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Dale Cooper Black

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Posts posted by Dale Cooper Black

  1. Posted

    See, this is why I love the Canon. I had less than zero interest in this movie when it came out, and promptly forgot it even existed. I only watched it as a Canon homework assignment, and to my surprise I enjoyed the shit out of it. I'll definitely be checking out Memories of Murder as well.

     

    A solid no for The Host, but glad I watched it nonetheless.

  9. Posted

    "I had a bad day. I had to subvert my principles and kowtow to an idiot. Television makes these daily sacrifices possible. It deadens the inner core of my being."

     

    God, how I love this movie.

     

    • Like 1

  11. Posted

    Don't know why this hasn't been suggested already. Yeah, it's fairly recent, but if any recent movie qualifies for the Canon (or a heated debate, at least), it's this one.

     

    Currently streaming on Netflix in Canada, not sure about other countries.

  12. Posted

    I'm kind of reluctant to jump into the fray here--partly because I'm still embarrassed about a shit post I made over in the homework thread, and partly because the conversation around this movie is already so deeply and thoroughly mired in so much sophomoric, pseudo-intellectual nonsense (and has been since day one) that the idea of offering even a couple of minor counterarguments here or there seems exhausting. But god help me, I just can't help myself.

     

    First, about that stupid comment I made in the homework thread: In my defense, it wasn't meant to be quite as dickish as it sounded. Anybody who read it probably (understandably) interpreted it as "I would be interested in Cameron Esposito's opinion of Bound, but she is not qualified to talk about The Matrix." What I actually meant was, "I would love to hear an episode of the Canon in which Cameron Esposito makes a case for Bound, but I'm not partcularly interested in hearing her make a case for The Matrix." It's a subtle yet crucial difference, because the fact is that I had no interest in hearing anybody make a case for The Matrix.

     

    (On the other hand, my comment was dismissive of the fact that an intelligent and articulate person would take time out of her schedule to bring some love to one of my favorite podcasts, so it's still pretty dickish. Also, it turns out that I did indeed have an interest in hearing somebody make a case for The Matrix, because I listened to and enjoyed this whole episode; suffice it to say I deeply regret the comment.) FWIW, I did check out the Bound episode of Wham Bam Pow, and I highly recommend it as a companion piece to this episode.

     

    Anyway. The Matrix. Jesus Christ, let's get into it, I guess.

     

    In a way, this movie is the polar opposite of Last Tango in Paris: while the movie itself is fairly brisk and enjoyable, the conversation around it is insufferably tedious. This includes not only the various interpretations of the movie, but also any arguments against it (blah blah blah Dark City, blah blah blah the Invisibles, blah blah blah disappointing sequels, blah blah blah).

     

    Part of me wants to write a book tearing down the cult of The Matrix (or, more accurately, its various loosely-associated sects, sub-sects and jurisprudence schools), but another, stronger part of me says "screw it." If the kids want to dress Cartesian Philosophy 101 up in superhero clothes, who am I to spoil the fun? I wouldn't want to tell anybody that they are ascribing waaaay too much meaning to this movie any more than I'd want to tell them that their favorite band sucks (even if it does).

     

    I can't help but bring up a counterargument to the queer-theory interpretation, though: How do you reconcile the fact that the "chosen one" is yet another cisgender white male? And how great would it have been if, after being unplugged from the matrix, the "real world" Neo was revealed to be not Keanu Reeves but a woman of color instead? The queer-theory interpretation is interesting, but I think Cameron is giving way too much credit to the filmmakers on this one.

     

    The fact is, you can read any interpretation into this movie that you want--somewhere out there, there's a regional manager for Subway who sees this movie as an allegory for the big sandwich industry--but it doesn't change the fact that this is nothing more than a stylish action movie made by filmmakers who were shrewd enough to hint at some primordial ideas about myth and identity and let the audience fill in the blanks.

     

    Anyway, that's all I got. (But seriously, can we finally put the bullet-time effect to bed, once and for all?)

    • Like 2

  18. Posted

    I don't think the film is worthy of the canon, but the conversation is.

    Yes! I was on the fence, but I'm won over by this simple statement. As goofy, lazy and self-indulgent as this movie is, it's always fodder for great conversation. Anyone who decides to watch this movie has unwittingly wandered into a discussion that's been going on for over 40 years.

     

    I'm working on a theory that Brando was actually using a sort of instinctual, proto version of NLP in his performances (and possibly his personal life). His mumbly voice and peculiar gestures aren't just showy mannerisms; he uses them to create a kind of hypnotic state in the audience. And if Paul is little more than an extension of Brando, then it might explain why Jeanne fell under his spell. (This theory is a work in progress, I'll keep you posted.)

    • Like 1

  19. Posted

    Great episode!

     

    I'm surprised nobody mentioned the connection between this week's contender and last week's nominee. "Fuck tha Police," a song co-written by Friday star Ice Cube, is also a line uttered by Paul near the end of Last Tango. (Almost certainly the first time this line was ever spoken in a major motion picture, although I've never seen any Billy Jack movies, so I can't say for sure.)

     

    Another thing nobody mentioned was Marlon Bongo's amazing post-rape handstand/flip. I've always wondered if he had any offscreen assistance for this bit, or if he really was that spry. (And for the record, I disagree with the hosts' negative assessment of Brando's physical appearance in this film. I think he looks fantastic. If I had to get pretend-raped by a ponderous, middle-aged, harmonica-playing twit, this guy would be my first choice. Klaus Kinski would be a distant second.)

     

    The only other observation from this episode that I disagree with is the comparison of Brando to Johnny Depp. Brando was genuinely and thoroughly abandoned by Hollywood, for a long time, and it was due at least in part to his outspoken support for various progressive civil rights issues. Whereas Depp's descent into lazy self-parody was self-engineered, Brando's contempt for the film industry (and his own audience) was well-earned. Brando wanted to make the movie bigwigs pay dearly for making him eat so much shit during his years in the wilderness; Depp merely wanted to be Brando.

     

    Other than that, everything in this episode was spot on (especially all the stuff about the infantilization of Maria Schneider).

     

    So, does the Canon need yet another mannered, self-indulgent performance from Marlon Brando? Don't get me wrong; I wholeheartedly approve of all the other Brando films in the Canon. But it's kind of interesting that those three films give him a relatively short amount of screen time. Coincidence?

     

    I'm not sure Last Bongo in Paris belongs in the Canon, but it sure makes for a great game of Pretentious 70s Art Film Bingo. Saxophone-and-bongo soundtrack? Check. Youthful auteur who walks around framing shots with his hands? Check. Smash cut to a bunch of quacking ducks? Bingo.

  23. Posted

    The beginning is the end is the beginning. This was a pretty shitty first attempt at a catchphrase, but it seems strangely appropriate given the state of this forum lately.

     

    All joking a salad, someday comedy historians will look back on this podcast with the same kind of reverence that we bestow upon SCTV or early Letterman. I'm ridiculously proud of my association with this comedy juggernaut, and I'm grateful for the chance to have been a part of it.

     

    999 down and one to go!

    • Like 2
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