i wasn't involved when i lived there (moved last may), but rochester NY seems to be actively involved in this. the link is to Writers & Books, a thriving literary organization i once interned for, so my bet is it's catching on pretty well there.
my favorite city tribute song would have to be "city beneath the sea" by harry connick, jr.--which is great tune about new orleans. *sigh*
other suggestions include:
back in NYC - jeff buckley
my kind of town (chicago) - frank sinatra
if you're goin to san francisco - mamas & the papas
miami - will smith
philadelphia - neil young
raining in baltimore - counting crows
city of angels (los angeles) - 10,000 maniacs
and if you're counting canadian cities, etc:
toronto song - arrogant worms
vancouver - jeff buckley
jim, i loved your description of your daughter at the movie theater. there is something magical about watching a child's first experiences...
while i don't have kids of my own, i do have 3 year old twin brothers who give me an occasional taste of its joys. we took them to see the veggie tales movie and they were so funny. they were enrapt as soon as the screen lit up with previews and afterward they exclaimed with amazement "that was a BIG tv!"
ya i find that i respect a ton of these movies and consider them worth watching once or more: nosferatu, pandora's box, rope, invasion of the body snatchers, clockwork orange, rocky horror, brazil, usual suspects, reality bites, barton fink etc.
however, there are only a few on this list that i have or could bear watching obsessively. they include:
sid and nancy
heathers
harold and maude
hairspray
pee wee's big adventure
yellow submarine
rebel without a cause
and i was surprised not to find either labyrinth or the fifth element listed. but then princess bride isn't on here either and i agree with you that there's a strange following there. i suppose it would be difficult to create a definitive list, but they did do a relatively good job, i think. cool to think about what makes the cut for cult statis. i might have to create/alter some lists on the topic myself.
partially to answer my own question (in the his girl friday comments, i found the following book--now considered a classic text regarding the genre, it would seem: pursuits of happiness: the hollywood comedy of remarriage. (i'm just relieved i'm not going crazy...)
thanks for the tip! the plotline doesn't really do much for me but it would be interesting to see her playing a turkish immigrant... wouldn't want her to be typecast or anything.
that's a very astute question... i was never properly introduced to bauhaus (ie, my older brother tried to force it on me, along with pink floyd and other dark bands i wasn't quite ready for--i was probably 12.) and before i became "aware" they were no longer. consequently, i've grown with peter murphy over the years but probably only know 3 bauhaus tunes. sad, isn't it... what album do you recommend starting with?
i can't believe i forgot that one! have you heard the new remake by sixpence none the richer? i can't decide if i really like it or not... but it's good of them to commemorate crowded house.
point taken re: lennon, but the second part totally depends on your opinion of ms. love. have you seen the documentary "kurt & courtney"? i'm not saying it points to her definitively but it sure is an eye-opening watch--highly recommended.
thanks for the props, jim--i'm very much enjoying the summary process for films and books, now that i'm in the habit. and i'm noting your recommendation on "liberty valance"--i feel a definite stewart kick coming on. and maybe a cary grant one, too. i'm surprisingly unversed when it comes to some of these classics. any suggestions from his filmography?
LOL at the trading thing... sorry, but i think the only things i could tolerate Pfeiffer in were Batman Returns, and Age of Innocence and even those were a stretch.
yes, jim, some folks are making progress with me... the very first thread on this list *sort of* details my evolution with kidman, whose downfall for me was "to die for." i felt like she finally took a leap with "moulin rouge" and when i saw her in "the others" and "birthday girl" i knew there was more to her than i'd first suspected. and maybe the divorce with tom gave her a little more humanity too--i'm not above allowing celebrities personal lives to enter into this. :)
as for thurman, there are still roles i despise her in, like "a month by the lake" and "truth about cats & dogs" because i just don't think she's all that, but she started getting better in "gattaca" and i loved her in "the avengers" (i know i'm one of the only people who enjoyed that flick)... she does pretty well in period pieces too, like "vatel" and "the golden bowl" although i'd like to see her do something to knock the ball out of the park... but i no longer avoid her and that, after all, is the point of this list.
lastly reese witherspoon was very much on the edge for me to begin with... the only part of "cruel intentions" where i like her is when she's making goofy faces, and i wasn't impressed with either "election" or "pleasantville" (which i don't think i've seen in full--just enough chunks to decide it sucked). however, then i found that i truly enjoyed her in "sweet home alabama" and commended her excellent taste and capable handling of "the importance of being earnest." so she's been released on condition, as it were--so i agree jim, her choices will likely determine where she falls.
hey maybe the library carries "keeping the faith" in their video selection, jim--i'll give you ed norton a fair shake one of these days. ;)
i wasn't involved when i lived there (moved last may), but rochester NY seems to be actively involved in this. the link is to Writers & Books, a thriving literary organization i once interned for, so my bet is it's catching on pretty well there.
my favorite city tribute song would have to be "city beneath the sea" by harry connick, jr.--which is great tune about new orleans. *sigh*
other suggestions include:
back in NYC - jeff buckley
my kind of town (chicago) - frank sinatra
if you're goin to san francisco - mamas & the papas
miami - will smith
philadelphia - neil young
raining in baltimore - counting crows
city of angels (los angeles) - 10,000 maniacs
and if you're counting canadian cities, etc:
toronto song - arrogant worms
vancouver - jeff buckley
i added some additions to this list but i'm not sure i've come up with any more since!
jim, i loved your description of your daughter at the movie theater. there is something magical about watching a child's first experiences...
while i don't have kids of my own, i do have 3 year old twin brothers who give me an occasional taste of its joys. we took them to see the veggie tales movie and they were so funny. they were enrapt as soon as the screen lit up with previews and afterward they exclaimed with amazement "that was a BIG tv!"
ya i find that i respect a ton of these movies and consider them worth watching once or more: nosferatu, pandora's box, rope, invasion of the body snatchers, clockwork orange, rocky horror, brazil, usual suspects, reality bites, barton fink etc.
however, there are only a few on this list that i have or could bear watching obsessively. they include:
sid and nancy
heathers
harold and maude
hairspray
pee wee's big adventure
yellow submarine
rebel without a cause
and i was surprised not to find either labyrinth or the fifth element listed. but then princess bride isn't on here either and i agree with you that there's a strange following there. i suppose it would be difficult to create a definitive list, but they did do a relatively good job, i think. cool to think about what makes the cut for cult statis. i might have to create/alter some lists on the topic myself.
i found nice listing of cult films at filmsite.org, so i thought i'd post it here for more juicy discussion.
partially to answer my own question (in the his girl friday comments, i found the following book--now considered a classic text regarding the genre, it would seem: pursuits of happiness: the hollywood comedy of remarriage. (i'm just relieved i'm not going crazy...)
thanks for the tip! the plotline doesn't really do much for me but it would be interesting to see her playing a turkish immigrant... wouldn't want her to be typecast or anything.
that's a very astute question... i was never properly introduced to bauhaus (ie, my older brother tried to force it on me, along with pink floyd and other dark bands i wasn't quite ready for--i was probably 12.) and before i became "aware" they were no longer. consequently, i've grown with peter murphy over the years but probably only know 3 bauhaus tunes. sad, isn't it... what album do you recommend starting with?
i can't believe i forgot that one! have you heard the new remake by sixpence none the richer? i can't decide if i really like it or not... but it's good of them to commemorate crowded house.
point taken re: lennon, but the second part totally depends on your opinion of ms. love. have you seen the documentary "kurt & courtney"? i'm not saying it points to her definitively but it sure is an eye-opening watch--highly recommended.
much appreciated!
thanks for the props, jim--i'm very much enjoying the summary process for films and books, now that i'm in the habit. and i'm noting your recommendation on "liberty valance"--i feel a definite stewart kick coming on. and maybe a cary grant one, too. i'm surprisingly unversed when it comes to some of these classics. any suggestions from his filmography?
LOL at the trading thing... sorry, but i think the only things i could tolerate Pfeiffer in were Batman Returns, and Age of Innocence and even those were a stretch.
yes, jim, some folks are making progress with me... the very first thread on this list *sort of* details my evolution with kidman, whose downfall for me was "to die for." i felt like she finally took a leap with "moulin rouge" and when i saw her in "the others" and "birthday girl" i knew there was more to her than i'd first suspected. and maybe the divorce with tom gave her a little more humanity too--i'm not above allowing celebrities personal lives to enter into this. :)
as for thurman, there are still roles i despise her in, like "a month by the lake" and "truth about cats & dogs" because i just don't think she's all that, but she started getting better in "gattaca" and i loved her in "the avengers" (i know i'm one of the only people who enjoyed that flick)... she does pretty well in period pieces too, like "vatel" and "the golden bowl" although i'd like to see her do something to knock the ball out of the park... but i no longer avoid her and that, after all, is the point of this list.
lastly reese witherspoon was very much on the edge for me to begin with... the only part of "cruel intentions" where i like her is when she's making goofy faces, and i wasn't impressed with either "election" or "pleasantville" (which i don't think i've seen in full--just enough chunks to decide it sucked). however, then i found that i truly enjoyed her in "sweet home alabama" and commended her excellent taste and capable handling of "the importance of being earnest." so she's been released on condition, as it were--so i agree jim, her choices will likely determine where she falls.
hey maybe the library carries "keeping the faith" in their video selection, jim--i'll give you ed norton a fair shake one of these days. ;)