Awww yeah

Thanks for sending me that link, Ben. The best part was when the women said not to be embarrassed for misquoting. It made me feel better about being an idiot. Again, I apologize for misquoting. I tried to search the quote when I read it to make sure it was factual and found it on goodreads.com, which was enough for me. My mistake. It is a great quote though. One I think that Dr. King would be proud of.

I’m not one to get on the soapbox either, but I’ve also never had a blog before. You saying something encouraged me to say something too, Brandon.

Thank you, Lisa, for your nice words too. You know what’s up and I appreciate that.
Also, don’t worry about how often you post. From what I can tell, this is a pretty relaxed forum, and I believe you can post at your leisure.

As a final note on this issue (I’ll keep beating that horse) I’m just not into celebrating death no matter how much of a dirtbag someone is. OBL was a vicious, violent dirtbag of the highest order, but as you said Brandon, so are many of our leaders and other leaders we align ourselves with. I wouldn’t celebrate the death of any of these people. Perhaps it’s because I know how tenuous a line it is between life and death. It is something that can be crossed by any of us at any moment and eventually will have to be crossed. I’m not religious and a don’t believe in Karma, but I do believe that celebrating death is a lousy practice and one that only leads to more hatred. OBL was evil and I don’t mourn his death, but I won’t dance around rejoicing either. Self-righteousness is bullshit, and I agree, Brandon, the lack of perspective in all of this is disheartening.

I know that emotion gets the best of us a lot of the time, but a non-violent ideal is something we should all strive for. Impossible in our society? Probably, but I still try to hold myself to that standard and wish in vain that others would too.

Now, as you put it greatly Brandon, let’s get back to talking about violent movies!!

Brandon, I need to see A Perfect Getaway. If you rate it so highly, then I am willing to check it out.

With In a Lonely Place, I never suspected Bogie of murdering the girl just because in his opening scene we see him act violently towards that studio producer’s son. So when he beats up that rando on the road, I wasn’t exactly shocked because it’s a part of his character. We know the whole movie that he is violent and aggressive and a drunk, but since we know that the whole time I never suspected him because I didn’t think he was hiding anything. He is what he is the entire film. Does that make any sense?

Thanks for your comments on my list. I always like reading them because you write more about the films on my list than I do, and your comments are so specific and interesting that they get me thinking deeper about my reactions to the films. So, again, thank you.

I don't have a lot of time to write detailed responses to everything, but here are some brief thoughts:

Inland Empire: You absolutely need to be in a certain place to want to go along for the trip. I’d say the best way to prepare oneself is to go into it with the least resistance possible. I’d say let go of any expectations you have for a movie or any narrative experience and simply take it for what it is. You don’t even have to bring meaning or sense with you, just an open mind. Maybe some substances would help too, but I don’t know. I’ve only seen it straight. Patience helps too.

Little Children: I don’t know the lesson either. I just think Todd Field is a fine filmmaker and loved the film for his talent. I need to see it again too though. It’s been awhile.

Del Toro is brilliant a juggling those two worlds. I agree and also agree that we need more like him. Well said.

Also, I agree with everything you said about The Departed, The Wind That Shakes The Barley, and The Proposition. Well put. You do a better job commending them than I ever could.

I still don’t like that last shot in The Departed. Lousy is a poor choice of word. I just felt lousy when I saw it because it was so obvious. For a film that consistently was able to surprise me, the last thing I wanted from it was an obvious final image. Oh well, great film anyway.

The gimmick still holds for me. Brick will always be fun in my eyes, but I can understand how it could lessen for you.

I wish I could take you to task for some of your picks, but I haven’t seen any of the ones that aren’t on my list! haha sad, I know. I need to see Old Joy. I liked Wendy and Lucy and am excited for Meek’s Cutoff. Reichardt is talented. I didn’t see Casino Royale, but your comments make me want to. I heard it was good, but I haven’t watched a Bond movie in ages. Not a big fan of the series, either. Too many films is right!

I didn’t see Prairie Home Companion. I’ve only heard an actual broadcast of it once, and I wasn’t in the right mood to enjoy it. I should have seen this though because it was Altman’s last film and because PTA was back-up director. I’ll check it out sometime.

I didn’t see Miami Vice or The Descent either. I’m interested in seeing Miami Vice just so I could respond to you about it. I wonder if I’d like it too? I kind of feel like I would...

I did see, however, Dave Chappelle’s Block Party and it is a great pick. A joyous film with an infectious love for hip-hop. Dave is one of the funniest and coolest guys around. I forgot about this one. Again, great pick.

----------

In other news, the new Fleet Foxes album was released today and it is incredible stuff. They are mad popular right now, but they deserve all the attention. Terrific band. I’m crushing on this new album hard.

Next up: watching Brian De Palma's Blow Out. Just released on Criterion and I've heard great things. Has anyone seen it?