Susan*

I didn't come in to vote because I don't care about this one. I understand why it means a lot to people but I didn't think it was very good when it was released. I think the set up is a lot more fun than the pay off. I miss Harold Ramis. And I love Groundhog Day. As for the early 1980s -- if you haven't seen Blood Simple, please do it. I am never able to talk people into it but I keep trying.

I'll have to get Whiplash at my library. It's always there. I know I should see it but I've put it off. Given a choice of film genre, I never pick a straight drama. I had massive dislike for Juno when it came out -- partly the hype and my contrarian nature. But man, that movie has grown on me. It's almost embarrassing. If it's on cable, I'll watch big chunks of it. There are a lot of strong actors in little parts, but I think Ellen Page simply won me over despite my bitchy nature.

I have a lot of history with both movies. I have seen both many times (mostly in theaters). Sign of the Times used to be a midnight movie here off and on for years after its initial theatrical run and my best friend is a massive fan. But I don't love it the whole way through. Stop Making Sense is the only movie that made me sit in the theater for back to back showings in its initial run. I also have a lot of history with both bands/artists. Prince is close to my heart, having grown up in his hometown and having seen him perform many times. I'm one of those those who think he was a genius. But I have a love for Talking Heads that has lasted three decades after they broke up, and despite knowing how much Tina hates David. :/ I'd like everyone to see Sign of the Times -- I'm always recommending it to people and have long been sad that it's tough to see, but Stop Making Sense is one of my all-time favorite films. And all time favorite albums even though there's some bad editing in the album. I'm sure I'd prefer Stop Making Sense as a movie even if I could set the music aside. I'm so thankful that there are no crowd shots. It helps make it timeless for me. Purple Rain is an bad movie. Of course I saw it a couple of times in a theater a year ago (after Prince died). The movie is awful but the concert footage at First Avenue is worth it. Last time I saw it, I cried hard during the opening number. RIP

I'm voting yes, in part because this movie had a life-long impact on my mom.

Good timing. Because of the US election crap, I re-watched this movie about a month ago!

I think the 1950s is my least favorite decade for movies since we got talking movies. I was curious to see that this movie was nominated for oscars, so I looked at the lists of nominated films that year and around that year. A pretty sad lot, though some really good movies weren't nominated at all, as always. It should be an interesting podcast though. Probably more interesting than if they picked a great movie from the same era, like Night of the Hunter?

^^ I guess you would call it horror, but in a 1950s sense. To me, that genre was altered/screwed up by slasher movies of my teens. Today, maybe this would be suspense or just drama? The movie was a big deal in its era. And it was replayed on regular TV later on (in my childhood). So I've seen scenes with the girl and have a vivid memory of that but no memory of the larger story.

My mom used to bring this movie up once in a while -- for different reasons, this film and Rosemary's Baby really creeped her out. I'll rent it because I'm interested. I've seen a few scenes but I don't think I've seen the whole movie.

The argument I heard on the podcast in favor of the film could be summed up as "we agree with many of the flaws Amy points out, it's a pretty flawed movie, but there are a lot of Trek movies and this one is the best of the batch. I know there's more to it but that's what I heard and it's lame. I like the one with the whales more. And Amy's right this time -- there wasn't enough Spock until the very end. I think that's why I like the one with the whales more. There are several good Bond movies.

Are we going to vote movies in because we liked the books they were based on?

I understand that the canon isn't about rewarding quality movies. Believe me, I also understand that no one would listen to the podcast if I picked all the nominees. But I'm starting to wonder if this is becoming the canon of movies that appealed to boys/young men of a certain age. I don't love Working Girl but if that's the movie that comes out of the canon, it would feel like the coup de grace (that's not the right phrase but I'm having a mental block).

I still need to listen to the podcast, but I watched the movie last night and thought it was just okay, even by the standards of that era. I'll give landmark status to the original TV series and to the Next Generation TV series for that matter--they speak to the era when they were on TV. But I think that's separate from the movies. I don't think the movies are important. There are just a lot of them. Sure, Wrath of Khan saved the movie series after the first movie disappointed so many fans. But is that a big accomplishment? Other people made big event sci fi movies popular in the mid to late 70s and that's what made the Star Trek movies possible in the first place. I kept thinking about how much better the original Star Wars was right out the gate, without the cast bringing any natural goodwill with them. (I still feel tons of affection for all of the original Star Trek cast. I watched the TV series on late night TV at a few different points in my life.)

I'd kick about a fourth of the movies out, but I realize that I don't share the same taste as other people. I try to remember that it's about having an interesting hour-long podcast, not about whether the movies are worthy. Animal House is particularly galling for me. Versus episodes need a "neither" option.

I never saw the movie, just scenes from it on TV over the years. I found it at the library so I'm watching it tonight. I'm old enough to remember seeing the first Star Trek movie at the theater as a kid, being excited to go on opening night, then disappointed at the end of the movie. So I skipped the next couple of movies. To me, Ricardo Montalban is a ridiculous idea for a movie villain (though I know he was a Columbo villain!). I'm excited to see for myself. Speaking of Columbo villains, William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy played them too. (First gen Columbos are streaming on Netflix.)

I saw Do The Right Thing with a crowd where people were talking to the screen. Saying actual phrases. My only recent experience was last winter's Rocky movie. Packed theater and large pockets of people clearly rooting for the characters.

I got sucked into the hype and went to the Blair Witch movie with a bunch of friends -- a rare event movie for me. I thought it was disappointing. But I don't think any of us were meant to be in its target audience. If it hadn't been for all the hype, it's not the sort of movie we would have seen in a theater. I also don't remember feeling scared or unsettled afterwards. That rarely happens to me so it's memorable when it does. I went to see American Movie with the same group of friends and we all loved that movie. I'll admit we were laughing more than the other people in the theater and that creates some of my favorite movie memories. ANYHOW, I always associate the two movies together and still have a fondness for American Movie. Though the Wisconsin connection helps. I used to work with people like them.

This is the first pick I've been delighted by in a while. I never like big Scorsese or DeNiro movies as much as other people, but somehow this one works for me. I'm still a fan of Sandra Bernhard!

Judd HIrsch was great in Ordinary People BTW.

I have to say, i was disappointed when Devin was trying to argue that the movie deserved acclaim because it made River Phoenix a teen heartthrob. I don't know if that's true and I don't care. But he dismissed Running on Empty as a "Judd Hirsch movie"and that made my blood boil. Running on Empty was a better movie than Stand By Me; it made an impression at the time it was released among people who were crazy about good movies (even if it's forgotten now); along with Housekeeping it's how people who went to a lot of indie movies learned to appreciate Christine Lahti; and it caused me to decide that River Phoenix and Martha Plimpton were talented young actors I wanted to see again. Wikipedia says Phoenix lost the best supporting actor Oscar to Kevin Kline in a Fish Called Wanda (blech)--everyone in the category that year was more deserving. I also loved My Own Private Idaho. But I wasn't a 12 year old boy ever. So maybe that's my problem.

Hard no. This movie is very overrated and always has been. People had low expectations of Rob Reiner when it was released. I think that's how it skated by. Reiner did much better movies later on.

I'm older than many/all of you. Plus I love truly old movies from before my time. I think about this fairly often, about how some things are dated and whether it matters to me. Most of the time, I recognize the issue and ignore it. This is often true when it comes to issues involving women and their roles. For example, the Philadelphia Story is one of my favorite movies and I worship Jimmy Stewart in that movie. But it's a bit painful how Katherine Hepburn's father talks to her in that movie --blaming her for his affair. In All About Eve, I have to ignore that Betty Davis's character basically disappears when she decides to get married. When I was first getting into classic movies, people raved about The Women. That's the movie I can't even tolerate, no matter how many excellent actresses are in the movie. Then there's alcoholism. The version of Arthur starring Dudley Moore was very, very funny when it was released. Believe me. I watched it within the last year and still enjoyed it but I cringed a little inside. When I was a kid, I thought drunks were funny but we're not supposed to laugh at them anymore.

Like I said in the homework thread: About twice a year, I go to youtube and watch Madeline Kahn singing I'm Tired. It enhances my life. My dad was the biggest Mel Brooks fan. When I was in college, I took him to a revival house to see this with me. He had seen i it many times before, but it was my first time. I think Amy has a point about Charlize Theron. I haven't seen the movie Amy was talking about, and I'm not a fan of Charlize's serious movies, But she played her part perfectly in Season 3 of Arrested Development. And I thought Young Adult was memorable and ballsy. (I voted yes, because Madeline Kahn and Gene Wilder, etc. But I don't agree the end of the movie is great -- Maybe the first time, but I think the movie loses steam at the end and when I watch it, I tend to turn it off before the end.)

About twice a year, I go to youtube and watch Madeline Kahn singing I'm Tired. It enhances my life.

Well, I'm pleased. That homework thread was headed in an ugly direction. When, early in the podcast, Devin preempted the naysayers by talking about the people who always come in with their boredom and comments about the Beatles being "overrated", I figured that would change things. I think I squealed with delight. That's a pointless/frustrating argument I've had too many times to count. And people ALWAYS complain about the early music being too simple. Which tells me they probably haven't heard the best early Beatles stuff. I don't even think of myself as a huge Beatles fan but they are undeniably important. And this movie was a landmark and fresh and all that. But the thing where music fans can't separate what they like to listen to on a daily basis from what's important to history mystifies me. I rarely want to listen to a Chuck Berry single, but I am damned sure he's not overrated. When I watch A Hard Day's Night, I can't help but look for young Phil Collins in the audience--ever since he talked about it on MTV. (both bands are before my time but I was more of a fan of 1960s/early 1970s Rolling Stones -- which doesn't matter. It's not an either/or thing. And the Rolling Stones wouldn't be the Rolling Stones without the Beatles anyhow) I was ready to be disappointed but I was delighted with this week's podcast.

^^ I appreciate the Replacements love, even though it doesn't really fit here. I agree. This is a time capsule movie and it was big and bold and fresh at the time. (I prefer the songs and music videos within Help but that's just such a bad overall movie and that one wouldn't have happened without this one.)