Heartfelt thanks to the Los Angeles publicists who haven’t invited me to recent screenings of Craig Zahler‘s Dragged Across Concrete (Summit, 3.22). I became a Zahler fan after catching 2017’s Brawl in Cell Block 99. From Jordan Ruimy: “Just saw Concrete…FANTASTIC. Grim, Tarantino-esque, politically incorrect, ballsy and, above all else, incredibly well-directed. Is there such a thing as ‘right-wing avant-garde’? Because this deserves to be called that.” Deadline‘s Pete Hammond raved earlier today.
The Plague of Overdoing It
Posted seven years ago (3.25.12): “I still have problems with the Grapes of Wrath diner scene, which, as mentioned a couple of times, is a near-perfect thing until the very end when John Ford‘s sentimentality ruins it. If he’d only ended the scene with the trucker telling the waitress, ‘What’s it to ya?’
“This has always been Ford’s problem, and why his films are best appreciated in limited doses. Not to mention his tendency to prod his supporting actors into over-acting and doing the ‘tedious eccentricity’ thing — Ford’s ultimate Achilles heel. The overacting of that waitress is especially painful.”
Tsujihara Goes Down
Warner Bros. honcho Kevin Tsujihara has resigned — killed by Kim Masters and Tatiana Siegel’s 3.6 Hollywood Reporter story about his having philandered with actress Charlotte Kirk and then dealt unsatisfactorily with her demands for casting opportunities. The man did nothing, relatively-speaking. He fucked a hungry would-be actress — something that heavy-hitter studio execs and hotshot producers have been doing in this town since the days of Jesse L. Lasky.
Excerpt from HE rewrite of Tsujihara statement: “I deeply regret having brought pain and embarrassment to the people I love the most, yes, but mostly I regret having been busted and publicly shamed by Masters and Siegel. What did I do, really, that was so terrible? I catted around with a pretty English actress, knowing full well I’d probably have to reciprocate with some casting favors. And so what? This kind of thing happens all the time.
“Okay, so the actress felt she didn’t get what she expected out of our arrangement, and yes, that was completely my fault. But I’m hardly Charlie Sheen or Brett Ratner or Leonardo DiCaprio back in the late ’90s. I’m a 50ish married guy with kids who got caught poking around…BIG DEAL.
Quarterly Report
Not being a regular junketeer on the take, I won’t be seeing Dumbo until next Monday evening, 3.25. Or whenever the Manhattan all-media is, which I’m presuming will be the same day as the LA all-media. (My NYC flight departs late Friday night, 3.22 — I’ll return on Friday, 3.29.)
Tuesday’s big L.A. screening is Jordan Peele‘s Us (Universal, 3.22).
The absolute finest 2019 film so far is Kent Jones‘ Diane (IFC films, 3.29). Definite Best Actress action (or at the very least strong Spirit/Gotham award respect) for Mary Kay Place.
HE’s second best of the year is Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre‘s The Mustang. Struggling with reviews for both as we speak.
NYC get-around guy: “I’ve seen Dumbo. You can take the ‘o’ out of the title.”
You will believe an elephant can fly! #dumbo pic.twitter.com/aRXtJbvDRj
— Richard Crouse (@RichardCrouse) March 18, 2019
Who Expected Netflix To Do Cannes?
Even if endless post-production tweakings (i.e., CG de-aging refinements) hadn’t gotten in the way of a possible Cannes debut, Martin Scorsese‘s The Irishman would have never been slotted to debut two months hence. The intimate, end-of-the-road, old-guy gangster flick screams Venice-Telluride-Toronto. Plus Netflix Oscar strategist Lisa Taback would’ve never approved. The basic drill is that Netflix won’t be Cote d’Azur-ing this year — forget Steven Soderbergh’s The Laundromat, the Safdie brothers‘ Uncut Gems, Noah Baumbach‘s untitled whatever and a little touch of The King‘s Timothee Chalamet in the night. So say Variety‘s Elsa Keslassy and Matt Donnelly.
I’ll Always Love This Scene
And the haters, no offense, can shove it sideways.
Dishonest “Highwaymen” Ending
John Lee Hancock‘s The Highwaymen is a decent enough thing — a gruff, flavorful period procedural about how the notorious Bonnie and Clyde were ambushed and cut to pieces by ex-Texas Rangers Frank Hamer (Kevin Costner) and Maney Gault (Woody Harrelson)…oh, Maney! On a quiet woodsy Louisiana road on 5.23.34, way down in Bienville Parish.
[Click through to full story on HE-plus]
They Eke Out A Living
Everyone thinks Randy Newman‘s “Short People” or “I Love L.A.” were his biggest hit singles. Maybe they were culturally or deep down in the common memory pool, but the self-loathing “It’s Money That Matters” (from 1988’s Land of Dreams album) was Newman’s only #1 hit on any U.S. chart.
Dear God, how I worshipped Mark Knopfler‘s guitar playing on this track — how I still love it. And his Local Hero soundtrack, which I recently re-purchased.
I also have a soft spot in my heart for “It’s Money That I Love,” and especially the line about the 16 year-old girl and the half pound of cocaine — “now, that may not be love, but it is alright.” Anyone writing or performing this song today would be skinned on Twitter and forced to leave the country.
Will You Look At This Fatass?
The below frame capture is from a new trailer for Godzilla: King of the Monsters (Warner Bros., 5.3). I’ve posted two or three times previously about the fat Godzilla factor (the last one, “Reptilian Sumo Wrestler“, appeared on 12.10.18) but this is the first time I’ve seen a profile shot of the titular character in which you can literally spot a huge beer gut on the guy.
In the long history of monster movies, reaching all the way back to Harry Hoyt and Willis O’Brien‘s The Lost World, there’s never been a monster with a massive pot belly…never.
So I have to spell it out? On some level Godzilla: King of the Monsters is self-portraiture. Somebody on the team is projecting about contemporary American culture and how a significant portion of Millennials have become huge over the last 10, 15 years. Look at the original 1954 Godzilla — a monster who ate right and worked out.
