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Napolean Dynamite


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  • 1 month later...

i loved this one and i am going to buy it.

 

"but it has been a long time since

I didn't notice cinematography the first time watching a film because I was laughing so hard."

 

ya i felt like a normal audience member. NOT THINKING :D

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i loved this one and i am going to buy it.

 

"but it has been a long time since

I didn't notice cinematography the first time watching a film because I was laughing so hard."

 

ya i felt like a normal audience member. NOT THINKING :D

Me too, it's the first film in a long time I actually got "lost" in- I didn't once think to myself "hey, I'm watching a movie" I plan on getting the dvd this week.

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  • 2 weeks later...
Guest Frank Gossimier

I was actually going to put up a posting about this film, and I was quite surprised there already was one!

 

This film was made by a bunch students from the BYU (Brigham Young University) film program, which is where I graduated from. That's where the films "gosh" theme comes from.

 

I have not seen the film, I've only watched the eight scenes on the web site. I can't believe the buzz and the success of this film in real dollars. Apparently the first run of 1.5 million DVDs sold out real quick.

 

That is just incredible for what is essentially an all student film. Just goes to show what can be achieved with an ultra low budget and no swear words or sex scenes that typically are placed into teen movies.

 

Frank

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Does anyone have more of the specifics about what it was shot with? Did they scrape up the money for 35mm short ends or go 16mm or use digital? How much money did it cost to make the film?

 

~Karl

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Guest Frank Gossimier

Well I just finished reading more about it on the web.

 

It was made for 400k. Funds from a private investor.

 

It was sold at Sundance for 3 million to Fox Searchlight.

 

The film has now made 44 million dollars!!

 

The director is only 24 years old.

 

Now if a start like that doesn't make you green with envy nothing will.

 

Frank

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This film was made by a bunch students from the BYU (Brigham Young University) film program, which is where I graduated from.  That's where the films "gosh" theme comes from.

 

Frank

As far as I know they were not students when they made this film. On the other hand, they may have been students when they made the short that preceded the feature.

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Guest Frank Gossimier

Yes that's what I meant, students "from" BYU. The filmmakers all came from BYU and made this right out of school.

 

Frank

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Guest Frank Gossimier

Well actually now that I look more closely at the production notes, I think it could be classed as a student film.

 

The lead actor who plays Napoleon is a full time student at BYU. The director took time off from BYU to make the film, he has not graduated. So he directs the film while he is not technically a student it seems, but if he goes back. Then what?

 

A lot of the crew where also BYU students, so is his wife who co-wrote the script.

 

It's all a matter of semantics.

 

Frank

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Some of your info is out of date, and there are lots of assumptions here (which I also had) that upon researching, I have learned are not "exactly" what they seem.

 

John Heder (Napolean) and Jared Hess (director/writer) met while at BYU, and made the short that the film is based on. (It's included on the DVD).

 

John Heder & his wife now live in L.A., where he is trying to get work as an actor and/or an animator (which is what he studied). He's working on a Speilberg/Zemeckis production, so things must be going well!

 

The crew "may" have had a lot of help from ametuers/film students, but a lot of the actors are quite experienced, especially John Gries (Uncle Rico), who has tons of credits, and the guy who plays Pedro.

Most of the main characters are professional actors.

Search www.imdb.com and look them up.

The film was shot on 35mm film, and I've read that it was made for $400K, and I've read that it was made for $200K, so I don't know what is right. I've also heard that it sold for $4 mil, but who knows.

 

Calling it a student film is a huge stretch.

It may feel that way (which I think is intentional), but in fact they did a lot of things right.

 

This film was not just made by a bunch of friends, using their school buddies as actors, etc.

 

Matt Pacini

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you think they'll make a sequel?

 

a cheap movie that made $44 million... of course they will want to make a sequel. The only thing I think that could stop them is that, honestly - I thought the movie was humorous - but midway through, I was about done. I think the movie had amazing characters - but like many SNL skits - loses steam before the end. It's the reason the universe created "the plot twist."

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Oh jeez, I hope they don't make a sequel.

 

They (I'm referring to the studio here) would be wise to remember Blair Witch Project, and how about 12 people bothered to watch the sequel (myself NOT being one of them!).

 

It was a cute film, but I just don't see that there's enough that's amusing about Napoleon D. to milk a second movie out of it.

Maybe they'll have to make one, to pay back Elvis Costello for swiping the title of the film from him. (Can't believe the lawyers didn't catch that one).

I'm with you, I lost interest fairly early.

Problem is, I bought my wife the DVD, and she's one of those people that can watch a movie ten times in a row and still like it.

So now I'm going through this nightmare of trying not to hear the music from the film in my head all day long, and that includes the corny wedding music!!!

YIKES!

Somebody call me up and hum some Beethoven to me, OK?

I'm desperate!

 

MP

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I agree; I feel a sequel to 'Napoleon Dynamite' wouldn't do so well for that same reason Mr. Pacini mentioned - it could easily end up like 'Book of Shadows.'

 

'Napoleon Dynamite' became more and more popular as time went on. I remember seeing the first teasers for it on MTV and asking myself, "What on earth is this?" And a little while later, everyone was talking about it. The first 'Blair Witch' was unique in that it had an unconventional style. Teens running around in the forest with a few cameras. 'Book of Shadows', on the other hand, though I did not see it, I saw the trailers and it looked like a conventional Hollywood horror flick.

 

If Napoleon ever gets a sequel, I hope its style doesn't change. (However, I must say that I know a few people who did not enjoy this film!)

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Oh jeez, I hope they don't make a sequel.

 

They (I'm referring to the studio here) would be wise to remember Blair Witch Project, and how about 12 people bothered to watch the sequel (myself NOT being one of them!).

 

Since when have the studios made sense? :rolleyes:

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Good point.

All it would take is one bankable actor like Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts, Colin Farrel or whoever to sign on, and before you knew it, they would recast all the characters with big actors, hire Michael Bay to direct it, fill it with CG and it would end up costing $95 mil, and it would gross $11...

I mean eleven dollars, not eleven million.

 

I never saw the "sequel/remake" of El Mariachi, but I wonder how Carlos Gallardo felt about having Antonio Banderas hijack his part?

 

Matt Pacini

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  • 4 weeks later...

I guess I'm one of the few people who really didn't like the film. It felt like a bad Wes Anderson movie to me. The production design, cinematography (especially the pans and flat shots), and dead pan acting made me think that the film borrowed very heavily from Wes' style. on the other hand, the film lacked a story or well formed characters that I cared about. it was just a series of childish jokes to me.

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Few films invoke the "I loved it" or "I hated it" more than this one.

 

Frank

 

 

Agreed. I found the movie to be a close second to Anchorman in terms of sheer hilarity for me. I live with four other guys, and it's one of our favorite flicks. I think part of the appeal comes from the fact that we all either:

 

A. Were that guy in highschool or

B. Knew that guy in highschool

 

It's a story just about everyone can relate to.

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I think this movie was made with High Class. What I mean by this is that instead of including sex and vulgar Language. Like what was said before.

 

I am sure that there will no be a sequel, not possible where is the story line? You can only get away with that once,

 

:ph34r:

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