My cult film is Empire Records. The first time I saw it was the summer before my freshman year of high school. I was hanging out with my two best friends at the time, Heather & Danielle, and some of Heather's ballroom team friends. I can't even remember whose house we were at but one guy, Greg Tennyson, decided we were going to watch it. Heather, Danielle, and I could not stop laughing. On the way home, we quoted several of our favorite lines. For my birthday a year later, they got me the dvd.
Still to this day, it is one of my favorite movies. Whenever I discover someone I know has not only seen it but also loves it, it creates a special bond for me, like we are apart of some inside joke that others don't understand. When I saw it at 14, I didn't realize how many famous actors are in the film. It has Anthony LaPaglia (star of the show Without a Trace) as Joe Reaves, the manager of the music store "Empire Records," Debi Mazar (cast-member of the show Entourage) as Jane, the manager of the pretentious has-been singer, Rex Manning, Rory Cochrane (who was in CSI: Miami for five years until his character was killed off and was in such films as A Scanner Darkly, Public Enemies, & Dazed and Confused) as Lucas, the Empire Records employee who "steals" $9,000 and takes it to Atlantic City in the hopes of wining enough money so that Empire won't be bought out by the chain store Music Town, and Johnny Whitworth (who was also on CSI: Miami for four years, as well as films The Rainmaker & 3:10 to Yuma) as the artist & Empire employee A.J. who wants to tell fellow employee Corey how much he loves her. There's also Robin Tunney (star of the films The Craft & Vertical Limit and currently stars in the tv show The Mentalist--one of my personal favorite shows) as Debra, the tough girl who failed to commit suicide the previous evening, walks into work and promptly shaves her head and Ethan Embry (who was on films such as Harold & Kumar Go to Whit Castle, Can't Hardly Wait, and Eagle Eye) as perpetually high & naive Empire employee Mark. But by far, the two most famous actresses in the movie (before they were famous, albeit) is Renee Zellweger (if you don't know who she is, wow.) as Gina, the promiscuous employee who is best friends with Corey, and Liv Tyler (again, if you don't know who she is, wow), the overachieving student who just got accepted to Harvard but is also a speed-freak. There are other characters, but these are by far the most famous.
What makes this film so memorable for me (besides the story which is pretty cool too) is how quotable the movie is. I've got entire scenes memorized, not to mention just little lines of dialogue that make me happy from time to time. And so, dear readers, I leave you with some of my favorite quotes from my cult film Empire Records.
Lucas: Mitchell's the Man, Joe!
Joe: Yeah? Well, the man calls all the shots!
Lucas: Damn the Man!
A.J.: Joe, I need to ask your advice. Now I know you know a lot about love and women and all that sort of thing...
Joe: Oh, yeah. My wife left me for another woman and my girlfriend forced me to leave at gunpoint. Does this qualify me?
A.J.: Oh yeah, definitely.
Corey: My dad always said that there's 24 useable hours in every day.
[Mark is the only one at the counter & is getting overwhelmed. He answers the phone.]
Mark: Empire Records, open till midnight, this is Mark.
[Pause]
Mark: Midnight!
Warren: Who glued these quarters down?
A.J.: I did.
Warren: What the hell for, man?
A.J.: I don't feel I need to explain my art to you, Warren.
Corey: I'm not like you, I don't need to do what you do with guys.
Gina: Oh, I see. Not like me, the turbo-slut.
[Lucas just lost all the store's money gambling]
Lucas: I wonder if I'll be held responsible for this...
[Warren was just caught shoplifting some CDs]
Joe: I want you to take these [CDs], hold them against your chest, stand against the wall, and they're going to take a photograph of you.
Warren: Why don't you go shove 'em up your ass?
Lucas: ...Because it would hurt a lot, Warren.
Lucas: Joe, I think it's going to be okay.
Joe: What makes you think that?
Lucas: Who knows where thoughts come from? They just appear.
A.J.: Lucas, do you think it's possible for a person to be in love with someone else and not even know it?
Lucas: In this life, there are nothing but possibilities.
A.J.: Well, that's good, because I have to tell Corey I love her by 1:37.
Lucas: That is an excellent time.
Warren: Stop calling me Warren! My name isn't FUCKING WARREN!
Eddie: His name's not Warren.
Corey: His name's not Warren.
Berko: His name's not Warren.
Mark: I thought his name was Warren...
Lucas: Joe, I can categorically say that you are not a bigger banana-head.
Lucas: I do not regret the things I have done but those I did not do!
Mark: We mustn't dwell...no, not today. We can't! Not on Rex Manning Day!
Mark: Damn the man! Save the Empire!
Love you.
Mean it.
No comments:
Post a Comment