Ron Reed Posted September 15, 2005 Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 I took your musing and ran with it. ← Oh man, did you ever! You nailed it, Mike! I'm so tickled. Two small towns, both alike in indignity. Sweet. The highlight of the film is Napoleon Quote I've posted a couple hundred of my Soul Food Movies write-ups at letterboxd Link to post Share on other sites
MattPage Posted September 15, 2005 Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 FWIW - I meant to note how the dance sequence reminded me of the performance in About a Boy. Matt Quote Bible Films Blog | Jesus Films Podcast | ReJesus | Faith and Film Critics Circle | Open Heaven Church Link to post Share on other sites
Jeff Posted September 15, 2005 Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 Nice analysis of the dance sequence! Those dances of Napoleon's have really caught on, BTW. I attended a wedding over the Labor Day weekend and I recognized a few of Napoleon's sweet moves while on the floor. What's amazing to me is how popular the film is even a year or so after its release. From June 04' to today, Napoleon has not lost a bit of steam. It's still a top-selling DVD, and I think everyone on the planet has rented it at least once. I saw it last October in a small Boston arthouse, and if you had told me back then that it would be a pop culture phenom, I'd have laughed at you. Quote -"I... drink... your... milkshake! I drink it up!"Daniel Plainview, There Will Be Blood Link to post Share on other sites
Ron Reed Posted September 15, 2005 Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 FWIW - I meant to note how the dance sequence reminded me of the performance in About a Boy. ← Absolutely! Same sort of "solidarity in shame" kind of thing. Both really work for me, though ABOUT A BOY is an especial fave. Quote I've posted a couple hundred of my Soul Food Movies write-ups at letterboxd Link to post Share on other sites
Ron Reed Posted September 15, 2005 Report Share Posted September 15, 2005 Those dances of Napoleon's have really caught on, BTW. ← My 19-year-old daughter can do the entire routine. Do I get proxy cool points for that? Gilt by association? Quote I've posted a couple hundred of my Soul Food Movies write-ups at letterboxd Link to post Share on other sites
Jeff Posted September 21, 2005 Report Share Posted September 21, 2005 (edited) The Napoleon Dynamite action figures are going to be reased on November 1st. You can look at and pre-order them here (no photos yet, though). I am totally going to buy the Kip figure, if it isn't too expensive. These are pretty much the coolest action figures ever made, gosh. Edited September 21, 2005 by Mister Jeff Quote -"I... drink... your... milkshake! I drink it up!"Daniel Plainview, There Will Be Blood Link to post Share on other sites
Thom Posted September 21, 2005 Report Share Posted September 21, 2005 (edited) But maybe the humor is what displays a major difference between the two small towns and the characters, however marginal, they have put on display. ← I took your musing and ran with it. ← M, I am so ignorant (no need to reply to that comment). I didn't keep up with this thread. Thank you for letting me know by other means. I thought your comparison was spot on but I am going to re-read it just to make sure I can't start an argument. Edited September 21, 2005 by asher Quote ...the kind of film criticism we do. We are talking about life, and more than that the possibility of abundant life." -M.Leary "Dad, how does she move in mysterious ways?"" -- Jude (my 5-year-old, after listening to Mysterious Ways) [once upon a time known here as asher] Link to post Share on other sites
MattPage Posted September 21, 2005 Report Share Posted September 21, 2005 (edited) : My 19-year-old daughter can do the entire routine. I'm lost for words! Surely that blows apart the whole nature of cool for ever. Napolean is so uncool he's cool, and so copying someone cool a little bit is sort of cool, but copying the whole thing is a bit uncool, but if you're copying some who's so uncool they are cool, but in an uncool way then that means... Matt Edited September 21, 2005 by MattPage Quote Bible Films Blog | Jesus Films Podcast | ReJesus | Faith and Film Critics Circle | Open Heaven Church Link to post Share on other sites
MattPage Posted September 21, 2005 Report Share Posted September 21, 2005 Just to add. I'm actually so uncool, that I'm uncool. Matt Quote Bible Films Blog | Jesus Films Podcast | ReJesus | Faith and Film Critics Circle | Open Heaven Church Link to post Share on other sites
Ron Reed Posted September 22, 2005 Report Share Posted September 22, 2005 Actually, mostly, Thea just likes to dance. And that's just cool because it's cool. Quote I've posted a couple hundred of my Soul Food Movies write-ups at letterboxd Link to post Share on other sites
MattPage Posted September 22, 2005 Report Share Posted September 22, 2005 cool Matt Quote Bible Films Blog | Jesus Films Podcast | ReJesus | Faith and Film Critics Circle | Open Heaven Church Link to post Share on other sites
Guest stu Posted September 22, 2005 Report Share Posted September 22, 2005 : My 19-year-old daughter can do the entire routine. I'm lost for words! Surely that blows apart the whole nature of cool for ever. Napolean is so uncool he's cool, and so copying someone cool a little bit is sort of cool, but copying the whole thing is a bit uncool, but if you're copying some who's so uncool they are cool, but in an uncool way then that means... Matt ← It means that 'the cool' is actually a very Derridean concept. It can only appear as invisible, and be presented as the unpresentable, because as soon as you say 'here it is' or 'there it is' you are no longer cool, the cool has once again eluded you, evapourated with its own naming. Coolness only exists as a constant denial of itself. One might even say that 'the cool' fundamentally deconstructs our entire western project of metaphysics... Oh dear. It seems the dissertation is becoming too much for me. Which is not cool. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MattPage Posted September 22, 2005 Report Share Posted September 22, 2005 Speaking of which, are you still coming to the Geek party tonight? Matt Quote Bible Films Blog | Jesus Films Podcast | ReJesus | Faith and Film Critics Circle | Open Heaven Church Link to post Share on other sites
Guest stu Posted September 22, 2005 Report Share Posted September 22, 2005 (wait for it...) Yesssssss. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DanBuck Posted December 20, 2005 Report Share Posted December 20, 2005 Bump. Rate me, baby! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Ron Reed Posted December 26, 2005 Report Share Posted December 26, 2005 Taming A Liger: Unexpected Spiritual Lessons From Napoleon Dynamite Quote I've posted a couple hundred of my Soul Food Movies write-ups at letterboxd Link to post Share on other sites
opus Posted December 26, 2005 Report Share Posted December 26, 2005 (edited) Taming A Liger: Unexpected Spiritual Lessons From Napoleon Dynamite It's pretty much my favorite devotional ever. Edited December 26, 2005 by opus Quote "I feel a nostalgia for an age yet to come..."Opus, Twitter, Facebook Link to post Share on other sites
JoelBuursma Posted March 29, 2006 Report Share Posted March 29, 2006 This is set in Idaho, which is kind of like Utah, but doesn't have any Mormon connotations. Hmmm... anything to this? I noticed that some people felt it was cruel to laugh at Napoleon & others didn't & said they identified with them. Maybe your reaction depends how much you identified with Napoleon. Which of these characters were YOU in high school? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Russ Posted March 29, 2006 Report Share Posted March 29, 2006 Plus, isn't the director a LDS member by admission? Quote --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Link to post Share on other sites
JoelBuursma Posted March 30, 2006 Report Share Posted March 30, 2006 Right -- I was just wondering why they chose Idaho. It seems like a random choice, and I was just constructing this possible train of thought where they may have set it in Utah and then decided to *actually* set it in Idaho because they were Mormons and Utah has Mormon connotations and people might think this was a Mormon movie (see first post in this thread about not calling it "Mormon cinema"), so maybe they changed it to Idaho to avoid the connotations. But, after thinking about it more... this is a "random" movie -- why *not* set it in a random state? I guess the train of thought was more interesting in my head! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MattPage Posted March 30, 2006 Report Share Posted March 30, 2006 But to the average person on the street, Utah = LDS, whereas Idaho doesn't. The facts of the matter don't have as much bearing as the popular perception. Matt Quote Bible Films Blog | Jesus Films Podcast | ReJesus | Faith and Film Critics Circle | Open Heaven Church Link to post Share on other sites
Persona Posted May 16, 2010 Report Share Posted May 16, 2010 I can't believe this was six years ago already. Insane. Question: Was Lafawnduh really a woman? I can never tell. The relationship would be strange either way, but still. Quote In an interstellar burst, I am back to save the Universe. Filmsweep by Persona. 2013 Film Journal. IlPersona. Link to post Share on other sites
MattPage Posted May 17, 2010 Report Share Posted May 17, 2010 Heard the question before Stef, but I'm not 100% sure of the answer. The thing is that it's funny both ways (though IMO funnier, and truer to the film's spirit if she is a woman). Matt Quote Bible Films Blog | Jesus Films Podcast | ReJesus | Faith and Film Critics Circle | Open Heaven Church Link to post Share on other sites
Peter T Chattaway Posted May 18, 2011 Report Share Posted May 18, 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scWAETwLojk Quote "Sympathy must precede belligerence. First I must understand the other, as it were, from the inside; then I can critique it from the outside. So many people skip right to the latter." -- Steven D. Greydanus Now blogging at Patheos.com. I can also still be found at Facebook, Twitter and Flickr. See also my film journal. Link to post Share on other sites
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