tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497928641398322495.post6421810211311652359..comments2024-03-23T12:33:33.918-04:00Comments on Junta Juleil's Culture Shock: Film Review: HIGHBALL (1997, Noah Baumbach)Sean Gillhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00537515557596273876noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497928641398322495.post-60267112429222975572023-10-19T19:55:20.475-04:002023-10-19T19:55:20.475-04:00Great movie but missed what sent Felix to the hosp...Great movie but missed what sent Felix to the hospital?? Tell me please..Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497928641398322495.post-22671181554052230332011-01-19T13:17:25.973-05:002011-01-19T13:17:25.973-05:00While I would hope it's not the JJL factor, I ...While I would hope it's not the JJL factor, I guess you never know about some of these things. I see he's writing the script for a new BRETT RATNER movie starring Ben Stiller, so I must admit a little confusion about his continuing career path. I hope he's not estranged from his old crew, though- it seemed like they really had a blast cranking out those three (and a half if we count CONRAD & BUTLER) films.Sean Gillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00537515557596273876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497928641398322495.post-75385319539545127032011-01-18T11:01:06.987-05:002011-01-18T11:01:06.987-05:00Cool. I think I will give this film a go, then. An...Cool. I think I will give this film a go, then. And I am in total agreement with your assessment of Baumbach's later career. I wonder if that was also the influence of Jennifer Jason Leigh? Did she may be open some doors and get some of these A-listers to meet with Baumbach?<br /><br />Now that they're separated, may be he'll go back to using some of his regulars from back in the day. I miss 'em, too.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497928641398322495.post-78032413526653919942011-01-17T17:34:46.755-05:002011-01-17T17:34:46.755-05:00J.D.,
Stillman and Baumbach are probably my favor...J.D.,<br /><br />Stillman and Baumbach are probably my favorite contemporary (last 20 yrs) directors of American indies, but Baumbach's more recent career trajectory has been sort of bizarre. I can't get enough of his first three features, K&S, MR. JEALOUSY, & HIGHBALL, and even have a soft spot for his microbudget 2000 short, CONRAD AND BUTLER TAKE A VACATION, but I find his c. 2005 SQUID AND THE WHALE reinvention kind of odd. For starters, he shed the entire troupe he had built up and used again and again (Eigeman, John Lehr, Carlos Jacott, Annabella Sciorra, Bogdanovich, Eric Stoltz, etc.) and hasn't worked with any of them since. Then, it seems he refashioned himself (or was refashioned by the media) as a kind of first-time director, when he'd been doing features- brilliant features, mind you- for a decade! And while I do find myself still enjoying his films very much, he seems to have lost that great sense of goofy fun which mixed with the drama in his first three films, a sense which I know he hasn't lost entirely because it pops up in his screenplays for Wes Anderson (LIFE AQUATIC, FANTASTIC MR. FOX). And it's not to say that I don't find elements of GREENBERG, MARGOT, & SQUID to be hilarious, it just seems that his reliance on A-listers instead of his 90's company of actors robs the films of some of their charm. I.e., GREENBERG may have been a capital M Masterpiece if it had instead starred Chris Eigeman. Anyway. If you dig early Baumbach and can handle the lack of production value, then I think it's safe to say that you'll dig HIGHBALL.Sean Gillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00537515557596273876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5497928641398322495.post-10710961131090342222011-01-14T10:40:57.188-05:002011-01-14T10:40:57.188-05:00Huh. Never seen this one. I really like early Baum...Huh. Never seen this one. I really like early Baumbach and am still on the fence on his more recent films. KICKING & SCREAMING is hilarious with so many quotable lines ("There's food in the beer.") and you're right on the money with the comparisons to Whit Stillman, another filmmaker whose films I adore. Good to see Chris Eigeman in this film. I can't get enough of his work so I will have track this film down.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.com