QuarterToThree Message Boards

QuarterToThree Message Boards: Movies: Rushmore

By wumpus on Wednesday, February 14, 2001 - 06:44 pm:

By Rob_Merritt on Wednesday, February 14, 2001 - 10:32 pm:

errr isn't this against the rules? Posting a whole album?

FYI I'm one of those who never got Rushmore. Didn't enjoy it, didn't understand it and I tend to watch these odd artsy films and get them

By TomChick on Wednesday, February 14, 2001 - 10:45 pm:

"FYI I'm one of those who never got Rushmore."

I think I "got" it, but I didn't like it nearly as much as Wes Anderson's first movie, Bottle Rocket, which would probably find its way into my selective list of Best. Movies. Ever.

And, yeah, what's with wumpus posting entire soundtracks? The courts are having a field day with Napster. Just think what they're going to do to you next, wumpus.

Have fun preaching the Gospel of Counterstrike in prison. :)

-Tom

By Dave Long on Wednesday, February 14, 2001 - 10:50 pm:

Quote:
Have fun preaching the Gospel of Counterstrike in prison. :)

Ohhhhh, the prison humor you could put after that quote... ;)

--Dave

By Steve Bauman on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 12:00 am:

>>I think I "got" it, but I didn't like it nearly as much as Wes Anderson's first movie, Bottle Rocket, which would probably find its way into my selective list of Best. Movies. Ever.

I liked it, but I think Bottle Rocket was self-consciously quirky. Well, that's probably not true, since Anderson and Wilson seem to genuinely love creating interesting and original characters (and they have the cojones to actually make, I dunno, optimistic and friendly movies).

But Bottle Rocket just seemed so low-key it barely registered with me. There was no Max Fischer or Herman Blume to hang the film on.

By mtKafka (Mtkafka) on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 02:09 am:

aye RUSHMORE YEEHAW great movie! the DVD is hilarioius with the recreations of some recent movies.

GREAT SOUNDTRACK AS WELL! has everything from John Lennon to The Who to Cat Stevens.

Rushmore is one of those quiet funny movies, but theres something about it that feels bittersweet sad that makes me remember it alot more. . . theres an undertone of class distinctions (the pubhlic and private school differences) in Rushmore as well as age differnces (Max and Murrays character).

anyway, also another underrated movie with Bill Murray, GRoundhog Day. . . thats funny hehe.

etc

By wumpus on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 09:01 am:

"I think I "got" it, but I didn't like it nearly as much as Wes Anderson's first movie, Bottle Rocket, which would probably find its way into my selective list of Best. Movies. Ever. "

I'm completely the opposite here. Didn't like Bottle Rocket much, if at all. It meanders too much and feels half baked.

But I loved Rushmore. It's certainly a more polished effort than BR was, and it has Olivia, Bill, and Jason in outstanding performances. Not to mention a soundtrack that fits the movie like a glove.

A few cast notes from the commentary--

Did you guys know the headmaster in that movie played Hannibal in Manhunter?

And Dirk's mom is Connie Nielsen of Devil's Advocate and Gladiator (and _really_ obvious breast implants, but I digress)?

The child actor who plays Dirk was.. Dennis the Menace. Wes mentions that he was heavily biased against him for that reason, but the kid was such a great actor he went with him anyhow.

Another interesting anecdote is Blume's two sons; the casting person saw them acting pretty much like they do in the movie at a local blockbuster. She asked them if they wanted to be in the movie and they had to see the script first, which she dropped off at the gate of their house. And I guess those two kids really didn't get along with Bill Murray, according to Wes.. that scene where they lock him out of the car, he says "If the script didn't call for them to lock Bill out of the car, they probably would have anyway. It had gotten to that point."

Anyway, great movie. Even on the third viewing I enjoyed it every bit as much as the first time. I can't say that for most movies.

"And, yeah, what's with wumpus posting entire soundtracks? The courts are having a field day with Napster. Just think what they're going to do to you next, wumpus."

I don't think it'll be a problem here on Q23.

Just listen to the soundtrack. ;)

wumpus http://www.gamebasement.com

By XtienMurawski on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 06:48 pm:

Rushmore. Rushmore. Rushmore. Oh man.

I seriously think it has moved into the position of number one film for me. I love it. I romanticize it all out of proportion. This might be because I'm very Jewish and kind of awkward looking, so I relate to a lot of it. Plus, Oxford and the Sorbonne were my first choices, but Harvard was my safety...

I will admit that I need to give Bottle Rocket another look, though. The first time I saw it I was responsible for the rental for a group of friends. I picked up Bottle Rocket and all through the film everyone kept giving me dirty looks and saying, "WHO picked this film?" So I saw it through a sort of filter of shame.

On a side note these people are no longer my friends. Hmmm.

Amanpour

"Best play ever, man."

By wumpus on Thursday, February 15, 2001 - 07:22 pm:

"Rushmore. Rushmore. Rushmore. Oh man. "

I love it too. It's damn near perfect. Ebert complained that the final 3/4 was too pat, but like the astute Mr. Bauman noted, Wes et al are actually into making optimistic movies. And it just works.

More rushmore quotes here (highly recommended):

http://us.imdb.com/Quotes?Rushmore+(1998)

Max Fischer: So you were in Vietnam?
Herman Blume: Yeah.
Max Fischer: Were you in the shit?
Herman Blume: Yeah, I was in the shit.

Besides being the best performance ever from Bill Murray (Blume).. ah, I'm gushing again. Just enjoy the soundtrack.

wumpus http://www.gamebasement.com

By Ron Dulin on Friday, February 16, 2001 - 04:19 pm:

I'm with Tom on Bottle Rocket. I liked Rushmore, but I found it really hard to like the character Max for some reason.

Best dialogue in Bottle Rocket:

Anthony: "Did you see what they were wearing?"
Dignan: "Yeah, it was pretty cool."

By TomChick on Friday, February 16, 2001 - 04:28 pm:

"I'm with Tom on Bottle Rocket. I liked Rushmore, but I found it really hard to like the character Max for some reason."

For me part of the problem is that Rushmore veers into the quasi-fantastic. Bottle Rocket is all real and all heart. There's nothing where you have to think, "Is this real or some kind of strange representational, inner-reality deal?"

"Best dialogue in Bottle Rocket:

Anthony: "Did you see what they were wearing?"
Dignan: "Yeah, it was pretty cool.""

Boo-yah!!!! Great call, Ron. That scene is like the heart of the movie. I was just showing that scene to the guys at Shoot Club a week ago. I hesitate to analyze Bottle Rocket too much, but I think the whole movies wheels around that one scene. So much is explained in a few simple lines.

"I'm not always as confident as I look."

-Tom

By wumpus on Friday, February 16, 2001 - 05:24 pm:

"For me part of the problem is that Rushmore veers into the quasi-fantastic. Bottle Rocket is all real and all heart. There's nothing where you have to think, "Is this real or some kind of strange representational, inner-reality deal?""

Oh yeah, that's the same exact reaction I had to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. That didn't veer into the quasi-fantastic at all.

LOOK!!! I'M FLYING!!!

It's a perfect example of what you are describing. I feel CTHD would have been a far better movie if they had stayed away from all the fantasy superhero jibba jabba.

OTOH, I didn't feel Rushmore veered into fantasy-- which scene in particular are you referring to?

wumpus http://www.gamebasement.com

By Ron Dulin on Friday, February 16, 2001 - 05:33 pm:

"LOOK!!! I'M FLYING!!!"

Thanks for answering my question about CTHD, even if you did so unintentionally. I guess the genre conventions threw you.

One last question, Wumpus: Did you hate Superman too?

By wumpus on Friday, February 16, 2001 - 06:07 pm:

"Thanks for answering my question about CTHD, even if you did so unintentionally. I guess the genre conventions threw you. "

The flying and other fantasy elements seemed so completely and utterly unnecessary to the story. Basically I'm saying exactly what Tom said; transpose the words "Rushmore" with "CTHD" and you have it. If the combat and fighting had been toned down to realistic levels I would have enjoyed it a lot more.

And if the story wasn't quite so cliched, but I digress.

I'll do my CTHD flying impression for you later!

wumpus http://www.gamebasement.com

By TomChick on Friday, February 16, 2001 - 09:00 pm:

You know what other movie really sucked big time? Brazil.

Can you believe that guy flying around in that movie? Man, that movie was just awful. I amuse my girlfriend all the time by saying, "Hey, look, I'm Sam Lowry" and then I stretch my arms out and pretend I'm soaring through clouds. Then we crack up and talk about how awful Brazil was.

-Tom

By wumpus on Friday, February 16, 2001 - 09:39 pm:

I hate to belabor a good argument with facts, but in Brazil, the flying sequences were also part of dream sequences. I don't have a problem with dream flying.

And even in 1985, the flying scenes in Brazil weren't even _close_ to being as ridiculous as the ones in CTHD. I don't recall the entire theater filling with raucous laughter during my screening of Brazil, but I sure remember that during CTHD.

Like I said, it's really hard to take a movie seriously when the people sitting next to you are doubled over in laughter.

But hey, Roger Ebert was blown away by these amazing and thrilling high-tech effects, so what the heck do I know? ;)

Since you brought it up, I remember very clearly the first time I saw Brazil. It was at the historic Byrd theater in Richmond, Virginia. How old was I.. 15? 16? The Byrd is one of those 30's gilt-and-velvet masterpieces that has been restored to its former glory. The contrast between this deeply cynical movie and the venue I saw it in could not have been more extreme. I don't think I was the same person when I walked out of that theater. Definitely one of my watershed movie experiences.

And speak of the devil, I just got the criterion edition of Brazil the other day.

wumpus http://www.gamebasement.com

By Steve Bauman on Friday, February 16, 2001 - 11:43 pm:

>>Like I said, it's really hard to take a movie seriously when the people sitting next to you are doubled over in laughter.

I don't generally care what the people around me are doing in a theater. Oddly enough, I make up my own mind.

When I saw the movie, people laughed at the beginning, then completely bought into it. And they cheered later on after the sword fight between Michelle Yeoh and the woman that played Jen (which I have to say was incredible).

By wumpus on Saturday, February 17, 2001 - 01:21 am:

"I don't generally care what the people around me are doing in a theater. Oddly enough, I make up my own mind. "

I wasn't amused enough to laugh, but I agreed with the sentiment. The flying effects looked.. what's the word I'm thinking of here.. I don't know.. hokey? fake? lame? stupid?

"When I saw the movie, people laughed at the beginning, then completely bought into it. And they cheered later on after the sword fight between Michelle Yeoh and the woman that played Jen (which I have to say was incredible). "

You have to realize that I live in Nascar country. I'm sure in your neck of the woods everyone smokes a pipe and carries a brandy snifter into the theater. Trust me, I'm not exaggerating when I say that the entire audience laughed and sniggered every time there was a "flying" effect. And I don't blame them. They really, really sucked-- right up there with pre-Matthew Broderick Godzilla.

I don't mean to ramble on about this, but that's how it happened.

The fight scenes were definitely enjoyable though. I'm watching Enter the Dragon right now on DVD and I think that's more fun-- I have the soundtrack on order; let me know if anyone wants it.

wumpus http://www.gamebasement.com

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