Dope

Published: June 15, 2020, noon

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On the podcast this week, Steven and Sean are rackin\\u2019 up those sweet Bitcoins in the L.A. adventure Rick Famuyiwa film, Dope.

Sean is thrilled to have made Steven watch this underappreciated and phenomenal gem of a movie and even more thrilled to find out what he ended up feeling about this movie by the time the credits began rolling. It was tough going at the beginning for Steven, though. Rightly so, he wasn\\u2019t too keen on yet another young high school kids to get up to some hijinks sort of a movie.

But then the movie takes some twists and turns that could surprise even the most jaded movie watcher. This one\\u2019s doing some very clever things with its story.

Talk about onion layers!

We loved all the acting on display in Dope. These actors really feel like they belong in this high school and in this particular L.A. world. This is all despite their love for the music and culture of the \\u201890s, or maybe it\\u2019s because of that love? Why did the high top fade ever go out of style anyway? Regardless, the story in this film may be a little absurd, but it still feels completely authentic and sincere.

Dope has got some pretty stellar sound design, especially noticeable in the nightclub scene toward the start of the movie, and one of the cooler soundtracks we\\u2019ve heard in a long time.

The cinematography by Rachel Morrison captures the energy of these kids while also making you appreciate the heat and hustle they\\u2019re constantly dealing with throughout the film. She\\u2019s the first woman to ever be nominated for the Best Cinematography Oscar (for a different film) and she totally deserved it.

(Recorded on April 29, 2020)

Links to Stuff We Mentioned:

Dope - IMDb

Dope trailer - YouTube

Demolition Man - IMDb

Sharktopus - IMDb

The Art Theatre in Long Beach

Hey, it\\u2019s the theatre that Steven and Sean did one of their very first film productions at. It\\u2019s a cool place that deserves your support if you\\u2019re in the area.

Fight Scenes: Overlap Your Edits for Impact - YouTube

A neat little YouTube video by This Guy Edits to show how repetition in action scenes can improve the feeling of a fight scene.

It\\u2019s cool to spool again as the cassette returns on a wave of nostalgia - The Guardian

13 Reasons Why - IMDb

Schitt\\u2019s Creek - IMDb

Blake Anderson - IMDb

Workaholics - IMDb

X-Men: First Class - IMDb

X-Men: The Animated Series - IMDb

Sorry to Bother You - IMDb

Brooklyn Nine-Nine - IMDb

Can\\u2019t Bring Me Down | Clip from Dope - YouTube

The Shape of Water - IMDb

Superbad - IMDb

Meet Joe Black - IMDb

Brad Pit

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