I watched Dazed and Confused on Monday, Before Sunrise on Tuesday, Before Sunset on Thursday, and Before Midnight on Friday. I watched a bunch of the DVD extras on Saturday and re-watched Before Sunset on Sunday. This has consumed my whole week.
I also rewatched Before Sunset on Friday and am about halfway through Before Midnight right now (some benefits to being sick, I guess). I was just going to message you with the mostly non-spoiler "Julie Delpy stays beautiful throughout and Ethan Hawke looks worse and worse (though it's possible that's just my ongoing attachment to '90s floppy hair on dudes)."
But now that I don't have to risk spoilers (insofar as there are spoilers to these), I'll say that I'm not sure if I'm going to make it through Midnight this time. It is so hard and so fighty, and now that my kid is closer in age to Jesse's son, their relationship is far more wrenching than it was when I first saw the film six or seven years ago (or somewhere in there--I forget). He loves him so much and still says all the wrong things, and it breaks my heart. I think I also like it less because of what feels like the intrusion of other characters. It makes sense for there to be more people in their lives when they're older and have kids and are purposefully in the same place as a family rather than on their own, but I miss the intensity of their earlier conversations (and of course the much less intense fights).
I think ultimately Sunrise is my favorite because of the time when I saw it and the time it takes place and the age that I was; Sunset is the best film; and Midnight is the most true to life and thus hardest to take. But yeah, you can't go back to Sunrise at the end anymore than you can go back to the beginning of a novel that's consumed you when you finish it (finishing The Once and Future King when I was thirteen or so gave me just that feeling).
Midnight is wrenching. There's a commentary track on the DVD though with Linklater, Delpy, and Hawke, though, so I'll probably watch that. Then I'll probably have to watch Sunrise again.
I love the opening scene of Midnight when Jesse and his son are in the airport and Jesse is trying so hard to get him to talk. I felt/feel like that so much with my sons, and I didn't have the added layers of divorce and distance.
I feel like Sunrise is one of those lightning in a bottle works, where just everything is perfect and something that seems kinda whatever when you describe it is actually extremely special.
Once and Future King is certainly another book that cast a spell on me.
Likewise! In my imaginary world where I make podcasts, I would now add "Steve and Laura Watch Indie Films of the 1990s" to "The Bill and Laura Iowa City Nostalgia Hour" (which covers the '80s and '90s and should have been recorded during our early circ shifts together).
If we want to go with another trilogy, we could go with Whit Stillman's Metropolitan, Barcelona, Last Days of Disco. If we want to go more obscure, I've been kind of wanting to rewatch Roadside Prophets, though primarily due to a scene involving John Cusack eating a sandwich. Oh, and we should probably hit Clerks and Chasing Amy at some point.
I realize I have given you a list rather than a choice.
I also rewatched Before Sunset on Friday and am about halfway through Before Midnight right now (some benefits to being sick, I guess). I was just going to message you with the mostly non-spoiler "Julie Delpy stays beautiful throughout and Ethan Hawke looks worse and worse (though it's possible that's just my ongoing attachment to '90s floppy hair on dudes)."
But now that I don't have to risk spoilers (insofar as there are spoilers to these), I'll say that I'm not sure if I'm going to make it through Midnight this time. It is so hard and so fighty, and now that my kid is closer in age to Jesse's son, their relationship is far more wrenching than it was when I first saw the film six or seven years ago (or somewhere in there--I forget). He loves him so much and still says all the wrong things, and it breaks my heart. I think I also like it less because of what feels like the intrusion of other characters. It makes sense for there to be more people in their lives when they're older and have kids and are purposefully in the same place as a family rather than on their own, but I miss the intensity of their earlier conversations (and of course the much less intense fights).
I think ultimately Sunrise is my favorite because of the time when I saw it and the time it takes place and the age that I was; Sunset is the best film; and Midnight is the most true to life and thus hardest to take. But yeah, you can't go back to Sunrise at the end anymore than you can go back to the beginning of a novel that's consumed you when you finish it (finishing The Once and Future King when I was thirteen or so gave me just that feeling).
Midnight is wrenching. There's a commentary track on the DVD though with Linklater, Delpy, and Hawke, though, so I'll probably watch that. Then I'll probably have to watch Sunrise again.
I love the opening scene of Midnight when Jesse and his son are in the airport and Jesse is trying so hard to get him to talk. I felt/feel like that so much with my sons, and I didn't have the added layers of divorce and distance.
I feel like Sunrise is one of those lightning in a bottle works, where just everything is perfect and something that seems kinda whatever when you describe it is actually extremely special.
Once and Future King is certainly another book that cast a spell on me.
Thanks as always for the comment. <3
Likewise! In my imaginary world where I make podcasts, I would now add "Steve and Laura Watch Indie Films of the 1990s" to "The Bill and Laura Iowa City Nostalgia Hour" (which covers the '80s and '90s and should have been recorded during our early circ shifts together).
I'm down, what are we watching next?
If we want to go with another trilogy, we could go with Whit Stillman's Metropolitan, Barcelona, Last Days of Disco. If we want to go more obscure, I've been kind of wanting to rewatch Roadside Prophets, though primarily due to a scene involving John Cusack eating a sandwich. Oh, and we should probably hit Clerks and Chasing Amy at some point.
I realize I have given you a list rather than a choice.
Let's do Stillman!
Okay, we should schedule this, I guess, though maybe not via Substack comments.
(Also yes, I can see other people's comments, to answer your question!)