Scot Nery – Movies and the Masses

Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 11:32 am

Welcome to another edition of Movies and the Masses, where we take average people from across the Internet and get their opinions on the art of film. However, this week’s guest is anything but average. Kix Brooks from Brooks & Dunn has called him “Probably the greatest entertainer in America today.” Robin Williams has referred to his performances as “splendidly surreal.”

I’m talking about Scot Nery, a comedian, juggler and contortionist living in Los Angeles. While Scot spends much of his time doing live shows, he’s also appeared in front of the camera. You can catch him as Juggling Boy in 2007’s Bratz: The Movie, and he served as the stunt contortionist on Adam Sandler’s You Don’t Mess with the Zohan.
For a full list of his work, be sure and visit his website. There’s also the Scot Nery blog to take a look at, as well as the ever-present MySpace page. And if you’re interested in hiring a world-class entertainer, Scot also has contact and booking information available.

Now let’s get to the interview…

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Only Good Movies: What’s the first movie you remember seeing?
Scot Nery: We had a VHS of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off that my sister and I would wear out. The first movie I can remember(though I know it wasn’t the first) seeing in the theater was Land Before Time. I saw it with a group of kids. Beth, the girl that I had a crush on through most of my school life, was there. I thought the movie was stupid and I pretended to cry. I told her that I was joking, but she wouldn’t believe it. We never had an affair. I blame that movie, not my penchant for unicycling.

OGM: If you only had a few hours to live and could do nothing but watch five movies, which films would you select?
SN: I like life a lot, so I’d prolly want to live to the max during those last moments.
Finding Neverland to cry.
Along Came Polly to laugh — it’s a junkfood movie, but Philip Seymore Hoffman won’t allow himself to fail.
Fight Club / Dark Night / Steamboat Bill Jr. to feel like an animal.
Any high-rated porn to cry a different kind of tears.
The War by Ken Burns to live an extra 900 minutes!

OGM: What’s your favorite movie?
SN: You Don’t Mess with the Zohan because it has paid me a ton of money. Imagine showing up at the theater and they hand you a rent check. Which movie would you like?
If nobody ever paid me, it would be Groundhog Day. The comedy is okay, but the part I like about it is the uncynical theme.

OGM: What’s your least favorite movie?
SN: A Boy and his Dog comes to mind. It’s Don Johnson after a nuclear apocalypse with his telepathic talking dog who helps Don find girls to rape.

OGM: Do you subscribe to an online rental service like Netflix or Blockbuster Online? Why or why not?
SN: I was subscribed to Netflix, then Blockbuster because I could get more movies with the store exchange, but I was watching 2 or 3 movies per day. If I have food on my plate, I will eat it immediately because it feels like something that needs to get done. Same with having a DVD in my house. Also, I felt like I was losing money if I didn’t watch the movie and send it back before the mail went out.

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OGM: In 50 years, which modern movies do you think will be viewed as classics?
SN: Probably every movie will be less special because there will be so many. That’s kinda how it is now. It’s likely that moviemaking formulas will get better and the intellectualism of the art will find less popularity. Instead, you’ll have access to every film ever made and it will be more about finding what you personally want and less about a general consensus.
Wait, you were just looking for movie titles…Transformers II.

OGM: If you see a movie based on a book, are you then more or less likley to read the book?
SN: If I hear about a book being good, I hope it will come out as a movie.

OGM: Who’s your favorite celebrity?
SN: I like Vaudeville stars like Bojangles and Houdini; they invented national celebrity by being interesting and hard working. I don’t find much appeal in modern pop celebrities. I like looking at them and I like the illusion of it all, but the individuals don’t matter. I mostly like people that keep working hard to provide good entertainment. Robin Williams, Fiona Apple, Peter Sarsgaard, Philip Seymore Hoffman, Floria Sigismondi, Christopher Nolan, Paul Thomas Anderson, Bob Dylan, Tina Fey.
What celebrities do I think would like me? Natalie Portman, Gary Busey.

OGM: Is there any actor or actress whose movies you actively avoid?
SN: No.

OGM: How do you feel about all the remakes of older and classic films?
SN: If they’re entertaining, I like them. Comedy nerds get really angry about jokes that are stolen. Book nerds get frustrated when the movie isn’t as good as the book. Movie nerds go ape when the movie isn’t as good as the movie. It’s just entertainment. The point is to give texture and titillation to people’s lives.
When I go to watch a comedy show, I’m watching the comedian to see if I think he’s funny, but moreover, I’m watching the audience to see what they think. That’s the point. Entertain the audience. Don’t try to impress the nerds.
This might also be why this is not a celebrity interview. The nerds give you jobs. I entertain the crap outta people, don’t try to befriend the nerds, and I’m not a celebrity.
It might sound like I’m encouraging really broad entertainment, but I’m not. I figure you can make 3 kinds of good movie. Movie #1 is pretty good for most everyone who sees it. Movie #2 is good to the largest group of people. Movie #3 is great for a niche.
I’m hoping this response will end all wars.

OGM: Which actor or actress do you find most attractive?
SN: I’m straight. Sorry, fellas. There’s something about Alison Lohman

OGM: Do you read movie reviews? If so, which critics do you read most often, and why do you like them?
SN: I scan the web and read a scatter of reviews. I haven’t found a reviewer that I can trust to have my opinion and sometimes I like a movie that is totally bad… Not because it’s bad, but because it strikes something for me.

OGM: What type of people annoy you when going to a movie theater?
SN: People that drive slow in the left lane on the way there. People that charge me for tickets. Anyone that actively distracts me from sinking into the movie completely by talking a ton, throwing stuff, exploding, or checking their texts and lighting up the theater.’

OGM: Do you consider movies to be works of art?
SN: Sure.

OGM: What type of candy or drink do you consider essential to your movie watching experience?
SN: I like watching movies at home, being comfortable alone or with a cuddly mute person. I usually watch them at the end of the day before bed and I don’t eat before bed because it’s easier to sleep 5 hours after eating. I’m too practical for life.

Thanks again to Scot Nery for taking part in this edition of Movies and the Masses. Check back for another installment next week. In the meantime, be sure to visit Scot’s sites, watch his videos, and buy his t-shirts. After all the enjoyment he just provided, it’s really the least we can do.

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