Merle Writes:
I was listening to the
older CHUD Radio shows (again) and I have to tell you – the one in which you
interviewed John Rogers is my favorite. I think it may be fun to bring him back for another interview.
The last time he was one was when he was making the Core. He was not only entertaining, but extremely well informed.
See if you can get the
man on the line for a podcast. He’s a hoot 🙂
Nick Replies: I’d love to Have John on for a variety of reasons, not the least of which being the fact I haven’t spoken to him in a couple of years. The guys a champion and his Blog is a must read. I’ll see if he’s up for it. Also, just a head’s up… your name is Merle.
Justin Writes:
Hey guys- love the site, I check it a couple times daily,
and pimp it to all my friends and enemies.
So I noticed the Cusack quote up by the date there, and
wondered… is anyone going to review 1408? I really liked it, but wanted to
know what your opinion was so I can update mine accordingly. Just kidding. But
seriously.
Also, some of the quotes you put up there are pretty
obscure, and though I like to think that i’m a movie geek, I don’t know where
the majority come from. Any way you could let us know the movie/character from
whence the quote originates?
keep the up the good work!
Nick Replies: We reviewed it on the last podcast. We loved it too!
GI Writes:
Just letting you know that I have recently become a
Reformed Ocean’s Twelve Naysayer. I disliked it in theaters for reasons you
seem to understand in your review, but have just recently given it two more
chances, though it only needed one.
And the thing is, I think the further letdown of Ocean’s
Thirteen lead me to see Twelve again. Maybe now more people will rediscover the
first sequel and appreciate it more. Or maybe I just need an Ocean’s Fourteen
to appreciate Ocean’s Thirteen, and so on.
Nick Replies: I hope that’s the case. There can never be enough Ocean movies as far as I’m concerned. As it stands I like the 2nd, the 3rd, and then the 1st in order of love. There’s not a mediocre one in the lot though.
Alan Writes:
To Mark Wheaton,
I, too, was in the Love
Andy Jones camp.
I go back with Andy
about 15 years to when he interned at EW. He used to tell me he looked up to me
because I was also fat, black and gay…and only Andy could get away with that
as a compliment. Besides, I used to tell him, I wasn’t really fat!
I always loved how Andy
had a built in bull shit detector (which explained why many people didn’t like
him, this being Hollywood and land of bull shit) but to me, he was always a
fun, madcap, insightful and loving guy. Your obituary captured him perfectly,
and while I surely would have preferred to read something about him landing
another great job, I know he would have been touched, as I was, at such a great
write up.
Nick Replies: I too had a few run-ins with Andy and the the thing I always will remember is his smile. He seemed to smile with his whole body. Steve Murphy reminded me of an interesting night involving Andy. Mark "SJR" Wheaton was kind enough to invite me to see a movie about a year before it hit theaters. Jeepers Creepers. At director Victor Salva’s house. Me, Garth from Dark Horizons, Steve Murphy, Andy Jones, and if I remember correctly; Bryan Singer, Dave Parker, Tom DeSanto, and a few others. It was an interesting night and Andy was on my left giggling up a storm and totally protecting us boring folks from the crazier in the bunch. He was a good chap. I didn’t let him have my hotel room either that year he was asking around, but he was a good chap.
Doug Writes:
is the sewer subteriania section not working? the link
doesnt take me anywhere… I also was wondering if a film I submitted was ever
seen… Nancy Ray Smiggen’s…
Nick Replies: Jason’s got a new installment that’ll be up by the time most folks pull in to work on Friday. So, it works! It works!
Jeff Writes:
Writer and CHUD reader
Neil might be amused to know that famed American author J.D. Salinger
once referred to the asterisk as an "aesthetic evil". Actually,
the complete quote (taken from a footnote by the narrator in Zooey) reads:
The aesthetic evil of a footnote seems
in order just here, I’m afraid.
Salinger’s body of work is peppered with long paragraphs,
excessive commas, parentheses and asterisks and I’m not sure that in
hindsight many have described his writing as "lazy" because of
the appearances of said literary devices.
Other writers have
taken it even further than Salinger. Nicholson Baker’s great post-modern
novel The Mezzanine
has footnotes so prolific that there are many pages where the footnotes are
longer and take up more space than the story text on the page.
Baker uses the footnotes to put the reader in the protagonist’s head, to show
his thought processes. We all know that thought processes are rarely, if
ever, linear.
This is one of the
reasons why I appreciate CHUD and its writers. The articles often feel
like a dialog with its readers. Sure, there are forums for actual dialog
on the site with the Steady Leak and the message boards, but I think
that’s merely the pay off. Instead of giving the usual, or old
standard, movie reviews where the reviewer just skeets or spits all over a film
(I’m looking at you AICN), CHUD writers use asides, "outside thoughts, facts, comments,
whatever" to make the articles a seemingly personable dialog,
where all isn’t necessarily black or white – with plenty of room for
discussion or re-interpretation.
It may seem small
and nitpick-y to take up either side of this argument, but I believe it’s a
part of the formula that produces the charm of this site. It’s
refreshing to read a review of art and culture where the reviewer’s
point-of-view is taken into account, instead of the usual and absurd
"I’m 100% objective" stance taken by most critics.
I’ll close with another
Salinger quotation, from Seymour:
An Introduction:
I privately say to you, old friend (unto you, really, I’m
afraid), please accept from me this unpretentious bouquet of very
early-blooming parentheses: ( ( ( ( ) ) ) )
Nick Replies: I have no problem with asterisks. I’ve used them from time to time and I think the boys are having fun with it. It’s like anything else, half will dig it and half will scratch their balding, useless heads.
William Writes:
My name is William Fike.
I have written a memoir titled Monster Park. I was used in the Balco
Investigation up here in San Francisco for three years by the investigation
team to collect their salaries etc. The did not know it, but I was
investigating them at the same time and wrote an as yet published memoir. Its
about my life with anecdotes from the past and the racist and homophobic nature
of the investigation. To complicate this story, I thought of Oprah as the first
candidate to send the manuscript. I realized after doing the research Oprah and
I had met each other in 1972 at a speech tournament at TN State. I sent her the
memoir in a huge bouquet of flowers and she returned it citing her attorney
advised not to read it/She had the Manuscript for 65 days.
I had posted
manuscript of the web (dumb I know) and Lance Williams (Game of Shadows and
Jailed for not revealing his sources called me to discuss it) This would be
October 2006
When news of my
manuscript and its contents made its way to the streets they fired all the
investigators tailing me. It wasn’t long before Fortress Global started tailing
me using the cast of the Zodiac. I saw on Oprah this company is owned by
Hollywood folks and used to check peoples credibility etc. This lasted for
three months until I attended the premier of the Zodiac and ID several of the people.
Fast forward to SF film
festival. Spielberg shows up on my block which is only 3 blocks from the Castro
theater where he and Lucas will be. He makes that sign at me as though he is
framing a movie shot as I drove by in my truck and then begins following me
around in vans and helicopters. The trial is yet to begin and they may be
making a documentary. No direct contact.
I am a very observant
person, I had to be to survive three years of the harassment. Several of the
Balco Investigators were involved in making porn and had lost a piece of
real-estate to me in a bid on its sale. They wanted it to run an escort service
and produce movies from it. These same people were cops and had volunteered to
be on a joint terrorism task force. They had also lost to me on the real estate
deal and set about trying to get the property back through use of the Patriot
act and making false reports etc.
On a day and I guess to
demonstrate his ideas Spielberg sent a number of movie stars driving by me
in their cars. Their is a great deal of following in cars by the investigators.
Meryl Streep drove by in a gold SL and stops and looks into her rearview
mirror. She would play my mother. Robin Williams drives by and smiles. Queen
latifah and then he has some of the Fortress global people that were around me
drive by and mugg as though they would be closing shots during the credits.
Like old actors and actress forgotten given a small part as followers or
watchers …Maybe the watchmen is my movie????
I am also as incredulous
and confused by the details I have shared with you. I do not understand it and
also recognize you may think I am making this up… I am not. Its all true. If
you know anything or can provide any insight other than go see a
Psychiatrist…it would be helpful
Nick Replies: What the fuck is happening? Did I just step into Rod Serling’s panties?