Name: Angel
E-mail: aesparz2@depaul.edu

Dear Josh,

Great revew of 'Sideways'. I'd always referred to it as "The Merlot of Film". Like so many current filmakers, Alexander Payne just gets worse and worse as he goes along. I think his first film 'Citizen Ruth' is easily his best. It's at least interesting. 'Election' held my interest for a short while then just grew too convoluted as it went. 'About Schdmidt' and 'Sideways' are the same movie. Someone wth nothing hits the road to find something and doesn't (unless you're Alexander Payne, then he finds everything). It even seems that Payne didn't know how to end 'Sideways' and just tacked on the last five pages of 'About Schmidt'.

Keep writing, we'll keep reading.

Sincerely,
Angel

I totally agree, "Citizen Ruth," to a certain extent, and the first 2/3 of "Election" are his best stuff, and "Schmidt" and "Sideways" just blow. I must say that I have problems with "Ruth," even though I liked what it was saying, I think it's too broadly drawn and two-dimensional, so I never believed the characters. I mean, all Ruth wants to do is sniff glue. Period. That's a thinly-drawn character. I mean, I liked sniffing glue when I was 13, but I had other interests, too, like taking LSD, and smoking pot, and movies. I even collected coins.

Josh

Name: Jeff Alede
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

Have you been watching "Rome" on HBO? Would you recommend it?

I have been watching "Rome," and no, I wouldn't recommend it. I thought it was pretty good for the first three episodes, when Michael Apted was directing and Bruno Heller was writing, but from ep #4 on it's been other people, and by #7 I thought they'd jumped the shark.

Josh

Name: Jeremy Milks
E-mail: admin@homecomingcreations.com

Dear Josh:

Just out of curiosity, did you ever watch the show "Becker" starring Ted Danson?

The only reason I ask is because if I saw a show on TV called "Milks" I'd watch it for that very reason. I might not continue watching it, but I'd give it a look.

I've never seen it. I wouldn't watch a sit-com if they gave away money.

Josh

Name: DS
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

Well, there was a theme in the "Sideways" score (that appeared throughout the film) that reminded me of Nino Rota, even if most of the score was just sort of combo jazz. Then again, I liked the film, so that must have helped. But yes, Danny Elfman's "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" is the first and the best of the Rota homages that have since plagued many comedies over the years (and Elfman is a much better composer than Rolfe Kent, whose best score is "Sideways," so...). And I don't just think of circus music when I think of Rota and Fellini, I also think of jazz (particularly in "La Dolce Vita") and even big band. Rota had an enormous talent of combining different music styles into his scores.

On another note, you might be happy to know that Ennio Morricone is still scoring 5-7 films a year, which is insane (most of them are foreign films, many made for Italian television). I comend his drive at such an elderly age to give us beautiful music.

Have any recent scores in film impressed you (even if you didn't like the film)?

As much as I admired Nino Rota's music, many of his Fellini scores are little more than circus music. I have a CD of Rota's Fellini scores, and they almost all sound the same -- circus music. But given half a chance, Nino Rota could do anything, like "The Godfather" or "Romeo and Juliet." No recent scores come to mind off hand. Meanwhile, Ennio Morricone has literally scored hundreds of films, and may be ready to enter the Guiness Book of World Records.

Josh

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

Josh,

I downloaded Renee O' Connor's short film-ONE WEEKEND A MONTH-and after viewing it, I'm glad I didn't go to the film festival in my neighborhood to catch it.

In other words-I didn't like the film AT ALL.

The main problem with this film is that the subject matter is WAAAAAAAAY too complex to try and deal with in 10 minutes. Who's Meg, really? Why should I care about her? Who am I REALLY supposed to believe? Meg, in terms of her fear over leaving the kids with her stepfather/father/whatever, or her mother?

Too many questions left unanswered. Renee was wasted on this film, IMO.

If anyone else wishes to see it, go here:

http://www.reneeoconnorfanclub.com/video.html

Saul

It's a good acting piece for Renee, and it gave me a sense of what a bitch it would be to be called up for National Guard service in Iraq. I could live without all of the jump-cutting, but it's not a bad little film: it's believable, emotional and dramatic. You certainly can't answer all the questions in a ten-minute short, but it gives you something to think about. And Renee's a good actor.

Josh

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

Dear Josh,

Thought you might be interested to know that a site called "Box Office Prophets" gave "Alien Apocalypse" a decent review - it can be seen at http://www.boxofficeprophets.com/column/index.cfm?columnID=9233 .

I think the reviewer was not entirely paying attention the entire time - the lumber-yard o' death is described as "a very convincing replica of a 19th-century Old West fort," and Bruce's escape is described as "... Hood intervenes in the punishment of an older man by one of the insectoids; after quite an engrossing fight scene, Hood kills the insectoid, something none of the humans believed could be done. This causes a general revolt..."

That's an awfully curvy blonde "older man" Renee was playing.

But overall it's a good review, so congrats.

Any word on how dvd sales are doing?

Regards,

August

Thanks for the review (and the memories). I haven't heard anything about AA beyond the 117% of projected sales. I did watch the DVD, and it's a good transfer. The storyboard section only goes on for one scene, but you get a sense of it.

Josh

Name: Brian
E-mail:

Hey Josh,

Not that it matters, but I thought that "Sideways" won for best adapted screenplay because it was based on a book. Either way, I didn't believe that ending when the guy from WINGS is naked and starts crying that he needs his ring because he loves his fiance' and blah..blah..that was pretty lame.

I do think that the best part about that movie is Paul Giamatti eating a burger and onion rings while drinking that rare bottle of whatever the hell it was.

Apparently, it was an unpublished novel, but you are correct, it's actually Best Adapted Screenplay. Thank you.

Josh

Name: Derek Lee
E-mail: derekleesetprops@yahoo.co.uk

Dear Josh:

Power Cage Films (UK) have produced a feature (low low as hell budget) entitled The Incredibly Strange People Show, web site theincrediblystrangepeopleshow.co.uk
We would like advise on our next project (which will be an horror/comedy anthology) plus would you like a copy of the dvd (as we made tooooooooo many!?) Dez

Ask away. If I can be of any help, I'll do my best. Save the postage and have an extra pint.

Josh

Name: Question
E-mail: ernstyanning@hotmail.com

Dear Josh:

Why did you quit netflix after four years? Did they give you problems?

No, I just didn't feel like I needed it once I had TiVo. Now, every time I sit down to watch TV there are 25 movies and shows to watch, which seems sufficient. Not to mention that I had watched almost every interesting film Netflix had, and was just waiting around for new stuff.

Josh

Name: DS
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

I liked the "Sideways" score, it reminded me of Nino Rota.

It didn't remind me of Nino Rota, it just seemed insipid. Danny Elfman's score for "Pee-Wee's Big Adventure" reminded me of a Nino Rota Fellini score. But that really just means circus music, which is not what the "Sideways" score was.

Josh

Name: Doug
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

What exactly is a stick-in-the-mud?

As per the Dictionary of Cliche: "Stick-in-the Mud -- Someone content with their situation and not willing to be changed. Stubborn but content. Horse-drawn coaches were extremely hard to move if their wheels became stuck. Versions of this phrase have persisted since at least the fourteenth century."

Josh

Name: Patrick Mendota
E-mail: pmendota@hotmail.com

Dear Josh:

Read your review for Sideways. I warned you about this one last year. You forget to mention the faux Jazz Chick Correa lite score. I cringed through that whole movie. That film inspired a bunch of wanks to become wine effecionados. Thanks for affirming my sanity on that one. On a brighter note, I watched Paths of Glory and Bridge on the River Kai for the first time this weekend. That's it, as far as movies (and music) I'm only going backwards. What's happening now is too depressing.

Oh, yeah, that sucky score. Why did you have to remind me? It was like the score for an early '60s Doris Day movie, but not as good. Meanwhile, just as an aside, I met Virginia Madsen once in 1987. I was visiting my friend Shalini at the production office of the film "No Way Out" (at MGM, now Sony), which was in early pre-production at the time, and Virginia Madsen came in to talk to the director, Roger Donaldson, as a follow-up to her audition. She was pretty nervous and was trying to look her best. She was wearing a black leather mini-skirt, with black stockings with a back seam, which she was trying to make sure were straight with one leg up on a chair, then the other. She asked me a couple of times, "How do I look?" I smiled happily, nodding and and repeating, "Good. Very good." Anyway, she didn't get the part, it went to Sean Young.

Josh

Name: Kevin Kindel
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

A producer I know pointed that ad out to me. It is on craigs list. The link for the ad is: http://phoenix.craigslist.org/tfr/105219522.html

I thought it sounded like horseshit as well because on Bruce's site he states, as of 06/10/05, that they haven't found a director or written a screenplay.

I guess it's some kind of joke.

Josh

Name: Beth
E-mail: oddlief@gmail.com

Dear Josh,

I read your review on "Sideways" and "American Beauty" and it left me itching to ask you about the movie "Attic Expeditions". I know that you have a link on your links page to a website about it, but was wondering if you didn't think that the story was weak? I realize you might not want to make a comment because the project had your friend Ted in it, but I hope I am not asking about his performance. I actually enjoyed his performance in the movie quite a bit. Thanks for any answer you give me.

Beth

I haven't seen it.

Josh

Name: Brad Hall
E-mail: bradhall@sequent.com

Dear Josh:

Coincidentally, I watched SIDEWAYS for the first time last week on DVD. So, I came to your review with the movie fairly fresh on my mind.

I have to say as someone who is not in the film business that there is no way I could dislike this movie as much as you did, because it seems like a goodl half your anger at the film flows from resentment at the film being unjustly awarded and overly praised by the establishment. I didn't approach the film asking it to justify the praise others showered on it; I simply came to it hoping for some sort of good time.

You state that the points of the screenplay are "recognize when a beautiful woman is coming onto you, and fuck everything before marriage," > and fault the film for proposing these false morals. Personally, I can't see how you took those messages away from the film. The characters are not rewarded for their actions. The actor is giving up his acting career and settling down to be a kept man by a rich woman in order to escape the failure of his dwindling television acting career. His actions on the trip show him to have no regard for the woman he's marrying; he is only marrying her in order to save himself from the humiliation of his career as a professional sexy dude, which was the only foundation for his self-esteem. He cries on losing his wallet not because he cares for that woman but because he is deathly afraid that without that marriage he will be doomed to support himself, and he doesn't know how to do that without relying on his dwindling sex appeal.

I suppose I can be faulted for having gotten some of this stuff from listening to the DVD commentary. For instance, on there, the actors mention that the director believes that at the end of the movie the woman will not be there waiting for the writer when he knocks at her door in the last scene. She's motivated and moving forward with his life, and tries to make him feel better with the phone call, but in the end he's way too much of a sad sack drunk. The commentary also discussed how the writer character was not supposed to be a good writer. He was supposed to be mediocre, pretentious, and justly failed. Both of the characters are immature middle aged men who end up in bitter places; they regard themselves as special, but they ain't. They're intended as warning signs rather than role models.

I agree with you that these guys are creepy, but what I got out of the movie was seeing some aspects of these creepy guys in myself, and taking a hard look at some of my own self-delusional pretensions. It was an unpleasant process, but perhaps worthwhile. And I cracked up like a mofo during the naked biker footchase, sorry!

All of the explanations in you offer in paragraph two are not in the movie. That the only way they could get this information across was in the commentary shows how lame their script is. I don't know that he's marrying this woman for her money, there's no indication of that in the film, and since I nver get to know her at all, how would I glean this from what's there? Meanwhile, the stupid actor still gets the rich girl, so how is he not rewarded for fucking everything that moves? Because he got his nose broken? Nor did I believe for one single second that Virginia Madsen would be interested in this downbeat little creep, let alone read his shitty book, or be waiting for him. Meanwhile, I'm highly amused when my motivation for disliking a film that's really worthy of being disliked is shrugged off as "resentment at the film being unjustly awarded and overly praised by the establishment." No. It's that it's a poorly-written film that must be explained by the writer on the commentary track because he was too lame to get the information into his script. I too am hoping for some sort of good time whenever I watch a movie, but "Sideways" was simply too shitty to provide it.

Josh

Name: nithiya
E-mail: nithiya_cosmoluv@hotmail.com

dear: mr. josh

i would want to now that when did u make the movie above and i would wish to know what is the movie about. thank you for reading this letter.please reply as soon as possible. bye bye.

Above what? What the hell are you talking about. Perhaps I should take this moment to explain that if you don't make reference to what you're talking about, like which essay, review or whatever, how the hell should I know?

Josh

Name: sangkarii
E-mail: sang_1993@hotmail.com

please sir do u know when i am going to die.i hope u would reply soon cause i will be wating for your reply.

You'll die in the next 37 seconds, and whetever you do, don't turn around!

Josh

Name: Jeremy Milks
E-mail: admin@homecomingcreations.com

Dear Josh:

I never thought I'd be doing this. Recently Tammy Ruggles wrote you saying something about you doing one of her films. She misread some or our conversations I think. She apologizes.

See, I'm directing/producing one of her shorts and I think she somehow thought that I said you were doing one. I apologize also.

Sorry for the confusion,
Jeremy Milks

Thanks for the explanation.

Josh

Name: Ed Stan
E-mail: erectstan@hotmail.com

Dear Josh:

Is this ad legitamate or is this pooey???

I'm submitting talent for Sam Rami's "Evil Dead" Remake. This is your chance to work with Bruce Campbell in a major motion picture remake. If you want to be included then you need to call Thorne Motion Pictures, ask for Mark Alderson and set up an appointment today. 480 429 9208. Job location is AZ

Compensation: scale

This is a contract job.

Sounds like horseshit to me. As far as I know, they haven't chosen a director or had a script written yet. Where did it come from?

Josh

Name: Beth
E-mail: oddlief@gmail.com

Dear Josh,

Well my opinion has been confirmed, you were an adorable kid. I was wondering how the business of your book is coming along? Have they given you specific release date on it yet? I know I can't wait 'til it comes out.

Cheers,
Beth

It'll be out by Christmas, that's all I know.

Josh

Name: Beth
E-mail: oddlief@gmail.com

Dear Josh,

Well, ya know, I'm not to certain as to why there are less women writing screenplays right now. I suppose its a matter of "get busy living or get busy dying" Rather than sitting around here wondering I suppose I should hurry up and start trying to write them myself or encourge my fellow female writers that we need to make a dent in the world of writing screenplays. Meanwhile you don't have any pictures at Tamakwa, but I was wondering, if you had any, would you post any pictures of when you were a kid. I suspect you were a cute kid. Would you prove me right or wrong?

Cheers,
Beth

Dear Beth:

Here's me in 4th grade, you decide.

Josh

Name: Rob
E-mail: habejr@mac.com

Dear Josh,

You're a director and a writer. You've done many VERY independent features. I assumed you've pulled your share of all-nighters. I have to edit 4 hours of documentary footage into a ten minute film and memorize 50 lines of Hamlet for school by Friday morning. On top of that I work a job that doesn't get me home until 9 pm. Any tips on staying awake - like special foods or just constant coffee? Thanks.

-Rob

Double espressos, every hour or two. I hate all-nighters.

Josh

Name:
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

How much of a Danny Kaye fan are you? It is a shame that we don't get great men like that anymore. What is your favorite Danny Kaye film?

I'm not a Danny Kaye fan. He's one of those comedians from the past, like Eddie Cantor or Abbott and Costello or the Ritz Brothers, whose humor hasn't translated through the years, so you can only wonder what the hell people thought was so funny about them?

Josh

Name: Beth
E-mail: oddlief@gmail.com

Dear Josh,

What do you think, why are there not more women screenwriters?

Beth

You tell me. Back in the 1920s and '30s the biggest screenwriter in Hollywood was Francis Marion (Oscar-winner 1930 for "The Big House"), in the 1940s and '50s Ruth Gordon was a top screenwriter. There have been any number of female screenwriters over the course of film history, there just aren't that many now.

Josh

Name: Brad Hall
E-mail: bradhall@sequent.com

Dear Josh:

I was wondering if you believe that what is being filmed can add to the artistic value of a film, so much so that a poor director can once and a while produce a good film because of the aesthetic quality of that which he has filmed? In particular, for instance, I would say that the films of Russ Meyer are often worthwhile because they feature works of art which god has created -- the bosoms of the actresses Meyer chose for his films -- and that God's work in producing these beautiful chests makes Russ Meyer's work aesthetically worthwhile whereas they would not be had he filmed a streetpost or a car chase instead. The sight of aesthetically pleasing bosoms created by God is in itself an artistic achievement worthy of reverence, particularly combined with buttery popcorn, which provides the other half of the oral fixation -- a satisfyingly fatty texture in the mouth reminicent of feeding at one's mother's teats.

Not only what's being filmed, but how it's being filmed. All of these things matter. Given a choice, would I rather look at Charlize Theron or Rosie O'Donnell for 2 hours? The answer is Charlize Theron. Why? Because she's more aesthetically pleasing to look at. Part of what I think made my film "Alien Apocalypse" a success was filming the pretty green Bulgarian countryside, unlike most sci-fi films, which are in dark hallways. As a little note: the production designer on "Alien Apocalypse," George Costello, did many of Russ Meyers' films, including "Faster Pussycat Kill Kill!" which impressed the hell out of me.

Josh

Name: Mike
E-mail:

Hiya Josh,

A quick question on the subject of sound design. I've noticed that in older films (say, up to 1970s or so) even a semi-trained ear can catch a number of really awkward sound edits, mostly dialogue stuff. For example, I was watching Ocean's 11 (the original) and noticed that Akim Tamaroff's (at least I think that's who it was - the pudgy bald fellow who came up with the idea for the heist) dialogue had noticeable sound cuts and splices, and at times you could hear the room tone drop out entirely when he spoke - one can only assume those lines were ADRed later.

So the question - do you think that studios were able to get away with this because the audience was less technically sophisticated, i.e. not as used to digitally perfect sound and picture, as today's audiences are? Was it just too much work to fix the sound properly using the equipment they had at the time? Or both?

Actually, that turned out longer than I'd intended. I blame caffeine (mmmmm..... caffeine).

Anyway, as always - thanks and fight the good fight.

Mike

It just sounds like sloppy work, all old movies aren't like that. Something like "Ocean's Eleven" wasn't a serious production for anyone involved, I mean, it was Lewis Milestone who directed it, for goodness sake, the guy who won an Oscar for "All Quiet on the Western Front." But I'd say most Hollywood movies have good sound.

Josh

Name: Richard
E-mail: filmfan_1@hotmail.com

Josh -

Can you recommend any good films to watch for Halloween? And by that, of course, I mean horror films.

Richard

Watch "Alien" and "Aliens" again and you'll have a good time, if you haven't seen them too recently, that is.

Josh

Name: Tammy Ruggles
E-mail: tammyruggles@peoplepc.com

Dear Josh,

Just wanted to give you my new e-mail address, and I read on your site about wanting to do my script, wanted to say thank you very much and hope to hear more about it. Best to all of your projects.

Sincerely,
Tammy

What are you talking about?

Josh

Name: John
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

What's your opinion of critic Jonathan Rosenbaum?

Never heard of him. I don't really read reviews anymore, since I have no intention of seeing the films.

Josh

Name: Siegel
E-mail: SGbumjacket@aol.com

Mr. Becker,

I noticed you are a fan of the '51 THE THING and was wondering if you liked Carpenter's remake/rendition of John W. Campbell, Jr.s "Who Goes There?" Carpenter stays closer to the source material (which is much better than the alien-vegetable plot) and I think it pays off with a greater source of suspense. Do you agree and how do you as a director think the material could have been better represented on screen?

John Carpenter's version may well be closer to the book, but I don't think it's anywhere near as good as the 1951 version. I'll go a step further, I thought Carpenter's remake sucked, and in fact had very little suspense, just a lot of gross-out effects. I did like Ennio Morricone's score, though. I thought Christian Nyby and Howard Hawks handled the first one just fine.

Josh

Name: Jeff Alede
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

"An Army at Dawn" is non-fiction. I guess that's why you are unfamiliar with it. How do you store your books, barrister bookcase? I imagine some of those first editions are pretty valuable, considering you've been collecting them for a while. Do you also look at the printings (not just editions)? I'm a bit of a collector myself.

Why would something being non-fiction necessarily be unfamiliar to me? All I read now is non-fiction. Meanwhile, I store my books in wooden bookcases, of which I have eleven (four of them are six foot shelves, the others are five feet). I certainly look at the printings, although if it's legitimately a 1st edition, then there are no printings to look at. For instance, I do not have 1st editions of "Gone With the Wind" or "The Grapes of Wrath," I just have early printings from the same year the book came out, since 1st editions of both of those books are very rare, and very expensive. Other books, like Michael Shaara's "The Killer Angels," I've never seen a 1st edition, nor even an early hardcover printing, so I have a hardcover reprint. The same goes for Willa Cather's "One of Ours." I've never even seen an early printing of that book, so I once again have a hardcover reprint. I splurged on the last Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, "Gilead" by Marilynne Robinson, and bought a signed, 1st edition.

Josh

Name: Beth
E-mail: oddlief@gmail.com

Dear Josh,

I noticed that all of the screenplays you have posted to the website you have either written yourself or collaborated with other men to write. My Question is have you ever collaborated with a woman to write a screenplay?
And if not, why not?

Cheers,
Beth

There simply aren't that many female screenwriters, I've only met a few, and I've never been in a situation where the idea of collaborating came up. It's certainly not something I actively look for, collaborating, that is.

Josh

Name:
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

I gather you do not like muscials. White Christmas is such a great film. Vera Elen is such a great dancer and Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney. I know is not a great drama but it is very relaxing and very entertaining.

Why would you gather that, because it's not true. I love quite a few musicals, like: "The Sound of Music," "West Side Story," "Gigi," "Love Me Tonight," "My Fair Lady, "Cabaret." How did you come to gather this?

Josh

Name: Jeff Alede
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

Some time ago I asked if you'd read "An Army at Dawn" by Rick Atkinson. You replied you'd never heard of it; now I see that its won the Pulitzer prize, so I'm wondering, do you read all the Pulitzer prize winners, or just collect them, or some combination of the two? And did you ever read Mr. Atkinson's fine book? Just curious.

Jeff

No, I haven't yet. Did it win for fiction or non-fiction? I have all of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novels, in harcover, first-editions, and I've read about half of them. But since I don't read much, or any, fiction anymore, for the past six or eight years I've purchased them and put them into the collection without reading them. But seriously, everybody, I don't need book or movie recommendations. I watch what I deem worthy of watching, and I read what I think is worth reading, and I have no problems with finding my next book or film.

Josh

Name: Jeremy Milks
E-mail: admin@homecomingcreations.com

Dear Josh:

Good close. One I'm envious of.

Hey, I've been wondering for awhile now, what the hell does R.O.C. Sandstorm stand for? I've been wondering for awhile.

Jeremy Milks

It doesn't stand for anything, as far as I know, and the R.O.C. is pronounced "Rock." It's a silly pseudonym Sam came up with 20-odd years ago for projects he didn't want to put his real name on. When he first brought it up to me, I kept torturing him, saying, "You're going to use a girl's name?" He said, "It's not a girl's name." I said, "Really? Roxanne Storm sounds like a girl's name to me." "Not Roxanne Storm. R.O.C. Standstorm."

Josh

Name: Beth
E-mail: oddlief@gmail.com

Hey Josh,

Do you have any pictures of you guys when you were at Camp Tamakwa? It would be really cool to see them if you did.

Thanks,
Beth

Of this group, it was only Sam and I that went to Tamakwa, but no, I have no pictures.

Josh

Name: Colin Hives
E-mail: colinhives@msn.com

Dear Josh:

I have started plans to replace an actors voice, maybe with my owm. Thanks Josh

How many takes do you usually go for, is ot dictated by performance or time?

Col

Both. Ultimately, time will win, though, since there's only a limited amount. But given the short schedules I've had, my basic theory is that if the actor gets the words out of their mouths, doesn't bumble, and the boom doesn't hit them in the head, I move on.

Josh

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

Dear Josh:

Even though a hurrican is not funny at all, I must admit I chuckled to myself when The Weather Channel mentioned it was over Key Largo. I wonder how Edward G. Robinson is taking it?

Anyway, I saw "F for Fake" tonight. What did you think of it? I found it pretty interesting and loved how it was edited. Though the many freeze frames did annoy me. However, my favorite part was at the end of the films when Orson Welles stepped foward and said, "At the beginning of all this I did make you a promise. Remember? I did promise, that for one hour, I'd tell only the truth. That hour, ladies and gentlemen is over. For the past seventeen minutes...I've been lying my head off."

I also loved when they were discussing how they'd take one of the fakes to a museum and say "This is a fake." and the so called experts would agree and explain why. Then they'd take it to antoher mueseum and the experts would be completely sure it was an original.

Too bad it didn't get much distribution in it's day.

It's a quirky little movie, but totally interesting. I love his little cutting montages, where we're seeing the film, then it cuts to Welles sitting at the flatbed editor and he suddenly yanks out the film and recuts it. He had a wonderful sense of blending reality and fantasy. I have no doubt that in 1942 many people didn't know that the feature had started when it suddenly just goes into the "News on the March" newsreel at the head of "Citizen Kane." It was probably following another newsreel. It would have taken everybody watching a different amount of time to realize it was fake. Welles was also the first theater director to plant actors in the audience or have them come running up the aisles. He loved confusing the audience into doubting what's real and what isn't, which is undoubtedly why he liked magic. He liked trickery, and was good at it.

Josh

Name: Jeremy Milks
E-mail: admin@homecomingcreations.com

Dear Josh:

First things first, I noticed a ton of typos and words left out in my last post which in some areas completely changed the meaning. Like I think I wrote "that what I watch them for" regarding special effects in Star Wars when I meant to have the word "not" in there. Fuckin' mind working faster than my fingers.

I won't bring up Temple of Doom anymore. This is the last thing about it. I like the character Indiana Jones. I've said the movie isn't that great, but I like the character (and the actor), and that's what I like it. I never said you had to respect my opinion because I just like the film. Fuck me, you don't have to respect me or my opinion.

And for the at least the second time, I have seen a ton of films that were made before '77. Yes, I've seen more that were made after '77, because I wasn't even alive in '77, but I have seen a lot.

You bring up Cuckoo's Nest a lot, which I didn't particularly care for. Not because the movie was bad (the movie was just fine), but I had just read the book and the movie didn't follow it the best. I think that Cuckoo's Nest is probably one of Brad Douriff's best films.

I've seen a lot of stuff. Not as much as you, but I've seen a lot. My perspective is fine. And frankly, I like a lot of actors from the old days. In my all time favorite actor list, a good chunk of my favorites started in the old movies. Gregory Peck is towards the top of my all time list, and I remember when he died it pissed me off because they spent more time covering a reporter who died the same day he did. Richard Harris is another one of my favorites. Sean Connery always has been one of my favorites. Gene Hackman is cool, I like him. I liked James Coburn and Jason Robards quite a bit too.

Just because I like new stuff doesn't mean I haven't seen the old stuff too. And no matter how many old films I see in my life time, it doesn't mean I'm going to completely stop liking the films I like now.

I like big films, but I also like small films. I like stupid films, but I also appreciate smart films. I'm more like you then you know. I'm just younger and not quite as set in my ways is all.

Jeremy Milks

Okay then. Moving on.

Josh

Name: Bob
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

The question you answered about what makes a story interesting is that they sold it to you got me thinking. At first I was thinking that a story should be plausible to be good, but maybe being intriguing is more important. For example, Fantastic Voyage requires a cool looking submarine to get small enough to be injected into a human body. That is intriguing idea, however we have to invent a technology to get us there. Therefore Issac Asimov gives us the technology of miniturization. Not too plausible, but damn intriguing.

On the other hand, there is Jurassic Park. All we need is DNA cloning technology to make Dinosaurs. Given our current research, this isn't all that implausible. However, even with all this we don't get a decent story about reborn Dinosaurs.

I know this is a little unfocused but do you think that having an intriguing story, like journeying through blood vessels in a sub, at least in the sci-fi realm and adding even an implausible technological advance to support the story might be a key to a good science fiction story.

It's very much like what Joe DoLuca, the composer of all the music for my movies, once said (and I paraphrase), You can have a 100-piece orchestra and the whole Mormon Tabernacle Choir, but what it all comes down to is a good tune. In screenwriting, when everything is said and done, a lot of it comes down to, is it a good story? Saying that you can find some extant dinosaur DNA, then clone dinosaurs for an amusement park on an island, then they've all gotten loose is a pretty good Act I. But it's one of those stories where now you're kind of stuck with your next two acts, which is confronting dinosaurs, which, after a point, is highly repetitive and really has nowhere to go. Whereas, in "Fantastic Voyage," the science fiction element of miniaturization is being used for a yet a bigger story, which is that this injured man has vital information that must be saved. Plus you have a great ticking clock in that the ship and the scientists will only remain miniature for so long, then grow back to full size inside this guy. The bottom-line is that "Fantastic Voyage" is a better story than "Jurassic Park." There's no formula necessarily, it's still coming up with a cool story.

Josh

Name: Lou
E-mail: louissilvestri@hotmail.com

Dear Josh:

I saw that documentary. It made me a Borgnine fan. The film was made by the guy who did Heavy Metal Parking Lot, Jeff Krulik. Ernest is an incredible person. He's done way way waaayyy too many movies for a human being. I'm not a big fan of the Poseidon Adventure. Of course, considering I like Airwolf, I guess my opinion might be a bit skewed.

Ernest Borgnine is a terrific actor. I just watched "Emperor of the North (Pole)" again, and he's intense as hell, and really running around on a moving train, as are Lee Marvin and Keith Carradine. But Borgnine has a great range and can play terrible bad guys like "North Pole" or "From Here to Eternity" or he can play really lovable good guys, like "Marty." He can also give more complex, shaded performances, like in "The Wild Bunch," where he's the contemplative one. For an unattractive overweight man with bug eyes and big spaces between his teeth, I think he's had a helluva career.

Josh

Name: Colin Hives
E-mail: colinhives@msn.com

Hi Josh from rainy Liverpool, England

A strange question for you here pal...have you ever dealt with people in your films who really couldn't act? But it was too late to change? If so, as a director how do you address the problem?

By the way, we are hitting a local channel called Channel Four shortly with our latest movie and there is a special thanks to you and Bruce in the titles for al your help.

Thanks
Col
England

P.s. Alien Apocalypse? Your thoughts on sitting in with my girl?

Bruce said....

Well I'll wait for your comments

Good luck with your film. I had that very problem in "Alien Apocalypse." The actor I had cast as the Senator was suddenly unavailable, so they came out to the set, handed me a few head shots of actors from an audition tape I had seen a week or two earlier. The casting director pointed at one and said, "He's American, and he's availble," so I said fine. The guy shows up on the last day of shooting, which was by far the worst day for me, and he can't act at all, can't remember his few lines, and is as stiff as board. And suddenly, I was plunged into a director's nightmare. I took him aside and conveyed my great faith in him, that given a few moments to loosen up it would all go swimmingly, and the guy got worse and worse and every single take. We somehow made it through the first scene he was in, but when it came to the second one, standing out in the chilly rain on the last day of shooting, which had been over-scheduled to start with, and this guy is blowing his lines every single time, I finally exploded. I started swearing as loud as I could every time he blew it, "Shit! Again!" and finally just moved on, "Fuck it! Let's keep going," having decided in my own head that I'd have to replace his voice, too, just like the Bulgarian actors. In fact, I cut him out as much as possible, and replaced his voice.

Josh

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

Josh,

I've noticed when reading through your list of favorite films and some of your opinions regarding elements of films that tend themselves towards younger audiences (heroes in unitards saving people, for example) that you seem to be against non-realistic elements in general.

I personally feel Fantastic elements, like all elements of a story, are simply devices to be used to help further illuminate the theme while simultaneously evoking a mood. Do you think Fantastic Elements have a place in film, or would you prefer films only be about realistic interactions?

I'd be concerned if you thought they didn't, because that would basically eliminate (in that world-view) the possibility of truly great films coming from the entire genre of speculative work - Sci-Fi, Fantasy, etc..

Regarding specifically comic book superheroes, is it the Mood they create that you object to, or the belief that an audience can truly utilize them as a tool for exploring a real-world theme of significance?

If you use a fantastic story element for a reason, other than simply pandering to what you think will sell, then sure. I love when Dorothy goes to Munchkinland and Oz, or when the ship and it's crew are miniaturized and injected into the guy in "Fantastic Voyage," or when "The Incredible Shrinking Man" shrinks. I was totally there with "RoboCop" or "Aliens." Why? Because they sold it to me. But to just say, Oh, this guy wears tights and fights crime is asinine. Super heroes are not legitimate fantasy, nor have they got anything to do with science fiction. And no, I don't think you can find any real-world significance in them. In fantasy and sci-fi, certainly. "Twilight Zone" did it every week for years. Look at "Invasion of the Body Snatchers."

Josh

Name: Tom
E-mail: bellyoptopus@yahoo.com

Hi Josh,

How to handle people you meet personally in everyday life with strong religious beliefs?

I've certainly gotten myself in sticky situations by refusing to defer their beliefs; lost jobs, lost friendships, family alienation, etc. Sometimes I can't keep my own thoughts to myself and feel the need to argue with them. Obviously, on this Q & A you can say what you feel compelled to say about religion without a face to face confrontation.

Tom

Yeah, but I'm a big mouth. I'll pretty much say anything to anybody. But the Jehovah's Witnesses in my neighborhood like me a lot and always stop by. I'm sure they've been to my house more than any other non-JW because I'm always willing to talk to them. I generally give them bible lessons, about where the bible came from, and the parts that were dropped over the years, and I show off my holy book collection -- I have all of them -- and we discuss religion in general, and since it's a subject that I enjoy talking about, I think they enjoy discussing it with me. Even if I am a pagan, as far as they're concerned.

Josh

Name: Georghi Gatzov
E-mail: regista2222@abv.bg

Dear Josh:

Hi what's going on on the tops of the hils?

Is this like a Bulgarian riddle or something? I don't know, what does go on on the tops of the hills?

Josh

Name: Jason Roth
E-mail: jason@visualnoiz.com

Hey Josh,

Really enjoyed the Confessions of a Movie Geek article. I too had the chance to meet Ernest Borgnine earlier this year, he's still vital and funny at 87. I had him autograph two DVDs- the first was Marty, the second was The Devil's Rain. His eyes went wide when I pulled it out- "You saw this?? This film was made with mob money!!" He's titling his autobiography "I Don't Want to Start a Fire, I Just Want to Keep My Nuts Warm." Quite a guy.

Anyway to keep it brief (brevity and all that), I'm finishing up my first feature film (shot on video) Too Dead to Die, and wanted to say thanks for being an inspiration. Having been a frequent visitor to your site for 6+ years, I know a mafia/zombie/screwball comedy is NOT your cup of tea (I think I still have an email from you years back telling me what a horrid idea it was), but your essays, films, and overall attitude toward filmmaking have been a definite influence on this production.

I'm about to premiere this thing on Halloween, we'll see if flies or does a crash and burn.
Just wanted to toss a little appreciation your way!
Jason

Thank you very much, I appreciate it. Congratulations on getting a movie made! It's a big deal, no matter what it is. I wish you all the luck in the world. May mafia/zombie/screwball comedies be the next rage. Meanwhile, I saw this wonderful little documentary, which I don't think was ever released, about traveling around America with Ernest Borgnine in his bus. He owns a full-sized Greyhound bus with every amenity inside that he drives everywhere. As he's driving the bus he's perfectly happy to comment on almost everything. He said that no matter where you go in this great country, in any of the 50 states, you'll always meet someone from Ohio, which I think is true.

Josh

Name: Jeremy Milks
E-mail: admin@homecomingcreations.com

Dear Josh:

I don't care how "adult" you're acting. Personally, I think we're both acting childish over this.

There's nothing sentimental about my tastes. I used to like the Power Rangers and can't stand them now. When I was really little I like Barney and now I despise him so damn much. When I was little, I didn't like the original Star Wars trilogy, they grew on me. I like them now more than I did then. The more I can understand things, the more I like or dislike them. I get Star Wars, and like the story (and the writing ... accept for all of Jake Lloyd's lines in Phantom Menace. Lucas should write children).

It's not like I'm living in my past, hugging posters of my favorite films going "I wish I never grew up." Personally, I like being older. I like being able to drive and vote and buy cigarettes (though I don't smoke). Hell, if a girl would say yes I could get married and that's something about being grown up that I like.

I know Star Wars is rather childish, though it gets more adult as it goes (despite the special effects).

Also, in case you've been thinking this, I don't really like Star Wars for its special effects. Yeah, they're nice, but that's what I watch the movies for. The scenes in space are my least favorite parts. I prefer the interaction between characters. Like watching Obi-Wan get verbally bitch-slapped by Yoda, or when Palpatine tried to manipulate Luke into turning evil. That's what I like. I like the sword fights too, but I'd like those even if they weren't lightsabers.

I'm a character guy. If I like a character, I'm liable to like a movie. If I laugh at a movie (in good ways) then I'm liable to like it. If it's directed well or written well, I'll like it.

I'm not just "ooh ooh, bang bang, I like it when it go boom."

I don't like being called stupid, and will try to explain myself endlessly until you at least know sort of what I'm getting at. Everything I say to you basically goes in one ear, get's processed into "He's stupid" and is then processed into some smart ass remark that, though worded well, are basically just a slap in my face.

Jeremy Milks

Then let's drop it. Just don't bring up "Temple of Doom" anymore because you can't defend it. Just saying "I like it, and that's my opinion which you must respect" is crap. Although it occasionally may not seem like it, this forum is for adults, or adult-minded kids, to discuss movies in an intelligent way, as well as other topics, too. What you need is a lot more perspective, meaning you need to see a lot more movies, preferably good ones, meaning films that came out previous to 1977. You're probably not stupid, you just don't know what you're talking about.

Josh

Name: Jeff Alede
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

Can you give a description of the characters for your script "The Horribleness"? Also, is the script posted on your site? (if so, I couldn't find it)

No, it's not posted, nor will it be until it's funded or officially dropped. Bruce will play Dr. Acula and a cop; Ted Raimi will play Frankenstein, a cop, and a priest; and Ellen Sandwiess (from "Evil Dead") will play the Bride of Frankenstein, who has divorced Frankenstein and remarried Dr. Acula, and each has a teenaged kid from their previous marriage.

Josh

Name: Question
E-mail: ernstyanning@hotmail.com

Dear Josh:

Since you believe religion is evil, and it is, how do you feel about reincarnation? I mean, what is the real point of it? Is it my birthday when I die, or was it my funeral when I'm born? Am I really a senile old man who thinks he is 22? If we are only a bunch of matter, does that mean I am one with the coffee table? Who was I in my past life, and was I as big a fuckup then as I was now? And if so, who the fuck was Mr. T in his past life? What if we're wrong, what if this planet has been around for 20,000 years, and the evolution of man continuously drives us to apathy and stupidity and we wipe ourselves out over and over again and continuously evolve from monkeys? Does that mean the monkeys are our next generation and not our children? Do monkeys reincarnate?

What if film constantly gets invented over those 20,000 years, reaches its peak, goes down the shitter, then gets abandoned and forgotten only to get discovered again after the stupidity apocalypse of the reincarnated monkeys? I guess what I'm really trying to say is: Is Robert DeNiro forever doomed to relive the 80s?

Seriously, are there any good books on the subject? Or is it all trash?

Have a rough night? To me, reincarnation is just another version of heaven; it's a reassurance to the masses that this miserable life isn't the whole deal, that there's something to look forward to beside death, decay, and ultimately being forgotten. Humans seemingly cannot deal with the idea that you get X number of years to live, and that's it. I think this based on the fact that most people do such a shitty job living thier lives that they feel they need another crack at it, and everyone deep down knows you only get the one chance, so they spend their entire lives kidding themselves. How can there be a good book on reincarnation, nobody legitimately knows anything about it, just like heaven.

Josh

Name: Angel
E-mail: aesparz2@depaul.edu

Dear Josh,

I was thumbing through Robert Evans' "The Kid Stays in the Picture" and caught a passage in which he discussed the difficulty in trying to find someone to translate Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" to the screen. Many writers quit claiming it was extremley difficult. I know you think very little of Evans, but, this triggerd something you had said in this forum long ago. You said that you felt "Barton Fink" was probably inspired by F. Scott's forray into Hollywood. Could you be able to just give me an idea as to what happened to Fitzgerald in Hollywood?

They made a pretty good cable film about it called "Fitzgerald in Hollywood," I believe, with Jeremy Irons and Neve Campbell. But basically Fitzgerald's drinking got worse and worse as tried to write movie scripts, and also finish his book, "The Last Tycoon." Everything he wrote for films got rewritten by others, like "Three Comrades" (1938), and he finally ended up on a script co-writing with a very young Budd Schulberg, who ended up nursing him and writing the script, which was "Winter Carnival" (1939). Anyway, he died soon thereafter.

Josh

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

Dear Josh:

I work in a video store part time (Go Figure) and I was looking at the new releases wall recently and I stumbled on a documentary that caught my eye called Overnight. So I decided to rent it. It was about the guy who wrote and directed the movie "Boondock Saints" (Troy Duffy) who was an overnight success and screwed himself by being an asshole to everyone around him including Harvey Weinstein and how Miramax made his movie go in to Turnaround and they had to make independently in order to get it made. Its a really interesting what-not-to-do when dealing with Hollywood type documentary and even if you haven't watched Boondock Saints (which is more or less a Tarantino rip off) I'd check out this well made documentary. Its an entertaining look at the life of Troy Duffy.

Your fan,
Jonathan

Okay.

Josh

Name: martyn perry
E-mail: evileyeperry@hotmail.com

Hey Josh, can't believe that anchor bay know nothing about your film being released in that format in the UK. And to be perfectly honest, i can't believe you didn't know either! How strange the film industry really is i suppose. I took the liberty of doing some research for you so that you wouldn't have to really, this is from a website called play.com which distributes uk DVD's from the internet at cheaper prices, i get your films from the sister site playusa.com. anyway, i've copied and pasted the special features from the list provided from the website which shows that indeed your film is included.

Special Features
Audio Commentary 1: With Sam Raimi and Robert Tappert
Audio commentary 2: With Bruce Cambell
Theatrical trailer
TV spots
'Fanalysis': a documentary by Bruce Campbell (26 mins) 'Discovering
The Evil Dead' featurette (13 mins) Outtakes and deleted scenes (18
mins) Photo and stills gallery
Biographies
Bonus feature: 'Running Time', starring Bruce Campbell includes an audio
commentary by writer-producer-director Josh Becker & star Bruce Campbell
and a trailer

So there you have it, for all those that don't own the Evil Dead:book of the dead special edition DVD already (it's actually a re-issue with your film included) those in the UK will now see your excellent film. (trust me, being from the UK i had to do some pretty good re-search to not only find out about you, but your website and your films too. Thank god i did!) But now with this re-issue both of the major film magazines in the UK have mentioned your film in terms of its inclusion with evil dead: Empire magazine:issue 196 (the UK's, if not the world's greatest movie mag) quote:- DVD extras, disc one has a plethora of ed-related bonus materials. But the really intriguing added value is the feature Running Time on disc two. Written and shot by long-time Raimi collaborator Josh Becker, it follows Carl (Campbell), a smooth-talking con who plans to rob the jail from which he's just been released. Sharply written, the film is shot in real time, and given it never got a cinema release in the UK, this is your only chance to see it. ADAM SMITH

Total Film:- (an average film magazine) There are also deleted scenes, outtakes, trailers, and even a whole other Campbell movie, 1987's Running Time.

So despite the fact that both magazines made slight errors regarding the details of the film, (i thought the date was a pretty major mistake for a film mag.) It's pretty encouraging to see that your film is getting some pretty good exposure over here in the UK.

I hope that i've managed to help you find out some info regarding your film in the UK and i must say, it coudn't happen to a better film or a nicer bloke so well played mate. I recommend showing the info to those apparently clueless people at anchorbay that you spoke too!!Anyway, if you want scans of either of the magazines i quoted from your more than welcome just let me know.

Regards, Martyn

Thanks for the info. I did believe you, BTW. But there's a good example of how the film business works. Neither the filmmaker, nor the distributor, knew the film was being released that way. It's not like I've taken the UK by storm, my film is the tenth extra on a film that's been re-released 15 times. As for a movie magazine gettingf a film's date wrong, that's par for the course. Regarding movies, nobody ever goes to the trouble of looking anything up.

Josh

Name: Danny Cork
E-mail: dpc9839@ku.edu

Josh,

No question, just my two cents:
Let's not forget how racist 'Temple of Doom' was either. If I recall correctly, India denied them permission to film there unless they cut the scene where they're portrayed as a nation of live snake, monkey brain, eyeball eaters. So they shot in Sri Lanka instead! Even Ford now admits this was a silly and uncultured scene. Throw in the evil Asian gangsters at the beginning and you're suddenly not at all surprised that Spielberg hadn't read a book for pleasure until his mid twenties. And of course the next minute he's churning out piss-poor, pontificating race films like 'Amistad' in quest of an Oscar! The cheek of the man!

Danny

When Spielberg won his first two Oscars for "Schindler's List," there was a photo of him on the cover of The Hollywood Reporter holding up the two Oscars and saying, "It's about time." My friend Rick and I were both aghast. When was it he felt he should have won, but didn't? In every case there's a more deserving winner (like say in 1975 Milos Foreman for "Cuckoo's Nest" instead of "Jaws," in 1977 Woody Allen won for "Annie Hall" instead of "Close Encounters," in 1980 Robert Redford won instead of Spielberg for "Raiders," but it should've gone to Martin Scorsese for "Raging Bull," etc.). Spielberg is clearly full of shit, and obviously pretty ignorant. He's the perfect representation of everything that's wrong with contemporary movies -- he doesn't know what constitutes a good story, and he has no sense of irony or subtlety. It's very clear to me at least that he's not very smart and doesn't read books.

Josh

Name: Stan Wrightson
E-mail:

Hi Josh-

Your comedy screenplays are extremely funny. You write comedy very well. I've read some books about writing comedy screenplays and they were very disappointing. Have you considered writing an essay about writing comedy screenplays? Do you think comedy can be taught, or does one have to be 'born funny'? Your insights, as always, are greatly appreciated. Many thanks.

I couldn't teach someone to write comedy. What can you say? Think up funny things? I don't know about being born funny, but you do have to be able to tune into the humor wavelength, and basically be able to return to it any time you want. But all definitions of humor are meaningless, and discussions of where it comes from or how to do it are equally as meaningless. It's entirely based on, is it funny? Did it make you laugh? With Paul Harris and I on these last two comedy scripts we wrote, if one of us could make the other one laugh, it went into the script. It didn't matter if it made sense, propelled the plot, or was inconsistent with the characters -- if we laughed, it's in the script. When writing a comedy, humor trumps everything.

Josh

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

Josh,

"True Grit" has always bothered me because of Glenn Campbell. His performance in that movie seems extremely wooden to me; he never quite seems to know what to do with his hands. The rest of the cast is great but Campbell just drives me to distraction.

I actually do prefer "Rooster Cogburn", though "True Grit" has the better story. Of course, I'm a huge Hepburn fan and the contrast between her and Wayne is fun. I think people forget how marked that pairing was, but can you imagine the two of them making a film together twenty years earlier? There was in "Rooster", however, a lot of winking to the camera.

If there's a dumber scene in movie history than Indiana Jones and Company falling out of an airplane in an inflatable raft and then toboganing down the Himalayas, I can't think of it at present.

Thanks,
John

Glenn Campbell's acting career didn't really take off, but I don't mind him in the film. I think he does all right. I love when Duke goes down into the pit to save Kim Darby from the snakes, and says, "When you need the Texan, he's dead," then Campbell appears all bloody at the mouth of the pit and proclaims, "I ain't dead yet," and pulls them up. When they get out they find he's dead. Duke says, "He saved my life and he was already dead." Meanwhile, "Rooster Cogburn" was a really lame movie, and isn't in the same league as "True Grit," which was made by one of the better directors, Henry Hathaway.

Josh

Name: Jon Cross
E-mail: gimmesugar@hotmail.com

Josh

I shall try an be brief, I am sorry if I get verbose.

So you don't feel that expanding an idea/character or exploring it further in a sequel/trilogy can be and is often valid if the film maker feel they have a further story to tell.

Evil Dead 2, yes you could argue was to line their pockets. As I have read, it was made because working on Crimewave was crappy and they wanted something familiar, popular and something over which they had control. Army of Darkness is a different beast though isn't it? would you really call that an unnessercary sequel?

Where as, what new can a remake add? We've seen the story, we know the character, we know the ending.

Want to make a horror in a cabin where people get picked off one by one then call it something else, Eli Roth did with Cabin fever - it doesn't have to be called The Evil Dead Remake.

Sequels and Trilogies have their place, the film maker may want money but they may also want to tell more stories with that character remakes have no place - what's the point?? why would we want a poorly imitated version of something we love??

That's what makes no sense or do I not have a point?

Jon

I guess you have a point, since so many others have made the same point, it's just not much of one as far as I'm concerned. Both sequels and remakes are made strictly for the money. This nonsense about having more stories to tell with those characters is hooey. The reason ED2 was made was because, after "Crimewave" utterly tanked, that's the only deal they could get at the time. And the reason AOD was made was because it was a viable deal between Dino DeLaurentiis and Universal. The reason every sequel and remake is made is for money, plain and simple, and that to me is an insufficient reason to make a movie, or at least for me to see it. They're not making "Indy 4" because they happened to find a great Indiana Jones story that cried out to be made. They want to wring some more money out of the franchise before they're too old.

Josh

Name: Question
E-mail: ernstyanning@hotmail.com

<<You could try moving. But if a process server intends to find you, they will. And since they don't get paid until they've served you, they'll make sure you're served. When someone avoided me, at home and at work, I'd set my alarm clock for 5:00 AM, then go to their house and wake them up. Some people think that if they don't touch or sign the subpoena, they haven't officially been served, but that's nonsense. If you're in the presence of the process server, you've been served.>>

So if I don't open the door and I don't answer, I've still been served? So that whole movie SERVING SARA is bullshit, he didn't need a picture to serve Bruce Campbell. I got served once, the man thought he was tricking me by dressing up as a cable guy, but I beat him to the quick, which caught him off guard. He wasn't supposed to serve me anyways, I had struck a deal with the people the day before, so they dropped it. For some reason, the paperwork went through and I lost by default, but that was their fuckup, they let it go.

So if you get sued and you don't answer it, you lose by default. And then if you don't contact them or try to pay them, do you go to jail? As I said before, sounds like a cool job, I'm always on the other side of it.

"Serving Sara" had nothing to do with reality. The point of a process server, as opposed to just using the mail or FedEx, is that there's a human being who could, if called, testify in front of a judge that the subponea was actually given to the person. Whether or not they've signed it or touched it doesn't matter, but they do have be in your presence. It was kind of a cool job, for menial, reasonably thoughtless, labor. I was almost always done by noon.

Josh

Name: Kathleen Lacour
E-mail: kathygoal@yahoo.com

Dear Josh:

I know that Anthony Quinn died in Boston, MA, but where was he burried?

I didn't know he died in Boston.

Josh

Name: Jeremy Milks
E-mail: admin@homecomingcreations.com

Dear Josh:

I'm not kidding myself. So you don't like Harrison Ford or think he's a good actor, so what? I do. That's all there is to it. I was simply supporting my reasons for likeing Temple of Doom, though I have said that of the three Indiana Jones films, it's the least good. I like dry humor, which Harrison Ford can do. Like in Last Crusade when they're walking through a tunnel with all the portraits and the woman looks at one and says: "What's that?" Indy: "The Ark of the Covenent" Woman: "You sure?" Indy: "Pretty sure."

You have to have seen Raiders of the Lost Ark to get that joke of course, but it's rather dry and it made me laugh.

Everybody has different tastes, not all equal to each other for sure, and that's why there are so many different types of films.

You know, you're kinda becoming a movie Nazi. If all films aren't up to your standards, then they're shit, and anybody who likes the films you don't like are the enemy.

I love movies more than anything in this world, but I think you're going a little overboard.

Jeremy Milks

I think you're goung underboard. There's nothing cute or lovable about hanging onto your 12-year-old tastes. As you get older your taste is supposed to get better, like wine. I loved Bugs Bunny as a kid, but I got over it. I'm not a Nazi, I'm an adult. As an adult you cannot defend "Temple of Doom." It's a badly-written, poorly-performed, somewhat offensive, boring movie. Just because your inner child still loves the films it saw when it was a child is not a rational defense of blatant junk.

Josh

Name: Beth
E-mail: oddlief@gmail.com

Dear Josh,

First of all let me say something I said to a friend who is the same height as you are: wow, you look much taller than that. I was really interested to know your answer to the last question I asked prior to the height question. You do say brevity is the wit of the soul. I suppose I was doing as you said and asking for the sake of asking. But if you would rather I not write at all I suppose I can stop.

Cheers,
Beth

You can write in whenever you'd like, just try to wait until you think up good questions.

Josh

Name: martyn perry
E-mail: evileyeperry@hotmail.com

Dear Josh:

cheers for the advice about Bulgaria, but as a stop gap for six months maybe i could find something i suppose. I'll stay optimistic untill i actually get there in about a years time. So after AA i have dug out all those old DVD's from the past again and watched Running Time the other night. (BTW. they released evil dead special edition in the UK again for like the 14th time or something but this one comes with your film running time as you may be aware. Congratulations are in order as i think maybe more than the expected 100 people will actually see your film now! lol)

Anyway, what i wanted to know was, after watching Running Time and listening to the commentary there seemed to be so much passion for everything relating to that movie, whereas with Bruce on AA your commentary really seemed to be in a more humourous and throwaway manner when regarding the film. I wondered what your actual incentive was to change genre's so radically between films. I feel that Running Time is an absolute major achievement for all those involved and watching it again recently just reminded me of what a quality film and perhaps criminally underrated film it is. (its rated at 7.1 compared to like episode III's 8 or something, thats offensive!) But for me, despite enjoying both films for different reasons, i feel that running time is more my style of film and a major step above AA in terms of acting, style, script, and the overall finished product. Don't get me wrong, i do like AA as a Bruce doing his thing with aliens (which despite what people say, do look fantasic for a sci-fi production, congrats to unreal) throwaway movie, but in all i just really began to wonder why you went back in this direction again after seamingly being bored with the genre from the majority of your responses to other peoples questions.

BTW..(sorry its so long but...i know you have "If i had a hammer..." on VHS, yet as this won't work on a UK VHS player i wondered if there was anyway you could put a copy of the film on VCD or SVCD or even a write to a DVD. I obviously have multi-region and i just wondered if you had the ability to do that. I'm very much interested in completing your filmography as i've had a couple of Becker nights introducing your work to my buddies recently. (what was interesting was that on one occasion we watched reservoir dogs then running time then sin city and being completely honest most people who watched it with me preferred your style to the other noirish films we covered that night...cool huh?) Thanks again...MArtyn

Actually, I didn't know that's how they were going to do it. I'll ask them about it. I think 6 months is probably enough to get the lay of the land, meet those whom you'd need to meet at the various companies, get your photo around, and let them know that you'll actually show up if they call you, etc. Oh yeah, some talent or good looks wouldn't hurt, either. Thanks for the information.

So, I go over to Anchor Bay, which is just a few miles from here, and they gave me a dozen copies of "Alien Apocalypse." I asked about "Running Time" being on the new UK "Evil Dead" DVD, and nobody knew nothin'. I'm still checking. Yes, it pleases me that "Running Time" played well with those other films. As for why I "went back" to "Alien Apocalypse," which was a 15-year-old script, is that someone wanted to finance it. This wasn't a conscious career move, it's what was available. But if I get to shoot my script, with Bruce and Renee, and get paid for it, I'm doing it.

Josh

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

Dear Josh:

I know the IMDB is very questionable as a resource for movies but do you know anything about the movie "The Nutt House" that was said to be written by Sam and Ivan Raimi, Scott Spiegel, and Bruce Campbell? You can buy the DVD at Amazon or rent it from Netflix but I just don't believe that they had anything to do with that considering that was after Lunatics and right before Army of Darkness. I mean if its true and is really made by them you must have heard something about it. I just gotta know if its really a disaster that they thought was so awful they had to take their names off of it.

Your fan,
Jonathan

It was originally called "The Nutty Nut," and all of those guys were involved at some point or another. It was Scott Spiegel's project, but he got 86ed as the director. I've never seen it. Sam and Scott went through a phase where they kept writing and making films called "The Goofy Goof" and "The Klutzy Klutz" and things like that.

Josh

Name: Chris kilgour
E-mail: shenaniganz@hotmail.com

Dear Josh:

DAMMIT..
Ok I've been sick lately so I've had a chance to rent out some movies....so today i get Ben Hur and I'm really enjoying it (also wondering if I'd seen it before because it seemed rather familar to me) and I'm nearly an hour into it and then the disc goes all glitchy and doesn't stop cutting out! It wouldn't stop so I was forced to take the disc out ugh....

It pissed me off greatly but luckily I had another movie to watch..Apoclypse Now. I put the tape in the machine and guess what happens...the tape shoots back out and the actual tape is hanging out of the cassette. Luckily I was able to fix it and get it working. I really enjoyed that movie.

I'll have to return that copy of "Ben Hur" and get a new one....the horror, the horror...

BTW the new edition of Ben Hur is out and it includes the 1925 silent Ben Hur aswell (just incase you didn't know).

Also, I'm guessing you buy alot of dvds, so what's your collection like? meaning like how many do you own etc...

I don't buy a lot of DVDs, and I don't really have that many. I'm not really a collector. Generally, once I've seen a movie, that sufficient. I've got about 6-7 of William Wyler's films on DVD, and some of the Best Pictures (I have all of the Best Pictures on tape). But for the most part, I watch a movie, then immediately delete it.

Josh

Name: Question
E-mail: ernstyanning@hotmail.com

Dear Josh:

Since you were once a process server, what's the best way to avoid them at all costs? Apparently a law was passed that says I can no longer file bankrupt. It seems like a good law to me, I just wish I weren't on the other side of it.

You could try moving. But if a process server intends to find you, they will. And since they don't get paid until they've served you, they'll make sure you're served. When someone avoided me, at home and at work, I'd set my alarm clock for 5:00 AM, then go to their house and wake them up. Some people think that if they don't touch or sign the subpoena, they haven't officially been served, but that's nonsense. If you're in the presence of the process server, you've been served.

Josh

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

Dear Josh,

You often mention little tidbits about your various collaborators in passing, when discussing scripts and stories. I think we'd all enjoy seeing an essay on collaboration in general - what your views on it are, when it works best, when it doesn't work, what some of your experiences have been, and how you came to collaborate with each of your writing partners over the years. Just a suggestion. :)

Regards,

August

Always good to hear from you. I don't think there's a whole essay there, not to mention it's not a great idea to diss that many people. Collaborating hasn't been a great experience for me, for the most part. Bruce and I have co-written several stories over the years, and those were always fun, but we never actually sat down and wrote together. My collaboration with Scott Spiegel started off well, then got more difficult with each passing script. My first collaboration with Paul Harris, fifteen years ago, didn't go all that well and Paul is still holding grudges against me regarding it. But the last two scripts with Paul went very well, mainly because they're both zany comedies, and in that genre a co-writer is almost essential.

Josh

Name: tere
E-mail: tere_mtz11@hotmail.com

Dear Josh:

donde puedo conseguir la pelicula, ya que soy fan se los actores.

Agua caliente. Boxeo en esta esquina. No comprende Spanish.

Josh

Name: Jon Cross
E-mail: gimmesugar@hotmail.com

Dear Josh,

You really aren't a fan of the twin beardys Lucas and Speilburg and I don't blame you, I applaud you for it...

I have to say something that I am normally shouted down or beaten up for saying - I don't like Star Wars, never really saw the point... I have my reasons but that's a whole other debate.

Also I like to pretend that Spielberg didn't make Jaws because I like Jaws and disslike almost all other beardy Berg offerings - except, I am afraid to say, Indiana Jones 1 (for Karen Allen) and 3 (for Sean Connery and Denholm Elliot drunk in a tank) - Temple of Doom is an unadulterated piece of crap.

But I don't see your link between their invention of the kids blockbuster and 'reality' television unless you mean the 'dumbing down makes us more cash' comparison - is that what you meant?

Which I understand and agree with - trouble is I can also UNDERSTAND why someone would like the continued offerings of El beardo twins Luke Ass and Speilbum and as bad as their work is, and some of it is very very offensive - War of the Worlds, Amistad, Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clowns - to name a few, I don't find it AS offensive as Paris Hilton in the House of Wax remake.... Or the director of the soon to be thrown at us Wicker Man remake (I am in shock - they're going to remake the Wicker Man????? eh???) stating in an interview, and I am paraphrasing but this is completely true -

We have changed the setting, the plot, the characters & the themes but we are big fans of the original and are working hard to retain the original's 'spirit'

- what does that even mean???

As offensive and banal and kid pandering and money seeking as Lucas and Spielberg are - they were, before War of the Worlds and the Phantom Menace, Film makers, whether we like them or not. The people they have in charge of films these days are idiots, full blown idiots, talentless idiots... read the above quote again and say it ain't so...

Also they are arrogant swines too, because you don't ever hear a modern artist saying - "I know I shall re-paint the Mona Lisa to introduce it to a new audience only this time, lets give her a frown" or a modern musician saying - "You know, I love the Beatles but they need a new audience so lets get 4 less-talented people to dress up like them, call them the same name, play all the same music but then have the audacity to change the lyrics... Hey Jude is nice and everything but how about Hey Ian? Donald in the Sky with Rubies or Colonel Salt's Rotting Liver's Club Band ??"

I think all this is why fans are so so so so SOO put off by the Evil Dead remake idea, it's not as if after Spiderman Sam needs the money, surely!

but if money is the aim of the game and it definately is with remakes, with the present climate of fandom surrounding the movies, toys, comics, video games, conventions etc. it makes more financial sense to make a fourth one than a remake but that obviously involves creativity rather than palming the original idea off to another director while lying back and reaping the benefits.

Now, please don't get me wrong, I don't want a fourth evil dead (I am a hardcore ED fan and I don't want a 4th one -HONESTLY) I would apsolutely adore a new Rob,Sam,Bruce movie with all the Michiganders shemping their butts off but that's a different beast)

A remake is just the worst idea I have ever ever heard, ok not AS bad as Paris Hilton in House of Wax or remaking the Wicker Man but it's a pretty damn close third and I don't buy this whole - it's for a new audience, it's for new kids to discover and blah blah blah!

Well I own the Maltease Falcon, it was made 39 years before I was born. It was on the earth long enough before me to have a 20 year old child, if it were human. Yet it is one of my favourite films.

Even Evil Dead started shooting a year before I was born and I discovered it, also I discovered it long before the renewed hype about it as well. I discovered it before the toys and t-shirts and laser discs and dvds and posters etc. It wasn't even that hard either - it was and remains a very well liked Horror classic that will be passed down, just like The Wicker man - it really doesn't need a remake.

and that argument goes for all remakes, if they were good films originally they will find a new audience, chances are they already have.

The other thing I have noticed about remakes, and it can be said for War of The Worlds as an adaption of a book, Lets take what made the original source material Iconic and write a new movie around it:

Dawn of the Dead (Zombies - check, Shopping Mall - check, Intelligence/metaphor/undertones/good dialogue - er.... in the post, Zombie baby - What the hell were they thinking??!!??!!)

The Italian Job (Heist - check, Minis - check, Italy - if we throw it in at the beginning for 30 seconds maybe that will justify this low-grade/half-arsed/atrocious film being made, Bridger-dies-pathetic-daughter-romance-Ed-Norton sub-plot - What the hell were they thinking??!!??)

It's completely maddening and actually, to a film passionate pallet like mine, offensive - Don't you think Josh?

Josh?

Josh!!??

Josh wake up I am done now......

As I often quote, "Brevity is the soul of wit." Meanwhile, I didn't make any connection between kid's blockbusters and reality TV. I still believe that the intention behind the film means a lot. When Charlie Band or Roger Corman make a film, it's meant to be a low-budget piece of crap, and if indeed that's how it turns out, that's what they meant. But these Spielberg and Lucas films, which are as expensive as movies can be, with the longest shooting schedules, were meant to be high-budget, top-quality movies, and when they turn out to be hammered shit, that's a huge difference between what was intended and what came out. And after this endless stream of shitty remakes, I no longer care what is remade, whether it's "House of Wax" or "Evil Dead," it's all the same thing. It's not for my enjoyment, it's to line their pockets. Period. The same goes for all the sequels, too. How you and others can say that sequels are all right, but remakes are bad baffles me. They're both equally as bad, thoughtless, derivative, and never intended to be good.

Josh

Name: Beth
E-mail: oddlief@gmail.com

Dear Josh,

I was wondering, how tall are you? I was looking at the scrapbook pictures from "Alien Apocalypse" and thought you were about Bruce's height. But after seeing a pic of you with Campbell Cooley on some fan site, it seemed to me that you are taller than Bruce or Campbell. I know it seems a silly thing to wonder about, but hey what can I say I'm a silly person sometimes.

Thanks,
Beth

I'm 5' 10". Bruce has to be 6' 1", he's quite a bit taller than me.

Josh

Name: Kevin Kindel
E-mail:

"I saw "Chisum" with John Wayne."

I want to see "How The West Was Won", because I heard it's pretty good. Which John Wayne film do you think holds up the best (story-wise)?

My favorite John Wayne film is "True Grit." Beside having Duke at his very best, it's got a terrific cast of: Robert Duvall, Kim Darby, Strother Martin, Jeff Corey and Dennis Hopper, beautiful cinematgraphy by Lucien Ballard, very strong direction by Henry Hathaway, and a really, a wonderful Elmer Bernstein score, and a really well-written script was some of the best period dialog in any film ever. I love that film. Other good John Wayne films are: "Stagecoach," "She Wore a Yellow Ribbon," "Fort Apache," "Red River," "Rio Grande," "The Quiet Man," "Hondo" (in 3-D), "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance," "The Longest Day," "Rio Bravo," "Rio Lobo." As for "How the West Was Won," which was a seminal influence on my life, is not that great if it's not in Three-screen Cinerama. It was never meant to be shown on TV, and was shot in much too wide of a format for a small screen, plus you can see the connecting lines between the three pieces of film. But I go with that movie up to George Peppard's entrance. The Jimmy Stewart part really got me as a little kid, as did the Civil War section with the Duke.

Josh

Name: Scott Hess
E-mail: skot101@hotmail.com

Dear Josh:

Thanks for the fantastic article. I wrote my first horror film screenplay and optioned it for $1 to a tiny company. Am I fool for doing that? It has since gotten several great "reader" write ups from small film companies. Filmingk (whom I optioned it to) has until August to pay me for the script. I am writing a second script. Am I on track? Any input or suggested reading is greatly appreciated.
Swimming without a life jacket
Scott Hess

Which article? There's a lot of shit on this website. If your film actually gets made, then optioning it for a dollar was a brilliant idea. Meanwhile, it's not like you lost anything in the deal. Just finding someone who's interested is a big deal. Filmingk looks like typo. Have you read William Goldman's two filmmaking/screenwriting books, "Adventures in the Screen Trade" and "Which Lie Did I Tell?"? There's parts of both of them that can be skipped, or not, but 2/3 of each of them are great, and give you a pretty good sense of the film business.

Josh

Name: Martyn Perry
E-mail: evileyeperry@hotmail.com

Dear Josh:

ha ha ok then yeah must be my imagination! On a debatebly more serious note i am planning a tour of europe and from hearing the dvd commentary of apocalypse an idea struck me. I have always been a keen drama student and i am obviously english speaking so on my tour through bulgaria what are the chances of finding some work on some small movies and earning a few notes? Do you have any recommendations or advice you could give regarding this matter? I want to know if it's realistic that i could pull off travelling from the uk to bulgaria to work with a few extras or get some minor roles. Thanks for your time as always,
martyn

I think it would take a bit more dedication than just as a cool little gig you pick up while traveling through. Nothing happens with movies when it's supposed to, and actors and extras all have to be available, easy to contact, and know how to get places locally. The people who have taken advantage of the situation, like Michael Corey Davis, who played the astronaut in AA, actually live there. Aside from that, Michael happens to be a good actor, handsome, and in great shape, too, but he also lives in Sofia full-time.

Josh

Name: Beth
E-mail: oddlief@gmail.com

Dear Josh,

What would you do if a crazed fan showed up on your doorstep?

Cheers,
Beth

Please stop asking questions just for the sake of asking questions. Thanks.

Josh

Name: Jeremy Milks
E-mail: admin@homecomingcreations.com

Dear Josh:

Whoa! I never said anything about equality. My taste might not be equal to yours, but at least it's mine. I can say that at least.

And I've seen a lot of the movies you hail as great films, and for the most part, I agree with you. I know a good film when I see it, I just like more kinds of films. That's why I like Star Wars and Indiana Jones and Donnie Darko and Spider-man and all the things you seem to hate. It's not like I go into the theater not knowing that they're childish films with adult undertones, I just don't care about that. If I like a film, I like it. I can tell you why I like all the films I do. Mostly it's humor. If I laugh at a film, I'm more prone to liking it.

That's why I like Temple of Doom. The story isn't great, I don't like Kate Capshaw, and while I don't mind Short Round any time you add a kid sidekick it's probably not gonna be great. But I think Harrison Ford plays Indiana Jones well and his facial expressions make me laugh. That's what I like about Temple of Doom.

It's not like I wander aimlessly watching movies and going "der, der, I saw a movie." When I watch something, I really wat