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

Josh,

Thanks for posting the illustrations in regards to Hitler's art. I had seen some of his stuff before and I had known that he was a more than competent artist and the film "MAX" touches upon this aspect of his life.

The film also addresses the issue of him being a good soldier who was decorted during the war, and I had known too that he was a decorated soldier.

The film is strongest when it deals with his relationship to his life as a poor soldier returning from the war and his reaction to Germany's post war conditions.

The film does in fact portray him as a very complicated individual which he was and that is something that many people miss or don't want to acknowledge. Instead, he is always portrayed in films as a non-human entity, however, he was all human just not humane and their in lies the fascination with this man

You don't become what he did by not being affected and fueled by something other than anger and passion for something that has been taken from you.

I believe what separates him from others with the same traits is that he had the power to carry out all of his deepest insecurities and convictions in a massive scale and that is some scary shit.

I feel that considering the shape that Germany was in at the time, if it wasn't Hitler, it would have been someone else who would come to power in a similar way, but may have not been as powerful or succesful at it as he was. Who knows?

Growing up, I had a friend who was obsessed by WWII and he studied a great deal about Hitler's life and his rise to power. He was the one who told me about Hitler's interest in American Football songs. It become's very obvious when you listen to the Nazi propaganda songs.

Scott

In my silly historical opinion, the greatest achievements of the 20th century were the Marshall Plan and the MacArthur Plan to rebuild Germany and Japan after WWII. This was very much due to people's awareness of how Hitler had come to power in the 1920s, in the power vacuum and poverty created in Germany after the first world war. So the U.S. intentionally decided to not allow that to occur again, and both Germany and Japan have been relatively peaceful ever since. But it took Hitler to give us the Marshall Plan.

Josh

Name: Nate
E-mail: vlad1377@aol.com

Mr. Becker,

I searched your archives first and did not notice you addressing the question, but your recent reviews of Windtalkers, We Were Soldiers, and Hitler: The Rise of Evil made me curious as to what you thought of Band of Brothers if you've seen it. I'm rather immersed in the story and am enjoying it, especially the interviews with the survivors of the 101st that precedes each episode. I found that you thought that the look of the miniseries was cliched, but other than that, what did you think? I realize you have an aversion to Spielberg (as a director at least), but that you have also enjoyed some recent HBO original productions. Thank you for your time.

Nate

I watched the first three episodes and I didn't like it. The only interesting character was David Schwimmer as the insane Jewish drill instructor, which was a tad over-the-top. Otherwise, all of the men are severely underwitten and just plain old dull. I also hated the direction, with all of that shaky hand-held camerawork combined with the angled-shutter blurriness, I found it somewhat headache-inducing. The episode where they take out the artillery was so confusingly directed that I never knew what was going on.

Josh

Name: Geoffrey
E-mail: way2crackulating@hotmail.com

Dear Josh:

Of course i've had a look around and notice that your a massive Wyler fan and up until about 7 months ago I would have heavely disagree althoght he is certain not my favorite or even near to it personally after watching The Big Country, Dodsworth and Dead End i've really change my mind and reading your article back than was one of the major reason as to why I rented a bunch more of his films. The Big Country is I think an ode and the exploration of the western genre and takes the fish (Peck) out of water (He was a Sea Captain) concept to new hights. Anyway thanks for writing the article and recommending William Wyler.

The Thing (51)
I Question, I just have to ask. Do you consider this a Nyby film or a Hawks films. The reason is that almost everybody considers it to be a Hawks films and it would be intresting to get your perspective on the matter. Plus what do you think of John Carpenter's revamping of The Thing

George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey
An all incompassing and engrossing documentary on a magnificent director glad to see someone else dig this film.

Who'll Stop the Rain - Director Reisz made Everybody Wins I highly recommend it, it's got the always amazing Debra Winger in it.

I'm very pleased you've enjoyed some of my man William Wyler's films. I recommend checking out some his other 1950s films, like "Detective Story," "Carrie," "Desperate Hours" and "Friendly Persuasion," which are all very different and all very interesting.

Meanwhile, regarding "The Thing," I honestly do believe that it was directed by Christian Nyby, who had previously been Hawks' editor, but from that point on was only a director and directed a lot of stuff over the next thirty years, particularly TV. But it was most certainly a Howard Hawks production, he supervised the script, the casting, and he hired Nyby, so it's really more his film. Although we all generally accept the auteur theory now, that a director is the author of the film, in many cases that's just not true. Often, a strong producer can have a lot more influence on a film than the hired-gun director.

"George Stevens: A Filmmaker's Journey" was fascinating, and all of the color footage was amazing.

I like "Who'll Stop the Rain" very much, but I didn't care for "Everybody Wins." I kind of liked Karel Reisz's film "The Gambler" with James Caan, and I think he did a good job with "Sweet Dreams," too.

Josh

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

Josh,

I just read your new reviews and I would like to make a comment about your review of "Hitler: Rise of Evil". I saw this too and felt that the film was complete horse shit and I too am still looking for a film on Hitler that portrays him as a Humanbeing instead of some mythical evil creature.

I am with you on the fact that is so scary about Nazi Germany is that Hitler and his people were all Humanbeings just like you and I, however, they were able to do what they did and almost get away with it.

Actually, there is a film which was released last that I had seen and I actually believe that it comes the closest to seeing Hitler as a humanbeing, however, the film is not the greatest film and this is not a sympathetic view of Hitler, merely a glimpse into his formation.

The film is called MAX and it is about dealing with Hitler who was an artist before he transformed into what he became and chose politics over art. The script is interesting and it takes far greater chances than any other film which deals with Hitler.

Hitler had an odd relationship with Jewish art dealer named "Max Rothman" after his return from the war. Rothman is from a wealthy Jewish family, however, he too has scars from the war in the form of a missing arm.

Hitler desperatley wanted to be an artist and sell his artwork, however, he was just a poor soldier returning from the war and he had no way of selling it or showing. "What if" Hitler's art had won over his politics? So much of history would have changed, one can only imagine.

The film does a decent job of Comparing the two and how they deal with post-war syndrome. So similar, yet so different.

Max Rothman is played by John Cusak which is a strange casting, but he does a good job of it and I don't think the film would have been made without his involvement Hitler is played very well by the Austrailian actor Noah Taylor who was the young David Heflgot in "Shine" and he was also the tour manager in one of your favorite films (Just kidding) "Almost Famous".

Anyhow, it is worth renting on video if you can find it. "Thomas Video" should have it.

Scott

It's on my Netflix list. A couple of other things that no one ever gets right about Hitler was that he wasn't a bad artist, and that he was a very heroic soldier in WWI. He actually won two iron crosses, which was exceptionally rare for an enlisted man in the German army. He's constantly made out as a coward and a completely inept artist, and that simply wasn't the case. He probably could have made it as a commercial artist if he'd had an interest, which he clearly didn't. In the early 1920s when the National Socialist Party was just starting out, Hitler's buddy, Ernst Hafstaengl, who had grown up in America and had gone to Harvard, played Hitler the popular American football songs, like Uof M's "Hail to the Conquering Hero," and Hitler liked them so much they adapted them for use by the Nazis, and that's where many of their songs came from. A scene like that would have helped that Hitler film a lot. He's a much more complicated character than he's ever given credit for.

"Street in Vienna" by Adolph Hitler, 1914	"Franziskanerplatz Wien" by Adolph Hitler, 1912

-Josh

Name: Kim
E-mail: mrsdagle@yahoo.com

Dear Josh,

Though I haven't seen the movies you recently reviewed, I love what you said. The shame that is Windtalkers is so abhorent. Why does Hollywood make movies about Native Americans and neither gives them top billing or gets the story right?! I read an interview with one of the original Navajo code-talkers and he was just happy that the story was documented at all. Some Native American actresses have complained that they are denied roles because they look "too smart" to be Indians.

It amazes me that your thoughts about Robert Carlyle's Hitler are in the minority (according to the reviews at IMDb.com). People really need to be spoonfed the most obnoxious caricatures in order to understand the obvious. You don't learn anything about evil when the villain is ugly and scary. I thought Tom Berenger's portrayal of a bigot in Betrayed was really well done. He's sympathetic, charismatic and completely wrong. You learn how otherwise, "nice people" can get sucked into that culture and mindset.

BTW, I think Fins, Femmes and Gems is fairly popular still but In Sickness and Hell is an underdog among the Xenites. I like them both.

Yes, well, Xena and Gaby both have every kind of crud imaginable in "In Sickness," but I do think they're both very funny in it. I love when Gaby's mouth is numb and she's drooling.

Josh

Name: ashok patel
E-mail: ashokpatel11@yahoo.com

Dear Sir

My name is Ashok Patel. I am a businessman. I am running a Digital Color Lab and Photographic Color Lab in India. The name of my business firm is APDP DIGITAL LAB AND APDP COLOR LAB, which is the first color lab in Gujarat State. I have been working in Steel Photography since 25 years.

I have some different plots regarding gulf war, Europa, earth to planet, art film, world after 50 years, an innocent boy with a charming lady, and who am I that I am not with following details.

1) Complete Film Story
2) Complete Shots’ Details
3) Complete Shots’ Consume Design, colors in a drawing format.

If suppose, you have subjects then we will give above-mentioned services.

If you want to contract or wants more details then contact at following address:
Ashok Patel
APDP Digital Lab and APDP Color Lab,
Station Road,
ANAND – 388 001
District: ANAND
State: Gujarat
Country: India
Phone: +91-2692-251499 , +91-2692-257988
Mobile: 9825011085
Email: ashokpatel11@yahoo.com, ashokpatel11@rediffmail.com

With regards,

Ashok Patel

If you have plots like, " . . . Europa, earth to planet, art film, world after 50 years, an innocent boy with a charming lady, and who am I that I am not . . . " what possible help could you need from me? I think you've got the situation firmly under control. Good luck.

Josh

Name: Jake
E-mail: twistergirl76@yahoo.com

Dear Josh:

I just wanted to say after all this time I'm still a huge Xena fan and no matter how many times people criticize Fins, Femmes, and Gems and In Sickness and In Hell, I still think they are absolutely hysterical. You did a wonderful job behind the scenes. Thanks for making me laugh at something so different.

Do people criticize those episodes? What do they say?

Josh

Name: dante hicks
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

this could be a question for the wrong person but im going to ask anyway.

well first let me tell you what i think, evil dead 2 is a sequil to evil dead 1...not a remake...i think its so clear its a sequil, i maen theres a shot at the end of evil dead where the evil force goes into ash's mouth...the same shot is in the first 5 min of evil dead 2

im sick of everyone saying evil dead 2 is a remake or people saying why does ash go back to the samn cabin or why does he date people named linda so much

so can you clear up if evil dead 2 is a sequil [extension] to evil dead or a remake

It's a sequel, but it keeps lapsing into being a remake. It's obviously a different story with different characters, but it keeps repeating sequences from the first one. My friend was just telling me about Roger Ebert's review of ED from when it was released and he gave it his "Dog of the Week." He says that when the force is chasing the girl through the woods and knocking down trees, then she gets back to the cabin and shuts the door, the force slinks away and you expect it to say, "You haven't heard the last of me!" If it can knock down trees, why can't it knock down the cabin door?

Josh

Name: john graves
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

what did you think of richard linklater's first film 'slacker'

I thought it was interesting for a while. I liked the idea of one character passes the next one, etc. Ultimately, though, it's a one-joke idea that wears out its welcome quite a bit before the end. I don't think he's a particularly talented director. I enjoyed "Tape," but his direction is the worst thing about it and rather inept.

Josh

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

Hey Josh,

Now that you are all gay and stuff, maybe you can whip up a nice creme brulé or a scrumptious tart.

I just watched Hitchcock's "Notorious". I haven't seen it an awhile. I think that is one of Hitch's best films. His films still hold up well unlike some films form that period which do not.

Scott

Yes, "Notorious" is a great Hitchcock film and holds up beautifully. Claude Rains is wonderful. And the film always ends about ten minutes before I think it's going to.

Josh

Name: terry davenport
E-mail: frednicker@yahoo.com

Dear Josh:

Just out of curiosity...how long does a pregnancy take in YOUR neck of the woods? In the scene where the daughter is reading her mother's diary, it says june 10 (one year) she thinks she's pregnant and then june/july29(don't remember which)the next year..."i gave birth last week to a daughter....(or words to that effect)"...nearly thirteen months for a pregnancy? Geez...big baby!

I'm sure this is a rational criticism, I just don't know what you're referring to. There's a lot of writing on this website and making a reference to what you're talking about would be helpful.

Josh

Name: sombody
E-mail: haha@hotmail.com

Dear Josh:

why are u so gay?

I've actually been sort of down lately. I just wish I were gay.

Josh

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

Josh,

I believe your friend is precisely what is wrong with this country and I know a few people like him as well. His talk about the free market is the wrong way to look at it and he seriuosly abuses this concept to an extreme.

When I lived in Europe, the thing I apreciated the most was how well the government takes care of it's citizens when they need it.

I think I am part socialist and part capitalist and free market or no free market, I believe that the government should take the responsibility to care for its citizens that need it and the average person in the european countries which utilize the free market has a far better quality of life than the average American.

I remember reading a recent interview with Roger Waters from Pink Floyd about the success of "Dark Side of the Moon".

He said that almost overnight, the band became millionaires and he had all these thoughts about what to do with the money, since he was raised with more socialist leanings, he thought of giving a majority of it to charity, however, in the end, he said "You end up keeping the money... but ever since the money started rolling in from the album I put 1/4 of my earnings into a charitable trust which I still maintain today"

He ended by say "Growing up without a father(His father was killed in WWII) and a mother who was a humantarian and did a lot of volunteer social work, I was raised with many socialist leanings, and it has been difficult to accept the wealth I have achieved without giving something back. The nice thing about being a captialist is you can be a philanthropist".

I feel that he is obviously an exception to most rich people and that is sad.

We don't decide to be born, but I believe it is eveyone human's right to have a decent life. This is the difference in thinking between many of the civilized European countries and you friend's views.

I am sorry, but I have to laugh about your experience in Brazil. It is not very typical, but you were in Sao Paulo which says a lot. That city is crazy.

I am surprised as you said "nobody cared", but as I said Sao Paulo is a crazy city and it can be a lot like NYC, but with more people. In fact, that is by far my least favorite place in Brazil.

Many things in Brazil are not organized very well and it does not surprise me that the film festival was an exception to that rule.

It is strange that you had so much trouble with their ATM machines, because I never had a problem, and Brazilians think that America's banking system is archaic.

Many Brazilians get hired here to work in the banking and financial industry because they are so used to unstable economic climates

I am not defending the country because it has a mass amount of people problems that nobody can really solve.

Yes, My girlfriend is very sweet and all of the Brazilians I have met are very nice and far more sophisticated than Americans who have a lot more in terms of wealth and success.

I feel lucky to have had the life I have.

I too can get cynical about things, but I am also optimistic about many things as well. I did not have any easy life either, but I try not to let that effect my ability to be happy and that is why I said what I did to Saul. Life is too short to be so negative about it.

Many times it is a mirror and how you see yourself is how you see the world.

As for people in the film business being self-centered assholes, I believe this to be true in my experience to a certain degree, however, I have also met some great people in this business, I do my best to avoid the others and that is the best I can do.

Scott

I think that I too am a bit more of a socialist than a capitalist. The idea that my health care is about to run out, even though I've been a member of the DGA for ten years and am vested in their retirement plan, pisses me off. I'm not blaming the DGA, mind you, which is a helluva good union, I'm blaming the American medical system, which is controlled and dominated by private industry. That the wealithiest country in the world doesn't have health care for all of its citizens is an embarrassment.

Josh

Name: arian
E-mail: a_govori@hotmail.com

Hi!

I like to ask you if you ever want to make movie about albanians i will like to be on that movie,

thanks

How did you know I want to make movies about Albanians? Have you been reading my mind? There just can't be enough films about Albanians, as far as I'm concerned. By the way, where is Albania?

Josh

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

Dear Josh,

I think you theory about rich and poor is spot on and I agree with that theory. I think it is like like some divine intervention that rich people feel, however, poor people happen to actually be more religious in general which is interesting to me.

One of my girlfriend's good friends here is married to a doctor. He is an ear specialist and makes a great deal of money. My girlfriend's friend is just a simple Brazilian, but we have witnessed a transistion in her.

They just had a little girl last year and they have a great life. The wife does not have to work and they get hired help for the baby and the home when they need it. They own an apartment in Manhattan and they own a summer house in upstate New York. In short, they have a very good life.

My girlfriend told me the other day how much her friend complains about things where before she married her husband, she was just a simple person who was quite content with her life. I think her husband is a very controlling person and that has a lot to do with her complaints, however, she is rich and can have anything she wants, but this is proof that money doesn't equal happiness.

I told this story because I believe that being rich doesn't necessarily mean having a lot of money, it is about who you are and how much you enjoy life inside and out.

I see a lot of guilt factor with the rich,and I think this too is something that goes along with the territory,and that is why I agree with your theory about how rich people feel that God loves them more. It helps to ease their deep seated guilt which many times doesn't show on the surface.

Scott

Not only do I not believe that money equals happiness, I'm reasonably certain that too much money always equals unhappiness. Too much money causes paranoia, and feelings of, "They don't really like me, they're after my money." As my friend who worked for Steven Spielberg for twelve years has said, the only time you'll ever see him smile is in a photograph. Otherwise, he's the glummest guy in Hollywood. So being the most successful director in Hollywood, actually the whole world, isn't an assurance of happiness, either. I have an old friend who is very wealthy (inherited), and his disdain for the poor is overwhelming. He seriously believes that the minimum wage law should be rescinded because it's against the free market. If a product is only worthwhile if the workers get one dollar an hour, then that's what they should get. I've tried to get it across to him that you can't live on minimum wage, let alone a dollar an hour, and he doesn't care. The free market is everything, and everyone else can just die of starvation to keep it free. That one half of one percent controls most of the wealth in this country I find deeply disturbing.

Josh

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

Josh,

On a lark I rented a collection of "George of the Jungle" cartoons for my four-year old. He nearly lost his spleen from laughing and so did I. One great thing about having kids is that you get to revisit a lot of those old cartoons and enjoy them without guilt.

On the subject of people being in it for themselves, I would have to say that my experience doesn't back that up generally. I know a fair number of rich people and, while there are certainly a good number of total asses among them (as among the less well-to-do that I know), most of them are genuine, caring, incredibly hard-working and generous people. Maybe it's because I live in the Midwest. I doubt it, though. I do believe that "Hollywood" likely has an inordinate number of asses but that is because, as you say, the competition for every inch is so intense.

I do have a movie question for you; I was watching "Buck Privates" with my two sons the other day and was struck again by the songs. Particularly "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" and "You're A Lucky Fellow, Mr. Smith". Do you know if those songs were written for that movie? I do believe they had the same composer, and both were hits for the Andrews Sisters. Patty is still alive, by the way, or was the last time I checked.

One final thought to commemorate Bob Hope's one-hundreth birthday. I mentioned to you a long time ago that I thought that he, Hope, and Bruce Campbell share similar timings and deliveries. I was rereading some of Hope's books ("I Owe Russia $1200") and it struck me that Hope and Campbell even have similar writing styles. For what it's worth, I think any comparison to Hope is a compliment.

Great technical questions lately. Thanks as always.

John

"Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" was written for "Buck Privates," music by Hugh Prince, lyrics by Don Raye, and was nominated for Best Song. I always thought Bob Hope was a great stand-up comic, and the best host of the Oscars so far, but I never much cared for his films. He's shemping too much for my tastes.

Josh

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

Scott writes:

"I thought "Spirited Away" was a great animated film that did not explain every little thing to kids like many of the Disney and most contemporary animated films do. It leaves much to the imagination while not insulting kid's intelligence and adults as well."

Yup. Miazaki is one of the few real geniuses around, in terms of Anime.

"I have a response for Saul and his comments on people. I feel that it is unfortunate that he has such a negative perception of people. Granted everyone must look out for themselves and the basic instinct of any human is survival, however, I do not feel that all humans are entirely out for themselves."

Well, my POV came about from hard personal experience. What can I say? I'm EXTREMELY cynical. (shrug)

"I feel sorry for people like Saul who have such a negative outlook on people. I am fortunate that I have a family who actually does care!"

I don't mean the following as an insult-but I don't need your sympathy. Frankly, my POV isn't that unique. I'm just one more moron who's got an axe to grind. Big deal. I'll just have to get in line with everyone else who bitches about life. There are people FAR worse off than me.

"I think Americans have this angst more than many countries. My girlfriend is from Brazil which is a very poor country in many respects. She is the most giving and selfless person I have ever met. Brazilian's outlook on life is much more shiny and simple and that says a lot about Americans who complain about the dumbest shit."

Some people *do* complain about dumb shit. Some people, however, have legitimate gripes about things happening in their lives.

"The problem I have with Saul's comments is that if he has kids or decides to have kids, he will perpetuate this attitude and myth to them and that is a miserable way to be."

> Myth, huh? If you say so. I'll guess we'll have to agree to disagree on that one. I seriously doubt I'm going to get married-much less have kids. The world is too screwy, IMNSHO. Frankly, I think that people who have kids are either brave or naive. But that's just me.

Josh, another question:

Regarding people you know who've published books and made films, which experience have they found more bearable? I hesitate to use the word "pleasant", because I'm aware that there are cut-throats in the publishing business as well. BTW-what's the status on your book?

I'm currently finishing up DANGEROUS VISIONS, the collection of different writers' works put together by Harlan Ellison. BRILLIANT book. I've also started reading THE COMPLETE BOOK OF SCRIPTWRITING by J. Michael Straczynski. I've read a few articles written by Mr.Straczynski, and I appreciate his straight-forwardness. What little I've read of this book is pretty good.

Take care.

Saul

I daresay I'm in the cynical boat with you, Saul. I think that most people are idiots, are only looking out for themselves, and will screw anyone at the drop of a hat if they think they're infringing on their little lifestyle. Most people, it seems to me, go through their whole lives paying close attention to almost nothing. Meanwhile, Scott may well have a sweet girlfriend from Brazil, but I spent a week in Sao Paulo and, as a group, I'd say the Brazilians are the most obnoxious assholes I've ever met, and it was the worst-run festival I've ever been to. The sons of bitches didn't even pick me up at the airport, the ATMs don't recognize American money cards, nor was the currency exchange open, so I had to hitchhike into town, and Sao Paulo is the third-largest city in the world. Swell welcome. And they weren't the slightest bit sorry, either. And most everyone I've ever dealt with in the film industry has been a moronic, uneducated, self-centered asshole.

Regarding my books, no luck yet. I'm still rewriting the second one, but the literary agent I've got in NY is as bad as all the agents I've had in LA. She won't call, she won't tell me what's she's doing, nor will she read my stuff. Perhaps publishing is an easier business than film, but in both cases you need an agent to function, and all agents are worthless idiots.

Josh

Name: Pam Tapia
E-mail: tappam@aol.com

Dear Josh:

Who played Stemboat Annie with Wallace Berry?

Steamboat Annie was played by the wonderful Marie Dressler in the film "Min and Bill," for which she won an Oscar. Marie Dressler starred in the very first comedy feature film in 1915, "Tillie's Punctured Romance," which co-starred Charlie Chaplin not playing his tramp character. Dressler has the great last line of "Dinner at Eight," where Jean Harlow says she's just read a book -- Dressler does a brilliant double-take and misses a step--and Harlow says that she read in the book that someday machines will take over all the jobs of humans. Marie Dressler looks Jean Harlow up and down and says, "My dear, you have nothing to worry about."

Josh

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

Josh,

I loved "Kimba the White Lion". That was my favorite cartoon as a kid too!

I thought "Spirited Away" was a great animated film that did not explain every little thing to kids like many of the Disney and most contemporary animated films do. It leaves much to the imagination while not insulting kid's intelligence and adults as well.

I have a response for Saul and his comments on people. I feel that it is unfortunate that he has such a negative perception of people. Granted everyone must look out for themselves and the basic instinct of any human is survival, however, I do not feel that all humans are entirely out for themselves.

I do believe we all make decisions based on our better interests, however, everyone's interests are not the same (Thank God), and that is not a bad thing.

The problems occur when you have an imbalance in the way a person wants to achieve their better interests. A good example of this is the Bush administration's attack on Iraq and the subsequent aftermath.

I live in New York which has many "Me" people living in it, however, it also has a great many depressed people as well and much of that stems from being so self-absorbed that you loose any kind of compassion for the outside world because you become so focused on yourself.

It becomes a vicious cycle that is hard to break in such a place like this and people spend thousands of dollars on "shrinks" here for nothing. Hollywood is actually worse.

I feel sorry for people like Saul who have such a negative outlook on people. I am fortunate that I have a family who actually does care!

I think Americans have this angst more than many countries. My girlfriend is from Brazil which is a very poor country in many respects. She is the most giving and selfless person I have ever met.

Brazilian's outlook on life is much more shiny and simple and that says a lot about Americans who complain about the dumbest shit.

The problem I have with Saul's comments is that if he has kids or decides to have kids, he will perpetuate this attitude and myth to them and that is a miserable way to be.

Scott

Here's my theory: rich people don't like poor people and successful people don't like unsuccessful people. The rich and the successful don't like to be reminded that they too could still be poor and unsuccessful some day. Although they'd never ever admit it, the rich and the successful deep-down believe that God likes them better than the poor, that they're better people, and therefore they really do deserve to live better than everyone else. It's just my theory, mind you, but I'm sticking with it.

Josh

Thanks, I'm fine. I think the first incorrect assumption many people are making is that it can't be that hard to get a low-end film job. In reality, there are probably a lot more people vying for the low-end jobs then the jobs higher up the ladder. That's why they can be so damn picky about who they hire as PAs, because many people want the jobs. When I had my office for five years people used to walk in all the time asking for a job, and when I asked what they did, they'd reply, "I'll do anything." Well, that's completely useless. If I didn't have a category under which to save their info, like FX or casting or actor, they got shitcanned. If someone can't even go to the trouble of deciding what their own interests are, I'm certainly not going to do it for them. When my good buddy Gary Jones wandered into my office in 1984 and said, "I do special effects," I hired him on the spot.

Josh

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

Dear Josh:

Just to add to Katya & Josh's conversation:

Kayta wrote:

"If it's so hard to get into the biz, and people in it are there becausethey themselves got a break, why aren't more people in the biz trying to help young, budding talent that's struggling as they once were? How can one lose perspective so quickly and not sympathize with a fellow artist?"

Josh responds:

"Hollywood is the place where the favorite expression is, "There's nothing better than seeing your best friend fail." It may have to do with killing any possible competition, but it's really a cut-throat, back-stabbing business. Hollywood makes about 200 pictures a year and you've got about a million people vying for them. 10% of all the guild members make 90% of the money, leaving 10% of the money for the other 90% to split. Them's the breaks, that's just how it is."

Just to add to what Josh wrote:

As much as I hate to say this: most people don't give a shit about anyone but themselves. It's a harsh, cynical POV, but unfortunately, also very true. Many people could care less if you fail or not, and even those that do care about you are oftentimes too caught up in their own problems to really be able to offer much help-if at all. And that INCLUDES family and friends.

Life oftentimes is like someone putting a gun to your head and ordering you to build a house-except the foundation is quicksand, and the tools you have to build the house are a rock and twig. And you're forced to work with what you've got.

Hollywood, from what I've heard, is no different. Josh's experiences only reaffirm my feelings on this.

Speaking of disappointment in Hollywood, I want to touch on an old sore point of mine: animation. I've always been pissed off that animation in the United States has been looked upon as primarily an art form meant for kids. I find that to be highly insulting.

Japanese animation-when it was decent, back in the 1980s-often tackled more mature themes and didn't shy away from serious, adult drama. The Japanese didn't limit animation to just kiddie fare. Sadly, I'm less than impressed with the stuff I'm seeing out of Japan nowadays.

In the U.S., if animation is geared towards adults, it's comedy.

BTW-just a comment on Hercules & Xena: The Animated Movie-this film, IMO, was one of THE worst pieces of shit I've seen, insofar as cartoons go. A friend of mine picked this film up, and showed it to me. I watched about 20 minutes of it. The story was standard kiddie fare, but the animation was horrid. It looked like the character designs were thrown together in 3 minutes. The animation was flat, dull, and uninspiring. I knew not to expect much, but this was far worse than even I had envisioned.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings for now. What's your take on animation?
Have a good one.

Saul

It amuses me when other people get as pissed off as I always seem to be. Regarding animation, it once was my very favorite thing in the whole world. When I was a little kid I thought cartoons were the greatest thing on God's green earth. I learned to tell time when I was four or five so I could get up early enough to not miss any of the cartoons. My favorites from early on were all the Warner Brothers characters, Bugs, Daffy, Foghorn Leghorn, and the Fleischer Brothers cartoons, Popeye, Betty Boop, and Superman. I also really loved "Rocky & Bullwinkle" and all of the cartoons within it, like Fractured Fairytales, Peabody & Sherman, and Aesop & Son. My very favorite cartoon as a little kid, and it remains one of my favorites still, is Disney's "The Old Mill," which won the Best Cartoon Oscar in 1937 (before it was called Animated Short Subject). There was also a guy named Rudolph Ising who made wonderful cartoons for MGM in the 1930s. As far as anime goes, I liked "Kimba the White Lion."

Josh

I've never heard of either.

Josh

Be as optimistic as you'd like, but don't believe for a second that because Hollywood makes bullshit like "Legally Blonde 2" it improves anyones chances of getting into the business, nor does it mean that the dumb schmuck that made that films gets to stay in the business. If ability, knowledge, and experience aren't the perequisites for getting to make feature films, then it's entirely based on who you know and who's ass you're kissing. That's not a better system. Scorsese's comments are obviously in regard to once you're already making the films.

Josh

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

Dear Josh,

I wanted to let Keith know that I have a good friend in her early twenties who lives in London and she comes form a well connected family, however, it was still difficult for her to break into the business.

She is interested in post and she has done audio work, but she wants to become an editor. She grew up with Terry Gilliam's daughter and her parents live down the street from him. She always knows someone who knows someone, yet she still has to work from the ground up like everyone else.

At the moment, she is working as an assistant chef to make ends meet and explore something else she enjoys until she gives the post thing a go again.

My point is that I agree with Josh that it is very difficult to get work in the film business and knowing people is the best thing, however, it doesn't meant that you will get the position you want in the beginning, but nothing is certain in this business ever.

I too had my fair share of job jobs when I was trying to break into the business, however, I was lucky because I started out as a freelance camera assistant in Detroit, but I did not get a whole lot of work, so I did a great deal of video Jobs, gripping, audio, and wore many different hats.

After shooting for awhile, I settled into editing. I love photography and I love shooting films, but editing was a better job to making a living for me and chose to do that. I feeel lucky to even be an editor, since many people try to get in, but never do.

In my own experience, the main thing that people want form you on this end is they want you to be everything: Fast, effecient, and have a good eye. etc..

NYC is different than Hollywood because people here actually care how good you are with your skill, however, Hollywood is a different beast and it doesn't give a shit where you went to school in this business, it is who you know, and in Hollywood, it is how good you are at marketing and schmoozing.

Lastly, my best advice to Keith would be to find a skill that you semi-enjoy in or out of the business and this can help you earn some money while you try to get to where you want to be.

Good Luck,
Scott

As Jerry Seinfeld said the other night in an interview, when asked what he thought of the new generation of comedians, he said there wasn't one. There aren't many young comedians, and the ones that are there aren't funny. He said we now live in the "American Idol" age, where kids say, "I'm seventeen, Goddamnit, I've waited long enough!" When I was seventeen I thought the same thing, I moved to Hollywood and thought I'd take it by storm. Slow dissolve to me working in a delicatessen. But what I did is I began to write seriously, mainly because it was a thing I could do and develop without anyone else's permission. Ultimately, though, if you're not driven like hell to be a filmmaker you shouldn't go into it. It's certainly not an alternative to the lottery, although your chances are about as good. As Stanislavski said, "Don't see yourself in the art; see the art in yourself."

Josh

Name: Katya
E-mail: WildKat174@aol.com

Dear Josh:

Everyone says it's so hard to get into the business and people in the business claim they had to catch a big break to get where they are. So my question is this: If it's so hard to get into the biz, and people in it are there because they themselves got a break, why aren't more people in the biz trying to help young, budding talent that's struggling as they once were? How can one lose perspective so quickly and not sympathize with a fellow artist?

Hollywood is the place where the favorite expression is, "There's nothing better than seeing your best friend fail." It may have to do with killing any possible competition, but it's really a cut-throat, back-stabbing business. Hollywood makes about 200 pictures a year and you've got about a million people vying for them. 10% of all the guild members make 90% of the money, leaving 10% of the money for the other 90% to split. Them's the breaks, that's just how it is.

Josh

Name: April
E-mail: apalila@juno.com

Hey,

Thanks for writing that postscript. I'm Rick's neice and it was fun to hear his voice again.

April

What postscript? I'm sorry, but I can't remember what you're referring to.

Josh

Name: Keith
E-mail: KeithRobinson@krobin.freeisp.co.uk

Dear Josh,

Thanks for the advice, I think your right about getting PA work that you really need to get recommended for the job by someone. Ive handed out about 50 cv's and not heard a thing. I havent stopped trying though. I think London is in an economic slump at the moment which coincided with the end of the tax year in april. Ive applied to every film co.,photographic centre, video post/weddings co. and cinema in my area of the country and cant get any work. Not in the history of my unemployments has this happend... Last year i got 3 interviews in a couple of weeks..Must be an alignment of the stars or something. Carbon arc? Boy that must have been an old cinema. Ive only been in the game since 98 and ive always used xenons with platter systems, no reel changes I couldnt imagine changing reels 12 times during Lord OTRings, phew! way too much work, that would interupt with me putting my feet up and writing my scripts...still, i did have 13 screens to run around after. What type of films did y

Oh yeah, i had a gay chief projectionist once.Didnt have your problem though, he liked younger boys..till he came to work drunk once.After that i got his job!

To my great consternation, the only films running while I was projectionist that this theater were Russian ballet films shot off a stage in Moscow. I'm not much of a ballet fan so it was very difficult remembering where the reel-changes were. Anyway, the job only lasted about a month. This was in 1976.

Josh

Name: Keith
E-mail: KeithRobinson@krobin.freeisp.co.uk

Dear Josh,

Just a quick ramble really, what do directors (independant ones that is) do when their not (trying) to make films? I suppose everyone else out there can throw in their 6 cents worth on this one.. Just wondering cos Ive read that you've been a PA and gained lots of experience on commercial shoots etc.. although ultimately you said it sucked. At present, Ive sent my Cv to nearly every single film co. in London and have not heard back zip. This is the 3rd or 4th time in my life that ive applied for PA work and ive never gotten anything. The only thing Ive gotten into is working in local cinemas as a projectionist and now chief projectionist. You ever done that? The pays crap and the hours suck. Ive driven trucks, stacked shelves, worked in factories...is it easy to get PA work in America? I could just be thick, either that or the lack of any (film) business in my pathetic small country (England) might be why even a job as a PA is something which seems out of a lot of peoples r

It's not easy getting a film-related job anywhere. As I related in my essay, I got my first PA job through Bruce Campbell who had a full-time position with a production company. From there we were both hired by another production company, whom we then worked for many times over the next several years. Once I was working regularly as a PA, word got around that I was actually good at the job and I got hired by other companies that would call me. I quit working as a PA in Detroit and moved out to LA, where I vowed to never work as a PA. After a few years I reneged on that vow and began working as a PA again. Once again, it was almost exclusively for an old friend who had become a producer who specialized mainly in music-oriented shoots, so that's how ended up working on Sting's concert film and Mariah Carey's first video, as well as a bunch of other things. But initially anyway, it was always based on who I knew, not what I knew. What you need to do is befriend someone at a production company. Yes, I worked as a projectionist for a while, at a revival theater in LA. It had the old Simplex, carbon-arc projectors and you had to make change-overs every twenty minutes. I kind of enjoyed the job, until the old man that owned the theater came onto me and I quit.

Josh

Name: Michael Newman
E-mail: tn1321@worldnet.att.net

Dear Josh:

I was wondering if you could possibly tell me or give me some site links that could tell me about some the special effects that you used in Pearl Harbor for a special effects project that I am doing. If you could do that for me it would mean a lot. Thankyou

That I used? In "Pearl Harbor"? Well, I decided to stick mainly with clay animation because I think it's so realistic, although I did occasionally intercut the animation with puppets. Although you were probably fooled, all of the sailors were actually marionettes.

Josh

Name: Ed
E-mail: ----

Dear Josh,

I saw your film " Running Time " some time ago and enjoyed it very much. I was wondering if you are planning to collaborate with Bruce Campbell on any film in the future?

Ed

Bruce and I enjoy working together very much, and we'd both like to make more films together, but there's no plans or financing to make another picture.

Josh

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

Dear Josh:

Wow, the big old Auricon! That is taking me back too.. They get the job done! The bulit in bonus with those cameras is they can double for a lunch table on the set! I used a Mitchell a few times as well.

Scott

I really liked the fact that you could just plug the Auricon into the wall, with a big fat plug like a vacuum cleaner. I've used a Mitchell many times, although mainly for shooting special effects plates. I used one on "Lunatics," as well as on the first "Hercules" TV movies. They sound like meat-grinders, but the image is rock-steady. Given my druthers, however, I really do like Arriflex cameras the best. The 16mm and 35mm SRs are just great cameras.

Josh

Name: adrian schafgans
E-mail: diversac@pacbell.net

Dear Josh:

It's not the drums it's the drummer it's not the camera it's the cameraman so on and so forth.I feel the director can make something out of not much! It takes a real desire to do it and you will find the answeres .I started out on a auricon with outdated film in the 60's Some of my better stuff was done in those years.The key is to enjoy the process.

I completely agree, and I don't believe I've ever intimated anything different. I do believe, however, that a director can't do much with a bad script. But generally a director has to want a script to be any good before it gets good. If a director accepts a inept script, then they are an inept director. I began shooting with a giant old Auricon, too.

Josh

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

Josh,

I do have the answer to your drop frame/ non-drop frame question. This is a confusing one to most people in this business, including myself and mainly when I was working as a camera assistant and DP.

Now that I have been editing for a living for about 6 years, I feel I can answer the question properly. It is really an anomaly

First, I must say that it is the silliest thing and it is Primarily due to our NTSC system. Without getting too technical, anything you have mastered to a video tape with time code which is going to be 5 minutes long or over to the frame and broadcast on televison, you must use Drop Frame time code or the length of your program will be incorrect in real time.

Confused? I thought so. Now the technical stuff!

Basically, when we changed from a black and white signal to a color signal with television in America, we added a colorburst signal which screwed everything up with regards to the frame rate and quality of our signal. Our system is broadcast at 30fps at 60hz and has less scan lines than PAL which runs at 25fps at 50hz.

How does this all relate to timecode? Well, since the added colorburst signal in America forces our system to run at 60hz and 30fps it throws the time code generator off. Therefore, if .3 frames are not dropped every second while running at 30fps your program will not have an accurate timecode reading in real time after about 5 minutes. That is why some film cameras have a speed option which is 29.97fps. This is actually the accurate frame rate for NTSC color broadcast television , isnce it is dropping the .3 frames needed to be in sync with the drop frame rate of time code.

Don't be frightened if you are shooting for televsion and your camera doesn't run 29.97fps or 30fps, since this can be taken care of in film transfer. However, if you have the option and you are going to shoot for strictly televison with a film camera, you should run the camera at 29.97 and adjust your exposure accordingly which usually varies about 2/3 to 1/4 stop. it is quite slight.

Also, remember, if you want something to be broadcast with the use of time code, always use drop frame time code while editing and mastering anything 5 minutes and over to cover yourself.

Here is some added info about video formats
PAL is the European standard system for video. Actually, only the US and Japan have the NTSC standard. PAL has 625 scan lines which make up the signal you see on your monitor or televsion. NTSC has 525. HDTV has 1025 and runs at 24fps progressive scan. Notice too how much closer PAL's frame rate is (25fps) to what the standard film projecting speed is in the theatres and when you are shooting film.

This is one of the reasons Europeans do not have the Drop Frame/Non-Drop frame issue, and that is because they did not use the extra colorburst signal when transfering to a color television which is mainly due to the fact that their electrical current standard is 220v/50hz and ours is 110v/ and the colorburst signal runs at 60hz.

PAL video is actually much better quality than NTSC and that is due to the extra scan lines and the frame rate.

There is a joke amongst film and video professionals in Europe and America which is that NTSC stands for "Never The Same Color".

I have done projects with PAL which originated in both film and video and PAL's colors are far superior to our NTSC standard, however, this will all change someday when and if HDTV becomes the standard for home and broadcast.

I hope this helps!

Scott

I knew you were the one to answer this question. Now even I understand, and it's obviously a confusing issue. All of the daily transfers of Her and Xena in New Zealand were all PAL and all looked clearly and obviously better than NTSC. Thanks for the info.

Josh

Name: D. Huffman
E-mail: L5g@hotmail.com

Dear Josh:

As far as editing terminology goes, what is a drop frame? And in what circumstances have I seen it used in?

That's a good confusing question that I can't honestly answer. It relates directly to video editing, and I've been getting 3/4 inch tapes with stickers on them saying "Drop Frame" or "Non-Drop Frame" for thirty years, but I can't explain the difference. Perhaps Scott, the editor, could field this question and fill us all in.

Josh

Name: Patricia Dee
E-mail: PatrciaForHomes@aol.com

Dear Josh:

Who was the first pianist to receive a star on the hollywood walk of fame? Was it Richard Williams?

Beats me.

Josh

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

Josh,

I just wanted to add my Two cents to Eric. The benefit of getting the High Speed SR-2 is that it has a PL mount for the lenses which means that you be able to rent Some nice Zeiss Lenses and use them with that camera. The PL mount Zeiss lenses are much better and have far better glass than the standard Arri lenses, so you should ask whoever you are renting from if the lenses you can rent with the SR-2 High Speed PL mount are Zeiss primes?

If the prime lenses are too much for your budget, you can also rent the Zeiss 10-100 zoom lense which is a very good lense that will cover you. If you choose to rent the other standard SR-2, ask to see if you can rent a set of Zeiss prime lenses and get the Arri to PL mount adaptor, so you can use them.

Scott

You don't have to get Arri lenses for the regular SR2, you can get the Zeiss Super Speed lenses. And you are very correct in suggesting that he get Zeiss lenses, if possible, which I think are much more important than a high-speed motor or a variable shutter. The one time I shot without Zeiss lenses, on my last film, "Hammer," where I used Panavision lenses, I noticed the difference and didn't like it.

Josh

Name: Tony Mitchell
E-mail: mitch_2209@hotmail.com

Hi Josh,

I saw the original "Thomas Crown Affair" on the weekend and was interested to know what you thought about Steve McQueen as an actor. I read that he not only demanded equal billing with Paul Newman in "Towering Inferno" but he also demanded (and got) the exact same number of lines as him in the script.
As an aside, if they made a similar film today (with a whole host of big-name actors) do you think they could do it? Personally, I think they'd struggle.
Cheers,
Tony

I think Steve McQueen was great. It didn't have a huge range, but he was terrific within his range, and was a true movie star. What's the difference between something like "Towering Inferno" and the remake of "Ocean's Eleven"? If you have a big, all-star cast, it just means that most the actors get to work less days and no one has to take full responsibility for the film. And it's not like those mid-70s disaster films were all that good anyway. In "Towering Inferno" the characters don't have names, just professions. In one scene in an elevator McQueen and Newman talk and things like, "Now listen, Architect. When will you guys stop making buildings so tall?" "Now you listen, Fireman, we make them the way people want them." As for "The Thomas Crown Affair," it was never one of my favorites, but it's better than the remake.

Josh

Name: Eric
E-mail:
Dear Josh,

What is the difference in quality between:

1. Arriflex SR-3 16mm Camera ($300/day) - Arriglow, Variable Shutter 5-75 FPS

2. Arriflex 16 SR-2 High Speed Camera ($250/day) - 5-150 FPS PL Mount

3. Arriflex SR-2 16mm Camera ($225/day) - Built-in Speed Control

What is the difference between the two SR-2's and what makes the SR-3 better than the both of them?

Sincerely,

Eric

The Arri-SR3 has the variable shutter, which you can attach to a laptop computer and change while shooting. This is how you achieve the look of "Saving Private Ryan" and "Three Kings," with that slightly blurry, trailing effect, which is already overused and a cliche. The SR2 High-Speed has the high-speed motor for running extreme slow-motion. The regular SR2 has the regular motor that will only run up to (I'm guessing here) 72 fps, which is plenty slow. I say go for the cheapest one and get more lenses. A bigger selection of prime lenses is more important than a variable shutter or a high-speed motor, in my opinion.

Josh

Name: Jay
E-mail:

How are you Josh?

My question has to do with selecting a film stock for 16mm. Since the budget doesn't call for a month long shoot, more like 2 weeks, I would like to do as much natural lighting as possible. However, the filming will take place half inside and half out. I've looked into different film stocks and was wondering what you would recommend for some forgiving stocks since we'll be moving fast. What would you recommend for outside during the day/night? Inside, what would you recommend using with tungsten based lightbulbs in practicals and inside during the day with sunlight?

Any help would be appreciated,

Jay

I'd recommend 500 ASA stock for inside, and possibly 200 ASA or 100 ASA for outside. I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but if you want your film to look any good you'll have to do more lighting than you've suggested. The best-looking films are really the ones with the most lighting, and the most thought put into the lighting. You do not achieve a good-looking film by not lighting. To get a decent look in motion pictures you need to begin your lighting by raising the basic exposure in the whole room, and this is done with bounced fill light, usually achieved by shining a light away from the action into a white card, then you choose the specific spots to highlight.

Josh

Name: Joe
E-mail:

Hey Josh,

What is your opinion on getting insurance on film stock and the processing of it in case it's damaged? I'm not sure the exact name of this type of insurance. Do you think this is worth it? Also, do you know if it's outrageously expensive?

Thanks,

Joe

I think it would be expensive, but I don't know for sure since I've never had it. Just getting standard insurance coverage -- equipment damage, injury, worker's comp -- on a film shoot has always been expensive enough for me. You have to have that much insurance because otherwise no one will rent you equipment. I think what you're referring to is only on high-budget expensive movies. It's probably cheaper to reshoot something that didn't turn out, than have that insurance.

Josh

Name: tony hicks
E-mail:

Dear Josh:

i can see why you dont like sequils and prequils with all the crap that has came out over the last 2 years

but i really like x-men and x-men 2 it might be because im a comic book fan but i think they were good movies, and x2 is not really a sequil seeing how it picks up right where the first one left off

what do you think

and what did you think of spider man

Dear Tony:

Why is it not a sequel if it picks up right where the first one left off? That's the standard approach to a sequel, just like, say, "Rocky 2," which picks up immediately after the fight that ends "Rocky." But I particularly can't stand movies based on comic books, and that's all you're talking about. I don't like any of them, whether it's Superman, Spiderman, Batman, Bugman, or Shitman. It's all shit, man.

Josh