It isn’t Born to Run.
Born to Run is a culture-shifting collection of words and music that not only changed the lives of the people who made it, but also every single person who heard it. It has spent four decades doing so, and will surely spend many, more decades continuing to do so.
Goliath, Mr. Larroca’s fourth and latest film, is just a movie filmed by some kid and his friends on presumably a budget of $0. It will surely be forgotten by its participants by the time they move on to college, or the Army, or whatever path they choose to take as their teen years fade into adulthood.
Which is a shame.
Because while Born to Run may have been a culture-shifting collection of words and music that not only changed the lives of the people who made it, but also every single person who heard it and spent four decades doing so, and will surely spend many, more decades continuing to do so, Goliath is 11 minutes and 11 seconds of art that transcends, transports, and transfixes. Since the beginning of this paragraph I’ve completely forgotten that Born to Run exists, and I do not care. I do not miss it.
Because Goliath.
Some notes I took as I watched:
- You are grabbed by the throat before the title even comes on the screen, as Mr. Larroca posts “Don’t dwell on what went wrong. Instead, focus on what to do next”, a quote from someone named Denis Waitley, who besides finding everlasting life by being name-dropped in this film probably spent a great part of his youth being called “Penis Waitley.” For him to have overcome such a thing tells us that Goliath STARTS with sweet, horrible redemption. If I never saw another frame of this movie, which I considered briefly, I would consider the full price of admission, which I did not have to pay, totally worth it. If there’s ever been a time in which a standing ovation for a movie before an actor has appeared onscreen or a word has been said would be appropriate, this is that time.
- I said it about his first movie and I said it about his second movie and now I’ll said it about his fourth movie: Mr. Larroca’s bravely brilliant creative strategy of filling up as much of the movie’s precious minutes with slow title sequences is brave and brilliant. I’d say bravo to Mr. Larroca on this point but do not feel it is my place to say it.
- White kids playing basketball. 80s synch music. I’m in. I AM ALL IN
- Oh no, it’s “the biggest bully at Gonzaga.” What a frightening thing to hear, a bully at an elite private school in Washington, DC, this guy must be terrifying. I’m reminded slightly of how Op would warm up for basketball games:
10:12pm "Be True. another sophomore go-to song in car before basketball game." Wow. Good thing for the other team they didn't know about that - I'm sure there's nothing a basketball team fears more than a white guy who's just been pumped up by mid-tempo Springsteen studio outtakes. Bullet dodged!!!! "oh no, he's displaying fine sportsmanship and is making crisp passes!! He's been listening to Bruce!!!!!!!!!! We are FUUUUUCKED!!!"
I look back at my days of riding the bus with Michael Perry waving a knife around and I scoff; surely he’s never received and upbraiding about Nantucket Reds before Labor Day like this bully can deliver.
- Filming the movie in a wind tunnel may not have been Mr. Larroca’s finest cinematic choice.
- These kids are the worst basketball players ever seen onscreen, but by now, I trust Mr. Larroca – perhaps one of them will turn into a wolf?
- Crying scene: Mr. Larroca, clear off that trophy shelf. Mr. Oscar will be making a visit soon.
- Kid in a robe. Is this a Harry Potter parody?
- “The first thing we need to do is get better at basketball.” Unless this movie is as long as Shawshank Redemption I don’t see that happening.
- Toto song…reference to The Wizard of Oz? Jesus. I’m hooked. Pissing in a Gatorade bottle hooked.
- 5 &1/2 minutes in, and I see Mr. Larroca has presumably saved all the relevant dialogue and meaningful action into the second half of the flick. Genius – if he worked at Peter Luger’s the steak would only come once you’ve gotten out on the street to walk away. Patience, people, patience.
- Slow-motion shot of kid behind some trees starting to walk while David Bowie plays = something is about to happen, and they caught it on film.
- Still slow-mo/Bowie.I am drained. I am sated. I am not sated. I am not drained, I am alive. There are only two words with which I can thank Mr. Larocca:
- Still slow-mo/Bowie.
- Nobody ever say “nerd” with such indignation as this since The Fonz. This is a pleasure to hear.
- Shit, the one-on one game is all tied up, and Mr. Larroca’s protagonist only has one last play to win.
- Slow-motion shots with Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah playing = somebody knows Jeff Buckley didn’t write it, and our climax is upon us.
- Yes, I am reminding myself to write my next porn movie, Our Climax is Upon Us.
- Is Mr. Larroca’s character crying? Jesus man. Leave an Oscar or two out there for somebody else. Whoa. Not fair, kid. Not fair.
- No he’s not crying, it’s just really windy and he has to stare at the camera in slow motion while Hallelujah’s still going and you can’t overact if your co-star has red hair and green pants, so.
- Mr. Larroca raises his hand as if calling his (hopefully winning!) shot. Or, being a student at Gonzaga, summoning someone from lesser socioeconomic circumstances to move his hair out of his eyes for a quarter. Either way – with this writer/director, it’s always impossible to read minds.
- I was a little confused with the title, Goliath, until I just saw the character who beat a kid half his size on the basketball court throw the ball at the losing kid for a little icing on the cake. The message? Life is about winners, not losers. The fact that I am writing this only minutes before Donald Trump takes the stage for the first GOP debate is not lost on me. Well done, Mr. Larroca. It is one thing to have timing, it is another to create it.
- Oh, “70 years forward” – a flash forward! A new cinematic device for young Larroca! A new tool in his toolbox! Words on a screen!
- Oh oh…now-octogenarian Mr. Larroca spots the ol’ ball and hoop…
- Holy shit – I thought the crying scenes were going to cash in at the Oscars but a dying scene?!!?!?!!? Set to Badfinger’s Baby Blue – no mas, sir, no mas!!!!!
- Movie kind of ends, I guess. Hmm. Okay.
Thank you.
Ladies and gentlemen - Goliath (made available by Filmvetter):
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