Richard Linklater

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“It Seems That You Highlighted The ‘Recent’ Rise Of American Libertarianism And Juxtaposed It With True Anarchism”

May 22, 2013 in Excerpts, Film, Politics, Videos | Permalink

Richard Linklater made Slacker, one of my favorite films, and spoke highly of George W. Bush, one of my least-favorite politicians. And until this very moment I forgot that I interviewed him years ago and he was a really forthright and honest subject. Linklater just did an Ask Me Anything on Reddit. A few exchanges follow.

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Question:

In Slacker, it seems that you highlighted the “recent” rise of American Libertarianism and juxtaposed it with true anarchism (the Ron Paul ad and the old man being robbed). What side to you fall on, or were you trying to highlight the pros and cons of each philosophy?

Richard Linklater:

Glad you picked up on the nod to Ron Paul in Slacker. I’m with the Libertarian ideology on the freedom front… but I’m kind of a safety net guy, too — don’t like ideologies when they result in cruelty. There is a way in our world, given all of our resources, to have both.

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 Question:

What do you think about the “childization” of movies these days? It seems that Hollywood marketing has successfully turned us all into children. Do you think we are as dumb as the movies we watch, or are we playing dumb in order to enjoy what is commercially available to us?

Richard Linklater:

A good question. A real chicken or egg situation. But as long as people keep going, the films you seem to be alluding to will certainly keep coming. At any moment there are a lot of options available for those who want to look a little deeper into the cinematic landscape.

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Question:

Many of your films focus on time. Each film in the Before Trilogy takes place in the year you filmed it. Tape is all in real time. You have been filming Boyhood for over 10 years to properly age the main actors. What films influenced your unique cinematic perception of time?

Richard Linklater:

Hard to say what films. The ability to manipulate time is such a unique property to cinema. I spend more time thinking about how it affects narrative.

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Question:

What does Keanu Reeves smell like?

Richard Linklater:

I’m pretty sure he smells like Keanu Reeves, if you’re lucky enough to get that close!

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Question:

Have you ever had a lucid dream? Can you share the details?

Richard Linklater:

Yes. I’ve just realized I’m in one right now.•

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Classic DVD: Slacker (1991)

December 6, 2010 in Film | Permalink

Teresa Taylor peddling an alleged Madonna pap smear, in the film's most famous scene.

Richard Linklater’s fresh and fascinating 1991 debut, Slacker, is an action film if you consider walking slow and talking fast to be action. Using a $25K budget, a screenplay with no narrative thread and a cast of seemingly loco locals in Austin, Texas, Linklater made a movie that challenged the prevailing notion of what an independent film had to be if it aspired to commercial success.

The movie is structured as a chain reaction in which the camera eavesdrops on a conversation and then departs with people who had some contact (often glancing) with those having the conversation. Then it listens in on the new conversation, which has nothing to do with the one that preceded it, and leaves with the next subjects. And so on. The people indulging in the bull sessions are underemployed, anarchic Gen-X townies who’ve given up on society without giving in. Some of these self-styled pariahs passionately suggest violent insurrection may be the answer to the country’s woes, but they don’t seem eager to leave their apartments to partake in such a struggle. And they’re just as fixated on the ridiculous as the profound. Some questions that arise: Have astronauts been on the moon since the ’50s? Is a stolen Madonna pap smear a salable commodity? Is Elvis Presley alive and supporting himself as an Elvis impersonator?

Any of these scenes might seem slight on their own, but the movie has an overarching philosophy that belies its casual tone. As one character imparts about another matter altogether: “The underlying order is chaos.” (Available from Netflix and other outlets.)

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