The Outsiders is Francis Ford Coppola’s epic greasers-vs-socs melodrama — his “teenage Gone With the Wind,” to quote the director’s commentary.
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The Outsiders (1983)
Category: Podcast Rating
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Read It and Weep (2006)
Here’s a summary of the first few minutes of Read it and Weep:
- Jamie Bartlett (Kay Panabaker) accidentally submits her personal sketchbook for an English class assignment
- Her teacher likes it so much that she submits it to a literary agent
- It is published and nationally distributed
- It become a major bestseller
Totally plausible, right?
I ended up watching this movie twice in short succession to prep for a podcast recording. This turned out to be the right choice as it effectively doubled my appreciation for the film; every visual pattern, every subtle cue of dialogue, every delicate and luscious composition comes in sharper relief once you know exactly what to look for. And it does so without compromising the elliptical, sensuous storytelling texture of the film.
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Snow Day (2000)
(Note 12/2022: I just want to say that the following review soft-pedals my affection for this movie. I will write something more effusive someday.)
Note: I wrote a new La La Land review as part of my Damien Chazelle retrospective. You can read it here.
I’m seriously bummed I didn’t see this one on the big screen.
Part of me wants to be contrarian and rain on all the love this movie gets.
If you are like me, you see “Jim Henson” on the poster, and you expect something at least a little manic and silly and postmodern. Something Muppetsy.
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Happy Christmas (2014)
I’m pretty fond of mumblecore movies, and I think Joe Swanberg is the best to ever make them.
This is my favorite Christmas Carol adaptation and one of my favorite Christmas movies, period.
It’s Ray Harryhausen’s last hurrah, featuring one of the coolest looking monsters ever (Medusa) and about a dozen other nifty effects. Big production values, dramatic score, epic adventure. It’s a slam dunk, right?