WE LIKE FEEDBACK, 2004

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We've just noticed that someone enjoyed the widescreen comic by Rusty W. Spell

Spug Forums. The specific post. [links no longer available]

Letter from reader Eric. My movie is here, by the way--we don't think one needs to have made a movie in order to criticize another movie, but there it is anyway. Eric's letter bounces between thoughtful, mean, smart, goofy, nice, and point-missing.

First of all I would like to say that everyone has their own opinion and I respect yours. With that said here we go. You must be one of those people who doesn't understand art.  You are either jealous because you could not come up with something as creative as Donnie Darko or you don't want to understand it because it doesn't make sense to you.  I hate critics and I think that if you have no experience in a subject you shouldn't be critisizing it.  Where's your movie? Anyway on to donnie darko.  I'm sorry if i bounce around a lot but I'm not a very good writer at 15 years of age.  Although I know what I know.  Number 12 you state that Van Wilder is a better movie.  This is probably due to the fact that you are the type of person that likes things fed to you.  You like movies that are clean cut where you don't have to do any of the thinking. Or maybe you guess the end of a certain movie a nd feel smart.  It also states in number 12 that Donnie Darko is trying to be important and artistic. It is artistic could you think up that movie, I don't think so.  Besides artistry isn't about a pretty painting on the wall its what you get out of the painting.  It is about what you can learn from it.  You ask: what is there to learn from Donnie Darko? Well I'll tell you.  It's about grasping ahold of your life before it spirals out of control and dies.  The movie is also about the what could have been and it is also about accepting God.  Also not being afraid of death because you are not alone.  You being so smart you'd think that you would pick up on one of these things.  People who read on the internet Marsallus's soul is what was in the briefcase in Pulp Fiction then go around telling people about that thinking they are clever are stupid. I agree with you on that one.  In fact I agree with a lot of the things that you added in the Donnie Darko write-up you did.  I especially agree with "You are not better than anyone, so quit feeling so superior."  And I would recomend that you live by that advice and stop writing such opinionated articles.  Say the good things and the bad points of a movie. People respect that kind of critic more because then they can better determine whether they want to see a movie or not.  I really like Donnie Darko and I'm sure its not the worst movie you've ever seen.  (You really have to take back that it is worse than Van Wilder too.)  I wish I had more time, and maybe if you email me back i will have the motivation to write more, but I have to go.  I repeat myself one last time:  Where is your movie? If your so good then make a movie that does better than Donnie Darko. I respect your opinion so if you could email me back that would be great. Thank You.

A thoughtful response by Jeb to Rusty's review of Red Dragon:

The main problem with Red Dragon was that the creators tried to make it as much like the book as possible with as many refernces to Dr Lector as possible. This caused a problem as the book was not written as a prequel and not as the beginning of a series. Lector is in the book for maybe 1/12 of the total story if that. The book was written as, in my opnion, an exploration of the FBI guys psyche and how the events affects his family and his career.

However i can not fault the movie for its shitty references to the killers past as the book explores them aswell with slightly more detail and just as bad. Its possible that the book was written with the simplistic exploration of the crazy mans... craziness is that it was written in the 70's or something when psychology was still a bit of joke profession.

Why must humans be so cruel?

this is brock.....i recently read your little speech about donnie darko and other great movies.  It's good to know that you in fact know what movies I like and what I don't.  Actually, I did get something out of it:  I now know that you see yourself as some sort of movie guru who feels its his job to educate the general public about what is true art and what isn't.  I feel sorry for you...wasting your time complaining to people because they enjoy certain movies....whatever its not my problem. Peace.

P.S. and by the way...waking life was amazing

Piers wrote a letter about "Donnie Dorko." Perhaps the first nice one. An excerpt:

Even if you try to ignore all the ridiculous crap and believe that there IS a real message to this crapfest, all I see it could be is "Destiny is, in the end, unavoidable". That's it, no matter how many stupid rabbit costumes you put in.

Pineapple Girl wrote an article on the order of the Narnia books and sent Rusty the link because of his "Narnia Business" article. It should be read.

http://www.pineapple-girl.com/narnia.htm

In response to the Favorite TV list that mentions Melissa Gabriel (from Oddville, MTV--on Rusty's list), Chris was nice enough to give us information on where to find the lovely Melissa these days with the following links.

www.akosphoto.com/melissa2 and www.morningstarproductions.org [second link has changed]