tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post497688107871200355..comments2024-03-14T02:13:38.885-04:00Comments on Radiator Heaven: High FidelityJ.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/11823190634186509982noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-42770690283090478492010-11-18T13:14:12.239-05:002010-11-18T13:14:12.239-05:00How's about when he's like: "A Cosby ...How's about when he's like: "A Cosby Sweat-ah!" I loved that scene where Black is going to sing, and everyone thinks he is going to suck, and suddenly he comes and surprises everyone. <br /><br />And the scene where they go on and on about Evil Dead II, I was like, wow, they are giving props to Evil Dead II...which I thought was fantastic.Franco Macabrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10994905312221715861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-28443514716401250652010-11-18T09:52:12.006-05:002010-11-18T09:52:12.006-05:00The Film Connoisseur:
Yeah, I remember seeing thi...The Film Connoisseur:<br /><br />Yeah, I remember seeing this in the theater and then getting it on DVD as soon as it came out.<br /><br />Wasn't Black so good in this film? A sign of things to come. I had seen him previously in small parts in Tim Robbins films but nothing prepared me for the full-on assault of his character in this film! He's had kind of an uneven career but is still capable of delivering the goods with the right material (SCHOOL OF ROCK).<br /><br />Hah. I like your examples of some funny moments in the film. One of my faves is when Black's character first shows up, takes out Dick's mixed tape and just tosses it away so that he can put his tape on. Great intro to his character.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-67998435943341900702010-11-17T16:14:21.835-05:002010-11-17T16:14:21.835-05:00Huge fan of this movie, I remember the first time ...Huge fan of this movie, I remember the first time I saw it, immediately went out to buy the dvd. <br /><br />I guess I identified with John Cusacks character immediately, I mean, the collecting stuff, the obsessiveness with records, I connected with it and my obsession with movies. <br /><br />Also, I was a big fan of giving girls mix tapes! I did it all the time! <br /><br />The big revelation with this movie for me was of course Jack Blacks performance, it blew me away and right then and there I knew the guy was gonna hit it big at some point, which he did. <br /><br />Also, the movie made me laugh out loud on so many occassions! Like that scene where Joan Cusack comes into the store and screams at JOHN: "You fucking asshole!" ha ha! <br />Or that scene where Cusack imagines hes killing that Ian guy with the air conditioner. Funny stuff. <br /><br />Remains a truly great film in my book.Franco Macabrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10994905312221715861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-64093024431715380642010-11-17T10:20:24.688-05:002010-11-17T10:20:24.688-05:00indianhoop:
I know what you mean! Watching this f...indianhoop:<br /><br />I know what you mean! Watching this film makes me feel old and it's sad that record stores are virtually extinct! And I know what you mean about relating to these characters... I think that's what keeps me coming back to this film, seeing a lot of myself or people I know in these characters. Same with FREE ENTERPRISE which I never tire of. <br /><br />Thanks for the kind words!<br /><br /><br />The Sci-Fi Fanatic:<br /><br />I have some vinyl but no where the near collection my dad has who is a big music collector which reminds me that one of these days I should get a record player. It doesn't surprise me that you are also a big vinyl record collector. Judging from your love of music I can see it and I still love the sound a vinyl record makes - the pops and other little sounds have a warmth to them that you just don't get on CD.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-14538002327952374802010-11-17T08:47:32.859-05:002010-11-17T08:47:32.859-05:00J.D My friend.
As a matter of fact, I was laying ...J.D My friend.<br /><br />As a matter of fact, I was laying in bed last night thinking, "Man, actually, no joke, I have piles of vinyl in the basement."<br /><br />I have so much I don't know what to do with it at this point.<br /><br />I don't have a turn table set up anymore. At one time J.D. I burned loads of b-sides from those 12" records to CD-R. I still have many of those CD-Rs in my cabinets with rare music [some of it not as rare any more with the advent of remaster collections and reissues with bonus track] and exclsuive b-sides. <br /><br />Anyway, thought you might too. Thanks for the well wishes. Feeling better and getting stronger again.SFFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04256589316922398158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-80037768810105547322010-11-16T12:08:06.586-05:002010-11-16T12:08:06.586-05:00Great review JD. Hard to believe this film is alre...Great review JD. Hard to believe this film is already being thought of as a "time capsule" of some distant past. I really, really related to Cusack's character in "High Fidelity" like I haven't in about 99.99% of other characters in other films: roughly the same age, same musical tastes, same luck in relationships with women, same affinity to list and make mixed tapes etc. etc. etc. Ironically, John Cusack's father was a classmate of my father's at Holy Cross and Joan C married a claasmate of mine at HC as well....so in many ways I felt as if I really knew these characters.indianhoophttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13690324288830538825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-58567742011840096272010-11-16T10:31:29.271-05:002010-11-16T10:31:29.271-05:00The Sci-Fi Fanatic:
I hope you're feeling bet...The Sci-Fi Fanatic:<br /><br />I hope you're feeling better, my friend! I can certainly empathize. When you're feeling that bad all you want to do is sit around and feel miserable.<br /><br />I had a feeling you were also a fan of/had fond memories of the ol' brick and mortar record stores. And yes, mixed tapes! I used to love making them, putting samples from TV and movies in between songs... As always, thanks for stopping by and leaving some fantastic comments.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-46935676684168565092010-11-15T20:03:56.526-05:002010-11-15T20:03:56.526-05:00Really late to the concert on this one JD. Been p...Really late to the concert on this one JD. Been pretty sick and fairly unmotivated.<br /><br />Feeling better. Great article. I lived in these places my friend all my life. I'm sad to see them gone. I mean it. I lived in them. I could thumb through vinyl and make mix tapes with exclusive b-sides until the cows came home.<br /><br />Not to mention nothing says I love you like a mix tape. HA! I used to make those and think they were the greatest gifts in the world.<br /><br />Anyway, you know I love music and I loved some of your reflections on the film especially your point about it being a historical document. Well said. Excellent.<br /><br />Best to you my friend- SFFSFFhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04256589316922398158noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-2749360897443089662010-11-15T09:56:36.104-05:002010-11-15T09:56:36.104-05:00Will:
Heh, good reference on FREE ENTERPRISE - th...Will:<br /><br />Heh, good reference on FREE ENTERPRISE - the laserdisc references do date the film but in kind of a cool way.<br /><br />But you're right about HIGH FIDELITY conveying that nostalgia vibe and being a time capsule of sorts. I have the book but have yet to read it... it's on the pile of ones to get to altho, I'm kind of dreading as I'm going to invariably picture the actors from the film.<br /><br />I like what you said about Black's character. And it's true, you're thinking through the film that Barry is just some blowhard know-it-all who can't back up what he says with actual talent and then surprises everyone at the end!<br /><br />Thanks for the great comments!<br /><br /><br />Myra:<br /><br />Thanks! I am also a big fan of THE GRIFTERS which is generally considered Cusack's first "mature" film - whatever that means. Frears seems to know how to bring the best out of him.<br /><br /><br />christian:<br /><br />A dissenting opinion is always welcome! I can certainly understand where you're coming from and I think that the deal with this film is that it features a lot of smug characters but I don't think the film is smug itself... if that makes any sense. The film goes great lengths to celebrate and gently make fun of these elitist music geeks.<br /><br /><br />Drew:<br /><br />Thank you for the kind words. Good to see another fan of this film. And good call on the parallels to Gondry's film. You're right! That film does the same thing 'cept for video stores. I also miss the indie video stores where you could go in and chat it up with some film geek and peruse the aisles for that lost gem.<br /><br />I also agree with you about "brutally honest" moments sprinkled throughout the film. Rob isn't let off the hook a lot of the times and is shown to be far from perfect but at least he is trying to get better at his relationships with women. I couldn't agree more about the "heart and wit" of this film. That's exactly right!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-17073133202395939112010-11-15T02:02:13.664-05:002010-11-15T02:02:13.664-05:00Fantastic review J.D. I absolutely love this film ...Fantastic review J.D. I absolutely love this film - it's probably one of my favorites from the decade - and I really like the way you characterize it as simultaneously a love letter/eulogy to those groovy hole-in-the-wall record stores that so many of us 25+ probably have fond remembrances of, and that are all but extinct these days. It definitely adds an additional layer of poignancy when watching these days, much in the same way something like Gondry's BE KIND REWIND is bound to resonate with those who grew up frequenting their local video rental stores.<br /><br />I see Christian uses the word "smug" as a negative above, but I actually in a way find that quality to be one of the film's strengths; have you ever been in a music store run by angst-ridden twenty-thirtysomething elitists? Smugness is often a part of the proceedings, but of course it's sometimes (as the movie understands and acknowledges) merely a facade. I think there's a certain authenticity in the way the characters are presented, and because of that we're able to get some brutally honest moments that you generally don't see in a movie like this. <br /><br />Above all I just think there's a ton of genuine heart and wit in the film, and I'm generally of the mind that it's the best thing done by pretty much everyone involved (and I'm a big Cusack/Frears fan.)Drew McIntoshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07054307044280470117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-74279398136486693902010-11-14T20:51:58.849-05:002010-11-14T20:51:58.849-05:00Can I be a cranky crank and say I really dislike t...Can I be a cranky crank and say I really dislike this film? Shorn of its English roots, who really do have a better sense of what's hip than most Yanks, I found it endlessly smug, particularly Jack Black.christianhttp://christiandivine.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-35093697891710263582010-11-14T14:28:31.794-05:002010-11-14T14:28:31.794-05:00that's a great look back at this movie. I reme...that's a great look back at this movie. I remember liking it a good deal, though some of it probably hasn't aged as well. John Cusack was definitely a big crush back in the day. I LOVED The Grifters.MPKhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11995862785687647013noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5407391624985829089.post-70514152302720262292010-11-12T15:09:26.917-05:002010-11-12T15:09:26.917-05:00Excellent review! I'd liked your point at the ...Excellent review! I'd liked your point at the end in regards to music/technology. Though not as outdated as Free Enteprise (I've got all five Planet of the Apes on laserdisc. . .letterboxed!), High Fidelity does feel like this nice little time capsule you open up and go 'wow' while feeling nostalgia.<br /><br />Having read the book and seen the movie, the location is 'timeless' if that makes sense. I think it was perfect in this film and that comes down to directing/acting/production. A book like Fever Pitch, which is so specific to time and place like High Fidelity WAS, also written originally by Nick Hornby, was BUTCHERED by hack directing and acting and Americanized to be palatable. Something tells me a better director, like Frears, can make something work in any setting as long as the feeling is there despite the original intention.<br /><br />I concur this was Cusack's best performance AND it was, quite literally, the mainstream coming out party for Black. Throughout the whole movie you think Black is a hack singer and only fooling himself into thinking he's good. By movie's end you just sit back and go 'HOLY SHIT HE'S FUNNY. . .AND GOOD'.<br /><br />I included this film on my list (oddly enough considering this film is full of lists) on my 'Five Deserving Films That Didn't Get One Oscar Nomination'.Willhttp://SECUREIMMATURITY.COMnoreply@blogger.com