Real Geezers
I finally got around to watching the two Real Geezers videos on YouTube last night, and they're actually pretty good. And I love that meowing cat in the background! Screenwriter Lorenzo Semple (The Parallax View, Three Days of the Condor) and producer and former writer's agent Marcia Nasatir (The Big Chill) are sharp and seasoned and don't mince words.
Semple's Michael Clayton love is relentless -- he's voting for Tilda Swinton in the Best Supporting Actress category. Nasatir also in her worshipping of George Clooney. Semple loves Diablo Cody and Julie Christie, hates Lars and the Real Girl, and isn't all that moved by Hal Holbrook. The segments provide a fascinating eavesdrop into the thinking of the industry's 70-and-older generation. Part 1 is below; here's part 2.
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on February 9, 2008 at 11:42 AM
comment #1
christian
says ...
I adore these guys. It's great to see the yuts respond.
Posted by christian
at February 9, 2008 12:12 PM
comment #2
lazarus
says ...
I suggest searching for their review of Superbad. It's even funnier than you could possibly imagine.
These two aren't as oblivious as you'd expect. They have a refreshing perspective at times, though once in a while you want to slap your hand to your forehead and wonder exactly how much worse it gets among the Academy voting body.
Posted by lazarus
at February 9, 2008 12:25 PM
comment #3
gruver1
says ...
Wells to Christian: Yuts?
Posted by gruver1
at February 9, 2008 1:20 PM
comment #4
Mark B
says ...
These two are terrific! Smart, opinionated and very funny. Love it.
Posted by Mark B
at February 9, 2008 1:34 PM
comment #5
berg
says ...
these guys are da bomb, and 3 Days of the Condor? is this the guy who got wrote out the other 3 days?
Posted by berg
at February 9, 2008 2:34 PM
comment #6
christian
says ...
Jeff, Joe Pesci can explain better:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=J1V-4boT_ts
Posted by christian
at February 9, 2008 2:53 PM
comment #7
ROTC
says ...
Am I the only one who found their opinions (assuming they are representative of a meaningful body of the Academy) more than a little disheartening? Considering they are such long-standing, respected industry stalwarts, these two conveyed an incredibly limited artistic perspective. (Can you believe how Semple dissed the Coen brothers, saying he could imagine anybody directing NCFOM?) I felt like I was watching Seinfeld's parents getting into one of their ridiculous lathers, the unfortunate difference being that these alter kokkers actually get to vote while the rest of us don't.
Posted by ROTC
at February 9, 2008 3:51 PM
comment #8
DarthCorleone
says ...
That was fun to watch.
My favorite quotes...
American Gangster
"the movie's just too dreary to nominate anybody from it"
Atonement
"that movie also I think deserves nothing"
Gone Baby Gone
"I haven't seen it"
"Casey Affleck in the Assassination of Jesse James..."
(interrupting) "No."
Into The Wild
"That movie is a remake of Easy Rider..."
Nice to hear from the guy that he has so little respect for recognizing writers.
"Lars And The Real Girl..."
"BOO!"
"Anybody named Diablo Cody and has been a stripper is very hard not to vote for."
Re: Daniel Day-Lewis
"...his performance had no arc, no journey. And you can blame that on the script, incidentally, and the director."
Re: Viggo
"...particularly noted for...the full-frontal shot...widely written up - his endowment. That seems to be the chief thing of his performance to me."
Ladies and gentlemen, the logic that determines our Oscar winners! Snark aside, these two seem like they'd be fun to hang out with.
Posted by DarthCorleone
at February 9, 2008 4:00 PM
comment #9
hiviper
says ...
Interesting. Loved the cat meowing in the background - they both would briefly pause every time. Didn't like the Michael Clayton spoiler, but I won't hold it against them.
Posted by hiviper
at February 9, 2008 8:05 PM
comment #10
Ben C
says ...
I was more or less annoyed by their ironic lack of self-awareness.
They complain at the end about the Oscars not getting it right, without ever realizing that the opinions they spent the previous 20 minutes espousing are precisely the reason why that happens.
I mean, is it a joke? How can you deride TWBB's diversion from the traditional Hollywood norm ("No arc" wtf?) and then complain about Oscar's shortsightedness?
The movies they mention, BONNIE AND CLYDE, RAGING BULL, they brought something new and daring to the table and were overlooked precisely because of that. But they're the ones that stand the test of time, living on in film school classes, AFI lists and the warm remembrances of hypocritical seniors. MICHAEL CLAYTON, solid as it is, has but a long future ahead of it on TBS.
Posted by Ben C
at February 10, 2008 12:38 AM
comment #11
dd
says ...
I mean, is it a joke? How can you deride TWBB's diversion from the traditional Hollywood norm ("No arc" wtf?) and then complain about Oscar's shortsightedness?
Designer Handbags
Posted by dd
at May 11, 2010 1:19 AM