Episode 71: SLACKER

[ErikKoster 1]

so much unnecessarily combative "-ism" coming from Amy in this episode (especially the beginning) that I completely didn't connect with it and found myself tuning out for looong periods of time (I guess I must be the lowest common denominator).

 

I remember watching Slacker and thinking it was random suck, and I watched it again and it's still random suck. SO many other Linklater movies are just more watchable so I voted this a no.

 

Of course, I've gone against our almighty hosts' obvious bias for the last 3 or 4 weeks at least, so what the heck do I know? Probably not much.

[jeremyo 2]

Hello!

 

This is my first post! I have torn through every episode of the Canon in two weeks. I am officially obsessed. I have lived in Austin Texas since 1995 and have recently been mourning the changing face of the city. As a child of West Texas, my family vacations often involved the state capitol and surrounding Hill Country. There is a special beauty only found in the Texas Hill Country (Amy knows!). This is my home and Austin is the city that rescued me from a hard life of Republicans, hard drinkers and bigots. I say all of that with a deep sadness because today's Austin is not mine - nor is it Linklater's. The movie belongs in the Canon because it is a time capsule for any city that has experienced rapid growth, gentrification, and financial success. It is a look back to a time that already seems gentler and more hopeful. It is the Austin that embraced me and for that reason I must vote yes.

[ManishMathur 33]

I quit listening to the podcast about 15 minutes in. Couldn't handle it this episode.

 

 

it was almost as bad as the Sound of Music one. that's the only episode where I just stopped listening. I wanted to hear more about Slacker so I pushed through on this one.

[JuliaArtemisPinkham 0]

Of course yes. There is almost no way I can see anyone disagreeing with it being in The Canon. But if it was a vs against Waking Life it would of been a tougher decision. But this is a slam dunk.

[jeves23 2]

I just watched it for the first time last night, and I thought it was pretty good. As just a film I don't know if it is good enough to be in The Canon, but I voted yes largely because of it's history and impact. It was an important film of the early 90s indie film scene, and watching it I can see why - I can understand how it empowered guys like Kevin Smith to make their own films, because it is accessible narratively and technically.

It has a style that still manages to feel fresh 25 years later (I know the long takes were a necessity of shooting with limited time and limited budget, but it is also a choice that makes the film seem "real"), and the characters (mostly) feel alive. Like any film made up of vignettes I found some more interesting and entertaining than others (the one with the guy running over his mom didn't work at all for me), but luckily none of them are too long.

[nickperkins 52]

After serious thought, my favorite scene is the kids and the Coke machine. That right there is a CHILDHOOD.

[groovy-guy 24]

Hey man, I love Plow which 'nobody's seen'.