Cameron H.

I loved the cuckoo bananas progression of Lindy and “Hunter’s” meet up. When she first arrives, Lindy yells into the house that she’ll “tase” him if he comes near her. After this, “Hunter” brings her supper and attempts to explain what’s going on, and she tells him to fuck right the Hell off. Then, weeks later, she just casually walks in on him while he’s watching Korean television and is like, “So are we ever going to meet or what?” I also thought it was funny that when he brings her dinner, she steadfastly refuses to open the door for him, but the next couple of times he knocks, she opens the door within seconds, and he scurries away. It’s like the movie suddenly forgot who was avoiding whom.

It was like he was being sutured together with silver caulk.

That's what I'm saying! It's horse shit!

But I think it has to be the same thing because it’s clear that Kyle is the way that he is because of his father. His last line in the movie is requesting that his new intern isn’t a “dogface” or “dumpy frump.”

They fact that Kyle’s mother abandoned him is painted as this tragic event in his life, but has anyone considered that maybe she had to just get herself out of what was most likely a living nightmare? Maybe she just couldn’t take the lack of attention and Kyle’s father’s unrealistic demands anymore. There’s nothing in the movie to suggest that Kyle’s father became the douche he is now because she left. Maybe she saw what a terrible person he was, and saw that her son was falling in lock-step behind him, and was like, “Nope. I’m out.” Also, minor quibble, but the gang suggested that Zola was at least partially to blame for how Kyle turned out because she helped raise him, but she says in the movie that she hasn’t seen her 6-year-old child for “half his life.” That means, at most, she’s only been with Kyle and his father for three years - not since childhood. She probably didn’t even meet him until he was 13 or 14. That’s plenty of time for a spoiled little monster to get set in his ways. I’m not really sure how much influence she’s expected to have at that point - positive or otherwise. (Also, I got the vibe she was more of a housekeeper than an au pair, but I could be wrong about that.)

He would lose his job, but I have to assume he’s has a strong investment portfolio. He could also sell his place in the city to get by for a little bit. Plus, Will might have his sight back, but he’s definitely out of his cushy job. It’s not like they need a tutor once Kyle is handsome enough to go back to school. So, as much as I agree that Kyle didn’t learn a goddamn thing, I don’t think money would be that much of a motivator in helping his father.

At one point, Lindy tells Hunter that one of the things she respected the most about Kyle was: "...he called things like he saw them, even if he did see them wrong." But...that's insane, right? Sure, being forthright is admirable, but it's not like he was this lone, brave voice speaking out against injustice or something. He was using his popularity to publicly bully kids that didn't fit his standard of beauty. That's not admirable, that's fucking deplorable! She might as well be saying: "That person is saying the most vilely racist shit I've ever heard, but hey, you've got to respect them for speaking their truth, right?" That's bonkers! Is that really the kind honesty that should be respected, Lindy, or is it possible that the writers were so desperate to come up with a reason for your character to be attracted to Kyle (that wasn't based exclusively on his looks) that they made your character say some truly crazy bullshit?

They really make a meal of that poem, huh? I would really love to get my hands on NPH’s syllabus. Apparently his lesson plan was: assign a single poem (of the student’s choosing), provide zero instruction or guided discussion, leave your students to perpetually re-read the same poem over the course of - what appears to be - months so they can make goo-goo eyes at each other. There will be no other classes.

Here’s a bit of an ethical dilemma I would like to throw out to the group. At the end of the movie it is heavily implied that Kyle’s father is going to be cursed by Kendra as punishment for his own vanity and shallow behavior. My question is: does Kyle help him through the curse? And, if so, should he? Kyle was exiled and abandoned by his father, so it seems a little bit unfair that Kyle’s father might receive the kind of unconditional love and support he himself was denied. Besides, it was at least partly due to the isolation imposed on him that helped him achieve self-actualization. Can Kyle’s father even realize that same level of personal growth and self-reflection if his son is there holding his hand through his own trial? That being said, if Kyle ignores the curse placed on his father and leaves him to suffer as he did - even if his father “deserves it” - has he actually learned anything? If the point of the curse is to teach Kyle to be less vain and selfless - and not just score himself a girlfriend - shouldn’t he forgive his father and be there for him? I don’t know. To me, it seems fucked up that his father might not have to suffer to the same degree as his son when it’s clear that it’s primarily his fault that Kyle was the way he was in the first place.

It's insane to me that Nola and Will's complicity is just given a pass. It's one thing to open up their home as a sanctuary to a person in need, but they know full well that Kyle has ulterior motives. Not only that, they don't even really believe in the whole curse thing in the first place. So, from their perspective, they are just holding this teenage girl against her will at the whim of their spoiled boss' son until she expresses her love for him. That's deranged. Shouldn't there at least be a discussion of, "Yes, she's in danger, but maybe the cops are better equipped to offer her protection?" They don't even have a stake in it! It's not like in the cartoon where they are under the curse too. Heck, they don't even know that they might get anything out of it. They just know that this troubled girl has been dropped off on their doorstep - who explicitly tells them that she doesn't want to be there - and they are just like, "Yeah, we know you're being held against your will, and you're miserable, but have you checked out Hunter's abs recently?"

Here it is! https://www.rabb.it/CameronH

Currently putting children to bed

Absolutely! The central issue isn’t really about being a better person, it’s about having a girlfriend and (I guess) being a somewhat adequate boyfriend. That’s it. Those are the terms of Kendra’s curse. She doesn’t really give a shit about Zola or Will. Which leads me to another question: is Kendra even a good person/witch? She’s supposedly teaching him a lesson about being less of an asshole, but is she really any better? It would be one thing if she was a good person with a good heart that he was just treating like shit because of the way she looks, but she seem to be just as much of a misanthrope as he is. She’s not exactly shown making people happy or anything. She’s always just off by herself in a corner. Just because she’s less popular and dresses less trendy, I’m supposed to buy that that somehow makes her...what? Better?

The room's all set for tonight! I'll Tweet out the link at ~8:45PM

In regards to “daddy issues,” I think the saving grace for me is that with Spielberg it definitely feels like a running theme rather than a formula. It also helps that he always tackles it from a different angle. Honestly, if you look at Close Encounters and ET they could be themetic sequels. The former about a man becoming increasingly distant and leaving his family and the latter the repercussions of his abandonment on that family...and also aliens.

Yes! There's a moment where she confesses her feelings for Kyle to "Hunter" and he seems to try and encourage her not to feel that way. As I was watching. I was like, "What are you doing?" She obviously likes you as a person, and she's already attracted to Kyle. If you just explain to her, "Yeah, I'm him. Here's what happened..." who knows what might happen? It might actually expedite an "I love you" from her and end the curse quicker! I mean, that's the goal, isn't it? Why would you encourage her to hate Kyle? You're the same fucking person, dipshit! When the curse is broken, that's who she's going to end up with, not "Hunter." Honestly, that scene drove me crazy because as she's telling him all of this she's basically like, "It's funny, but you kind of remind me of him. Weird. Anyway, he mysteriously disappeared right around the time you showed up in my life..."

I don’t think it’s so much that they don’t live up to an “ideal form of beauty” so much as - if the version is done well - the audience is able to look past the Beast’s looks themselves. We fall in love with the Beast for who he is, not what he looks like, so when he transforms into a human, it’s like he’s an imposter.

Hey, this movie has Minnie Driver! I love her! Wha...? Oh. We watched:

Smurfs is on Starz. I would be happy to host, but if anyone else wants to, that's cool too.

I just wanted to take a moment to thank Amy for reminding me about When Harry Met Sally! I was just about to watch it the other day when something came up. I’m totally watching it this weekend, and I would gladly take it over either Raging Bull or Goodfellas.

Maybe we’re saying the same thing, but what I mean is he shows them that they can still be family without the father. They’re kind of feeling like something is missing from their lives, and E.T. makes them realize that they have all that they need - each other. If anything, to me anyway, he’s kind of an anti-father figure

Oh, that’s a bunch of hooey - lol. I think that’s a decent interpretation, but certainly not one that I believe was intended when it was being made. There’s just no evidence of that anywhere. I think it’s like if you’ve ever written a poem or story about something and when you’re re-reading it you’re like, “I thought I was writing about this, but now that I look at it, it could also mean this other thing, and I think I kind of like that other thing better...” That whole interpretation feels very “after the fact” to me.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say ET represents a father figure, but his presence does help ameliorate some of the pain they feel at that loss. I feel like, at the beginning, each one of them is dealing with the father in a different way. They’re at a crossroads. They could easily be driven apart. Instead, ET comes in and strengthens their familial bond. ET is a reminder that they still have each other and that selfless love still exists.

Here’s where the nostalgia argument falls flat for me: I don’t remember watching ET as a kid. Like, I know I did, but I have absolutely no memory of it. The first time I remember watching ET was when I was in college - and I thought it was okay. It wasn’t until recently (last couple of years) where I really started to love it.

Well, shit! I think you’re right! I was thinking “lower in popularity” when she obviously meant “lower numerically.” I’m a dummy. Sorry, I didn’t mean to mischaracterize Amy or the FB group.