Name: Real Bob
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

The election is Tuesday. I was thinking of a possible scenario. There will be no clear winner because too many states will be too close to call. Eventually the Supreme Court will declare Bush to be the winner. The Republicans will retain control of both houses of Congress. The Democrats will boycott the Supreme Court decision by walking out of congress. The Republicans will declare the absent members as being in contempt of Congress and will vote to expel all absent members. The Congress will then resemble the long Parliament of Oliver Cromwell. A national emergency will be declared and the Congress will vote to declare Bush President for life. Bush will accept. A lawsuit will be place to determine the Constitionality of the president for life declaration. The SC will either refuse the case, or say it is Constitutional. As a last resort the Congress will vote to expand the SC to get the desired result.

Do you think this is fiction or possible?

On another note, what is all the negativity about your directing career. You have a movie - Alien Apocalypse - coming out on a major cable network and a lot of people are looking forward to seeing it. I would say you are in a good situtation with a lot to look forward to.

Well here's to the next President.

I didn't mean to give everyone the impression that I'm down-in-the-mouth or feeling negative, because I'm not. I was just trying to be honest and compare my early dreams to my later reality, since I do have 25 years worth of experience now. I think part of my position here is to be a blast of reality to the youthful dreamers, which I was certainly one of. I just met with some folks here in Detroit who have written a feature script, and want to get it made. I told them various scenarios for getting a film made, which all involve going out and raising money. They poo-pooed me, saying they intended to get it to a big studio and wanted to get $20 million to make it. Well, that has nothing to do with the world we live in, and they may as well be hoping to sprout wings and fly to Jupiter. When I became highly skeptical the response I got was, "It's possible, anything can happen." To quote my own dialog from "Hammer," "So is being hit by a meteor," but I wouldn't count on it.

Meanwhile, I don't think anything you've predicted will occur. I think all of the news media has their heads up their asses. John Kerry will win by a clear plurality, the results will not be in dispute, nor will it have to go to the Supreme Court. Then we can all get on with our lives in a somewhat more rational country.

Josh

Name: CD
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

I've wanted to make movies almost all my life. I officially started on this path about 16 years ago. I've been out in Los Angeles for almost 10 years now, struggling along. I've worked as a PA and a mailroom clerk at a major studio. I don't hate Los Angeles as much as you do, but I only like it at all because there's a lot of 'film activity' here.

What have I accomplished in all those years? I've so far written 20 scripts, have at least 4 failed attempts at producing a few of my scripts on my own (in 16mm) and actually did get one 'in the can'. Not worth finishing though.

Where has all that gotten me? All I can say is I've made headway. I optioned a script (paid, still unproduced) and was hired to write a script (extreme low pay and as yet unproduced).

More important, doors have opened. The one big obstacle I don't have to worry about anymore is getting a script read and taken seriously (without an agent either). It truly is all about who you know, but I got to know who you need to know. That's not enough though.

I've had countless 'close calls'. Those are the worst. At first, these 'close calls' sound like done deals. Months turn into years, then they simply just never happen. I don't know what it is, but it's absolutely frustrating and maddening.

Anyone out there thinking about doing this needs to really think long and hard about it. You better love it more than anything and I do mean anything.

That's what keeps me going. In fact, I can't stop even when I try. Right when I say 'I quit', some little thing always happens that sucks me back into it. Usually renewed interest in a 'dead' script I have out there. They all seem to lead nowhere though. When will I learn?

I know of a writer out here who wrote a high concept script and a huge producer took an interest in it. I'm talking huge. A guy who gave one of the biggest working filmmakers today his first break and whose father founded a major studio (to give you a hint).

This producer took this writer and the script to all the studios in town. Guess what? They all passed on it (including the studio this producer's own father founded and the big working filmmaker's studio).

That's when I began to really question what I'm doing. Talent doesn't have much to do with it. It certainly takes a 'talent' to write and make movies, but just because you're talented doesn't mean you'll make it.

Connections don't have much to do with it. What does? I'll never know. As someone else mentioned it's probably mostly luck. Lottery type luck. There's enough good material out here to last several lifetimes. Why add to it? They don't need your script.

Many 'Hollywood' books say it takes talent, perseverence and a little bit of luck to 'make it'. No. It takes a LOT of luck. Planets must align a certain way.

From your perspective, how has the movie industry changed in the years you've been at it? What did you see change in the industry from the time you started to the time you left Los Angeles (besides that movies pretty much suck now). How was the moviemaking 'climate' different back in the 70's (both independent and studio) or was it much different than today?

Richard Zanuck? Clearly, you're still in Hollywood playing that game because you can't even bring yourself to name the people in your stories due to the fear that someone might read it, tell them, and you'll lose a connection. That is the underlying issue of Hollywood, fear and paranoia. The year I got to Hollywood, 1976, a $1 million film won Best Picture,"Rocky." You think that could happen now? In 1976 a very expensive movie cost $20 million, and your average Hollywood film was probably about $5 million. Now the average film costs over $60 million, and an expensive movie costs $200 million. So, costs have gone up by ten times. But inflation hasn't gone up anywhere near that much, maybe two or three times what it was then. In the preceding years Hollywood stopped making reasonably priced films that might be good, and has gone almost exclusively into the kid's blockbuster business. I once asked Rob Tapert why films cost so much money now? He said that every film in the top ten cost at least $100 million, so obviously you must spend at least that much to make it into the top ten. And that's how they think now -- if it didn't cost at least $100 million, it can't possibly be a big grosser. So, Hollywood is no longer interested in smaller films, the ones that might possibly be good. Since there is the belief that 14-year olds are the main audience, that they have no taste anyway, and you can't possibly know what they're thinking, a film being good has nothing to do with anything anymore. Therefore, no studio executives have any taste of their own anymore since it would just get in their way. That's why I can't and won't play that game anymore. The concept of quality, which was important to Hollywood from the dawn of the film industry up until "Star Wars," and is all-important to me, is gone, and was replaced by overpriced economics. Well, I didn't go into filmmaking with the hope of making blockbusters for kids, nor was I willing to alter my worldview to fit in. I only care about good movies, and if I have to attempt making them for ten cents in my own backyard, so be it. Thanks for your thoughtful letter; it's good to know others are in a similar boat to my own.

Josh

Name: August
E-mail: joxerfan@hotmail.com

Dear Josh,

I think we all sort of caught you on a "down" day, and coincidentally a couple of questions led you to reflect on your career thus far. Musta been that red moon eclipse thing. But lo and behold - within about 48 hours, look at all the people from all over the country who wrote in to give you a little pep talk.

Sure, you haven't won the Oscar yet. But to the rest of us schmoes, you've done stuff the rest of us only dream of. I remember about a year and a half ago, this same thing happened, and you observed that it wasn't all bad, because you had a script out being reviewed by the Sci-Fi Channel, and had hopes to get revved up on some new scripts too. And sure enough - now you got a honest-to-goodness tv movie coming out in a few months! Yeah, yeah, I know - giant termites may not be where you thought your career was going when you were 18, but then I bet Bruce thought he'd be doing Hamlet back when he was 18.

So buck up, little camper.

Hey how's the music score coming along for "Alien Apocalypse?"

Regards,

August

PS - if you're taking requests for the next Super-8 to be transferred to digital, I'd vote for "Cleveland Smith."

Honestly, I wasn't down. I'm not down now, either. It's called facing up to reality. I know where I stand and I'm not complaining about it, but it's not a msitake to recognize where you are and accept it. The dreams of youth are not necessarily the same dreams one has in middle age. Robert Browning said, "Fame is a thirst of youth," and that's true, I think. By the time one is in their forties, being famous doesn't seem very important anymore. I was giving Bruce shit last night (he's in town). Next year he has coming out, "The Man With the Screaming Brain," his new book, and a Disney film with Kurt Russell he just finished shooting. I said, "Hey, maybe this will be your breakout year." Bruce rolled his eyes since everyone has been predicting his breakout year since "Evil Dead" came out over 20 years ago. Anyway, I don't need to buck up since I'm not down, but thanks for the thought. Meanwhile, Joe LoDuca hasn't started on the music score yet, nor can he until the picture is officially locked, and that won't occur until SciFi signs off, whenever that is.

Josh

Name: Boston
E-mail:

Josh,

I'm sorry to get all Vince Lombardi on you. I truly like your work, and I respect you as a person. I just really want to see your stuff on the big screen is all. Sorry if I came off like a jerk trying to pump you up. I am working on several screenplays right now, and I have made several contacts in the business. So, I am trying to make it myself. Of course, it's my biggest dream. Hopefully, not just a wet one! LOL!!

I'm going to make a prediction for you in the coming year; you will meet a dark headed woman in late spring. Someone you've either met before or spoke to before. She will produce 3 of your films. ($500,000 - $1 million a piece.) You will buy back "Winds of Fate" and make it, too. You will start a new production company. This info comes from a psychic lady my girlfriend made me go see last night for Halloween. She's supposed to be right on. I asked her to predict your future. I sincerely hope all of this comes true for you. :-) I wish you much success and happiness, Josh.

A Becker fan,
Boston

You're just all pumped up because your baseball team won. I might actually pay more attention to your advice if you weren't anonymous. Some folks are actually willing to identify themselves, which lends credence to their words. Not that what you were saying, in essence, isn't good advice. I probably should try harder, and I have no doubt become somewhat complacent in my old age. Meanwhile, I don't need to buy back "The Winds of Fate" from anyone since no one ever purchased it. I wish I believed in psychics.

Josh

Name: Scott
E-mail: sspnyc66@mac.com

Hey Josh,

I just wanted to post this for you and anyone who is interested in reading. As you know, I am a huge Roy Harper fan and most people ont this may not have a clue as to who he is, but I think his latest diary entry is excellent, and I think you would enjoy reading it.

He is always long winded, but this one is an excellent read through with only a little meandering in the middle.

The perspective of an intelligent and articulate artist from the U.K..

http://www.royharper.co.uk/shop/display_page.php?page=diary/entry18

Scott

He's an articulate guy, but I don't need to hear anymore about this election.

Josh

Name: Scott
E-mail: sspnyc66@mac.com

Josh,

Thanks for the documentary recommendations! There is one I would like to recommend to you that I saw when it was in the theaters, and it is now on DVD, and you can get it through Nettle.

It is called "Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy". Goldsworthy is a very cool artist who uses natural settings and natural elements to create his pieces.

The film was very inspiring to me, since I have always enjoyed his work and seeing how he does it was pretty cool!

As for the "Reflections" book, I think it is one of the best film books I own, and like you; I have many.

I have the Leonard Maltin book too which I believe is very good as well.

I agree with you about American Cinematographer, and I subscribed to it for many years, but it had been about 6 years, since I read it and the magazine. I recently picked up a couple free issues when I attended the DV expo and started reading it again, with the exception of a few articles, the magazine is pretty thin on good content and that is mainly because the films are not very interesting.

Although, I have to admit that the article on the film "Collateral" was very good and it was interesting to see how HD is being integrated into features now.

I will leave you with another quote from the book "Reflections". I think it really encapsulates how I used to feel about making films and one of the reasons I chose to become involved in filmmaking.

I want to preface this quote by saying that my feelings about collaboration mirror those of my close relationships with my friends and family. I have worked on projects where absolutely everyone clicked and the feeling of a big family unit permeated the project.

One of those projects was a feature I had worked on for five weeks, and it was truly sad when it ended.

Of course, projects don't always have this environment, and I believe this has much to do with egos and the ability of the director to treat the crew as human beings and not chess pieces.

The main reason that I click with your ideals is because you really value working with your friends that you had grown up with and those times were great for you. I have similar feelings about my friends I worked with and now we are all over the country, which is ok, but it was the loss of innocence I guess, and something many of us never forget.

This quote is from Jack Green who worked with Clint Eastwood after Bruce Surrtees. He shot many of Eastwood's later films including "Unforgiven".

Green talks about another mentor of his, cinematographer Joe Dieves, who prompted his interest in filmmaking.

I personally feel that what he speaks of in this quote has sadly gone away in this business. I think mentoring someone is very important, and I think, in essence, this is what you are doing for others here on your site.

Here is the quote:

"He was such a generous person. He would bring home equipment the night before the shoot, and I would go over to his family's house with my wife; they would feed us and we'd have a laughing time. After dinner he'd spread the equipment all over his living room floor and we would put it all together. I had such a good time; I really got hooked on film. Then he just covered my act: he watched over me and saw to it that I was always finding work. And he always made sure that I was put with people who weren't afraid to instruct.

One day many years later, I said to him, 'I owe you so much, Joe, what can I do to pay you back?' And he answered 'You know all that information you got from me? Pass it on. You'll pay me back.' So I've almost felt as if it was an indictment to pass on knowledge whenever I can. Teaching has its own rewards: not only am I able to pay Joe back, but I am also able to get do much out of it myself."

It's a nice quote. Jack Green was the AC for David Worth, the DP I just worked with, who shot "Bronco Billy" and "Any Which way You Can" for Clint Eastwood. Meanwhile, I didn't have a mentor, so I guess it's nice if it happens, but if not, you have to get ahead anyway, that is if you care enough. I do think there's more of mentor relationship in the camera department anyway, going from clapper/loader to 2nd AC to 1st AC to operator. Those are strong professional relationship that entail a lot of trust. On the other hand, being an AD doesn't lead to being a director, and the ADs are generally more on the side of production than on the director's side.

Josh

Name: kdn
E-mail: jericho_legends@yahoo.com

Dear Josh:

<<You can't be what you're not. As Mrs. Raimi once told me, "Josh, not only are you not a good schmoozer, you're insulting." I don't even have to speak, either, because my facial expressions give me away. Not only will I never be a Hollywood insider, I can't bear living in Los Angeles, and I hate taking meetings with film executives and agents. I can't change that. I yam what I yam. It's the big irony of my life that no matter what I may have accomplished, or will still accomplish, I will forever be a footnote to Sam Raimi's career. So it goes.>>

That's okay, you could insult me a 150 times over, it wouldn't faze me. It's just my opinion in film. I have the same fucking problem... if I don't hold my tongue, I'm afraid of what might come out. I'll say one thing and I'll have a totally different meaning to it. Most people notice I'm not trying to insult them, but over the internet you can't translate emotions you just get whatever is written. And I like Good movies too. I love bad movies (or used to) but there is too goddamn many of them, and hollywood doesn't even make them funny in a ridiculous way. A DIRTY SHAME could've been really funny if only it had gone farther over the top. It was just a PG-13 NC-17 with two shots of nudity. If I wanted a trash film, I'd watch a movie about a racist druggie elf who's dug up out of giant watermelon to raise hell, not some knockoff of every other movie out there. I like COOL HAND LUKE and BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI (which are far superior) but that's not going to stop me from checking out ROTK EE (the real film, be it bad or not). I want to see all the victims from the 200,000 battle. At the end of the battle, they just show a few dead horses on the battle field, that's because in the real cut, they have a scene where they spend all night picking up the bodies.

Shit, I sit here and look at things like ROTK EE and I have no idea what's being discussed. "Return of the King"? What's EE? And shouldn't that have LOTR in front of it? I remember the first time someone used an abbreviation like that and said, "GWTW" for "Gone With the Wind," and it seemed the height of pretention to me. Meanwhile, my candid, frank, and call it insulting, attitude isn't really something I want to change. I don't want to be a great schmoozer, nor have I ever wanted it. To be a great schmoozer means to be a liar, and I decided a long time ago that I would rather tell what I believe is the truth, and whatever happens happens. To create any sort of great art (not that I have, mind you), means that you can spot the truth when you see it and put it to use in your art. If you spend all day everyday lying, truth becomes meaningless and impossible to even recognize.

Josh

Name: Boston
E-mail:

Josh,

After thinking about it...you are really pissing me off! If you had chucked it all in at the beginning, what do you think you would've done? Man, how lucky you are to even get a taste of your dreams!!! You had friends who helped you get your foot in the door, you lucky bastard! They kissed ass and you got a blowjob!!! What a fucking good deal! Pull your fucking jockstrap up, quit complaining, and write something shocking/gritty/bold/powerful!!! Quit pussyfooting around, ya little pansy!!! LOL! :-)

Truly a Becker fan,
Boston

Footnote: Ten years later...Josh gets his head out of his ass and makes his dreams a reality. Sam who? Oh yeah, that guy who used to hang out with Josh Becker.

Hey, man, get off my case. I'm not complaining, I was just attempting to explain why I'm where I am, and others are where they are. It's a tough fucking business, and anyone who thinks otherwise has no clue. And if you seriously think that coming up with a great/shocking/gritty/bold idea comes from watching other movies, you have no clue. This isn't a high school football game, and a locker room pep talk won't get anyone anywhere, not that I don't appreciate the effort. But since you seem so clear about what it takes, why don't you do it?

Josh

Name: August
E-mail: joxerfan@hotmail.com

Dear Josh,

"Blind Waiter" discussion, huh?

Well, let's see. I thought it was funny as hell. For what it was, of course. I'm guessing Scott was the chef? Funny, I'd always thought of him as taller. And John Cameron was the complaining customer? And I'm assuming Tim Quill had to be another customer? (Can't say I'd recognize him without his shaved head and Fu Manchu mustache from AoD.)

So was it my connection? Or are the voices sort of sped up and much higher in the first few minutes?

And of course the obvious question is..... why did you guys do this to begin with? Just for fun? I mean, I know in high school days you sort of learned your craft this way. But if this was in the 80's, post "Book of the Dead" shooting, then you were already putting together your first feature film, so I'm assuming this wasn't intended to be shown to anyone in the business, right? (As opposed to your short version of "Stryker's War.")

Either way, I'm a sucker for all that stuff - the chef angrily re-claiming the chef's salad is just hilarious.

Looking forward to more....

Regards,

August

Yes, Scott is the Chef, Bruce is the blind waiter, Sam is the stuttering busboy, Rob is the deaf manager, John Cameron is the complaining customer, and Tim Quill is the patron who gets the bone in his throat. It was 1980 and we had just recently returned from making ED, so we were all 21-22. This was the first time that Scott and I collaborated, and we wanted to see what that was like, as well as just getting another movie made. For me, though, I was a tad desperate to make a comedy that was actually funny. I had made two other comedies in the past few years, "The Final Round" and"Acting & Reacting," which nobody thought were funny, so I had something to prove. Meanwhile, I was just writing the short version of "Stryker's War," but there were no plans to make it a feature. That didn't occur for four more years. The speeding up, BTW, was done by Scott during the video transfer. Anything he felt moved too slowly he just cranked up to 24 fps (from 18 fps).

Josh

Name: Boston
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

Bullshit, Josh! If you wanted to make it at this point, you still could and you know it. Write something bold and gritty. Make the sickest psychological horror film ever made. All you need is one hit and you are a major player. Then, people will be begging to produce all of your screenplays. You have cache because you ARE a footnote to Sam's career. Use it!!!! I believe in you and I know you are capable of great stuff. Just get over the hump. Sell out once -- who really gives a shit. How many asses has Rob and Sam kissed, I'm sure they hated it too, but they had the bigger picture in mind. I wish I had the money to produce your films; I would in a heartbeat because I know that you are only one film away from the bigtime. And, if you hate meetings and dealing with Hollywood people, send in your sales agent or get a partner who knows how to pucker up. Sam has always had an advantage because what he lacks, Rob more than makes up for. What you are missing in your life...wife, kids, career, etc. can change at any moment. It's up to you. My sister thinks you are hot and interesting, and she loves film, too. Now, if she was only wealthy enough to bankroll your films!! lol!!! A match made in heaven!

Ask yourself, what is truly scary?

Duel
Deliverance
The Tenant
Peeping Tom
The Hitcher
Cape Fear
The Changeling
Night of the Hunter
The Devil's Backbone
Rosemary's Baby
Henry Portrait of a Serial Killer

If you do make a killer horror film, keep me in mind for a production assistant. I'll work for free or craft service, whichever is better. LOL!

Boston

Yeah? What does your sister look like? I sincerely thank you for the apparent faith you have in me, although it may well be misplaced. Finding a producer partner has always evaded me, and you can't just give the job to anyone. Scott Spiegel and I tried, but neither one of us was really a producer. I worked with my good friend, Jane Goe, as producer on my last two features, but she's more of a line producer and wasn't interested in raising money or putting together deals, so it fell back to me. She also doesn't want to be involved in the film industry anymore, either. Sam and Rob finding each other in college was a great stroke of luck for both of them. Look, I'm not lamenting my fate. We all have to deal with whatever life throws in our path. Meanwhile, sales agents are a different breed of animal all together. These sales agents couldn't make a production deal if their lives depended on it. It's not like I have tons of integrity and just won't sell out, I'm more like a hooker standing on a corner who no one will stop for. It's all a lot more difficult than just go for it. Many, many people are just going for it. There's more to it than that.

Josh

Name: Scott
E-mail: sspnyc66@mac.com

Josh,

I just wanted to add that it would be a 50/50 chance that you would like "Gardern State". I actually liked it, but it took a little time to get moving.

I think the father & son relationship is well played out, but the film had some standard problems that I have found in many films of late.

I actually enjoyed "Station Agent" much more which was also shot in New Jersey, but was a smaller film, no pun intended, or maybe it was...

Scott

They'll all get to DVD and cable soon, then I'll see them. I just saw two good documentaries: "Stone Reader" and "Keep the River on Your Right: A Modern Cannibal Tale," both of which I recommend.

Josh

Name: John Rambo
E-mail: thisisjohnrambo@yahoo.com

Dear Josh,

You're right, yes, infatuated, obsessed, lust, "in love" I would say, but yes I agree with what you mean by love between people who know each other. I'm kind of reminded though, in From Russia With Love Tatiana is supposed to "fall in love" with James Bond's picture, as if he were a film star or actor one might be obsessed with, so I think a lot of people could fall "in love" with Lucy since she is so beautiful and funny and wonderful and an awesome actress. Like me, I would say that I am "in love" with Lucy, I would describe it that way though the other ways you mentioned too of course. So I love to say, Lucy is awesome I love Lucy, but of course I agree that you are right.

Well, I also like westerns, War Wagon for instance, and The Apple Dumpling Gang was funny. Do you know any other comedic westerns? I can think of Blazing Saddles, but I also liked The Shakiest Gun in the West with Don Knotts, and this sexy female character that reminded me of Xena.

Thanks,

John

"Support your Local Sheriff" and the sequel, "Support You Local Gunfighter." There was the wonderful TV movie from the '70s, "Evil Roy Slade," with John Astin, which I thought was hysterical at the time. There are also the Bob Hope films, "The Paleface" (which "The Shakiest Gun in the West" is a remake of) and the sequel, "Son of Paleface." There's also the Laurel and Hardy film, "Way Out West," and The Three Stooges' "The Outlaws is Coming."

Josh

Name: Scott
E-mail: sspnyc66@mac.com

Josh,

I guess we Scott's think alike in many ways.

What the other Scott said is very true about you, and I can say that because I know you.

I am going to be 38 next week and I am coming to a point in my life where I feel like I haven't accomplished what I felt I wanted to when I was in my 20's either, but I can say that I tried and you are correct that perseverance doesn't always pay off, and I believe that a great deal of what happens to us in life has much to do with a combination of luck, personality, and talent.

To me luck seems to be the key factor in the Hollywood movie industry, and in these times, I can't find any rhyme or reason as to why certain people are more successful than others.

I do agree that you have to be a social butterfly or "schmoozer" to really get anywhere in this industry depending on the job that you want, but some of us put more effort into our craft than we do schmoozing, however, you could argue that schmoozing is as much of a craft as directing or editing.

I find myself going back to a book on Cinematographers I have lately because it is an excellent book not only for the craft of Cinematography, but also for advice on life as an artist which is exactly what you are Josh.

The book was released only a few years ago and it is called "Reflections" - Twenty one Cinematographers at Work. It is expensive to buy new, but I found a used copy for a very good price, and for me, the book was worth every penny.

I mention because there are some very good quotes in it that I wanted to share with you.

One of the best quotes in the book is from the great Haskell Wexler and he says:

"Every film, whether it intends to or not, presents some view of how people interact with one another. In contemporary films, that view is often narrowed and reduced to comic book interrelationships. It seems that such films are deemed more commercial than others. I am not saying that all films are that way, I but I don't know anybody in this business whether they be actors, directors, or cinematographers- who isn't aware of the diminished quality of what we do. But we do it anyway, because we get paid to do it.

Motion Picture artists, from the director on down, try do do what they are assigned to do is often like a child's paint-by-numbers coloring book. They have to fill in the colors on time and by the rules-otherwise, it's not an acceptable product.

In My opinion, we're at a cultural ebb worldwide now. I've been living a long time and it is absolutely the lowest point ever."

That was the exact quote!

Cheer up Josh, you can hang with my kid and me anytime you wish!

Who needs an Oscar anyhow?

Scott

That sounds like a good book, one I'd enjoy. I have two books of interviews with cinematographers, "Behind the Camera" by Leonard Maltin, and "Masters of Light" by Dennis Schaefer and Larry Salvato. I used to read American Cinematographer every month, too, but after a while most of the DPs began to sound alike, so I stopped reading it. The reason I mention Oscars is because they really meant something to me for the first twenty years of my life, and I thought they really mattered. After the next twenty-five years of bad movies receiving Oscars, I no longer care. But, as my sister says,"This isn't a dress rehearsal, this is the only life we get" (unless you're a Buddhist, in which case you get more), so you have to go for as much gusto as you can.

Josh

Name: Jonathan Moody
E-mail: jondoe_555@yahoo.com

Dear Josh:

I have a discussion for ya... Where's Johnny Guitar in your top 10 of Westerns? And how come Unforgiven comes before Butch Cassidy? As for the Blind Waitor: How long did it take you guys to shoot the flick? And how did you and Scott work as co-directors? I mean did one concentrate on the shots and one concentrate on the actors? And did you and Scott both write it out together?

Your fan,
Jonathan

Those westerns aren't in order, just as I thought of them. But for me"Unforgiven" does go ahead of "Butch Cassidy," which has many problems, like three needless montages, a silly song, and dated score. And come on,"Johnny Guitar" is a silly, ridiculous, campy movie. When the toughest gunslinger in town is Joan Crawford you know you're in trouble, not that Joan wasn't giving it her all.

Regarding "The Blind Waiter," it was shot in two long nights over a weekend. We arrived as the restaurant as it was closing, shot all night and into the next day, cleared out so they could reopen, then we came back the next night, too. There are actually a few sequences that got cut out, as well. Anyway, I had already storyboarded it, and I operated the camera, Scott kept the comedy atmosphere going for 12 hours at a time and we both worked with the actors. Scott and I had come up with the idea in a restaurant while watching a bad waitress blunder her way through her job. We then went to the restaurant next to the grocery store where Scott worked, Maria's, where we knew they'd let us shoot, then Scott and I just wandered around the empty restaurant pitching gags back and forth. We did that a couple of times until we felt like we had enough gags, then pounded out a short script, which we made Bruce type on his brand new IBM PC Junior computer, the first computer any of us owned.

Josh

Name: Dale Richardson
E-mail: dsrichardson@firstam.com

Josh,

I'd put 'If I Had A Hammer' up against any film of Sam's. That is a geniune great film. Solid. I am by no means trying to bash him by saying this. I am still a comic geek, I loved Spiderman. But it wouldn't stand up next to 'Hammer'.

Hollywood churns out eye-candy and excretainment. You don't.
Footnote?
Blah.

Thanks again,

Dale

Geez, thanks a lot. I put my heart and soul (and all of my money) into that film, so it's particularly painful that it hasn't gotten any release at all. For a while there it appeared like I'd attempted to commit suicide by making it. Meanwhile, "Excretainment" isn't bad. My friend Rick used to use a variation of that, describing films as "excremental." That's how I'd describe "I Heart Huckabees" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," excremental.

Josh

Name: John Rambo
E-mail: thisisjohnrambo@yahoo.com

Dear Josh,

You're definitely very welcome about your script, it is an awesome script, and a very original and interesting idea. Well, thanks very much for your advice about obsessing over actresses. You're right, but I also see it differently, because I love Lucy and she has inspired me to be a better, more fulfilled person. I am a very devoted and dedicated fan of Lucy and I've strived to be more like her, free-spirited and funny, and embrace my own individuality. About a girlfriend well girls usually just don't like me. I try not to let it get to me much. I have other problems on that end too. But I've been too used to it, for years. You know when kids go through that phase when they start maturing and everything and they usually start developing more matured relations with the opposite sex, like whatever they do, dates or talking, well I was basically left out of that. Instead I got only pain. Actually at one time around then was the first time I saw "First Blood", and I thought wow look at that tough guy out there alone in the woods, nobody's on his side, but look at him survive. Wow! I would kind of feel like him too sometimes. It was in the fall years ago. So that was inspiring.

Thanks for your advice, but because I am in love with Lucy it means a great deal to me. She helps me to fulfill myself. I love watching her on Xena and anything else. I was very upset when I read in the Metro article about how the nasty so-called "fans" had upset Lucy, that was extremely unfair and those people needed a serious dose of their own medicine so to speak. They think have power over the internet. They've got nothing where I'm concerned, I wish I was on the boards then. I want to greatly support and help Lucy, she is so awesome and amazing and gorgeous and beautiful and perfect, I love Lucy. I understand about fantasy and reality, I love being a loving fan. Being Lucy's loving fan is much more important to me than the girlfriend thing. I might never have one, but I will always love Lucy.

Thanks for understanding Josh you are very kind. I will always respect and admire you because you are a great director and writer and are Lucy's friend.

Thanks,

John

You cannot "love" someone whom you do not know, who doesn't know you. You can be infatuated by them; you can obsess over them; you can lust after them, but you can't love them. Love is a mutual experience.

Josh

Name: Boston
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

What are your 10 favorite westerns?

Lists, what a bore. What happened to discussion? I thought we might get a discussion out of "The Blind Waiter," but there's been almost nothing.

1. True Grit
2. The Wild Bunch
3. The Shootist
4. Hell's Heroes
5. Unforgiven
6. Red River
7. Rio Bravo
8. She Wore a Yellow Ribbon
9. My Darling Clementine
10. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Josh

Name: kdn
E-mail: jericho_legends@yahoo.com

Dear Josh:

http://www.udecide.org/downloads/YouDecide-Booklet.pdf

just one more fun link for all the bush supporters to look at.

Why anyone would need to see this at this late date I don't know, but here it is.

Josh

Name: kdn
E-mail: jericho_legends@yahoo.com

Dear Josh:

<<Well, I dealt with those shit-heads at Troma for quite a while, and they really are the very bottom of the heap. I'll bet those guys have never returned a penny to any filmmaker ever.>>

Probably not, but their shitty movies ARE really shitty and they ARE out on show which is the most these filmmakers could hope for at the moment. ALL I NEEDED TO KNOW ABOUT FILMMAKING FROM THE TOXIC AVENGER really is a funny book cause it shows how admittedly incompetent Lloyd Kaufman really is and proves how incompetent can move up the ladder. Also, there are no contracts between Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz for the company since it opened... either one of them could walk out with all the money at any time, yet they're still together making crap. The best story is how Lloyd got kicked out of the DGA because they charged larger fees for him to direct, so he directed under his grandfather's name, then they caught a picture of him in an interview for TROMA'S WAR (worst 2 film leads until VAN HELSING came along) telling this guy with a pig nose to snort and insulting the cast and crew (he always threatens to blow his own brains out and blame it on them). When they confronted him about it, they let him off saying "You call THIS directing?!". He was shortly let go a few months later. He also tried to market a jewish film in synagogues called BIG GUSS WHAT'S THE FUSS? where he spent most of the directing curled up in the opposite corner of the room while the asst. director raised hell. No theater took it and all the synagogues were insulted. This was Michael Herz's great idea. Their history of film is really funnier than anything they ever released. the book also had the same editor (BARRY) as Bruce Campbell's novel. They left the editor's argue notes in the troma book to take up more space... they even insulted him a couple of times.

I does sound amusing, but I really so try to avoid the whole shitty, bottom-of-the-heap end of the film industry (even if I may be in it). I know a lot of people that take great pleasure in seeing how awful movies can actually get, but I don't. I know it's rather passe, but I like good movies. Nevertheless, I certainly wouldn't want to be the one to deny you your pleasure. If you'd like to read a very amusing book about filmmaking, may I recommend Charles Bukowski's "Hollywood," about the making of a good, low-budget movie, "Barfly."

Josh

Name: Boston
E-mail:

Josh,

You aren't a slacker, dude. You just have a raw/take no bullshit personality that doesn't lend itself to schmoozing at all, which is sad because we will probably never get to see what you are truly capable of filmwise. You also only want to direct and produce what you've written, whereas your buddies are willing to produce and direct other people's stuff which provides them with opportunities you'll probably never get. Now, Sam is an A list director and producer. He can write his own ticket. You could be in the same boat. I guess, at this point in your life you have to ask yourself what is more important kissing a little ass to get your films made, or ending up an old man with a wrinkled and faded DGA card folded in his wallet. I am a major fan of yours, so I hope you wet those lips good and make the films I know you are capable of!! :-)

Boston

You can't be what you're not. As Mrs. Raimi once told me, "Josh, not only are you not a good schmoozer, you're insulting." I don't even have to speak, either, because my facial expressions give me away. Not only will I never be a Hollywood insider, I can't bear living in Los Angeles, and I hate taking meetings with film executives and agents. I can't change that. I yam what I yam. It's the big irony of my life that no matter what I may have accomplished, or will still accomplish, I will forever be a footnote to Sam Raimi's career. So it goes.

Josh

Name: Scott
E-mail:

Josh,

Your rants about what it takes to make a living in the industry are very telling and honest . What's interesting as well as puzzleing is that those with the best social skills seem to reap the rewards and not only ramain employed, but excell. I'm currently working on a major network show for a very reputable producer, and the amount of ass kissing that permeates the office is unbareable. I have watched many people. who do their jobs very well, get fired because of personality issues, and I'm not talking about issues that are unacceptable. These people were merely shy, but did superb work. I over heard an EP stating that his underlings had to be lively people with entertaining personalities who would kiss his ass at the drop of a dime. God forbid they actually know how to do their jobs. That is the disheartening aspect of this industry. In regards to perseverence, I agree that it doesn't provide any gaurantees, however from my own observations it may not get you exactly where you want to be, but it will usually get you somewhere. I have never met anyone who has persevered and failed miserably every time. Is it possible? Of course, but I have yet to see it. In your case, I think that you have done quite well for yourself considering the odds. You have written and directed five feature films, and have directed quite a few TV shows. That ain't chopped liver, and the fact that people come to your website, and actually give a shit about your work is pretty damn great! you may not have 5 mansions, millions of adoring fans, or the ability to greenlight what ever you want, but you've certainly done more than most who give it the old college try, and who needs five mansions anyway? To me, what you have accomplished says a lot, and is inspireing as well, because perseverance has worked in your favor.

But then you get to the next level, which is recalibrating your goals to what actually seems possible. When I was 25 I certainly wanted to be rich and famous and win Oscars. By the time I was 45, I had discarded all of those goals as unreasonable and probably unattainable. Now my goal is to keep doing what I do and keep making a living at it. But if the goals of youth mean anything, just because I've persevered hasn't caused me to achieve any of them. But if I had been given a clear picture of what my life was going to be like 20 years later--single, no kids, living in Detroit in a small house with three cats, no fame, no fortune, no Oscars -- I might well have chucked in the whole thing at the beginning.

Josh

Name: Jonathan Moody
E-mail: jondoe_555@yahoo.com

Dear Josh:

No offense to to you Josh... but Entertainment starved? I showed it to him in respect of you, Bruce, and Scott did. And why do you diss Troma so much? They have done nothing but movies that the fans have want them to put out. They have a strong fanbase... and they have put out three of the best scriptwriters out there: Trey Parker, James Gunn, and Trent Haaga. I just hope that Lloyd puts them all to work and can afford them when he can. Did you ever try to send anything to Troma? Maybe you should try. You could at least get Bruce to act in it. Lloyd would love to produce it I'm sure

Your fan,
Jonathan

I didn't base my disparaging comments on nothing, I dealt with those assholes for over six months on a regular basis when we were attempting to set up a distribution deal with them for my film TSNKE, and they're really awful to deal with. They finally made life so miserable for myself and the sales agent that we told them to get lost. Let's face facts, shall we? Troma makes the worst shit movies on the planet Earth. My entertainment starved comment was a joke. I was kidding. I say, that's a joke, son.

Josh

Name: abadactor@hotmail.com
E-mail:

Josh,

Who are some of your favorite modern actors? Are there any young actors you like? Do you think trained actors are better than instinctive actors? Have you ever experienced a time when an actor couldn't get what you were after as a director and needed multiple takes? What did you do?

Best of luck to you!

You end up having to shoot multiple takes of just about everything. Actors and the crew rarely get it all exactly right the first time, it usually takes a couple of takes just to get warmed up. Yes, I've had many actors not give me what I wanted, and each time is it's own ordeal with it's own solution. As an example, Anthony Quinn wouldn't hit any of the marks I had set for him under any circumstances, he'd just wander wherever he felt like it, then I had to quickly improvise what coverage I would need to construct the scene. I thought about this a lot, then decided to begin shooting all of Quinn's scenes with his close-up, which not only appealed to his vanity, it made better use of his limited energy (he was 82 at the time), and, best of all, when I got around to shooting the wide shot, Quinn knew if now didn't hit my mark I would have to reshoot his close-up, which he was really not interested in, so he hit my mark. I had an actress who was terrific at the audition, seemed just fine in person, then when the day came to shoot her big scene she stuttered every line, and no matter how many takes I did, she still stuttered. Now, I could have stayed there forever, burned up all of my film, and not gotten the rest of the scenes on the schedule, or figured out an answer. The answer was simply, I'll have to replace her voice with another actor's in post-production. Having concluded that in my head, I then treated her stuttering like it wasn't a problem and finished the scene. So, whatever the problem may be, it's the director's job to figure out an answer right there. Regarding contemporary actors, there are many I like, but nobody seems to be doing very good work lately, which isn't their fault, it's the material. And I definitely like working with trained actors, and the more trained and experienced the better.

Josh

Name: monkeyman
E-mail:

hey josh,

you always say any monkey can be a director, but seriously where do you learn the techniques? I mean, if you are just starting out, how do you know what a 1-shot, 2-shot, closeup, pan, etc. are? how do you learn to set up a crew (and actually have them listen to you?)Seems like there is a lot more to do than just turn the camera on and shoot a couple of actors.

thanks,
monkeyman

Yes, that's true. There are three choices, or any or all combinations of the three: 1. just go out and start doing it, 2. read books about it, 3. study other movies and see what those directors have done. I'm convinced that in the process of learning filmmaking it's very important to make every possible mistake, recognize the mistake, then you won't do it again. I only had to shoot my over-the-shoulder shots incorrectly once to learn how to never do that again.

Josh

Name: Leon
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

Not a question. Thanks for semi-opening my eyes regarding the HUAC and Kazan. I will certainly read his book.

Still think the whole thing is fucked but I do realized he was not in a good situation.

Thanks,
Leon

It was fucked up, and it was all based on fear, just like Bush's campaign. But holding grudges against the poor, unsuspecting citizens who were caught in that mess is like, in my opinion, holding it against people who believed there actually were WMDs in Iraq, and of course, were wrong (luckily, I'm not one of those people). But when the government takes a staunch position on something it's very difficult for average citizens to disagree.

Josh

Name: Alex Tobias
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

Somewhere along the way your bulletin board has become a great little political discussion forum. I love all the exachanges of ideas. Keep up the great site man!

Thanks. Once John Kerry gets elected maybe we can de-politicize here and go back to discussing movies. I was wonderfully politically apathetic during most of Clinton's eight years, and I long to return to that state.

Josh

Name: Peter Strausse
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

You mentioned before you read Michael Shaara's "The Killer Angels". I love that book. I have read it along w/ all of his son, Jeff's, novels as well. Jeff has a new novel due for release this week about WW I called "To the Last Man". It covers the Battle of Belleau Wood. I know you wrote a screenplay w/ this battle as the setting, so I thought I'd give you an fyi. Have you read any of Jeff's books?

No, I haven't. I couldn't sit through the film "Gods and Generals," but that's not his fault. I have read all of Michael Shaara's books, though. I've read "The Killer Angels" a couple of times. Thanks for the info on the new book, I'll check it out.

Josh

Name: kdn
E-mail: jericho_legends@yahoo.com

Dear Josh:

man, I just heard on the radio that 14,000 people in Florida might be excluded from the vote just because they forgot to check the box stating them as an american citizen. son of a bitch. Why do people like Bush land in office and people like JFK get shot? I hope Bush gets voted out by a landslide. I also noticed the people I know that want to vote for Bush aren't eligible for the draft. I doubt they'll get off their ass and vote. Everyone should just try to vote early, why wait 6 days when you can vote now. that doesn't make sense. I'm also pissed off some of my friends who bitched about bush didn't bother to get registered. bump bump bump. see that Eminem internet video MOSH. lousy animation... good message. all the poor people riot their way into the voting office to get rid of Bush.

This is a democracy and not voting is our right, should we care to exercize it. And remember, only the good die young. Here in Michigan we can only vote on Nov. 2, so that's when I'll vote. I wish we did have early voting and I would've voted already.

Josh

Name: kdn
E-mail: jericho_legends@yahoo.com

<<And in Orson Welles's case, "Citizen Kane" is considered the greatest movie ever made by quite a lot of people, and that sure ain't chopped liver.>>

Sadly, everyone at imdb seem to think its below Return of the King (#2) Oh, but fuck them, they aren't amc. Say if Bush wins for some fucked up reason (don't look at me, I voted for Kerry), you're not really moving to Bulgaria are you? You'll keep this website up right? I mean if Lorainne really cared about the Springfield Five, she would've stuck with them instead of leaving to Italy over a grudge... even if the outlook wasn't good.

I certainly wouldn't move to Bulgaria, where I can't speak the language and never will be able to. At one point I tried to buy some mustard and couldn't get anyone in seven different stores to understand me, and I finally settled for maynaise in a yellow container (I kept pointing at things that were yellow). I could see living in Amsterdam or Paris, although I don't speak French, either, so that could be a problem. But I was just talking the talk, I probably haven't got the guts to walk the walk. But I honestly don't believe that Bush will win, nor do I think it will even be close. Here, I'll stick my neck out and say that John Kerry is going to win by at least two million votes, so it won't even be close or contested. I called Trinidad-Mayorga and Hopkins-De La Hoya, I think I know what I'm talking about.

Josh

Name: Rick
E-mail: rickytavi@hotmail.com

Josh,

Does it blow your mind that little Sammy Raimi has actually achieved his dreams? I mean, the guy down the street actually made it. He is a perfect fit for contemperary cinema. (Making no judgments here.) How does it make you feel knowing your bud is actually living his ultimate dream?

Was it just your small group of friends who were into filmmaking when you guys all started out? Or, were there other kids doing the same thing? Did they eventually get into the film business, too?

Thanks,
Rick

I never called him Sammy. It doesn't blow my mind because Sam's a sharp guy, and he had an amazingly wide grasp of filmmaking very early. Like you say, he's a perfect fit for films like "Spider-Man" or "Darkman," because he's not faking an interest in comic books, he truly loves them. But beyond any of that, Sam's a great schmoozer, and that's vitally important to making it up the food chain in Hollywood and not being consumed along the way. Meanwhile, of the initial group of us filmmaker from Detroit -- Sam Raimi, Bruce Campbell, Rob Tapert, Scott Spiegel, John Cameron, Mike Ditz, Bill Kirk and me, Bill Kirk has since died, Mike Ditz is a professional photographer (which is all he ever wanted to be), and the rest of us are still making movies. John Cameron just produced "Friday Night Lights." Scott Spiegel has his own production company, Raw Nerve. I guess I'm the slacker of the bunch.

Josh

Name: Carl
E-mail: vic_mancuso@yahoo.com

Dear Josh,

I was just wondering if you have seen Garden State, or if you intend to. Thanks, Carl

I've heard good things and I'd like to see it, I just don't know that I'll drag my weary ass out to the theater. We should've gone for "Garden State" the other day when we went to see "I Heart Huckabees," and walked out in 30 minutes. Oh well.

Josh

Name: Jonathan Moody
E-mail: jondoe_555@yahoo.com

Dear Josh:

I was reading "Make your own Damn Movie" by Lloyd Kaufman the other day and I loved the introduction by Trey Parker. Its really cool because what Trey says is that Lloyd basically told him that when Troma would distribute his first movie, "Cannibal!" that he'll give Lloyd the movie with all the rights and recieve nothing back. However Troma would put it out on video and people would at least see it. I think it opened my eyes in to thinking that, thats fantastic. There are independent distributors out there that put movies out for people to see and the producers hardly see a dime but at least its out there. "Make your own Damn Movie" is very inspiring and even though I'm sure you don't need to read it, its still a good book to read. Also Lloyd and Trent Haaga (A formerTromaphile) argue about the difference between film and video.

Btw... My dad liked "Blind waitor" alot. The "Hold the turtle and make it pea" bit got a big laugh out of him

Your fan,
Jonathan

You showed it to your dad? You folks must be enetertainment starved. Well, I dealt with those shit-heads at Troma for quite a while, and they really are the very bottom of the heap. I'll bet those guys have never returned a penny to any filmmaker ever.

Josh

Name: Saul Trabal
E-mail: ghost_kingdom@yahoo.com

Josh writes:

"The common wisdon of today is, persevere and you'll succeed, which I'm sorry to inform everyone is bullshit. Just because you persevere does not mean you'll succeed. But if you don't persevere, you absolutely won't succeed. There are no assurances."

I can't tell you how reassuring it is to see I'm not the only one who thinks this. It's something I've believed for a LONG time. Hard experience has hammered this home in a big way for me-as well as seeing other people struggle.

Everyone likes to look at the success stories. Almost nobody likes to look at the failures. And yet, you learn more from the failures than the success stories.

One thing that REALLY pisses me off about many people-including some friends I know-is that they find it rather easy to sit down and criticize someone else's shortcomings, oftentimes saying that it's the person's own fault for not "getting ahead" in life, whatever the hell that means. Yes, there are those folks that are lazy and that basically have their priorities fucked up-which results in their being limited in how far they get ahead in life. Yet, there are also those who've done everything possible to try and make something of themselves, and have nothing to show for it. It oftentimes just comes down to bad luck.

While I'm a big fan of the rock group Rush, drummer Neil Peart once wrote something in a concert program guide for the Roll The Bones tour back in 1991 that REALLY pissed me off. And it was this:

"Sure, there are those who don't achieve artistic or worldly success, but I think there's usually a reason-a failure inside of them."

How arrogant. It's really easy to say something like this when you become a successful rock star in your mid-20s. I respect the man as a musician, but that statement definitely lowered my opinion of him as a person. I wonder if he's matured any since then.

While I don't agree with everything you write, I respect the fact that you are a blunt person, and that you aren't shy about the harsh realities of this business. It's why I keep coming back to this site.

Take care.

Saul

I just call it as I see it, and I've been around long enough at this point to have seen a fair amount of it. Just pulling a number out of the air, I'd say of the average 100,000 people who go to LA to make it as writers or directors or producers or actors in the film business, 90,000 of them give up within five years, 9,999 assimilate into service positions, like working at the lab or video duplication facilities or into lower crew positions, and one person actually makes it a position where they make a living doing what they intended to do in the first place.

Josh

Name: Trey Smith
E-mail: cobra_commander_of_cobra@yahoo.com

Dear Josh:

This really isn't a question..I'm sorry..but I know of no other way to contact you. I just wanted to thank you for scaring me shitless about how hard it really is to be a director and/or screenwriter..I knew it was difficult..but..you really opened my eyes.However, you have not made me want to give up..I love film and I want a life of creating it..I know I am ready for the hard work..I will be content with an entire career of independent films..I just want to make movies.I also would like to thank you for your essays on structure..after reading them I read over the short film script I had just finished and reworked it almost completely,though it did have somewhat of a structure that resembled the "3-act structure",it needed some revisement(I'm proud to say it atleast could not be rearranged on a corkboard,haha). Mr. Becker,I needed a reality check...yes you scared me shitless as stated earlier,but you've also caused me to be as dertermined as ever,and for that I humbly thank you.

You've got the right attitude. If you're absolutely determined, then at least you've got a chance. The common wisdon of today is, persevere and you'll succeed, which I'm sorry to inform everyone is bullshit. Just because you persevere does not mean you'll succeed. But if you don't persevere, you absolutely won't succeed. There are no assurances. There's no dishonor in producing independent films, and a much greater chance of making the film you want to make. Now it's your duty to study stories, to read everything you can get your hands on, as well as to see every movie that's considered good, so you'll have a basis for what you're trying to do. Good luck.

Josh

Name: John Rambo
E-mail: thisisjohnrambo@yahoo.com

Dear Josh,

That is a great analysis of JFK and very interesting motivation, and must also be very unique, you are a great writer. I like mystery type stories, sometimes I write for myself, but often the stories have some pretty hot scenes that might seem kind of out of place, I just put them in there you know but sometimes they're not as relevant. Script writing is different though, I'm more used to novel type format. Do you have any advice on how to write script as you did in "Head Shot" and others? It's kind of difficult unless I envision it as a play or film, I guess that's what should be done.

Also I wanted to say as Saul said definitely Lucy is an amazing actress with awesome screen presence (and awesome real presence) but I also think Lucy has done a lot of very cool things since Xena. I love all her guest appearances they were so awesome and sexy (respectfully)! I thought she was awesome on Tarzan, I loved her role it was so beautiful and sexy (respectfully), and the show was improving, it just wasn't given enough of a chance. I thought it was so unfair, they hadn't even got to the expanded part with Lucy and they stopped filming. I had some interesting ideas too myself for Kathleen Clayton and the other characters, it was a cool premise and just needed time to get better, and more Lucy! I'm kind of like the John Clayton kid I love Lucy and I know I can be childish sometimes but I love Lucy and I also work on my pecs so I envisioned myself in that. Seriously, and I was very sad when it got cancelled. I loved seeing Lucy on that show.

Lucy also did Warrior Women, it is totally awesome and extremely gorgeous, and very educational. It seriously needs to be released in the US, hopefully soon. Discovery Channel baby!

I thought Lucy was so beautiful and gorgeous and perfect and sexy on Less Than Perfect, it was kind of ironic they call it Less Than Perfect because Lucy is so perfect! She is so beautiful and sexy (respectfully), as meant to be, when she was with the Will Butler character that was so beautiful and sexy and funny as well! Respectfully I wish I was in Eric Robert's place then!

Sometimes I'm reminded of the date thing but I have some staying power you know and one should keep active. I like reading and films and TV because I think they stimulate the creative process, and other things, that's important to me.

Thanks,

John

I'm glad you liked my script, and the premise I presented. I think it makes more sense than anyone else's theory, if I do say so myself. Dude, you clearly need a girlfriend. Obsessing over movie stars will never get you anywhere. There are many actresses I think are babes, but they have nothing to do with my real life. Obsessing over a movie star is like obsessing over a cartoon character. You may well be in love with Bugs Bunny (like Robert Crumb), but it doesn't really mean anything. Don't let your fantasies confuse your reality.

Josh

Name: Scott
E-mail: sspnyc66@mac.com

Josh,

With regards to "Super Size Me", I had actually seen it when it came to the theater here in NYC. I thought the film was well done, but there was nothing there that was any astounding news to me, but the guy had a lot of balls to eat that shit for that long everyday.

As for me, I could count on one hand how many times I have eaten that shit within the past six years, and the last time I had actually ordered a veggie burger at Mcdonalds, and it was pretty good.

After I graduated from college back in 1990, I avoided that food like the plague, since I found myself living on it my las semester there.

I lived in Europe (Switzerland) for 4 months back in 1996/97 and I cooked something different just about every night, and everything was frash and good! I have carried that experience over to my time in NYC. I tend to cook when I have the time, but when I don't, there are so many good restaurants here that it is easy to eat well and avoid that junk.

I have a friend who works for Pepsi, and she said that Michigan is the state which has the highest consumption of soft drinks out of any state in the country, and that shows when I go back home and see how fat people are there. I think the fast food thing is a big problem as well.

I don't want to sound like a snob because I am not, and I grew up in a blue collar family in the Detroit area, but we rarely ate fast food when I was a kid unless it was a special treat because my parent's could not afford it, and my mother cooked all the time, and we always had a garden. I was lucky, since kids now live on this crap and it is not a good thing.

Scott

I thought the filmmaker and star of "Super Size Me," Morgan Spurlock, found a very clear, visual way to present the idea, and it's clearly an idea that needs presenting. After 21 days of eating nothing but McDonald's, three doctors are astounded at what it's done to Spurlock's cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as well as nearly destroying his liver. In one month he puts on 25 pounds, then it takes him five months to lose it. Anyway, the film is well-made and presents its case clearly. Meanwhile, I got wrangled into seeing "I Heart Huckabees" yesterday, and after about 30 minutes I walked out. It's truly hammered shit.

Josh

Name: John Hunt
E-mail: Chowkidar@aol.com

Josh,

You're dead-on about people making judgements of other people in extreme circumstances. Trying to judge anybody without a thorough understanding of their historical context is, for instance, The height of conceit. I've found that, in almost all cases, the more one understands the historical context of a controversial person the less apt one is to condemn. That is even true of characters like Hitler and Stalin, neither of whom can get a fair hearing today. I'm not saying that either man acted humanely or was in some way "right", but in today's climate it would be impossible to say even that "Hitler was a good cook." I don't know if he was, but if he was, one should be able to acknowledge the fact.

The HUAC was established to investigate potential infiltrations by Nazi spies. The Nazies clearly represented an immediate threat to the US (unlike the Ba'athists). When the spectre of the Soviet Union arose following the war the committee turned it's attention there. In those early days, particularly, the threats the HUAC investigated were at least plausible. They eventually got out of control but for the average citizen it would be difficult to know when that line had been crossed.

Guantanamo is a similar situation today in many ways. Power is being applied outside of the rule of law but it is happening outside the purview and awareness of most people, so little is said about it. We must remember that the Nazi leadership said that getting the German (and French) citizenry to go along with their plans was surprisingly easy, and those were mostly decent people. I know you know all of this but it still bears stating.

John

The Nazis used the same tactics as the Republicans, which is mainly fear of outsiders. Through fear you can get people to give up their rights, just as has been going on for the past three years since 9/11. As Ben Franklin said, "Those who would give up freedom for security deserve neither."

Josh

Name: Gilbert Smith
E-mail: profelmore@aol.com

Dear Josh:

Okay so I just finished this ten minute horror movie and... uh... now what the heck do I do with it? I want to send it to some film festivals but I have no idea which ones. Should I just google and see what I can do, is there some extra sage advice that goes along with this sort of thing? Thanks.

Sorry, no sage advice. Just get it out to as many places as you can, but don't expect anything. It's not like having made a short you'll now get you a feature. Making a short film is practice. Whatever you do next -- make another short, make an independent feature, give up -- is up to you.

Josh

Name: Real Bob
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

I just watched Open Range and I thought it wasn't bad. Actually, I thought one of the best movies of the last 5 years.

Your favorite films list does not include the Friends of Eddie Coyle. With the recent run of movies about Boston, starting with Good Will Hunting, do you think we have to look back to something like Eddie Coyle for one that was really good? Actually, I didn't think GWH wasn't too bad, it at least exposed Boston's caste system, a nasty little secret, however the Boston movies following, up to and including Mystic River, really haven't been much to watch.

I thought "Open Range" was awful. The townsfolk kill Costner's and Duvall's buddy in the first five minutes, then they stall for 110 minutes, then there's a poorly shot shoot-out. I just hated it. "The Friends of Eddie Coyle" was all right, and Mitchum was terrific, as usual, but I don't think it's anywhere near being a great film. "Good Will Hunting" was bullshit. Matt Damon makes marks on a blackboard and a lot of professors with leather patches on their elbows go Oooh and Aaah, so I'm supposed to accept he's a genius? But he's really just a regular guy who drinks beer with his buddies on weekends. Yuk! And everything with Robin Williams was almost directly stolen from "Ordinary People."

Josh

Name: Kit
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

Of the two versions of Touch Of Evil (the original and the restored director's cut) which do you think is the superior version?

I thought the restored version was better. With the sound mixed properly it was more suspenseful.

Josh

Name: Saul Trabal
E-mail: ghost_kingdom@yahoo.com

Hey Josh,

I just wanted to comment on Lucy for a moment...

Sadly, I can't say I've been impressed with the stuff she's done, post-Xena. I don't blame her, though. She's a great actress with a tremendous screen presence. Unfortunately, given the kind of shit Hollywood puts out nowdays, there's not much you can do. Lucy has tried her best with what she's been given, but no matter how good the icing is-if the cake's a turd, it's still a turd. Tarzan was the worst of the lot. They couldn't have cancelled that piece of crap soon enough. (I hope everyone involved in Tarzan finds plenty of work.)

It's why I rarely-if ever-watch TV or go to the movies. I'll stick to books.

Did you ever get a chance to see Triumph of the Nerds & Nerds 2.01-The History of the Internet? They were WAY better than Pirates of Silicon Valley-that docu-drama on Bill Gates & Steve Jobs. Pirates was a piece of garbage-a total waste of time.

Nerds & Nerds 2.01 are both out in book form too, I believe.

TTYL.

Saul

I haven't seen those films, but I did enjoy "Pirates," and I thought Noah Wylie and Anthony Michael Hall were good casting as Jobs and Gates. As for Lucy, we'll see what she ultimately does, post-Xena. As yet, she really hasn't done anything.

Josh

Name: Leon
E-mail:

Josh,

Elia Kazan eh? He's an interesting fellow. Great Film maker but an asshole what with all that business with the House Committee on Un-American Activities. Anyway, I'm wondering what you think of Trey Parker and that other guy.

Thanks for the list, I'll have to check a few of them out.

Leon

If you want to know that actual story behind Kazan and the HUAC, read his autobiography, "A Life," which was very good. Nobody holds it against John Wayne or Gary Cooper or any of the other score of Hollywood stars who cooperated with HUAC. Quite frankly, I don't think anyone who didn't live through that time can legitimately comment on it. Keep in mind that the HUAC was part of the U.S. government, and until your own government turns on you and begins arresting people for no reason, putting them in jail for undetermined lengths of time, and ruining the careers of hundreds of people, will the rest of us truly understand what those folks had to deal with. I'm not necessarily agreeing with Kazan's position, but I don't know how I would deal with the same situation, nor do you.

Meanwhile, I've watched "South Park" a few times and it's okay. I couldn't sit through "BASEketball," and I had no intertest in the puppet thing.

Josh

Name: Greene
E-mail: greenebrett@spymac.com

Josh

Do you think somewhere out there the lost 40 minutes from The Magnificent Ambersons exists? If so, what's on that reel?

That's easy because all of the excised scenes are listed and the script pages are published in the book "This is Orson Welles" by Peter Bogdanovich. They're all unnecessary scenes, I completely understand why they were edited out, and I don't think it matters. I would venture to say that it's probably a better movie at 88-minutes than at 130-minutes. Even at 88-minutes it's not an easy film to sit through. I love it as it is, even with its fucked-up ending. Although neither the original ending of the movie, nor the ending of the book, are much better than the ending on the film as it is. But I'd surmise that the missing footage is long gone, and if it didn't get burned right away, it got tossed out when RKO became Desilu in the early 1950s.

Josh

Name: Peter Greenberg
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly has been re-released in a special 2-disc collector's edition (I love those 2 disc sets). Is it a great movie?

Not in my opinion. It's amusing, and Sergio Leone had a vision of the west that was pretty much his own, but I don't think he was a great filmmaker, nor did he ever make a great film. I think his spaghetti westerns were influential, too, and certainly launched Clint Eastwood's feature career, but Leone never got anywhere near a good script. I do like some of his directorial technique.

Josh

Name: Scott
E-mail: sspnyc66@mac.com

Josh,

You still did not answer my question as to why you thought the girls were unsympathetic? I am not implying that being picked on is an excuse to being unsympathetic, since I did no feel the girls were unsympathetic, however you did.

Trying to re-educate "The Black" out of them through religion is just a little bit more than being picked on don't you think? They were scared shitless and maybe that is why they appeared unsympathetic to you, I don't know?

The idea of the film was nothing like "Labrynth", and the fact that it actually happened made it far more interesting to me than the fictional Bowie flick even barring your criteria for script structure.

I don't fell anymore noble for having watched the film, but I do feel a sense of knowing something about the darker side of a country I really enjoy very much, and that someone else (An Aussie) felt it was important enough to make into a pretty decent film about this important problem which still carries reprocussions in that country.

If you would have watched the rest of the film, you may have enjoyed the journey or you may have not, but we will never know.

Scott

No, we won't. Perhaps it got great just after I turned it off. I did just watch "Super Size Me" which I thought was well-made and I enjoyed. It got me thinking, too, which makes it a good documentary, in my opinion. It's enough to put you off McDonald's forever, although I must admit, I've been off that shit for several years myself.

Josh

Name: Raimifan
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

What do you think is the hardest thing to master as an independent director, besides the screenwriting?

Getting the financing and getting distribution.

Josh

Name: Raimifan
E-mail:

Hey,

Are you going to check out Sam's Ghost House Productions' film, "The Grudge"? Looks pretty good.

Sooner or later.

Josh

Name: Peter Greenberg
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

Your discussion w/ Diana about films made in Chicago and on-location shoots reminded me that "The Treasure of Sierra Madre" was at least partly shot in location in Mexico. It was released in 1948, so I suppose this was towards the beginning of on-location era. I think other parts were shot in California as well, albeit very near the studio. I just got the Warner Bros. two-disc DVD set for the film, and its excellent. Hope you check it out.

Yeah, that's when location shooting really started, right after the war. Meanwhile, I'd love to check out the DVDs of "Treasure of the Sierra Madre," and certainly will at some point soon. As a little movie trivia note, 1948 was one of those weird Oscar years where best director was different than best picture. John Huston got best director for "Treasure of the Sierra Madre" (as well as screenplay, and his dad, Walter, got best supporting actor), but best picture went to Laurence Olivier's "Hamlet" (he also got best actor). The king of that anomoly, BTW, was John Ford, who three out of his four Oscars were for films that didn't win best picture: "The Informer" (1935, best picture "Mutiny on the Bounty"), "The Grapes of Wrath" (1940, best picture "Rebecca"), and "The Quiet Man" (1952, best picture "The Greatest Show on Earth"). John Ford also won in 1941 for "How Green Was My Valley," but that did win best picture. A few others in this oddball category are: Oliver Stone for "Born on the Fourth of July" (1989, best picture "Driving Miss Daisy"), and Steven Spielberg for "Saving Private Ryan" (1998, best picture "Shakespeare in Love").

Josh

Name: Scott
E-mail: sspnyc66@mac.com

Josh,

With regards to "Rabbit Proof Fence" could you be more specific with what you mean by "unsympathetic" kids. I mean they forced from their home and taught to be good little white Christians then made a trek in the middle of the outback, trying to get back to their rightful home, what sort of sympathy were you looking for in them?

I am not quite sure what you mean by that and I felt the film was quite good actually barring a few problems, and it dealt with a problem that Australians brushed under the carpet for many years and never acknowledged anywhere, films, books or otherwise.

I suspect that since you said you could not sit through it that you actually did not even watch a 1/4 of the film?

I actually think films like this are not a waste of anybody's time and they are truly about realism and life.

It highlighted a true stain on the Australian white culture which having been there, I now realize why people don't talk about it, but I am glad someone had the balls to make a film aobut it.

Maybe life is too short, but learning about things like this may help to prevent these same warped ideas from happening over again, and I believe the story was truly harrowing.

And you call yourself a liberal...

Scott

Just because the kids are being picked on doesn't make them sympathetic. And just because an injustice is being portrayed doesn't make it a good film. It's one of those films where you can feel noble for having seen it. Ultimately, it reminded me of "Labyrinth," where the evil goblin David Bowie steals young Jennifer Connelly's baby brother, then tells her the only way she can get him back is to make her way through the endless labyrinth. Suddenly, my stomach dropped out. "Oh, shit, we're gonna be stuck in this labyrinth for the whole movie?" Yep. "We'll just follow this 2,000 mile-long rabbit-proof fence on foot and everything'll be okay."

Josh

Name: Jonathan Moody
E-mail: jondoe_555@yahoo.com

Dear Josh:

Did you like some of the old Peter Jackson flicks like "Dead-Alive", "Bad Taste", "Meet the feebles", and "Heavenly Creatures". I know you don't like Lord of the Rings and all but most of those were before he became famous and was just trying to make movies just to make movies. I loved "Dead-Alive" and now I'm trying to watch the other ones.

Your fan,
Jonathan

Clearly, "Dead-Alive" was severely influenced by "Evil Dead," but it just wasn't very good. "Meet the Feebles" was terrible. "Heavenly Creatures," although a big step forward toward realism for Jackson, was so shrill and one-note I grew to hate it before it was over.

Josh

Name: Claiborne Clark
E-mail: clark048@mc.duke.edu

Dear Josh:

I could not access the webpage that had the number of times Bush lied, a password was required. Can you send me that info (copy/paste)?

I'll let the webmaster here, Shirley, field this one. Take it, Shirley.

Josh

Dear Claiborne:

I don't know what website you went to that required a password, but here is the original government website, no password required: http://democrats.reform.house.gov/IraqOnTheRecord/

-webmaster

Name: Jim
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

Well, I think "Chimes at Midnight, "Macbeth" and "Othello" double the total of important, brilliant or significant Welles films that you mentioned...I myself love "The Trial," but agree that there certainly is no consensus on that one...but to oversimplify him to the 3 mentioned below isn't a satisfactory assessment of his career, either!

Sorry, but I don't think Welles pulled off any of those Shakespeare films, particularly "Macbeth and "Othello," which honestly are rather poor films. Admittedly, they were shot very cheaply and very fast for Republic Pictures, but those are excuses after the fact. "Chimes at Midnight" had even worse production problems and took years to make, being shot over the world, and given that it comes together reasonably well, but it's still not all that great of a movie. I also don't care for Welles's performances in any of those films -- Shakespeare seemed to really bring out the overblown ham in him. Nope, his film career is entirely comprised of those three films. But what films they are. Let's face it, David Lean is one the greatest directors of all time and his career honestly boils down to two movies: "The Bridge on the River Kwai" and "Lawrence of Arabia." Lean made several good films before and after those two, but none of the others are great movies. But to have ever made even one great film is a hell of an accomplishment. And in Orson Welles's case, "Citizen Kane" is considered the greatest movie ever made by quite a lot of people, and that sure ain't chopped liver.

Josh

Name: Diana
E-mail: upon request

Hi-ya,

I stumbled onto a brief film history lesson on the news this morning. It was claimed that "Chicago was once the center of film and t.v. production", for all the wrong reasons- meaning films about Capone, the mob, the t.v. show "The Untouchables", etc... gave a negative impression of the city, and that in the early 1970's, the mayor, Richard J. Daly (sp?), actually went so far as to develop a policy of squeezing out filmaking by making filming permits almost impossible to obtain. Now, eventually producers returned; I think The Blues Brothers and Ordinary People in 1980 marked a change, and all those John Hughes flicks - Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Pretty in Pink...

But before that, they listed:
North by Northwest - '59
In The Heat Of The Night - '67
5 Easy Pieces - '70
Silver Streak - '76
as being the only hits made in Chicago that weren't old gangster movies.

Surely there was more successful films out of the windy city than that, pre-mid '70's, yes?

Do you recall what the impact was in the industry over Daly's attitude? Do you know what exactly his problem was? Simply that he didn't want Chicago's reputation to be 'crime'? And I wondered if the premise was really true; that Chicago was "the center" at one point. Never heard that.

It's not true. For quite a long time Detroit had more film production going on than Chicago, due to all of the car commercials and industrials. But keep in mind that before the 1960s they rarely shot anything on location, so all of those gangster films of the 30s and 40s were all shot in Burbank at Warner Bros. They really first started to shoot on location after WWII, with crime films shot in NYC, like "Naked City" (1948) and "House on 92nd Street" (1945) and "Side Street" (1949). I also have no doubt that the TV show "The Untouchables" was shot in Hollywood, too. I don't know anything about Mayor Daly's problems.

Josh

Name: Greene
E-mail: greenebrett@spymac.com

Josh

A friend and I are going to rent a few classic movies a week over the next month and I think I'll toss in a Kubrick here or there. What's your favorite of his films? And do you feel there's any redeeming value to Eyes Wide Shut? I gravitated towards it and loved the photography, his music choices and the idea that infidelity can provide a good mindfuck but felt a lot of it just didn't hold up.

Cheers!

It's reviewed on this very site, check it out. I recommend "The Killing," "Paths of Glory," "Spartacus," "Dr. Strangelove," "2001" and "A Clockwork Orange," in that order, which is the order he made them. Have fun.

Josh

Name: K
E-mail:

Hey Josh. I know you're an Orson Wells fan, what's your opinion of The Trial, as I didn't see it in your favorite films section?

I didn't like it, I thought it was boring. Let's face it, Orson Welles's career is exclusively about three films: "Citizen Kane," "The Magnificent Ambersons" and "Touch of Evil." Everything else is either a near-miss or a strike-out. I do like "The Stranger," but it certainly not a great film.

Josh

Name: Mike
E-mail:

Heya Josh,

Seems like there are few roles for "older" female actresses in films, expecially those made in Hollywood. Who are some (living) actresses over 50 or so whose work you admire and/or would want to work with?

Also, I saw "Rabbit Proof Fence" recently. Iit was a little uneven but enjoyable, though there were some plot points which, had they been developed a bit more, would have made for a stronger film.

That's it!

Mike

I couldn't sit through "Rabbit-Proof Fence." Do I really want to watch some unsympathetic kids walk along the longest fence in the world in the middle of nowhere? No. Life seemed too short. Meanwhile, I don't necessarily want to work with anyone, unless I have a part for them. Ellen Burstyn, Meryl Streep, and Gena Rowlands immediately jump to mind.

Josh

Name: Matt David T.
E-mail: msturnbull@comcast.net

Dear Josh:

Yikes... Not too good a week for questions so far, huh?

Well, I'll continue the trend... Ever had an ingrown toenail?

My suggestion is, if you haven't, don't.

That's not my real question.
My actual question has to do with your screenwriting process.

You've stated before that you use a treatment, and that the treatment contains all of the really pertinent details which you then expand on.

How does knowing who your cast is going to be, or keeping a budget in mind come into play? Do you write parts for individual people?

You've stated before that there are parts in some of your scripts that have just belonged to Bruce. Were they as designed, or was it coincidence?

Thanks in advance for answering.

For the most part, I don't think about actors when I'm writing. I have had Bruce in mind for several parts, but I don't write them thinking about him because the characters are not him. He'll make the character his own when he plays it. Regarding the budget, that only comes into play if I'm writing a script for what I believe might be an independent film, otherwise I don't think about it.

Josh

Name: Leon
E-mail:

Josh,

Ok, I'll focus on the good rather than the bad. Who are your five favourite directors of all time?

Leon (spelt it right this time)