Show Me Someone

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...who's not a parasite, and I'll say a prayer for him. And it doesn't matter if the quote is actually "name me someone," etc. Sometimes the author is wrong and the listener is right.

This Museum of Moving Image essay by Aaron Aradillas and Matt Zoller Seitz "is about damaged loners who stand outside the spotlight looking for a way in -- people who fantasize about knowing, becoming, protecting, or destroying their heroes. All About Eve, Star 80, The King of Comedy, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford and other films in this vein show anonymous voyeurs, fringe dwellers, wannabes and hangers-on doing whatever it takes to grab their 15 minutes of fame.

This is the fourth part of "Razzle Dazzle," a six-part video essay that looks at how movies have examined the many facets of fame. Previously posted: Part 1 (The Pitch), Part 2 (The Hero), and Part 3 (The Fraud).

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Posted by Jeffrey Wells on July 16, 2010 at 8:14 AM

comment #1

Ray DeRousse says ...

Will the glorious Ed Wood be a part of this?

Posted by Ray DeRousse at July 16, 2010 8:46 AM

comment #2

Jean says ...

Kinda suprised there was no mention of Talented Mr. Ripley.

Posted by Jean at July 16, 2010 10:14 AM

comment #3

crazynine says ...

The LexG Story?

Posted by crazynine at July 16, 2010 11:17 AM

comment #4

... says ...

The LexG story has already been written: it's called Money, by Martin Amis.

After watching Part 4 of Razzle Dazzle there, the first HE persona that came to mind was DZ...

(the first sentence was a joke.)

Posted by ... at July 16, 2010 11:44 AM

comment #5

Barnes78 says ...

@Jean, Of course! I've enjoyed every part of this series, including The Parasite, but I embarrassingly forgot about "The Talented Mr. Ripley". It's still such an underrated film.

I think Jeffrey makes a valid point as well. It isn't so much that we're all, currently, parasites. But I'd be too tempted to yell "liar!" to anyone who says they've never been one (on any level) or have recognized their capacity to be one. "Death To Smoochy" is another film that just popped in to mind.

I would love to see this entire series expanded. It would have been fun to be a fly on the wall during the discussion of which films to include.

Posted by Barnes78 at July 16, 2010 11:52 AM

comment #6

LexG says ...

How could anyone not want to be famous?

Especially after seeing THE GREATEST MOVIE OF 2010 last night, how could anyone NOT want to be Joseph Gordon-Levitt?

Posted by LexG at July 16, 2010 12:49 PM

comment #7

Barnes78 says ...

@Jean (again),

While struggling on the treadmill, I have a theory as to why "Talented Mr. Ripley" wasn't showcased. All of the examples used refer to the desire for fame and the connections with fame that certain characters had. Tom Ripley doesn't fall in to that category. Not only did he want Dickie, but he wanted to be him as well with all that his glorious lifestyle afforded. In the greater context of the 'parasite', it's still an excellent example, if not one of the best. Cheers!

Posted by Barnes78 at July 16, 2010 1:51 PM

comment #8

Gordn27 says ...

Funny, I thought it was "name me somebody that's not a parasite".

Would including 'Nashville' be too much of a spoiler?

Posted by Gordn27 at July 16, 2010 2:25 PM

comment #9

austin111 says ...

Crikey, Casey Affleck is about as good as it gets in Assassination of Jesse James. Loved his performance, which should have won BSA with no problem but, of course, didn't. And, yeah, I would definitely include TheTalented Mr. Ripley.

Posted by austin111 at July 16, 2010 5:03 PM

comment #10

Viagra Without Prescription says ...

There are not another phrase as real as this one "Sometimes the author is wrong and the listener is right", however, in too many cases for the author is something difficult to accept, because this is injuring his personal ego.

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comment #11

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comment #12

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comment #13