Licorice Pizza - Speculation & General Reactions

[Find Your Magali]

Had my second viewing today, 10 months after first viewing.
This film absolutely rocks. In so many ways, it's a spiritual twin with Punch-Drunk Love -- and I think these two would be delightful and poignant paired in a twinbill.
Watched through all the extras on the blu-ray. It's interesting how much this film will end up as a document of COVID-19 and how, even through it, art could be created.
I think the deleted scenes, etc., also show how brilliant PTA and Andy Jurgensen are, because there's nothing there I would have wanted to see in the final product. So many smart decisions, and I think PTA would be the first to say that a deleted scene is a deleted scene because his writing was not up to par there.
I don't know what Hoffman and Haim will go on to do, but their performances and chemistry absolutely sell this film. They're amateurs, but this is no amateur hour at all. And I do think the movie's better for it. I think it's crucial to the story PTA is telling that we're not watching actors we don't recognize surrounded by actors that we do. 

[beardsleyfanatic]

Gary Goetzman is the one in the middle?



Could Alana Haim be playing one of the other actors in Yours, Mine and Ours? Morgan Brittany?

Gary Goetzman is the one in the middle?



Could Alana Haim be playing one of the other actors in Yours, Mine and Ours? Morgan Brittany?


Gary Goetzman is the youngest brunette in the picture.The one in the middle is Gil Reigers. I don't think Alana Haim is based on any of Gary's cast mates, but if it helps, Morgan Brittany DID describe Gary G as her soulmate and she also revealed she had a crush on him. Plus Lance was based on Tim Matheson and the two (Tim and Gary) are still friends!

[Scrooby]

Sequence 1.

The first sequence builds to—discovers itself to be—the momentous backstory to a photograph—the student yearbook photograph.

We, the audience, privileged as gods, observing from a reflective vantage point, see the Situation, and understand Gary's photo as forever suffused with Alana.

*

      Gary. This is fate! . . . Our roads took us here.

—light-hearted recollection of heavy Sophoclean application in TWBB and Phantom Thread.

*

The continuous long shot in the gym while students pass by (4:18–5:33) recalls the iconic kissing in daytime Hawaii in PDL.

*

Alana's introduced walking alongside sprinkler streams of glistening water. Life-giving freshness and refreshment.

*

Alana wearing sky-blue and cloud-white.

Gary's shirt—like an interference pattern; strata;—complexity. White trousers pretty-much match Alana's shorts. (An omen?)

*

Encouragement.

      Photographer. Chin up. Chin up.

—(e.g. light-hearted) recollection of Cyril's "Chin up." (49:13)

*

      "F*** me."

Gary's first line? May we take it as such?

A voice-over, a thought, a recollection—

An invocation, an invitation, admission of incompleteness—

Addressing himself.

*

Alana holds the mirror. Behavior reveals Self. If we see ourselves, if we think about our interaction with others, hopefully we will learn from ourselves, and evolve toward betterment.

Alana holds the mirror. Alana will bring "himself" out.

*

      Alana. What is this "Say everything twice"?

A charming confirmation of chemistry.

*

      Alana. You're such an actor, you're such an actor.

recalls, in a general way,

      De Niro. You're a good actress, you know that? Good f***ing actress.

Casino (1995), 2:09:18

*

Humor of woman undercutting man—classic banter of 1930s Hollywood comedies.

En route, finally, hopefully, to smart marriage : simultaneous encouragement 24/7.

*

      Alana. Kid.

      Welles. This is the biggest electric train set a boy ever had!

      Being There (1979) : You're always gonna be a little boy, ain't ya? (10:26)

*

The repetition of "Convenient within my plans" suggests Alana "measures out her life with coffee spoons."

*

      Alana. Your name's Valentine?

An omen!

*

      Photographer. Turn your legs around. Not too down. Look up, look up.

—humorous metatheatrical awareness : the treadmill of turning intangible emotion into visual cues.

*

      Gary. Man. I like that.
      Photographer. Like a tiger.

*

      "Oh my god. I'm coughing."

Sync : What happens with some cinemagoers who have just entered into the auditorium after a tremendous bong load.

*

Sync at the sink

       "Oh my god. I'm coughing."

Humorous juxtaposition
between
Invocation to Creator (suitable for opening a narrative)
/
quotidian idleness.

[PaulElroy35]

Sequence 1.

The first sequence builds to—discovers itself to be—the momentous backstory to a photograph—the student yearbook photograph.

We, the audience, privileged as gods, observing from a reflective vantage point, see the Situation, and understand Gary's photo as forever suffused with Alana.

*

      Gary. This is fate! . . . Our roads took us here.

—light-hearted recollection of heavy Sophoclean application in TWBB and Phantom Thread.

*

The continuous long shot in the gym while students pass by (4:18–5:33) recalls the iconic kissing in daytime Hawaii in PDL.

*

Alana's introduced walking alongside sprinkler streams of glistening water. Life-giving freshness and refreshment.

*

Alana wearing sky-blue and cloud-white.

Gary's shirt—like an interference pattern; strata;—complexity. White trousers pretty-much match Alana's shorts. (An omen?)

*

Encouragement.

      Photographer. Chin up. Chin up.

—(e.g. light-hearted) recollection of Cyril's "Chin up." (49:13)

*

      "F*** me."

Gary's first line? May we take it as such?

A voice-over, a thought, a recollection—

An invocation, an invitation, admission of incompleteness—

Addressing himself.

*

Alana holds the mirror. Behavior reveals Self. If we see ourselves, if we think about our interaction with others, hopefully we will learn from ourselves, and evolve toward betterment.

Alana holds the mirror. Alana will bring "himself" out.

*

      Alana. What is this "Say everything twice"?

A charming confirmation of chemistry.

*

      Alana. You're such an actor, you're such an actor.

recalls, in a general way,

      De Niro. You're a good actress, you know that? Good f***ing actress.

Casino (1995), 2:09:18

*

Humor of woman undercutting man—classic banter of 1930s Hollywood comedies.

En route, finally, hopefully, to smart marriage : simultaneous encouragement 24/7.

*

      Alana. Kid.

      Welles. This is the biggest electric train set a boy ever had!

      Being There (1979) : You're always gonna be a little boy, ain't ya? (10:26)

*

The repetition of "Convenient within my plans" suggests Alana "measures out her life with coffee spoons."

*

      Alana. Your name's Valentine?

An omen!

*

      Photographer. Turn your legs around. Not too down. Look up, look up.

—humorous metatheatrical awareness : the treadmill of turning intangible emotion into visual cues.

*

      Gary. Man. I like that.
      Photographer. Like a tiger.

*

      "Oh my god. I'm coughing."

Sync : What happens with some cinemagoers who have just entered into the auditorium after a tremendous bong load.

*

Sync at the sink

       "Oh my god. I'm coughing."

Humorous juxtaposition
between
Invocation to Creator (suitable for opening a narrative)
/
quotidian idleness.

Are all your posts this strange?

[Scrooby]

"Come on, boys."

As the camera steadycams up to the open doors of the convention center, the aperture opens—an expert, subtle, well-timed transition from a camera-operating wizard. (32:01–32:04)

[max from fearless]

Alana holds the mirror. Behavior reveals Self. If we see ourselves, if we think about our interaction with others, hopefully we will learn from ourselves, and evolve toward betterment.

Alana holds the mirror. Alana will bring "himself" out.

*

      Alana. What is this "Say everything twice"?

A charming confirmation of chemistry.

I was flicking through the film last night (the cinematography is really something to behold just on a granular grain level and the quality of summer light) but after reading this, I have to re-watch the the opening - because yesssss, her holding the mirror and that being how we meet her is pretty incredible as her whole thing issss about trying to find self, trying to self-actualise herself in the material world, something that Gary does with ease, in so many different ways as she coasts along...and that mirror really is a wonderful symbol of her journey, as well as witnessing, bringing out Gary...

Isn't love and partnership about being a witness for someone through the ups and downs?

Her repeating everything and him noticing is the 'cutest' PTA ish in his whole filmography...ok maybe asides from Barry and Lena on the bed together talking about biting each others faces off!

PTA is an amazing writer (fuckkkkk lol so much more to be constantly learning) thanks for the insights Scrooby! Not a huge fan of LP as a whole, but parts/elements of it are majestic and still more interesting than the best film/work of a so-so to very good writer/director...

[max from fearless]

Jesus, its an incredible opening sequence to a movie. God bless Nina Simone and then we mix to the sound of bikes whizzing by and old timey jazz on the radio outside the hot dog stand. Deeply evocative summer (ending?) nostalgia...

PS. i love people messing up in the restaurants in the PTA cinematic universe. Gary turning around after hearing someone drop(?) something whilst with Alana on date one and Gwyneth turning around in the Vegas diner, both deeply touching and somehow humanising moments for some reason...