Morning Call Sheet: Crowder Occupies Racism, Hollywood Discriminates, and a Kind Word About Sean Penn
by John Nolte
OH NOES! REDBOX RAISES DAILY RENTAL PRICE BY 20 CENTS
In case you haven’t figured it out already, one of the pleasures of Redbox is that it is both a way to see the latest offerings from Hollywood and a way stick your finger in Hollywood’s eye at the same time. A two-fer, if you will. And who doesn’t love a two-fer?
Redbox is to the film industry what Napster was to the music industry. The only difference is that Redbox is legal and moral whereas Napster was not.
I don’t hate Hollywood (my hate is all burned up by the mainstream media), but I also don’t like it very much; therefore 20 cents seems like a small price to pay to support the enemy of my enemy.
SAG, AFTRA CALL OUT IMDB, OTHERS FOR PRACTICE ORGS SAY FACILITATES AGE DISCRIMINATION
What a joke. No one discriminates more than Hollywood.
In casting session all around the word, on a daily basis they discriminate against individuals based only on their looks. Talent rarely has a thing to do with Hollywood’s hiring decisions. Does someone want to tell me Megan Fox is the best actress all those directors could find?
Hollywood does what every private business would be litigated out of business for doing; they hire pretty people for their movies because pretty people put butts in seats. Let Walmart hire only pretty people as cashiers, prove that doing so boosts profits, and see if they get away with it. But Hollywood gets away with the exact same thing and does so brazenly.
This union crybabying (do they ever do anything different?) is all about vanity. If SAG or AFTRA gave a damn about real discrimination they would be in an uproar what’s known as ‘lookism.’
Crybabies, liars and hypocrites. Oh, how I hate me some unions.
DWINDLING DVD REVENUES RESULT IN 120 LAYOFFS
Unless it’s the mainstream media, I take no pleasure in seeing people lose their jobs. If it is the mainstream media, I do my ritual happy dance before the gods of New Media.
What you have here, however, is the workaday folks taking the hit while the upper 1% like Johnny Depp walk away with $50 million per picture.
There’s a way for these folks not to lose their jobs, a way for the studios to increase their profits enough to save these jobs, but when you have to satisfy the upper 1%, this is what you get.
The smell of hypocrisy is everywhere in the 90210.
SEAN PENN DIRECTING ‘THE COMEDIAN’ WITH KRISTEN WIIG, ROBERT DE NIRO
Sean Penn is an outstanding director and I’m betting he gets the best performance we’ve seen from Robert De Niro in fifteen years. Watching De Niro overact in the tradition of his pal Al Pacino has been more than a little heartbreaking. But Penn was able to direct scenery-chewer Jack Nicholson into one of his best performances in “The Pledge,” a near-masterpiece everyone should see regardless of your personal feelings about Penn.
No doubt, Sean Penn is an asshole, but he’s an asshole capable of telling superb, character-driven stories that stay with you long after the lights come up.
—–
—–
SCOTTDS’ EPIC LINK-TACULAR
STEVEN CROWDER OCCUPIES … RACISM!
READER REVIEW: ‘THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN‘
CHARLIE SHEEN’S ‘ANGER MANAGEMENT’ SITCOM TO AIR ON FX
STEVE MARTIN TO RELEASE A BOOK OF ‘TWEETS’
TEASER TRAILER FOR NEW STARZ SERIES ‘MAGIC CITY,’ STARRING JEFFREY DEAN MORGAN
‘THE HOBBIT’ TO PREMIERE IN NEW ZEALAND
OLIVER STONE TO DIRECT ‘THE POWER BROKER’ FOR HBO, BASED ON ROBERT CARO’S BOOK
STATE OF STUDIO DEALS: WHO’S DOING WHAT WHERE
FUNNY VIDEO: JOHNNY DEPP GETS HIS REVENGE ON RICKY GERVAIS
‘IRON MAN 3′ TO BE FILMED IN NORTH CAROLINA
VISUAL EFFECTS VETERAN DOUGLAS TRUMBULL DISCUSSES 3D AND HIGHER FRAME RATES
FOX PLANNING BACK-TO-BACK ‘INDEPENDENCE DAY’ SEQUELS, WITH OR WITHOUT PRICEY WILL SMITH
10 BEST PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON CHARACTERS
DO YOU REALLY NEED TO READ THE SYNOPSIS FOR ‘THE EVIL DEAD’ REMAKE?
A LOOK AT’ BAND OF BROTHERS’ WRITER ERIC JENDRESEN’S UNPRODUCED STAR TREK PREQUEL
10 STARS WHO NEVER SHOULD’VE LEFT TV
‘PSYCHO II’ AND 9 OTHER UNDERRATED HORROR SEQUELS
THE DIABOLICAL DIAGRAM OF MOVIE MONSTERS
—-
—–
LAST NIGHT’S SCREENING
Paranormal Activity (2007) — My second go around was as satisfyingly creepy as the first. It helps that I have the memory of a hundred year-old and forgot most of the story, but for my money this is an absolutely brilliant horror film. The scares are honest. There’s nothing cheap at work here. The plot is about as effective as you can get in creating not only a sense of dread but also slowly escalating your understanding of the danger this young couple is in.
The casting is equally effective. It helps so much that the lovely Katie Featherston isn’t “Hollywood-lovely.” She looks like a real person. Even more impressive is the characterization of her immature boyfriend Micah (Micah Sloat), whose terminal stupidity and misplaced pride constantly provokes the demon.
Part two is on Netflix Streaming and while I have to work late tonight, I am hoping to give that one another go-round.
—–
—–
CLASSIC PICK FOR SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29
TCM:
11:00 PM Body Snatcher, The (1945) – To continue his medical experiments, a doctor must buy corpses from a grave robber. Dir: Robert Wise Cast: Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, Henry Daniell. BW-78 mins, TV-PG, CC.
Karloff, Lugosi, body snatching… Need I say more? Outside of the classic Universal horror films featuring Frankenstein, Dracula, the Mummy, etc., this is my favorite old time spooker.
A young Robert Wise, who would go on to win Academy Awards for directing “The Sound of Music” and “West Side Story,” was really showing his potential and range as a director here. Masterful film in every sense of the word and starring my two of my all-time favorites.
We will never see the likes of Karloff and Lugosi again.
Giants.
Email this to a friend | Print |
Share on Facebook
| Tweet this
| 
Follow Us on Twitter
Subscribe via RSS
Got a Tip?
36 Comments
Someone called Sidekicks horrible? I bet THAT guy doesn't want to meet Chuck in a dark alley!
I enjoyed "Paranormal Activity 3", though a twist in the last few minutes seemed kind on nonsensical and tacked on. As a whole, it's great that they've created a series that relies on mounting dread and the sense of the unknown to generate thrills, rather than needless gore. (Not saying gore-fests don't have their place … just that they're generally not that scary.)
I'm confused about John's condemnation of layoffs due to falling DVD sales. Considering that he has often championed streaming video (and rightly so) as the future, this should come as no surprise. In one sense, I think it's nuts that Depp can take home $50 million per picture. But if dreck like "Pirates of the Caribbean" can break a billion worldwide, in that sense he's probably worth it. But I don't see how his price tag and dwindling DVD sales are connected.
Steve Martin. Is he becoming a tragedy?
Just look around the world. The scene from "The Man With Two Brains" comes to mind. (Painfully funny film). Steve's character is asking the painting on the wall for advice. Hell breaks loose and then Steve puts the painting in the closet.
The Status Quo is trying to put the tea party in the closet. And Steve Martin is publishing Tweets. Game over.
"Crybabies, liars and hypocrites. Oh how I hate me some unions." It's enough to make us all need a hot shower. Give me some Dana v. Bible Thumpers. Or the Chewbaca Defense. Or something. Just make them GO AWAY!
IMDB should probably say, "Sue Google first, morons. That's where we get our data" Unions = obvious and stupid.
Slightly off topic. Since we no longer have an open thread, here's as good as place as any to park it.
Listening to Rush. He said the various OWS protestors are sticking out winter, it will be their Valley Forge.
Washington parked his army for the winter at Valley Forge, one of the most productive and fertile valleys in the world. Why did they starve and freeze? Incompetent quartermaster. Was incapable of getting supplies where needed.
So in a way, the OWS are right. Let's see how they are with large scale supply distribution.
Hollywood does what every private business would be litigated out of business for doing; they hire pretty people for their movies because pretty people put butts in seats
Limiting the potential pool of workers due to age is a no brainer. Your competition hires more competent workers, therefore provides superior services at lower prices.
Dr. Walter E. Williams has a fascinating idea about Jim Crow laws. If every white in the south agreed with segregation, there would be no need for Jim Crow. How ever if your competition caters to African Americans, then they have a larger potential customer base than you do. His theory is Jim Crow wasn't to keep African Americans out, it was to prevent whites from what other whites saw as an unfair advantage.
You lost me at "A Kind Word about Sean Penn"
Sorry, John, no matter how capable Penn is, to give any money to him or his ilk is a straight stream to those who are destroying the country. Might as well send it directly to the Left and cut out the middle man (Penn).
Unions suck, but age discrimination is a real problem in Hollywood and accounts for a lot of the crap we see today. When you ditch the seasoned and knowledgeable in favor of the young and foolish, you get… well, take your pick in this week's box-office.
Thats an interesting idea to play around with
Thomas Sowell echoed a similar point in one of his books as well. The popular narrative is that the government was needed to prevent private businesses from enacting Jim Crow in the South but a closer examination of the facts prove this to be completely bogus. Jim Crow was a government intrusion into the free market, not an expression of the free market the government needed to stop. Sadly, the facts have been lost to the ages save for a few brilliant men like Williams and Sowell.
Hopefully he's at least a better director than an actor. His signaure role was a stoner and his most acclaimed role was a retard. Neither of which required a lot of acting on his part.
considering this is supposedly going to be one heck of a winter, we'll see just how stoic these people are…
Somebody took a FLIR (rorward looking infra red) camera to one of the protests and surveyed the tents at night.
They were empty. Seems SOMEBODY decided to either go home or to the local Motel 6. For the most part, these are namby pamby lightweights used to privilege. Zero degree temperatures aren't much fun for camping.
Also, too Valley Forge and the winter of 1778 was unreal cold; the world was going through one of it's 'mini ice ages'; the Delaware river hasn't frozen over for more than a century…
Sean Penn is indeed a great talent and hopefully he will shift his energies towards directing more films. " The Pledge " was deeply engaging and Jack Nicholson's performance was worthy of an Oscar. " Into The Wild " ( 2007) was also a fine film and Penn brought out great performances from Emile Hirsch and Catherine Keener.
In other important entertainment/industry news, one man was killed and another seriously injured in an explosion on the set of " The Expendables 2."
They were stuntmen filming an action sequence for the film on location, in Bulgaria.
Tragic for the man who was killed. Well wishes to his family and for the other stuntman who was seriously injured.
Saw Days Of Wine And Roses (had it on the DVR for a few days), and it's a hard film to watch. Hard because of how much you come to like Jack Lemmon and Lee Remick as the tragic couple whose love can't overcome the booze. The ending in which you see Lemmon looking out the window with the reflection of the bar sign ever so visible is memorable.
Also saw A Clockwork Orange finally this morning; brutal to say the least and a little confusing. The thing of note was the portrayal of society in general, seemingly condoning the ever degrading value of human life. You see Malcolm McDowell and his friends attacking people, only to see the authority figures not trying to punish him for his crimes or realize what has happened to society.
Plan on watching Horror Of Dracula real soon; it'll be the first time I've seen a Hammer horror film.
Amen.
Have you not seen " Mystic River," " 21 Gramss" or "Milk?" The performances in those films were varied and nuanced. Each separate from the other.
Yes, of course most artists are going to get pegged with particular works throughout their careers. Especially the works achieved in their earlier renditions. But that burden is not particularly a fair one.
John Wayne was in a lot more movies than "The Searchers," "The Man Who Shot Libertey Valance" and "Rio Bravo" no?
Also slightly (?) off-topic, damn but I am glad that Chaz Bono is gone from Dancing With the Stars. Not surprised by his/her tantrum next day on Good Morning America. The entire GLBT community is turning into an army of whine. If the ratings this season are on the decline it's no wonder; who was the meth addict who selected this lineup anyway?
I am currently listening to Sean Hannity's radio show. Currently listening to a debate about a Muslim student suing Catholic University over…OMFG, why is a MUSLIM attending a CATHOLIC run college and expecting the university to bend to his/her faith?
ACO: Better in the morning than late at night.
Wow… I did not know "The Pledge" was the work of that jackass Sean Penn. Although it is a "good" movie, I tell everyone I know not to watch — so sad, it tortured me for days afterward. It depressed me for days after I saw it… it really affected me, and not in a good way, I couldn't shake it.
I read a recent interview with Martin when he had a concert in town. I appreciated the fact that he said there would be nothing political on stage and he has never engaged in political speech from the stage. He basically said, "I have a political point of view, but why alienate those in the audience who don't share it?" I haven't followed him enough to know if that's 100% accurate, but his stock went up in my opinion.
The Universal classic horror films: Halloween isn't Halloween without them. Dracula, The Mummy, Frankenstein, the Wolfman…..even the Creature and the Invisible Man.
Throw in some Abbott & Costello, and now we're really talkin'!
Magic City. Saw an ad for it last night. It looks good, but it is becoming a joke how many Hollywood hobos are jumping on the Mad Men early '60s period piece train. I shouldn't complain, though. The Playboy Club sucked and died a quick death, but I am really enjoying Pan Am. Kelli Garner is an absolute doll. I've yet to even see Mad Men.
"We will never see the likes of Karloff and Lugosi again. Giants."
Agreed, and let's not forget Lon Chaney, jr. Oh, yeah and Vincent Price, that dude still creeps me out.
Well that's strange, i've now seen Days of Wine and Roses has now come up twice with the week. And both times were non-sequiturs.
Fu*k Sean Penn. He's a complete liberal d*ckhead and I would NEVER watch anything he had anything to do with… that wasn't 'Fast times at Ridgemont High'…
I have seen none of those. I am sick of second generation Hollywood types getting the plum
roles. Every other actor is the kid of a show biz family. Hollywood money is kept in the family
and away from others that never get a chance, yet these usually are very liberal people
that think affirmative action means "hire someone's kid".
But I did hear he was great in that documentary "I Am Sam"…
Yes it was unusually cold that winter at Valley Forge. As for the Delaware river being frozen, it is not very deep where Washington and his troops crossed, which was a few miles upstream from Trenton. The part of the Delaware that flows past Trenton, now, is quite shallow with a swift current.
Once I saw Clockwork Orange, I was able to understand the pattern of the patter and finally read the book. The main difference between it and the movie: Young Alex and his droogs were under 16. The tragedy is that the younger you are when allowed to embrace violence, the more horrendous the violence you will embrace. Many of Pol Pot's thugs were Young Alex's age.
"the Delaware river hasn't frozen over for more than a century…"
—————————————————————————————-
Proof positive of long term global warming!!!!!!!!!!!!
you bet.
In the UK there was a display of paintings of the River Thames going back to 1600. It was a veritable slide show of the mini ice age, the warming and cooling periods over the last 400 years.
Scientists ignored it…
and so it is.
But it has not frozen over in a long time; undoubtedly some of that has to do with the shallowness and the rapidity of current- which are most likely different than in 1777…
Thank you for the photograph, above, of two of my 'faves'…..the wondrous Boris Karloff and the ever superb Henry Daniell.
We still have Sir Christopher Lee.
Age discrimination is a real problem though, John. i'm not sure it's mock-worthy.
why is a MUSLIM attending a CATHOLIC run college…
To find out if a solution is diluted enough you must test it. They are testing us to determine if our faith is entirely gone. Because no-one without faith can prevail over someone who has it.
You must be logged in to post a comment.