Written by Sebastian Kim When Roger Ebert described movies as “a machine that generates empathy,” I doubt the Jackass film and TV series was at the top of his mind. To me at twelve, however, Johnny Knoxville getting kicked in the nuts may as well have been Humphrey Bogart saying, “Here’s looking at you kid” in Casablanca. There’s still a germ of that childlike excitement fueling the Willy Wonka-esque dream factory at the core of my identity. My mom is Irish by way of Brooklyn and my dad, who’s originally from Korea, credits film and TV with teaching him the spoken and cultural language of the US. The Irish Rovers and The Pogues provided much of the soundtrack to my youth, and reruns of The Beverly Hillbillies were considered educational. We made frequent visits to the video store and I typically got to weigh in. I was about ten when I first saw Spike Jonze’s Video Days. It wasn’t long before I had a skateboard and access to a camcorder. It’s a real testament to my parents that pride was their main reaction to important milestones like my appearance in the crime-report section of the local newspaper. I had earned the accolade by filming a scene that involved me and a friend donning Gumby and giant chicken disguises and wrestling outside a crowded downtown CVS. Was I offered any cautionary words of wisdom? Yes— I was informed that Barnum & Bailey Clown College is more selective than Harvard. This further...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Tuesday, 25 June, 2024