Commentary Track Aug 15 2008 @ 02:42 pm
Commentary Track – The Week in Comments
It’s time to once again salute you, the wonderful readers of MovieZeal and your colorful opinions. It’s a pleasure to troll through our comment logs and see just how intelligent, thoughtful, and humorous all of you are (I realize the picture above somewhat contradicts that last statement, but I just thought it was funny. Don’t go reading into it too much). Go ahead, get yourself that tall glass of ice-cold pink lemonade. You deserve it,
Movie Zeal’s look at movies where no one gives a damn, and gats often go blam-blam, blam-blam
For the whole hot month, the theme is great old noir, and each day makes us all want more
If that weren’t enough, they turned to a man they don’t really understand, whose name is Sam
Evan’s long-awaited review leaves people stunned on the floor, truly to be a thing of Internet lore
Alexander Coleman on Commentary Track – The Week in Comments
You guys are embarrassing me. Thank you, Miranda. You’re very kind. And Evan- don’t lie. You married me for my mad good looks, and you know it.
Julia and I should start a column entitled “Redheaded Wives of Movie Zealots Metaphorically Bring It, Yo.”
Yeah. Why a woman (as a character in a film or as an actual living breathing person) would want a man who implied that she was a whore – repeatedly – escapes me.
Of course, the function of that particular word has changed over the decades. In the 40s, morality was such that if a woman had a sexual relationship outside of marriage (with practically anyone) she could be considered a whore by many. However, no one back then – from what I understand – seemed terribly concerned about mens’ social behavior regarding females.
And of course there is a type of man that attaches that term to every woman that refuses to show him a good time. Irony is everywhere, is it not?
Oddly enough, I don’t have any real problems with women being judged. It’s not like all females are sweetness and light. (Believe me.)
But I do have a great deal of difficulty with any society where men and women are held to entirely different standards. If a woman is a bad person or she’s doing something that’s terrible, that’s fine. But if a man does EXACTLY the same thing, then that should be socially unacceptable as well. For EXACTLY the same reasons.
It reminds me of that ridiculous argument that CANDICE BERGEN and JACQUELINE BISSET had at the end of the movie RICH & FAMOUS. Candy played this uptight Southern belle and Jacqueline was this hard drinking, fast living English writer.
By the time the end arrives it’s late 70s/early 80s and the women are around 40. If I’m not mistaken (it’s been a while since I saw it), the big wicked fight was precipitated by the fact that Candy’s husband had always been in love with Jacqueline’s character. He was finally divorcing her.
So Candy’s furious (even though her spouse ISN’T leaving her for Jacqueline) and she starts this holy war. She starts talking about old yellow dogs that hang out in the yard looking for anything they can jump on. “They’d hump a snake.” Then she says, “Just how many men have you had?”
Jacqueline refuses to answer.
“Well, I know why you won’t tell me. There were TOO MANY, weren’t there? I’m willing to bet that you’re a slut.”
Jacqueline’s gorgeous translucent blue eyes turn to ice. “How many men before you’re a slut?”
Candy stares her down with a level gaze. “Three.”
“Then kick me out of the yard.”
AMEN, baby….
But one question: how is it not cinematic? Many of the greats (see Kurosawa after he went widescreen) shot primarily in medium and wide shots, and if you want to hear bad sound design, look no further than one Federico Fellini. And Ozu shot with a stationary camera from a single low angle, and used the most static establishing shots you’ve ever seen. So, what is cinematic?
MovieZeal: 2. Kingsley: 0.
Philip Roth is one of the most overrated novelists in the United States and I’m not surprised that another one of his books has bombed on the silver screen. Portnoy’s Complaint may have been very funny for we over fifty crowd in the early seventies because of the subject matter (jerking off), but it’s no wonder the film bombed. Imagine filming a scene in which the main character ejaculates into his family’s dinner (a big piece of liver) or in which a black female hooker squats on a glass table and takes a shit on it while the “Monkey’s” rich husband lies underneath beating off while the former eats a banana on the sofa.
I wonder how much Roth has degenerated since the early seventies…ask Claire Bloom.Andrew S. on Elegy
on Aug 15 2008 @ 3:16 pm 1. Sam Juliano said …
These are all classics Evan, the three item interchange between Kristena and Miranda, Alexander’s poem, Rick’s question on what is cinematic, Adam’s corecard and my dear friend Andy’s raunchy but hilarious dismissal of Roth. A half dozen to remember. This is a great feature.
on Aug 15 2008 @ 4:38 pm 2. G said …
I saw that you slipped the word troll in their, Evan.
on Aug 15 2008 @ 4:39 pm 3. G said …
also, there.
on Aug 15 2008 @ 6:21 pm 4. Evan Derrick said …
I forgive you, G. Although Luke the grammar nazi might not.
on Aug 15 2008 @ 8:58 pm 5. Luke Harrington said …
Hey, someone has to make sure this site looks at least vaguely professional.
And G, you are pardoned.
on Aug 15 2008 @ 10:06 pm 6. Kristena said …
This makes me feel sorta famous.
Thank you for adding value to my life, Movie Zeal.
on Aug 15 2008 @ 10:48 pm 7. films noir said …
MovieZeal’s Film Noir month has spawned the best best film noir forum in cyberspace – informed and passionate comment from people who love movies. I think you should create a permanent film noir forum.
on Aug 16 2008 @ 1:27 pm 8. Joseph said …
MovieZeal is the awesome. In that Tommy Boy sense.
(Next commentary track, plz???)
on Aug 16 2008 @ 9:35 pm 9. Miranda Wilding said …
Well, doesn’t this take the proverbial cake?
I noticed when I shuffled home this afternoon (never mind…) that MZ had linked to me. My first thought was, What did I do NOW?
Sheer paranoia of course. Evan and his fabulous wife Kristena have done much to make me feel welcome here. It’s just that I didn’t think that I had done anything effective enough or sufficiently clever to make the dean’s list at this particular point in time.
I’m actually kind of touched. People are aware of my presence the minute I walk into a room. But that’s OFF the net.
It didn’t strike me that my wise acre attitude really passed for righteous social commentary anywhere. But especially here…
Or, as an adored ex once put it, “For someone that’s hot as hell, you’ve got a really big mouth.”
And your point is…?
I was actually thinking about giving MZ some space. There are so many BRILLIANT people that post here consistently – G, Rick and Sam among them – and their insights and opinions are genuinely fascinating. They deserve to take up some space at the party.
Evan, could you do me a favour. Please?
There are a couple of minor typing errors (NOT spelling mistakes) in my comment. Could you fix them if you have a moment?
In my second paragraph, “bsck” should be “back”. Obviously. My last “Jacquline” is also missing an “e”. Perfectionism is a bitch, boys and girls. Don’t try this at home.
Also, this is odd. There is a small government run theatre in the downtown core of the city where I live. They have lots of arty retrospectives. They never show any first run features. I’ve never been there.
Strangely enough, they’re in the midst of showing Film Noir double bills over a two week period. Many of the motion pictures that they’re screening are movies being reviewed at MZ now.
What are the chances of this happening? Must be the harmonic convergence. Or something.
But I feel very honoured to have made the cut. Seems a little fast but…
I’d like the thank the Academy…
Oh sorry. Wrong speech.
Anyway…
I’ll be in touch. You’ll be hearing from me.
Sooner or later….
on Aug 16 2008 @ 9:38 pm 10. Miranda Wilding said …
Yeah.
I also have an extra “take” in the first sentence of my brand new comment.
This is what happens when you’re trying to get the hell out of Dodge.
Hope someone fixes that.
Next…
on Aug 16 2008 @ 9:55 pm 11. Evan Derrick said …
Done and done, Miranda.
The one downside of doing this new column is that there are WAY too many fantastic comments to include…I always feel a bit sheepish by not re-posting them all. Yours, however, stood way out in terms of personality and perspective. Ripping on Hitchcock can be dangerous, but not when you do it so well.
on Aug 17 2008 @ 5:26 pm 12. Miranda Wilding said …
Evan, thank you so much for that.
You are a truly gracious host. I’m sure that everyone that comes to MZ would concur on that particular point.
If I attend any of those Film Noir screenings at the Cinematheque I’ll let everyone know how they are. I’m actually only interested in the ones I’ve viewed previously (and I’ve had a look at almost all of the ones they’re showing) but it will certainly be a rich and involving experience to see any of those pictures in a theatre.
on Aug 17 2008 @ 6:01 pm 13. Evan Derrick said …
Please do so! I’m violently jealous – seeing some of these on the big screen with a crowd must be quite the experience.