Please be patient, for I am not always consistent.
SubUrbia
May 16, 2006 at 9:46 pm (Uncategorized)
1996
Screenplay written by Eric Bogosion
Directed by Richard Linklater
Cast:
Jeff…………Giovanni Ribisi
Tim………….Nicky Katt
Pony………..Jayce Bartok
Sooze………..Amie Carie
Buff…………..Steve Zahn
Bee Bee……..Dina Spybey
Nazeer Choudhury……….Ajay Naidu
Pakeesa Choudhury………Samia Shoaib
Erica………………Parker Posey
Memorable Quotes:
So you and I can fuck while your parents are out having dinner at the Sizzler? What are we doing, Jeff? You and me?
Jeff: Go home. Stop Drinking. Go home and sleep it off.
Tim: Sleep what off? What should I sleep off, Jeff? My life? I should go home and go to sleep and when I wake up, what will I be? A pilot? An olympian? Maybe a rock star? I don't think so.
SubUrbia is tale of five suburban youth in their early twenties struggling to find direction.
The main character is Jeff (the philosopher), who is a lost twenty something, living in a pup tent in his parents' garage. Jeff is dating Sooze, an aspiring artist, who is trying to move to New York, much to the dismay of Jeff. They hang out by the Circle A and drink beer with Buff, a drunk spazz who mostly makes up lies about sexual escapades and provides ridiculous comic relief. In stark contrast to the carefree, simple Buff is the cynical Tim, an honorably discharged veteran drunk who cuts each character to shreds with his keen ability to find every character's weakness. His acute understanding of people is both accurate and cruel. He inflicts his hatred on the Pakistani owners of the Circle A by shouting racial slurs every chance he can. Bee Bee has a more minor role in the movie as a fresh out rehab friend of Sooze who is having a hard time dealing with reality.
The movie centers around the return of "Pony", a friend of the group who has left their town of Burnfield and become a rockstar. Pony meets up with the gang at "the corner", with his manager Erica, in tow. Pony tells them of his famous lifestyle, which he claims is a bore and later sings a song about being the "man invisible". Sooze and Pony become completely engrossed in each other and after Jeff becomes suddenly angry during Pony's impromptu concert, they all decide to take a ride in the limo to eat, while Erica and Tim stay behind on the corner.
Erica stays behind to seduce Tim and the limo ride provides several different twists and turns in the story, including Jeff eventually abandoning the group out of frusteration.
I do not wish to divulge too much, as the movie has several changes in the storyline beyond this point in the movie. I will be honest, the movie is dark and it is all dialogue, baby. The story of five lost people, who waste their lives through drunking and bitching is harsh. Nazeer and Pakeesa are the epitome of the American Dream and they are constantly harassed by these aimless youth who are wasting their lives.
Pros: I can relate to this movie. I know people like this. The dialogue, though sometimes contrived, can be very real at times. Richard Linklater did an excellent job directing this movie and the acting is excellent. Nicky Katt, seriously, is the perfect drunken bastard who feels entitled.
Cons: The movie is right at about 2 hours and does drag in parts. The movie is all dialogue and though the point of the movie is to depress the viewer, man, is it depressing. Though I can relate, it can still be hard to stomach.
Overall Grade: B
Testes, Testes. One. Two. Three?
May 11, 2006 at 4:37 pm (Uncategorized)
So, this is my first or "test" post on this new blog.
I must tell you, I'm a movie whore. Seriously. I love it. I need to just get the damned Netflix and call it a day. I probably will as I have decided to embark on an actual blog in relationship to reviewing movies.
You may say, "Reviewmaven, do you review movies for a living?". I would say,"No". I do not review movies for a living. I do not make money doing this. I'm just another self important ass who wants to use the Information Superhighway as a venue to tell the entire world MY opinions about movies.
I will not being reviewing movies in any particular order. I may even review extremely old movies or movies from five years ago. Basically, any god damned movie I want. Do you have a problem with that, punk?
If you disagree or you agree, please, by all means, post a comment. Comments are liking getting a real letter in the mail. I get so excited, I pee a little, just like your Grandma's dog.
Nothing to review as of yet, but come back. I might have themes, I might make up a grading scale. I have to think about this and I was WAY too excited to think it through.