Issue #22: Violence, Sports, Philosophy, and WTF?!?

A screening of the cult classic The Big Lebowski, my Mount Rushmore of all-time favorite movies, and “far out” new homes for sale.

The Silvert Lining is a place where I talk about real estate, cool homes for sale, things I’m looking forward to, and how I’ve been spending my time. In addition to this newsletter, I also post regularly on Instagram. You can follow me at Dan Silvert Homes. If you would like to meet with me to discuss your home search, you can schedule time here.

Editor’s Note: Today’s newsletter includes links to scenes from the movies discussed. Many of these scenes include profanity and/or mature themes and may not be safe for work environments.

I hope everyone survived submitting their taxes by April 15 and then enjoyed Passover, Easter, and 420. I experienced perhaps the most quintessential San Francisco 420 by attending a screening of The Big Lebowski at the Masonic, complete with a post-screening Q&A with Jeff Bridges and his stuntman of 70+ films (according to the Dude), Loyd Catlett.

Having seen The Big Lebowski probably twenty times (and never turning it off when it comes on TV randomly), I thought it would be a great opportunity to see it on the big screen for the first time and share it with my girlfriend. My girlfriend has seen nearly every movie ever but not The Big Lebowski, so I was shocked I had the chance to get her eyeballs on one of the four best movies of all time. Her rationale for never seeing The Big Lebowski is something along the lines of confusing the movie with 1996’s Kingpin (a very different movie that also involves bowling), and then feeling like it was too late to partake in The Big Lebowski’s cult fandom.

Wait, did you say top four movies of all time? Yup, and in the meandering vein of his Dudeness’ journey, we are going to sidestep to the top-four, non-negotiable, non-debatable movies of all-time. As noted in this issue’s title, the themes are pretty straightforward, have tremendous overlap, but don’t always make sense; rather on-brand with The Big Lebowski and my personal engagement with the world.

Caddyshack

1980’s Caddyshack is the greatest sports comedy of all-time, hands down. Coming off of the success of 1978’s Animal House, Doug Kenney, Harold Ramis, and a roving band of National Lampoon and Saturday Night Live alums made a movie revolving around Cinderella Boys, dancing like no one is looking, being the ball, and being good company while displaying high emotional intelligence. Much like The Big Lebowski, it’s a bit of a struggle to articulate what this movie is about, and that’s the beauty of it.

There are so many things I love about this movie. Danny (the protagonist) getting life advice of varying quality from…everyone. Ted Knight (who starred as Judge Smails) was, in real life, absolutely furious about the debauchery and partying on set. Chevy Chase’s Ty Webb giving wisdom to Danny, Bill Murray’s bumbling groundskeeper character, and anyone else who will listen (voluntarily or otherwise).

Like The Big Lebowski, Caddyshack gained much of its traction in the decades after its theatrical release. Some of the cast’s careers ramped way up after this movie, and others toiled in semi-obscurity or faded away from acting.

Bull Durham

This 1988 vehicle starring Kevin Costner, Tim Robbins, and Susan Sarandon has much of the comedy of Caddyshack with a bit more self-awareness. Bull Durham is a baseball movie about more than the game itself. A pre-Field of Dreams Costner stars as an aging journeyman baseball lifer with experience in the Show and Robbins is a recent college grad with more brawn than brains. When Costner is demoted to the bus leagues, he gives Robbins’ Ebby Calvin “Nuke” LaLoosh a lesson in not hurting the ballclub. All the while, Sarandon’s Annie Savoy is competing for the boys’ affection.

Bull Durham plays mostly in the sports and philosophy lane, so let’s move on to the violence lane.

Gladiator

Already mentioned in Issue #5.5, 2000’s Gladiator is my Roman Empire of films. The Ridley Scott epic stars Russell Crowe in an Oscar winning role as Roman general Maximus Decimus Meridius. After a fall from grace not of his own doing, Maximus is forced to fight for his life and honor. He eventually makes it to the Roman Colosseum, where the new emperor has reestablished the gladiatorial games and exerts his will with sadistic aplomb.

This is a movie I really don’t want to spoil for you. If you’ve made it 25 years without seeing it, I will leave it on you to watch it and let me know what you think.

The Big Lebowski

You can think that The Big Lebowski isn’t a great movie but that’s just, like, your opinion, man. The Coen brothers had hit it big with their previous film Fargo. Expectations were high (pun intended) for The Big Lebowski, but it was a critical and box office disappointment when it was released in 1998. The movie caught a second wind when it came out on DVD and became an often quoted cult classic with its own festival.

The Big Lebowski is a shaggy-dog story about nothing and everything all at the same time. Jeff Bridges stars as the Dude who gets caught up in a case of mistaken identity, his bowling league, bad decision making and hijinks, and more. There are a lot of ins, lot of outs, and a lot of strands in the ol’ Duder’s head. Is the movie about bowling? Rugs really tying rooms together? John Goodman’s Walter fighting the voices in his head (at the Q&A Jeff Bridges floated the theory that Steve Buscemi’s Donny is a figment of Walter’s imagination).

All in all, a great cinematic romp that I highly encourage you to take for a spin if you haven’t already done so.

Jeff Bridges and Loyd Catlett during the post-screening Q&A. Bridges is a photography enthusiast who took the photo of John Goodman as Walter Sobchak during the filming of The Big Lebowski.

In the spirit of The Big Lebowski, there is no coherent theme other than that these houses are all enjoyable and deserving of a rug to really tie them together.

1. 2314 Edwards Street in Berkeley’s Poet's Corner neighborhood is an adorable 1912 Craftsman with 2 bedrooms/1 bathroom listed at $828,000.

2. 1066 Longridge Road in Oakland’s Crocker Highlands neighborhood is a stately 1926 Georgian Revival with 5 bedrooms/4 bathrooms listed at $2,189,000.

3. 2339 Tice Valley Boulevard in Walnut Creek’s Tice Valley neighborhood is a 1932 Hacienda-style home with 2 bedrooms/2 bathrooms listed at $1,795,000.

4. 57 Domingo Avenue in Berkeley’s Claremont neighborhood is a classic 1918 colonial home with 4 bedrooms/3 bathrooms listed at $2,095,000.

Let me know if you are looking for a new home and I can create a customized search based on your wants and needs that will email you homes that meet your search criteria. You can schedule time with me to discuss your search for a new home or selling your current home by emailing me at DanSilvertHomes@gmail.com. DRE #01963734