Most Wanted
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Il Grido
(Antonioni, 1957)

The Fortune
(Nichols, 1975)

-30-
(Webb, 1959)

Betrayal
(Jones, 1983)

Play It As It Lays
(Perry, 1972)

The Outfit
(Flynn, 1973)

Alex in Wonderland
(Mazursky, 1969)

The Legend of Lylah Clare
(Aldrich, 1968)

In The Cool of the Day
(Stevens, 1963)

That Cold Day in the Park
(Altman, 1969)

The Fox
(Rydell, 1967)

Thumb Trippin'
(Masters, 1972)

Midas Run
(Kjellin, 1969)

At Long Last Love
(Bogdanovich, 1973)

Brewster McCloud
(Altman, 1972)

Outcast of the Islands
(Reed, 1951)

Mike's Murder
(Bridges, 1984)

Reader Submissions

1930's-1950's
The Moon's Our Home
(Seiter, 1936)
Sh! The Octopus
(McGann, 1937)
The Mating Season
(Leisen, 1951)
Bad for Each Other
(Rapper, 1953)
The Phenix City Story
(Karlson, 1955)
Run of the Arrow
(Fuller, 1956)
House of Secrets
(Green, 1956)
Saint Joan
(Preminger, 1957)
Macabre
(Castle, 1958)
The Fiend Who Walked the West
(G. Douglas, 1958
Five Gates to Hell
(Clavell, 1959)
1960's
Key Witness
(Karlson, 1960)
Summer and Smoke
(Glenville, 1961)
The Chapman Report
(Cukor,1962)
Bachelor Flat
(Tashlin, 1962) [on Hulu]
The L Shaped Room
(Forbes, 1963)
The Chalk Garden
(Neame, 1964)
A Thousand Clowns
(Coe, 1965)
You're a Big Boy Now
(Coppola, 1966)
The Whisperers
(Forbes, 1967)
Dark of the Sun
(Cardiff, 1968)
Skidoo
(Preminger, 1968)
Last Summer
(Perry, 1969)
The Comic
(C. Reiner, 1969)
1970-1974
The Revolutionary
(Williams, 1970)
The Landlord
(Ashby, 1970)
Diary of a Mad Housewife
(Perry, 1970)
Tropic of Cancer
(Strick, 1970)
I Never Sang for My Father
(Cates, 1970)
Sometimes a Great Notion
(Newman, 1971)
Marriage of a Young Stockbroker
(Turman, 1971)
'Doc'
(Perry, 1971)
The Music Lovers
(Russell, 1971)
Drive, He Said
(Nicholson, 1971)
The Steagle
(Sylbert, 1971)
The Last Movie
(Hopper, 1971)
Made For Each Other
(Bean, 1971)
The Day the Clown Cried
(Lewis, 1972)
Hickey & Boggs
(Culp, 1972)
The Carey Treatment
(Edwards, 1972)
Pete 'n' Tillie
(Ritt, 1972)
Slither
(Zieff, 1973)
Love and Pain and the Whole Damn Thing
(Pakula, 1973)
Man on a Swing
(Perry, 1974)
Open Season
(Collinson, 1974)
The Tamarind Seed
(Edwards, 1974)
Law and Disorder
(Passer, 1974)
Homebodies
(Yust, 1974)
Stardust
(Apted, 1974)
Celine and Julie Go Boating
(Rivette, 1974)
1975-1979
Rafferty and the Gold Dust Twins
(Richards, 1975
At Long Last Love
(Bogdanovich, 1975)
Hearts of the West
(Zieff, 1975)
Welcome to L.A.
(Rudolph, 1976)
W.C. Fields and Me
(Hiller, 1976)
Citizens Band
(Demme, 1977)
Twilight's Last Gleaming
(Aldrich, 1977)
Looking for Mr. Goodbar
(Brooks, 1977)
Girlfriends
(Weill, 1978)
Movie Movie
(Donen, 1978)
The Medusa Touch
(Gold, 1978)
American Hot Wax
(Mutrux, 1978)
Hot Stuff
(DeLuise, 1979)
Scavenger Hunt
(Schultz , 1979)
Players
(Harvey, 1979)
Rich Kids
(Young, 1979)
Nightwing
(Hiller, 1979)
Screams of a Winter's Night
(Wilson, 1979
When You Comin' Back Red Ryder?
(Katselas, 1979
1980's
Resurrection
(Petrie, 1980)
The Awakening
(Newell, 1980)
Simon
(Brickman, 1980)
God's Angry Man
(Herzog, 1980)
Fast-Walking
(Harris, 1982)
Twice Upon a Time
(Korty & Swenson, 1983)
Trouble in Mind
(Rudolph, 1985)
When the Wind Blows
(Murikami, 1986)
Housekeeping
(Forsyth, 1987)
The Glass Menagerie
(Newman, 1987)
Patty Hearst
(Schrader, 1988)
Running on Empty
(Lumet, 1988)
Drowning by Numbers
(Greenaway, 1988)
Haunted Summer
(Passer, 1988)
The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years
(Spheeris, 1988)
1990's
Men Don't Leave
(Brickman, 1990)
Old Times
(Curtis, 1991)
Prospero's Books
(Greenaway, 1991)
City of Hope
(Sayles, 1991)
The Baby of Macon
(Greenaway, 1993)
King of the Hill
(Soderbergh, 1993)
Dadetown
(Hexter, 1995)
SubUrbia
(Linklater, 1997)

Upcoming

June 11

Tetro

June 12

Call of the Wild 3D

Food, Inc.

Imagine That

Moon

Sex Positive

The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

Youssou N'Dour: I Bring What I Love

June 16

Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg

June 19

$9.99

Dead Snow

The Proposal

Whatever Works

Year One

June 24

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

June 26

Cheri

Fireflies in the Garden

The Hurt Locker

My Sister's Keeper

The Stoning of Soraya M. 

Surveillance 

July 1

Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

Public Enemies

July 3

The Girl from Monaco

I Hate Valentine's Day

July 10

Bruno

I Love You, Beth Cooper

Soul Power

July 15

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

July 17

(500) Days of Summer

All the Boys Love Mandy Lane

July 24

All Good Things

The Answer Man

G-Force

In the Loop

Orphan

The Ugly Truth

July 29

Adam

July 31

The Cove

Funny People

Lorna's Silence

They Came from Upstairs

August 7

G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Julie & Julia

Paper Heart

Shorts

When in Rome

August 14

A Perfect Getaway

Bandslam

District 9

The Goods: The Don Ready Story

I Sell the Dead

Ponyo

Pool Boys

Spread

Taking Woodstock

The Time Traveler's Wife

August 21

Five Minutes of Heaven

Goose on the Loose!

Inglorious Bastards

It Might Get Loud

Post Grad

World's Greatest Dad

August 28

The Boat that Rocked

Final Destination: Death Trip

H2

September 4

All About Steve

Amreeka

Black Dynamite

Carriers

Citizen Game

Extract

Pandorum

Shanghai

September 9

9

September 11

The Red Canvas

Tyler Perrys: I Can Do It All Myself

Whiteout

September 17

The Burning Plain

September 18

Armored

Brand New Day

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs

Jennifer's Body

Splice

September 25

Fame

The Invention of Lying

Surrogates

October 2

A Serious Man

More Than a Game

Sorority Row

Toy Story/Toy Story 2

"Whuhht?...naaah"

Answer the following after watching this trailer for The Wackness (Sony Classics, 7.3). Josh Peck obviously does well at playing young urban white guys who talk in a street argot that is part imitation "black" and part whatevuh but in any case suggests a total inability to convey an air of refinement and higher education. But answer me this...

Is there any circumstance in which any casting director, no matter how whacked, would use this guy to play a small-town cop in Oregon, an assistant to a U.S. Senator, a young suburban dad, a used-car salesmen from Cranford, New Jersey, or anything other than a what-up homie who sells tabs of ecstasy and dilaudid in Tompkins Square Park?

In other words, Josh Peck is basically Leo Gorcey. Nothing wrong with that, exactly, except that he has one trick and one rap and thassall.

Proof in the Pudding<< previous | next >>Closer

Posted by Jeffrey Wells on April 22, 2008 at 3:31 PM

comment #1

Matthew Lucas Author Profile Page says ...

You need a new word for galumph.

Posted by Matthew Lucas Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 3:59 PM

comment #2

Rothchild Author Profile Page says ...

He sold weed. All your anti-Wackness articles just make you seem like a cranky old guy.

Posted by Rothchild Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 4:00 PM

comment #3

MikeSchaeferSF Author Profile Page says ...

He's an actor. Maybe he's, y'know... acting?

Posted by MikeSchaeferSF Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 4:04 PM

comment #4

D.Z. Author Profile Page says ...

Jeff: "Josh Peck obviously does well at playing young urban white guys who talk in a street argot that is part black and part street attitude"

They're called wiggers. (Or so I've heard...) Anyway, no one was playin' cassettes by '94, and this just basically looks like a remake of "Kids", if they changed it into a comedy. [Though some might consider the original unintentionally hilarious...]

Posted by D.Z. Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 4:08 PM

comment #5

Mgmax Author Profile Page says ...

I would only want to see this if twenty minutes into it, a giant sea creature started trashing New York.

Posted by Mgmax Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 4:12 PM

comment #6

Geoff Author Profile Page says ...

Plenty of people were playing cassettes in '94. Especially in their cars.

Posted by Geoff Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 4:12 PM

comment #7

Mgmax Author Profile Page says ...

Yeah, I disagree, mix tapes were still a big thing. I didn't get a CD burner until at least '97 (I can remember the job I was at then), and it was fairly novel still to have one at home then (buy Iomega stock, everybody's using those Zip drives!)

Posted by Mgmax Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 4:16 PM

comment #8

lazarus Author Profile Page says ...

Thirlby Be Blood.

Posted by lazarus Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 4:16 PM

comment #9

lazarus Author Profile Page says ...

Oh wait, the GUY is the virgin.

Never mind.

Posted by lazarus Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 4:16 PM

comment #10

gruver1 Author Profile Page says ...

Wells to Mike SchaeferSF: This is precisely my point. Not only is Peck not acting -- he's doing what he's able to do, which is play a type or an attitude that he knows from his own life -- but he's also, I believe, pretty much incapable of playing anyone else (i.e., "a small-town cop in Oregon, an assistant to a U.S. Senator, a young suburban dad, a used-car salesmen from Cranford, New Jersey," etc.). Leo Gorcey was great at playing Leo Gorcey, but he had to stay within that place. He couldn't play anyone or anything else. That's Peck.

Posted by gruver1 Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 4:18 PM

comment #11

Matthew Lucas Author Profile Page says ...

Jeff, have you seen him in the role that made him famous, in Disney Channel's "Drake & Josh?" He is nothing like the characters he has been typecast as lately in that show, in fact he's a manic comic character and I was shocked when I first saw him on the big screen in "Mean Creek." Totally opposite, ditto his role in "Drillbit Taylor." Right now he's getting typecast in those type of roles, but he's got a range I think that hasn't really been explored yet He has very good comic timing.

Posted by Matthew Lucas Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 4:28 PM

comment #12

MiraJeffAICN Author Profile Page says ...

The Wackness is great and Peck is very, very good in it. Since D.Z. brought up Kids, you know whose career Peck's could emulate... Leo Fitzpatrick, who went on to Bully, The Wire and a solid performance in an episode of Criminal Intent. I think you should give Peck the benefit of the doubt. He's virtually unrecognizable from the bully he played in Mean Creek.

Posted by MiraJeffAICN Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 4:29 PM

comment #13

Hallick Author Profile Page says ...

I've got nothing to say about Peck's talent, other than I'm more likely to take the word of the people who've seen him in Mean Creek and other things than the word of someone who's only reference seems to be THE DULLEST TRAILER OF 2008. The Wackness might be really good, but there is ZERO-POINT-ZERO-ZERO-ZERO trace of that in the trailer. What the hell are they trying their damnedest not to sell here? There really wasn't even enough dialogue from Peck's character to address the original question from Mr. Wells in the first place.

Posted by Hallick Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 4:53 PM

comment #14

York "Budd" Durden Author Profile Page says ...

I'm familiar with mirajeff. I met him on not-wealthy-internet-dork-dot-com. It has worked out well between us.

Posted by York "Budd" Durden Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 5:10 PM

comment #15

lazarus Author Profile Page says ...

So THAT'S why he takes two showers a day.

Posted by lazarus Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 5:15 PM

comment #16

storymark Author Profile Page says ...

Sure, I could see him playing other roles, if he drops the affectation.

If you'd said Jason Mewes, you'd have more of a point.

Posted by storymark Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 5:17 PM

comment #17

T. S. Idiot Author Profile Page says ...

Jeff's Leo Gorcey reference makes me realize how much I miss Huntz Hall.

Posted by T. S. Idiot Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 5:19 PM

comment #18

lipranzer Author Profile Page says ...

I was considering this until I saw Mary-Kate Olsen's name in the credits. Now I'm not going near it.

Posted by lipranzer Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 5:45 PM

comment #19

MiraJeffAICN Author Profile Page says ...

Lipranzer, Mary-Kate is in it for 5-10 minutes tops. Lazarus, you're hilarious. I'll call Jamie and get you a gig at the Laugh Factory this weekend. York 'Budd' Durden, even more hilarious. Are you guys aspiring comedy writers cuz I could set you up with a desperate agent if you want? Not Wealthy Internet Dork? Really, that's the best you can do? Better luck next time, fellas. Way to add to the discussion. You know where I work, so why don't you come on down here and start some shit. I could permanently delete you with the office supplies at my disposal.

Posted by MiraJeffAICN Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 5:58 PM

comment #20

BurmaShave Author Profile Page says ...

Or maybe he's Al Pacino circa 1971. Also my dad grew up in Cranford.

Posted by BurmaShave Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 6:01 PM

comment #21

lazarus Author Profile Page says ...

MiraJeff, why should Bud or I come down to your office, when we'll all probably run into each other coincidentally, like in that film you love so much, Crash? We'll fight but after my magic sweater deflects your staple-gun projectile we'll realize that we shouldn't pre-judge each other and then everything will be okay.

Cue "healing" song with female vocal.

Posted by lazarus Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 7:34 PM

comment #22

Mgmax Author Profile Page says ...

There are few things funnier here than when MiraJeff starts playing tough guy. Sorry, man, you're Elisha Cook Jr. all the way. Accept it.

Posted by Mgmax Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 8:53 PM

comment #23

MiraJeffAICN Author Profile Page says ...

Mgmax, anyone who makes a reference to Elisha Cook Jr. must be at least 50 years old, and thus, no retort is necessary. Lazarus, as you keep beating the dead horse, Haggis is polishing his well-deserved Crash Oscar and Yari is filing yet another suit to get one. Crash rulz! And you guys all suck. I can find hundreds of positive Crash reviews and thousands of Academy members who voted it BP. Give it a rest. You're wrong. Move on.

Posted by MiraJeffAICN Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 8:59 PM

comment #24

MiraJeffAICN Author Profile Page says ...

And the reason I popped in to say hello in the first place wasn't to extol the virtues of Crash again, it was to point out that The Wackness is the 2nd best film I've seen all year behind Pineapple Express, and I've probably seen more of this year's offerings than any of you. And again, remember me when Kingsley gets Best Supporting Actor props, whether it's from the Academy, the Globes, or even just trade ads. He's not going anywhere and neither is the movie despite the piss-poor trailer.

Posted by MiraJeffAICN Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 9:02 PM

comment #25

lipranzer Author Profile Page says ...

"Lipranzer, Mary-Kate is in it for 5-10 minutes tops."

And that's 5-10 mintues too many for me. You're telling me there's no actor/actress whose very appearance in a film is a red flag for you?

Posted by lipranzer Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 9:16 PM

comment #26

Mgmax Author Profile Page says ...

"Mgmax, anyone who makes a reference to Elisha Cook Jr. must be at least 50 years old, and thus, no retort is necessary."

Or simply knowledgable about the movies. Why I'll never write for AICN.

"I can find hundreds of positive Crash reviews and thousands of Academy members who voted it BP. Give it a rest. You're wrong. Move on."

Shall I see if I can find a positive mention or two of 2001: A Space Odyssey?

"it was to point out that The Wackness is the 2nd best film I've seen all year behind Pineapple Express"

If the two best movies you've seen this year are about people of your exact same demographic, it may not say as much about the movies as you think.

Now to go watch my new Criterion set of silent Ozu comedies.

Posted by Mgmax Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 9:55 PM

comment #27

lazarus Author Profile Page says ...

Mgmax, that last post smelled like D.Z. Maybe you need to take two showers.

MiraJeff, the best thing to have done was laugh off my Crash joke, but by combining your witty retort with a serious defensive attitude regarding the film (and attempting to use the Oscars as a barometer of quality) you're just making yourself look even more pathetic.

Lipranzer, I don't think the restraining order prevents you from seeing any of her films. Just try and keep your hands still during the screening and wait until you get home.

Posted by lazarus Author Profile Page at April 22, 2008 10:00 PM

comment #28

T. S. Idiot Author Profile Page says ...

"Mgmax, anyone who makes a reference to Elisha Cook Jr. must be at least 50 years old, and thus, no retort is necessary." You assholes who write off those over 50 never plan to be geezers? If so, the world will be a better place.

Posted by T. S. Idiot Author Profile Page at April 23, 2008 4:51 AM

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