Monday, October 05, 2009

Katey and Nathaniel Don't Have Funny Skating Names

So, it turns out Katey has actually been to the Roller Derby so she knows of what she speaks when it comes to Drew Barrymore's Whip It. Katey is so cool.

Now I've already reviewed Whip It but Katey and I hadn't seen each other in way too long (long boring offline story) so we laced up and skated from Brooklyn (Katey) and Harlem (Nathaniel) and met in the middle. That last part isn't strictly true but you can pretend that is is since we wore protective gear.



Whip It ! Y'all were so suspiciously quiet when the review hit. If you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for?

20 comments:

Calum Reed said...

Haha. Very fun. Is this the beginning of a theme?

Will we be seeing animal costumes for the Where the Wild Things Are review, or you dress up as Julianne and Colin to talk about A Single Man?

constant gina said...

I went to see it with my son and definitely admit we enjoyed it together..

NATHANIEL R said...

Cal -- if Tom Ford and Ariane Phillips are willing to dress us up for that A Single Man review I AM TOTALLY ON BOARD.

but if not, i have not the budget ;)

gina -- a family outing eh. so were you feeling like Maggie Mayhem and her tyke in the backseat?

Dave said...

Really liked it. You know how people are already talking about Spike Jonze trying to recreate some authentic feeling of childhood with "Where the Wild Things Are"? I think Drew Barrymore already beat him to the punch by aiming for a slightly older age group.

Think about it: growing up, did you want to wander with the Mumblecore Muppets on Innocence Island while Karen O. yeah-yeah-yelped at you? Or did you want to hang out with the cool older kids who were also kind of surrogate parents without being less cool, while your actual parents didn't totally go away either and got a little cooler, all in one of those goofy movies where someone yells "food fight" and means it? Yeah, exactly, and I think it's telling that Barrymore gives herself the food fight line, because she totally gets the kind of mindset I'm fumbling to describe here.

Katey said...

Cal, don't tempt us. You have no idea how many crazy ideas have had to be shot down.

NATHANIEL R said...

Dave. omg, well put. Exactly! That's exactly right. especially the older kids who are maybe surrogate parents but still cool.

Richter Scale said...

I was actually on the fence about seeing until I read your initial review Nat, so after reading that, I decided to give it a chance. I had so much fun with it. The roller derby scenes were also amazingly choreographed (you can actually tell which character is which out there, which I loved), and the drama is beautifully balanced with the sports (except, I agree, the love story felt disposable). The only scene that I felt was stretching way too much credibility was the underwater love scene in the pool. How can they breathe for so long underwater while making love? It also felt like the only instance of Drew Barrymore trying to show off (but otherwise, she's great). I also want to mention Alia Shawkat, who was really funny and very moving as Pash. As a fan of Arrested Development, it was great to see her there.

Keep these up guys, they're great. I look forward to seeing more of these conversations. I also love to be able to see and hear Nathaniel Rogers (it's nice to put a voice to the words I read on this page).

BelgianHare said...

Ooooooooh you look so cute in your skating gear. Out here in Belgium, we'd call you wusses for wearing that but still ooooooh.

Anonymous said...

you should put your videos on youtube.

adam k. said...

I loved Whip It!. Went with my lesbian friends, and we all had a grand ole time.

I have to disagree, actually, and say that I thought the romance subplot worked fine. It wasn't the strongest element, but it was necessary to the plot as a catalyst for the other drama, and I also thought the film did a good job of showing just how all-consuming a first love can be even when it seems ridiculous once you back off from it a bit. It really captured all those conflicting feelings and interests one has when life starts to bloom, IMHO.

And I liked that the guy wasn't a super-attractive heartthrob. He was kinda skinny and nerdy and awkward, which made more sense here. I even liked how the status of the romance was left unresolved at the end, as Bliss realized it wasn't the most important thing.

I dunno, I think it all kinda worked.

And the ensemble work was WONDERFUL. Nat, please nominate this cast for best ensemble. They were all so joyous and of a piece. And every single one was great in his or her role.

Whip It!, Star Trek and Basterds would all have a good shot at best ensemble in my world...

Anonymous said...

honestly, are you guys even seeing trailers for this on tv? I haven't seen one in like two weeks. The marketing for this movie seems TERRIBLE! But seriously, where's the advertising? Anyway, I want to see this movie but its not playing in my theaters. I guess I have to wait for the dvd.

gabrieloak said...

Loved the review and the helmets.

I have no idea why this movie isn't catching on but I guess it's destined for cult status on DVD.

City_Of_Lights said...

I just came back from seeing Whip It. I really enjoyed it but I can see why it hasn't done that great at the box office. It's so many good things and you can't put it into a box, that the masses are going to shrug it off. Drew was great as the punching bag of the film, always getting hurt in a comedic way. Ellen Page wasn't as half as annoying as she usually is. And big ups to Daniel Stern who was GREAT as the dad. They portrayed small-town Texas really well. Andrew Wilson was a hoot. If you stay for the credits there's some fun outtakes. I'm looking forward to the dvd. It looks like they shot alot more stuff that didn't make it into the film that hopefully they'll give us as extras.

Carl said...

Yep. I think just about everything about "Whip It" was a winner. I think the pacing during the romantic elements was a little slower than it needed to be, but no real complaints.

adam k. said...

I was hoping this would do well financially, and then get golden globe nominations (best actress, best picture). Is that a definite "no" now?

What gives with the American public always shrugging off any semblance of quality film? Here's a really well done, charming, pleasant, totally enjoyable comedy with "something for everyone", even FAMOUS PEOPLE and a very famous debut director, and the public says "whatev." I don't get it. Sooooo frustrating.

This won't even make as much as 500 Days of Summer. At least it was cheap to produce, and might make back its budget... maybe.

countrycat said...

[b]Here's a really well done, charming, pleasant, totally enjoyable comedy with "something for everyone", even FAMOUS PEOPLE and a very famous debut director, and the public says "whatev."[/b]



I think you answered your own question adam k., at least about the GG's.

Carl, I think the "big love scene" if you can call it that slowed down the film and was a little out of place. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed it but did it totally fit? No.

I saw it on Friday and I swear everyone at my multiplex went to go see Zombieland. I'll be going to see that too but I wanted to make sure I saw this in the theater before they pulled it. "Henry Poole is Here" suffered the same fate, only worse. It was more controversial than "Whip It" but very family friendly with good actors and good performances and did no business.

My love for the Wilson brothers will not allow me to think they are a curse :)

The Pretentious Know it All said...

I insist that "Went with my lesbian friends, and we all had a grand ole time" be added as a pull-quote/blurb on ads for "Whip It!"

Greatest endorsement ever.

NicksFlickPicks said...

Well, opening against the more obviously (crudely?) tongue-in-cheek Zombieland was probably a bad idea. At one time, Whip It was slated for this coming weekend, when it might have fared better, as it might have on that 9/11 weekend that got entirely ceded to Tyler Perry. I'm sad for the low b.o., but still elated by the movie (and the vodcast, and the helmets).

Jess K. said...

ABSOLUTELY LOVED 'WHIP IT'! and you were right, Juliette Lewis is AWESOME, she is probably one of the best parts of the film. Casting overall was amazing. I didn't expect it to have such heartfelt, poignant moments. I undoubtedly related to the mother-daughter relationship, which is probably why I actually cried at moments. It was inspiring, so I made up my Rollar Derby Name, which is "Jessie Von Switchblade"

This movie goes down was one of my most recent favs for sure! Totally recommend it.

Chris Na Taraja said...

Again, why don't you guys have your own TV show?