336 Dazed and Confused

[Michael]

At my high school, we didn't get paddled but we were hazed in a few different ways, one of them scarred me for life: lying facing down on the floor of the school bus with upperclassmen sitting on my back for like around 1/2 hour or so.

[knives]

This makes me so glad San Diego had too big a drug problem for bullies.

[dad1153]

Finally opened my five dollar "Dazed and Confused" HD-DVD over the weekend. I appreached this flick expecting a 'stoner' comedy (the cover and its reputation strongly suggest it) but instead got a 'day in the life/wall on the fly'-style dramedy that does for 70's high-school kids what Lucas' "American Graffitti" did for 50's teens and their rides. Nothing important happens and there's really nothing remarkable about the 20+ young characters in this movie as they go through their last day/night of school in 1976 Austin (TX). And that's a good thing because, in real-life, important-days-that-change-our-lives-forever are few and rarely on the significant dates (Valentine's Day, end of school, etc.) that you expect them to be. Surprisingly the then-unknown actors that went on to become stars (Jovovich, Posey, London, J.L. Adams, etc.) are overshadowed by the lesser-known actors except for McConaughey's and Affleck's scene-stealing turns as Woodstone and O'Bannion, respectively. Anthony Rapp and Christin Hinojosa, in particular, make a strong impression as a 'Jim and Pam'-type young couple of shy insecure-but-not-dorky people falling in love. Wiley Wiggins has an Edward Furlong presence about him (that's not a complement) but at least for "Dazed and Confused" he's the perfect Mitch. The classic 70's soundtrack is nice but, 16 years removed from its release, feels a tad formulaic (probably because it helped set a template for retrospective movie soundtracks). I expect repeat viewings of this movie to yield lots more quotable lines like my favorite, 'I'm here to kick ass and drink beer, and we're all out of beer' plus a wealth of small moments that will add to the experience. No need to upgrade to the Criterion version yet because, frankly, I need a few more viewings to fall enough for the movie to want to know more about it's production/behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Disappointing high-def transfer though, barely above the DVD picture on the other side of the combo disc. Is the remastered Criterion transfer in SD so much improved that it's better than the HD-DVD picture?

[aox]

great film, and I am sure it was a decent seller. Wouldn't be surprised if this got Blu treatment in the next year or two for revenue.

[psufootball07]

Well CC may get screwed on this for Blu Ray, the other company may want the profits and the rights back. Look at Fear and Loathing.

[aox]

Well CC may get screwed on this for Blu Ray, the other company may want the profits and the rights back. Look at Fear and Loathing.

I wasn't aware of this. Did CC lose the rights to F&L; thus, not issuing it on Blu?

[psufootball07]

Well CC's SD is still in print last I checked...

[kaujot]

Blu-ray rights are different from dvd rights, if I recall correctly. Just as laserdisc rights were different from dvd rights.

[brendanjc]

Blu-ray rights are different from dvd rights, if I recall correctly. Just as laserdisc rights were different from dvd rights.

I believe this is another Universal title, so it's likely the same thing will happen to this film and Fear and Loathing as happened to Do The Right Thing. If there's a Blu-ray release it will almost certainly be from Universal, it won't have all the Criterion discs's features, but the Criterion disc will probably stay in-print. I'd say the odds of these two films being released on Blu-ray by the end of next year is pretty good since both were released on HD-DVD and Universal has been making slow but steady progress porting over their HD-DVD releases a few at a time since the format's demise.

[jbeall]

I expect repeat viewings of this movie to yield lots more quotable lines like my favorite, 'I'm here to kick ass and drink beer, and we're all out of beer' plus a wealth of small moments that will add to the experience.

To be fair, in They Live Roddy Piper said "I'm here to chew bubblegum and kick ass. And I'm all outta gum!" (I'm quoting from memory) way back in 1988.

[dad1153]

I should add that I'm a huge fan of the old 70's gameshow "Match Game" (seen the repeats on Game Show Network) so the jabs and general apathy at the 1976 bicentennial are fresh in my mind (as mocked by the show's panelists and writers). I'm 36, a foreigner (born in Central America) plus I've never had a drink or a joint in my life (even at parties like the one's featured in the flick) yet I felt like I knew and could relate to the characters in this flick. Must be a bicentennial thing. [-(

[Caged Horse]

Linklater slips up a little when his commentary states that he wanted the film to look like it was shot, not merely set, in 1976 -- so, for example, "no Steadicam."

The first features to include Steadicam footage were released in... 1976.

[manicsounds]

Linklater slips up a little when his commentary states that he wanted the film to look like it was shot, not merely set, in 1976 -- so, for example, "no Steadicam."

The first features to include Steadicam footage were released in... 1976.

But the average 1976 film about teenagers would not have had any Steadicam shots.

[GringoTex]

Linklater slips up a little when his commentary states that he wanted the film to look like it was shot, not merely set, in 1976 -- so, for example, "no Steadicam."

The first features to include Steadicam footage were released in... 1976.

Dazed and Confused was set in May 1976. The first Steadicam movie was released in October 1976.

[Caged Horse]

Dazed and Confused was set in May 1976. The first Steadicam movie was released in October 1976.

True, but I believe Garrett Brown's pioneering Steadicam shot in Bound for Glory was filmed as early as the end of 1975.

[skuhn8]

Dazed and Confused was set in May 1976. The first Steadicam movie was released in October 1976.

True, but I believe Garrett Brown's pioneering Steadicam shot in Bound for Glory was filmed as early as the end of 1975.

Are you suggesting that steadicam use was common in film in 1976? It wasn't. Linklater's comment stands as valid; case dismissed. Bailiff!

[Caged Horse]

Of course it wasn't commonplace, but that's far from saying it was absolutely unheard of.

Garrett Brown is on record as saying when the cast and crew of Bound for Glory first saw the rushes of his Steadicam shot, they gave him a genuine standing ovation. Word of this new gizmo would've spread quickly during 1976, I suggest, and a sufficiently informed and innovative director in production that year could have decided to give him a call.

A Steadicam would've been good just for that Mean Streets shot where Wiley Wiggins is pushing his way through the 'moon party' crowd.

As an aside, it's perfectly possible for even an intelligent indie/art-house director to make a technical or historical slip on a commentary track. Linklater wasn't the first and he won't be the last.

[GringoTex]

As an aside, it's perfectly possible for even an intelligent indie/art-house director to make a technical or historical slip on a commentary track. Linklater wasn't the first and he won't be the last.

There is no historical slip. There had never been a movie with a steadicam shot in it during the time D&C is set in. You're the one who's made a slip.

The steadicam has been bad for movies anyway. It used to be a gliding camera meant something.

[Caged Horse]

Because I lack good sense, a kind soul acting as my conscience has redacted my stupid post for me and saved me the embarrassment and probable banning that would have resulted had I been left to my own devices. I should be very thankful.

[skuhn8]

Of course it wasn't commonplace, but that's far from saying it was absolutely unheard of.

Garrett Brown is on record as saying when the cast and crew of Bound for Glory first saw the rushes of his Steadicam shot, they gave him a genuine standing ovation. Word of this new gizmo would've spread quickly during 1976, I suggest, and a sufficiently informed and innovative director in production that year could have decided to give him a call.

A Steadicam would've been good just for that Mean Streets shot where Wiley Wiggins is pushing his way through the 'moon party' crowd.

As an aside, it's perfectly possible for even an intelligent indie/art-house director to make a technical or historical slip on a commentary track. Linklater wasn't the first and he won't be the last.

There are plenty of slips on commentary tracks--even our beloved Kalat on Lang. Just this isn't one of them. He made an artistic choice not to utilize a technical innovation that was not in widespread use at the time the film is set. You called it a slip on his part and it wasn't. You go on to suggest potential uses--whether this is meant to support your position that Linklater slipped I don't know and would certainly fail to understand--and that's well and good but another matter for another thread: "Wish they used steadicam in [insert film title here]". Is there something at stake here or do you just have a habit of sticking to whatever flimsy assertion you make no matter how thorough the evidence to the contrary?

But of course, if we can find some steadicam in these seventies gems then you will have a point.

[flyonthewall2983]

Toward the end of the commentary track, Linklater says that he tried to get the rights to "Rock and Roll" for the closing credits. He describes the problems obtaining the rights. He also states that Dazed and Confused is an ok title, but it is not one of his favorite Zeppelin songs.

The really odd thing about this bit of trivia, is that it would have been easier for Richard to obtain the song "Dazed and Confused" since Jimmy is the only credited writer of the track.

Saw a good bit of this on one of the HBO channels a few days ago. It bears no semblance to my own high school experience, but I can appreciate and recognize that what was captured was the way it was for a lot of us (meaning people of my generation) and them (the kids who lived through the era). I heard kids talking about it in passing (stoners, of course) and holding it up with some reverence then.

[Venom]

This is what Can't Hardly Wait and Superbad wished they could be.

And I don't know if anyone mentioned this, but is Slow Ride the only song that plays twice? If so, it's meant to be symbolic right; it was playing earlier when Mitch was in the emporium and he puts it on for himself, thus becoming part of the high school world.

[Minkin]

This article announces that Universal is releasing this on Bluray.

What with the Fear and Loathing clue today, I would imagine another bare/anorexic release from Universal than a Criterion to follow a while later.

Has Universal turned the old "re-release bait and switch tactic" into a give it to Criterion for a second cash go-around?

[aox]

Has Universal turned the old "re-release bait and switch tactic" into a give it to Criterion for a second cash go-around?

I am A-OK with that.

[jbeall]

I don't know if there are any baseball fans in this forum, but has anybody noticed that two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum bears a striking resemblance to Mitch Kramer?