Cameron H.

I’ve had Rad on my Letterboxd Watchlist since CakeBug, Tom, and Cam Bert watched BMX Bandits last year. I’m looking forward to finally getting it out of there

Speaking of the Santa Claus Shakedown, one thing I did like in that scene was how sloppy the good cop/bad cop dynamic is. Initially, it feels like Popeye is going to be good cop, then they are both bad cop, then Popeye becomes bad cop (“You got a friend...”). The way it plays out is that the characters are trying to work it out in the moment. Without saying anything explicitly, the two characters are developing a strategy until they realize - like “picking your toes in Poughkeepsie” - having Santa Claus play bad cop would be even more disorienting for the perp. In that one brief scene, the movie sets up - from tone to character- everything that’s to follow.

The feeling is mutual!

I agree with what you’re saying here. While watching it, I felt like I could smell the stink of the city. Everything is so palpable. I think my problem, mainly, is that it’s almost done too well - too realistic. It’s the same way I feel about a really well-written novel that deals with difficult themes. I can respect it, but I don’t want to live in that world longer than I need to. Personally, I’m fine with it being on the list; however, I wouldn’t exactly lose any sleep if it got booted off.

Yay!

I just finished the episode today, and consequently, just read all the posts here. As someone who is taking a temporary (permanent?) hiatus from Twitter, I feel you. However, here on the forums we tend to be...verbose. HDTGM is a good model, but it also has the benefit of having mini-episodes (that people are free to skip if they don’t want to listen to our in-depth dissections into Streets of Fire or whatever). Unspooled is a weekly, 60 minute show. Tweets are, by design, brief. Therefore, Amy and Paul get listener interaction without slowing down the flow. Unfortunately, that means - outside some “the people on the forums are saying” - I wouldn’t expect too many forum shout outs. I’m not saying it will never happen, but not on a HDTGM mini-episode level. That being said, didn’t they talk about maybe doing recap or review episodes every so often? Maybe those would be a good time to bring up any of the great insights you guys bring up on here. Regardless, I’m just psyched to talk to you guys about movies On another note, if Amy and Paul are reading this, I just want you guys to know that you two are absolutely killing it!

This is the second time I’ve watched The French Connection, and I think, like Amy, I liked it more on an intellectual level than for entertainment purposes. I’m not sure when (if?) I will ever revisit it. For me, it never really raises to beyond “decent 70’s cop flick.” I didn’t hate it, but if I were to choose between this and The Exorcist, I’m hands down choosing Pazuzu over Popeye I think I have to agree with Kael’s review. It’s a well-directed film, but it never really delves any deeper than “sometimes the ‘good guys’ are shit heels and sometimes the ‘bad guys’ are loving family men who buy their girlfriends cameras. Did I blow your mind? Also, his nickname is Popeye because 'he is what he is.' You got to take him or leave him. Clever, right?" It also seems to be trying to make a case for “you have to be hard to do this job,” but aside from baguette thief, all the violence against law enforcement is retaliatory. They’re the ones stirring up the shit. However, I think this movie’s greatest crime has to be the coda at the end. That lone gunshot is haunting because we don’t know who fires it. It’s the most important question of the movie. Did Popeye shoot and kill Charnier OR did Charnier get the drop on Popeye? And if Charnier killed Popeye, would/should you care? Which of these “monsters” would you rather see taken off the street? The coda completely eliminates that ambiguity, and for me, dilutes its impact. So...Charnier gets away and Popeye gets reassigned? Did he just completely miss the shot then? Anyway, I liked the movie just fine, but I probably won’t watch it again until my boys are older and I’m introducing them to the more mature classic films. So, I guess ~10+ years from now I’ve got a date to pick my toes in Poughkeepsie with Popeye, Cloudy, and my kids. Looking forward to it

Thanks everyone for hanging out last night! I had a great time

Funnny

Hold on to your butts, it has begun... https://www.rabb.it/CameronH

Just a reminder

Really? Is it Tony Curtis? If so, I get it. However, I will not sit idly by and let you besmirch Jack Lemmon.

AFI Movies Currently On-sale on iTunes (in HD)! Some Like it Hot - 7.99 (Totally worth it, btw) Sullivan's Travels - 4.99 (I just bought it!) Apocalypse Now - 7.99 (The horror...) And, from the 1998 list, The Third Man continues to be 7.99 (which I bought based on all of your recommendations )

Goddamn it, Cam! Now who is going to say the same joke just before we do?

Great pick! I bought this a year ago but I haven’t watched it yet. This gives me a great excuse to do so!

Just a reminder that this is coming up on Friday. I'm so excited (to make fun of this dumb movie with you all)!

Thanks again, Cake for picking this! It was fun to revisit!

Hey all! I just wanted to give everyone a heads up that Duck Soup is currently on sale on iTunes for 4.99. It may be awhile before they get to it, but that’s a pretty good price if you like owning these movies. (Mutiny on the Bounty, from the original list, is also on sale for 7.99 if anyone is interested in that) Tom S, Cam B and I always try to let each other know when classic movies go on sale. If/when any AFI movies do, I will post them on the forums. Sometimes these sales last a little bit but sometimes they end pretty quick. I’ve kicked myself a couple of times for not jumping on a deal when I had the chance

She's a pretty, intelligent girl with a sweet disposition and a mother that just wants to see her succeed. He's a pretty, kind-hearted boy and the school's star basketball player with a father that just wants to see him succeed. Will they be able to maintain their social status when everyone else finds out that they're both really good at singing and dancing, too? Buckle up, nerds. We watched...

Yes. You keep saying that “The movie doesn’t show him being supportive of her” after I have given you MULTIPLE points in the movie where I feel like he’s being supportive. He encourages her. He bolsters her. He gives her confidence. (Do you know how awesome it is to have someone sit there and read your shit? That’s amazing! I can’t even tell you) and all you’ve said is “I don’t agree.” Fine. You don’t agree. I don’t care. I’m just asking you to tell me how the things I’ve presented AREN’T supportive beyond “I don’t feel like that’s being supportive and he’s a prick.”I mean, what the fuck do you want him to do? Should he write her fucking play for her? Give her a thumbs up through the window while she’s auditioning? Lol And I’m not saying he’s a perfect guy, but for whatever reason, you seem unwilling to give him a chance or acknowledge his good qualities. I mean, you’re getting angry at me right now for the mere suggestion that he might be okay sometimes. You don’t have to love him. But whether you like him or not, whether you’d rather she be with Shades or whatever, Mia loves him. That’s a big part of the movie whether you agree with it or not. And even if he’s not perfect, there’s a reason why she loves him. Anyway, I’m on vacation now guys! I might pop in from time to time, but I most likely won’t be around until next week. Have fun! ETA: Those are moments when she’s been supportive. I knew she probably had, but beyond going to his shows, I was drawing a blank. Ultimately, I think they’re equally supportive.

I addressed this earlier but I think it’s worth underscoring. That is not what happens. He’s on his way to her show. He’s not so caught up in his shit to make it; he’s too caught up in Mia that he forgot a goddamn photo shoot! I mean, think about that for a second. You’ve struggled for years in your chosen field. You’re finally getting some success. You’re actually going to be featured in Jazzman magazine (or whatever the fuck) and you forget all about it because you’re focused on your girlfriend’s show. He’s got Mia’s show committed to memory, but not a photo shoot that might propel him to stardom. Now, bailing on her show? That is absolutely a dick head move. No one is disputing that. And I would say his reasons for doing so are definitely up for interpretation.* But to say that he’s “caught up in his own shit” is a mischaracterization and not supported by anything we actually see in the movie. *Personally, I think he’s just being petty. They probably haven’t spoken in the two weeks since their fight (she might not even want him there) and the last thing she did was challenge his commitment to JL’s band. I think he’s thinking, “I’ll show her this means something!” It’s not until the dumb lip bite that he realizes that he’s fucking up.

Look, the thing is you can disagree with me all you want. I’m willing to listen. I’m willing to admit I’m wrong. No problem. But if you say, “He’s not supportive” and I say, “I don’t agree here are multiple examples from the movie where I feel like he’s being supportive” you can’t just say, “I don’t feel the same way” and leave it at that. Make an argument. Use examples. Prove me wrong. I’m not saying I’m right. However, what I can do is cite examples, quote characters, and post screen shots to help support my point. For example, let’s say I go into Cake’s classroom and I write a paper called “Othello’s Iago was a Goat Fucking Alien from Outer Space.” If I go in and say “He just feels like an alien goat-fucker to me” I’m going to flunk that shit hard. But if I can use evidence from the text to make a compelling argument, there’s a good chance I could actually ace it - even if I’m dead wrong. My point is, right or wrong, I have evidence. Even if I’m way off base, you haven’t shown me anything to contradict what I’m saying Also, just curious, could you give me some examples of her supporting him? I’m genuinely not trying to be a dick. We see her at a couple shows, but I can’t really think of a moment where she says, “Go for it, bro!” Because that’s another thing, before we get into another round of “she’s always there/he never is,” we really do have to consider the nature of their chosen vocations. For example, I don’t think it’s customary for actresses to bring their boyfriends to auditions. He is there for her afterwards though. And, as someone who does some writing, if my wife were sitting over my shoulder asking me how the writing was going all the time, it would piss me the Hell off. Sometimes just giving people space to do their thing is being supportive. Not annoying someone while they are writing is just as supportive as attending a musician’s show. The important thing is - when she’s done - he’s there to see her perform it and give her tips and advice.

I'm not! Like Cake said, we've gone 11 pages of people saying what a shithead Seb is. That's right. He is a shithead! That's the point of his fucking character! He's written that way. We're not supposed to like him. He evolves! (If you'll let him, I guess) I'm not raising Seb on a cross, but I'm not ready to raise Mia on a cross either. As far as the "on my ass" line, it's true because as soon as he finds success, we see her get more and more depressed. It's human nature. She's scared and lonely (probably a little bit jealous) and he's not there. He's off playing in a band he doesn't even like. Why are you doing something you hate rather than be here with me? And that's a huge problem in real life relationships. A lot of relationships have issues when, say, a person is working 18 hour days but they never see their family. In that person's mind, they are being supportive because they are providing financial support, but to the other members of the family, they just want them around more. I asked you to cite examples of him not being there and you said, "You can't because the scenes aren't there." Exactly! You're just saying that "he's not supportive" without evidence. I am pointing to specific examples of when he is there for her and you can't give me a single example of him not being there - except for the big one. So how can you say that he's not? The evidence suggests otherwise. I want facts, not feelings. As far as calling him "selfish" in that scene, you're right. You called him a "charming, charming selfless man." I have no idea where I got "selfish" from. Anyway, I like both the characters. Just because I can find it in my heart to sympathize for Seb doesn't mean I hate Mia. It's not one against the other.