Tuesday
(0)Echoing what our own Johnathan Pearce said about The Aviator, an emailer to Instapundit, Doug Levene, said this about the movie:
What struck me about the Aviator is that it's the first Hollywood movie I've seen in quite a while that portrayed a business man – a filthy rich, ruthless entrepreneur yet – as the hero, and the crusading, anti-war-profiteering, corruption-exposing Senator … as the villain. Am I the only one to have noticed this peculiarity?
Well, Johnathan certainly got the hero bit of that in his review, but the only villains he referred to were Katherine Hepburn's ghastly family.
The Aviator has just been nominated for 14 BAFTAs, i.e British Oscars, and looks set to do very well at the real thing.
Will there now be more wacky but true-life entrepreneur movies? If there is one thing Hollywood loves even more than its own silly lefty opinions, it is money.
Also worth catching is Tucker, which portrays another business man out for a buck and the futuristic car he almost got on the market decades ahead of its time.
Posted by Ken at January 18, 2005 02:40 PM
So here's hoping someone does a biopic of Branson? Might I suggest the title The Bearded Virgin?
Posted by Andrew Ian Dodge at January 18, 2005 03:31 PM
Andrew Ian Dodge: ha! I'd buy that for a dollar. Get it written up as one of your short stories...
Posted by mike at January 18, 2005 05:01 PM
Thanks for that. Alas, my script-writing skills are a wee bit lacking.
Posted by Andrew Ian Dodge at January 18, 2005 05:30 PM
Well I don't know, I love Glengarry Glenn Ross - it is just a great, great script with a great cast (Jack Lemmon, Al Pacino, Ed Harris, Kevin Spacey, Alec Baldwin...) making an endlessly quotable and fascinating portrait of capitalism. And very funny on reflection!!
"I've been in this business fifteen years!"
"What's your name?"
"Fuck you! That's my name!"
Oh dear!
Andrew Ian Dodge: read Mamet's original play or get the film if you want to improve your script-writing skills.
Posted by mike at January 18, 2005 06:23 PM
It felt a bit Randian (Randy?), in my opinion. It was no Hotel Rwanda, but wasn't too bad.
Peace,
Chris
Posted by chris halverson at January 19, 2005 12:37 AM
It felt a bit Randian (Randy?), in my opinion. It was no Hotel Rwanda, but wasn't too bad.
Peace,
Chris
Posted by chris halverson at January 19, 2005 12:37 AM
Also see Team America - World Police. Its got one of the best explanations of of US foreign policy that Ive seen in a long time. Kind of like what Condaleezza Rice was saying yesterday, but more succinct. The "we" is a Team America agent. He is speaking to the worlds leaders:-
"We're reckless arrogant stupid dicks. And the Film Actors Guild are pussies. And Kim Jong Il is an asshole. Pussies don't like dicks because pussies get fucked by dicks, but dicks also fuck assholes. Assholes who just wanna shit on everything. Pussies may think that they can deal with assholes their way, but the only thing that can fuck an asshole is a dick, with some balls. The problem with dicks is that sometimes they fuck too much, or fuck when it isn't appropriate, and it takes a pussy to show 'em that. But sometimes pussies get so full of shit that they become assholes themselves. Because pussies are only an inch and a half away from assholes. I don't know much in this crazy crazy world. But I do know that if you don't let us fuck this asshole, we're gonna have our dicks and our pussies all covered in shit"
Posted by Christopher Price at January 19, 2005 08:13 AM
If this does happen and becomes a trend, you'll know it's run its course when you see "The Bill Gates Story" as a TV movie-of-the-week.
Posted by Steven Den Beste at January 19, 2005 01:15 PM
That's an astute observation while little is more villified than; a) tobacco, b) business big and small, and c) white dudes. Ouch, 3 strikes... am I out?
Posted by tre at January 19, 2005 07:51 PM
