Cinemarch Madness: Dear Zachary
After several weeks and many wintry nights of the pop-culture soul, Cinemarch Madness has its champion — and that champion is Dear Zachary.
It’s the correct result, in my opinion, although it’s a surprise to me, I must say. As much as I’ve tried to recommend the film without either spoiling it or downplaying its severity, I didn’t think enough people would have seen it. And at the same time, it’s apparently not a matter of opinion as to whether it’s affecting; viewers who don’t remember the name of it offhand will still hear about Cinemarch Madness and start snapping their fingers all “you know, with the kid and the judge and the…you saw it, right?” until they come up with it, and nobody is like, “Yeah, it was good.” You just don’t see consensus like that about movies, ordinarily. This one, everyone’s on the same page: we love the Bagbys; we hope a Kurt Kuenne talks about us so well when we’ve passed; we felt a physical reaction at That Revelation; and we don’t want ever to see it again.
Thanks so much for nominating, commenting, and voting, and special thanks to Ferretrick for taking a day of write-ups off my hands. Watch this space for upcoming brackets/polls about cookies; hilarious cat behaviors; and what the hell, we might as well do soft drinks, right? (“The NC Bubble A”? Ehhhhhh?)
Tags: Cinemarch Madness Dear Zachary Kurt Kuenne movies
Sars — I needed to take an emotional vacation from anything with “bleak” in the title, so I’ve sat this one out.
However! NC-Bubble-A??? I’m soooo in!
COMPLETE TANGENT
something I’ve wondered for a while:
Is it “Ferre Trick,” as in, like, a trick made of iron (yeah, I don’t know; etymology can take you to weird places); or “Ferret Rick,” as in a guy named Rick who has a ferret?
Confession time: after seeing that this won, I went and read the Wikipedia entry about it. It sounds like an amazing piece of filmmaking, but the psyching up I’d have to work on to stomach it would be insurmountable. Maybe someday.
I just recommended this to someone yesterday. This is one of those films that is hard to recommend, though. It’s so good, and yet so heart-wrenching that you feel weird saying that it’s good. It’s one of those recommendations that requires an asterisk, like: It’s good*
*You will cry
I just saw Bully and it belongs in that category, too.
I feel like we need to do NC-cat gifs-A after this one.
@Rachel- The NC Cute Awwwww! Who will win- will it be munchkin cats, dwarf bunnies, or golden retriever puppies?
I dunno, I’ve seen it three or four times and it remains one of my favorite movies of the last ten years. Anyone who’s feeling a little reluctant because they like to avoid sledgehammer emotional pain should give it a try. You feel sledgehammer emotional pain because you just really like the protagonists. It’s fun to hang out with them, the amount of love between Kuenne and Bagby is obvious and incredibly touching and funny, and THEN the sledgehammer hits. It sneaks up on you, and then at the end you’ve finished and you’re like…this was the most structurally perfect film I’ve ever seen outside of film history & crit classes.
I should have known a film that won over Dancer In The Dark or Breaking The Waves would be emotionally devastating but man, I cannot breathe after watching this film just now.
There’s so much love in this film and it’s so tragic. I’m spent. I need a stiff drink.
Thanks to Sars for the opportunity; I had, well fun isn’t the word for viewing this film and some of the others in my bracket, but it was definitely worthwhile. I heartily agree with this choice.
Now can we watch, I don’t know, My Big Fat Greek Wedding or something?
@Cora: It is ferret Rick, as in my name is Rick and I used to have ferrets. (They died peacefully of old age years ago and now dear Hubby doesn’t want others, but the nickname sticks).
@ Meri: The winner of the The NC Cute Awwwww! will obviously be http://cuteoverload.com/2011/10/23/yes-penguin-sweaters/
@GeorgiaS, I’m afraid I must see your penguin sweaters and raise you picnicking hedgehogs: http://cuteoverload.com/2013/01/21/smarter-than-your-average-bear/
I raise you ferrets with packing peanuts and call.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofC0HCc38q8&feature=share
[pushes chips into center of table, folds arms]
http://juliadubdotcom.files.wordpress.com/2011/09/kitten-and-turtle.jpg
You’re all going down: meerkats RULE!
http://cuteoverload.com/2013/03/21/meerkat-mania-at-the-oakland-zoo/
(… and thanks, ferretrick!)
Fingertip lobster. Y’all better JUMP BACK. http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01855/lobster-baby_1855921i.jpg
Please. You know you’ve always wanted to pet Pigwidgeon:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G1PFLuTrgM
Aaaaaand Boston Terrier puppy. http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_liq9rfu9h61qeg0l1o1_500.jpg
Cuddling kittens for the win!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hCds3LA-Xgg
Sorry, even though I adore owls – and that one with the zoned-out-look was adorable – I have to vote for the ferrets. They’re just so fun and bouncy.
Speaking of bouncy…
http://cheezburger.com/7245418240
I’mma let you finish, but Scotland wins it all. Shetland ponies in sweaters!
<a href="http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-blog/blogs/shetland-ponies-cardigans-1.jpg"
Aw, dammit.
http://www.adweek.com/files/imagecache/node-blog/blogs/shetland-ponies-cardigans-1.jpg
Nice try, but: <A href="http://90sflashback.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/turtlebunny.jpg"
Ahhh, I suck. I meant: http://90sflashback.files.wordpress.com/2013/04/turtlebunny.jpg
I mean, those things are all cute as hell but I’m just not sure there is ANYTHING cuter in this world than a baby pygmy marmoset. IT IS A MONKEY THE SIZE OF YOUR THUMB:
http://www.factzoo.com/mammals/monkeys/pygmy-marmosets.html
http://www.google.com/search?q=baby+pygmy+marmoset&tbm=isch
AHEM! http://cute-n-tiny.com/cute-animals/bunny-hamster-kitten-puppy-pals/
I just died with bubbling foam coming from my mouth and I HOPE YOU ALL ARE HAPPY.
Thumb monkeys for the win!!!
I just watched it. God dammit. What the fuck.
Fuck.
Just….
[/slumps]
I’m gonna sleep snuggling my two-year-old tonight. Just…
God dammit.
I’ve put off watching this for a long time but finally just did and it had the same impact on me as it did on everyone else. I decided to come back and re-read the original review, but skipped to the comments here first.
Everyone should be so lucky as to have a “but wait this is cuter” contest to view after watching Dear Zachary.
Is the fingertip lobster a little teeny cute crustacean, or just a really big bug? I can’t decide.
I love “This is my turtle. I will hug him, and squeeze him, and pet him, and call him ‘George'” quality of the turtle/cat image.