Jimmy Kimmel-like excerpts from David Rooney’s THR review of Robert Eggers’ The Northman (Focus, 4.22):

Variety‘s Clayton Davis has never been to Europe much less to the Cannes Film Festival, but that’s about to change next month. Congrats and safe travels.

HE to Davis: Your tickets are already purchased, you’ve said, but I’m hoping that you’ve arranged to schedule a brief stop-over in Paris (which you’ve also never visited) on the way back. After every Cannes Film Festival I’ve attended (my first was in ’92) I’ve always downshifted in Paris, Rome, Prague, Berlin, Barcelona, Lauterbrunnen, London, Ireland, etc. It would be almost sinful, I feel, to ignore this post-Cannes opportunity. But that’s me.

As previously noted I am tingling with excitement about watching Everything Everywhere All At Once. It’s obviously and totally my kind of movie. But before the viewing happens, I have to at least salute the brilliant one-sheet.

Sam Elliott has apparently been told by his agent to walk back his Power of the Dog diss for political reasons. I don’t know for a fact that industry Robespierres have decided that Elliott is anti-progressive or sexist or something in that vein, but many probably have. And as a result they might’ve diminished Elliott’s appeal as an actor-for-hire. Maybe.

Apologizing for a previously expressed opinion is Elliott’s right, of course, but we all know what the shot is here.

Deep down Elliott is almost certainly saying “c’mon, man…I can’t express an opinion that you don’t like because my career will be hurt if I don’t walk it back? And you think…what, that it’s a good thing that incorrect opinions, as you see them, are being squelched in urban blue environments by wokesters? Okay, guys — I get it. You guys are HUAC-style wolves dressed in humanist-diverse clothing, but I’m nonetheless ‘sorry’ for my transgression. And in the meantime, perhaps some of you might to watch Ken Russell‘s The Devils.”

I’m posting this out of respect for Elliott, of course, and partly from my own experience last year.

Sam Elliott apologizes for his controversial comments he previously made about ‘The Power of the Dog’ #DeadlineContenders pic.twitter.com/XZ86wCAXmL

— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) April 10, 2022

In April ‘62 JFK derided steel executives for raising steel prices by $6 a ton, and thereby showing “utter contempt” for the interests of average Americans. Right now big oil is showing the same kind of disregard by using the Ukraine War as a rationale for sending gas prices through the roof. Lefties are calling them on this, but has President Biden said anything? This is what the bully pulpit is for.

And by the way, on his recent trip to Europe why didn’t Biden visit Kyiv and do a walk-around with Zelenskyy, like British PM Boris Johnson has just done?

Good heavens, let it go, move on, life is short. The following was posted earlier today:

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R), the U.S. Senate Minority Leader, is a pure political animal, an expedient parliamentarian and a cold-blooded reptile. (Turtles, we sometimes forget, are reptiles.)

On 2.13.21, Mitch McConnell said “Former President Trump’s actions preceding the [Jan. 6th] riot were a disgraceful dereliction of duty. There is no question that [Trump] is practically and morally responsible for provoking the events of that day. The rioters [attacked the Capitol] because they had been fed wild falsehoods by the most powerful man on Earth — because he was angry he’d lost an election.”

Two weeks later McConnell told a Fox interviewer that he would “absolutely” support Trump if he wound up as the Republican presidential nominee in 2024.

Speaking two days ago to Axios’ Jonathan Swan, McConnell said he has “an obligation to support the nominee” of his party. And that his two statements on Trump were “not at all inconsistent…I stand by everything I said on January 6 and everything I said on February the 13th.”