwight Yokum), and an iconic character. But more than anything, this movie represents the Midwest more honestly than any film I have ever seen. I grew up around every single character in this movie. I recognize almost every moment from this film. It's the little details that hit home with me, like Karl calling a psychiatric facility "the nervous hospital". That's what my grandma always called it. I remember having an argument with a co-worker from Chicago about this movie. She said that she just didn't buy Dwight Yokum's character. "No one acts like that. He's a mustache-twirler in a movie with full characters." I told her that when I was a kid, that guy was my neighbor. He was exactly like Doyle. Same world view and violent streak. Yokum delivers his lines in the same cadence and intensity as that guy. It is uncanny. I hope you guys consider looking at Sling Blade. It is my favorite film. Hands down. Bar none. I love the podcast! Between The Canon and the Birthcast, Moviecast, Deathcast, Padcast Podcast, my commute to work is actually enjoyable now. Thank you!

I know Hackman's version of Luthor is too campy, but his response to seeing Otisburg on the map makes me laugh every time.

Temptation is obviously the superior movie. However, there is one scene in Passion that did grab me. When Jesus is being tortured, his mother has a flashback to him as a child. All of the other people were looking to Christ as a god or a devil, but to her, he was just her child. Her little boy. That really affected me.