Indy Lovely? (RESPONSE TO THIS ARTICLE) (SEND A LETTER)
Lee: Dude, come the hell down. He did say that it will be the
best one yet on that very same AP press report, but you somehow ‘forgot’ to
mention that. So just chill and don’t try to bring everyone else down with you.
Nick: That’s true. He did say that the Prequels would be the best Star Wars films yet. I should have known to believe him. Also, did you mean ‘calm’ when you said ‘come’? That’s gotten me into some trouble with the wife in the past. Oh, and don’t startr sentences with the word ‘dude’. Hurts your cause.
Illusionist/Prestige. (RESPONSE TO THIS ARTICLE) (SEND A LETTER)
Steven: Hey Nick! Love
Chud…every day visitor for almost 8 years now. Your work for the site
has always been a highlight…it has been weird not having you as a constant
voice in recent months. Just read your Best Of List for 2006 and I
agree 14 out of 15. First, thank you so much for giving Hostel and The Fountain
the credit they deserve. Hostel for being one of the best horror movies
in a long time and the Fountain for being one of the best movies of all time.
However, there is one huge issue I take with the list…You put the Illusionist
in your top 15 and didn’t even mention the Prestige? Come on, man!
The Illusionist was slow and meandering with dialog that drifted between great
and laughably bad with having the single most under-developed love story since
Episode II.
The Prestige was one of the most original stories I can ever recall
seeing…full of more wit, life, and energy than most other 5 movies. I
understand why the Fountain bombed…it was just too metaphorical for average
audiences. But the Prestige should have brought home the bacon. I
saw it three times in the theater and each time the audience was completely
into it. You could feel the love in the room, so to speak. If by
some crazy chance you did not see it…I am about to spoil it so just disregard
this e-mail.
Unlike most movies who build up toward a big twist near the end…the Prestige
actually improves upon repeat viewings because suddenly Christian Bale’s
characters become the heroes and it become utterly fascinating to watch the
brothers switch out. Plus, it had David Bowie as Nicola Tesla and I
didn’t even realize it was Bowie the first time I watched it. Doesn’t it
deserve at least a little love?
Nick: The Prestige did make my honorable mentions list, to be fair. I think it had much more in the way of potential, opportunities, resources, and clout but still it felt like a missed opportunity in a lot of ways for me. It should have been way better. But, I’m just one guy with his own little opinion. I appreciate your continued patronage.
Roth Me! (SEND A LETTER)
Jersocute: Hello! I’m not sure if i
have the right department concerning the above heading.I am writing concerning
an interview that was published on CHUD.com concerning Eli Roth’s newest soon
to be released film,HOSTEL PART 2.I am a big fan of director Eli Roth’s two
films,and would like very much to contact him to ask if he would be willing to
autograph a couple movie posters i have from my collection.I would pay for the
return shipping of the posters back,for his convenience as well.I called
Lionsgate films to inquire as to an address or other to contact Mr.Roth,but
they were no use.If you have the ability to do so,would you please contact
Mr.Roth concerning this inquirey? An email address so i might email him
directly would be GREATLY appreciated.But,if that is impossible,then i would
understand.Would you please then,kindly forward this email to Mr.Roth and allow
him the opportunity to respond to this request? Thank you for your time and
invalueable assistance.Have a wonderful new year!
Nick: Why not try to contact him here? For future reference, I’d like to think than any self respecting website wouldn’t hand over private info like this to readers. Seems a little out of line.
Blood, Oil, and Irritated. (RESPONSE TO THIS ARTICLE) (SEND A LETTER)
Student of History: Hello, Nick: Just wanted to make the comment that Tom
Fuchs’ review of the excellent historical documentary, "Blood and
Oil," was quite disappointing. He seems to miss the point of the program:
an introduction to the extremely complex world of military operations and
political gamesmanship in the Middle East during and after World War I. In this
regard, the writer/producer did an excellent job in condensing the story into a
coherent narrative of less than two hours.
It sounds like Mr.
Fuchs didn’t like history in high school and still doesn’t. He faults the
program for not being the ultimate in documentaries of the investigative genre,
when all it’s trying to do is educate people who know very little about Middle
Eastern history.
The reviewer seems
more focused on his own sarcastic wit than in writing a balanced review. Some
of his comments are downright offensive, such as "for people who love the
shit out of historical documentaries but don’t have the ears to hear it,"
when commenting about English subtitles.
Mr. Fuchs is
obviously impressed by his own wit, but needs to work on his reviewing
abilities. Perhaps he thought the program had too much information because he
had a hard time processing it, or wasn’t interested to begin with. In any event,
his review of "Blood and Oil" was pretty "Fuched Up." Try
finding someone with more talent and less ego. -Student of History
Nick: So, what was it like making Blood and Oil?
Cardinals & Grizzlies. (RESPONSE TO THIS ARTICLE)(SEND A LETTER)
Kevin: Come on man. You didn’t feel even a smidgen of
retributive satisfaction when the Braves shut the door on Houston’s post-season
hopes in the final series of the regular season? After what those
assholes did to us the year previous in the NLDS? I thought it was down
right magical. On a related note, can we agree that Joey Devine will never
be good? And Eckstein is a cretin. Off topic, what’s the status on
Grizzly Park? Does Werner Herzog catch a hatchet to the skull? Now
THERE’S an investment. Thanks for the continued entertainment.
Nick: It didn’t make me much happier. I was more concerned with the Yankees at that point, since the Braves had taken a big shit on themselves all season long. I think Joey Devine is going to blow people away in 2007. His stuff is there, and now his head and health seems to be there. I bet some fantasy owners will be picking him up by the All-Star Break next season. As for Grizzly Park, the film is a blast (MySpace Page) and currently going through its sound FX editing at Warner Bros. as I type this. Then is off to color timing and a few tweaks and it’s ready for battle. One of my bands’ songs has a prominent role in it, which is totally astonishing and cool for me. I didn’t have anything to do with the decision, either. If you like old school, CGI-less horror comedies, you may love this little flick. One thing is certain, if you don’t already love Glenn Morshower you will after this.
The Good Nephew. (SEND A LETTER)
Hugh: James Angleton was my uncle. I grew up with the man and knew him, sporadically, until his death. His so-called
"paranoia" was spin created by his detractors in the Agency. He was
intractable in his belief that one or more moles still existed in highly
sensitive positions in the intelligence community. If Eric Roth did his research he would know that this was later proved true years after
his cover was blown in a disgraceful episode deliberately manufactured
by those who wanted him out of the Agency. I even met the ex-agent who was instructed to leak my uncle’s true identity to the Times.
Heard it straight from him.
Nick:
I bet that was an intereting childhood, hearing the thing from his perspective. I still think the film was quite good, though I suppose I could see where you’re coming from. I have uncles who are paranoid, but only because they are being followed. Have you considered writing a book or an open letter to Variety or Robert Deniro or possibly walking over to Washington and punching the CIA?
The CHUD Curse. (SEND A LETTER)
Caleb: I’ve been a regular reader of the site for years now.
I love you guys, well…Devin gets on my nerves from time to time but I’m very
happy that you are back on the beat, but please…please…PLEASE…
…do something to abolish the CHUD curse. Everytime
you guys throw all of your support behind a movie it crashes and burns. I
really wanted The Fountain, an amazing piece of film, to do well and, after
seeing the numbers for this past weekend, it has completely fallen off the map.
Please, the next time that you guys have a really, really
good feeling about a movie, just stick a little article about it somewhere
where few people can see it.
Nick: How’s the CHUD Curse when it comes to United 93? Talladega Nights? Beerfest (check the box office)? Pan’s Labyrinth? Even the films we champion end up being beloved on home video. Hellboy. Equilibrium. Super Troopers. The Accused. There ain’t no CHUD curse, baby.
Dilemma. (SEND A LETTER)
Tom: A few months ago, due
to the total lack of competence of a Circuit City data entryist, I was able to
score the Complete West Wing for $50. This is where you come in: I’m aware of
your Sorkinlust, but can you convince me to break the seal and savor the Good
within and not return the unopened package to a Best Buy for store credit for
the future purchasing of criterion collection releases and hirsute landshark
pornography? Cheap TV Gold or $100 dollar profit? Eh? Oh well.
Nick:
I can’t in good faith tell you to not make the profit. I don’t condone ripping folks or businesses off, but if they fuck up the gloves are off. That said, it’s a lovely set (our review).
The Fountain. (SEND A LETTER)
Abel: One of the greatest movies of all time. Ahead of our
time but actually perfect in opening the door to a new refreshing cinema.
With cg the way it is the possibilities are endless. Imagine it and it
can be so. This was an amazing film I just watched it for the second time
today. It is understandable that people didnt like it cuz change is scary
no one wanted to go to color in the begining now a new narrative is
possible. Your right 5 years from now this film will be deemed the first
of a whole slew of complex films delving into our true spiritual nature.
Anyway its good to see someone who has a vision of the future.
Nick: You, me, and many more will be able to oneday scorn the people who don’t realize how good this film is until it dawns on them in five, ten, or one-hundred years. Of course, then we’ll have to scorn them from the safety of our own cosmic bubble.