Phil: I thought your story about Spielberg/Tarentino/Rodriguez was hilarious.
Your comments about how it's hip for some to hate Spielberg mirror those I
wrote in May to MoPo when I claimed the new Indiana Jones movie "does not
stink," e.g. --
** Finally, I think there will always be a great reservoir of resentment that
makes it almost "fashionably cool to hate Spielberg." Some will never concede
he's good at anything except making money -- and feel they must always qualify
their praise -- that is, if must give him a prop for anything he does well –
they must also take something away that has the sum effect of giving people the
impression that he's is the purist definition of being "overrated" and/or the
personification of "mediocrity" in Hollywood. The new Lucas/Spielberg effort
was about an "8" on a 1-10 scale -- and thank goodness -- it was NOT the
"Phantom Menace" disappointment I feared. It will be forgotten in a few months
-- but it accomplishes what it sets out to do. More wonderful -- was seeing
hundreds of children in the audience, many with their parents, thoroughly
engrossed with the film. I always love to see this. Not every scene must be
filled with breath-taking action. There was even applause as the end credits
rolled.
I also agree w/you and Kirb that only film buffs notice or care about the names
of directors of most films. That's OK. It helps us sift the wheat from the
chaff to determine whether something is worth spending $$ and a few hours to
see while the rest of the public is lured by "captivating" movie trailers or
big ads in newspapers or on TV. I wrote yesterday that my admiration for
Spielberg is a "minority view" on MoPo -- because when I write about him, I get
more "blowback" from people telling me he's overrated, lousy, etc. -- than from
people who think he's darn good. Many take issue with my belief that he is a
"living legend." They hate it. And I understand why. People's feelings about
him are truly mixed, and here in CA, it those feelings border on being
manic-depressive because he is loved AND feared. At any rate, yours was a
great post.
-d.
Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:27:58 +1000From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]: Re: Can a major
director shoot an "epic" on a low budget?To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU
Gee, I dunno.
I think Spielberg is one of the best and smartest directors the medium has ever
given us. I'm hard pressed to think of another director who ranges across
genres with the panache he does, and has so appreciably matured with his craft
so effortlessly that the art simply emerges.
Of course some films are better than others, some have wider appeal than
others.... but as a real movie director and extremely smart producer of other
directors' works, he's hard to beat.
His biggest problem is that there are so many people who think it's not cool to
like a Spielberg movie, or Tarantino movie, or whatever.
Couple of weeks back, someone I know watched the first 10 minutes of PLANET
TERROR and said I KNEW IT WAS GOING TO BE CRAP. ANYTHING DIRECTED BY TARANTINO
IS CRAP!
Ahhhh... BUT HE DIDN'T DIRECT IT. ROBERT RODRIGUEZ DID.
And there followed a YES HE DID/NO, HE DIDN'T..... ROBERT RODRIGUEZ DIRECTED
SIN CITY AND THAT WAS A MASTERPIECE.... HE'S A GREAT DIRECTOR. TARANTINO IS
CRAP....
Yes, yes... I know. They saw the credits... again.... OH, MAYBE I BETTER TAKE
ANOTHER LOOK AT THE WHOLE MOVIE THIS TIME, THIS LOOKS LIKE IT MIGHT BE GREAT!
RODRIGUEZ IS VERY COOL!
A survey was done a few years ago about people coming out of various movies, or
lining up for various movies.
Some staggering % had NO IDEA who the director of the film was they had just
seen or were going to see.... and yes, in this straw poll, one of the films was
a Spielberg movie. Most people could not give a monkey's toss about who
directed a film. Most people don't even think about it.
Quick, and without looking at the IMDB, name 5 films directed by Robert Aldrich.
Too easy? Name 10 films directed by Robert Altman.
Okay - really easy ones - name 5 films directed by Raoul Walsh, or Michael
Curtiz, or William Wellman.
How about 10 films directed by John Ford?
And as for writers, I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of people
I know who might look at a film title and be excited by the name of a writer
credit.
Phil
----- Original Message -----
From: David Kusumoto
To: MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU
Sent: Wednesday, July 23, 2008 2:51 PM
Subject: Re: [MOPO] Can a major director shoot an "epic" on a low budget?
** I know enough about Bob Brooks to not wanna tangle with him, especially his
razor wit, which comes out when he's not even trying. I will say though, that
while more films are being made than ever before -- the truth is -- more films
were RELEASED by "major studios and distributors" from the 1920s to 1946 than
they are today. They had a monopoly and even owned the theaters to show their
OWN films. Movie attendance since 1946 has never been eclipsed, thanks to TV.
Foreign films -- more prevalent today -- were "near" unavailable to U.S.
audiences outside NY and LA before 1960. Most small towns never saw ANY films
with subtitles. ** Meanwhile, switching gears back to "Jaws" and it's so-called
"cheap rubber shark" -- good and classy response by Rich in the U.K.; I'm glad
you clarified your earlier remarks. That 1975 picture introduced the
"blockbuster" mentality to Hollywood, opening in more theaters on opening day
than typical for most studios at the time. The "disaster" genre wave preceded
it and some say "Jaws" just blew down the doors faster. ** "Jaws" was a
big-budgeted film for the 1970s -- with everything riding on the skills of a
26-year old "novice" -- who hadn't yet demonstrated a track record of success
in the U.S. "Jaws" began production before the 1974 release of his theatrical
debut, "The Sugarland Express." Most famously, Spielberg ditched the domestic
melodrama of the ultra-popular Peter Benchley novel and turned his film into a
high-seas adventure, with a triangle character structure involving Shaw,
Dreyfuss and Scheider. ** Most memorable were comments by actor Richard
Dreyfuss, who dissed the film (and Spielberg) throughout its production.
Following historic sneak previews in Dallas and Long Beach, and an exhibitor's
preview in New York, Dreyfuss was mobbed. (Like many people, he had
underestimated Spielberg's skills as an editor and storyteller -- and had no
idea what the assembled film would look like with John Williams' legendary
score). Dreyfuss went bonkers, telling everyone he was dead wrong, that he was
embarrassed by his remarks, that Spielberg was a genius, that the picture would
be big for everyone. For many people, "Jaws" remains Spielberg's "best" film
-- and for collectors, probably his best film poster, next to the bicycle and
moon image in "E.T." ** After "Jaws," Spielberg would always have final cut.
He made enemies quickly. Many critics (except the late Pauline Kael) disdained
Spielberg's reputation as a "populist" director (akin to how they treated
Hitchcock, another "commercial" director whose legend grew anyway, esp. after
his death in 1980). After the disaster of "1941," Spielberg's rep for
"sentimental" big-budget entertainment was sealed when he returned with the
first "Raiders" picture in '81. I know my appreciation for Spielberg's
craftsmanship is a minority view at MoPo. He's not highly regarded nor beloved
as Scorcese or Ridley Scott or Eastwood among living directors -- yet it's not
difficult for anyone to predict that Spielberg will indeed be considered
legendary -- for good and for ill -- by future generations (just not mine)....
-kuz.> Date: Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:32:24 +0100> From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject:
Re: Can a major director shoot an "epic" on a low budget?> To:
MoPo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU> > Stand corrected, must read up on my history.>
Point I meant to make, but failed badly with this example, I'd rather > have a
tale well told, with tension due to what you don't see, but are > scared you
will, rather than a film choc full of the most mind blowing > effects.> (Which
I don't equate with a rarely seen, obviously rubber, albeit > expensive,
shark.)> Regardless of the setting, I'll do without the water, just settle for
> a shower.> > Cheers,> Rich
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