Cameron H.

The thing is, a lot of famous rappers did exactly what DJay did. Jay-Z was a crack dealer. Ice-T was a pimp. And so on and so on. They never got their comeuppance. I think the movie is a commentary on this. I don't think DJay is ever REALLY supposed to be sympathetic. I think the movie tries to go a bit deeper than "is he a good guy or a bad guy?" Rappers who do songs about dealing drugs, pimping, and gunfights are held up as heroes, but this is the disgusting, desperate, and pathetic reality behind all of that. In the end the movie the movie is asking, "You think these guys are cool? Well, this is what all this all actually means. You still cool with that?" In other words, the movie is less about learning abut who DJay is and more about learning who you are.

Well, the gas station had those Skinny Black CD’s...so I’d say we’re at least in the 2000’s. I thought the tape at the end was to show how out of touch they were. Like it was the perpetual cycle of people not knowing what the fuck they’re doing.

I mean, it was complete cognitive dissonance. I kind of wanted to see him fail, but I wanted it to work out, too.

Exactly! It's not like CD-R' s were expensive at the time. Maybe 10 for $10? Maybe it's because they don't have access to a computer? But he says something like, "iIf they want a CD we can get that for them" Don't they even talk about Skinny Black bootlegging his CD's before he was famous? I don't know. They really should all know better. It seems like it would be harder to find a blank cassette in 2005 than find a way to burn a damn CD. It also seemed like Shelby had decent equipment. Sort of high-tech anyway. And he uses it to record on tape? Get the fuck out of here.

Maybe I'm misreading, but are you saying that the filmmakers intended for DJay to be, I don't know, cool or aspirational? Because I didn't get that at all. I felt like they were intentionally portraying him to be a pathetic ass from T to B. I mean, the fact that he thinks handing a cassette as a demo is in anyway acceptable in 2005 and wearing a gold chain with his name on it (no matter how well-intentioned) is cool, just kind of shows how much of an out of touch loser he actually is. Even in the end, the message of the movie isn't so much "work hard and achieve your dreams" so much as "infamy equals instant notoriety." When they announce his song at the end it isn't "this song is great" it's "the guy who wrote it beat up a celebrity and got in a gunfight with his entourage." Talent has nothing to do with his success.

I definitely wouldn't call him a "deep thinker" - lol. I think what we respond to is the feeling of, "I had dreams once. This isn't how my life was supposed to turn out. I'm going to do something about it." It's basically Hip-Hop Seabiscuit. So while I don't like him, on a fundamental level, I get where he's coming from. We like to root for the underdog, even if that dog has rabies.

That baby had it coming...

I really admired the writing in this. The main character is completely despicable, yet you still root for him. When he finds the tape in the toilet it is absolutely heartbreaking. To make the audience care so much about a character who is virtually irredeemable is no easy thing.

Here we go!

You’ve got to love IMDb Trivia... “Terrence Howard is the only actor to ever appear in two films to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Original Song in the same year. This film won the award for "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp." The other nominated song was "In Too Deep" from the Best Picture winner Crash (2005).” “Terrence Howard and Ludacris also appeared in Crash...”

Also, according to her, they had made plans to meet in Seattle. Whether he’s fucked up or jet lagged or whatever, it doesn’t change the fact that he obviously wasn’t looking forward to seeing her. He yells at Mats for not reminding him, but really, if he cared at all, he would have been looking forward to seeing her again. So forgetting what city you’re in due to a grueling schedule, sure. But if you care about something, regardless of whatever else is going on, you make a point to remember and don’t have to rely on your broken-ass road manager to remind you of it. So, no, I don’t give him a pass.

HOOTIE!!! Fuck yeah! America needs them to get back together.

I suffered so much sympathy embarrassment by that final song. It’s not even the tune so much as the stupid lyrics. I’m so sorry you’ve had to sit through that song more than once in your life.

Fuck. Yeah.

I mean, if that’s what you want...

Oh, that sounds really cool!

Happy Birthday! What’s your podcast about?

You should get up to the stage and sing over him. Maybe they'll fire him and hire you on the spot. Choose your moment, though. The temptation would be to sing over something like "Inter State Love song," but you should really wait for "Dead & Bloated."

Hey Black Panther fans, Amazon is having a huge sale on digital editions of Ta-Nehisi Coates’ run. The first trade is a whopping ZERO dollars! (I’m afraid you’ll have to pay 0.99 each for the next two trades ) https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01JT4A2DW/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1518996936&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=black+panther+tanehisi+coates (If Earwolf still has a link to Amazon you should use that, though)

I don’t think I have anything to add to this discussion. The movie was more “dumb and boring” than “crazy and insane.” However, I thought I’d throw this question out to the forum. What band do you feel the most confident that you could to replace a member? For me, maybe, They Might Be Giants, Weezer, or Barenaked Ladies. ETA: TMBG might be too good of musicians actually...

Get you e-meters out and blast your thetans because our next movie is Battlefield Earth! First off, let me apologize. With illnesses and such, I've been a bit off my game. So, normally, we would be scheduling this next Friday (2/2), but given that the first week of February is short, do you guys want to do it the following week (2/16)? It doesn't matter to me either way. Majority rules. I hope you all can attend!

As promised: “Death is Death (and Death is Bad, Bro)” By Cameron H. Within my chest my heartbeat’s fallow The sun is setting cold and sallow A mishapen mass of murky tallow Death is death and death is bad, bro In cavern deep where foot might slip On walls too slick for hand the grip In Stygian pools it drip... drip...drips Death is death and death is bad bro Deeper I, with light bereft, Clamber down with shallow breath Giving all til nothing’s left Death is death and death is deep, bro

Yeah, guys, I think I’m going to turn in early tonight. Like, in the next 30 mins. So, have fun tonight! I wish I could join you all, but I really want to start feeling better. Xoxo

It's 3:30 and I'm sick guys. So I'm creating your thread. Now, some of you might ask, "But weren't you just throwing up two weeks ago?" To which I'd 'reply, "Why, yes, but this time it's food poisoning." So...fun times. Not trying to make it about me, I just wanted you guys to have a thread and let you know why I might not be available for a bit. Have a great day, guys!

Point withdrawn!