Popdose - Latest Comments in Sugar Water: Running Scared From Progress

Re: Sugar Water: Running Scared From Progress

rwcass — Thu, 07 May 2009 15:09:09 -0000

You're right, E. According to Wikipedia, "The film also removes all the romantic/physical relationships between the astronauts (the novel's version of Tanya Kirbuk is married to navigator Vasili Orlov and is surnamed Orlova; in the novel Walter Curnow is bisexual and has a relationship with Maxim Brailovsky, breaking it off when he learns that Zenia Marchenko is in love with Maxim. At the end of the book we learn that Maxim marries Zenia and Curnow marries Katerina Rudenko)."

Re: Sugar Water: Running Scared From Progress

rwcass — Tue, 05 May 2009 20:30:58 -0000

Excellent call on that fishing scene, Peter. I didn't even think about the metaphorical castration. Now please watch the tight-squeeze-in-the-garbage-compactor scene and tell me what that one means.

Re: Sugar Water: Running Scared From Progress

pbsebastian — Tue, 05 May 2009 16:40:31 -0000

I saw this movie when I was a kid and all of the homosexual subtext that you mentioned went right over my head.

The homoerotic undertones were very stark in the first clip that you posted. The fishing rod that Gregory Hines was holding was extremely phallic. Oh what fun the shirtless Crystal and Hines are having tugging that rod while drinking beer in their very short shorts. When the women appear, the on-camera fun is over, Crystal jumps away from the action and quickly skirts away to a cabin, supposedly to prove his masculine prowess. Hines is left alone, holding his rod. He must perform a metaphorical castration if he does not want to be left alone from the group.

Re: Sugar Water: Running Scared From Progress

rwcass — Tue, 05 May 2009 12:50:46 -0000

I haven't read "2010: Odyssey Two," E, so I don't know about the switch-hitting, but that's interesting. Do you think Hyams made up for its exclusion from "2010" with the gay subtext of "Running Scared"?

I seem to remember turning to my dad as we were leaving the theater after "2010" ended and saying, "That's the best movie I've ever seen." Or did I say that about "The Natural" the same year? Either way, I agree that "2010" made a lot more sense than "2001" as a child. My dad showed "2001" to my brother and me two years after we saw "2010," but I got bored very quickly. Even today I have trouble getting into it because of the lack of interesting characters. But I've never been able to get into the films Kubrick made once he moved to London, except for "Eyes Wide Shut," which I've been told I'm wrong for liking. "Paths of Glory" is probably my favorite of the Kubrick films I've seen.

Re: Sugar Water: Running Scared From Progress

Tue, 05 May 2009 12:27:54 -0000

Hi there! I'm from Iowa. How many times a year you think I get to take pride in that?

And speaking of Peter Hyams: I liked 2010 just fine (to my grade-school mind, it made a hell of a lot more sense than 2001), but didn't he surgically remove a lot of the astronaut-on-astronaut action from the book, including a little switch-hitting on the part of the John Lithgow character?

I may be remembering this wrong, but I don't think I am.

Re: Sugar Water: Running Scared From Progress

rwcass — Tue, 05 May 2009 11:21:03 -0000

Thank you thank you thank you for going there, Jon. But please don't tell Adorno that a lot of his favorite music was probably written, produced, and/or performed by gay people.

Re: Sugar Water: Running Scared From Progress

JonCummings — Tue, 05 May 2009 11:17:11 -0000

Actually, I'm gonna miss Adorno a lot. Someone who can string together a sentence that discusses both why he came and how he doesn't want something shoved in his face? Now THAT's some hot man-on-man comments-section action!

Re: Sugar Water: Running Scared From Progress

rwcass — Tue, 05 May 2009 10:56:11 -0000

Thanks for not reading!

Re: Sugar Water: Running Scared From Progress

jefito — Tue, 05 May 2009 06:02:50 -0000

You're absolutely right. We won't miss you one bit.

Re: Sugar Water: Running Scared From Progress

adorno — Tue, 05 May 2009 03:19:19 -0000

This is the last time I read your blog. I'm sure you won't miss me, but I've had it with your gay politicking.

I came here for the music, and there are a million other music blogs out there who don't shove gay marriage in your face.

Lotsa luck