tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877371347086447490.post6904658165215377903..comments2024-03-28T20:37:08.491+11:00Comments on The Audient: A realization about Rob ReinerDerek Armstronghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13750747272647975591noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877371347086447490.post-24546247531178272842010-11-20T05:05:48.664+11:002010-11-20T05:05:48.664+11:00Don,
Interesting idea about Reiner potentially lo...Don,<br /><br />Interesting idea about Reiner potentially losing his voice. I do think it's possible he was bullied by Archie Bunkers into humility, but I also know that this characterization of him on South Park materialized in the last couple years, probably even after The Bucket List. So we'd only be seeing his loss of voice in Flipped, which I haven't seen yet. Great observation about how his voice links these seemingly dissimilar projects -- just one example of how I value your perspective on film, as it deepens observations that I may be making at a more surface level.<br /><br />Mike,<br /><br />Glad to hear that Flipped was as good as you say it is. Maybe you and Don can fight about its relative worth. Can we all agree that Alex & Emma was terrible, though?<br /><br />DGB,<br /><br />Wow, that's high praise for The Sure Thing. I knew you loved it but I didn't know you would actually call it your favorite of all time. I like that as a favorite, however. It feels more unique than having something like Back to the Future, Raiders of the Lost Ark or Empire Strikes Back as a favorite movie. That's something I'm currently struggling with as I re-rank my movies on Flickchart. It's admittedly early, but Back to the Future is #1, and it feels like a bit of a cliche.Derek Armstronghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13750747272647975591noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877371347086447490.post-51884431134633772282010-11-19T12:31:52.733+11:002010-11-19T12:31:52.733+11:00The Sure Thing is my favorite movie. Yes it's ...The Sure Thing is my favorite movie. Yes it's dated, but it totally rocks. <br /><br />The Princess Bride is in my top 5 also.DGBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01302995272029761401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877371347086447490.post-41168376368339476802010-11-18T12:05:36.469+11:002010-11-18T12:05:36.469+11:00What's a shame is that Flipped was his best mo...What's a shame is that Flipped was his best movie in years and no one saw it because it was barely even released wheras crap like the Bucket List draws a big audience.The Taxi Driverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04352371911592068643noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877371347086447490.post-80934974470662020792010-11-18T05:21:12.293+11:002010-11-18T05:21:12.293+11:00This comment has been removed by the author.Don Handsomehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04448844952916507647noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7877371347086447490.post-27080968862134367022010-11-18T05:20:44.854+11:002010-11-18T05:20:44.854+11:00One thing that I’ve been thinking about since we s...One thing that I’ve been thinking about since we started talking about Reiner the other night is his voice. His voice leaves a stamp on many of those early films. I grew up before seeing Spinal Tap on reruns of All In The Family and I think maybe I just learned Reiner’s inflections very well from that show. So when I saw Spinal Tap for the first time I was entranced Reiner’s voice throughout as Marty DiBergi the documentarian. But obviously his voice is not a literal presence in all of those great films, but I’d argue that it definitely makes its way into the speech patterns shown in all of them. And therefore maybe its because those speech patterns feel so naturalistic, realistic, and comfortable that the films you list are so damn great. They feel inhabited and true. <br /><br />His later works don’t tend to feel this way. On the plane back to Chicago, I saw Flipped. It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but it was nothing compared to a Reiner film of the 80s. Actually, it tries to strattle two of the types discussed from the 80s – it’s a cross between Stand By Me and When Harry Met Sally. It’s a Coming of Age Romantic Comedy set in the 60s. Again, its not terrible, but its lacking something. Its lacking a lived in quality, its lacking stakes, and its lacking soul. Maybe that’s because Reiner’s lost his voice.<br /><br />Who wouldn’t be afraid to speak when every word is being pigeonholed as fat liberal whining? Rob Reiner may be who (maybe he’s not as gutsy as Michael Moore in that way). Its hard for me to believe that he could have lost his confidence to speak with his films like he used to so I’m sure that there are other things at play here as well, but maybe the old sensitive liberal Meathead has finally been compromised by the angry complaining of the Archie Bunkers of the world. Maybe he just lost his nerve and can’t put his heart into it anymore. Its our loss.Don Handsomehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04448844952916507647noreply@blogger.com