April 25, 2024
The Hot Blog
amit on: Review: Frozen 2 (spoiler-free)
movieman on: BYOB Fall Back, Film Forward
Christian on: BYOB Fall Back, Film Forward
movieman on: Review: Marriage Story (spoilers only in the broadest sense)
movieman on: BYOB Fall Back, Film Forward
movieman on: Review: Frozen 2 (spoiler-free)
YancySkancy on: Review: Little Women (no spoilers)
Hcat on: Why You Should Be Afraid Of The End Of The Paramount Decree
movieman on: BYOB Fall Back, Film Forward
movieman on: I Should Be Doing Box Office
Review: Little Women (no spoilers)
Why You Should Be Afraid Of The End Of The Paramount Decree
Review: Frozen 2 (spoiler-free)
Review: Marriage Story (spoilers only in the broadest sense)
see all »
[twitter-widget username="DavidPoland" hiderss="true" hidereplies="true" hidefrom="true" items="3" showts="60" title=" " targetBlank="true"][twitter-widget username="MCNTweets" hiderss="true" hidereplies="true" hidefrom="true" items="3" showts="60" title=" " targetBlank="true"]
Quote Unquotesee all »
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
Kinda dead around The Hot Blog recently, so lets get the party started…
So how bad did that Fargo finale suck?
?!?!?
What didn’t you like about it, Pete?
I thought it was the perfect conclusion to a terrific season.
While my younger self would have preferred a nihilistic ending in which absolute evil triumphed (which, sadly, it does most every time in real life), my middle-aged self was moved by the triumph of decency.
I didn’t dislike the Fargo finale by any stretch, but it felt all the more conventional next to the unexpected narrative leaps made in the last few episodes. I assume it’s a one-and-done, which would be best. Not sure how much more you could do with Tolman’s character, as great as she is in the role.
…and it would be highly unlikely for another Axis of Evil-type character like Billy Bob’s to mosey on down just to shake things up in that sleepy, snowy little burg.
I thought the final episode was neatly plotted without seeming “predictable” in the least. The great thing about the series was that you never knew what the **** was going to happen (or to whom).
I actually thought the most “conventional” thing all season was Tolman surviving her snowstorm shooting. Not that I’m complaining: she was pure delight.
Movieman, not sure if the way Gus dealt with Malvo was a “triumph of decency”.
My feeling after it was over was ‘wow, there’s 10+ hours of my life I wish I had back’.
There’s been talk of a second season, but with a whole different storyline ala American Horror Story.
Going into Spoilers: (so avoid if you haven’t seen it)
Gus lies in wait and shoots an unarmed man multiple times and not only gets away with it, but is cited for bravery?
Molly, who has been the only one with a brain all season, is basically warming the bench the whole last episode.
Lester shows up in Montana just to fall through the ice. That was worthy of the old Monty Python SCENE MISSING skit.
I could go on, but those were the 3 biggest complaints for me.
Pete- As far as I was concerned, any way that “personification of evil” Malvo
bought the farm was OK by me.
And I loved the irony of Milquetoast-y Gus turning out to be the dragonslayer; especially since his two previous encounters w/ Malvo were responsible for him quitting the force and becoming a mailman.
You didn’t love the zen-like absurdity of Lester’s comeuppance? I thought it was a hoot.
Despite being sidelined (hey, she was nine months pregnant!) and unable to “play,” Molly remained a vital presence in the episode. (Sneaking out of the locked-down police station was classic Molly.)
The fact that Molly wins at the end–she gets an instant family, a new baby and her dream job–was “the triumph of decency” I was referring to.
I didn’t need to see Molly take out Malvo, but having Gus do it was an odd choice, since the show had, for my money, long since stopped being about Gus in any substantial way. Hell, I would’ve rather had Stavros come back for revenge, as improbable as that would’ve been, than have it be Gus.
Pete you just didn’t watch the same show others did. Gus’s character was setup beautifully to be the person to end it with Malvo from early in the season. It was his destiny to do so as well as doing it in a brutal fashion. This wasn’t Molly’s role in the show. Not sure why people missed this.
Freeman was a revelation. If he doesn’t win some awards for that performance I’d be amazed. He was a knockout in the office but has always played second pony in most other things (Hobbit excepted) but in Fargo he was just tremendous throughout. Such a beautifully constructed yet repulsive character that you actually rooted for.
Why did this show get so many people dumping on it. There were moments that took me back to early Twin Peaks and I couldn’t care less if they were homages or stolen. They worked. It was one of the most beautiful looking shows as well. Compositions were always riveting and that gun fight in the snowstorm? Fuck yes.
Not sure I want another series to tarnish the high I’m on at the moment.
i think i offended people with excrement yesterday so hopefully this photo is like the opposite, kind of hit me like a ton of bricks, heartening and heart-breaking at the same time… speaking of time it sure does fly
http://filmsfilmsfilms.co.uk/blog/another_glorious_day_in_the_corps/2014-05-01-71
Thank you for that photo Leahnz.
It brings back all kinds of good memories.
@Jeffrey Boam’s Doctor
You misunderstood my comment. I had no problem with Gus being the one taking Malvo out. It made sense as Malvo was teaching him about predators. It was farcical that Gus would be applauded for bravery for his actions. If anything, the police would have reluctantly locked him up or maybe turned a blind eye and let him slip away from the scene. But a citation?
Molly’s role was to bring in Lester, and him sinking in the ice robbed her of it.
Well Pete the bravery thing I thought was your small town politics in action. A ruthless mass serial killer is taken out by the mailman. Would the authorities rather downplay that or celebrate a local hero.
So series 2 will be set in 1979 and will be about the Sioux Falls incident. Can’t wait.
Mariamu, what a trip huh. and indeed, seeing ‘aliens’ at the cinema when it opened back in the day was a mindblower like no other. it rocks on still (as a massive ‘aliens’ dork i don’t know if you’d also be interested in this type of thing https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vtLK-DxdGc i find this hilarious, plus fascinating of course getting a glimpse of the humble beginnings. i think the garbage bags and their ilk are going the way of the dodo in the new world order sadly, no more mucking around cracking up at your huge puppets)
Fargo SPOILERS:
No problem with Gus taking Malvo out, in theory. I just didn’t like the details. He’s driving along and a magic wolf blocks his path, whereupon he spots Malvo’s car. Instead of calling the authorities who are on a manhunt for Malvo (who has threatened Gus’s family), he approaches the house unarmed (this after urging Molly to stay out of harm’s way so Greta won’t have to go to another funeral). Luckily, Malvo leaves before Gus can get himself killed. But does he call Molly or the station to report that the guy they’re all looking for is on the move? No, he just assumes Malvo will come back (hopefully without having killed Greta or Molly or anyone else), so he lies in wait (having found one of Malvo’s guns) so he can redeem himself for letting Malvo get away during that traffic stop. There was a way to handle this that would’ve worked for me, but this wasn’t it.
That was nice to watch. Thanks leahnz.