tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post4488269495090261101..comments2024-03-07T20:15:45.996-08:00Comments on The Bitter Script Reader: And the Best Picture Oscar goes to... "Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol"The Bitter Script Readerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16575166527272639709noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-16901222860789297792012-04-23T00:18:37.120-07:002012-04-23T00:18:37.120-07:00Great reply "Ace." Not knowing who you a...Great reply "Ace." Not knowing who you are, I'll just say that I hope I've enjoyed some of your work.The Bitter Script Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16575166527272639709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-80040054611477257662012-04-23T00:12:40.019-07:002012-04-23T00:12:40.019-07:00Jtwg50: Every age has its popular entertainment, ...Jtwg50: Every age has its popular entertainment, and its "Art" that is deemed worthy by the Ivory Tower snobs of the day. Almost without fail, the Art falls out of fashion as academic trends change, and much of what used to be lowbrow "entertainment" is re-evaluated and becomes The Classics. I suspect, jtwg50, that if you lived in Dickens' age you would be among those decrying him as a hack. <br /><br />I can assure you, as someone who actually IS a professional screenwriter (which I strongly suspect you are NOT), that critics are much too easily impressed by slice of life realism. It's actually not very difficult to write the small character-based drama, whereas it's very, very challenging to write an inventive and tightly plotted action piece that delights and surprises people of all ages worldwide. Why do you suppose it is that whenever an actor or director or other non-writer decides to write a screenplay, it is always a small character-based drama? I'll tell you why: because it's the most forgiving type of script there is. Everyone fawns all over the verisimilitude, and if the story isn't tight, well, that's okay, because life is messy and flaws are "real," and blah blah blah. Your condescension is exceeded only by your pretentiousness."Ace Underwood"https://www.blogger.com/profile/04425390469483060492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-35093139358924216132012-02-23T23:26:56.780-08:002012-02-23T23:26:56.780-08:00"Drive" was what got screwed. "MI4&..."Drive" was what got screwed. "MI4" was the most poorly-written entry of the series. I didn't care for Ethan Hunt as much because the film lacked an emotional spine. The first film dealt with his frayed relationship with mentor Jon Voight. The second dealt with Hunt's romance with Thandie Newton. The third had the conflict of Hunt trying to sustain a marriage while being a secret agent. This one has no such hook. Instead, it's an ocassionally breathtaking series of setpieces, dragged down by a lot of scenes of "show-don't-tell" (the Jeremy Renner stuff). The manufactured Renner-Cruise thing, after being conveyed to us only through dialogue, gets wrapped with the dumbest, most preposterous ending, where everyone and their sister somehow ends up in Seattle. Lastly, I love Simon Pegg's work, but he shouldn't have to be put in the position of improvising non-stop because the script is a turd. And, dammit, I missed Ving Rhames being Cruise's principal sidekick. Well, I guess, there is the inevitable sequel. But, Bitter, the writing sucked, and, as you rightly pointed, so does the current nominee slate. The BAFTAs at least have more class. They get Stephen Fry. We get warmed-over Billy Crystal. We get tacky musical numbers. They have one number and it's Tom fucking Jones doing "Thunderball". Shaken, not stirred. Sucks.Mike Dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14173787018760732036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-27507662988486951762012-02-23T14:46:31.943-08:002012-02-23T14:46:31.943-08:00My friend made me watch LA-B, and I want to know w...My friend made me watch LA-B, and I want to know where the guy who greenlit it is too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-59691562602023623452012-02-22T23:59:04.011-08:002012-02-22T23:59:04.011-08:00oh no! Bitter's career is over! That's w...oh no! Bitter's career is over! That's what he gets for publicly liking a movie that made something like $700 million and got 93% on Rotten Tomatoes!<br /><br />Where'd YOU work at Paramount? At the Watertower Cafe? or were you the guy who greenlit The Last Airbender?RJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01780771343957514018noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-49150936616259853042012-02-22T23:20:01.258-08:002012-02-22T23:20:01.258-08:00Thanks Jeremy. I think you pretty effectively poin...Thanks Jeremy. I think you pretty effectively pointed out that his elitism only reinforced my original point rather than knocked it down. And you did it far more succinctly than I probably would have.The Bitter Script Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16575166527272639709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-81511725408554132802012-02-22T15:14:36.147-08:002012-02-22T15:14:36.147-08:00@jtwg50 Have you ever been to an art gallery? I as...@jtwg50 Have you ever been to an art gallery? I assume not by your distinction of film as a singular 'art'. My favourite is the surrealist, my mum likes cubism, but we'll always stop past the classicists, the modernists, photography, East Asian art, etc. As arbiter of all things art, which of these forms do you think is the one that deserves to be left in the gallery. <br />p.s. Love your work bitter.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-12735220509337475852012-02-22T13:08:31.621-08:002012-02-22T13:08:31.621-08:00This was pretty much our experience as well. My wi...This was pretty much our experience as well. My wife doesn't even usually go for action movies and she really thought this was great.The Bitter Script Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16575166527272639709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-25212548398084811142012-02-22T13:07:20.299-08:002012-02-22T13:07:20.299-08:00An entertaining and insightful post Bitter.An entertaining and insightful post Bitter.NotTheWorstWriterEverhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02194020522777262243noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-13469307044607008092012-02-22T12:55:23.183-08:002012-02-22T12:55:23.183-08:00It clearly put an end to the discussion. That'...It clearly put an end to the discussion. That's how I roll.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-32301767616766339302012-02-22T11:49:17.072-08:002012-02-22T11:49:17.072-08:00Excellent comment.Excellent comment.The Bitter Script Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16575166527272639709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-30157402793805120912012-02-22T11:47:19.317-08:002012-02-22T11:47:19.317-08:00Looks like someone gave up manners for Lent.Looks like someone gave up manners for Lent.The Bitter Script Readerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16575166527272639709noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-54145343668121099252012-02-22T10:02:02.082-08:002012-02-22T10:02:02.082-08:00I just wrote a huge comment here and mis-clicked l...I just wrote a huge comment here and mis-clicked losing everything. It was an incredibly insightful response to the post-above and probably would have won a Pulitzer. <br /><br />Anyway, the gist of it was this:<br /><br />Reactions to films are inherently subjective. On a micro level it's easier to know when something is good or bad: editing, cinematography, even acting. Especially when it's bad.<br /><br />But to say something is the BEST is hard because the best is different for different people. I saw the Artist and while I thought it was well done I was also bored at times and didn't respond to it emotionally. The parts didn't add up to the whole for me. Now, it may have for others, I don't know.<br /><br />I saw one movie this year that made me say, "I need to see that again, immediately." Did you? Did you see one movie this year several times?<br /><br />I saw Traffic in the theater six times. I saw Gladiator five times. I reacted emotionally to them. <br /><br />The best film I saw this year was a small indie movie called LOVE, produced by Angels & Airwaves and directed by a friend of mine, Will Eubank. It was made on a micro-budget and while it has some flaws I had an emotional reaction to it that made me want to see it again.<br /><br />The thing is: we have this argument every year. Every year people disagree with the choices made by the Academy. My question is: why do you care? Why are you letting a very small group of people (5000 Academy members) of mostly over-60 white males dictate what the Best Film of the year is for you?<br /><br />The Oscars, at it's most basic, it nothing more than a peer-voted industry awards show. It's about colleagues getting together and saying, "Based on a popular vote of our members, we're going to give this award to _________ because we think he did the best work." It's not about the public and what we think. So who cares?<br /><br />Clearly, based on their history, they're not the collective authority.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00187154242921742584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-13817477451842398052012-02-22T07:36:46.426-08:002012-02-22T07:36:46.426-08:00If there is a best animated feature category why n...If there is a best animated feature category why not the best action movie?<br /> <br />Isn't MI4 skyscraper scene any different in its suspense from iconic <i>Safety Last</i>?<br /><br />I think regular folks in the flyover country do not need the Oscars to recognize that Annie Hall IS different from Star Wars: they already voted with their money what they consider better for THEIR consideration.<br /><br />Despite all the Scientology-jumping on sofas hoopla, I do consider Tom Cruise one of the best actors out there. Hell, he actually brings people to theatres which is in itself an almost impossible feat right now (with streaming, Redbox etc.). You can also see him enjoying his role and care about the craft; this kind of dedication speaks to viewers and in turn makes them enjoy the movies more.<br /><br />There are already so many nominated performances that reek of ‘I do not have to try hard as an actor, because if movie goers do not like the movie is not the fault of MINE; it is the viewer’s ignorance, lowbrow attitude, even racism’ sentiment. Look, the majority of the nominated movies have titles that do not give away any clue what a regular viewer can expect from the movie…<i>Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy’</i>? Is <i>The Help</i> as intriguing a title as <i>Silence of the Lambs</i>?<br /><br />And yes, I AM indeed Ms. Know/Question Everything…Madisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01106971915924348000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-17334063859901434942012-02-22T06:44:34.576-08:002012-02-22T06:44:34.576-08:00Isn't the difference that the Artist and Annie...Isn't the difference that the Artist and Annie Hall feel like the personal visions of people with something to say? In other words, they feel like art? Meanwhile, MI4, while technically brilliant, often feels like the work of an (extremely talented) committee? The product of an industry at the top of its game? One could argue that such a thing is exactly what the Oscars should celebrate. Personally, though, I think the Oscars should be an aspirational celebration of films that really make you feel something new, not just an industry jolly. Star Wars did achieve that. MI4 didn't I'm afraid no matter how proficient.<br /><br />That said, I would actually rank these films: (1=) The Artist/Annie Hall, (2) Star Wars, (3) MI4, (4) The Descendants.Robshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13722266003576732579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-24209663503437832602012-02-22T06:17:16.232-08:002012-02-22T06:17:16.232-08:00I went to MI with my husband and frankly wasn'...I went to MI with my husband and frankly wasn't expecting much so I was rather surprised when I found myself not only enjoying the movie, but really enjoying it.<br />I'm not sure it's best picture quality, but it's pretty damn close. <br />I was hard pressed to find a movie this year that I enjoyed watching, for the pure sake of watching a movie, more than MI.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4706282221761427996.post-44764643281162110182012-02-22T06:07:15.667-08:002012-02-22T06:07:15.667-08:00Bitter: After comning to your site almost every da...Bitter: After comning to your site almost every day for more than a year and seeing your steady decline into a fanboy role, rather than your promise in your mission statement, I give up on you. If, in the context of a Best Picture Oscar, you deem MI worthy of consideration alongside The Artist or The Descendants -- or you fail to understand why Annie Hall beat SW -- you simply do not get that film is an art form that has been extremely commercializsed in the last decade or so -- but for a century was viewed as one of the world's great art forms AND one of the few things preserving that esteemed heritage is the Academy Awards. And that is still true, despite the tent pole mentality of the studios.<br />As for you, I have to say -- as a lifelong professional writer -- that you need to find a new aspiration. What's out here on the Internet lasts forver, and in my opinion (and I used to work at Paramount when I lived in L.A. and ran an entertainment industry ad agency in L.A. for 10 years), no one of any importance would hire you to do anything after your stupendously uninformed performance here of late. Instead of trying to BE a mentor, you need to find one.jtwg50https://www.blogger.com/profile/10852868050294803984noreply@blogger.com