Back to the Smegma

[Pete Part Three]

I don’t know; these Hill Valley kids…

Topic

[penny]

It seems Bob the skutter marked his name too….*shocked*…He’s run off with Tammy skutter?!

[Baz]

It won’t last, she’s just trailer trash. No, literally, she’s a broken hoover.

[Danny Stephenson]

Where the hell is that taken from?

[Danny Stephenson]

> It seems Bob the skutter marked his name too?.*shocked*?He?s run off with Tammy skutter?!

NO no. It’s an advertisement for BobCon: a meeting place where skutters achieve advanced states of mechanical incompetence, by the repeated comsumption of WD-40.

Tammy seems to have signed up for it…

[Pete Part Three]

>Where the hell is that taken from?

It’s from Back to the Future. It’s a scene set outside the high-school at around the 7 minute mark. Since I know how everyone around here finds the word “Smeg” hilarious, I thought it was worth a post.

[Phil]

I like that there’s really nothing offensive on that wall at all. The closest thing would be “SUCKS”…but if you look closely it’s actually an acronym.

>?Smeg?

HAHAHAHA

[Andrew]

‘Smeg’ was the only thing Back to the Future was missing. Now it’s been discovered I proclaim the movie ‘perfect’. (Hey, how many other SF comedies were Oscar nominated for their screenplays?)

[Danny Stephenson]

Back To The Future is just pure gold in my eyes. it cannot be faulted on any level. At all. IMHO

[pfm]

> Back To The Future is just pure gold in my eyes. it cannot be faulted on any level. At all. IMHO

True. One of my favourite films of all time. That and Weekend At Bernie’s…

[pfm]

By the way, ‘Back To The Smegma’ is officially the best headline this site has ever had.

[penny]

Yer, Back to the Future was awesome…I so want to watch it again. If only I remember where it’s being stored in my DVD collection.

[mick]

> I proclaim the movie ?perfect?.

Don’t bloody temp fate Andrew, some twat will ‘remaster’ it at some point.

[John Hoare]

I have never seen Back to the Future.

That is all.

[Jonathan Capps]

I suggest you watch it right after you’ve watched Airplane.

[Danny Stephenson]

> I have never seen Back to the Future.

What. The. Fuck.

[mick]

> I have never seen Back to the Future

I’ve just lost any ammount of respect I ever had for you as another human being.

[Phil]

> I have never seen Back to the Future

My whole…I…wow.

The universe no longer makes sense to me.

[Pete Part Three]

> I have never seen Back to the Future

[Speechless]

[John Hoare]

I’ve seen bits here and there, and got the general gist – it’s pretty much impossible not to have done that. But I never used to be much of a film person, really. You can attribute that to the fact that I’m really more of a telly obessive than a film obsessive… and the fact that I used to have a rather shorter attention span than I do now.

I’m a lot more interested in film now, though. But it means that I’ve got loads of stuff to catch up on…

[Danny Stephenson]

I can’t say anything, there are films i’ve never seen that would shock, but if it’s a comedy, i probably have.

[Phil]

I’ve never seen any Star Wars.

Except for–get ready for it–The Phantom Menace. My girlfriend at the time dragged me to it. That put me right off bothering with another five films.

Yes, I’m aware it’s pretty much universally considered to be the weakest, but it soured me on the experience enough that I’m really not excited to see the rest.

[Jonathan Capps]

To even slightly allow one of the prequels to affect your perception of the original trilogy is, to put it blunty, fucking stupid. Watch them and forget The Phantom Menace ever existed.

[Phil]

>Watch them and forget

The problem is that I just didn’t have interest in seeing the films in the first place…as evidenced by the fact that I…well…didn’t see them in the first place.

So someone kind of forced me into one, and it didn’t do anything to change my mind. If anything I went from being disinterested in the series to being even more disinterested.

I’m not saying the other films are as shit as the one I saw. I’d have no right or reason to say that. But I am saying that my interest really isn’t there.

[TheLeen]

*I* had no interest in Star Wars until someone made *me* watch them. :x

Same with Bladerunner, Alien, The Fly, Johnny Mnemonic, The Big Lebowski, Galaxy Quest and about a million other brilliant movies…

[Jonathan Capps]

Fair enough, if there was no real interest in the films was there to start with. I’d just hate to think that TFM crushed any seeds of curiosity you were starting to have about Star Wars. Having said that, though, the Original Trilogy are among those films I’d recommend that everyone watched, because they’re brilliant.

To even out the score, I hadn’t seen Blade Runner until very recently and I was left completely cold by the Incredible, which seems to be distinctly against the majority view of almost every fellow geek I know and respect.

[TheLeen]

Maybe you have to be “fifteen when you first saw it” to fully appreciate it. Or something.

If I saw “Back to the Future” for the first time *today*… not sure I’d be overly impressed with it…

[Phil]

>If I saw ?Back to the Future? for the first time *today*? not sure I?d be overly impressed with it?

This is always an interesting question to deal with. In the case of Back to the Future, I’m preeeeeetty sure I’d still think it was a damn good movie. Maybe I wouldn’t like it as much…but I feel strongly that I’d enjoy it quite a lot.

[John Hoare]

I’m sure I’ll love it, because I’m pretty much the same now as I was when I was 15. Only my wank fantasies are more informed.

[Andrew]

> “Johnny Mnemonic”/”brilliant movies?”

Oh dear, oh dear…!

> If I saw ?Back to the Future? for the first time *today*? not sure I?d be overly impressed with it?

It’s impossible to say, and tastes do change, but I genuinely think this is unlikely – simply because it’s qualities are universal. It’s a teen story, but it’s not, y’know, High School Musical. It’s accessible, and rarely divisive.

To take Cappsy’s examples, Blade Runner’s an acquired taste – much loved, but its importance is (like Citizen Kane) as much historical as is is about the film itself, which can feel like a grim style-over-substance exercise; The Incredibles is, like everything of Brad Bird’s, not quite what you expected, so can disappoint…despite its greatness. (Ratatouille’s getting a lot of ‘not very funny’ crits, because people expected something more ‘whacky’, but taken as an adult story about individuality and artistry, it’s superb.)

But I think part of the reason BTTF works is that it totally fulfills expectations – the film matches the trailer, the posters, the chatter. The jokes are great, the characters and performances work, the editing’s tight, the photography slick, the score soars, and every structural and emotional beat is spot-on.

The reasons I’d like it now, if watching for the first time, might differ, but I think the quality screams out. I’ve seen people who missed on the original Star Wars (i.e. ‘good’) Star Wars films struggle to take to them – the mythology, the world, is a barrier for some; the scale of success, the cultural impact, is often another. But BTTF doesn’t have those issues to contend with.

Which is not to say ‘everyone’ll like it’ – but I think if you liked it at one age, you’ll generally like it at any age.

[Ian Symes]

Right, who wants to come round my flat to watch John Hoare watching Back To The Future and Airplane?

[Jonathan Capps]

I MUST be in the room when John first watches Airplane, as it’s quite possibly the most John Hoare friendly film ever made.

[Danny Stephenson]

i’d love to!

[pfm]

BTTF is definitely one of the most quoted movies between me and my mates (along with Return of the Jedi and The Last Crusade)

Doc – ‘If my calculations are correct, when this baby hits eighty-eight miles per hour you’re gonna see some serious shit. (the word ‘shit’ is never broadcast in the TV version, they either just cut it or he says ‘stuff’!)

Marty – ‘Wait a minute Doc, are you trying to tell me that my mother…has got the hots for me?
Doc – ‘Precisely’
Marty – ‘Whoa this is heavy!’
Doc – ‘There’s that word again, “heavy”, why are things so heavy in the future? is there something wrong with the Earth’s gravitational pull?’

Biff – ‘Hey McFly! I thought I told you never to come in here??’

Biff – ‘Why don’t you make like a tree…and get outta here!’

Biff – ‘Hello! Hello! Anybody home? Think, McFly, think! Do you realise what would happen if I handed in my reports in your handwriting? I’d get fired. You wouldn’t want that to happen, would you? Would you?’

Strickland – ‘I noticed your band is on the roster for the auditions after school why even bother McFly you don’t have a chance you’re too much like your old man no McFly ever amounted to anything in the history of Hill Valley!’
Marty – ‘Yeah well history is gonna change.’

Sorry, got a little carried away there…

I saw Ratatouille a few days ago and thought it was excellent. I don’t see why people think the Pixar films should be really funny. Ratatouille IS funny in places, but only in the way that any non-comedy/family film is. I love how Pixar seem to be making increasingly mature films. OK it’s about a rat chef, but it’s a story that’s taken seriously and goes against the grain compared with what you normally see in movies now.

I saw TMNT too (that’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, in case you are as dumb as the people who need Ratatouille spelled phonetically (‘Rat-a-too-ee’)on the posters and trailers). I was a big fan of the Turtles when I was about 10 and was obsessed with the first film, so it’s good to revisit them now in CG. It’s surprisingly good, despite the story itself being unnecessarily overblown in the fantasy stakes. What makes the film is stuff like Michaelangelo skating back to the sewer lair in a brilliantly animated sequence and the rooftop fight near the end where the use of rain is amazing. I would like to see a darker, lower-key sequel but that’s never gonna happen.

[TheLeen]

>> ?Johnny Mnemonic?/?brilliant movies??

> Oh dear, oh dear?!

Haha, I knew someone would object to that. I can’t help it, I was playing Cyberpunk at the time with my friends (and roleplaying meant so much to me then) and their cineastic education of me (followed by my coming out as a major geek) just made me the way I am today. This will always stay with me.

That’s what I meant with “being 15”. It’s not just about movie taste…

[Pete Part Three]

I don’t think I could recommned a film/book/song or TV show as much as Back to the Future. It has pretty much everything (comedy, romance, sci-fi, song and dance numbers, CGI that’s barely dated, endless quotability, fantastic score, amazing attention to detail, car-chases, guns….)

>If I saw ?Back to the Future? for the first time *today*? not sure I?d be overly impressed with it?

This is a scary thought that occurs to me occasionally as it’s beeen my favourite movie since I was about 10. I think I’d still greatly appreciate it; if only for the fact that not one frame of the film is wasted. It all pays off at one point.

And I’m sure I’d still think the bit where George kisses Lorraine and Marty “pops” back into existence is the single, greatest moment in movie history.

[TheLeen]

> It has pretty much everything (comedy, romance, sci-fi, song and dance numbers, CGI that?s barely dated, endless quotability, fantastic score, amazing attention to detail, car-chases, guns?.)

Wait… I know that movie… it’s “Sneakers”!

[Phil]

I’m tempted now to do a Nostalgia Review feature for NTS in which I’ll look back at the films I enjoyed immensely as a child and try my best to re-evaluate them with adult eyes. It’d be more an exploration of what appeals to each age group than any kind of proper review, but it might be fun.

[Andrew]

> I love how Pixar seem to be making increasingly mature films.

Me too. I think Cars is seriously underrated in this regard, as well. IT’s taking audiences some time to adjust – but they couldn’t just do buddy comedies forever. (Not that their buddy comedies aren’t more than that, or in anyway less than splendid.)

> And I?m sure I?d still think the bit where George kisses Lorraine and Marty ?pops? back into existence is the single, greatest moment in movie history.

This is a great one, but – punching Biff! A gazillion nerds feel that punch going out from their socks up.

[pfm]

To be honest, for long time I never thought that much of it. But then I read the King short story, not knowing it was the same thing, what with it being called ‘The Body’, then I revisited the movie and it just clicked.

Apart from stuff like Fellowship of the Ring, all my favourite movies seem to be ones that I watched when I was around 9 or 10 then revisited and re-revisited (like Metallica) them as I got older, appreciating them even more. Something like Raiders of the Lost Ark, I’m more of a fan of it now than ever because all the way through I’m enjoying it as much from a technical pov as I am the story, adventure. I’m not one of those people who thinks watching behind the scenes stuff ruins movies for you.

I remember watching Terminator 2 when I was 10 and thinking it was the greatest thing I had ever witnessed. Of course, I know now that part of that was the fact that I was watching a 15 film when I shouldn’t have been, it was all very exciting. And come ON the CG was enough to blow anyone away. I sincerely hope James Cameron can push the boundaries again all these years later on Avatar.

[Pete Part Three]

Yeah, I was completely blown away by T2 when I first saw it. Consider; the biggest star in the world (at the time), Guns N’ Roses on the soundtrack, a bloody helicopter chasing a van down a freeway, amazing CG, the coolest way of reloading a shotgun, endless quotability… etc, etc.

T2 still pops in my head when I hear the phrase “Hollywood Blockbuster”.

[John Hoare]

Oh, I saw Back to the Future recently!

Yeah, it’s fucking amazing. Every individual *shot* seems designed for maximum coolness.

[Danny Stephenson]

You took your time!

>Yeah, it?s fucking amazing.

Damn fucking straight!!!

[Pete Part Three]

Yay! And what of Airplane, John?

[Al]

Pete, how do I paste images into a post like you have above- Ive got a visual method of weighing in on the whole back to the future discussion……

[Al]

Never mind I figured it out eventually- the sheer coolness of back to the future was proven to me by the sensation I got when I saw the actual DeLorean in Cornwall- this was the model used for all of the “hero” shots of the cockpit, with the detailing and working controls.

Just *starting* with the car its an awesome series of films, made better and better by a fantastic score, excellent cinematography, and split screens/wipes that still look great today. I so wanted to get in and get up to 88…..

[Pete Part Three]

I WANT ONE NOW

[penny]

Cool! Did you ask if you could try it out just to check?

[Smeg4Brains]

Most importantly, did it have a Flux Capacitor?

[Phil]

>Most importantly, did it have a Flux Capacitor?

Don’t be a fool. They obviously would have deactivated its time-travel mechanism for display.

[Al]

Apparently you used to be able to sit in it, but these days its behind a bit of rope….. and on a big tilted plinth. It did have a flux capacitor yeah, even with some of that letter tape on it with “SHIELD EYES FROM LIGHT” stamped onto it- awesome. I didnt even know it was there, its in a crappy cornish goldmine museum in Redruth, its just referred to as the “time machine” with no back to the future references at all. As soon as you walk in, there it is behind the watch counter. I think its only one of four that ever existed, one of which was totalled at the end of BTTF3.

[Author]

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