Sure. I also think, and this could be wrong, that part of the reason that QT uses some of the more arcane reference points for his films is to encourage others to seek the original source (or, as could be equally possible, he just figures, as you mention, that most people won't know he's copping certain things,…

Not for many years now. Did it contain a long discussion of phrenology in it? I don't recall that.

Generally, I think Tarantino takes certain aspects from films of the past, but is skilled enough as a writer to make them his own. I don't really know that I've heard anybody talk about him 'blatantly ripping off movies' since the 'Reservoir Dogs' days, and his movie was a lot better than 'City on Fire', as it was. I…

Right, it's not necessarily laid out so people can nudge each other and smirk 'Oh, I got that.' Even something like 'Hot Fuzz', which openly addresses the reference (the 'Bad Boys 2' stuff, etc), does dribble back around to make it part of the story. There's a logic to it, along with being usually clever, which I…

I enjoy Wright's stuff for the most part (not so much 'Pilgrim', but that was more the story I didn't care about, not his work on it), but dating back to his earliest days, his films are heavily, heavily referential, in the dialogue and lifting of scenes. It's meant to be part of the fun, and mostly I think it's fine…

I'd say he's probably properly rated.
Comedy is such a dead concept in film that it's hard to think of any director who does much with it. The Coens funniest scenes tend to be in dramas, because of the sense of disruption and absurdity, very deadpan. Most of the straight comedies they've done over the years have been…

Well, I really don't care for this, but I give him credit for expanding his palette, as it were. Never quite understood the appeal of this sort of dull, glitch minimalist production style which seems like it's over taken a lot of R&B and the like. I heard some of the Blood Orange, which has sort of similar dynamics,…

Yep, although I think they split up? Which is too bad if true.

That Muncie Girls record is fun; not sure how I happened to find out about them myself, but nice to see the praise on these pages. For anybody who likes that stuff (I'll play the human algorithm method here), I'd also recommend new(ish) records by Martha, Bleached, Desperate Journalist, A Giant Dog, Blowout, etc.
Haven…

Schnabel was a pretty famous artist, himself, and friends with Basquiat. Then he became a film director who also likes to walk around all day wearing pajamas. Not knowing the context of the joke, I'll say nothing more.

I've seen that theory spread by a few people on here in the past, and when I mentioned that Trump has been doing the birther shit for about 5 years so that must've been one long goddam con, they didn't really have an answer for it. But, in those cases, I'm guessing they barely have an answer when you ask them what 2…

Definitely true

They can get Mac DeMarco to do the same shit now

Agree with the first part; see this in all endeavors, seems kind of rare for anything to reach critical mass in terms of popularity/permeating the culture. I mean, being old has something to do with it, but as much as I hear about, say, Kanye West or Taylor Swift, I can't honestly say I've heard an entire song by…

I've long assumed there is a sizeable Pre-K readership here, what with all the talk of children's cartoons and Legos. So this should be right up the alley.
Also, a note to those young children; please don't play with matches.

Most great art has been dismissed by people as 'pretentious' at one time or another. If not for those people who have made these works, whether in films or books or music or whatever, society would be even dumber than it already is. My fear is that such things are increasingly being marginalized and dismissed to the…

That does make sense

Well, escapism has always been a big part of the movies; I mean, they made some of the most elaborate musicals during the Depression. There's always been a mixture of art and commerce, to put it in basic terms, but the studios are becoming much more invested in franchises, tentpoles and all that other stuff. I'd…

In another time, pretty sure Brendan Fraser could've been the star of 'Guardians'; actually, easily see Pratt as 'George', too. So, there is a logic to your madness.

I get what you're saying, but I'm still waiting for the one time in history where a 'protest vote' actually achieved the desired effect. As you say, in California, you could get away with it, but there are still people who think that it accomplishes something. It never does. But I also knew people who swore that Nader…