So Boy Did "Huckabees" ever suck...

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A little free time on Sunday, so I wandered in solo for the bargain matinee, my choices being Sideways, The Motorcycle Diaries, or Huckabees. I chose the last, regrettably.

What a bad film. Pompous, extremely self-concious, smug, poorly paced, deliberately 'wacky'... I never forgot for ONE SECOND that I was watching a film, I was never swept up in it or felt some sense of the universsal. Lily Tomlin looked freaky under a thick coat of ghostly makeup.

This film lacks whatever it is that makes a good film, SORELY. I actually regretted going and want my two hours back. The music was good.

― andy, Tuesday, 23 November 2004 17:48 (twenty-one years ago)

There's another Huckabees thread and you are wrong.

― n/a (Nick A.), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 17:50 (twenty-one years ago)

But the commerical where she lays on her face with the bonnet on!!!

― kyle (akmonday), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 17:50 (twenty-one years ago)

Oh, and the 'bargain' matinee was $7. Killer.

― andy, Tuesday, 23 November 2004 17:53 (twenty-one years ago)

http://ilx.p3r.net/search.php?board=1

― n/a (Nick A.), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 17:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Thanks for pointing that out... Someone called it a "trainwreck," that's the word I'd been looking for.

― andy, Tuesday, 23 November 2004 18:03 (twenty-one years ago)

The Filthy Critic Agrees wholeheartedly!
http://www.bigempire.com/filthy/ihearthuckabees.html

― Lord Custos Epsilon (Lord Custos Epsilon), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 18:12 (twenty-one years ago)

“Never forgetting that it’s a movie” seemed to me to be one of the good points of Huckabees, but what do I know: I love Hartley for basically the same reason. Is “forgetting that it’s a movie” really a major issue, a necessary positive?

― nabisco (nabisco), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 18:12 (twenty-one years ago)

I think I'll just buy the soundtrack.

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 18:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Yay Jon Brion!

― Sanjay McDougal (jaymc), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 18:21 (twenty-one years ago)

Yay! I was going to revive the Jon Brion ILM thread because I've been really enjoying his recent soundtrack work, but then I saw Chaki's vicious Brion-hate and got discouraged. :(

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 18:23 (twenty-one years ago)

The music was perfect in this, and I had not heard of Jon Brion before and now I am quite interested. Don't be discouraged Jordan!

― jocelyn (Jocelyn), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 18:26 (twenty-one years ago)

no the score was kind of annoying actually.

I thought the movie was great. First thing all year I'm actually stoked about getting on DVD and watching again. Fuck you haters.

― TOMBOT, Tuesday, 23 November 2004 18:27 (twenty-one years ago)

"She said Fuckabees!"

― dave225 (Dave225), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 18:29 (twenty-one years ago)

I Fart Fuckabees

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 18:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Things I love about Jon Brion:

-Eternal Sunshine sndtrk
-Punch-Drunk Love sndtrk (this was the ILM thread I was thinking of, btw)
(NB: I have not actually seen the above movies, although I should)
-The jaw-dropping production on that Fiona Apple record
-production on Brad Mehldau's Largo

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 18:37 (twenty-one years ago)

>I never forgot for ONE SECOND that I was watching a film

Yeah, if you ever do, seek professional help.

Please give all supporting actor awards to Wahlberg.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 20:34 (twenty-one years ago)

i think what he really means is that the film, for all it's emotional undertow, is actually pretty distant, and not in a theoretical way, it's just emotionally sterile. as i tried to point out in the other thread, the Big Emotional Moment is undercut by horseshit, but why? to ironize the "connection" as it is happening undercuts the films whole point as i see it and is typically of the films Big Flaw.

― ryan (ryan), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 20:42 (twenty-one years ago)

sorry jordan. dont let me discourage you ever. this doesnt change the fact that jon brion is a bag of dicks and balls.

― big chaki (chaki), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 20:47 (twenty-one years ago)

haha

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 20:48 (twenty-one years ago)

Russell's message: Big Emotional Moments are horseshit.

At least a third of the scenes don't work, but I prefer it to something smoother and less ambitious, e.g. Sideways.

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 20:50 (twenty-one years ago)

chaki do you hate mellotrons?!

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 20:53 (twenty-one years ago)

(I don't actually want to argue the point, I'm perfectly comfortable w/agreeing to disagree about Brion...my bandmate is obsessed with him though, and it's rubbed off on me a bit)

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 20:54 (twenty-one years ago)

a bag of dicks and balls.

Damn! Wish I'd thought of that.

Anyway, I Heart Huckabees was a pretty big letdown — maybe I shouldn't have listened to my friend who heard it was "real existential" and decided that meant they must think it is the smartest movie EVAR. But I agree that Whalberg was the one semi-redeeming factor; they should've built the movie around him instead of the Rushmore kid's character and it would've rocked.

― sugarpants (sugarpants), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 20:55 (twenty-one years ago)

i love mellotrons and i think Brion has a REALLY COOL vintage keyboard collection. thats about all he has going for him. his pomp usually outweighs his musicality. just listen to the awful PDL soundtrack and you'll see what im sayin. also ive seen him ruin two shows with his "LOOK AT ME!" style of playing over everyone else on stage with him. BEck and Critters Buggin.

― chaki in charge (chaki), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 20:57 (twenty-one years ago)

you guys are missing the fact that the big emotional moment is when naomi watts hooks up with marky mark and says "he likes the bonnet"

wtf why didn't anybody else think this movie was as funny as I did?

― TOMBOT, Tuesday, 23 November 2004 20:58 (twenty-one years ago)

"word"

― g--ff (gcannon), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 20:59 (twenty-one years ago)

WORD

― TOMBOT, Tuesday, 23 November 2004 21:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Word?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 21:01 (twenty-one years ago)

Weird.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 21:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I've never seen him so that doesn't color my opinion, but I've picked up a lot of tricks from his production style and I like that he can walk into a studio by himself and do a percussion piece with random-ass sounds as soon as more traditional scoring. Dude's crazy.

Word.

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 21:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I like that he can walk into a studio by himself and do a percussion piece with random-ass sounds

YOU CAN DO THIS TOO

― chaki in charge (chaki), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 21:12 (twenty-one years ago)

random ass-sounds

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 21:13 (twenty-one years ago)

Are you the prime provider, Mr. Perry?

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 21:15 (twenty-one years ago)

I am the prime mover
CAN YOU FEEL IT?

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 21:18 (twenty-one years ago)

I know! But people actually pay him to score movies!

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 21:18 (twenty-one years ago)

the "WORD" part is worth the price of admission

― cutty (mcutt), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 21:19 (twenty-one years ago)

I like that he can walk into a studio by himself and do a percussion piece with random-ass sounds

YOU CAN DO THIS TOO

-- chaki in charge (chaki.tim...), November 23rd, 2004.

LOL!

― Jay Vee (Manon_70), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 21:35 (twenty-one years ago)

― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 21:43 (twenty-one years ago)

It's a tripartite protagonist: laborer Wahlberg, idealist Schwarzman, capitalist Law. Hence it reminded me of Fight Club, and it's almost as funny!

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 21:51 (twenty-one years ago)

chaki's right

― s1ocki (slutsky), Tuesday, 23 November 2004 23:32 (twenty-one years ago)

I thought it was a PAINFUL experience. I wished I'd brought a magazine to read. Hoffman has ANOTHER ISHTAR on his hands.

― andy, Tuesday, 23 November 2004 23:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Schwartzman's eyebrows were SO groomed I forgot I was watching a movie, as I was hypnotized by their perfectly arranged Coppola hairiness. Or something.

― Morley Timmons (Donna Brown), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 11:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Hoffman has made far worse films than Ishtar (ie Rain Man, Wag the Dog). Tellin' the truth can be dan-gerous biz-ness...

― Dr Morbius (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 14:16 (twenty-one years ago)

this movie was funny and mark wahlberg was kind of totally awesome. i remember being really impressed by the dialogue, in most movie exchanges whenever something is brought up or someone has a wiseass one-liner the other character just kind of ignores them or changes the subject, but in this movie people actually respond to each other? and the comedy spills out from this instead of being hung on creaky dialogue that never goes anywhere and that nobody in the world would say unprompted. NB. this is probably a really unremarkable observation on my part, but i'm always late for the party

― \(^o^)/ (Adrian Langston), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 20:40 (twenty-one years ago)

i LARFED A LOT. So there. The MUD! Hysterical. The POETRY!

― J (Jay), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 21:11 (twenty-one years ago)

"You rock, rock"

― Morley Timmons (Donna Brown), Wednesday, 24 November 2004 22:53 (twenty-one years ago)

I Hate Huckerby

http://www.pinkun.com/Content/ncfc/Columns/maninthestands/2003-4/img/031129Hucks.jpg

― Chewshabadoo (Chewshabadoo), Thursday, 25 November 2004 14:56 (twenty-one years ago)

fuck y'all haters
this movie was sweet
also
I'm a little biased because I'm kind of a pedestrian/anti-car fiend.

― trigonalmayhem (trigonalmayhem), Thursday, 25 November 2004 15:02 (twenty-one years ago)

three months pass...

The wife has been talking like a 'hooray for everything' eco hippie all week, obsessed with this movie all week. I reluctantly watched it tonight and enjoyed it very much.

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 02:12 (twenty-one years ago)

And you're turning in your NRA card right now. Er, wait.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 02:14 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't have an NRA card. I have a huge NRA4LIFE tattoo on my forehead, dripping in blood and curving at each end like the Metallica logo, with spiderwebs.

and, not to blow your mind, but I'm a BIG fan of Shirley Temple and Glenn Gould, sir. It ain't all God, guns and guts for this tough guy. No sir. No sir. No sir.

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 02:18 (twenty-one years ago)

I liked the film, but not sure why, apart from completely loving Lily Tomlin and Dustin Hoffman's characters. I really didn't like Mark Wahlberg, but then again two of the cars in my list of vehicles that might make a possible purchase both have worked 351ci engines.

― Sasha (sgh), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 02:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm a BIG fan of Shirley Temple and Glenn Gould

"On the Good Ship Bach Variation 4 (with heavy breathing)"

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 02:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I'd download that in a SECOND!

― roger adultery (roger adultery), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 02:33 (twenty-one years ago)

everyone who brought up the "WORD" part is totally OTM, that still makes me like practically piss myself.

― Allyzay Dallas Multi-Pass (allyzay), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 04:15 (twenty-one years ago)

I watched this movie but I totally don't remember the "word" part. Refresh my memory, please?

― Mickey (modestmickey), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 05:06 (twenty-one years ago)

i actually don't remember! but schwartzman is lecturing someone on something, and wahlberg is behind him, and shouldn't be there (in his firefighter boots!) and after some bit of the argument buts in over his shoulder, "word," and points. it's perfect.

― f--gg (gcannon), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 05:12 (twenty-one years ago)

I love the dinner table scene.

― Andrew (enneff), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 05:29 (twenty-one years ago)

basically it's when Schwartzmann is telling Tomlin and Hoffman to go fuck themselves, "I'm staying with the darkness and the sadness and the angst, cos that's more real to me, that's my world, that's what I am!" some ridiculous ranty shit like that and then Wahlburg just bursts in and screams "WORD!" while throwing the hand signs at Tomlin and Hoffman. Best usage of "WORD!" ever in popular culture.

xpost the dinner table scene is good too, and the extended elevator sequence which is just people beating on Jude Law is pretty good, in fact all of his films would've been improved had this scene been included in all of them.

― Allyzay Dallas Multi-Pass (allyzay), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 05:31 (twenty-one years ago)

Also Jude Law vomiting on himself, and also "Whoooaaaa...that came outta left field"

― Allyzay Dallas Multi-Pass (allyzay), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 05:36 (twenty-one years ago)

Just saw this, and really loved it.

― S!monB!rch (Carey), Sunday, 13 March 2005 21:07 (twenty-one years ago)

I was reading a post upthread and thinking how OTFM is was. Then I saw it was one I'd written. Bizarre.

― sugarpants (sugarpants), Sunday, 13 March 2005 21:45 (twenty-one years ago)

I watched this for forty five minutes and turned it off.
I NEVER turn off films.
I no like this.

― Forksclovetofu (Forksclovetofu), Sunday, 13 March 2005 22:25 (twenty-one years ago)

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