Date: Wed, 11 Jan 2006 20:45:22 -0500
From: "Kate Robinson" <nausetsunrise-AT-verizon.net>
To: <puptcrit-AT-lists.driftline.org>
Subject: [Puptcrit] OFF TOPIC -- re the drugs etc films


Feel free to delete if you don't want to read this, as it IS off topic, but 
a reply about the SLC Punk, etc.

Everyone I know thought Traffic was a great "drug" film.  (as in anti-drug) 
but I found it not very realistic.  The old "I smoke pot, then try heavier 
drugs and I am the daughter of a congressman and still end up being a 
prostitute by the end of the movie" thing is OLD OLD OLD and not at all 
realistic as I went to High School and know plenty of people who did and 
still do drugs and none of them are prostitutes or are getting shot doing 
it.

I do think that Blow is a GREAT movie.  It shows a man from a regular 
background who ends up with a big party life and then in jail.  The end of 
the DVD has an interview with the real-life former dealer who is in prison 
and whose daughter has still not spoke to him as of the making of the film. 
This shows the dealer actually caring for his daughter and then letting her 
down in the biggest way possible and feeling terrible about it.  It shows a 
"friend" getting busted and the "friend" tattling on a "friend" who goes 
down in his stead.  This, while showing the big dealer life which not 
everyone in the illegal drug world becomes a part of, is a more realistic, 
human story being told.  I go to school with a woman whose husband was 
dealing and she wasn't aware of it and he got arrested with the FBI etc. 
going into her house in a raid in the middle of the night with their young 
son there and it was the son's tenth birthday.  He wasn't a "big" dealer and 
hid a lot of the money I guess, just claiming he'd have great weeks (he was 
a salesman at his "regular" job) and the father is currently in jail.  So, 
that kind of thing happens for real, versus people smoking pot and then less 
than a year later, they are prostituting and they are 17 and their parents 
are big government elected personalities like in Traffic.

Ok, enought off topic, but wanted to get across a good example you might be 
able to use, and I do think SLC Punk is a good movie, too, for the record. 
I know the kid makes it out ok in the end, but it shows that you can remain 
"punk" and true INSIDE while being a bit more productive member of society 
on the outside.

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <wayong-AT-aol.com>
To: <puptcrit-AT-lists.driftline.org>
Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2006 3:30 PM
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] puppet scenes in films


>
> The puppets in FaLiLV are in the lounge lizards scene.  While I love 
> Gilliam's work & Johnny Depp's acting, this film is not the best example. 
> Compared to Gilliam's other films, the visuals weren't all that exciting & 
> the plot was very loose.
>
> Part of my problem of the film has nothing to do with the film itself. 
> Many teenagers (my former clients) viewed this film as the "best ever" and 
> "so realistic".  However, even the teenagers admitted that it was the 
> first time they saw the movie sober & wasn't quite as good as they 
> remembered.  Even in Colorado, many of those same kids never heard of 
> Hunter S. Thompson, let alone have read his books.  They missed the fact 
> that Thompson was a gonzo journalist & didn't report the exact truth, even 
> about his own escapades (beside the issue of being self destructive). 
> After letting the kids watch it once for our class, I made the decision 
> that this film was inappropriate for our drug & alcohol ed class.  SLC 
> Punk (no puppets), London is Killing Me and other films are much better in 
> describing the issues of substance abuse/use and realistic consequences.
>
> Wayong
>
>
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