April 25, 2024
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Review: Little Women (no spoilers)
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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” â 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 â 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 â he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” â and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging â I was with her at that moment â 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 namedâ” “Yeah, sure â 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 Iâm on the phone with you now, after all thatâs 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 didnât seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. Thereâs not a case of that. He wasnât using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had â if that were what the accusation involved â 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. Iâm not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, âYou know, itâs not this, itâs thatâ? Because â let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, thatâs what it lacked. Thatâs 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
Want to share what I consider some sad news. So since 2002 I have been writing movie reviews on a freelance basis for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. It was recently announced that the longtime main film critic, Duane Dudek, had taken a buyout. His last day was Friday. My editor called the same day to update me on the state of things. He said that the paper is dropping movie reviews altogether, no syndicated reviews, nothing. From now on, there will be no movie reviews whatsoever in the state’s largest daily newspaper. Is this where things are headed?
Stella’s Boy: Yes. Actually, it might be a return where it was. When I got my first full-time newspaper job at The Clarion Ledger in Jackson, Miss back in 1976, I was told that the paper had never run film reviews because the owners considered them to be free advertising for theater owners. (Seriously: I think my review of “All the President’s Men” was the first in the 100-odd year history of the paper.) I strongly suspect a similar mindset prevailed at many other papers at the time.
Not so surprisingly, movie critics don’t even seem to statistically factor into Google’s latest infographic about what tends to most influence an audiences’ decision to see a film:
http://think.storage.googleapis.com/docs/behind-the-box-office_infographics.pdf
Joe: Many years ago, the paper in my little Kentucky hometown took an opposite view — when I applied to be their film reviewer, they announced they weren’t going to run reviews at all lest it piss off the owners of the one theater left in town. A bad review might keep folks from turning out, and of course the theater needed all the business it could get.
Sad to hear about the passing of Charles Champlin. A true gent, and a fine critic.
And here’s to you, Mr. Nichols.
R.I.P. Mike Nichols: the most uncannily gifted stage-to-screen savant since Orson Welles transitioned from the Mercury Theater to “Citizen Kane.”
R.I.P Mike Nichols. The sheer breadth and depth of his career is astonishing. Easily one of the most influential directors of the last 50 years.
one the sadder things about being alive is watching all the greats pass on before you – RIP Mike Nichols, legend, now soaring the astral plane
Watching some old clips of Nichols and May and Elaine saluting Mike. What a treasure the earth had/has in them.
It’s funny.
Looking over Nichols’ film credits, I realize how much I treasure so many of his most under-loved (certainly underappreciated) films:
“Day of the Dolphin” (“Fa loves Pa”), “Biloxi Blues” (the best movie ever made from a Neil Simon play), “Wolf,” etc.
And, by my estimation, he only directed one flat-out stinker: 1991’s “Regarding Henry,” and the blame for that lies almost entirely at the hands of J.J. Abrams’ dreadful script.
NBC News’ obit was an embarrassment.
They actually attributed the movie version of “Barefoot in the Park” to Nichols (?!), and said that “Primary Colors” was made for TV.
Guess the news division must have laid off all of their fact-checkers.
Movieman, clearly you haven’t seen WHICH PLANET ARE YOU FROM? Oy.
I (mildly) enjoyed “Planet,” Cad.
Oh, YOU’RE the one! đ
If you haven’t seen “The Babadook,” believe the hype. Fantastic.
I am so psyched for The Babadook EtGuild2. Looks incredible. What’s with the late November release though?
“American Sniper” is a great American movie by one of our greatest directors.
Bradley Cooper and Sienna Miller are infinitely superior to, and infinitely more moving, than Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones in “The Theory of Everything” (a movie that pretty much left me cold).
I can’t believe the Eastwood film isn’t getting more awards traction.
Finally caught up with Snowpiercer. What a crazy movie. It’s not really a good movie, but I can see why critics praised it, and I’m glad it could get made.
I’ve read some reviews of American Sniper and none liked it as much as you movieman. And is it just hero worship? Kyle was a messed up, xenophobic dude who boasted of wanting to kill women and children, and believed he was on a crusade. Is that touched upon at all?
Had a horror double feature last night. Wanted to watch The Babadook but since it’s not out yet I watched Late Phases and The Town That Dreaded Sundown 2014. I really liked them both. Late Phases is a charming little werewolf flick with a great lead performance. The Sundown remake is a lot of fun and really well directed. Surprised the latter got dumped and didn’t get a wide release in October.
Not sure what’s with the November release for “Babadook.” It’s a challenging film though. The most adult horror film in years. If you have/had a family member who experienced severe grief trauma, general deep depression or post-partum issues, it’s extremely, extremely hard to watch. I basically sat there stunned the entire time, it resonated so deeply for me.
SB- The film definitely deals with Kyle’s issues. (The weakest part of the film comes at the beginning w/ brief flashbacks of his childhood and a domineering Alpha Male father.)
It didn’t come across as mere hagiography.
I think it fits smoothly within Eastwood’s oeuvre (“Unforgiven,” “Mystic River,” “Million Dollar Baby,” etc.): a meditation on mortality (the preciousness of life and the grim consequences of death).
Found it almost unbearably moving at times; I don’t think my eyes were dry from start to finish.
Well I love Unforgiven and Mystic River, and I’m glad it’s not mere hagiography, but yours is the first rave I’ve come across. Still I’m always willing to give Clint a chance. I actually like J. Edgar. Haven’t seen Jersey Boys.
Only saw Justin Chang’s Variety review which was pretty favorable, SB.
“Finally caught up with Snowpiercer. What a crazy movie. Itâs not really a good movie, but I can see why critics praised it, and Iâm glad it could get made.”
I just saw it last Saturday for the first time and I agree with all four of your points. Swinton is funny as hell in it too. I don’t get the criticisms she got for being cartoonish, since nailing the cartoonishness was one of the best parts of her work.
The last ten minutes were disappointing, and for some reason Ed Harris always sounded like an Ed Harris impersonator had dubbed over all of his lines.
The whole thing is cartoonish, but that’s why it’s such a wonderful trip. There was an interview where the lead said that he was choreographed to trip on a fish in the middle of a fight. That’s awesome and something you’d never see as Captain America.
Yes, Ed Harris didn’t add much, and I can’t hear his voice and not think of his Home Depot work.
Still, I wish more movies would take risks like this one.
Swinton was originally going to wear a prosthetic pig nose for the part. I think that’s kind of indicative of a “cartoonish” approach to the role. I loved her performance though.
Wow.
I really loved “Into the Woods.”
Never thought I could fall so hard for anything directed by Rob Marshall, but it’s wonderful, and the most satisfying movie musical in ages.
The cast is pretty much pitch-perfect (Emily Blunt was my favorite).
My only (mild) reservation is Streep.
She’s fine (of course), yet I couldn’t help thinking of some other actresses (Michelle Pfeiffer, Anjelica Huston, Jessica Lange) who would have been equally good…and could have used the exposure more than the (wildly) overexposed Meryl.
But that’s nitpicking.
It’s a beautifully streamlined version of the stage production with all of the darkest elements remaining. Best of all, the Wolf role WASN’T enhanced to assuage Johnny Depp’s ego, hurray!
Well, not ALL of the darkest elements. (Won’t spoil the movie, but we can return to this when it opens.) But otherwise I agree that they did a fantastic job. And James Corden, who becomes the nominal lead, was splendid, and I hope this brings him the U.S. stardom he so richly deserves even before his TV show begins.
OTOH, Sondheim is not a populist composer, and a film as disturbing as this one–especially going out with the Disney imprimatur–is going to wind up with an awful lot of families crapping their pants at what they think is just another Disney fairy tale. (I would have released it as a Touchstone, but that’s just me.) So as wonderful as it is, I’m not seeing big bucks at the B.O., as “Variety” would have put it.