Dazed and Confused

Those (few) who read this blog regularly are probably sick of me quoting New York Times movie critic A.O. Scott, so I won't do it again here. But suffice it to say, we appreciate similar things in our cinema. I've come to look forward to Friday mornings when he posts a Critic's Picks video looking back at classic or iconic films that have, for one reason or another, stood the test of time and, more importantly, stand up under multiple viewings. He goes a step further than most critics, looking at the ways the film has influenced popular culture or, just as often, defined a moment in time.

A couple of weeks ago it was one of my all-time favourite films, Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused. I still find it hard to explain why this film resonates with me. It chronicles the last day of school for the generation that was ahead of me. But as a boy, we looked up to the kinds of guys and girls that are its protagonists and antagonists. There are many stand-out performances, particularly Matthew McConaughey as Wooderson, the old guy who still hangs out with high-school kids, and an early role for Ben Affleck as O'Bannion, the recently graduated bully who's holding on to his glory days with both fists.

One word of caution, if you're going to rent this DVD, look beyond the cover art, which is hideous and misleading, (unless it's the Criterion Collection edition, in which case it's passable).