Wednesday, March 11, 2009

The Movie Club #12: My Own Private Idaho and 10 Things I Hate About You

0:00 - 1:10 -- Intro/Roll Call
1:10 - 31:00 -- My Own Private Idaho
31:00 - 1:08:32 -- 10 Things I Hate About You
1:08:32 - 1:11:20 -- Next Month/Outro




» Download MP3 (51 MB)



My Own Private Idaho (1991)
Directed by: Gus Van Sant
Starring: River Phoenix, Keanu Reeves, James Russo, William Richert, Udo Kier


» Trailer
» Camp Fire scene




















10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Directed by: Gil Junger
Starring: Heath Ledger, Julia Stiles, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Larisa Oleynik, Larry Miller


» Trailer
» Heath Ledger show tunes scene

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

My first time listening to the Movie Club podcast, nice work.

I love 10 Things more every time I watch it. I've tried to avoid straight Shakespeare since being forced to read Caesar twice in high school, but I really enjoy the modern adaptations like Baz's R+J and of course this one.

Agreeing with all of you, I think the performances make this movie what it is. The whole cast is fun, even in the smaller roles. But Stiles and Ledger are the clear stars. I believe Stiles has done several Bard flicks. I haven't seen the Hamlet she did, but I enjoyed the Othello update "O." She's in talks to star in the Bell Jar next, which is the Sylvia Plath novel her character is reading in 10 Things, isn't it? As for Heath Ledger, I can't say enough about him, he's absolutely charming in this role, a great start to his short career. I really wish he'd done a musical. He was in the running for Moulin Rouge before Ewan McGregor was cast. I would have loved to hear him sing some more.

I'm not sure what it is, but 10 Things feels fresh every time I watch it. Usually movies with witty scripts get old after awhile, but this one still feels new every time. I appreciate the lack of gross-out humour and profanity that most teen movies have. And somehow, this is relatable, even though I don't usually identify with Shakespearean characters, and I certainly didn't have any experiences like these in high school. Whatever it is, I'm greatful for it and enjoy coming back to this movie time after time.

Shannon the Movie Moxie said...

Haven't listened to this yet (and I will!) but I have to say I am *so* looking forward to Alien Quadrilogy in April. I got the box set recently, and a new tw, and now I have even more incentive to revisit them!

Kurt Halfyard said...

Shannon: Be sure to watch the 'Rawlings' cut of Alien3, which is very close to the original intent of David Fincher (who has completely disowned Alien 3). It's a much longer (a hefty 40+ minutes, I think) and the characters and situations are more fleshed out, and the order of things makes a lot more sense. Overall it is a much better film than the Theatrical Alien 3 (a film I still very much like, but is now more or less obsolete because of this new version)

Shannon the Movie Moxie said...

Oh, thanks for the head's up Kurt I will definitely check that out. 40 more minutes? Wowza.

I think I'm one of the few who actually really likes Alien 3 (or as my family calls it - Alien cubed!).

Kurt Halfyard said...

I'm a pretty unabashed fan of Alien3 as well. I get in crap from all of my 'fanboy' friends when I say that I'd take "ALIEN-CUBED" over Cameron's Aliens. So there are a few of us that dig the religious-apocalyptic vibe and relentlessly downer vibe of Alien3.

Anonymous said...

"10 Things feels fresh"

Totally agree Ashley. It's one of the films that I usually throw in for "background" when working and yet I can never simply put it on and not watch: I end up seeing the whole thing. You figure I'd learn my lesson but no, still put it in often.

The Hawke/Stiles "Hamlet" is interesting. Essentially like Baz's in that it's modernized (though not as flashy) but the language is all there. It's another adaptation I really love.

Kurt Halfyard said...

@Marina - I've been meaning to get around to the Ethan Hawke starring Hamlet. I've heard the modernization of the images is much better than most.

I found Baz's R+J only works in fits and starts. It was a major step up for him when he made the far superior Moulin Rouge!....

drewbacca said...

Does anyone out there like "My Own Private Idaho?"

Shannon the Movie Moxie said...

I haven't seen My Own Private Idaho recently, and can barely remember it but I think I liked it way back then.

Really enjoyed 10 Things I Hate About You, surprized not more of the folks were taken with it.

In terms of the High School thing - I went to a big one in Toronto, somewhere between 1,500 - 2000 students (hugely overpopulated so the grounds weren't epic like they show in films - just lots of portables). I think one of the main differences from Canadian and US High School experiences that I've talked to some US buddies is sports. Holy smokes is seems like our buddies to the south take it *very* seriously. My school didn't even have a Football team, Rugby was what people played and even then you only got a handful of folk out to watch them.

And the term "Prom". People have that? We called it The Formal.

drewbacca said...

10 Things I Hate About You : 10th Anniversary Edition - First Time on Blu-ray Hi-Def™ and 2-Disc DVD on January 5, 2010.

independent films said...

I am looking for the independent films. I would prefer to watch it online, but would also buy it. Does anyone know where to find independent films like this one online?