Reading the introduction, I felt like a complete idiot---Leitch sounds right up my alley in every possible way, yet I'd never heard of him. "At least this is the stupidest you will feel while reading the article," I consoled myself.
Then your interview with Leitch started, and - look, Altman lost me around POPEYE. So I'm maybe not as deeply conversant in his '90s stuff as some might be.
But.
I had not realized that "Short Cuts" and "The Player" were two different movies.
I've never seen either, so I just kind of thought "The Player" was this movie made up of 22 short vignettes where Hollywood people are players. People would mention "The Player", I'd think, "Oh, right, that inspired a Simpsons." People would mention "Short Cuts", I'd think, "I should see that, I love stories about Hollywood player types." "So why did you think people were calling this one movie by two different titles?" I don't know, I never put that much thought into it. Or, evidently, any.
Anyway, great piece. Thanks for introducing me to an author I'm sure I'm going to love and also to what are apparently two different Robert Altman movies. I'll get around to watching them as soon as I catch up on that one movie he made about army doctors in Nashville.
The American Cinematheque did a screening of a beautiful 70mm print of SHORT CUTS last July followed by a Q&A moderated by Larry Karaszewski and featuring actors Anne Archer, Andie MacDowell, and Madeleine Stowe and Robert Altman’s son and camera operator Robert Reed Altman. I took some photos.
The still of Tom Waits and Lily Tomlin reminded me of my favorite moment in Short Cuts: the two of them cackling as they stand in the doorway of the mobile home when the earthquake hits.
Seeing them falling so hard off the wagon but also enjoying each others' company for the first time in the movie raises an issue: Is this a happy ending? Sure, he's at least a hopeless drunk but, at least for now, they're having a good time.
I think we're also supposed to keep in mind that they are unaware that she has not, in fact, averted a tragedy. (Though I think it's a little ambiguous how much difference such knowledge would make to Waits's character.)
My personal subtitle to this is, "Or, When My Substacks Collide".
Anyways, pardoning my inane aside, good interview. Used my Netflix DVD service to rent Short Cuts and see it for the first time a couple years ago and was really impressed. Everyone is so young! Shockingly little vanity amongst really strong, up-and-coming actors! Chris Penn could play quiet, desperate notes, not just comic anger and buffoonery! (That last one... I don't mean to be so harsh on the dead, but formerly, aside from Reservoir Dogs, I had not thought much of him acting-wise)
Reading the introduction, I felt like a complete idiot---Leitch sounds right up my alley in every possible way, yet I'd never heard of him. "At least this is the stupidest you will feel while reading the article," I consoled myself.
Then your interview with Leitch started, and - look, Altman lost me around POPEYE. So I'm maybe not as deeply conversant in his '90s stuff as some might be.
But.
I had not realized that "Short Cuts" and "The Player" were two different movies.
I've never seen either, so I just kind of thought "The Player" was this movie made up of 22 short vignettes where Hollywood people are players. People would mention "The Player", I'd think, "Oh, right, that inspired a Simpsons." People would mention "Short Cuts", I'd think, "I should see that, I love stories about Hollywood player types." "So why did you think people were calling this one movie by two different titles?" I don't know, I never put that much thought into it. Or, evidently, any.
Anyway, great piece. Thanks for introducing me to an author I'm sure I'm going to love and also to what are apparently two different Robert Altman movies. I'll get around to watching them as soon as I catch up on that one movie he made about army doctors in Nashville.
The American Cinematheque did a screening of a beautiful 70mm print of SHORT CUTS last July followed by a Q&A moderated by Larry Karaszewski and featuring actors Anne Archer, Andie MacDowell, and Madeleine Stowe and Robert Altman’s son and camera operator Robert Reed Altman. I took some photos.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CgJUVsZODPm/?igshid=MTI1ZDU5ODQ3Yw==
The still of Tom Waits and Lily Tomlin reminded me of my favorite moment in Short Cuts: the two of them cackling as they stand in the doorway of the mobile home when the earthquake hits.
Seeing them falling so hard off the wagon but also enjoying each others' company for the first time in the movie raises an issue: Is this a happy ending? Sure, he's at least a hopeless drunk but, at least for now, they're having a good time.
I think we're also supposed to keep in mind that they are unaware that she has not, in fact, averted a tragedy. (Though I think it's a little ambiguous how much difference such knowledge would make to Waits's character.)
I cannot believe Short Cuts isn't streaming
My personal subtitle to this is, "Or, When My Substacks Collide".
Anyways, pardoning my inane aside, good interview. Used my Netflix DVD service to rent Short Cuts and see it for the first time a couple years ago and was really impressed. Everyone is so young! Shockingly little vanity amongst really strong, up-and-coming actors! Chris Penn could play quiet, desperate notes, not just comic anger and buffoonery! (That last one... I don't mean to be so harsh on the dead, but formerly, aside from Reservoir Dogs, I had not thought much of him acting-wise)