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David Poland

By David Poland poland@moviecitynews.com

BYOB Unite!

I continue increase my Twitter life at the expense of blog entries. Sorry. But if you’re looking for me, it’s a good place to look.

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89 Responses to “BYOB Unite!”

  1. sanj says:

    DP – your the biz guy – do you care about this ?

    Facebook IPO values company at between $85bn and $95bn

    The Scream painting sells for record $120 million

    – shouldn’t this scream painting be in a museum somewhere ? i remember watching the dp/30 the art of the steal – this belongs in the Barnes collection of paintings ..
    how does one get insurance for a painting worth 100 million bucks ? if this painting is so important
    does Walmart sell cheap versions of it ? i can print
    out the scream painting for 25 cents and it’ll look
    pretty much the same.

    sure there are movies that come out this summer that will make 100 million but 50 years from now that scream painting will probably be around and who knows what it’ll be worth .

  2. berg says:

    there are four versions of The Scream than Munch did, the one that sold today is a pastel (the others are two paintings and a lithograph) ….

  3. sanj says:

    you would think the other 3 scream paintings would be included in the same sale …

    List of most expensive paintings

    the card players painting is worth 259 million

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_expensive_paintings

    if your a famous painter you have to wait like 50 + years for it to be worth millions ..

    these days there’s just too much art out there …

  4. sanj says:

    speaking of art – it’s now on google front page ..

    Google Doodle celebrates Keith Haring’s pop art

    http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/may/04/google-doodle-keith-haring-pop?newsfeed=true

    i forgot but old dude Dennis Hopper did art and his work was in real museums … mostly in europe .

    skip to 14 minutes – art talk with Dennis Hopper dp/30

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2n_zWSxISs

    Jennifer Lopez did singing and acting …some of it quite
    good and now is getting paid a lot of money judging people
    on American Idol …

    how good are movie critics at judging art ?

  5. berg says:

    how good are movie critics at judging art ?

    surprisingly good

  6. sanj says:

    it seems more cooler / real when artists attack other artists ..

    Kanye West ruined Taylor Swift’s night at the MTV Video Music Awards during her acceptance speech.

    Kanye wanted Beyonce’s video to win

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z8gCZ7zpsQ

    that was fun – the mainstream media freaked out cause
    something real happened on mtv.

  7. David Poland says:

    Saw Dark Shadows… under embargo.

    BUT… Someone who obsesses on Chloe’s feet is in for a BIG surprise!

  8. Foamy Squirrel says:

    She has no feet?!?!?

  9. anghus says:

    just got back from a midnight Avengers screening. Thunderous applause from the crowd. Post credits sequences killed. Trailer reactions were funny.

    People booed Frankenweenie. Amazing Spiderman trailer was mocked and laughed at. Dead silence for Dark Knight Rises and then applause at the end.

    It’s amazing how poorly the Amazing Spiderman marketing is at connecting with the core audience.

  10. chhristian says:

    Who wants to see a 15 year old’s feet? Creepy.

  11. JS Partisan says:

    His favorite, that’s who.

    Now, seriously, meh? Meh? Really? Best of the entire genre, redefines the genre, and puts a lot of pressure on Chris Nolan to pay off. This is the literal hammer of Thor being thrown down.

    Feel whatever you want to feel about this but really, it’s transcendent and dismissing it, makes Hulk do THIS!

    (Edited By Management: Both a spoiler and stolen content)

  12. Ray Pride says:

    Was the alleged post-Marvel credit sequence there, Anghus? Feasting in the wreckage?

  13. JS Partisan says:

    Why is my comment awaiting moderation?

    It’s not MEH. It’s the definitive movie of the entire genre and it’s a Hammer throw down to DC and Nolan.

  14. SamLowry says:

    Dang, what happened to the Nagel thread? I hope it wasn’t anything I said.

  15. anghus says:

    Ray. I dont want to spoil for the rest. I will just say its the best post credit scene ever and the fact that it exists is awesome.

    Its weird to hear the kind of thought process js shared. Ive heard it from lots of people who seem to hold up Avengers next to Dark Knight as if the goals of any comic book movie are inherently the same.

    Nolan is making very dark, very legitimate
    cinema that plays with big ideas and concepts. Whedon made a ridiculously entertaining movie that is about as deep as a puddle of piss that is big fun and a great example of how much joy can be wrung from the over the top antics of our favorite super heroes.

    But what Nolan does and what Whedon does are two different skill sets. Its like comparing an eight course meal to cotton candy.

  16. David Poland says:

    It’s not a throw down to anyone. There will be only two things remembered about Avengers. Funny Hulk and the box office.

    And if you think that little of Nolan, you really don’t know shit about artists. As bizarre as ever, IO

  17. David Poland says:

    There is something glitchy happening in the software, Sam. Nagel thread is still there, but for some reason can’t be seen on the blog. I don’t get it, but someone’s working on it.

  18. David Poland says:

    The Avengers is NOT the defining movie of the comic book genre. Not even close.

    Unlike Burton’s Batman, Noland, Batman Begins, Raimi’s Spider-Man, and yes, even the poorly directed Favreau Iron Man, it break no new ground whatsoever in the genre. It does, however, contain some stuff that people wanted to see. I’m good with that. But the only innovative thing in the entire film is the idea of a funny, more direct Hulk who’s not being chased for 2 hours.

  19. Joe Leydon says:

    Well, it’s official: The Avengers is no longer just a movie, it’s a phenomenon. How do I know? While driving to my campus office this morning, I heard on my car radio a mention of it on an ABC News break. Seriously: They have all of one minute at the bottom of the hour to cover the major events of the day, and they devote a few seconds to predictions that Avengers will break box-office records.

  20. David Poland says:

    But Joe… isn’t that a problem with ABC News?

    Our standards for phenomenology have become rather low. And the media’s need to be fluffy and likeable has become rather high.

  21. storymark says:

    “(Edited By Management: Both a spoiler and *stolen content*)”

    Kinda funny, given the stolen nude used on the banner image… Not that I mind seeing it again. Just brought on a chuckle.

  22. sanj says:

    i like the song but this video – old and weird.

    what’s the deal with the guys with glowing eyes at
    the end. Bonnie was pulling some weird Lady Gaga stuff
    20 + years ago

    Bonnie Tyler – Total Eclipse of the Heart

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lcOxhH8N3Bo&ob=av3e

    watched Hayden Panettiere in a episode of punk’d / mtv – she’s alright in it – after heros – she should have been
    in more tv or movies but nothing award winning came out of it – she’s 22 but still can play a teen – still has
    LOOK AT HER!!! factor – she could have gotten Shailene Woodley part in Descendants …gotten some oscar buzz and got her dp/30 … she could be a good reality tv star at this point … DP give her some dp/30’s and save her acting career – you have the power to save her.

    here’s a bizzare post about Hayden by some random guy..

    http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0659363/board/thread/197792162

  23. BoulderKid says:

    No film has been a phenomenom since Avatar and before that LOTR.

  24. Joe Leydon says:

    David, that has been a topic that I’ve repeatedly discussed with students over the years in various Media and Society classes — the infotainment-ization of news, if you will. I can remember the first time I saw a major network newscast do a story on a movie’s outrageous budget — when Tom Brokaw did a report on Heaven’s Gate. I can also remember the first time I heard a network radio newscast devote time to a weekend box-office report on a Sunday afternoon. I’m not saying these events were good or bad. I’m only acknowledging that they’ve occurred, and have been steps taken on the road to where we are now.

    And speaking of evolution — or, depending on your point of view, devolution — I can remember when you did a lengthy weekly column. Then you more or less changed over to blog postings exclusively. Now, by your own admission, you’re doing more Twitter tweets than anything else. Again, not saying that’s a good thing or a bad thing. It’s part of the ongoing change to… Well, I don’t know what.

  25. Jason B. says:

    Wasn’t Dark Knight a phenomenom? I agree nothing since Avatar, but TDK was also a phenomenon.

  26. anghus says:

    Doesnt Disney own ABC?

  27. David Poland says:

    And Boulder… I agree with JSP that even Avatar was not the kind of phenomenon we used to experience.

    The media has become too weak and spread out for anything to really be that significant for that long. Less true internationally, where Avengers may be more of a major cultural event.

  28. Joe Leydon says:

    Hey, looks like Avengers did moderately well in midnight screenings. I wonder if JSP knows about this.

  29. sanj says:

    not a fan of the song but the video has lots of colors in this video

    Nicki Minaj – Starships – 4 minutes

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeIJmciN8mo&ob=av2e

    major cultural event – what does that mean ? money or critics around the world like it ? both ? DP your the indie movie guy – isn’t more fun when indie movies hit 100 million that come out of nowhere ?

  30. Don R. Lewis says:

    I’m producing a new movie in RURAL eastern Tennessee….it’s going well. This is really the first time I’ve been able to produce on-set and it’s been a really amazing experience so far. It’s also been insanely busy which I knew would happen, but as a 40-year old fatass, man….it’s tough. But (aside from really missing my wife, child and dog) I really feel in my element and that’s a cool feeling because we’re also making a movie I believe in and WE’RE MAKING A MOVIE!!

    Anyway…
    I’m psyched to see THE AVENGERS…..cast and crew field trip this Tuesday!

  31. JS Partisan says:

    David, that’s your opinion, and not a declarative fact. You can state that it’s all about the Hulk, when Black Widow stands out just as much. You can state this is dismissing Nolan, when it’s praising the mastery of Joss Whedon to create a comic book masterpiece that takes a genre Nolan redefined, and changes it again. You can also state that it does not change the genre, when it does. This is the hammer being thrown down by Marvel to itself and to DC, that the world has changed and it’s time to take it up another notch. You can disagree but that’s your opinion, and you should avoid trying to force it on anyone especially me.

    I’ve seen it, and it’s glorious. It’s what every comic book film should strive to be and what every comic book company should strive to create. Meh? Mediocre? Nah. It’s the definitive superhero movie, it is THE SUPERHERO MOVIE, and you can go ahead and dismiss it. You’ll be sort of lonely on that island, David.

    You can’t ever have the sweet without the sour. This movie is sweet but the death of MCA is the sour to a ridiculous degree.

  32. anghus says:

    I did a feature in Nashville a couple of years back. Had a good time. Treated very well by the TN film commission.

  33. Drew McWeeny says:

    David, a fair point was raised above.

    You deleted someone’s post for containing stolen content, something that you LOVE to rail about.

    Yet your graphic for this post contains a photo of Scarlett that she says was stolen from her private phone. It’s not even a still from a film. It’s a personal image that was hacked that she is embarrassed by.

    Do you really think that’s fair? Or moral?

    Or is it just “funny,” so none of that matters?

  34. Ray Pride says:

    Thanks, Anghus, for reply and discretion. I only wondered if it’s more than the rumor, as Chicago critics did not get the scene others have cited.

  35. anghus says:

    Ray, im going to channel Rob Lowe from Parks and Rec.

    It is LITERALLY the most rewarding post credits sequence ever.

  36. SamLowry says:

    What does it say when I saw the front-page story that journalists would be charged at an event to interview “Stewart” and I thought they meant Patrick?

  37. David Poland says:

    It’s funny, Drew… that I made both versions… that people know what that shot it with no reference made… and that you and Scarlett are apparently besties.

    And thank you for showing up, as you usually do, to do your FAVORITE thing, telling me I am wrong about something.

    But you have a reasonable point, even though I would distinguish between undeniable piracy of copyrighted materials and people leaving stupid personal things on their phone (or sent to someone else’s phone) then claiming to have been hacked. And so…

    P.S. I didn’t remove the post, I just removed the link.

  38. storymark says:

    “claiming to have been hacked. ”

    The hacker, Chris Chaney, plead guilty this week, David…. Kinda puts it beyond a “claim”.

  39. chhristian says:

    DP now has the ability to determine sending or hacking! Quite the selective new media outrage…

    Off to AVENGERS!

  40. JackKerouac says:

    In my opinion this decision to use twitter as your primary means to communicate with your audience might be a mistake. I have lots of friends and acquaintances and none use Twitter on a regular basis and most have never even opened an account. I’d miss reading your blog but still wouldn’t make the switch to follow you. Is Twitter really that prevalent among the non-celebrity crowd?

  41. storymark says:

    Ive tried to get into Twitter, but it’s like narcissist ground zero – and so much crap to wade through.

  42. palmtree says:

    I second, third, fourth…whatever number we’re on…Twitter is the repository of junk. Whenever I look there, all I find is a great big nothing. For me it’s only valuable for sending out links I’ve already posted elsewhere. But I’ve not found a single useful or interesting thing out of it.

  43. anghus says:

    Twitter isnt a place for conversation. Its a place for declaration. Its a megalomaniacs nirvana. Its the illusion of interaction.

  44. sanj says:

    wanna know which actors think twitter is junk ..not worth it. twitter is 1 for breaking news. who needs cnn ?

  45. storymark says:

    That may be the best description Ive heard for Twitter, anghus. Well done.

  46. David Poland says:

    Interesting thoughts on Twitter. I follow fewer than 50 people, I don’t use it for news gathering… so I don’t find it boring or overwhelming. And I have had many good, sometimes contentious, conversations.

  47. David Poland says:

    Fair enough, storymark. No idea. I don’t spend much time on this stuff.

    Drew was the first person to bring up the issue… and I responded by removing it. And so it goes…

  48. palmtree says:

    Maybe I just need to follow new people…I guess the big nothingness makes sense when I realize most of the people I follow are actors.

  49. storymark says:

    Actually, I brought it up this morning, not so much to get you to take it down, as I like the pic, but just noted it for irony’s sake.

  50. pisher says:

    I’ve never even used Facebook. Nor do I own a smartphone. I have an iPad, but I hardly ever use it, because I found home wifi a pain in the butt.

    I know somebody who won’t even go online. So there’s no way this great social drama unfolding before us can even reach her.

    God, I envy her so much.

  51. sanj says:

    hunger games with movie characters – who would win ?

    http://imgur.com/J0cE6

  52. David Poland says:

    For me, Twitter gives me a place where 140 characters… or sometimes 520… allows me to say what I feel compelled to say without a blog post, where I feel compelled to at least write 3 or 4 paragraphs.

    Honestly, writing more economically is something in which I take pleasure.

    What I need… and I’d really like to figure out… is a Twitter converter that really allows me to open up a conversation on the blog based on any 1 or multiples of my tweets or the tweets of others. That way, there could be open/non-140ch conversation about those ideas laid out on Twitter. But I don’t know of any technology built for that concept yet.

    I can cut & paste from Twitter, but it seems like using a Model T to haul a spaceship.

  53. sanj says:

    DP – do you think facebook is worth 95 billion ? strange how people on this forum could use it but stick here. so the forum is worth more to some people .

    people ain’t talking about myspace anymore – people might post really awesome stuff but people too lazy to check it out…last thing i heard was Justin Timberlake was part of it ..

    DP has the movie guy you should follow like 1000 people on that twitter – you’d find more exclusive things
    .

  54. David is right. I find myself posting a lot less, especially about breaking news, because really the news itself fits into a 140-character Tweet. Even looking over the latest trade ‘breaking news’ articles, it’s basically 140 characters of new/important content, surrounded by random filler so they can justify a paragraph or two and make a ‘news article’ out of it. Some things require analysis, but not every insight requires a full-blown essay explaining my reasoning or thought process.

  55. chhristian says:

    Clearly some folks need very little to say less.

  56. storymark says:

    You guys want to do your writing on Twitter, that’s cool. Whatever works for you. I just won’t be following.

    That sounds more petulant than I mean it. I understand it’s the “thing” now. I am just disinterested in it as a platform for information.

  57. jesse says:

    I find Twitter more fun with friends; most of my Twitter activity is catching up with and/or replying to actual real-life friends; I follow a few famous people who are particularly funny or interested and — this is key — don’t post like crazy, but for the most part it’s like a punchier, games-free, more selective Facebook. A nice break from work to see what my best friend who lives four hours away is joking around about. The idea that it’s a bunch of idiots babbling about what they had for lunch only applies if you indiscriminately follow a couple hundred people without any particular interest in any of them.

  58. jesse says:

    So yeah, if I want analysis or more in-depth discussion, a blog like this is preferable. But not everything has to be a 1000-word post followed by a 100-comment thread.

  59. cadavra says:

    David, I think several threads have disappeared from the blog home page. I had to go into “history” to post a reply on the Summer Blockbusters Predictions thread.

  60. sanj says:

    it must be crazy pressure for people on twitter that have at least 1 million followers – they can’t write any old post – Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga are 10 million + -= that can move a lot of sales for anythying they want to promote .. actors under 25 are really using social media to its fullest .

    director Kevin Smith and actor Joe Rogan really seem to like twitter – they actually read a ton of stuff – probably 10x more stuff than DP does – it also helps they have podcasts to discuss all that stuff .

    DP – can you check out 5 minutes of videos of Hayden Panettiere on youtube and figure out if she’s worthy of a dp/30 ? i have no idea what your process is in getting an interview. usually if there’s a Duplass brother around they automatically get in. the rest have to wait in line. the lineup is real and it exists when oscars come around – actors just can’t wait to do a dp/30 because
    giant film studios force them too. guess who didn’t need a dp/30 when there was time to get one for a entire year ? Lena Dunham … she was on Colbert and that was super fun to watch..

    Stephen Colbert is my favorite interviewer ever – everybody watch some of his interviews if you have time .
    he’s done like over 250 + so you have lots to choose from. Colbert is like 50x better than DP interviews.
    sorry DP.

    also i screwed up my order at mcdonalds today and 4 girls at the cash laughed at me. that was fun.

  61. Drew McWeeny says:

    Yes, David, because you don’t point out other people’s mistakes or moral transgressions.

    I’m not “besties” with anyone, nor did I claim to be. I asked you a question about your use of stolen materials in your photo. That’s all. Sorry it chapped your ass.

  62. David Poland says:

    Didn’t chap my ass at all, Drew.

  63. sanj says:

    watched the odds 2011 –

    A murder mystery set in the world of illegal teenage gambling. A 17-year old must find his best friends’ killer before the game is exposed.

    the last 30 minutes turns bad – this is a straight up tv movie … some bad acting by some teen actors nobody has heard of .. but the acting/ writing of one of the dads is so stupid and bizzare and funny.

    check the movie trailer

    http://theoddsmovie.com/

  64. JS Partisan says:

    SM, twitter is a lot of fun if you follow the right people. If you get the right mix, it’s a very interesting medium, and it’s not all narcissism. Not totally.

    It’s also not about megalomania. There are people on there whose thoughts and tweets are very entertaining, but you have to find the right people. Again, it’s a mix, and Dave have you looked into tweet longer? There are a couple of those formats out there, that might work to give you the conversations you want to have.

    Finally, who envies someone who doesn’t use the internet? Seriously? It’s the 21st century. The lines or wifi we use to connect make the world smaller, and it’s perplexing that someone would like the world as it were 20 years ago. I’d like the world as it were 20 years ago, if I could get the Higgins Boys and Gruber back, but alas… THE INTERNET FOR ME!

  65. anghus says:

    Apparently it didnt chap Scarletts ass either…

  66. sanj says:

    so that old movie – Bring it On is now a musical

    cheerleading = musical ? why….

    here’s a review – 2 out of 4

    http://www.toronto.com/article/726201–bring-it-on-the-vapidity-of-cheerleading-in-all-its-glory-review

  67. JS Partisan says:

    Have any new words been added to the cannot type them list?

  68. JS Partisan says:

    Have any new words been added to the don’t type list? I ask because there’s nothing in there other than stating twitter isn’t that bad, you need to find a good mix of people to follow, and it’s not all narcissism or megalomania either.

    Also, David, twtlonger or a similar service may be what you want. While not using the internet in the 21st century is very weird.

  69. christian says:

    Or you could try “blogging.”

  70. David Poland says:

    Not everything demands a blog entry, Christian. More likely, I just wouldn’t write about those small issues at all.

  71. sanj says:

    Adam Yauch from Beastie Boys died.

    my favorite video – intergalactic

    great camera angles and looks good in HD

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qORYO0atB6g

  72. JS Partisan says:

    I had no idea those would post, so my bad for the countless posting :D.

  73. tbunny says:

    “Nolan is making very dark, very legitimate
    cinema that plays with big ideas and concepts. ”

    NOOOO! Nolan ain’t Bergman, can we please just, collectively, get over that? PLEASE? And here I was actually looking forward to TDKR because we’ve finally got the rote origin story out of the way, and we’ve got the overhyped Joker melodrama out of the way, now we can just get down to Batman being a badass. I don’t want to hear about how it’s deep. I just want a simple badass in black tights who does some nice detective work here and there with some nice pacing and some good ass whupping. That’s IT. I don’t need to hear about how it’s “legitimate”. The guy is in bondage gear, there is nothing “legitimate” about it, so stop it.

  74. brack says:

    I’m on Team JS about The Avengers. Great fun, big laughs, amazing action. Loved it from beginning to end. Ranks up there with the best of the superhero movies. I’m not going to hate on the people who didn’t like it, I’m just going to feel sorry that they couldn’t enjoy it.

  75. anghus says:

    See, brack very much illustrates the problems with our Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down Society.

    “Im with JS!”

    You might as well be a teenage girl screaming TEAM EDWARD!

    I think just about everyone at least liked the Avengers. A lot of people loved it. But why do the people who love the film get so indignant about the people who liked it but found flaws?

    Why do people get so worked up because they might not passionately love everything the same way you do? Why would you feel sorry for someone because they didnt have the exact same experience you did? Why does someone not enjoying a film with rabid ferocity ellicit pity?

    Theres nothing wrong with being passionate about a film. Theres something wrong when your enjoyment has somehow transformed into sanctimony.

  76. sanj says:

    so what’s the extreme case that a movie review can get
    10/10 or 0/10

    well no movie is perfect is there ? no movie is that bad it should get a zero is there ?

    Vic and Scott gave Avengers a 10/10 ..

    this is passion. also they are comic book geeks so i guess that helps.

    3 minute video about the avengers movie .

    http://www.viddler.com/v/54f02e20

    also …watched fantastic four movie on cable … some of the computer graphics still holds up – Chris Evans plays
    Johnny Storm ..

    Malin Ackerman – she’s on the cover of Maxim

    http://www.maxim.com/girls-of-maxim/malin-akerman-0

    i wanted a dp/30 – she’s does drama and comedy and might sing in that new movie rock of ages movie – also done lots of indie movies – and she was in the watchman movie ../. she’s married and tabloids don’t follow her around … not sure how DP missed her all these years .

    my favorite thing is her role in children’s hospital tv show … also she kinda looks like Olivia Wilde …

    Malin Ackerman also wants to beat poverty

    Truth or Dare: Live Below the Line – 1 minute video

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NDlBhHArtNY&sns=tw

    also DP mentioned that 15 actors haven’t done a dp/30 cause 5 personal publicists – my guess is they’ve been
    acting for at least 10 years are super famous and rich
    already. DP you should write them a nice letter – “hey actor x – i do movie interviews and you qualify for a 30 minute interview – call me within 30 days to get your interview done about any movie you want at any boring expensive hotel you want ”

    right now there are hundreds of actors doing audio podcasts … DP time to switch it up and do podcasts
    ..video is old. go to nerdist and find like 200 audio interviews. ….or get the dp/30’s on tv . actors like
    being on tv .

  77. Brady Fiechter says:

    As a comic-book movie hater (or more softly put, I just can’t connect with them), still not sure why Avengers hit me as such a raucous pleasure. There’s a gentleness to it I like–a free spirit that trades the goofy for the sincere. At times I felt that tinge of movie magic a certain director is able to brush into the frame. I only know Joss from Firefly, but his presence is so obviously right for my fantasy cravings!

    The movie has a heart to it. It’s that heart that made the moments that could be intilectually torn apart sort of not matter.

    I keep going back to that gentle spirit. Maybe boyish and childlike is part of it? The big-boy emotions are really there, but it’s that love of the material he brings that grabbed me.

    Liked too the simple humanizing of the characters. The fearful flaws each is hiding is always hinted at but not front and center in a movie that would lose its charm otherwise. Critics probably balk at that simplicity, but the way Joss spins the entire tapestry of emotion is kind of great.

  78. brack says:

    anghus – you are making the assumption that I think anyone who didn’t love it adamantly is a pitiful human being. You are reading way too much into my statement, an example of why I hardly post here, too many of you simply have to question everything anyone states and construe it into something that was never there to begin with.

    And you can’t even quote correctly. I specifically wrote “I’m on Team JS”. I’m glad you caught the Twilight fandom reference, which was fully intentionally, and based on your reply you didn’t get at all.

    And what about what I wrote indicates I’m worked up? Am I using all caps to stress certain words? Give me a break.

    To add to the “there’s no such thing as a perfect movie”, I would reply with “Of course not. People make movies, not God.” If nothing is perfect, then the word really has no meaning, except if you’re very religious. By the way, giving a movie a score of 10/10 or whatever barometer you want to use isn’t necessary saying a film is “perfect”. But to say no film can rank a 10/10 is to say that 10 doesn’t exist. Well if it doesn’t, why even reference it?

  79. JS Partisan says:

    ASSEMBLE!

    “You might as well be a teenage girl screaming TEAM EDWARD.”

    I get you are the curmudgeon of this forum but you do know, that grown men and women have use those terms and with a lot of affection. You don’t have to like it, but shitting on people who use them is rather lacking in civility.

    “I think just about everyone at least liked the Avengers. A lot of people loved it. But why do the people who love the film get so indignant about the people who liked it but found flaws?”

    People with this point of view, about finding flaws, ignores that few things in this world are inherently flawless. Everything and everyone at some point has or will have a glaring flaw. I ask you, what’s the point of fixating on those flaws? Why not enjoy the ride when the flaws are minimal at the very least?

    “Why do people get so worked up because they might not passionately love everything the same way you do?”

    Why do you think that I or anyone else would care if you loved something as much as I do? I love Adventure Time and Regular Show. Do you think that it would bother me one iota, if you gave me shit for enjoying those shows? No, it would not and you thinking this is what pisses fans off ignores that you obviously have been outside of fandom for a long time.

    What pisses off a lot of fans, from reading replies, is being snarky and ignorant about what the supposed critic is reviewing. If you have a valid point. A valid point can be taken and even disagreed with, that’s still a valid point. The problem is and will always will be, the folks like David, who makes declarative statements about how a film will be remembered, and get vehement when you disagree with him or them. I am not singling him out mind you but AO Scott had a verbal beating coming. He just did because it’s one thing to criticize something. It’s another to think acting like an ignorant asshole is the same as being a critic.

    “Why would you feel sorry for someone because they didnt have the exact same experience you did? Why does someone not enjoying a film with rabid ferocity ellicit pity?”

    If this film elicits something in even people who hate comic book films. If it elicits joy on a ridiculous scale then why would we not pity you or anyone else whose world it didn’t rock? This movie kicks every ass of every superhero movie ever made and it does it with glorious and uninhibited joy. Why wouldn’t I feel sorry for someone who is not reveling in this?

    “Theres nothing wrong with being passionate about a film. Theres something wrong when your enjoyment has somehow transformed into sanctimony.”

    The problem with this statement is that you are being sanctimonious about people being sanctimonious, and that’s rather weird.

  80. Joe Leydon says:

    Even if you’re “meh” about The Avengers, you have to admit — this is pretty neat.

    http://tb0t.tumblr.com/post/22404471931

  81. anghus says:

    You lost me when you said lots of grown men and women use Team Edward/Team Jacob with great affection. Its almost impossible to take you seriously. Even if thats true, would any non teenage girl use that as the foundation for any serious argument?

    I have a hard time believing youre not doing some character like lex.

    No real person would court this much ridicule.

  82. sanj says:

    most comic book movie have the good guys beating the evil guys at the end of the movie – then there are movies like Inception – which can easily confuse people even and then there are movies with open endings that also ocnfuse people like Take Shelter which relies on the last 5 minutes of the movie …then there are movies like Tree of Life …which make people go wtf ? then there are movies like Jack and Jill – which have an ending but the whole movie seems like a waste of money.

    i’m guessing 90% of comic book movies have easy
    endings – bad guy get defated – there’s no super crazy
    plot twist at the end – and if there is it’s made for the 2nd film of the series.

    a lot of horror movies – either the bad guy is defated or somehow survives . the survival in the craziest conditions sometimes makes for a bad movie like with
    the Saw movies .

    also i was hoping DP did a special dp/30 — idiots guide to tree of life with some movie critics but didn’t . also could have done one for inception too.

    movie critics seem to have the answers to every complicated movie .

  83. JS Partisan says:

    Anghus, that’s not an argument. It’s a statement. There is a difference between the two and it has more to do with responding to the way you dismiss things, that you do not like.

    Again, I get all of this bullshit hurled my way for having a strong opinion, but you and other wiser and mature gentlefolks, can write such ridiculous statements like the one above, and expect to be taken seriously.

    If you think I am a character, then that makes me wonder what the hell you are? Are you mimicking an angry Randy Quaid role or something? Also nice shot at teenage girls because you know, that makes you a big man.

  84. SamLowry says:

    sanj, your claim that some publicists are blocking dp30 requests reminds me of a Bill Maher quip from back in the day. He said he would try to get certain celebs on Politically Incorrect because he thought they were intelligent and well-spoken, only to get a call from an agent who admitted it was an act and their client wasn’t really all that bright.

  85. sanj says:

    Sam – DP actually mentioned that – any actor who’s been acting for 10 years who hasn’t done a dp/30 before – there is something wrong …like Tom Hansk – 20 years of acting – lots of awards – seems like a real nice guy – no dp/30 ..same thing with Sandra Bullock too ….i get a feeling that Tom Cruise dp/30 ..there would be a fight within 5 minutes …and a dp/30 with Julia Roberts would
    be super scary ..

    i truly don’t understand why DP doesn’t takeover inside the actors studio… old guy James Lipton gets the biggest stars asks average questions .

    the dp/30 with Jen Lawerence was a massive success – DP predicted a lot of things that sorta came true … all before the hunger games .. now Jen has done too many interviews and a new dp/30 wouldn’t be as real.

    next up for mega superstardom is Emma Stone – i liked her dp/30 ..she kept it real plus Juno Temple in dark knight rises ..probably has a small part but her dp/30 are great.

    the Theron – Portman – Moretz where great but it was
    more like a dvd extra …

    the Robbie Pickering dp/30 was super funny – that was 50 minutes and somehow i didn’t get bored even when they did at the end ..

    i do listen to a lot of podcasts and i could easily compare them to the dp/30 … some of the podcasts are
    better than the dp/30’s .. people on podcasts can tell
    more personal stories about whatever and most of the time it doesn’t annoy them to say personal things .
    Jenna Elfman podcast was the funniest things for 20 minutes and it was extra personal.

    maybe the best time for a dp/30 is when actors have no movie to promote – they can relax and not think about
    other interviews they have to do.

    Victor who gave Avengers a perfect review tweeted this – “Joss Whedon for President, Prime Minister and King.”

    wow. how extreme can 1 person take a movie – to be fair – Victor hardly gives a lot of movies 10/10 .

  86. sanj says:

    actors in uniforms ..cool art ?

    quick look –

    http://i.imgur.com/mUGhq.jpg

  87. hcat says:

    Dave, Tweets are fine, but I would really like to hear your thoughts on Hulu thinking about requiring a cable subscription to view the content and what you think this means to the future of streaming content.

  88. sanj says:

    I knew nothing about Sendak before Colbert ..

    i liked this interview a lot –

    Maurice Sendak’s Last Interview with Stephen Colbert

    http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/05/08/watch-maurice-sendaks-last-interview-with-stephen-colbert/

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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