Nit Picket Podcast #109, 50/50/Drive/Moneyball/Red State/Contagion/Our Idiot Brother/30 Minutes or Less
| Download | Duration: 01:33:29
Aaron and I would've kissed on the lips if this hadn't been recorded over Skype. We're over the moon to be recording again and we discuss a slew of films including 50/50, Drive, Moneyball, Red State, Contagion, Our Idiot Brother, What's Your Number?, and 30 Minutes or Less.
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So say we all.
I actually have no idea what the name of that guy is (The guy from Mulholland Dr. and L.A. Noire). I guess I'm not as nerdy as I thought...
Drive is my second favorite movie of the year, behind Tree of Life. Also, have you ever considered this interpretation that perhaps The Driver is a high-functioning autistic who acts emotionless because he's obsessed with only everything involving driving (including 80s action movies) and thus thinks he's Steve McQueen in Bullitt? Not saying that's the case, but it's...interesting...
Also, Aaron, now that you have less crazy hours, will you be able to do Nit Picket more. I miss this show so god damn much. I've been listening to Dampercast lately, which has definitely been treating me, but it doesn't have the same magic (gayest thing I've ever typed).
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Every time you guys put out a new episode I am always incredibly thrilled to listen to it. I love some other film podcasts, but for some reason Nit Picket has always been my absolute favorite. It's a shame that episodes have not been as regular as they used to be, but as long as Nit Picket does not die I will still be happy.
Great episode! So many fantastic films have been coming out recently and the coming months look very good too.
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Great show! I too am very much in love with 'Drive' and completely agree with you about 'Project Runway' (although it's not quite as good as 'RuPaul's Drag Race'). Have you ever read through the Project Runway blog at tomandlorenzo.com? It's pretty fantastic.
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I found Red State to be a satire or almost a farce...its essentially a movie where its a bad situation made all that much worst by human nature.
The whole final shoot out is WACO. It's a farce on the whole WACO situation and I kind of enjoyed it for that
Its not perfect, but I did like it and think its honestly the best thing he has done since Dogma or Chasing Amy really
I actually quite liked it (and this was someone who HATED Cop Out)
LA Noire...bleh, much like everything else Rockstar has done this generation, was over rated crap
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IT'S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD, WORLD is a farce. RED STATE is chaotic.
My problem is that the satire just isn't sharp enough. I'm still not entirely sure who he was supposedly setting his sights on. Homophobia? Religious zealots? Our government? Horny teenagers? The horror genre itself? Watch DR. STRANGELOVE, MASH, any episode of SOUTH PARK, or even, BORAT. Those films have a target and purpose.
RED STATE a bold movie and I respect Kevin Smith for bucking the Hollywood system. Sadly, it lacks purpose, character, and most importantly, a heart.
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One thing I've noticed was that in Dampercast, you yourself said you enjoyed it, and gave it a 3/5, yet now, it seems that the film's apparent flaws have grown on you.
Also, as over-rated as LA Noire is, I don't think it's crap. Considering you're a classic movie geek, you'll probably dig it a lot.
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Yeah, initially I had more of an appreciation for what Smith was trying. It's ballsy, that's for sure.
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Two of my favorite works from Kevin Smith are Chasing Amy and Dogma. Both show Keven struggling with something both with society and within himself. I found Red State to have that same quality. It's themes are muddled, yes, but it's nice to see him trying again. Zach and Miri and Cop Out (so aptly titled) were so depressingly lazy but Red State is an angry messy film made from someone working out his own frustrations as a filmmaker.. I think it's definitely worth the watch. Plus, Michael Parks, Melissa Leo, and John Goodman all give great performances.
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But that's the thing Leland, I don't think it is supposed to have a heart. I saw it as an attack on everyone of those things that you just mentioned...what I took from it was that it was a fucked up situation made even worst due to human nature.
Like I said, I don't think its perfect...not by any means. I think some of the action scenes are kind of badly edited and lack a sense of threat, at times (I remember there being a ton of static shots of people firing guns without the presence of threat in those scenes).
But with that said, I liked the performances from John Goodman, Michael Parks and even Kerry Bishe as the daughter of the Church Clan I thought did a good job.
I do watch South Park, I have watched Dr Strangelove...as I said before its not a perfect movie and I don't think its anywhere near the calibre of those works.
I think much like films like Sympathy for Mr Vengeance or James Gunn's Super...its a film that will split people right down the middle.
Whilst I don't think its perfect by any means...I did quite like it and think its the best thing Smith has done in quite some time...I mean I hated Cop Out, thought Zack and Miri was a cheap cash grab attempt, thought Clerks II was just okay...
I don't know, I think its an interesting film that has ideas but doesn't quite
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I don't know, I think its an interesting film that has ideas but doesn't quite pull through in the end with all of those ideas. I would of preffered the movie to hit a transcending ending and go with the apocalypitc ending rather then the ending it cops out for.
But still, there were things I liked about it and those things were enough to make me pleased and give it an average rating.
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