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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQWgZ1OXBzU Seven (!) long years after Harmony Korine broke through to mainstream success with Spring Breakers, he's finally returned with The Beach Bum, which at first seems like a surprise turn for Korine but plays exactly like you'd expect. Which is to say, it's every bit the goofy shaggy-dog story the trailers present it as, with plenty of laughs to be had (Jimmy Buffett! Martin Lawrence! Snoop Dogg!), but what you can't possibly get a sense of without seeing it is how much pathos and beauty and sheer good-naturedness Korine imbues the film with. In a way, it plays like the flip side of the coin to Spring Breakers: both exemplify Korine's ethos that 1) "there is beauty in all poo poo" (Reddit AMA, 2012) and 2) that in order to achieve greatness, you should live like a criminal. But Moondog, unlike the youthful hedonists of Spring Breakers, is twice as old and twice as wise: he's somebody who's clearly washed up on the wrong side of a lot of hard living. The beauty is that it in no way seems to have dulled his spirit, and every obstacle thrown in his path, trying to prevent him from always having the ultimate good time, he views as a challenge to live even more fully. Stoner comedies are absolutely not supposed to be this poetic or touching, but that's Harmony Korine for you. Also, Benoit Debie deserves some sort of lifetime achievement award for his work with neon lights. He manages to shoot scenes so clearly and beautifully (very few films have ever had as many gorgeous sunsets as this one), but can, whenever he wants, smear the frame with light and color so that it loses just enough clarity to play as a sort of inebriated nostalgia, half-remembered. I'm also struggling to think of other films which have managed to capture the beauty of something as harsh and everyday as a single streetlight in the dark; there's an absolutely lovely dance scene between Moondog and his wife (Isla Fisher) on a boardwalk that's one of the most touching things I expect I'll see all year. 
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Apr 5, 2019 10:04
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This movie totally ruled and more people need to see it. It’s hilarious and beautiful and tacky. A perfect “stoner” movie.
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Apr 5, 2019 22:33
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It is truly admirable how few fucks this movie gives. I mean, it's very well made and a lot of effort went into it, but it does not give fucks. It does not worry about the sociological implications. (Though I'm sure there are readings you could give of the sociopolitical background etc.) It does not try to present a journey of maturation and taking on responsibilities. It doesn't exactly endorse Moondog's lifestyle but it asks, is it really the worst way to live? Korine doesn't judge. Also Martin Lawrence should get an Oscar nomination for this because every loving line he had was gold.
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Apr 8, 2019 07:14
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I just got out of this movie and it's a shame they tried to push this as a wide release where it DOA'ed, but it'll have a long life on home video. This'll be a demo disc for UHD set-ups is my guess.Maxwell Lord posted:It is truly admirable how few fucks this movie gives. I mean, it's very well made and a lot of effort went into it, but it does not give fucks.
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Apr 28, 2019 00:17
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