Comments on Melbourne Film Blog: Paranoid Park

Michael, I've done introspective research about ge...

2008-04-05T09:03:00.000+11:00

Michael, I've done introspective research about gender at different times in my life. First when I a teenager and had a gay friend who introduced me to gay culture. My exploring of my sexuality at that age enabled me to know with conviction of my own sexual orientation, though I don't think in terms of gay and straight. But of course, I'm sure you understand that. That's what the rainbow is

Paul, as ever, thanks for linking me in to your ag...

2008-04-05T03:30:00.000+11:00

Paul, as ever, thanks for linking me in to your aggregate of resources. And thanks also for your upfront gay-affirmative stance. So much of my own strength in life as a gay male has come from the help and support and encouragement of my straight friends. Here's to a more tolerant world.

For me, any mention of a Gus Van Sant film is near...

2008-04-02T13:53:00.000+11:00

For me, any mention of a Gus Van Sant film is nearly always accompanied by comments about the remake of Psycho.

Glenn, my understanding is Alex's dad recognised J...

2008-03-29T18:12:00.000+11:00

Glenn, my understanding is Alex's dad recognised Jared's number and assumed Alex had tried to call him, so was following up on it. I wouldn't read anything else into it other than that. I'd react the same if it were me.

The Uncle Tommy being gay was something I read from an interview with Van Sant online somewhere (probably one of the links I provided).

Oh yeah, i forgot "Uncle Tommy" mentioned Jared's ...

2008-03-29T14:40:00.000+11:00

Oh yeah, i forgot "Uncle Tommy" mentioned Jared's last night. But why, still, would "Uncle Tommy" call his boyfriend's exwife and ask her if she knew anyone by that name? Even if that character is merely an uncle and not the lover of Alex's father, then why would he call Alex's mother? Why would he call the exwife of his brother? Something didn't seem right there so that's why I think there's

Glenn, of course there's no comparison with Juno. ...

2008-03-29T11:26:00.000+11:00

Glenn, of course there's no comparison with Juno. Juno was a hyper-stylised character, whereas Alex's character was meant to be authentic, and he was. So in that respect, he did an excellent job. How Gabe Nevins would perform in a Juno-type role is another matter.

I think it was Jafar Panahi, the Iranian director who, like Kiarostami, uses a lot of non-professionals. He said anyone

Oh, the "Uncle Tommy" bit was the furthest Van San...

2008-03-29T00:52:00.000+11:00

Oh, the "Uncle Tommy" bit was the furthest Van Sant got to queering up the movie. I forgot to mention that. Or, that's what I got from it ("Uncle Tommy" is dads boyfriend - which explains why he would suspect Alex's mother as the one who rang him at 4 in the morning).

sorry about the really poor grammar! Rereading ove...

2008-03-29T00:40:00.000+11:00

sorry about the really poor grammar! Rereading over my last post I can see where I was typing one thought and just blended it with another with no cohesion. I hope you can make it all out.

Gabe Nevins has one of the most fascinating faces ...

2008-03-29T00:39:00.000+11:00

Gabe Nevins has one of the most fascinating faces I've seen on screen in a long time. Compelling. Even if he's not the greatest actor in the world, his role didn't call for him to be and, well, he was a more realistic teenager than, say, Ellen Page in Juno (a performance and movie I liked quite a bit). In both what was written and how it was performed.

I can be quite the

And I thought Gabe looked just gorgeous. I'm not ...

2008-03-29T00:25:00.000+11:00

And I thought Gabe looked just gorgeous. I'm not being self-indulgent here, but he reminded me of me at that age. And like Gabe, the it was the girls who chased me. I also felt uncomfortable and fearful.

I'm glad you liked it, Glenn. I would have though...

2008-03-29T00:23:00.000+11:00

I'm glad you liked it, Glenn. I would have thought this film was a little too esoteric for you, and I don't mean that in a negative way. I'm just basing it on comments you've made about other films I've loved and you haven't.

Do you think maybe you have a predisposition because it's Gus Van Sant? Did you detect any gay themes in the film? I plan to post on this subject sometime soon.

I saw this on Thursday and while I liked it very m...

2008-03-29T00:03:00.000+11:00

I saw this on Thursday and while I liked it very much, it has stayed in the forefront of my mind and won't leave. Just the images of somebody flying through the air or the looks that Gabe gives. All stunning.

My favourite part was actually the screenplay. This is a script that really gets the way teenagers are. I remember my dad and I having a near identical conversation about my parents