"REALITY BITES"
scottw
entire film was stacked with hilarious jokes and behind everything, there
were many great messages about life in the 90s. You'll find material
regarding the current job market, modern-day television, relationships,
parents, etc...
Highly recommended... go with a group of friends.
Oh yeah, and Winona was adorable. I loved her hair.
--
*****************************************************************************
* Scott Weintraub - sco...@wam.umd.edu - * "The extreme always seems to *
* University of Maryland at College Park * make an impression." *
* iN dREaMS i WalK wItH YoU * --J.D., "Heathers" *
Steven Pirie-Shepherd
This contains spoilers
1. Read the book, it fleshes out a lot.
2. At Auchwitz, after the women exit their *real* shower, there is a
scene where lots of people enetr a basement with a giant smoke belching
chimney...this is a death 'shower', it is plain to see, there is no
shirking of the issue here.
3. The little girl existed, the scenes was eloquent, until I saw the
film, I had not realised that she died...poignant.
4. The ashes scene was at the exhumation of the bodies in Cracow..how
did anyone miss this??????
5. Schindler bought the Jews (Schindlkerjuden) with the money that they
had made for him. Thus he was a catalyst, and they saved themselves;also
the point was made that all the investors HAD to be saved...Schindler
and Stern compiled the LIST..who can remember 1,100 names.
6. Schindler tried to convinceanother industrialist to join him 'I can't
accept that' to 'I can do no more'
7. Schindler . for all his faults, was a Good man 'This list is Good,
around the margins lies nothing' (paraphrase).
8. 6000 people are alive today because of Schindler, 4000 Jews live in
poland..and they are persecuted.
9. If you read between the lnes, al this is happening again to people
(Muslim, Jew, Christian, Kurd) in former yugoslavia, Iraq etc... it is
happenong again people!!!!!! And all we can do is write on the internet
about points in the film...can't we do something? ZDo we really want to
see a film in 40 years about all this again, just to see idf he can get
it right.?????
10. This was/is/shall be a great film, telling a great story about
people in tragedy, listen to the meassage, don't complain about the editing.
11 Thank you Spielberg
steven
--
__________________________________________________
Steven Pirie-Shepherd
sr...@galactose.mc.duke.edu
-=insert your own pithy phrase just about here=-
Lance Martin Finney
: Just wanted to say that I just saw it and it was a lot of fun. The
: were many great messages about life in the 90s. You'll find material
: regarding the current job market, modern-day television, relationships,
: parents, etc...
: Highly recommended... go with a group of friends.
: Oh yeah, and Winona was adorable. I loved her hair.
: --
I totally agree. This isn't a Great American Movie (tm), but it is a whole lot
of fun. It is definitely a generational movie. There are constant references
to the cultural milestones of "Generation X", like Melrose Place, One Day at a
Time, and "that not-so-fresh feeling."
I highly recommend this for college students, twentysomethings, and
teens. For most people past the early thirties, though, most of the jokes
would fly over their heads.
I hope to buy this when it comes out on video.
--
Lance Finney
lm...@cec1.wustl.edu
"Get your tractors off our land!" - John Major
Andrew David Gross
the worst movies I have ever seen. Even Cannonball Run 2 was better.
The characters were all utterly mediocre and contrived. The dialogue was
horrendous -- that screenwriter should be embarrassed to have her name
shown in public. Ethan Hawke's character was supposed to one of those
overeducated, slacker-types, but most of the shit he said was inane and did
not bespeak anything that would have led me to believe he was at all an
interesting character. I guess we were supposed to think he was smart
because they had him reading Heidegger at one point...
To be perfectly honest, that movie was so devoid of substance that the only
thing I found interesting were the scenes in which Winona Ryder was not
wearing a bra.
The only reason I think it got good reviews was because the critics must
think people our age are really that moronic, and thus the movie was true
to life. I sure hope it's not...
BTW, I'm not a regular reader of this group, so if anyone cares enough to
want to respond to me, it'd probably be best to do it through e-mail...
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Andrew David Gross ** Read _Private_Parts_ by Howard Stern **
hetf...@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu (You'll be glad you did)
Keith Ammann
In a previous article, hetf...@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu (Andrew David Gross) says:
>I just would like to say in no uncertain terms that Reality Bites is one of
>the worst movies I have ever seen. Even Cannonball Run 2 was better.
>The characters were all utterly mediocre and contrived.
Frankly, I was glad that they weren't "the A type, the B type, the C type"
a la "Breakfast Club." They weren't meant as anything but individuals (at
least, the four main ones weren't; Ben Stiller's character was a teensy
bit flat). Now, maybe you and I would be mediocre and contrived if we were
film characters, but that's no reason to dis them.
>The dialogue was
>horrendous -- that screenwriter should be embarrassed to have her name
>shown in public.
Its only flaw, as with the characters, is that it didn't try to be "realer-
than-real" like all too many Hollywood movies do.
>Ethan Hawke's character was supposed to one of those
>overeducated, slacker-types, but most of the shit he said was inane and did
>not bespeak anything that would have led me to believe he was at all an
>interesting character. I guess we were supposed to think he was smart
>because they had him reading Heidegger at one point...
He wasn't supposed to be interesting. But he was realistic -- I know
people EXACTLY like that, posers who can toss off 15 metaphysical
references in a minute without really understanding half of them and
attract loads of groupies with low self-esteem who think insanity is
romantic, and they're not interesting at all. But they do exist.
>To be perfectly honest, that movie was so devoid of substance that the only
>thing I found interesting were the scenes in which Winona Ryder was not
>wearing a bra.
No comment needed, I think.
>The only reason I think it got good reviews was because the critics must
>think people our age are really that moronic, and thus the movie was true
>to life. I sure hope it's not...
Actually, I read three reviews, one praiseworthy (written by a 13er) and
two lambasting it (both written by elders, one so clueless that throughout
the whole review he said it took place in Los Angeles when, in fact, it was
set in Houston). The most common complaint was the unsympathetic portrayal
of older people. Frankly I thought those portrayals were fairly
flattering.
>BTW, I'm not a regular reader of this group, so if anyone cares enough to
>want to respond to me, it'd probably be best to do it through e-mail...
Naah. Why reward flame-bait? Just saw this as a good opportunity to give
my two cents to folks who deserve them more.
--
What about tomorrow? ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Keith Ammann is
++++++++++++++++++++++++ "We must not unsheathe + Pros...@cup.Portal.com
Quidvis recte factum + the great sword of intellect +++++++++++++++++++++++++
quamvis humile + to cut butter!" + "... BUT DON'T GO IN
praeclarum est ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THE BASEMENT!"
mqd...@acfcluster.nyu.edu
I was somewhat less impressed, myself. I thought there were a lot of funny
lines and characters supporting a trite and predictable Pretty-in-Pink style
love story. And if you're going to see this film, see it soon; the humor is so
topical that it will be incomprehensible twenty years from now.
Mike D'Angelo
MQD...@acfcluster.nyu.edu
Chodorow Jordan
This has been built up to be a _really_ good movie and it was
fair _at best_ -- making it a major disappointment from this pool of talent.
First of all, it had NO edge. Second of all, the characters were really
poorly realized -- their motivations remained completely unclear throughout
and they represented Baby Boomer conceptions of X'ers. Thirdly, Ethan Hawke
acted ATROCIOUSLY -- I've hated him ever since 'Dead Poets Society' but this is
surely his worst performance -- his speeches and soliloquies were even worse
than Matthew Modine's opposite Julianne Moore in the otherwise great 'Short
Cuts' -- bad script, poorly delivered. Why would she leave Ben Stiller for
this pretentious poseur? And what to make of all the incidental characters
-- only Vickie held any appeal and none of them contributed meangingfully to
an overall feeling or theme. Also, why did Winona get so self-righteous
about the In Your Face TV version of her work -- it seemed a lot livelier
and actually pretty cool although one could understand getting upset about
ruining a great work of art, but that wasn't what she had made to begin with.
Her stuff looked basically like outtakes from 'The Real World.' A couple of
funny moments but this movie was way too self-conscious, way too forced in
every way, and ultimately lacked both romance and comedy. Not good for
a romantic comedy. Grade: D+
Thomas Qwing
I'm amaze that this movie has gotten the great reviews that it's
been getting. It's by far the worse movies I've seen in 1994 so
far. The movie is completely inauthentic. It's full of badly
written characters (Troy, Ethan Hawk's character, reek of phoniness),
cliches (e.g. the Ryder character meet the Stiller character as a
result of a fender bender), and sickening smarminess (every 10 min.
we get an interlude, shot in video, of the characters staring into
the camera and revealing their soul). The only thing I liked about
the movie was hearing The Knack's My Sharona on the soundtrack.
Other than that Reality Bites sucks.
Regina Alexandra Robbins
Pirie-Shepherd) wrote:
> 7. Schindler . for all his faults, was a Good man 'This list is Good,
> around the margins lies nothing' (paraphrase).
I'm sorry, but this line was such poetry, I couldn't allow it to be
paraphrased incorrectly:
Stern to Schindler: "The list is life. All around...is the gulf."
R.A.R.
Scott Terek
of the posters here have said, but it was nowhere near as good as some
of the reviews I've read. Hawke's character was highly annoying and
rather "fake". Too many cliches throughout--and the movie tried
much too hard to get as many Generation X references in as possible.
(The "Conjunction Junction" bit fit pretty well, but the "I'm Just a
Bill" bit was way out of place, for example.) But the film did have
it's moments--I've got to jump on the bandwagon and say I really
liked the "My Sharona" scene...
Bottom line is, I'm glad I saw it, but I'm glad I saw it at the matinee
price.
--
Scott Terek | Walt Disney Feature Animation
| 1420 Flower Street
ste...@fa.disney.com | Glendale, CA 91221
Don Weinman
In a previous episode LANCE MARTIN FINNEY posted:
LF> I highly recommend this for college students, twentysomethings,
LF> and teens. For most people past the early thirties, though,
LF> most of the jokes would fly over their heads.
I was born in 1925, but I'm still going to see it, and I'd be
willing to bet I understand as many of the jokes as you did.
From don.w...@bcsbbs.com at 04:56 on 02/20/94
* RM 1.3 00228 * Those easily shocked should be shocked more often
Lance Martin Finney
: References: <2k4b3n$3...@bigfoot.wustl.edu>
: In a previous episode LANCE MARTIN FINNEY posted:
: LF> I highly recommend this for college students, twentysomethings,
: LF> and teens. For most people past the early thirties, though,
: LF> most of the jokes would fly over their heads.
: I was born in 1925, but I'm still going to see it, and I'd be
: willing to bet I understand as many of the jokes as you did.
That's why I said "most". There will always be adults who understand what's
going on with the youth. Unfortunately, that's not the norm. I commend you if
you do understand them.
Lance Finney
mqd...@acfcluster.nyu.edu
>
>Bottom line is, I'm glad I saw it, but I'm glad I saw it at the matinee
>price.
I wish I could say the same, but in Manhattan THERE ARE NO MATINEE DISCOUNTS!!!
Arrrrrrrrrrrrrggggggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Nobody told me this before I chose to attend NYU....
Mike D'Angelo
MQD...@acfcluster.nyu.edu
Donald R. McGregor
:>I saw the movie this morning. I didn't think it was as bad as some
:>of the posters here have said, but it was nowhere near as good as some
:>of the reviews I've read. Hawke's character was highly annoying and
:>rather "fake". Too many cliches throughout--and the movie tried
:>much too hard to get as many Generation X references in as possible.
It seemed like a cross between the classic Hollywoodified script
and reworkings of the _Slacker_ genre.
Some clever lines, but at the core it's still the will-girl-fall-
for-rich-not-to-clever-guy-and-sell-out-her-dreams-or-will-she-
come-to-terms-with-misunderstood-guy-who-really-loves-her plot.
Even as it makes fun of some of the "Melrose Place" cliches,
it falls into more than a few of its own. It was just a tad
irony deficient.
--
Don McGregor | "I really can't define irony, but I know
mcg...@crl.com | it when I see it."
Harmonious Assault Vehicle
Lance Martin Finney <lm...@cec2.wustl.edu> wrote:
>: LF> I highly recommend this for college students, twentysomethings,
>: LF> and teens. For most people past the early thirties, though,
>: LF> most of the jokes would fly over their heads.
>
>: I was born in 1925, but I'm still going to see it, and I'd be
>: willing to bet I understand as many of the jokes as you did.
>
>That's why I said "most". There will always be adults who understand what's
>going on with the youth. Unfortunately, that's not the norm. I commend you if
>you do understand them.
parn mee.
well, i fell somewhere between the 30ish and the 70ish crowd,
and i got most of the references. i attribute this to the fact
that i spent far too large a portion of my life watching teevee.
i didn't even START watching mr. rogers until i was in junior
high, and i still catch the occasional episode of "exo-squad" on
sunday mornings (hey. it beats the other sunday morning fare, and
i absolutely hate that sleeping stuff).
i think it might have been more accurately put "most people past
their early thirties WITH A LIFE, though, most of the jokes etc.
etc. etc."
and while i'm on the subject of lives. ah, never mind. i have to
get back into the living room for the tonight's episode of ST:TNG.
i'm in the colony of slippermen...
--
joe jackson | "Mother, where did you get that
j...@prcrs.prc.com | glass of milk?"
spi...@access.digex.net | -- Vampire Princess Meow
V-X
would be bad. As a literary genre, it's complete lack of quality is
surpassed only by the neo-lost-generation crap of the '80s. Why would
the movies be any better?
--
v...@teleport.COM "He felt he was in posession of some impossible good
news, which made every other thing a triviality,
but an adorable triviality."
--G.K. Chesterton, _The Man Who Was Thursday_
Don Weinman
In a previous episode MQD...@ACFCLUSTER.NYU. posted:
MM> I wish I could say the same, but in Manhattan THERE ARE NO
MM> MATINEE DISCOUNTS!!!
MM> Nobody told me this before I chose to attend NYU....
Hmmm, they lured you with stories about the corned beef sandwiches
at the Carnegie, right? :)
From don.w...@bcsbbs.com at 06:18 on 02/21/94
* RM 1.3 00228 * A Few fries short of a happy meal.
Lyle Beaudoin
>In a previous article, hetf...@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu (Andrew David Gross) says:
>>The only reason I think it got good reviews was because the critics must
>>think people our age are really that moronic, and thus the movie was true
>>to life. I sure hope it's not...
>Actually, I read three reviews, one praiseworthy (written by a 13er) and
>two lambasting it (both written by elders, one so clueless that throughout
>the whole review he said it took place in Los Angeles when, in fact, it was
>set in Houston). The most common complaint was the unsympathetic portrayal
>of older people. Frankly I thought those portrayals were fairly
>flattering.
Both of the reviews given in local papers here said "Well, it wasn't
The Big Chill." I think it's fairly safe to add "I should know. I was
at Woodstock." to that. I haven't read a favourable review of Reality
Bites that was written by a boomer yet.
--
"The passion for science and the passion | These aren't opinions so much
for music are driven by the same desire: | as just mindless ramblings. The
to realize beauty in one's world" | U of A doesn't mind those at all.
-Heinz Pagels | beau...@nyquist.ee.ualberta.ca
Danielle Pokorny
>From: da...@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Thomas Qwing)
>Subject: Re: "REALITY BITES"
>Date: 20 Feb 1994 01:25:21 GMT
I saw this movie over the weekend, and just loved it! Maybe those of you
who hated it are a bit too old to identify.
Since I just graduated last May (with a degree in Broadcasting/Video
Production, no less), went through the whole rejection thing while job
hunting, and eventually took a job that I enjoy, but not one that I had
planned for in college, I really identified with Ryder's character.
I've also known plenty of guys like Troy (I'm not saying this is a good thing,
but the character was certainly believable).
The best part of this film, though, had to be the "Vickie" character. She
stole every scene she was in. I loved her "Melrose Place" comments and
her folding demonstration at The Gap.
Yes, the film's last half hour was not up there with the rest, due to the
formulatic turn it took with the falling in love/breaking up scenes, but I'm a
sap, so I still enjoyed it.
Danielle
Thomas Qwing
In a previous article, beau...@ee.ualberta.ca (Lyle Beaudoin) says:
>aa...@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Keith Ammann) writes:
> The Big Chill." I think it's fairly safe to add "I should know. I was
> at Woodstock." to that. I haven't read a favourable review of Reality
> Bites that was written by a boomer yet.
Try Entertaiment Weekly. The critic there, don't know if he's a boomer,
gave it an A. Rolling Stone magazine also gave it a rave review.
Both magazines, tho, are what I consider boomer magazines. Medved
and Lyon also gave it a rave review. Right there, if you haven't RB
you know it's crap because these two bozos like it.
--=<* DFO *>=--
This was a KILLER MOVIE...if you didn't like it, then I don't know
what niche you've been hiding in for the last 10 years! I don't
want
to flame, but come on... granted, in terms of cinematography, it
wasn't anything special...but it is so cool to see people on the big
screen pulling the same lines you say daily (not all...but some)
I really enjoyed it a lot, though I must agree it still went too
much with the Hollywood-movie format... I would have liked it even
better if it hadn't been quite so linear...
oh well...
Dave
"I'm a looser, baby...so why don't you kill me?"
-Beck-
Keith K. Eggeman
Your comment about the RB review by Lyon/Medved rings true. Medved is
quite the poster child for uplifting propaganda. But the EW critic has
always been one to give credit where credit is due. If EW and RS both rave
about Reality, I will probably make it a point to catch it while its in the
theatre, regardless of what I read on a.s.g-x or any other group.
Keith
--
Conservative, n. A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as
distiguished from a liberal, who wishes to replace them with others.
--- Ambrose Bierce
Jym Dyer
placement? I'm being bombarded with radio ads that start out,
"All I need are a coupla smokes, some coffee, and good conver-
sation." Like, gag me, fer sure.
<_Jym_>
.----------.
/ .-. .-. \
/ | | | | \ HAVE
\ `-' `-' _/ YOU
/\ .--. / | SEEN
\ | / / / / ME?
/ | `--' /\ \
/`-------' \ \
ASH
>>Try Entertaiment Weekly. The critic there, don't know if he's a boomer,
>>gave it an A. Rolling Stone magazine also gave it a rave review.
>>Both magazines, tho, are what I consider boomer magazines. Medved
>>and Lyon also gave it a rave review. Right there, if you haven't RB
>>you know it's crap because these two bozos like it.
hee hee... ``You know it's crap because these two bozos like it?''
good one...so you didn't like Schindler's List? Must have been crap, these two
bozos liked it.
It's pointless to condemn something because a critic does or doesn't like it.
If you're not open-minded enough to watch a movie and judge it without relying
on the critics to tell you what to like, I don't know how much credibility
your reviews and comments are going to get.
There's no one critic who will agree on you with every movie. Kenneth Turan, a
reviewer I like, said True Romance had `the originality of a paper cup.'
I still don't look in the paper and say `Turan liked it, must see...Jeff Craig
liked this, must be crap.'
Make the decision on your own.
Slack,
Matt ``Ash'' Abrams
Mr. Gray
Jason L. Vagner
>placement? I'm being bombarded with radio ads that start out,
>"All I need are a coupla smokes, some coffee, and good conver-
>sation." Like, gag me, fer sure.
That's the (possible) product placement that bothered you? I can't
actually remember a specific cigarette "placement" in the movie (though
I'm not saying there isn't any), but the attention paid to The Gap was
so incredibly deliberate I was annoyed.
For that matter, most of those friends of mine who even remotely
resemble those characters (genre-wise) are quite likely to smoke, but
even less likely to visit The Gap. IMO, the smoking bit is pretty
generic.
..jason
--
- - - - -
ja...@asu.edu
The Information Highway Manifest Destiny Spotted Again: Calmly waving
Daniel B Case
>>=o= So tell me, how much did RJReynolds pay them for product
>>placement? I'm being bombarded with radio ads that start out,
>>"All I need are a coupla smokes, some coffee, and good conver-
>>sation." Like, gag me, fer sure.
>
>That's the (possible) product placement that bothered you? I can't
>actually remember a specific cigarette "placement" in the movie (though
>I'm not saying there isn't any), but the attention paid to The Gap was
>so incredibly deliberate I was annoyed.
According to the article I read in "Premiere", Stiller said it was weird working
with them-they knew the script didn't present them in the best light, but they
did care very much that the store used in the film was immaculate.
It also said that Helen Childress got $75K for the script, which she lived on
for three years, but now that's run out and she lives ith her boyfriend in a
trailer park in Arizona. It was a good script, but I ave to wonder about her
business sense. You get $75K (a very good price for a starter script) and you
*don't* write another one? Followthrough, man, followthrough!
Daniel Case State University of New York at Buffalo
Prodigy: WDNS15D | GEnie: DCASE.10
Ceci n'est pas une pipe
V140...@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu dc...@acsu.buffalo.edu
Ron Erdmann
just my way of saying that I disagree with your opinions with every fiber
in my body. I can't help but think that the only reason you didn't like it
is because you knew that it was going to be a film about our generation,
and the film portrayed our generation in a way that you didn't think was
fair. I think it was the best attempt thus far--a lot of things in that
film will hit home to a lot of people. I must agree, though, that Winona
Ryder's breasts were fantastic. If you decide to write back, write back
about those beauties. In article <2k4e0l...@jhunix.hcf.jhu.edu>,
Juan Diaz
wrote:
I agree that the movie "Reality Bites" was not somehthing that I will
worship and hold up as a turning point in my lfe, but I do thnk it was a
good movie. I think we should look at it not as a "Generation-X" movie,
but as just a movie representing a cross section of society. I this way,
the movie was very honest. Many college graduates have no direction in
their lives and often use drugs to help them cope. I have seen these
things happen with people I know. Although I am not part of Generation X,
I believe we should do away with these labels and realize that eventhough
we are all not part of the same generation, there is no need to generalize
and "clump" people into predefined societal groups. Doing this only serves
to enflame diferences and cause conflict. Also, the conpusive naming of
everyhting has gotten out of hand. I reacently learned that I am
considered part of Generation Y. Nw don' we all think that this is getting
to be a bit ridiculous.
Juan Diaz
University of Pennsylvania
Adam Neil Villani
giving it away, so that people can actually use the critique to help judge
whether or not they want to see it.
This is much more useful than a simple "thumb up" or "thumb down". (Don't get
me wrong, though, I like Siskel and Ebert, I just don't think a binary
review helps much)
---------------------
Adam Villani
ad...@cco.caltech.edu
Geography Trivia: Largest city founded within U.S. territory:
Phoenix, Arizona
--
Disclaimer: Everything I say conforms exactly to Caltech's official
position on the subject, whatever it may be.
Chris Collingwood
seen this movie really dislike it...I just want to see it to watch W. Ryder.
I suppose that's a pretty stupid thing to say, but whether the script is
great or the shits, I still want to watch it...I'll probably hate the
movie afterwards but because she's in it, I'm willing to give it a
chance. I wonder if that's what the producers had in mind when the movie
was being made?
--
-----------------------------------------------
\ Josh Caliba? - from the land of confusion. \
-----------------------------------------------
JIM...@nuacvm.acns.nwu.edu
ccol...@morgan.ucs.mun.ca (Chris Collingwood) writes:
> From what I've read it seems that the majority of people who have
>seen this movie really dislike it...I just want to see it to watch W. Ryder.
>I suppose that's a pretty stupid thing to say, but whether the script is
>great or the shits, I still want to watch it...I'll probably hate the
>movie afterwards but because she's in it, I'm willing to give it a
>chance. I wonder if that's what the producers had in mind when the movie
>was being made?
I remember seeing her on Letterman after this film was finished. She said
it was gonna have a big gen-x marketting push.
Jim
Greg Hamilton
All it did was repackage this angst-ridden, pseudo-philosophical image
that has been foisted on the twentysomthing generation. I refuse to
believe that the majority of college graduates lay around the house
dressed in retro-seventies gear and chain-smoking Camels.
Ethan Hawke's character was a fucking joke.....the movie execs must have
had their minds locked in that ever popular 'grunge' phase....since, in
their minds, all men between 20 and 25 are wearing flannel and trying to
grow scraggy
little poetic beards these days. To the trolls that created his
charachter.....angst and despair are apparently sexually
appealing....RIGHT!!!
Even Rider's performance was dull......other than the infamous practical
joke on the job...(the one laugh)....her effort was unconvincing.
Believe this.....she is supposed to be valadictorian at her university, and
yet
she ends up with this complete loser...(Hawke), whose initial connection
with
Rider is never explained. Also, what the hell was Rider doing in
college!!!
Trolling for boys?!? If all she learned was to fruit around with a
camcorder, then our learning institutions are truly screwed.
The funny thing about all this, is the fact that despite efforts to make
these characters 'real' it only serves to feed the popular concept of
Hollywood's 'boy meets girl' scenerio. It's nothing more than 'Melrose
Place'
dressed in 70's second-hand store threads. Spare me.
For those who haven't seen this yet, be forewarned.....if you identify with
any of the attitudes in this film......you are truly at risk.
Jonathan Owen
|> From what I've read it seems that the majority of people who have
|> seen this movie really dislike it...
references. I thought the burger-flippin', Gap-clothes-sellin', gopher-
on-the-set portrayal of McJobs was well-done and that the top ramen
eatin', used clothes wearin', but well-educated households rang some bells.
Ethan Hawke's character seemed pretty flat, but that's okay because I
don't check my imagination at the door.
This movie probably won't change the lives of the audience, but I'm glad
I saw it.
I saw it with 4 others who also liked it.
Enjoy (Winona).
--
Jonahood, Rice-ex, Owner of Cisco-the-yellow-wonder-lab, Breaker of Logs,
native to Tennessee, ex-MDC, ex-Noet, ex-MSC, ex-MechE, RoomDog,
Climber of Heinously Overhanging Plastic
Thomas Qwing
In a previous article, danielle@moci (Danielle Pokorny) says:
>In article <2k6e61$3...@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> da...@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Thomas Qwing) writes:
>
>>I'm amaze that this movie has gotten the great reviews that it's
>>been getting. It's by far the worse movies I've seen in 1994 so
>>far. The movie is completely inauthentic. It's full of badly
>>written characters (Troy, Ethan Hawk's character, reek of phoniness),
>>cliches (e.g. the Ryder character meet the Stiller character as a
>>result of a fender bender), and sickening smarminess (every 10 min.
>>we get an interlude, shot in video, of the characters staring into
>>the camera and revealing their soul). The only thing I liked about
>>the movie was hearing The Knack's My Sharona on the soundtrack.
>>Other than that Reality Bites sucks.
>
>
>I saw this movie over the weekend, and just loved it! Maybe those of you
>who hated it are a bit too old to identify.
I doubt it. I suspect the people who will hate this movie
with passion (or love it) are people who are (like me) in their
early or mid twenties--the same people who this movie is suppose
to be about. I hated this movie because it's a truly bad--smarmy,
pretentious, and cliche ridden.
Jason L. Vagner
>working with them-they knew the script didn't present them in the best
>light, but they did care very much that the store used in the film was
>immaculate.
Exposure is exposure. Strangely enough, two of my new neighbors were
both relocated by "Gap" type companies to manage their stores here in
Phoenix.
>It also said that Helen Childress got $75K for the script, which she lived on
>for three years, but now that's run out and she lives ith her boyfriend in a
>trailer park in Arizona. It was a good script, but I ave to wonder about her
>business sense. You get $75K (a very good price for a starter script) and you
>*don't* write another one? Followthrough, man, followthrough!
I'd hate to think she's down here researching her next one.
The Meat Puppets reference makes sense, now. They only live down the
street from me (and half the student population, for that matter).
..jason
--
- - - - -
Information Highway Manifest Destiny Spotted Again: Calmly waving farewell to
his own job, he allowed as how the museum might very well disappear, just a-
nother road kill on the data highway. re:David Ross, Whitney Director, NYT 2/15.
scottw
: I just gotta say.....it was the worst.
: All it did was repackage this angst-ridden, pseudo-philosophical image
: that has been foisted on the twentysomthing generation. I refuse to
: believe that the majority of college graduates lay around the house
: dressed in retro-seventies gear and chain-smoking Camels.
What did you expect it to do? Make up new angst?
Who said the majority of college graduates lay around the house dressed
in retro-seventies gear and chain-smoke Camels? They smoke, often.
Fine. Many college students and post-college students smoke. Who
cares? "Retro-seventies?" I wouldn't necessarily say that. I don't
recall all their names but the gay guy often dressed conservatively.
Winona wore a combo of clothes from different times. Keep in mind, retro
clothing is "in" and this movie is obviously for a 1994 crowd. Hawke
wore button down shirts and jeans. What's wrong with that? I wear that
every day. It's easy. It's comfy. And Vikki just wore odd clothing,
often psuedo-70s but keep in mind, she had John Travolta on her wall.
And who said that college grads just lie around? If you recall, Vikki
worked all day at the GAP, Winona worked for a television show for the
first half of the movie and after she was fired, went on a few
interviews, etc. The gay guy (sorry about the generalization... I'm
trying to be as PC as possible but this is the only way I can describe
him :) ) worked at the coffee shop. Ethan Hawke sat around. But that
was his role.
: Ethan Hawke's character was a fucking joke.....the movie execs must have
: had their minds locked in that ever popular 'grunge' phase....since, in
: their minds, all men between 20 and 25 are wearing flannel and trying to
: grow scraggy
: little poetic beards these days. To the trolls that created his
: charachter.....angst and despair are apparently sexually
: appealing....RIGHT!!!
Actually, angst and despair are sexually appealing. I happen to believe
that despair builds character and Hawke came across as a very intelligent
person. The angst and despair are what made him so attractive.
: Even Rider's performance was dull......other than the infamous practical
: joke on the job...(the one laugh)....her effort was unconvincing.
: Believe this.....she is supposed to be valadictorian at her university, and
: yet
: she ends up with this complete loser...(Hawke), whose initial connection
: with
: Rider is never explained. Also, what the hell was Rider doing in
: college!!!
: Trolling for boys?!? If all she learned was to fruit around with a
: camcorder, then our learning institutions are truly screwed.
I think you are totally off-base, here.
To say that she's supposed to be valadictorian and ends up with a
complete loser like Hawke is just a really dumb comment. What was their
initial connection? They went to college together. Hawke a complete
loser? Hardly. I completely disagree. It seems that you and I rate
people on a totally different values scale. And yours is quite shallow.
How could Winona end up with him? Simple: the attraction was there. In
fact, relationships like that happen often. I can't tell you how many times
I have observed the perfect-grades, ambitous, wonderkid type end up dating
somebody on the opposite side of the GPA scale. In fact, Troy and Lainey
were almost too compatible.
What was she doing in college? Getting an education. What do we all do
in college? Trolling for boys? Hardly. And she didn't just learn to
fruit around with a camcorder. I'm assuming that she was a film major.
She used her education to work for the "Good Morning, Grant!" show. The
video camera thing was just a documentary she was making on her friends.
And the only time you laughed was when Winona played her little practical
joke on Grant? Tell me... exactly how square are you?
: The funny thing about all this, is the fact that despite efforts to make
: these characters 'real' it only serves to feed the popular concept of
: Hollywood's 'boy meets girl' scenerio. It's nothing more than 'Melrose
: Place'
: dressed in 70's second-hand store threads. Spare me.
I happen to think that the characters were pretty real. I had many
things in common with each and every one of them. And if one of them had
a trait that I didn't have, I know at least one person who does. What
planet are you from?
: For those who haven't seen this yet, be forewarned.....if you identify with
: any of the attitudes in this film......you are truly at risk.
Wow! I'm in a high-risk group! Enlighten me: what am I at risk of?
Jeez.
--
*****************************************************************************
* Scott Weintraub - sco...@wam.umd.edu - * "The extreme always seems to *
* University of Maryland at College Park * make an impression." *
* iN dREaMS i WalK wItH YoU * --J.D., "Heathers" *
*****************************************************************************
Kathleen Hubbard
about it, but here goes anyway...
The friend I saw it with is 27, I'm 28, and we agreed that much of our
failure to completely identify with the characters stemmed from our
having struggled through post-college and not wanting to revisit it.
But beyond that came an interesting disagreement. He kept wanting to
shout at the characters "hey CARE about something whydoncha!", because
he does not have in his value system anything approaching their level
of meaninglessness-recognition. I, on the other hand, do. So I guess
I'm much closer to the feeling that was supposed to be conveyed, yet I
didn't get much satisfaction out of it...partly because I can't identify
what's different about those characters (one of which I could easily
have been at the same age) and my own character now.
Also, I thought the movie was kind of uneven -- awkward by turns, and
brilliantly funny at other moments. But that much I can tolerate and
still resonate with a movie...so since I didn't with this one, I gather
it's the story that's sticking in my craw.
Any older X'ers out there get similar vibes?
--
Kathleen A. Hubbard | member: GenerationX, 02.10.66 Cohort,
Department of Linguistics | Linguistic Society of America, Queens
U.C. Berkeley | of Disappointment, Icky Man Recovery,
One Foot Out The Door | Early A.M. Linguists Basketball League
Regis Philbin
:Yes, the film's last half hour was not up there with the rest, due to the
:formulatic turn it took with the falling in love/breaking up scenes, but I'm a
:sap, so I still enjoyed it.
Stiller's idea of a love story. He wasn't going for the ironic genX
thing as the main idea of the story. This was just a background that we
could all identify with. I think that some of the cultural references
were unneccessary ("I'm just a bill...") but as I said, those were not
the main point anyway.
--
chip woods
athens, ga
Bryan L Scovill
Okay, I've gone through this entire thread of people
loving/hating this film and picking its flaws and not one of you (that
I've seen) has mentioned the fucking radar Stiller's character had for
Winona.
He called her at the coffee shop from NY. How the hell did he
know to find her there? He found her at the club, same complaint.
I enjoyed this movie, it was okay, but little things like that
really irritate me. If this is supposed to be a reflection of reality
movie, I want these little things paid some attention.
I wasn't sure if I liked Stiller's character or not. I don't
remember seeing a less articulate person in a movie. But then, I see
them all the time in real life. Had anyone else in the movie been even
remotely inarticulate I probably wouldn't have even noticed, but I did,
and I shouldn't.
And while Hawke's performance was good, his character blew
chunks. No one who thinks they are as smart as he was is as smart as he
was. It is getting to be a cliche in this thread, but cliche.
That's it, I'm done.
--Bryan
--
`'`'`'`'`''`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`''`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'
B.L.S.Scovill/CIS@UNH`'Only a man know `'Sometimes a cigar`'Maybe that's
Hard.Tech-Team Leader`'how a woman should`'is just a cigar. `'not her head.
b...@kepler.unh.edu `'act. -M. Butterfly`'-Sigmund Freud `'-Andy Prieboy
`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'``''`'
Daniel M. Riess
know it was Winona RYDER, not "Rider." Since I identified
w/many of the attitudes in this film, I suppose I'm "at risk."
I suppose I'd rather be "at risk" than a cynical moron.
Have a day!
BIER, LAURENCE
>I doubt it. I suspect the people who will hate this movie
>with passion (or love it) are people who are (like me) in their
>early or mid twenties--the same people who this movie is suppose
>to be about. I hated this movie because it's a truly bad--smarmy,
>pretentious, and cliche ridden.
>
>
Well, I saw this movie last night and I didn't hate it that much. My main
problem with the picture is that I found Michael Grates to be a far more
appealing character than that guy played by Ethan Hawke - boy, did he get on my
nerves! I wanted Winona to end up with Michael rather than the other way
around. And at the end, when we see that video clip with Evan Dando and Karen
Duffy which is based on Winona's videos and on-screen it says "Produced by
Michael Graates", it was like an insult to the intelligence of the audience
saying, "See! She did pick the right guy! The other guy was a loser who steals
other people's ideas!" MY favorite moments were the question cards, dancing
in the gas station to "My Sharona", and the clip from "One Day at a Time": I
wanted to shout out "SCHNEIDER!"
*******************************************************************************
"In this country you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the
money you get the power. Then when you get the power then you get the
woman."
*******************************************************************************
Daniel B Case
>>for three years, but now that's run out and she lives ith her boyfriend in a
>>trailer park in Arizona. It was a good script, but I ave to wonder about her
>>business sense. You get $75K (a very good price for a starter script) and you
>>*don't* write another one? Followthrough, man, followthrough!
>
>I'd hate to think she's down here researching her next one.
Premiere joked that she's doing exactly that.
Peter Dubuque
>I don't know why anybody's shacked that any ***GENERATION X!!!*** movie
>would be bad. As a literary genre, it's complete lack of quality is
>surpassed only by the neo-lost-generation crap of the '80s. Why would
>the movies be any better?
Can you say FLAMEBAIT, boys and girls? I knew you could.
--
_______________________________________________________________________
Peter F. Dubuque dub...@husc.harvard.edu
Everyone has some redeeming quality...their mortality, if nothing else.
_______________________________________________________________________
Joseph J. Charles
out. I sat there and watched it and thought "Yeah, man! Right on!" It
was like, someone has finally made a movie that *really* tells it like it
is. I saw it again 2 years later and was absolutely mortified to think
that I ever thought it was any good. What a difference 2 years can make.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joe Charles, cha...@image.kodak.com | "I wanna eat an' go home!"--A kid
Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, New York | I walked by at Disneyworld in '83
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don B Christie
: Well, first of all, buddy, if you had even half a brain, you'd
Cool yo' boots mate, you are on a high, sit down, take a breath, it will pass.
Don B Christie
: Sorry, folks. I just opened that first Doug Coupland book a couple of
: years ago and had an allergic reaction to the stupid
: pseudo-pseudo-Lichtenstein cartoons, and I ain't stopped itchin' since.
did you read it?
Don Weinman
In a previous episode THOMAS QWING posted:
>TQ> I hated this movie because it's a truly bad--smarmy,
>TQ> pretentious, and cliche ridden.
>
>What's your point?
TQ> What's your point? I hated RB because it's full of cliche, all
TQ> of its characters are badly well written, and it's prententious
TQ> (trying so hard to be a GenX movie). Ben Stiller, the director,
TQ> once had a show on Fox that spoofed everything from jean
TQ> commerical to Oliver Stone. It was a truly funny show. In RB
TQ> there was some dialogue that goes: "why can't everything be
TQ> normal after every half hours--like in the Brady Bunch", another
TQ> character answer "because Mr. Brady died of Aids". When I
TQ> heard this exchanged of dailogue by the two main characters, I
TQ> almost cringed into a ball of flesh. This is exactly the kind of
TQ> stupidity that The Ben Stiller Show would make fun about. I
TQ> have never been able to sit thru a full hour of Melrose Place,
TQ> but from what i been able to see RB is no better than an episode
TQ> of Melrose Place, a show that Ben Stiller Show would mock.
OK, but aside from that?
From don.w...@bcsbbs.com at 14:00 on 02/25/94
* RM 1.3 00228 * Larry Parker got me $123,000,000.00!
Thomas Qwing
OK, friend, what's _your_ point?
Matt Garretson
Kathleen Hubbard <hub...@garnet.berkeley.edu> wrote:
> [...]
>shout at the characters "hey CARE about something whydoncha!", because
>he does not have in his value system anything approaching their level
>of meaninglessness-recognition. I, on the other hand, do. So I guess
One problem I had with the movie is the whole "Waah-Our-Parents-Ruined-
The-World-For-Us" angst around which it seemed to be [at least partially]
centered. I don't really buy into that since, lets face it, every
generation screws up the world for subsequent generations.
I'm 23 and can definitely appreciate the feelings of meaninglessness
that are familiar to most humans of all ages, but the way they're
presented in this film, they don't carry much dramatic weight. I think if
you go into this movie expecting a superficial look at the sometimes-
amusing difficulties of post-college life, and not some kind of
generation-specific socio-philosophical (is that a word?) statement, you'll
enjoy it more.
For the most part, I thought the performances were good, although Stiller
seemed to be dweebing it up a bit much, and the Hawke character was
annoyingly pretentious at times. But people are like that. Sure, there were
some cinematically awkward & self-conscious moments, but there were also a
few gems in there. Hell, it's worth the price of admission just for the
20-something nostalgia, if you're into that kind of thing, if not just to
see Winona Ryder sing songs from Schoolhouse Rock.
-Matt
Keith Ammann
In a previous article, cha...@image.Kodak.COM (Joseph J. Charles) says:
>Heh heh... I remember being in high school when "The Breakfast Club" came
>out. I sat there and watched it and thought "Yeah, man! Right on!" It
>was like, someone has finally made a movie that *really* tells it like it
>is. I saw it again 2 years later and was absolutely mortified to think
>that I ever thought it was any good. What a difference 2 years can make.
I always KINDA liked it ... but one thing really bugged me. At the end,
the hood gets the princess, the alternative chick gets the athlete, and the
smart kid gets the Satisfaction of a Job Well Done. And he's HAPPY with
that! Man, he'd better have used that talent to write a book, get
thousands of bucks and hook up with some cute astrophysics major, 'cause
otherwise I say he got scammed.
--
What about tomorrow? ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Keith Ammann is
++++++++++++++++++++++++ "We must not unsheathe + Pros...@cup.Portal.com
Quidvis recte factum + the great sword of intellect +++++++++++++++++++++++++
quamvis humile + to cut butter!" + "... BUT DON'T GO IN
praeclarum est ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ THE BASEMENT!"
Daniel B Case
> I mean, how can 100 minutes of screen time *define a generation?
Well, "The Graduate" did that quite well for the boomers, which only goes to
show you how shallow and homogeneous they really were.
Incidentally, Richard Reeves, the syndicated columnist, reviewed "Reality
Bites" in such a clueless fashion that I'm going to post it here on a.s.g-x
for those who feel like flame practice. Watch out for it.
Rica Magenta Miriam Wasser de Sola Mendes
>In article <2kede2$p...@usenet.INS.CWRU.Edu> da...@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Thomas Qwing) writes:
>>
>>I doubt it. I suspect the people who will hate this movie
>>with passion (or love it) are people who are (like me) in their
>>early or mid twenties--the same people who this movie is suppose
>>to be about. I hated this movie because it's a truly bad--smarmy,
>>pretentious, and cliche ridden.
>>
>Heh heh... I remember being in high school when "The Breakfast Club" came
>out. I sat there and watched it and thought "Yeah, man! Right on!" It
>was like, someone has finally made a movie that *really* tells it like it
>is. I saw it again 2 years later and was absolutely mortified to think
>that I ever thought it was any good. What a difference 2 years can make.
I must conquer... this is the most fabulous film to come out of that genre...
it is a brilliant piece... Eeryimte that I see it (and I hve been watching it
ever since it frist came out at east two-three times a year) I find something
new and wonderful about it...
-Rica
Shimoda ___ Ah, suck it PU and deal! SRM...@ocvaxa.cc.oberlin.edu
sez: / * \______________ "Magenta!!"
\---\__\__________\\____
"Muncha! // // -----\\ "Ven do ve return to Transylvania, huh?...
Muncha!" __// __// \\=== I ask for nothing!" -P. Quinn
`An Ode to Frank'
"And never rubberband another man's rhubarb!" - Suave'
Daniel Park
Keith Ammann <Pros...@cup.portal.com> wrote:
>
>In a previous article, cha...@image.Kodak.COM (Joseph J. Charles) says:
>
>>out. I sat there and watched it and thought "Yeah, man! Right on!" It
>>was like, someone has finally made a movie that *really* tells it like it
>>is. I saw it again 2 years later and was absolutely mortified to think
>>that I ever thought it was any good. What a difference 2 years can make.
>
>the hood gets the princess, the alternative chick gets the athlete, and the
>smart kid gets the Satisfaction of a Job Well Done. And he's HAPPY with
>that! Man, he'd better have used that talent to write a book, get
>thousands of bucks and hook up with some cute astrophysics major, 'cause
>otherwise I say he got scammed.
I guess the thing that bothered me most about the film is that the entire
situation is so damned contrived! They took an average high school,
threw together one member of every h.s. social class, locked them in a
room together for a few hours, and a melodrama followed. I don't know
about the rest of you, but when I was in high school, about seven or eight
John Bender clones were consistenly sent to detension, and no one else.
Regards,
Daniel Park
TU Berlin / Central Michigan U.
Mark J. Lilback
Daniel Park <danl...@w203zrz.zrz.tu-berlin.de> wrote:
>
>I guess the thing that bothered me most about the film is that the entire
>situation is so damned contrived! They took an average high school,
>threw together one member of every h.s. social class, locked them in a
>room together for a few hours, and a melodrama followed. I don't know
>about the rest of you, but when I was in high school, about seven or eight
>John Bender clones were consistenly sent to detension, and no one else.
>
We always had princesses getting thrown in for tardies, and alternatives
thrown in for smoking and/or tardies, in addition to the Bender's. (At
least the few times I had to go.)
************************************************************************
* Mark J. Lilback ****** Internet Coordinator, WhoCares Magazine *
* mlil...@cec.org ****** A Journal of Service and Action *
* mlil...@seas.gwu.edu ****** whoc...@cec.org or AOL: WhoCares3 *
************************************************************************
Lyle Beaudoin
>In article <2kl3vh$e...@quartz.ucs.ualberta.ca>
>> Hmmm...I enjoyed it quite a lot, actually. I never did identify with
>> it that much, but I enjoyed it.
>
>The first couple of times I saw _Breakfast Club_ I thought, "Yeah, this is
>pretty close." The older I became, though, the less I thought things were so
>"neat" and compartmentalized.
>
>I thought _Heathers_ was much better at examining the psyche of suburban
>high school life. Yeah the murder and stuff, of course, isn't really everyday
>reality, but the attitudes and behaviors of the students were pretty close.
This one is going to be a modern classic, no doubt in my mind. Less so
is Pump Up the Volume. I liked this one when I was going through my
teen-angst phase that demographers and social theorists seem to think
I'm still in, but now? Hmm..a few cool lines out of Slater's mouth,
but not much more.
It's scary that eleven or twelve years ago, Fast Times at Ridgemont
High was "the" teen movie, and movies like Pump Up the Volume are now.
--
"The passion for science and the passion | These aren't opinions so much
for music are driven by the same desire: | as just mindless ramblings. The
to realize beauty in one's world" | U of A doesn't mind those at all.
-Heinz Pagels | beau...@nyquist.ee.ualberta.ca
adam shah
>I guess the thing that bothered me most about the film is that the entire
>situation is so damned contrived! They took an average high school,
>threw together one member of every h.s. social class, locked them in a
>room together for a few hours, and a melodrama followed. I don't know
>about the rest of you, but when I was in high school, about seven or eight
>John Bender clones were consistenly sent to detension, and no one else.
It was just a what-if movie. Most people I know got detention at least
a couple of times in their life, from the most model students down to
the dudes who brought guns to school. So the situation was plausible,
although probably unlikely. Once you accept the plausability, hopefully
you can suspend your disbelief enough to not question the situation or
the fact that in one afternoon, these people will even say more than 2
words to each other.
--
adam (as...@midway.uchicago.edu)
aka mercutio...
1321 E 57th Street Apt 3/Chicago, IL 60637/(312)363-0920
b.a. paper update...17 pages done and 2 of them are actually coherent...
Brian K. Yoder
>In article <2kno3f$e...@brachio.zrz.TU-Berlin.DE> danl...@w203zrz.zrz.tu-berlin.de (Daniel Park) writes:
>>I guess the thing that bothered me most about the film is that the entire
>>situation is so damned contrived! They took an average high school,
>>threw together one member of every h.s. social class, locked them in a
>>room together for a few hours, and a melodrama followed. I don't know
>>about the rest of you, but when I was in high school, about seven or eight
>>John Bender clones were consistenly sent to detension, and no one else.
True enough.
>It was just a what-if movie. Most people I know got detention at least
>a couple of times in their life, from the most model students down to
>the dudes who brought guns to school. So the situation was plausible,
>although probably unlikely. Once you accept the plausability, hopefully
>you can suspend your disbelief enough to not question the situation or
>the fact that in one afternoon, these people will even say more than 2
>words to each other.
Actually, that's not the worst of it. Look at what they COULD all agree
about and unify around...music and drugs. Ah yes, everybody in our generation
likes the same music and everybody smokes pot as a rebellion against the
square authority figure. Does that sound like any generations you may
be familiar with? Hint: It's not Xers.
--Brian
--
+------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------+
| Brian K. Yoder | "The children who know how to think for themselves, spoil |
| byo...@netcom.com| the harmony of the collective society that is coming, |
| US Networx, Inc. | where everyone (would be) interdependent" --John Dewey |
+------------------+-----------------------------------------------------------+
Brian K. Yoder
>I guess the thing that bothered me most about the film is that the entire
>situation is so damned contrived! They took an average high school,
>threw together one member of every h.s. social class, locked them in a
>room together for a few hours, and a melodrama followed. I don't know
>about the rest of you, but when I was in high school, about seven or eight
>John Bender clones were consistenly sent to detension, and no one else.
Ah, another CMU person! So am I...welcome.
That's true, and furthermore the likely situation would be that the John
Bender types would beat up the brain, the princess and the jock would
perhaps go make out in the corner and the freak would sit in another
corner and nibble her nails. Don't get me wrong, I thought it was fairly
entertaining, but those kids were nothing like any of the various analogues
I know in highschool.
Don Weinman
In a previous episode THOMAS QWING posted:
TQ> OK, friend, what's _your_ point?
Thomas, I have been teasing you. I really thought you would see
that, however, I don't have much of a point.
I thought Reality Bites was an uneven, funny, reasonably worthwhile
movie. However, it was no great shakes. I can't see getting as upset
about it one way or the other as you have, so I thought I would
tease you a bit about it. Sorry, if you are offended.
From don.w...@bcsbbs.com at 07:17 on 02/27/94
* RM 1.3 00228 * I am Locutus of Borg. Do you have any Grey Poupon?
Amal Gupta
Daniel Park <danl...@w203zrz.zrz.tu-berlin.de> wrote:
>Keith Ammann <Pros...@cup.portal.com> wrote:
>>
>>In a previous article, cha...@image.Kodak.COM (Joseph J. Charles) says:
>>
>>>out. I sat there and watched it and thought "Yeah, man! Right on!" It
>>>was like, someone has finally made a movie that *really* tells it like it
>>>is. I saw it again 2 years later and was absolutely mortified to think
>>>that I ever thought it was any good. What a difference 2 years can make.
>>
>>the hood gets the princess, the alternative chick gets the athlete, and the
>>smart kid gets the Satisfaction of a Job Well Done. And he's HAPPY with
>>that! Man, he'd better have used that talent to write a book, get
>>thousands of bucks and hook up with some cute astrophysics major, 'cause
>>otherwise I say he got scammed.
>
>situation is so damned contrived! They took an average high school,
>threw together one member of every h.s. social class, locked them in a
>room together for a few hours, and a melodrama followed. I don't know
>about the rest of you, but when I was in high school, about seven or eight
>John Bender clones were consistenly sent to detension, and no one else.
>
>
>Daniel Park
>TU Berlin / Central Michigan U.
>
with college social class, you basiically have the formula for eMpTV's
"The Real World". I think the sentiments that Warren Beatty had in
Madonna's "Truth or Dare" sums it up best: No one seems to have anything
to say unless there's a camera in front of them.
eMpTV is the Anti-Christ. ;)
-KG
Daniel B Case
>reaction during high school when it came out too. John HUghes is a
>terrible film maker, but a great business man. He knows which formulas
>will make him rich. The B.C. wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't
>recycled the idea in about 6 other screenplays. Currently he's in a new
>genre which I call "kids wreeking havoc." Right after "Home Aone" he
>made a movie about some kids defending a store against thieves. The guy
>is absolutely shameless - but rich nonetheless.
Well, actually that one ("Career Opportunities") was made first and shelved
until after the success of "Home Alone" (which, BTW, may have been ripped off
from a French film Hughes saw during the French vacation he claims got him
thinking about the idea).
Leslie Devlin
>There were some very good things about the movie, but I just didn't
>buy the basic story. My favorite insert was the big, fat, hairy mole
>on the Cindy Crawford lookalike.
Yeah, that's what I thought about it too. All the little scenes,
like the gas station scenes (see, food bought with a gas station card
*is* the official Generation X food! :)), the rooftop scenes and the
housemate conflicts were all great, but the story just didn't work
for me.
>>Troy says (approximately):
>>"Well, just go back to Michael and you can navigate the relationship
>>yourself...but you will not be able to navigate me, Lalaina."
>So, why should she? What would force her to want to? I wasn't
>convinced she should.
I didn't understand why she felt she had to choose between those two.
I mean, it's not like they're the only men on the planet, and she
could have just found some other guy or just not dated anyone at
all. (Wow! What a novel idea for a woman in a Hollywood movie. :/ )
Besides, Troy was *so* gross. I would have thrown him a washcloth
and a bar of soap and been outta there.
> Jon
-Leslie, who doesn't go for the grungy look *or* the yuppie look
--
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Leslie Devlin * lde...@nyx.cs.du.edu * qar...@hyperion.com * la...@io.com
Texas: Where the men are men and the women are elected officials
Angeli Primlani
>I walked out of Only the Lonely 'cause it was SO BORING) was
>Pretty in Pink only because I look like Jon Cryer and Ducky was
>me my senior year. (My mom saw the commercial when it came
>out and she thought I'd gotten a movie role without my having told
>her.) In social constructs where there are too many Steves
>(often, it being the 3rd most popular male name in 1966, after
>Michael and David), sometimes they call me Ducky.
>
OHMYGOSH! I went to the PROM with Ducky Doyle! Okay, he wasn't, he might
have been you, Steve, only his name was Chris Zack and his claim to fame was
the digression on the Etiquette Way of Eating Egg Rolls...which I would
explain but you kind of had to be there. But I loved that movie because,
well, I had a Duckman in my life, and no, we weren't dating....We've never
dated, exactly. We were part of the same friend group that hung out at
K-Mart Plaza on the weekends, partly 'cause I worked in the used
bookstore/newsstand, partly 'cause of the talking vending machine, partly
'cause Rocky Mount, North Carolina is the End of the Earth and none of us
had money to drive to Raleigh like the rich kids in school.
The Breakfast Club was okay, but it had nothing to do with my life, but
Pretty in Pink was something else again! I didn't dress as well, but then I
didn't make my clothes either. And we were a little geekier in general.
Used to go dancing out at the Confederate graveyard in Battle Park in the
middle of the night.
Even more *gasp* representative of Life as it Really Was, and I'm so sorry
to admit this, was Footloose. This probably had to do with being in
a small town in the south, but yeah, really it was almost that bad. We
couldn't sing JC Superstar in my high school because somebody called it
irreligious. In Chapel Hill this would not happen without outrage, people
pounding on tables and editorials in the Herald or something, but in Rocky
Mount there was not a murmur. The Choir director just shrugged and pulled
it from the program.
This post rambles.
Angeli
-----
BIER, LAURENCE
>>I thought _Heathers_ was much better at examining the psyche of suburban
>>high school life. Yeah the murder and stuff, of course, isn't really everyday
>>reality, but the attitudes and behaviors of the students were pretty close.
>
> This one is going to be a modern classic, no doubt in my mind. Less so
> is Pump Up the Volume. I liked this one when I was going through my
> teen-angst phase that demographers and social theorists seem to think
> I'm still in, but now? Hmm..a few cool lines out of Slater's mouth,
> but not much more.
>
> It's scary that eleven or twelve years ago, Fast Times at Ridgemont
> High was "the" teen movie, and movies like Pump Up the Volume are now.
>
What's wrong with _Fast Times_? That's gotta be one of my favorite movies.
Kory Lasker
>
>>>Troy says (approximately):
>>>"Well, just go back to Michael and you can navigate the relationship
>>>yourself...but you will not be able to navigate me, Lalaina."
>>So, why should she? What would force her to want to? I wasn't
>>convinced she should.
>
>I didn't understand why she felt she had to choose between those two.
>I mean, it's not like they're the only men on the planet, and she
>could have just found some other guy or just not dated anyone at
>all. (Wow! What a novel idea for a woman in a Hollywood movie. :/ )
>
portrayed at all... I think the ending would have been better served if
Lalaina had struck out on her own, doing her own thing. Significantly,
there are so few films that do just this.
Yet, insofar as the dialogue itself, Troy was basically establishing
himself as someone with an identity vs. Michael who was adapting to
whatever he thought others expected of him, IMHO.
>-Leslie, who doesn't go for the grungy look *or* the yuppie look
--
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
| Kory Lasker | vas...@mermaid.micro.umn.edu | lask...@gold.tc.umn.edu |
| "I really can't define irony, but I know it when I see it." - W. Ryder |
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
JAMES E. GALL
> Yet, insofar as the dialogue itself, Troy was basically establishing
>himself as someone with an identity vs. Michael who was adapting to
>whatever he thought others expected of him, IMHO.
The most telling thing about Michael was the "I'm not into cars" dialogue.
The Troy/Lelaina thing reminded me of the scene in "When Harry Met Sally"
when they are at a party with dates and both keep commenting on how the
other's date is not right for him/her. Although RB didn't pull it off as
well, I think that the point was that Troy and Lelaina really knew each
other and this made them a good match.
roberto fiorili
>JIM...@NUACVM.ACNS.NWU.EDU writes:
===============================================================================
Yes, he's a good movie, but it's very dangerous for very young people! In Italy
it did some noise because a 14 years-old boy hung up himself imitating Wynona
and die! Censure movements rose up against the violence of that movie!
===============================================================================
Roberto
Julie Gray
I understand why u guys choose to knock it, but I still think that it was an okay movie to watch. Apart from the things u mentioned, it did have a few things going for it, like the soundtrack!!!
Butler
No, I think Kory had it right. Michael is a "blank." A Zelig if you will.
The whole point of Michael isn't that he's a terrible person or evil, just
that he's not really there. No substance to his character. The conv about
the cars and the suits and the materialism isn't there to show how "wrong"
Michael is for Lelaina, but to show him struggling to fit himself into the
mold he think Lelaina wants. He's trying to change his colors, eh?
--
______________________________________________________________________
| kr...@nyx.cs.du.edu | Shut up, Cerebus has to think |
| [303/722-2009] Vox | My way's not very sporting - Andre the Giant |
| [303/777-2911] Data | South Gaylord, Denver, CO, 80209 |
Rebecca Ann Venable
definite '80s classics. St. Elmo's is the ultimate college
movie because so many of us can relate to the themes it
presents. And as for "Pretty in Pink", well, who wouldn't love
Ducky pantomining to Otis Redding. That is truely classic.
I could go on and on, but I won't. No time (I'm in E-school).
FORTRAN CALLS...
Sheilagh M.B.E. O'Hare
BIER, LAURENCE <l_b...@pavo.concordia.ca> wrote:
>"In this country you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the
> money you get the power. Then when you get the power then you get the
> woman."
Wow. Gotta go out and make some money, so I can get me a woman.
April Christine Moate
I just saw "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" and I was wondering if anyone
could tell me what else the actor who played his younger brother was in.
I think his last name is DiCaprio and he has been a best actor nominee
in the past. Let me know if you know...Thanks!
April
April Christine Moate
Adam Neil Villani
and nothing else. He's a Best Supporting Actor nominee this year for Gilbert
Grape.
Correct me if I'm wrong.
---------------------
Adam Villani
ad...@cco.caltech.edu
Geography Trivia: Four states with peaks over 14,000 feet:
Alaska, California, Colorado, Washington
--
Disclaimer: Everything I say conforms exactly to Caltech's official
position on the subject, whatever it may be.
Colin Needham
The rec.arts.movies movie database can answer your question. Here are some
of the ways to access it:
(1) To use the e-mail interface, send a message with the subject:
ACTOR DiCaprio, Leonardo
to <mo...@ibmpcug.co.uk> and the movie mail-server will respond with the
information you require. If you include the word HELP in the body of the
message you will also receive a copy of the help file.
(2) For remote interactive access to the database via World Wide Web, if you
have access to the Mosaic program (X windows, PC and Mac versions are
available via FTP from ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu in /Web) open the document:
http://www.cm.cf.ac.uk/Movies/moviequery.html
(3) For local interactive access to the database you can install the movie
database package on your machine, available via anonymous FTP from
cathouse.org in the file:
/pub/cathouse/movies/database/tools/moviedb-2.8.tar.Z
Col
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Now you listen to me, I'm an advertising man not a red herring"
-- Cary Grant, North by Northwest
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Col Needham, The PC Users Group, UK <c...@ibmpcug.co.uk>
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Public access internet in the UK, contact <in...@ibmpcug.co.uk>
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Erich Schwarz
ANTHONY DANIEL JOYCE
Julie Gray <Julie...@infoboard.nacjack.gen.nz> wrote:
>Hey I really enjoyed that movie, and I still do!
>I understand why u guys choose to knock it, but I still think that it was an okay movie to watch. Apart from the things u mentioned, it did have a few things going for it, like the soundtrack!!!
>
>
I agreee Julie. Brilliant film. Still one of my favourites.
--
*************************************************************************
*"WOW Mum,-You're lookin good today!" *
* -Oedipus * E-mail ajo...@cch.ac.cov.uk *
*******************************************The Jester********************
die Wawafrau
--
_
(_` "I don't take information from orange,
(_,st :) irritating people."
h...@minerva.cis.yale.edu (TTFN!)
Jeff Spivak
Leonardo di Caprio was first seen as the son in "This Boy's Life" starring
Robert De Niro.
--
******************************************************************************
* Jeffrey Spivak APPLICATIONS SUPPORT ENGINEER Datalogics, Inc. *
* j...@dlogics.com 312-266-4396 Chicago, Il *
* "JUST ONCE I'D LIKE TO FIND OUT IF A MILLION DOLLARS WON'T MAKE ME HAPPY" *
BIER, LAURENCE
>In article <khS=lm600iU...@andrew.cmu.edu> April Christine Moate <am...@andrew.cmu.edu> writes:
>>Hey!
>>
>>I just saw "What's Eating Gilbert Grape" and I was wondering if anyone
>>could tell me what else the actor who played his younger brother was in.
>>I think his last name is DiCaprio and he has been a best actor nominee
>>in the past. Let me know if you know...Thanks!
>
>Robert De Niro.
>
Leonardo de Caprio has never before been nominated for an Oscar. He was
probably first seen in that fertile thespian pond called "Growing Pains" as
a homeless kid named Luke.
*******************************************************************************
"In this country you gotta make the money first. Then when you get the
money you get the power. Then when you get the power then you get the
woman."
*******************************************************************************
Joel Spolsky
It's Leonardo DiCaprio. He was in This Boy's Life, starring Robert
DeNiro, was his only other movie role (also excellent). For What's
Eating Gilbert Grape he was nominated for best Supporting actor. He was
on a sitcom on TV for a while.
Joel Spolsky / joe...@microsoft.com