I saw Napoleon Dynamite (2004) with a friend just now. Boy, it was weird. It reminded me a tiny bit of why I hated highschool (the school bus, asking girls for a dance – I can’t remember who I asked out, probably nobody... 😢). My friend says: “Like slow motion roleplaying dumbasses...” I’m not saying anything. I’m kind of confused and feel reminded of Princess Bride (1987). Maybe there’s a cultural thing I’m not getting. Or I just didn’t hate highschool *enough* to really appreciate the movie. 😄
Perhaps a mix of Princess Bride, Real Life, and Monthy Python. When you watch it, it’s just wierd. But later, when you think back, it’s funny.
Not recommended.
Only thing that was really funny was that my friend thought of a guy we both know who looks, talks, and moves just like he came straight out of the movie. What a hilarious thought. (Code named “Death Angle” and “Le Singe”...)
#Movies
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I’m not a big fan of the movie, but the consensus is that you have to watch it more than once “to get it”. It’s all just an “inside joke”, that becomes recursively wrapped within itself. Then it allegedly gets “better”. It’s the usual formula for film’s that become pop culture hits in the States. Napoleon Dynamite is especially predisposed to this since it was done by MTV Films.
Have you ever seen Rushmore (1999) by Wes Anderson?
– AaronHawley 2007-06-12 17:34 UTC
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Hm... I wasn’t too impressed by The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004).
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004)
Too bad they don’t seem to have it in my local DVD swapping network... 😄
– Alex Schroeder 2007-06-12 21:42 UTC
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Alex, Alex, Alex, ...
0 for 2, now! ...
What can be done? I don’t know. 😄
– LionKimbro 2007-06-13 02:40 UTC
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I know, I know. 😄 We must come from different cinematic universes!
– Alex Schroeder 2007-06-13 05:39 UTC
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Napoleon Dynamite might mean more if you grew up in the US, too;
What impacted me was the *authenticity* of the show.
In most movies or TV shows that portray high school, it’s a pretty stereotypical “locker” scene, with “cool guys” and “pretty girls” and so on, and high school drama hijinx– *nothing* like high school actually is.
This movie had *Trapper Keepers.* Pencils with names engraved on them on the side, out of sheer boredom. Tater tots. Casual awkwardness in interaction.
There are so many things that make this so much more “real,” much more reflective of the real thing, that it totally worked.
But if you don’t grow up living in a US high school, that probably doesn’t come through.
– LionKimbro 2007-06-13 16:38 UTC
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That’s kind of what I thought. I spent highschool at the International School Bangkok, so I was exposed to a bit of American highschool culture: Juniors, Seniors, gazebo, PE (I managed to avoid that, phew!), AP or in our case, IB, extracurricular activities, having to ask a girl to the prom. And in some ways the awkwardness of social interaction down to the mustache envy seemed plausible enough. But I guess it was still too alien to me. I could only shake my head in disbelief... 😄
– Alex Schroeder 2007-06-13 21:32 UTC