Author Topic: #131: The Last King of Scotland / Vernon, Florida  (Read 5159 times)

alexarch

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#131: The Last King of Scotland / Vernon, Florida
« on: October 25, 2006, 02:14:50 PM »
So Katebo, was that you in the voicemail wanting to be Keira Knightly?

Ooooh!  A special super secret appearance by Carrie doing the Filmspotting Theme!  I love it!  What a tease you guys are giving us only a couple of seconds of the infamous Carrie.

Sam, let her know those two seconds are worth a stalking.  I'll be up to Chicago with my binoculars and pantyhose cap by the end of the week.

Katebo

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#131: The Last King of Scotland / Vernon, Florida
« Reply #1 on: October 25, 2006, 06:22:35 PM »
Lizzie Bennet, not Keira Knightly. Tho that would allow me to be in Love, Actually too, and that'd be pretty sweet. Oh, Mr. Darcy. I don't know what I'd do if I actually met someone named Mr. Darcy. Though, seriously, what a name to live up to!

karlwinslow

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Re: #131: The Last King of Scotland / Vernon, Florida
« Reply #2 on: October 25, 2006, 09:51:14 PM »
Quote from: "alexarch"

Ooooh!  A special super secret appearance by Carrie doing the Filmspotting Theme!  I love it!  What a tease you guys are giving us only a couple of seconds of the infamous Carrie.


If you only knew how many times I've caught myself humming that little diddy.

Can't wait to here the reivew of The Prestige.

lise

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#131: The Last King of Scotland / Vernon, Florida
« Reply #3 on: October 26, 2006, 01:31:35 AM »
I was looking up Vernon, Florida on the internet and came across the web site of the director (either his... or someone who really loves him). It mentioned a reason why he didn't center on the whole dismemberment thing. Something about really angry locals and his death. I guess I would have changed the focus too. :)

http://www.errolmorris.com/film/vernon.html
Strikeouts are boring - besides that, they're fascist.  Throw some ground balls.  More democratic.

insung

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#131: The Last King of Scotland / Vernon, Florida
« Reply #4 on: October 26, 2006, 01:19:22 PM »
Thanks for the heads up on errolmorris.com. Did you also check out his work in comercials? His work for Miller is perhaps the most brilliant ad campaign in recent memory.

http://www.errolmorris.com/commercials/miller.html

alexarch

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#131: The Last King of Scotland / Vernon, Florida
« Reply #5 on: October 27, 2006, 11:53:37 AM »
Quote from: "Katebo"
Lizzie Bennet, not Keira Knightly. Tho that would allow me to be in Love, Actually too, and that'd be pretty sweet. Oh, Mr. Darcy. I don't know what I'd do if I actually met someone named Mr. Darcy. Though, seriously, what a name to live up to!
So it was you?  Congrats on your internet-fame.

spoko

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#131: The Last King of Scotland / Vernon, Florida
« Reply #6 on: October 27, 2006, 03:00:52 PM »
Quote from: "insung"
Thanks for the heads up on errolmorris.com. Did you also check out his work in comercials? His work for Miller is perhaps the most brilliant ad campaign in recent memory.

http://www.errolmorris.com/commercials/miller.html


Really good call. I watched a few of them; I'm now downloading the rest to my iPod. Those rock.

Katebo

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#131: The Last King of Scotland / Vernon, Florida
« Reply #7 on: October 27, 2006, 05:31:49 PM »
Quote from: "alexarch"
So it was you?  Congrats on your internet-fame.


Why thank you. I'm 2/2 now- this keeps up, all that internet-fame'll go to my head!

Pisscubes

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#131: The Last King of Scotland / Vernon, Florida
« Reply #8 on: December 06, 2006, 10:35:13 AM »
I want to say that you guys made my week by reading my abrasive, overly sarcastic email concerning Sam's take on why Costello had to be racist.

To answer Sam's question about what this added to the character or movie, I'll add: Race is and has always been something that hangs over the heads of all of us in Boston. It not only has a racist reputation, but the men and women of Southie had a very explosive relationship with the black community here for a number of reasons. One being that Dorchester was traditionally both a white and a black ghetto-- with the Irish on one side and the black community on the other. The other racial tensions come from the busing issue-- in 1974 when forced busing was passed as a law to intergrate Boston public schools. Much of the Irish community in Southie was very, very against this and violence broke out in some instances. So, for me, Costello's attitude toward race at the begining of the film makes perfect sense.

Sam

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#131: The Last King of Scotland / Vernon, Florida
« Reply #9 on: December 06, 2006, 12:52:49 PM »
You say that because Boston has a reputation as a racist city that is justifies Costello's racist attitude.  But does this character trait -- in the context of the movie -- really offer some insight into the city of Boston?  The answer is no.  As much as Costello might resemble actual Boston gangsters, Scorcese and Nicholson's Costello was a Hollywood creation.  And so is the movie.  And not really so much a creation as it is Nicholson doing his Nicholson thing -- charismatic, nasty, cruel.

The movie has nothing to do with race -- if anything, it's about class. So tell me again how the movie changes if Costello isn't explicitely racist?  It's dishonest somehow?

And just to be clear, the racist thing was only a minor point. The movie's big problem is Nicholson's performance.
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