GrahamS.

It’s streaming on Crackle right now. I’m partway through it. The early 90s definitely went through the “outsider/bad apple systematically destroys the yuppie heroes’ lives” genre. This one, Unlawful Entry (the Liotta one), The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, Ricochet, Internal Affairs. I ate all that shit up in high school. the only one where it wasn’t yuppies was Cape Fear (which I actually truly enjoy, not just as a guilty pleasure). l liked this one back in the day, too, but it’s been a long time since I’ve seen it. Man, Matthew Modine is fucking obnoxious in this movie.

Agreed! Here’s Spike himself dancing Here’s the Beastie Boys beastie-ing (i’ll Just make up words here) And here’s Sofia Coppola doing gymnastics:

Thanks to everyone who shared and everyone who supported. Also, I have to say @DanEngler,that was a fucking awesome Spike Jonze video! Since I’m a big fan of his, thought I’d add to the lighter side of things again and create a mini playlist. Here’s Bjork dancing:

I watched the preview. Interestingly, it says it was picked for the Seattle Film Festival. That’s NOT the Seattle International Film Festival, where even Neil Breen got a special day of screenings, so I’m... intrigued? I legitimately have no clue what the Seattle Film Festival is.

Also also, that music video is better than anything in Disclosure.

@taylorannephotoalso, since I didn’t directly say it, thank you for sharing.

@taylorannephotoThanks for the shout out! i’m sorry that you’ve had your own experiences to deal with (I also regret that it’s hard to sympathize/empathize/whatever the phrase is without it feeling somewhat trite). i’m doing this by phone and don’t have a catchy gif to easily add for a lighter touch, but I will link to this Christopher Walken/Spike Jonze video (that’s not related to ANYTHING else in this thread), because who doesn’t like to see Christopher Walken dance?

It’s better.

I’ve debated whether to share this story or not, but fuck it, it’s been over 20 years. Smigg’s post this morning (and other posts previous) reminded me of it. I’m not sharing it to be all “boo hoo, woe is me,” but to shed some light on it, if only for myself. When I worked at a movie theater in high school and college I was sexually harassed. The cultural environment at the theater was pretty much like Clerks (which seemed like a documentary when it came out)—bored minimum-wage twenty-somethings talking about sex for most of the shift. The theater I worked at was close to my childhood home and I loved movies, so I went to get a job there the summer before my senior year. The theater was on Capitol Hill in Seattle, on Broadway, which was an area that was the hub of gay culture in the city. To give some context about me, I was a white, male, middle class seventeen year old. I was average looking and had some acne. I had a reclusive and somewhat shitty high school existence where I was occasionally bullied. Sexually, I was straight but asexual. So my clueless unsexual ass took a job in a highly sexualized environment (this was 1992, to give more context). One of the positives of the job was that I got to broaden my worldview. Some of my friends at the time were homophobic and that had been my filter although I wasn’t 100% sold on it. Working in an environment where the majority of my co-workers were gay wiped away any ill-informed prejudice that I had. But I also got hit on. A lot. By customers, and one co-worker (who was 35) who constantly liked to comment on how my ass looked in my jeans (whether it looked that great or not, who am I to judge). It did make me feel like a piece of meat when I simply was trying to be professional and polite. Since I was a shy guy, a lot of the staff got their kicks from making me embarrassed over sexual stuff. The worst offender was a 23–year-old newly out lesbian who insisted—whenever she embarrassed me—that she was “doing it for my own good.” I still don’t know what the fuck she meant by that. She would frequently grab me and jam her tits in my face, while yelling “oh Yeah!” There was one time where I was eating lunch and she yelled out “Hey Graham, wanna see my tits?” i said “Sure,” because I was tired of her shit and wanted to be left alone. Plus, the theater was in the upper level of a fucking mall and I was sitting near the ticket stand. How was she gonna flash me? she laughed, came over, walked behind me (in the middle of me eating a burrito or pizza or some fucking mall food) and shoved her T-shirt over my head while she was still wearing it. I could feel her boobs on top of my head. She pulled it off and laughed and the guy behind the concession stand laughed like it was a hilarious joke. I think she legitimately thought it was funny and that I thought it was funny. She referenced it a few more times during later shifts. So I realize, while writing this down that this all sounds super fucked-up and I’m probably over sharing. I’m not trying to turn this into therapy (and by the way, the more aggressive harassment stuff didn’t happen until after I was 18 btw, not that that makes it any more excusable). This shit doesn’t dominate my life now and I’m reasonably happy. But these memories were triggered by earlier posts and I figured I’d share it as an example of how guys can get harassed. I’m ok with people reading it. i’m Ok if Paul does or doesn’t read it. I’m actually in a better mood now that I’ve written it. Hopefully I didn’t trigger anybody with it.

There is a possible cause for Kirk Douglas’ behavior that is briefly described in the article that Electra Boogaloo linked to In the New York Post (once again, the article is called A look back at Kirk Douglas’ most famous sexual conquests, By Linda Massarella, December 8, 2016). in the article, Ms. Massarella writes how Douglas’ sexual experiences started. “It began with his English teacher, a Mrs. Livingston, who seduced him when he was 14, he said.” Ummm, that’s rape. I get the feeling that Douglas might not view it as such, or has talked himself into the belief that it’s proof of his machismo, but at one point he appears to have been a victim. I’m not saying that this excuses anything he’s done—not by a fucking long shot. But... I’ve worked in a middle school. Any 14-year-old that I know would be severely traumatized by a sexual encounter with their adult teacher. It would warp how they relate to people sexually. Perhaps Kirk Douglas is old-school and superhuman and immune to feeling vulnerable—and I honestly don’t know shit about him, he might be—but it wouldn’t be very hard to theoretically link his experience with his teacher to how he treated women in his life. And I guess I did just that, as convincingly as I could.

This movie looks INSANE. It’s like a child’s nightmare mixed with a tribute to Elvis Presley as a rooster? How many kids looked up to Elvis Presley in 1991? How many even know who he is now? in terms of Don Bluth movies, I’m actually in the middle of watching The Land Before Time with my 5-year-old nephew (we will finish it tomorrow). It’s a film that is legitimately well-made and only a little scary. Yes, the mom dies, but that’s something that Disney has pulled a bunch of times. Anyway, I’ll defend this particular Bluth film, the others I haven’t seen in a long time.

I did remember those allegations when I was watching Disclosure. It added a weird layer of irony to the entire film for me. RE: Kirk Douglas...holy shit. I agree, that is just all kind of wrong. Using sex to “punish a woman” (or ANYBODY) is some sort of super-aggressive ego-driven bullshit.

I think at this point in her career, she was sick of being nude in films. I vaguely remember reading interviews about Basic Instinct at the time and she didn’t sound happy with her nudity in parts of the film (notably the scene where she flashes the cops) because Paul Verhoeven tricked her. She gave credit to Basic Instinct for making her a star, but I think she had her heart set on doing more serious drama. And it worked. I believe her next movie was Casino.

Here’s the list I’ve compiled of crappy looking VUDU flicks that are leaving at the end of the month. It’s not comprehensive, but it gives you a taste. Some of the selections are a part of a series that starts out with a classic (The Karate Kid) and go downhill from there. I haven’t seen a lot of these films but picked them because they sounded bonkers. I’ve provided a synopsis—from VUDU—for the especially cuckoo ones. —Wide awake—The First film from M. Night Shyamalan! Starring Dana Delaney, Denis Leary, Rosie O’Donnell and Robert Loggia! A fifth grader goes on a search for God after his grandfather dies. Along the way he gets into tons of trouble at Waldron Academy an all boys school. Also he is aided on his search by a sports loving nun. All the old Karate Kid Movies including —The Karate Kid II —The Karate Kid III —the Next Karate Kid —Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990) —Teaching Mrs. Tingle —Roberto Benigni’s Pinocchio —My 5 wives with Rodney Dangerfield, Andrew Dice Clay, directed by Sydney J. Furie (of Superman IV and Ladybugs fame)— It's a dream come true as real estate developer Monte Peterson inherits five wives when a valuable Utah land deal gets out of control. Monte's got much more than he bargained for with a host of young brides and a crew of gangsters on his back. —And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird—Teenagers Josh and Max Carson spend their free time building a lovable little robot named Newman. Things get a little out of hand when Beth, Josh's beautiful girlfriend, contacts his father's spirit through a Ouija board and ends up landing him in Josh's creation. Now, Newman is about to lead the Carson family on the most fantastic adventure of their lives! HOLY SHIT I laughed my ass off when I saw this critic’s synopsis of this film! Brian Costello, Common Sense Media “Dated robot comedy set against a backdrop of suicide.” And this movie has Alan ThIcke in it! —Seven Pounds —Deep Blue Sea —Spider Man 3 —Expendables1-3

It’s great that this movie is being turned into a musical in Big Mouth, because my initial comment was going to be that all of the men in this movie act like tweenagers, even though most of them are in their forties. They also reminded me of Kieran Culkin’s character in Succession (don’t worry, no major spoilers) when he jerks off to his office view as his emails for his new job as COO come pouring in. The guys in Disclosure would have even less privacy, but somehow I think they would be into it with all those windows. Taking a step back and being less gross, here are a few of my favorite lines that Paul and everyone did not mention: Michael Douglas to Demi Moore, after her failed seduction attempt: “you take those two champagne bottles in your refrigerator and you go fuck them!” Also, There’s the great line Paul and everyone mentioned when Michael Douglas is having his meltdown: “Sexual harassment is about power. When did I have the power?” But then he follows it up with a line I love even more: “Why don’t I be that evil white male you’re all complaining about? Then I can fuck everybody!” Then, near the end, Donald Sutherland randomly says to everyone in the office: “This merger is the most interesting merger Ive had since my second marriage!”

I grew up in Seattle and I will give Disclosure this much credit: it was actually shot here. Many movies SAY they are filmed in Seattle but are actually filmed in Vancouver, because (a) it’s cheaper and (b) Washington does a terrible job providing tax breaks and incentives for movies to be able to afford to shoot here. Basically, that’s a long-winded way to say, when a whole movie is shot here (not just exteriors and shots of the Space Needle) that’s a BIG deal. Especially when that movie stars Michael Douglas, Demi Moore, Donald Sutherland and was directed by Barry Levinson. I was in between high school and college when Disclosure came to town. Since I had never seen a film shoot before and loved films, I was very excited. The scene where Dennis Miller embarrasses Michael Douglas at a fancy dinner in front of his wife, that was shot four blocks from the house where I grew up! It was filmed at the Volunteer Park Conservatory at a beautiful old greenhouse made up to look like a fancy restaurant (it was also the greenhouse where Annabella Sciora worked in The Hand That Rocks The Cradle, BTW). My younger brother and I walked up and stared at all the production trucks lining the street, hoping to get a glimpse of somebody, anybody. Time may have distorted this memory, but I still can picture how all the lights made the park seem like it was glowing. December rolled around and people packed into the Cinerama (a giant old-school theater that still exists) to see Disclosure on its opening weekend. Me, (now in college), my parents and my brother (now in high school) were among them. The film started, everyone was excited to see our hometown on film. Two hours and ten minutes later, the vibe of the entire theater was “I guess that was ...good...right?” Rewatching it 25 years later, I can’t even say that. But it is hilarious!

Yikes! Like Cameron said, I’m glad you’re on the mend and that you’re on your way out of the hospital. I hope you feel better soon.

Noted. BTW, I think you should bring your baby and taunt them with it if their podcast is feeling lackluster.

First of all, RIP Sidney Lumet. Director of Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, Prince of The City, Network (possibly my favorite movie EVER), Running on Empty, Fail Safe, to name a few. His last film was Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Albert Phinney (RIP, gentlemen) Ethan Hawke and Marisa Tomei. It was a two hour long gut punch of a film. Sidney Lumet was a legend who worked with legends and made great work. But in the 90s, he made Guilty as Sin from a ridiculous, pulpy Larry Cohen (again, RIP) screenplay that probably would have been better directed by Larry Cohen himself (by the way, there’s a great doc on Cohen called King Cohen that’s streaming on Shudder). Sidney Lumet doesn’t quite seem comfortable sinking to the trashy depths of 90s stalker movies. But Don Johnson (as a womanizing cad accused of pushing his wife out of a window—by his wife’s letter sent to the police, no less) serves this fucking movie up and eats it with a motherfucking spoon. HIS performance alone makes this film with an episode. The scene where he loses his shit while making a LARGE sandwich (he’s upset that Rebecca DeMornay—who plays his lawyer—won’t represent him anymore) is a sly camp masterpiece along the lines of Sharon Stone’s performance in Basic Instinct. unfortunately they don’t have that scene on YouTube, but they do have a scene from later in the film—when the stalking starts—that is awesome. Here it is: Here’s the preview. It does an awesome job of capturing his performance. This movie does start slow (with a REALLY bizarre opening computer graphic that I guess is supposed to represent the wife falling to her death??) but it’s worth hanging in there. It’s currently on HBO and it deserves recognition in the HDTGM pantheon, In my humble opinion. Court adjourned.:)

I think I’m more nervous about this movie than any other movie in years. I was such a big fan of the show. I don’t know if this film is necessary. Please don’t fuck it up.

Agree with The Social Network. Didn’t love Crash but throat-ripping is a little extreme, no?

I had the idea for this post during a work meeting (I was bored and my mind was wandering). I think everyone has experienced watching a film getting an award—or a boatload of them—and asked the question WHY??? The films in question comes down to personal taste, of course, but since we’re heading into “award-worthy” movie season, I was curious what everyone’s perceived overrated award-winners were. Since I’m introducing this topic, I’ll kick it off. For now, there’s only one concrete rule: you have to have seen the film. For example, I would be tempted to list Green Book in this category, but since I’ve avoided it like the plague, I can’t (I will say that I’m a fan of the actors in it, the film just seemed to Hollywood-ish for my tastes). Also, the films don’t have to be current. They can be from any point in film history. So for myself, my first choice is The Revenant. It is a beautifully shot film, otherwise it didn't connect with me. I won’t go into specifics about my beef with it unless people request it, but that’s the first film to come to mind as a big winner that I legitimately did not like. Who wants to go next?:)

I didn’t see this post earlier. Glad you liked Boyhood and I know a lot of people did. I really admire Richard Linklater, but his films vary widely for me and I didn’t connect to this one (and I agree—once again—that “overrated” is a sloppy term, but when critics hype a film as being a classic for everybody, it puts me on the defensive when I don’t get it). However, I did think it was a very well-made and unique film. Personally, my favorites of his are the Sunset trilogy and Bernie, which might not be for everybody, but I really liked it.

In terms of the issues of calling a film “overrated,” I hear you. It’s not a perfect term, but I didn’t want to start the post with something super judgmental, like “here are award winners that suck and if you disagree you’re wrong!” That would kinda kill the conversation from the Junp. I would be interested hearing people defend films that are listed here. Everyone likes different stuff (obviously). i also agree with your choice of The Artist. It was fine, but even my mom (who I saw it with) didn’t love it. Like you said, it was charming and cute, but honestly, the only thing I remember from it is Jean Dujardin and the dog.

Just for fun... a highlight of the movie, whether you’ve seen it or not! The sunflower dancing is the icing on the cake.