Comments on: ‘Whatever Works’ Doesn’t http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dgifford/2009/07/16/whatever-works-or-whatever/ Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:02:32 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Imagination, Optimism, and Tolerance « Nuke Gingrich http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dgifford/2009/07/16/whatever-works-or-whatever/comment-page-2/#comment-581114 Imagination, Optimism, and Tolerance « Nuke Gingrich Sat, 18 Jul 2009 20:12:03 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/?p=183354#comment-581114 [...] Linkage: “Whatever works” doesn’t; Market’s Last Gasp; Health care myths; When Identity Politics Collide; Caption This!; Your [...] [...] Linkage: “Whatever works” doesn’t; Market’s Last Gasp; Health care myths; When Identity Politics Collide; Caption This!; Your [...]

]]> By: Marilena http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dgifford/2009/07/16/whatever-works-or-whatever/comment-page-2/#comment-574654 Marilena Fri, 17 Jul 2009 04:20:48 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/?p=183354#comment-574654 The problem with Woody Allen is that , in all the decades that he has been rehashing the Meaningless Life schtick, there has been no evidence of development, no deeper insight, and no finer (or even cleverer) presentation. It's like an old man endlessly reciting his Wunderkind college thesis on existentialism. over and over and over and over again. He has become a bore. As for his affair with Sun Yi, yes, he behaved despicably, but let's cut out the "molestation" and "pedophile" accusations. The girl was not a minor . SHE bears plenty of blame for her vicious treatment of a woman who opened her arms and home to an orphaned child. (Roman Polanski, OTOH, really is a criminal child-abuser. ... Also a far, far better filmmaker than Allen, though I hate to say it.) The problem with Woody Allen is that , in all the decades that he has been rehashing the Meaningless Life schtick, there has been no evidence of development, no deeper insight, and no finer (or even cleverer) presentation. It's like an old man endlessly reciting his Wunderkind college thesis on existentialism. over and over and over and over again. He has become a bore.

As for his affair with Sun Yi, yes, he behaved despicably, but let's cut out the "molestation" and "pedophile" accusations. The girl was not a minor . SHE bears plenty of blame for her vicious treatment of a woman who opened her arms and home to an orphaned child.

(Roman Polanski, OTOH, really is a criminal child-abuser. … Also a far, far better filmmaker than Allen, though I hate to say it.)

]]> By: MovieBob http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dgifford/2009/07/16/whatever-works-or-whatever/comment-page-1/#comment-574482 MovieBob Fri, 17 Jul 2009 03:22:18 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/?p=183354#comment-574482 That's the thing, though: WOODY doesn't support Woody's view ;) It's often a mistake to assume that because an author inserts himself as a character (or a character's voice) in his own work - or if a main character speaks "to" the audience - that the film is automatically endorsing their point of view. Woody's "this is me" characters are almost uniformly miserable, unhappy men who are usually taught the lesson of the film. He's NEVER done a "Lady in The Water" - wherein M. Night Shyamalan wrote and acted a character who is a misunderstood genius who's divinely-inspired writing will bring about world peace. (Really.) Part of the "key" to Whatever Works is that the family of "rubes" Boris detests are all really, REALLY nice people both before AND after they "transform." (SPOILER) Clarkson's character, for example, turns out to always have been a gifted artist who simply wasn't recognized until she shows a photo to one of Boris' (much nicer) friends. That's the thing, though: WOODY doesn't support Woody's view ;)

It's often a mistake to assume that because an author inserts himself as a character (or a character's voice) in his own work – or if a main character speaks "to" the audience – that the film is automatically endorsing their point of view. Woody's "this is me" characters are almost uniformly miserable, unhappy men who are usually taught the lesson of the film. He's NEVER done a "Lady in The Water" – wherein M. Night Shyamalan wrote and acted a character who is a misunderstood genius who's divinely-inspired writing will bring about world peace. (Really.)

Part of the "key" to Whatever Works is that the family of "rubes" Boris detests are all really, REALLY nice people both before AND after they "transform." (SPOILER) Clarkson's character, for example, turns out to always have been a gifted artist who simply wasn't recognized until she shows a photo to one of Boris' (much nicer) friends.

]]> By: MovieBob http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dgifford/2009/07/16/whatever-works-or-whatever/comment-page-1/#comment-574458 MovieBob Fri, 17 Jul 2009 03:13:20 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/?p=183354#comment-574458 <i>"how bout if this film had a gay person who realized being gay wasn't something your born into but just a lifestyle choice and he made the wrong choice..if the film maker truely believed that would you praise him for being refrshingly honest?"</i> If the film was good, well-written and this change for the character came from a place that made sense and didn't simply happen so that the film could send a "message" then, yes, I would. "how bout if this film had a gay person who realized being gay wasn't something your born into but just a lifestyle choice and he made the wrong choice..if the film maker truely believed that would you praise him for being refrshingly honest?"

If the film was good, well-written and this change for the character came from a place that made sense and didn't simply happen so that the film could send a "message" then, yes, I would.

]]> By: DontTreadOnMe http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dgifford/2009/07/16/whatever-works-or-whatever/comment-page-2/#comment-574086 DontTreadOnMe Fri, 17 Jul 2009 01:44:38 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/?p=183354#comment-574086 I think you meant "crybabies" (you intended a plural, not a possessive); and sorry, we DO tend to get upset at injustices perpetuated by leftist attack-dogs. We prefer fairness in all aspects of life. It's how we roll. She STILL has more executive experience than Obama does, and she's DEFINITELY smarter than Biden! I think you meant "crybabies" (you intended a plural, not a possessive); and sorry, we DO tend to get upset at injustices perpetuated by leftist attack-dogs. We prefer fairness in all aspects of life. It's how we roll. She STILL has more executive experience than Obama does, and she's DEFINITELY smarter than Biden!

]]> By: Buck_Turgidson http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dgifford/2009/07/16/whatever-works-or-whatever/comment-page-1/#comment-573618 Buck_Turgidson Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:47:50 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/?p=183354#comment-573618 MovieBob: I haven't seen this one, but I have a feeling, based on Allen's past films, that I'd wind up agreeing with you. Allen is a self-professed atheist but his movies like "Crimes and Misdemeanors" and "Match Point" show him clearly uncomfortable about the implications of there being no God. On an unrelated note, I'm surprised Gifford didn't regale us with a joke about Allen's other obvious feature: his predilection for Jung girls. MovieBob: I haven't seen this one, but I have a feeling, based on Allen's past films, that I'd wind up agreeing with you. Allen is a self-professed atheist but his movies like "Crimes and Misdemeanors" and "Match Point" show him clearly uncomfortable about the implications of there being no God.

On an unrelated note, I'm surprised Gifford didn't regale us with a joke about Allen's other obvious feature: his predilection for Jung girls.

]]> By: kadaka http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dgifford/2009/07/16/whatever-works-or-whatever/comment-page-2/#comment-573594 kadaka Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:36:59 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/?p=183354#comment-573594 Alt characters? I just use HTML and put one letter in italics. Far easier with far less keystrokes to remember. Alt characters? I just use HTML and put one letter in italics. Far easier with far less keystrokes to remember.

]]> By: kadaka http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dgifford/2009/07/16/whatever-works-or-whatever/comment-page-1/#comment-573538 kadaka Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:00:25 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/?p=183354#comment-573538 Two new words for the list, "p<i>e</i>nis" and "v<i>a</i>gina," while it rejected "an<i>a</i>lyzing" because "an<i>a</i>l" was in it. Word search puzzles are such fun! Two new words for the list, "penis" and "vagina," while it rejected "analyzing" because "anal" was in it.

Word search puzzles are such fun!

]]> By: kadaka http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dgifford/2009/07/16/whatever-works-or-whatever/comment-page-1/#comment-573530 kadaka Thu, 16 Jul 2009 23:56:09 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/?p=183354#comment-573530 test "...alternately kvetched and sneered in gawd awful-long soliloquy to the fourth wall about sophomoric p<i>e</i>nis envy, v<i>a</i>ginal snapper fear, Oedipal lust, suppressed homosexuality, atheism, NRA hating, fly-over land cretin bashing, inner-selves yearning to be free and other urban elitist Nietzsche-Kant-Sartre politically liberal arrogance that used to be such great co-ed thigh openers at frat house mixers or the White Horse Tavern while channeling and an<i>a</i>lyzing Dylan Thomas’ inner Freudianism Jungism" test
"…alternately kvetched and sneered in gawd awful-long soliloquy to the fourth wall about sophomoric penis envy,

vaginal snapper fear, Oedipal lust, suppressed homosexuality, atheism, NRA hating, fly-over land cretin bashing,

inner-selves yearning to be free and other urban elitist Nietzsche-Kant-Sartre politically liberal arrogance that used

to be such great co-ed thigh openers at frat house mixers or the White Horse Tavern while channeling and

analyzing Dylan Thomas’ inner Freudianism Jungism"

]]> By: kadaka http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/dgifford/2009/07/16/whatever-works-or-whatever/comment-page-1/#comment-573526 kadaka Thu, 16 Jul 2009 23:55:19 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/?p=183354#comment-573526 test "...alternately kvetched and sneered in gawd awful-long soliloquy to the fourth wall about sophomoric p<i>e</i>nis envy, v<i>a</i>ginal snapper fear, Oedipal lust, suppressed homosexuality, atheism, NRA hating, fly-over land cretin bashing, inner-selves yearning to be free and other urban elitist Nietzsche-Kant-Sartre politically liberal arrogance that used to be such great co-ed thigh openers at frat house mixers or the White Horse Tavern while channeling and test
"…alternately kvetched and sneered in gawd awful-long soliloquy to the fourth wall about sophomoric penis envy,

vaginal snapper fear, Oedipal lust, suppressed homosexuality, atheism, NRA hating, fly-over land cretin bashing,

inner-selves yearning to be free and other urban elitist Nietzsche-Kant-Sartre politically liberal arrogance that used

to be such great co-ed thigh openers at frat house mixers or the White Horse Tavern while channeling and

]]>