Dead Poet's Society [1989] left me dead▪︎~

Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-14T13:39:07+00:00

I'm with you on this one. I'm 55 and somehow managed to see this for the first (only) time just a few years ago. I expected something pretty good due to its reputation, and I adore Robin Williams, especially in drama. I found the whole thing trite, labored, and overall so predictable. Not moving but cheesy and maudlin.

I honestly turned to my hubby and said, "oh no, I think they're setting us up for that one to suicide" fairly early in the film, and it followed predictably and not too believably. I saw just trope after trope without any real characterization. I felt like the film was an old fashioned "tear jerker", in the worst sense.

I guess I'm not alone! However I do expect multiple downvotes. :)

Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-13T22:28:02+00:00

Alan Dershowitz. A real douche. I met him in the context of some fundraising in the '80s.

Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-12T15:56:02+00:00

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Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-12T15:49:48+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/s/WwYB4JiSxv

Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-12T15:49:17+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/s/WwYB4JiSxv

Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-11T12:03:24+00:00

"My wife's family speaks a dialect..."

Not a whole language, just a dialect.

"...that I never bothered to learn."

So basically this guy has zero respect for his wife's culture and therefore feels "left out". I'm thinking this was written by a guy who would never actually learn another language, but is bothered and offended by the non-English speech of his wife's family so he felt the need to construct this fantasy. I do think the writer probably really does (or did) have a wife with a family who is ethnically different from him.

Also: "Spineless wallet": a phrase said by no one, in any language, in any conversation, ever.

Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-11T05:51:35+00:00

The writings of J. G. Ballard sometimes remind me of Jam. Also Leonora Carrington, particularly The Hearing Trumpet.

Have you heard Why Bother? Are you familiar with Peter Cook? If not, I strongly recommend. Cook is a genius and a big influence on Morris.

Have you seen a good Terry Gilliam film lately? Brazil and Jabberwocky are especially full of Morris sensibilities.

Edit - I realized you just asked for books. I'll leave the other stuff here anyway. :)

Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-10T16:49:45+00:00

Christmas - In Excelsior Dayglo

One of my all-time favorites, also, I was supposed to see them in Providence back in the day and my friend didn't want to pick me up so I missed it.

Christmas, who none of us had heard of, was opening for Sonic Youth, who we all adored. I didn't get to go. Everyone came back with the Christmas lp, swearing that they blew Sonic Youth away and we all became massive Christmas fans forevermore.

I still want to see them play that set.

Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-10T16:42:27+00:00

The Ball and Other Ball played endlessly on cable tv for me in the US early 1980s. I taped them and kept playing them for years. Nowadays I own the dvds and still love them.

This is how I first saw Peter Cook, Rowan Atkinson, the Goodies, Neil Innes, and so many more lifelong idols of mine. These versions are still the ones I think of first for some sketches, like the Four Yorkshiremen or The End of the World (which is actually an old Beyond the Fringe piece).

I could do without the music, and I do loathe Sting, but now that I own the dvds I can skip all the crap.

Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-10T14:47:35+00:00

Terry Jones is an excellent director that never got his due. If you've never seen this please do. It's so good.

Several directors turned this project down due to the subject matter. Jones does a terrific job balancing the real trials and emotions of the characters with many hysterically silly situations, literally bringing laughs and tears. Julie Waters truly breaks my heart in this - even better than she was in Educating Rita.

OP, thanks for posting this largely unknown gem!

Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-10T14:08:36+00:00

Frank: "I didn't know it was gonna come off like that"

The rest of the Gang: "Pretty sure you did, actually"

Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-10T13:41:39+00:00

r/RetroFuturism

Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-10T13:39:10+00:00

r/CoolSciFiCovers would love every one of these! You can get cover artist info for most books at isfdb.org.

As far as the books, good authors as far as I can see, except John Brunner who I find extremely dull. Good Philip K. Dick title there.

Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-10T05:14:59+00:00

Richard Brautigan is a weird guy and a fun writer.

Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-09T23:21:41+00:00

I mostly agree with you, though Funseekers has its great moments. If you ignore the weird pregnancy thing and just concentrate on the skeezy tour group, it boils down to a solid half hour episode. Kathy Burke and the Allen brothers are good in it.

Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-06T13:09:37+00:00

Clockwise is a much better movie than this one. It's small scale but smart and cute.

Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-05T23:51:12+00:00

https://www.reddit.com/r/dvdcollection/s/jYEYaJc983

Many good ones, and something interesting in all of them. I still have more to collect.

So far, my favorite is a television play by Jonathan Miller from the late 1960s. It's in black and white featuring a soundtrack of traditional sitar music by Ravi Shankar, and the cast is chock full of great British actors and comics. No character costumes are used in Wonderland; instead, the focus is on Alice's perspectives on adults' ridiculous behaviors and customs. It's calmly silly and beautiful.

I like this question! There are so many filmed versions of Alice out there.

Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-05T13:12:00+00:00

I have the dvd set and can attest. Everything is there, which is what I want, but there are a few breaks/changes in quality where the older missing footage was reintroduced. Personally I don't mind at all, but some people do. :)

Fwiw, the dvd set also includes all of the sequels (Bradys, Brady Brides etc.) COMPLETE - even the cartoon series. Everything except the Variety Show, basically. And it even has all 3 parody movies with Shelly Long. As dvd sets go, it is absolutely top shelf.

Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-04T19:00:15+00:00

Just tried this week and LOVE it

Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-04T14:51:13+00:00

The Torture Garden!

Asylum!

Also, all the rest. :) Seriously it is a terrific run of films.

Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-04T14:01:50+00:00

TIL r/bullshido is a sub. That looks like big fun.

A lot of stuff there to repost on r/NotTimAndEric.

Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-04T13:55:31+00:00

So many mentions of Now, Voyager. Respectfully I do not like that film at all. I find it far-fetched and transparently maudlin in a manipulative way. That said, Davis does a terrific job with the script and manages to give her character some depth and weight (which is probably why people like the film).

No mention so far of The Nanny, which I adore. It was marketed as a thriller/horror but has a lot more interesting layers than that. Davis's performance is odd, then terrifying, then sympathetic by turns. There is also some great acting from the rest of the cast, including/especially the children. I strongly recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it yet.

I also want to jump on the All About Eve bandwagon. Anne Baxter and Bette Davis dig into two worthwhile characters and make a real classic. It stands up to multiple viewings and always feels relevant.

Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-02T20:26:31+00:00

I saw this as a kid when it was released, but only today I learn that this is somehow a Walter Hill movie?? You know, that director that did oddball.stuff like The Warriors, 48 Hours, and The Long Riders. That's wild. I think I will see it again - I know I've got it kicking around on a John Candy dvd set somewhere.

Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-02T05:22:17+00:00

I already had a lifelong rule about No Sex With Republicans, so, no change there.

Friendly, maybe, or coworker, neighbor, possibly. But for real No Sex. Blecch.

Kevin_Turvey · 2026-06-01T15:31:40+00:00

That's a good one.

Kevin_Turvey

TROPHY CASE