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Greg's Continuing Amazement at Spicoli - 2007-09-30 20:24:54
I wanted to write this glowing review, but found myself falling short. I don't know if it's because the way it resonated with me is so unique as it wouldn't relate to anybody else, or that it hits such a common nerve that it doesn't need to be said. I found myself awake a few times in the middle of the night really feeling it...
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Sharon - 2007-09-30 21:02:31
Paula, I love your movie reviews. I'm pretty picky about movies, but I will definitely check this one out after your reaction. A bit of Spicoli trivia: Sean's dad, Arthur was blacklisted in the fifties for being a communist sympathizer, hence the son's political passion. His wife said in an interview that when he gets all wound up about some issue at home, his kids tease him, "Be quiet, Martin Luther Penn!" His kids also throw away his cigarettes which Penn attributes to the anti-smoking brainwashing they get at school...Getting back to an old IHOP diary entry of yours, when asked why he married Madonna when they were really ill-suited to be a couple, he said he thought that when they met that this was it, but it was actually just really an amazingly great date, that her boldness put him under a spell. I wouldn't mind if an ex said that.
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Eric - 2007-09-30 23:51:44
I liked Into the Wild, but sometimes they made out the guy to be a bit more Godly than he really was. The voice over narration got to me a lot. But those stories of nature overpowering man-like Grizzly Man-always disturb me greatly. I saw Lust, Caution, which I struggled to keep my eyes open for most of it, and The Darjeeling Limited, which was good, but certainly weaker than The Royal Tenenbaums or even The Life Aquatic, two movies I love immensely. And Feast of Love was pleasant, but the book was way better.
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grigorss - 2007-10-01 01:00:41
As long as we're recounting weekend playlists, I saw Great World of Sound yesterday, which was an entertaining mix of fictional and documentary storylines (a l� Borat) -- it falters a bit in the third act due to an unlikely plot twist; but overall, it's worthwhile, all the same. Into the Wild has been on my "to see" list for awhile; if only for the Alaskan scenery. The Northernmost state has been #1 with a bullet on my list of places to go for some time now, so the trailer intrigued me from the git-go -- and this glowing review has cinched it. Eric's complaints notwithstanding (and I have to say I've seen similar criticisms in a number of reviews I've read), sometimes it's just about what you see up there on the big screen.
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Paula - 2007-10-01 07:10:34
This is where I have to insert the disclaimer: the reason I couldn't criticize the film isn't because it's beyond criticism--it's got flaws like any movie. I'm just saying it hit me in that place where resistance does not figure.

In other movie news, I was excited to see the trailer for Kenneth Branagh's As You Like It, which is my favorite S'peare play.

Someone else was just telling me about Great World of Sound--I would like to see that.
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EG - 2007-10-01 09:53:37
Actually, Sean Penn's dad was named Leo. The Arthur Penn noted above is not Sean Penn's father. Wiki says so.
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EG - 2007-10-01 10:17:07
correction - Leo still is Sean's dad, but it was Leo who was blacklisted, not noted film director Arthur Penn.
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Paula - 2007-10-01 10:23:20
I read on Wiki that Leo Penn invented the pen. Is that true?
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Paula - 2007-10-01 10:32:03
he thought that when they met that this was it, but it was actually just really an amazingly great date

That's a funny and wise observation.
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Mr Lojban - 2007-10-01 12:06:14
The Madonna comment doesn't surprise me. She takes a lot of flak, but she's always struck me as wildly remarkable, especially back then at her peak. Trying to make it work with Madonna seems like an easy mistake to make.
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Relatively Anonymous Greg - 2007-10-01 12:52:16
I figure Penn and Madonna didn't have an easy way to go. I'm really glad I've never had to carry on a relationship in public. One's own scrutiny can be scorching enough.
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Sharon - 2007-10-01 14:53:01
Thanks for the correction, EG! Leo Penn, not Arthur Penn.
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anne - 2007-10-02 09:41:46
I always enjoy reading interviews with Sean Penn, as he is usually pretty astute and funny. One thing he said in an interview really resonated with me, something about filmakers "heightening the film experience so that the audience walks out feeling more alone than before" and how they should find poetry without creating a world the audience cannnot touch. Sounds like he may have achieved this based on your reactions to ITW.
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Paula - 2007-10-02 09:58:46
Wow...Sean Penn is rising in my estimation as we speak...And he has the good sense to be related to Michael...
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EG - 2007-10-02 10:09:39
Sorry, Michael is n-...oh wait...yes he is...sorry.
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