You're watching a movie and you're really not enjoying it. You just
can't believe anyone could sell such a horrid script. Then the movie
really begins to insult your intelligence.

You start to fantasize about killing the writer.

I love The Player (1992). Set in a fictional Hollywood studio among film
executives, they fantasize about doing away with writers and those pesky
actors and directors too, THEN authorize buying a script from Tom Wolfe.
This would after after The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) adaptaion of
Wolfe's novel bombed.

Lots and lots of Hollywood in jokes. The movie begins with the famous
tracking shot. Orson Welles went with 6 1/2 minutes for the opening
tracking shot in Touch of Evil (1958)? Robert Altman did 8 minutes. Plus
you've got a guy discussing famous tracking shots with people who agree
with him, then bring up other movie tracking shots from movies the guy
hasn't seen.

Altman is being pompous and making fun of himself.

Griffin Mill (Tim Robbins) is the most hated executive at the studio.
It's his team that weeds out 10s of thousands of scripts every year for
the lousy 12 films the studio intends to market. He promises to get back
to you, then never does. He's on the shit list of every writer in town.

One writer starts to threaten him by postcard. He gets in his head and
a paranoid Griffin goes through his list of unreturned calls to identify
David Kahane (Vincent D'Onofrio). He stalks Kahane at his home and spots
his artist girlfriend June (don't make me spell her last name) (Greta
Scacchi) through the window and starts to flirt with her on the phone.
She tells him he's seeing The Bicycle Thief at the Pasadena art house
theater. Griffin finds him, plies him with alchohol, listens to him
whine, tries to get him on his good side if only he'll stop sending the
postcards. But the writer gets even more obnoxious when drunk and
insults his girlfriend. Then he starts talking about how Griffin's arch
rival Larry Levy (Peter Gallagher), recently hired away from Fox, is
going to force him out of the studio. Kahane shoves Griffin over a
railing, then goes to help him, but Griffin wants to continue the fight
and ends up shutting Kahane up. For good.

Griffin comforts June, and soon, they are together.

There's a lot more plot but that's not the point.

Robbins' low-key performance makes the satire work. He's the perfect
Hollywood asshole, playing an utter snob about bottled spring water,
ordering a different water at each restaurant, and even sending the
water back because it was poured into a wine glass. But with June, he
makes himself a bit human and a little sympathetic. Also, anybody might
kill a writer, so the audience both understands and forgives.

The movie is effectively edited as well, with the dissolves between the
threatening postcards and the next scene, the closeups of the movie
posters telegraphing caution, the scene in the Pasadena police station
that's almost Griffin's downfall in which Det Avery (Whoopie Goldberg)
humiliates him.

And the movie was guaranteed its Hollywood ending.

On Wednesday, November 16, 2022 at 1:07:02 AM UTC-5, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
> You're watching a movie and you're really not enjoying it. You just
> can't believe anyone could sell such a horrid script. Then the movie
> really begins to insult your intelligence.
>
> You start to fantasize about killing the writer.

Just out of curiosity, do you wear an ankle bracelet?

Irish Mike

On 11/16/22 12:06 AM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
> You're watching a movie and you're really not enjoying it. You just
> can't believe anyone could sell such a horrid script. Then the movie
> really begins to insult your intelligence.
>
> You start to fantasize about killing the writer.
>
> I love The Player (1992). Set in a fictional Hollywood studio among film
> executives, they fantasize about doing away with writers and those pesky
> actors and directors too, THEN authorize buying a script from Tom Wolfe.
> This would after after The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) adaptaion of
> Wolfe's novel bombed.
>
> Lots and lots of Hollywood in jokes. The movie begins with the famous
> tracking shot. Orson Welles went with 6 1/2 minutes for the opening
> tracking shot in Touch of Evil (1958)? Robert Altman did 8 minutes. Plus
> you've got a guy discussing famous tracking shots with people who agree
> with him, then bring up other movie tracking shots from movies the guy
> hasn't seen.
>
> Altman is being pompous and making fun of himself.

I would say if you understand what words mean you would find "pompous"
and "making fun of himself" as antithetical. But I like this group for
its pompousness and stupidity that Verman shows here, it makes me feel
even more full of myself.

In article <tl1um2$2a15r$1@dont-email.me>, ahk@chinet.com wrote:

>You're watching a movie

Clearly, you are not talking about Ann Collins.

--
Let's go Brandon!

Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
> You're watching a movie and you're really not enjoying it. You just
> can't believe anyone could sell such a horrid script. Then the movie
> really begins to insult your intelligence.
>
> You start to fantasize about killing the writer.
>
> I love The Player (1992). Set in a fictional Hollywood studio among film
> executives, they fantasize about doing away with writers and those pesky
> actors and directors too, THEN authorize buying a script from Tom Wolfe.
> This would after after The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990) adaptaion of
> Wolfe's novel bombed.
>
> Lots and lots of Hollywood in jokes. The movie begins with the famous
> tracking shot. Orson Welles went with 6 1/2 minutes for the opening
> tracking shot in Touch of Evil (1958)? Robert Altman did 8 minutes. Plus
> you've got a guy discussing famous tracking shots with people who agree
> with him, then bring up other movie tracking shots from movies the guy
> hasn't seen.
>
> Altman is being pompous and making fun of himself.
>
> Griffin Mill (Tim Robbins) is the most hated executive at the studio.
> It's his team that weeds out 10s of thousands of scripts every year for
> the lousy 12 films the studio intends to market. He promises to get back
> to you, then never does. He's on the shit list of every writer in town.
>
> One writer starts to threaten him by postcard. He gets in his head and
> a paranoid Griffin goes through his list of unreturned calls to identify
> David Kahane (Vincent D'Onofrio). He stalks Kahane at his home and spots
> his artist girlfriend June (don't make me spell her last name) (Greta
> Scacchi) through the window and starts to flirt with her on the phone.
> She tells him he's seeing The Bicycle Thief at the Pasadena art house
> theater. Griffin finds him, plies him with alchohol, listens to him
> whine, tries to get him on his good side if only he'll stop sending the
> postcards. But the writer gets even more obnoxious when drunk and
> insults his girlfriend. Then he starts talking about how Griffin's arch
> rival Larry Levy (Peter Gallagher), recently hired away from Fox, is
> going to force him out of the studio. Kahane shoves Griffin over a
> railing, then goes to help him, but Griffin wants to continue the fight
> and ends up shutting Kahane up. For good.
>
> Griffin comforts June, and soon, they are together.
>
> There's a lot more plot but that's not the point.
>
> Robbins' low-key performance makes the satire work. He's the perfect
> Hollywood asshole, playing an utter snob about bottled spring water,
> ordering a different water at each restaurant, and even sending the
> water back because it was poured into a wine glass. But with June, he
> makes himself a bit human and a little sympathetic. Also, anybody might
> kill a writer, so the audience both understands and forgives.
>
> The movie is effectively edited as well, with the dissolves between the
> threatening postcards and the next scene, the closeups of the movie
> posters telegraphing caution, the scene in the Pasadena police station
> that's almost Griffin's downfall in which Det Avery (Whoopie Goldberg)
> humiliates him.
>
> And the movie was guaranteed its Hollywood ending.
>

I hate THE PLAYER. By all rights I should love it. But one of my favorite
movies is the last of SHEILA. And a huge amount of the player is a blatant
rip off of it. Enough that I just couldn’t enjoy it.

--
The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.

Ubiquitous <weberm@polaris.net> wrote:
> In article <tl1um2$2a15r$1@dont-email.me>, ahk@chinet.com wrote:
>
>> You're watching a movie
>
> Clearly, you are not talking about Ann Collins.

That’s “Anne“

Have a little respect.

As little as humanly possible.

>
> --
> Let's go Brandon!
>
>

--
The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.

anim8rfsk <anim8rfsk@cox.net> wrote:

>>. . .

>>And the movie was guaranteed its Hollywood ending.

>I hate THE PLAYER. By all rights I should love it. But one of my favorite
>movies is the last of SHEILA. And a huge amount of the player is a blatant
>rip off of it. Enough that I just couldn't enjoy it.

The ending The Player rips off The Last of Sheila? Yes, I see what you
are saying. But why would you expect otherwise?

In the original ending, I'm sure Griffin would have continued to panic
and act out of desperation trying to murder the correct writer or the
witness, but instead, killing June unintentionally. It's supposed to be
film noir. The grafted-on happy ending is part of the farce.

On 11/16/2022 9:58 AM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
> anim8rfsk <anim8rfsk@cox.net> wrote:
>
>>> . . .
>
>>> And the movie was guaranteed its Hollywood ending.
>
>> I hate THE PLAYER. By all rights I should love it. But one of my favorite
>> movies is the last of SHEILA. And a huge amount of the player is a blatant
>> rip off of it. Enough that I just couldn't enjoy it.
>
> The ending The Player rips off The Last of Sheila? Yes, I see what you
> are saying. But why would you expect otherwise?
>
> In the original ending, I'm sure Griffin would have continued to panic
> and act out of desperation trying to murder the correct writer or the
> witness, but instead, killing June unintentionally. It's supposed to be
> film noir. The grafted-on happy ending is part of the farce.

The ending is the best part. Especially the scene with Bruce Willis.

Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
>On 11/16/2022 9:58 AM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
>>anim8rfsk <anim8rfsk@cox.net> wrote:

>>>>. . .

>>>>And the movie was guaranteed its Hollywood ending.

>>>I hate THE PLAYER. By all rights I should love it. But one of my favorite
>>>movies is the last of SHEILA. And a huge amount of the player is a blatant
>>>rip off of it. Enough that I just couldn't enjoy it.

>>The ending The Player rips off The Last of Sheila? Yes, I see what you
>>are saying. But why would you expect otherwise?

>>In the original ending, I'm sure Griffin would have continued to panic
>>and act out of desperation trying to murder the correct writer or the
>>witness, but instead, killing June unintentionally. It's supposed to be
>>film noir. The grafted-on happy ending is part of the farce.

>The ending is the best part. Especially the scene with Bruce Willis.

anim was RON GAS IAN.

Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
> Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
>> On 11/16/2022 9:58 AM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
>>> anim8rfsk <anim8rfsk@cox.net> wrote:
>
>>>>> . . .
>
>>>>> And the movie was guaranteed its Hollywood ending.
>
>>>> I hate THE PLAYER. By all rights I should love it. But one of my favorite
>>>> movies is the last of SHEILA. And a huge amount of the player is a blatant
>>>> rip off of it. Enough that I just couldn't enjoy it.
>
>>> The ending The Player rips off The Last of Sheila? Yes, I see what you
>>> are saying. But why would you expect otherwise?
>
>>> In the original ending, I'm sure Griffin would have continued to panic
>>> and act out of desperation trying to murder the correct writer or the
>>> witness, but instead, killing June unintentionally. It's supposed to be
>>> film noir. The grafted-on happy ending is part of the farce.
>
>> The ending is the best part. Especially the scene with Bruce Willis.
>
> anim was RON GAS IAN.
>

So you misquote me, misstate what I said, say something completely untrue,
and then say I was wrong. I’d rather talk to Ubi.

--
The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it is still on my list.

anim8rfsk <anim8rfsk@cox.net> wrote:
>Adam H. Kerman <ahk@chinet.com> wrote:
>>Arthur Lipscomb <arthur@alum.calberkeley.org> wrote:
>>>On 11/16/2022 9:58 AM, Adam H. Kerman wrote:
>>>>anim8rfsk <anim8rfsk@cox.net> wrote:

>>>>>>. . .

>>>>>>And the movie was guaranteed its Hollywood ending.

>>>>>I hate THE PLAYER. By all rights I should love it. But one of my favorite
>>>>>movies is the last of SHEILA. And a huge amount of the player is a blatant
>>>>>rip off of it. Enough that I just couldn't enjoy it.

>>>>The ending The Player rips off The Last of Sheila? Yes, I see what you
>>>>are saying. But why would you expect otherwise?

>>>>In the original ending, I'm sure Griffin would have continued to panic
>>>>and act out of desperation trying to murder the correct writer or the
>>>>witness, but instead, killing June unintentionally. It's supposed to be
>>>>film noir. The grafted-on happy ending is part of the farce.

>>>The ending is the best part. Especially the scene with Bruce Willis.

>>anim was RON GAS IAN.

>So you misquote me, misstate what I said, say something completely untrue,
>and then say I was wrong. I'd rather talk to Ubi.

Because you were wrong that "a huge amount" was a blatant ripoff of The
Last of Sheila when clearly, Griffin's solution to extortion at the very
end of the movie was similar. There were just a few lines of dialogue.

No. I'm not going to agree with you.

I've never told you specifically not to talk to Ubi in What Did You
Watch? threads. I've asked generally that people stop posting followups
to Ubi's forgeries of others.

I object to Ubi's very long history of forging other Usenet users and,
worse than that, preloading headers from the original article into
the article he forged to make it appear that the forged article wasn't
forged. That's abuse of Usenet which is very serious indeed that Giganews
lets him get away with instead of stopping him as nonstandard. Then he's
just generally immature, what with setting Followup-To: rec.arts.sf.tv.

You've been forged but it was seamus and not Ubi as I recall, but Ubi
continues to forge others. He's got a real hardon for Terrence Clay; I
have no idea why.