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mygif

Typo: Should be: Maximilian Schell — there’s no “n” in is last name …

Other than that, a nice homage to a wonderful film that I hadn’t really thought of in a while. You’re totally on-target about the cultural memory being diminished somewhat by the changes in how we receive our media these days. Although the upside is that the advent of things like internet streaming also means you can more conveniently find movies and shows that were previously relatively difficult to find, so maybe that takes the curse off a bit =)

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mygif

Yeah, I haven’t seen the Freshman in forever, but it was definitely a great movie. Now I must find it to watch again! 🙂

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mygif

Although the upside is that the advent of things like internet streaming also means you can more conveniently find movies and shows that were previously relatively difficult to find

Yyyyyyeeeeeah not really

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mygif

Every now and then I remember this film, which I watched once back in the 90s, and think “That was a pretty good film – I should track it down and watch it again.”

And you’ve reminded me once more that I really should (if nothing else, to figure out what the hell Brando was saying – seriously, I think I understood less than 10% of his dialogue).

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Get Off My Lawn said on September 18th, 2013 at 11:45 am

Eventually all movies will fall off the cultural map. I’ve been listening to a lot of 40s radio shows lately and they are making pop culture references all over the place that I have no knowledge of, and this didn’t happen because the medium changed, it happened because a new generation of people grew up watching other movies.

There is a whole new batch of pop culture touchstones out there I am barely even aware of because I am TOO OLD. And they day will come when the kids grow up and are bemoaning that the new generation doesn’t ‘get’ Avatar or Pokemon or something, and they’ll blame on braincasting or internet3 or something, but the real reason is the world has passed them on, too.

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mygif

The Freshman (1990) is fun. It flopped in the U.S. because Brando dissed it just after the filming wrapped up. He apologized to Broderick later, but it was too late by then.

It’s not at all connected to the 1990 version, but I recommend The Freshman (1925) starring Harold Lloyd. It was later homaged by Adam Sandler in The Waterboy.

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Sean D. Martin said on September 18th, 2013 at 12:27 pm

Ghostbusters and Back To The Future lasted much, much longer in terms of cultural relevance than most movies do, … partially because each of the two franchises stayed fresh and relevant for longer than average

So they stayed relevant longer due to their staying relevant longer.

Got it.

Thanks for the catch, have edited to fix. — MGK

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mygif

I could hardly process how good this article is or remember how much I love the Freshmen because I’m so bummed to find out Bruno Kirby is dead. I love(d!) that guy.

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highlyverbal said on September 18th, 2013 at 1:41 pm

“My father thinks Clark is an A student.”

“He’s a fine young man.”

“A student, my father said A student.”

“Absolutely, A, A+!”

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Brian Smith said on September 18th, 2013 at 6:27 pm

Re: “Back to the Future”: One of my happiest theater moments was before a screening of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1.” The teenager behind the snack counter asked what I was seeing, and I told him, and he said, “You know it ends on a cliffhanger, right?”

I replied, “I survived ‘Back to the Future II;’ I think I can survive this.”

And he was *delighted* to meet someone who had vivid memories of seeing the “Back to the Future” movies in a theater. He started asking me how much people talked about it at the time, what the wait was like, everything. And for just a minute I felt less like a cranky middle-aged man and like someone who was alive for something special.

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mygif

I could’ve sworn you’ve already talked about this movie…

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mygif

“Although the upside is that the advent of things like internet streaming also means you can more conveniently find movies and shows that were previously relatively difficult to find”

“Yyyyyyeeeeeah not really”

Look at it this way: If you’ve never seen “The Freshman” before, what’s easier: Ordering the DVD online and waiting two days for delivery, or hitting-up Netflix / Amazon / iTunes / whatever and watching it pretty much instantly?

And that’s not even going back to pre-internet days when it all depended on what Blockbuster had in stock. Or before even VHS, when you really had to rely on the networks re-broadcasting or a movie house re-screening older stuff — otherwise you were pretty much out of luck.

So, yes, *relatively* speaking, having access almost instantly to older films / TV shows *is* an upside to the problem you’re talking about. If some buddies of mine are referencing a film I’ve never heard of before, there’s at least the possibility I can be caught-up in a few hours — and that little bit of cultural memory lives on to fight another day 😉

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mygif

Hey, this is an excellent choice for your list. I especially like the way the film toys with audience expectations without ever been obnoxious about it, something I’m not sure would be fashionable today.

I’d also like to give a shout out to Kenneth Welsh in a minor supporting role as Clark’s weirdo stepfather who gets embroiled in the plot. As a big Twin Peaks fan I was delighted to see him.

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mygif

Whatever happened to Penelope Ann Miller’s career? She was poised to be a major leading actress, then fizzled out. IMDB says she’s been working steadily, but not in the kind of roles she use to get.

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William Kendall said on September 19th, 2013 at 11:46 am

I think I’ve heard somewhere along the line that she’s difficult to work with. Not as difficult as Kathryn Heigl, mind you, but difficult.

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mygif

I saw The Freshman when I was a kid, and LOVED it, and yeah, I’d never seen The Godfather, but I did know that Brando played said Godfather. I should probably watch it again now that I’ve watched the trilogy. And, because it’s a good movie.

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mygif

For any other UK readers, this is airing on MovieMix (Freeview 32) at 6.50pm on Thursday

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Halloween Jack said on October 21st, 2013 at 3:38 pm

One of the main things that I remember about The Freshman is how graceful Brando was; there’s a scene, I can’t remember if he’s dancing or ice skating or what, but it’s just astonishing.

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mygif

@Matt : go try to find the John Stamos epic “Never Too Young to Die” then get back to me on ease. (and I mean legally…illegaly, just go to YouTube)

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