Smooth_J

Member since 2/8/2008, last signed in 2 days ago.

"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."

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Personal statement:

Awh, lame...now every douchbag in town has a ninja weapon.

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Interested in:Action, Adventure, Avant-garde / Experimental, Comedy, Crime, Epic, Fantasy, Historical Film, Music, Nature, Science Fiction, Spirituality & Philosophy, Spy Film, Thriller, Visual Arts, War, Western

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Dazed and Confused

Re:Weekly Theme for October 13: ...
By Smooth_J in Weekly Theme
"Do the Right Thing instantly comes to mind, although the ending shows a bit of the aftermath of the previous days' events. The tension and immediacy of keeping the film within one day really helped to convey Spike Lee's sense of urgency and anger about modern racism, which made for a super-duper movie. I recently saw Dazed and Confused and was enlightened...and to think so much of the 70s was crammed into one day... La Haine, a powerful French movie by the guy that made the apparent abomination Babylon A.D. (Mathieu Kassovitz), takes place over the course of one day, chronicling the drug addled and frustratingly bleak lives of three teenagers in the Parisian suburbs. This one even has a ticking clock, helping you keep track of the day as it slides along. I know there's so many that I'm missing... " [More]

Re:Movies available for review
By Smooth_J in Spout Mavens
"[quote user="indieabby88"] I have watched and written a review for "Guatemalan Handshake." Where can I post it? [/quote] Same here, except with Team Picture. Should I just put the link on here? " [More]

Stranger Than Paradise

Review: Team Picture
By Smooth_J in Smooth_J Blog
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful. [What do you think?]
"I had no idea what the term "mumblecore" meant before I saw this movie. I had a general idea--the type of stuff that is seen frequently on IFC and is worshipped in smaller circles but would never last two seconds in the fleeting interest of the mainstream (or even the very fringe of it). This movie cemented what it means to be completely meaningless in my brain. The plotline: Two young whipper-snappers (Kentucker Audley and Tim Morton) live together in Memphis and do absolutely nothing all day, except Kentucker Audley has a job at a sporting goods store that his mom's boyfriend owns. However, he soon quits that job to "pursue...uhm...other things", such as spending more time around the kiddy pool in his front yard. Or, possibly, playing the guitar and singing. He and his roommate soon meet girls, they fall for them, and then get screwed over and realize that they're going to move. Everything else is white-noise. It has the picture quality of a home-made movie (which it basica ... " [More]

Team Picture

Re:What are your favorite Mumbl ...
By Smooth_J in Mumblecore
"I feel as though I am bit late to the game here...just a bit... But I just watched one of the Spout Mavens' discs, a movie called Team Picture, about hanging out and doing nothing in Memphis. I admit that I never knew what mumblecore meant until I saw this movie. To be honest, there's no deeper meaning to it whatsoever. But it's a mildly enjoyable experience, probably moreso for people who love the genre. " [More]

Knocked Up

Review: Remembering (Revisiting ...
By Smooth_J in Smooth_J Blog
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"This was a film I saw in theaters with absolutely no expectations. The previews, the poster, even the cast made it seem like an incredibly unoriginal studio vehicle. I refused to pay attention even to the most positive of reviews that the movie was getting--even my favorite critic's 3 1/2 star review of the film (88% on Metacritic). So, I walk into the theater with a few of my friends, hating myself for being a part of the crowd of half-drunk teenagers and their most recent of partners filing into the auditorium and talking very loudly about the stupidest things imaginable. My friends insisted that it was supposed to be "Funny as shit dude!" My pre-formed opinions were almost completely proven with a generic opening sequence that involved a happy Cake song, teeth brushing, and early morning cereal and television in pajamas. I was ready for nearly two hours of pompous bashing of the film with my friends. And then, Jason Segel's dick pops out. "Oh my goodness!" I thought. The ... " [More]

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Re:Weekly Theme for September 2 ...
By Smooth_J in Weekly Theme
"Throw in about about half of the music biopics ever made (that's a generalization). And of course, you can't forget some of the brilliantly stupid Whitest Kids U Know skits... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =Ah7ApyeyneY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v =CN6XYWcqRGE " [More]

Boogie Nights

Re:Weekly Theme for September 2 ...
By Smooth_J in Weekly Theme
"Dead Man features an Indian tripping on peyote and envisioning Johnny Depp as a skeleton. That was a pretty good one. There are so many...you have the Reagan inspired coke habits of Boogie Nights, and Soderbergh's aptly named drug Trafficking drama. Dead Ringers involves a good amount of pill consumption and heroin use, but used to make a very creepy, disturbing atmosphere. A Scanner Darkly is a pretty psychadelic, futuristic look into drugs, but also pretty boring and only fitfully interesting. The Basketball Diaries is another "heroin is bad don't ever do it!" drama, and pretty effective. Withnail and I features pill abuse and the famous "Camberwell Carrot." Kubrick's movies often seem drug-induced, such as 2001, but it should be noted that in the book A Clockwork Orange the milk they drink is a drug substance of some sort (don't remember if that was implied in the movie, I didn't think so though). There are so many that can be included, but would really only fit partially... ... " [More]

The Fisher King

Re:The Weekly Theme Suggestion Box
By Smooth_J in Weekly Theme
"Afterthought: What about "movies with homeless people"? A friend of mine, in an obviously philosophical and socially concious statement, said to me, "Dude, homeless people are SOO hungry. Like, they would eat whatever you throw to them, because they don't have any money. Like, they're starving ALL THE TIME." (Fits of laughter) I feel like a terrible person for including that, but I had to relay my inner demons into writing somehow. As general advice, do not proceed to drop a chip in front of the next bum you see on the street. You'll feel scummy for at least 20 minutes. Now I want to give Robin Williams a hug. " [More]

Re:The Weekly Theme Suggestion Box
By Smooth_J in Weekly Theme
"How about a thread about the manly of movies ever made? Like beer, tits, chicken, and subtlely gay masochism. So, basically anything on Spike. (Har har har) I like the idea of a thread all about drug movies, I already forget who came up with that though so I can't "quote" them. But I give them kudos. Or what about movies with illuminati symbolism? (Or will we all get injected with chloroform and cremated in a ritualistic sex-burial orgy?) You could, of course, think of the most random topics you can think of and make them the theme, because that would be fun as shit. Like "movies with frying pans in them" or "films in which the f-word is used abrasively in a restaraunt scene." That would be fun AND time-consuming, which are what I usually look for when I post on Spout groups (but I'm also inherently lazy, so it's not very often that I venture to the groups). Or how about we bag the whole old people one and make it "movies with horny senior citizens." My favorite kind of ol ... " [More]

Synecdoche, New York

Synecdoche, New York
By Smooth_J in Trailer Park
"http://video.yahoo.com/watch/3 530122/9776092 I found this link whilst surfing IMDB...I can't decide what's better, that Charlie Kaufman wrote a new movie or that he's directing said movie. It looks like it's either going to be absolutely amazing, or completely depressing and pretentious. Somehow, Kaufman has managed to balance the two into some amazing movies. Let's see how he does trying his hand at directing. Personal opinion: While I had decidedly mixed feelings upon first viewing, I feel like it's going to be great. One of those existential dilemma-inducing movies...and with some much needed self-deprecating humor. And let's see if anyone can get a dictionary-type pronunciation on here, because I have no idea how the hell I'm supposed to say this. I've just been saying Schenectady, but that's adding like 10 consonants. Ponder. " [More]

Friday Night Lights

Re:Weekly Theme for September 1 ...
By Smooth_J in Weekly Theme
"[quote user="Risselada"] It is true that the Sports movie genre is one of the most cliched genres out there. I guess because it's all about competition, and rooting for someone, and if you try to thwart the audiences expectation in too many ways they will just get pissed. Just like fans of an actual sport. They will watch it week after week, hoping for the same outcome every time (that their team will win). Whether the team wins or not is how they judge their enjoyment of the game, not many other factors you can play with there. [/quote] That's an excellent way to put it. As an Eagles fan in mourning of last night's game, that is totally relevant. And, I feel like as a whole, audiences are more than willing to small tweaks to the familiar rather than a new and exciting experience that doesn't end quite as well. Instant gratification is what most people are looking for, and the best way to find it is in the heroic story (to get back to Tizzy). I guess I've always been more p ... " [More]

Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby

Re:Weekly Theme for September 1 ...
By Smooth_J in Weekly Theme
"Personally, I'd say that Slap Shot is the best hockey movie, being a former long-time hockey player...it's ridiculously spot-on, besides the actual hockey scenes, which are still really funny. I'm also among the minority that thought (figure skating) Blades of Glory was hilarious...I guess I'm just a Will Ferrell fan, because I thought (NASCAR) Talledega Nights was completely hysterical ((basketball) Semi-Pro was pretty bad though). As for movies actually dramatizing sports, I've never really been a fan. In fact, I typically scoff at them, and point out everything stupid or cliched that occurs, and am one of those people that laugh when a character says something stupid in a more tragic moment. Friday Night Lights was allright though. " [More]