en-us http://www.intensedebate.com/users/565495 Comments by Stephen_Tilson http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2012/02/10/daily-call-sheet-george-lucas-thinks-your-stupid-cable-on-the-decline-and-happy-friday/#IDComment288952008 Han Solo never shot first. And the Stormtrooper never hit his helmet on the door. Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:27:10 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2012/02/10/daily-call-sheet-george-lucas-thinks-your-stupid-cable-on-the-decline-and-happy-friday/#IDComment288952008 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2012/02/08/daily-call-sheet-why-we-love-denzel-streaming-advances-again-more-wolverine/#IDComment287321088 Perhaps Cameron's "special submarine" will have a screen door. Wed, 8 Feb 2012 20:21:40 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2012/02/08/daily-call-sheet-why-we-love-denzel-streaming-advances-again-more-wolverine/#IDComment287321088 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/05/madonna-delivers-shock-free-halftime-show/#IDComment285345696 She incorporated the only two songs of hers I actually enjoy, "Vogue" and "Music." Unfortunately, she also incorporated the fatuous and mush-headed "spiritual" "Like a Prayer." (Were the choir's robes meant to echo priestly vestments, or were they supposed to be some sort of Jedi?) At least LMFAO was good. Mon, 6 Feb 2012 13:54:18 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/02/05/madonna-delivers-shock-free-halftime-show/#IDComment285345696 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/hollywoodland/2012/02/01/hes-out-cameron-to-leave-u-s-for-new-zealand/#IDComment281333795 One does not simply buy a farm in Mordor. Thu, 2 Feb 2012 01:31:29 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/hollywoodland/2012/02/01/hes-out-cameron-to-leave-u-s-for-new-zealand/#IDComment281333795 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2012/01/31/five-best-picture-winner-blu-ray-review-four-must-owns-and-crash/#IDComment279879389 I'm always intrigued by the "I didn't like any of them, a plague on modern movies" comments. And even more so by the "I never watched any of them" comments. Ooh, you never saw them. You iconoclasts, you! What do you want, a cookie? You're missing out on some fine movies here. John, you had pretty much the same reaction to No Country For Old Men as I did. Except I'd already read McCarthy's BLOOD MERIDIAN (now THAT would make a terrific, but stomach-churning movie) and THE ROAD, so I should've seen that ending coming. McCarthy's theme -- throughout all of the books of his that I've read -- is that everything dies. The current order of the world is being replaced by one more brutal and death is the only way out. It's not an uplifting message, but he portrays it well, and the Coens did a fantastic job of getting that on the screen. Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:57:21 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2012/01/31/five-best-picture-winner-blu-ray-review-four-must-owns-and-crash/#IDComment279879389 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2012/01/27/daily-call-sheet-monty-python-returns-r-rated-terminator-studios-losing-netflix-war/#IDComment276989264 Fair point about going in a different direction, but if the different direction you go in requires the *complete* dismantling of whatever good was gained in the previous movie, it might not be the right direction. As for ESB, it does make the point that friendship and devotion aren't always enough to overcome evil in the short term, but it ends on a note of hope ("I'll meet you at the rendezvous point on Tattooine") that the hard-won order of the world will be restored in the next movie. T3 offers only the hope that the way things *were* (before the events of T2) IS the order of the world, and that's scant hope indeed when you're talking about machine-driven thermonuclear annihilation and the attempted extermination of the human race. Alien 3 was a lot more nihilistic, implying that self-destruction is the only rational choice. You can go a different direction, in other words, as long as you don't dispense entirely with whatever statement the previous movie made about the world. T2's statement was "You can change your future." T3's was "No, you can't." Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:36:54 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2012/01/27/daily-call-sheet-monty-python-returns-r-rated-terminator-studios-losing-netflix-war/#IDComment276989264 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2012/01/27/daily-call-sheet-monty-python-returns-r-rated-terminator-studios-losing-netflix-war/#IDComment276111420 I didn't like the ending of T3 for the same reason I didn't like Alien 3: because it took the hard-earned hope of the previous film and trashed it in pop nihilism. T2, whatever its flaws, has an optimistic message at its core: our future isn't set, and we can prevent disaster through courage and trust. Likewise, Aliens was a paean to the strength and power of motherhood, and to the redeeming quality of maternal love. Alien 3 dispensed with all that in the first five minutes; at least it took T3 until the final reel to let us know that yes, we will be crushed by our inevitable destiny. Which may be true, but dadgum if it isn't depressing as can be. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 18:24:06 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2012/01/27/daily-call-sheet-monty-python-returns-r-rated-terminator-studios-losing-netflix-war/#IDComment276111420 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2012/01/27/daily-call-sheet-monty-python-returns-r-rated-terminator-studios-losing-netflix-war/#IDComment276069292 The Terminator series jumped the shark early, when Arnie wasn't allowed to kill anyone in T2. Compare and contrast the following James Cameron-generated notes from T1 and T2: On Kyle Reese in T1: "He's a hotwired rat in an urban maze." The story of T2: "Young John Connor and the Terminator who befriends him." They need to get back to the intensity, desperation, and taut story of the first. Also, limited CGI and no shakycam. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:26:27 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2012/01/27/daily-call-sheet-monty-python-returns-r-rated-terminator-studios-losing-netflix-war/#IDComment276069292 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/01/26/one-percenter-justin-long-moveon-org-team-for-romney-hit/#IDComment275966208 "Justin Long" and "star" do not belong in the same sentence. If you hadn't mentioned "Live Free or Die Hard" (what a credit; talk about damning with faint praise) I might not have placed him at all. His only other claim to fame is as Mac in Apple's Mac vs. PC commercials, which John Hodgman absolutely stole, and which succeeded in making Macs look like computers for hipster douchebags. Fri, 27 Jan 2012 15:06:48 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2012/01/26/one-percenter-justin-long-moveon-org-team-for-romney-hit/#IDComment275966208 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/kloder/2012/01/20/red-tails-review-heroic-saga-sunk-by-absurdities/#IDComment269631404 A George Lucas film strong on spectacle and short on story or characterization... well, we weren't expecting THAT, were we? Fri, 20 Jan 2012 14:27:54 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/kloder/2012/01/20/red-tails-review-heroic-saga-sunk-by-absurdities/#IDComment269631404 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/wthuston/2012/01/04/a-good-pro-life-hollywood-story/#IDComment255340851 For balance to the heroified view of Gene Roddenberry Sr., read Harlan Ellison's THE CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER, preferably the version White Wolf published 15 years ago. Good on Gene Jr. for supporting science that doesn't destroy human life. Wed, 4 Jan 2012 23:42:06 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/wthuston/2012/01/04/a-good-pro-life-hollywood-story/#IDComment255340851 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/hollywoodland/2011/12/22/trailer-talk-ridley-scotts-prometheus-looks-like-this-summers-must-see/#IDComment245053586 Props for the Dan O'Bannon shout-out. How many people in Hollywood owe their fortunes to his stories? Fri, 23 Dec 2011 02:25:33 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/hollywoodland/2011/12/22/trailer-talk-ridley-scotts-prometheus-looks-like-this-summers-must-see/#IDComment245053586 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2011/12/17/work-it-bullying-glaad-goes-on-another-censorship-rampage/#IDComment241304129 I'm going to assume my "cold dyke" comment got deleted by some kind of delayed filter. Mon, 19 Dec 2011 02:27:45 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2011/12/17/work-it-bullying-glaad-goes-on-another-censorship-rampage/#IDComment241304129 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2011/12/05/report-pedophilia-rampant-in-hollywood/#IDComment233368163 I applaud Feldman and Arngrim for their honesty, but until somebody's willing to ditch their NDA and name names, nothing's going to change. Tue, 6 Dec 2011 01:33:21 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2011/12/05/report-pedophilia-rampant-in-hollywood/#IDComment233368163 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ccannon/2011/10/15/what-shoulda-won-1997-best-picture-oscar/#IDComment208715365 TITANIC marked James Cameron's complete conversion from competent director of thrilling, engaging action movies to self-important, bloviating "filmmaker." It was a conversion that began with THE ABYSS and gathered steam in TERMINATOR 2, but it wasn't until TITANIC that he really showed where he'd be heading with his future work. AVATAR is the logical culmination of his arc, and I'm afraid the Cameron of the original TERMINATOR and ALIENS is lost forever. And I'm with the LA CONFIDENTIAL crowd. One of the best movies ever made. Mon, 17 Oct 2011 13:33:00 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/ccannon/2011/10/15/what-shoulda-won-1997-best-picture-oscar/#IDComment208715365 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2011/10/11/trailer-talk-the-avengers/#IDComment206457537 He got turned off by the banner on the Avengers issue where he joined the team. It said, "Welcome to the Avengers, SPIDER-MAN... Hope you SURVIVE the EXPERIENCE!"* * ("Welcome to (team), (HERO)... Hope you SURVIVE the EXPERIENCE!" tm and copyright Marvel Publishing.) Wed, 12 Oct 2011 12:16:06 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/cftoto/2011/10/11/trailer-talk-the-avengers/#IDComment206457537 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2011/09/26/weekends-box-office-family-films-rule-bigoted-films-tank/#IDComment199576785 I'll join the chorus of people urging you not to dismiss Gosling in Drive. His apparent softness actually works in the character's favor, giving his more brutal moments a counterpunctual resonance that a Wahlberg wouldn't be able to pull off. It's about nuance. Besides, it's not really an action movie; it's a character piece that wraps its fist around your neck a bit at a time, and though you're aware it's doing it, you don't care because the characters are so human and so vulnerable and so well-portrayed that you care what happens to them even if you don't normally give a fig about the people doing the portraying. That was my experience, anyway, and if you go see it and it isn't yours that's fine, but don't just dismiss it out of hand. Tue, 27 Sep 2011 03:41:07 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jjmnolte/2011/09/26/weekends-box-office-family-films-rule-bigoted-films-tank/#IDComment199576785 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jhanlon/2011/09/23/embargoed-until-923-review-moneyball-one-of-2011s-best/#IDComment197756287 Aaron Sorkin's a bottom-feeder in the libtard fishtank, but the man can write. I'm looking forward to this one. Sat, 24 Sep 2011 01:47:06 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/jhanlon/2011/09/23/embargoed-until-923-review-moneyball-one-of-2011s-best/#IDComment197756287 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/hollywoodland/2011/09/18/emmys-open-thread/#IDComment194982578 Attempt to care failed (error 101): Try again? (y/n) y Attempt to care failed (error 101): Try again? (y/n) n Mon, 19 Sep 2011 00:14:07 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/hollywoodland/2011/09/18/emmys-open-thread/#IDComment194982578 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/kloder/2011/09/17/drive-review-gosling-rules-the-road-in-exciting-ambitious-story/#IDComment194628832 Other people have compared it to early Michael Mann films, and there's definitely some of his sensibility here. This movie sneaks up on you; it's so low-key that by the time you realize how much the tension's been ratcheted up, you're squirming and desperate to find out what happens next. A fine, fine movie. And definitely NOT The Transporter. Jason Statham will never be in anything this good, sad to say. Sun, 18 Sep 2011 00:49:59 +0000 http://bighollywood.breitbart.com/kloder/2011/09/17/drive-review-gosling-rules-the-road-in-exciting-ambitious-story/#IDComment194628832