Everyone presumably knows by now that Peter Berg‘s Lone Survivor (Universal, 12.27) is the story of the failed Operation Red Wings in Afghanistan (June 2005), which resulted in the deaths of three Navy SEALS on the ground and eight more SEALS plus eight U.S. Army Special Ops guys — 19 in all. It’s being sold as a story about the four Navy SEALS on the ground (Mark Wahlberg as Marcus Littrell, Taylor Kitsch as Lt. Michael P. Murphy, Emile Hirsch as Danny Dietz and Ben Foster as Matthew Axelson) who got shot all to pieces, and about how three of them died nobly and bravely.

But if these guys had been more tough-minded (in the “diamond bullet” sense of that term as conveyed by Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now) and followed some basic strategic wisdom they might not have died at all.

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I attended an AFI Fest premiere pre-party this evening for Saving Mr. Banks at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel. It began earlyish, around 5:15 pm or so, but it was dark and cool out so who cared? Having seen Banks in London about three weeks ago I decided at the last minute to drive over to an Old Boy screening in West Los Angeles.

Saving Mr. Banks screenwriter and principal architect Kelly Marcel — Hollywood Roosevelt hotel, Thursday, 12.7, 6:05 pm. Marcel shares screenwriting credit with Sue Smith, but the dramatic focus and the voice of the movie that premiered tonight is pretty much all Marcel’s.

Banks star Tom Hanks, costar Bradley Whitford.

(l. to r.) Colin Farrell (partially hidden), Emma Thompson, Mary Poppins songwriter Richard Sherman, Tom Hanks.

(l. to r.) Colin Farrell, B.J. Novak, Richard Sherman, Emma Thompson, Tom Hanks, Bradley Whitford, Jason Schwartzman.

I just got an email from Nicolas Winding Refn‘s assistant, informing that Refn’s wife, Liv Corfixen, “is making a documentary about what life is like married to an artist like Nicolas surrounding the making of Only God Forgives. She has footage of Nicolas reading aloud a portion of your review of OGF that was published on Hollywood-Elsewhere.com and would love to include it in the film. Copied on this email is Nicolas’ producing partner Lene Borglum. She would like to have your permission to use the quote from your review and can answer any questions you have.” My reply: “Funny. Sure, use away.”

“I was mildly okay with Ron Howard‘s Rush (Universal 9.20) for the most part, but I haven’t felt moved to review it. I’m still not there. I’m waiting for the insight or ignition. I admired the craft and verisimilitude and the ’60s/’70s vibe, and I enjoyed the visceral vroom-vroom…but it didn’t stay with me, possibly because I didn’t sense much of an undercurrent (or at least an undercurrent that meant something to me personally). Is it because I didn’t care all that much about James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) or Niki Lauda (Daniel Bruhl)? The former struck me as an instinctual, good-natured, hot-dog libertine with a lion-like mane; the other as an edgy, screwed-down, not-especially-likable hardass.” — from 9.22.13 post called “Waiting Game.’

This has more of a sense of fluid visual grace and…whatever, more of a certain directorial authority and panache and je ne sais quoi than some Liam Neeson paycheck action movies I could point to, even though it’s just an effing Dolce & Gabbana ad. I would have been repelled if McConaughey had made a move on Johansson but he didn’t so we’re cool. “The dress likes you back”?

Marketing-Publicity Department for Major-League Film Distribution Company Seeking Administrative Assistant. Only the most alert, polite, focused and fastidious applicants will be considered. Nice smile, social skills, strong organizational tendencies. Efficient but without any pre-set attitudes or belief systems. We basically want someone who is, to coin a term, “soft clay.” We would prefer a candidate who doesn’t have a college degree in film studies or film criticism. In fact, the less you know (or the less you pretend to know) the better. Absolutely no knowledge of online movie websites or names of significant journalist-critics preferred. Should any journalist-critic happen to call, we would prefer that they talk to someone who has no clue who they might be, who will ask what dead-tree publication they work for, who will ask them to spell their name and the name of their publication or website, and who will also feign total ignorance about anything and everything including whether it’s sunny or raining outside. Long hours guaranteed, but well worth the investment for the contacts you’ll acquire. A minimum of two work-related references required.

The first thing I said as I watched this trailer for Akiva Goldsman‘s Winter’s Tale (Warner Bros., 2.14.14) was “uh-oh…romantic time travel…based on a 30 year-old novel….a cousin of Jeannot Szwarc‘s Somewhere In Time.” (Which I’ve always respected, by the way.) The second thing I said was “who’s the babe?” Answer: 24 year-old British actress Jessica Brown Findlay. Then I flinched when Colin Farrell, marooned in 2013, half-moaned and teared up when he saw Findlay’s photo. Steve McQueen would have never done that — never “show” emotion, always suggest it by covering it up. Another rule of thumb is that any film in which any character loudly yells out “no!” (as in “no, don’t let that happen!” or “no, don’t let him get away!”) is a problem. Winter’s Tale is therefore (and I’m not delighted to imply this) most likely a problem.

Being a youngish guy, Rope of Silicon‘s Brad Brevet seems vaguely invested in geek-friendly movie fare (anything CG-driven or based on a superhero comic-book or franchise of any kind), or is at least more willing to tolerate this crap than I am. So when a guy like Brevet says he’s not that aroused by the latest trailer for Jose Padilha‘s Robocop (MGM, 2.12.14), that could mean trouble. I am personally unable to consider this possibility as I’m a huge fan of Padilha‘s Elite Squad: The Enemy Within. I interviewed Padilha in January 2012 — here‘s the piece.

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By giving an R rating to Stephen Frears‘ Philomena, one of the mildest and tidiest movies ever made for the over-35 market, the MPAA’s ratings board has once again reminded the world that they really do live in Bazonkerville. Seriously, who’s their pharmacist? As The Weinstein Co.’s Harvey Weinstein explained a few hours ago on CBS This Morning, the R rating is over a single “f” word as a movie can have one “f” and still get a PG-13. Honestly? It wouldn’t mess with the film’s integrity that much if the second “fuck” were to be over-dubbed. Butter wouldn’t melt in this movie’s mouth. Harvey says he’s worried about conservative-minded audiences in the South and Midwest being spooked by an R, but I suspect he’s playing this up because he doesn’t want urban audiences to think that Philomena is too soft.

In the booklet inside the new Masters of Cinema Red River Bluray there’s an excerpt from a 1970 Film Comment interview with Red River screenwriter Borden Chase. Changes that were made to Chase’s screenplay by director Howard Hawks are discussed with interviewer Jim Kitses. One of these was Hawks’ decision to cut down John Ireland‘s Cherry Valance role, allegedly due to resentment on Hawks’ part about Ireland having scored with a woman Hawks had been having relations with. Hawks dismissed Chase’s account (which came allegedly came straight from John Wayne) in a subsequent interview. He asked if Chase was sloshed when he said it, and said he “was so full of shit.” I don’t believe Chase was fantasizing, but that’s me.

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At first I was excited about the Eureka Entertainment/Masters of Cinema Bluray of Howard Hawks’ Red River, which arrived yesterday. That 1.78:1 menu image is what got me — highly detailed, some apparent DNR refinement, deep velvety blacks, that gleaming Ansel Adams quality. Perhaps that horribly depressing 10.18 review by Bluray.com’s Dr. Svet Atanasov was misleading? Perhaps Hawks’ 1948 classic has been bumped up after all and it won’t be covered in an Egyptian grainstorm? 60 seconds after popping the disc in my hopes were dashed. No bump, no uptick, no nothing — to me this new Red River looks exactly like it has looked for decades. The only difference is that now you can see the grain structure more clearly plus it has vertical scratch marks — terrific! Yes, it doesn’t appear to have been fiddled with. Yes, it honestly looks like film, speckles and all. But as I wrote on 10.21, “When I buy a Bluray [of a classic film] I want something better than the last DVD, and if that means a Bluray with ‘problematic degraining’ then please fucking give me that.” Steppenwolf once sang “goddam the pusher man.” Hollywood Elsewhere’s song lyric is “goddam the purist grain monks.”

Default main menu image for Masters of Cinema’s Red River Bluray/.

Everybody loves Bruce Dern, but that’s beside the point when it comes to the Best Actor mosh-pit situation. Dern’s performance as the snarly, checked-out, beer-slurping Woody in Alexander Payne‘s Nebraska has an indelible something-or-other quality that may stick to industry ribs when they see it…or it won’t. But there’s a lot of competition out there so how can the friends-of-Bruce rally round and push him along so that at least he finishes fifth? Because from where I’m sitting the chances of Dern, winner of the 2013 Cannes Film Festival’s Best Actor prize, even being nominated don’t look all that great.

I really hope I’m wrong but if I am please tell me how. Have I posted this riff before? Maybe so but I need to go over it one more time because, you know, the nomination ballots have to be turned in no later than Sunday midnight. Kidding!

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