It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon
Wow. DP, I would love (in an apprehensive, confused sort of way) to hear about exactly how and why Sunshine was the worst movie you saw this summer. Even if you hate the last section of it as many do (and I don’t), what about it being visually amazing and incredibly tense? Or did you just resent the jump-the-rails effect others have described?
It’s a question I think about a lot — whether it’s worse for a movie to be middling the whole way through, or work for a good portion and then really fly off the handle. I tend to give the advantage (in terms of comparisons) to movies that really go for it, even if that results in a partially good, partially insane/misguided/flat movie.. rather than something that is completely proficient at something more simple or less interesting. But then that gets into the question of “how can you rate this horror movie three stars when you gave this wildly ambitious drama two and a half,” and I totally understand the Ebert-style answer, “because the horror movie succeeds on its intended level and the wildly ambitious drama does not.” So I guess there’s a tipping point, and it’s hard to figure where it is. 45 awesome minutes of Mission to Mars, to pick an example related to Sunshine, was not enough. But maybe 70 or 75 would’ve been.
And again, I don’t think either of those descriptions apply to Sunshine; I love Danny Boyle. But I know it’s that kind of movie for a lot of people. Then again, maybe you hated it from moment one.
I’ll chime in over here since I need to get over my inability to make lists due to, what I believe, is some latent OCD.
1) Best movie: ONCE
2) Worst movie: I just avoid the ones that look bad so I dunno. Pirates 3 was sure boring though.
3) Biggest creative winner: Joe Swanberg or if we’re talking big time people, Apatow.
4) Biggest creative loser: Sam Raimi (gone are the signature Raimi camera angles an d style of the previous Spidey movies…and Peter Parker sings and dances? Huh?)
5) Most overrated: Ratatouille. I liked it alot but come on people, it’s no Toy Story.
6) Most underrated: 28 WEEKS LATER or SUNSHINE (first 3/4ths)
7) Biggest surprise: 28 WEEKS LATER, ONCE
8) Favorite scene: The sex scene in KNOCKED UP when Heigel’s character is SUPER preggo and Rogens character thinks he’ll hurt the baby. My wife is like, 7 and 1/2 months along so I related to that a liiiiiitle too much.
9) Breakout star: Seth Rogen or Shia LaBoof…Beuf…Beef
10) Most unfortunate success: Perez Hilton or SPIDERMAN 3 (we shouldn’t embrace mediocrity with our wallets)
1) Best movie – Ratatouille
2) Worst movie – Spider-Man 3
3) Biggest creative winner – The Simpsons Movie
4) Biggest creative loser – Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
5) Most overrated – Don’t know if I have an answer, so I’ll say Spider-Man 3, just because I didn’t like the first two, which definitely are overrated
6) Most underrated – Shrek 3, which I can’t believe is my answer, but it’s better than the last one. I reserve the right to change my mind once I see it again
7) Biggest surprise – That Transformers was so good; that Order of the Phoenix was so bad; that Justin Long’s character in Die Hard 4 was nothing like his “I’m a Mac” persona
8) Favorite scene – tough one, since I saw it last I’ll pick the Snow White parody from The Simpsons Movie, which is more cutting than anything in any of the Shreks
9) Breakout star – Evanna Lynch, about the only good thing in Order of the Phoenix
10) Most unfortunate success – 300, as someone else said, because the movie is so vile and abominable, which is what keeps Spider-Man 3 from taking this slot, which it otherwise would, since it is neither vile nor abominable, just lousy
The summer isn’t really over yet for me (“Superbad” tomorrow) but here goes…
1) Best movie
“Knocked Up” (the first movie my girlfriend and I saw three times in the 3+ years we’ve been together, if that’s any indication of my love for the flick)
2) Worst movie
“Spider-Man 3,” hands down. The worst structure of an epic of recent memory I can think of. Whether it’s the writer’s or the editor that mucked it up (with guidance from Raimi, of course) I’m not sure. This movie served up more groans from me than any movie I’ve seen in a theater.
3) Biggest creative winner
“Knocked Up.” It took concepts that has been tried and tried many a time (whether it be a story of nine months of pregnancy, or a loser becomes a responsible man scenario) and tackled them both in such a unique and original manner that I was stunned. Movies that seem completely original I get taken up in because I feel like I’ve seen something truly unique–something I may never see again. It’s an isolated excitement. “Knocked Up,” on the other hand, is the kind of movie that gets me excited and hopeful of movies in general–that with the right talent and approach a great movie can be made from nearly anything, no matter how many times a concept has been done before.
Also: the editing of “The Bourne Ultimatum.”
4) Biggest creative loser
“Spider-Man 3.” Too many bad guys but only half a villian. Peter Parker was to be an asshole when he turned into black Spidey but he was an asshole from reel one, and a parody of his asshole self with the black suit. It was ambitious but it seemed like instead of Raimi directing traffic properly he let the lights stay green in all four corners of the intersection.
5) Most overrated
No answer.
6) Most underrated
No answer.
7) Biggest surprise
“Live Free or Die Hard” being a decent action movie even though it was a TERRIBLE “Die Hard” movie. McClaine’s secret is that he’s great when at the end of his rope but he’s rarely ever there in this movie. He’s mostly showboarting, doing extravigant things for the sake of doing them. Why would he drive a truck through a building and stopping for nothing until his own life is in jeopardy? And why would the screenwriter go the creepy route by rehashing the subplot of the original one, featuring McClaine’s wife taking up the name “McClaine” again in the end after John proves himself, only this time it’s John’s daughter and not wife? And why the fuck would the filmmaker’s pit the most ambitious action scene between a misinformed air force pilot (a good guy) and John, to where John is only trying to escape? That kind of moment calls for John trying to defeat the bad guy!!! Wow, and I enjoyed this movie anyway. Movies can surprise me.
8) Favorite scene
The hotel room scene in “Knocked Up”
9) Breakout star
Leslie Mann. Yes, she’s a veteran actress. But wouldn’t it be wonderful if she headlined a movie for a change?
10) Most unfortunate success
“Spider-Man 3.” That kind of gross worries me that the filmmakers think they did a good job. They needed to be held over the coals for that shit.
I am a Danny Boyle fan as well, Jesse, but for me, Sunshine was a big wank with some really cool stuff along the way… as were Alien 3 and Alien Ressurection.
It would be fair to keep in mind that there were some really bad films this summer that I didn’t bother to see.
But I thought Sunshine was purposeless. It was endlessly derivative, then it kept twisting like it was going to top its predecessors. But it never did. And somehow, it had to figure out what it was really trying to say
1) Best movie: Ratatouille
2) Worst movie: Shrek 3
3) Biggest creative winner: Knocked Up
4) Biggest creative loser: Fantastic 4: The Inability to Enertain Kids and their Parents
5) Most overrated: The Simpsons
6) Most underrated: Transformers (CLASSIC)
7) Biggest surprise: Live Free or Die Hard
8) Favorite scene: “The Flashback” in Ratatouille
9) Breakout star: The cast of Knocked Up and Superbad
10) Most unfortunate success: Spider-Man 3
1. Best Film: Knocked Up (barely edging out Ratatouille here)
2. Worst Film: Spider-Man 3 (I’m sure there are worse, but I don’t make a habit of seeing bad films)
3. Biggest Creative Winner: Ratatouille. You know…for adults!
4. Biggest Creative Loser: Spider-Man 3. Petaluma and Joseph already said what needed to be said, but in addition I can’t believe Brett Ratner took so much shit for his X-Men conclusion, because it was a hell of a lot more satisfying than this bloated crap, and you can say the same thing about Lucas, who at least appeared like he still cared with Sith.
5. Most overrated: The Bourne Ultimatum. Best action film of the DECADE?! Thought it was very good, but not as good as either of the first two, which had more emotional weight. Wasn’t better than Casino Royale, either.
6. Most underrated: Grindhouse. Can you really say they didn’t deliver what they offered, or that you didn’t get your money’s worth? Planet Terror not nearly as bad as people made it sound.
7. Biggest Surprise: Hot Fuzz. Because I wanted to find a place on this list for it. Having not seen Shaun of the Dead, I had no idea what to expect, and to me it’s as funny as Knocked Up, in a different way.
8. Favorite Scene: Zoe Bell strapped to the car. The biggest rush this summer and it wasn’t digitally enhanced either.
9. Breakout star: In a perfect world, Simon Pegg. But I’m guessing Jonah Hill, by the end of August.
10. Most unfortunate success: Transformers. I didn’t see it, but it pains my soul to read about it.
Am I the only one who mentioned Grindhouse, for good or ill? Has it been forgotten already? Does it even count as summer?
Well, it should.
Uh, no. Grindhouse was released on April 6… not summer.
(But if it was, I would consider that Zoe Bell scene seriously.)
ALL INDIE EDITION!
1) Best movie: Once
2) Worst movie: Goya’s Ghosts
3) Biggest creative winner: Sarah Polley
4) Biggest creative loser: John Dahl
5) Most overrated: Waitress
6) Most underrated: Black Sheep
7) Biggest surprise: The failure of Joshua
8) Favorite scene: Christian Bale’s snake-eating in Rescue Dawn
9) Breakout star: Julie Delpy’s dad
10) Most unfortunate success: La Vie En Rose
I think Danny Boyle’s films are visually impressive, which is not the same thing as visually amazing – you can force impressive but you need soul to be amazing, and all of Boyle’s films for me are seriously lacking in soul.
Even Millions? It had soul to spare for at least 3 other films.
1) Best Movie: Ratatouille. Brad Bird is obviously a genius who is unable and unwilling to pander or compromise. Two more films of the same quality of his first three films, and he’ll be in Miyazaki territory.
2) Worst Movie: Transformers. Stupid, incomprehensible and just a big mess. I did like LeBeouf and the woman who played his mom. Nothing else worked for me.
3) Biggest creative winner: Brad Bird.
4) Biggest creative loser: Everyone behind Live Free or Die Hard. While not the worst movie I saw this summer, I detected no ambition or will to make anything besides a very flat, predictable, forgettable action film that in no shape or form fits into the Die Hard canon. I love the DH trilogy and this was a big disappointment for me.
5) Most overrated: Live Free or Die Hard. 80% “fresh” on rottentomatoes. Beyond belief.
6) Most underrated: Stardust
7) Biggest surprise: I don’t really have anything here, as most of the films I’ve seen have conformed to the ideas I had about them beforehand quality wise.
8) Favorite scene: Not so much a favorite scene, but the last 10 minutes or so of Ratatouille are just out of this world.
9) Breakout star: Shia LaBeouf/Seth Rogen. Definitely their summer/year.
10) Most unfortunate success: Transformers. It might have been expected and obvious, but it’s still unfortunate that a film of such low quality and ambition should have done so well. This means more bad 80’s cartoons made into equally bad films.
Nota bene: I still haven’t seen Knocked Up, Superbad, Once or Bourne Ultimatum, as none of them have opened yet in my country.
1) Best movie: Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
2) Worst movie: License to Wed
3) Biggest creative winner: Ratatouille
4) Biggest creative loser: Spiderman 3
5) Most overrated: Transformers
6) Most underrated: Ocean’s 13
7) Biggest surprise: After the greatness of Spiderman 2, how disappointing Spiderman 3 was.
8) Favorite scene: The roundtable in POTC:AWE
9) Breakout star: Seth Rogen.
10) Most unfortunate success: Spiderman 3
1) Best movie: Away From Her
2) Worst movie: I Now Pronounce You Chuck And Larry
3) Biggest creative winner: Ratatouille
4) Biggest creative loser: Shrek 3
5) Most overrated: I’m with you on this one Poland. Once. A trifle of a film that was pleasant enough but the songs honestly didn’t do much for me and film really seemed to meander towards to the end.
6) Most underrated: Disturbia
7) Biggest surprise: Disturbia
8) Favorite scene: Remy running through the ceilings of a Paris apartment as the audience catches glimpses of the action inside each one. Brilliant and hilarious.
9) Breakout star: Shia LaBeouf. If he can prove himself to be a serious dramatic actor as well, this kid will go very far.
10) Most unfortunate success: Die Hard
1) Best movie – Ratatouille
2) Worst movie – Shrek the Third
3) Biggest creative winner – Brad Bird
4) Biggest creative loser – Shrek the Third
5) Most overrated – Not sure… I pretty much loved the stuff everybody else loved and hated the stuff everybody else hated.
6) Most underrated – Surf’s Up. Great, laid-back humor.
7) Biggest surprise – Knocked Up
8) Favorite scene – Remy’s first time in the kitchen of Gusteau’s
9) Breakout star – Seth Rogen
10) Most unfortunate success – Spider-Man 3
DIdn’t everyone already do this?
I’m not gonna do it now either because I just haven’t seen enough of the movies to really say. Worst was definitely La Vie En Rose and then Spider-Man 3. That’s about the only one I can answer because I doubt those can be beaten for worst honours.
1) Best movie: Knocked Up
2) Worst movie: Transformers
3) Biggest creative winner: Ratatouille
4) Biggest creative loser: Shrek the Third
5) Most overrated: Transformers
6) Most underrated: Ocean’s Thirteen
7) Biggest surprise: Hairspray
8) Favorite scene: “It’s a girl! Go buy some pink sh**!”
9) Breakout star: Seth Rogen
10) Most unfortunate success: Transformers
1) Best movie – Bourne Ultimatum
2) Worst movie – Rush Hour 3
3) Biggest creative winner – Once
4) Biggest creative loser – Anything or anyone associated with Hostel II
5) Most overrated – Transformers
6) Most underrated – Oceans 13. They make it look easy, and people think that requires no effort.
7) Biggest surprise – 1408
8) Favorite scene – The rooftop chase/apartment fight from Bourne Ultimatum
9) Breakout star – Seth Rogen
10) Most unfortunate success – Transformers. Michael Bay is going nowhere, and that should depress some people.
1) Best movie – Ratatouille (although I’m tempted to go with The Bourne Ultimatum)
2) Worst movie – Spider-man 3
3) Biggest creative winner – Ratatouille
4) Biggest creative loser – SM3 really, but Transformers as fun as it was, ended up being a missed opportunity.
5) Most overrated – Knocked Up – yes, it was funny, but it isn’t exactly groundbreaking
6) Most underrated – Ocean’s 13 and Live Free or Die Hard
7) Biggest surprise – Hairspray
8) Favorite scene – Gotta hand it to Bourne’s chase and apartment fight scene too. That was just plain good cinema
9) Breakout star – Evanna Lynch from HPOTP
10) Most unfortunate success – Spider-man 3
Yeah, I hated SM3. And I was a fan of the first two. I haven’t seen enough of the “bad” movies like Hostel or License to Wed I suppose…
Miami Heat posted; “a ton of extra ivory tower cred.” Excuse me as I speak as I often do. Motherfucker; you from the streets or something? What the fuck does that mean? Ivory Tower cred? Did that asshole in New York that hates everything love ONCE? Does that make it an ivory tower? And do not even get me started with your nonsense about the motherfucking Simpsons movie. Lame ass crackerjacks. That has been the end of the rant. HUZZAH!
IOIOIOI: Do you kiss your mother with that dirty mouth?
1) Best movie – Knocked Up
2) Worst movie – Year of the Dog
3) Biggest creative winner – Away From Her
4) Biggest creative loser – Pirates: At World’s End
5) Most overrated – Distrubia
6) Most underrated – Steel City
7) Biggest surprise – Waitress
8) Favorite scene – The 3rd Chase in the Bourne Ubiquity
9) Breakout star – Jonah Hill
10) Most unfortunate success – Spiderman 3 / Fantastic Four
Just walked in the door from my *new* worst movie of the summer….THE INVASION. Total. Crap.
1) Best movie: Once
2) Worst movie: Spider-Man 3
3) Biggest creative winner: Ratatouille
4) Biggest creative loser: Ocean’s 13
5) Most overrated: Transformers
6) Most underrated: 1408
7) Biggest surprise: Live Free or Die Hard
8) Favorite scene: The Tangier sequence in Bourne
9) Breakout star: Tie – Charlie Cox in Stardust/James Marsden in Hairspray
10) Most unfortunate success: Transformers
Okay, I revise my underrated film of the year. It’s Stardust. Hands down deserves some more love.
Holy crap, someone on here actually saw Steel City? God bless ya’ Carpetmuncher.
1) Best movie: The Simpsons. When you put so much creative energy into the best show on TV, it’s hard to top yourself. Still some cool stuff. Homer = Goat AND Hero.
2) Worst movie: That I didn’t see-POTC 3. Was SOOOOO bored by POTC 1 and POTC 2, I couldn’t bear to numb my ass for ANOTHER 3 hours. That I saw-Spider Man 3-I am a HUGE Spidey and Raimi fan, and there was good stuff in it, but the whole “package” was so meh.
3) Biggest creative winner: Ratatouille. Didn’t think a movie about a cooking rat could be so entertaining.
4) Biggest creative loser: Spider man 3.
5) Most overrated: Even though I didn’t see it-POTC 3
6) Most underrated: Shrek 3. I didn’t expect much, and I was entertained. Then again I’m a sucker for GIRRRRL! power.
7) Biggest surprise: How good Live Free or Die Hard was. DH 2 had a been there, done that feel. DH 3 was better, but still had a bit of that feel and a lameish ending. DH 4 was actually ENTERTAINING. Cool to see so many in-camera stunts.
8) Favorite scene: Throwing off the helicopter’s flight path with the fire hydrant. Finale of The Simpsons movie pretty cool, referencing one of their best episodes from the early seasons.
9) Breakout star: Remy
10) Most unfortunate success: Transformers. Serious tone issues. Why did Bumblebee have to blow out all the other car windows? Some nice building of suspense, then the battle is a BIG letdown.
1) Best movie – Hot Fuzz. And the ending is just as great as the rest of the movie. The fight in the model village was genius.
2) Worst movie – Pirates of the Carribean 3. I can’t even remember what it felt like to love the first movie.
3) Biggest creative winner – ?
4) Biggest creative loser – The Simpsons Movie. If it were simply an episode, it wouldn’t have made my top ten of any of the seasons. Well maybe the latest ones.
5) Most overrated – The Transformers
6) Most underrated – Stardust
7) Biggest surprise – Live Free or Die Hard; and the 25 minutes in the middle of The Transformers (starting with the raid on Anthony Anderson’s home) when the movie jumped from a 1 and a half star experience to a 3 and a half star one.
8) Favorite scene – talking to the old farmer with the mine in his shed in “Hot Fuzz”. I get the death giggles watching the two guys kicking and prodding the thing in the background near the end.
9) Breakout star – I dunno…Maggie Q in Live Free or Die Hard, Charlie Cox in Stardust. Was there really a breakout star this summer? Everybody obvious (like Seth Rogen) already broke out somewhere else for me. There were re-breakouts, like Paul Rudd in “Knocked Up”, but, oy…
1) Best movie: The Bourne Ultimatum-without a doubt the best film of the three, and by far delivered the most action of the summer.
2) Worst movie: Transformers; Can’t claim to be a fan of the tv show or the action figures, but my roommate, who wanted to see this movie for the past six months, fell asleep. Bay can make action movies (see: the Rock), but backstory/too many special effects should not be mixed in with that.
3) Biggest creative winner: I would go with 300 if it was a summer movie, but I’ll go with “Knocked Up”, for going after some summer box-office sequel giants.
4) Biggest creative loser: Daddy Day Camp-haven’t seen any of them, but will everybody please say a pray for Cuba Gooding Jr.’s career
5) Most overrated: Ratatouille-it was good for the visual experience, but way overrated compared to other Pixar scripts.
6) Most underrated: Die Hard 4 (I refuse to use the subtitle at this point). Everyone thought it would be horrible, and although it was the worst of the Die Hard movies, it was better than most action films-if they didn’t have Justin Long in the sidekick role, it might have been even better.
7) Biggest surprise: How stunningly bad Spiderman 3 turned out to be, and how inevitable it is that Raimi is going to bow out of the series.
8) Favorite scene: For laughs, Shia LaBouef saying “I’d like you to meet my new friend, Optimus Prime”.
9) Breakout star: Seth Rogen
10) Most unfortunate success: Transformers
What’s the difference between best/worst movie, and biggest creative winner/loser?
Though if the latter means cachet I’d say Brad Bird and Judd Apatow built upon their already sterling reputations. Or maybe Len Wiseman, who went from being looked at as a McG to being looked at as a Jonathan Mostow. Not exactly a lot to crow about per se, but in a summer of sequels, it’s not like people’s fortunes can dramatically change one way or the other. Maybe Sam Raimi, who went from acclaimed to derided in one fell swoop.
I also think Ocean’s Thirteen was a real waste of an exercise. Ocean’s Twelve wasn’t a good enough movie to build a sequel off of, and Ocean’s Eleven wasn’t that good a movie that whatever “trust” needed to be re-established. Basic cashing in on a film who’s ceiling wasn’t very high, creatively, or financially.
Spider-Man 3 is sure getting a lot of shit as the most undeserved winner. I know it made the most, but it was in the same neighborhood of money and quality as the other May threequels, so it doesn’t deserve to be singled out at all. At least you can justify it making as much as it did as goodwill from the last two. Shrek the Third was running on fumes, and At World’s End running on pheremones.
1) Best movie – STARDUST
2) Worst movie – TRANSFORMERS (it wasn’t that bad, but of the few I saw, it was the dumbest)
3) Biggest creative winner – BRAD BIRD (He is the foremost talent in American animation, hands down)
4) Biggest creative loser – Anyone associated with SHREK THE THIRD (please stop)
5) Most overrated – TRANSFORMERS (it was too dumb)
6) Most underrated – SPIDERMAN 3 (it is impossible for a movie to be as bad as everyone makes it out to be)
7) Biggest surprise – STARDUST (I’m not usually a Neil Gaiman fan, but wow)
8) Favorite scene – Anything with the ghosts in STARDUST (Yeah, I’m still on a movie high from seeing it this afternoon)
9) Breakout star – Whoever that kid was from ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT (I can’t wait to see what he does next)
10) Most unfortunate success – SIMPSONS (this tv show is such a sad reflection of what it was years ago, and the movie’s success guarantees that it is going to continue to live on and suck for a long time to come)
Do not hate on The Simpsons. The current exec-pros were responsible for a lot of the movie, that will translate into a lot creativity for the show. A show that’s still vibrant. Yeah; seasons 8-10 were a pisser, but it’s picked up ever since! Oh yeah, Jo, it was a bit sir. A BIT!
Season 8 was one of their best. It had Frank Grimes!
Am I alone in being kind of distressed about the fact that it appears, for all of our avowed love of the entire spectrum of filmmaking, that we’ve only been going to the mainstream Hollywood movies for the last three months? Almost every movie on these lists could have been found in any four-screener one-horse town in this country. We’re like a bunch of foodies whose top ten dining-out experiences of the season would be led by meals at Applebee’s, Sizzler and Olive Garden. Which isn’t a sin, I know – but it’s still kind of disspiriting, no?
Dispiriting? Most summers are if you are primarily an “indie fan” like me (for lack of a better word).
Summer is simply tentpole season, and with few exceptions (like Bourne) most of the studio tentpoles these days are kids movies and often tedious.
And it is a little dispiriting, but the season to see quality films is in the fall, and I’m sure if we have this conversation in December it will be much less dispiriting.