@hce1
@immatthewj Elephant may bowl you over; it’s gripping. Snowpiercer is a rollercoaster ride, a genre in which I think Bong Joon Ho excels. Get out the popcorn and hold on. I haven’t seen American dreamer, but I’m a big fan of Matt Dillon. And, I, too, am a current Peacock subscriber. I’ll throw it into negotiations with my wife.
Elephant is now on top of my short list. It will be happening this week I am pretty sure. As far as Matt Dillon, Haunted Heart (2024) actually has Matt Dillon as a main star of the movie, and it seems to be sort of intended to be a bit of an intense psychological thriller, but after watching American Dreamer (2022) last night, with Matt Dillon in a supporting role as Peter Dinklage’s (with Shirley Mac Laine as a costar) real estate agent, I thought that Dillon was better in the latter. American Dreamer is a bit of a dark comedy, and imo this was Matt Dillon at his best (even in a supporting role) with his vocal inflections and the way he would annunciate certain words and the facial expressions (grimaces and such) that he would put on when he delivered his lines in excellent form. (Danny Glover also had a smaller supporting role as a private detective that Matt Dillon arranged for Peter Dinklage, and he was quite good as well. There were many laugh out loud moments in this one.)
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Yes, @thecarpathian , Baldwin had (what I believe was a single action type of) a revolver chambered in .45 Long Colt (which is not a round to be sneezed at, although not as powerful as a .44 magnum) and blanks and live rounds would have fired interchangeably out of that. I am not at all familiar with the make that they stated that the revolver was.
Another example of what I was attempting to explain would be the rifles that the Honor Guards typically use at military funerals. Not that I go to that many, the last one was my dad’s almost ten years ago to the day, but at my Dad’s, the Guard was using M1 Garands (which are semi-automatic) for the three-volley salute, and after each volley they had to manually re-cock their rifles prior to the next volley. Meaning that their Garands had never been modified to fire blanks in a semi-auto mode, but had they been firing live rounds at my Dad’s funeral (almost surprised they were not, considering the nature of that town) they could have fired their volleys in a semi-auto mode without manually re-cocking.
Anyway, I am glad that the explanation I attempted worked for you, as I frequently struggle converting my mechanical understandings into words. Just a couple of more "fun facts" if you are interested--on the subject of the .45 LC and the .44 mag, a .44 mag will drop right into the cylinder of a .45 LC (but not vice versa). I only know this because I have tried it with mine, and it would PROBABLY discharge, but I would never try to actually fire a .44 mag out of a .45 LC because I am about 99.9% positive that the .45 LC frame would NEVER withstand the pressure.
And back to semiautomatic rifles and rifles that are not semiautos (such as a manually operated bolt action), given that explanation I attempted a few posts ago, if you were to take one of each with a barrel of identical length firing an identical load, the semiauto (the "gas gun") would have a somewhat lower muzzle velocity (although I do not know the actual specs) than the bolt action, because a percentage of the expanding gas (and I don’t know the actual percentage) is bled off to work the action of the semiautomatic. Although with that typed, back maybe 13 or 14 years ago when I was spending a lot of time at the range, I would frequently run into this guy I liked who practically lived there. One of his (many) guns was an AR10 chambered in .308, and the last time I talked to him he told me he had gone from being able to hit eggs at 600 yards with it to golf balls! I guess I sounded a bit skeptical, because he said, "I never said that I was hitting them with EVERY shot, Matt." But a gun that would do that is a pretty good shooting gun regardless of whether a "gas gun" or not. And I suppose it is possible that maybe he was making those shots--after all, guns were his thing and maybe his only thing and he had an EXTREMELY nice scope and he worked up his own loads.
The last "fun fact" I’ll throw out is about the loads. Understanding what I was attempting to explain about the expanding gas pushing the bullet down the barrel, for every given load there is an ideal barrel length. As with a barrel that is shorter than ideal for a given load, the bullet will exit the muzzle while the gas behind it is still expanding and energy will be unused and wasted. While with a barrel that is too long for a given load, the bullet will be still traveling down the barrel after the gas behind it has ceased expanding, and now the barrel is acting as a drag on the bullet. So the barrel with a chambered cartridge is basically like a calibrated open-ended pipe bomb, and in the case of a semiauto, some of the energy is designed to be bled off to make the gun fire without being MANUALLY re-cocked between shots.
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Just thought of something, it was a revolver so that negates the need for any modification as the cylinder turns mechanically.
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@immatthewj , ah! Thank you for that information. It makes perfect sense and I stand corrected. Didn’t think of that, and I love learning something new!
Now the question: If the gun was modified to fire blanks, how did it manage to fire a live round without a problem??
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Actually, a blank is a fully functioning cartridge without the bullet.
What most people refer to as ’bullets’-aren’t. That is just the little projectile that comes out of the gun. What goes into a gun is called a cartridge. It consists of 4 parts- the casing, the primer, the powder, and the projectile (bullet). A blank consists of 3 out of the four so it sounds and acts identically to a full cartridge without discharging a projectile.
@thecarpathian , this is what I was trying to describe to @gano a few hours ago when he and I were discussing negligent discharges on movie sets and war re-enactments/thanks to google:
https://thegunzone.com/how-to-modify-a-semi-auto-to-shoot-blanks/
"Dedicated Blank Firing Adapter (BFA): A BFA is crucial for reliable cycling. This device attaches to the muzzle of the firearm and constricts the gas pressure, providing the necessary backpressure for the bolt to cycle properly. BFAs are usually designed to be caliber specific and readily identifiable. Using the incorrect BFA can cause damage to the firearm or create a dangerous situation."
And evidently "backpressure" was an okay descriptor. From what I read on the site where I just found this, there are a few other ways to modify a barrel or muzzle in order to fire blanks in a semi-automatic mode, but the one above was the one I was thinking about at the time. But the thing is, with all of the methods, a live round (meaning one with a bullet attached to the neck of a cartridge) fired through a barrel modified as such, would absolutely have to result in a catastrophic barrel failure. I think it would be pretty nasty.
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@thecarpathian
Want to know another reason to not like Florida? Know what’s the only paperwork required to buy a pistol from a private individual down there? Money. That’s it. No background check, no government paperwork, no registering it, nothing.
Fl is not the only state like that. Tn as well, or at least I know it used to be.
Even crazier? They just did away with requiring a concealed/carry permit. That’s right! No safety class to pass,
Again, this is not only in Fl. In Vt no CCW is required. (But Vt does require a FFL for private handgun sales.) In Pa no classes are required, but one does have to pass the same background check required to purchase a handgun. That and $20 and you are good for five years.
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What goes into a gun is called a cartridge. It consists of 4 parts- the casing, the primer, the powder, and the projectile (bullet). A blank consists of 3 out of the four so it sounds and acts identically to a full cartridge without discharging a projectile.
Well, @thecarpathian , as I attempted to explain a couple of posts ago (and probably butchered the explanation), a blank does NOT act exactly identical to a live round when used in a semi-automatic. A semi-auto requires back pressure on the expelling gas (gas produced by the ignition and combustion within the cartridge) and the bullet in front of the expelling gas is what creates that back pressure; without that back pressure, ALL the gas will simply expel out the muzzle in lieu of returning back to operate the semi automatic action. Hence, the modification needed at the muzzle in order to fire blanks in a semi-auto mode versus re-cocking between shots fired. (Manual re-cocking can be done, but then you are no longer operating in semi-auto.) The same would hold true for a semiauto handgun operating in blowback--without backpressure the fired cartridge would not be pushed back and the handgun would have to be racked manually in order eject the spent round and to fire the follow up shot. One of my semi-auto hand guns is basically junk, and I have to rack it manually after each shot, because, for whatever reason, what is supposed to be going on in there with the blow back is not working as per what I just attempted to explain.)
I think that may be a clearer explanation than my last one. And "backpressure" is generally an automotive exhaust term, and I don’t know if the gun guys use it, but off the cuff it was what I could think of for explanation purposes. I know how different mechanical things work, but sadly, I am often challenged when trying to use words to describe. I often draw pictures instead.
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. . . going back to the differences between a direct impingement AR and an AK variant (a "piston gun"), that is why the DI AR is considered a "dirtier" firing gun. Possibly one of the reasons that in the early days of the AR, they had a rep for being a bit unreliable. However, that has all been worked out, and the DI AR is an extremely efficient platform, and quite a few years ago, they started making piston ARs. However, all of my (ARs) are DIs. From what I have read, there were other reasons that the early ARs were unreliable, and part of the reason was the government insisted on using a round for that weapon system that was not compatible with the way the system operated best.
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Actually, a blank is a fully functioning cartridge without the bullet.
But you see, @thecarpathian , what the action of a semi or a full auto requires to function is the gases from the combustion within the cartridge portion of the round routed back into the bolt. On a direct impinged AR15, for example, the path of the exhaust gas is through an orifice in the barrel that runs directly above the rifled portion of the barrel. Versus, for another example, the AK47, which routes the gas into a cylinder directly above the barrel where it drives a piston that operates the action. (A M1A also has a smaller cylinder with a piston that is located below the barrel.) And then, of course, you have the blowback principle where the force exerted on the cartridge portion of the round pushes it (the cartridge) back, and that is what racks the action and leaves it ready for another shot. This is common with handguns.
So what this means, is if the bullet is not traveling down the barrel IN FRONT OF THE GAS (as in a blank), the gas has no reason to route back and recock the action after firing the first shot as the gas is simply expelled out the muzzle (and obviously NOT back into the action). That doesn’t mean a semi auto cannot fire blanks, but as opposed to operating in the semi auto mode, but it needs to be manually recocked after each shot. Hence, a modification (some type of obstruction) needs to be made to the muzzle so the gas will be routed back where it needs to go. BUT, if a live round happened to be introduced to that scenario, I would think that the result would be a catastrophic barrel failure.
I will point out that although I own several semi autos, I do not and never have fired blanks out of my semis or my firearms that are not semiautos, nor do I have any desire to fire blanks, so what I know about this is from what I have read on gun forums. However, if you understand how a semi-automatic functions, and you think about it, that does make sense. If that explanation up above does not make sense, I’ll try again, just let me know. No sarcasm intended.
@gano , have you seen American Dreamer (2022)? Matt Dillon has a major supporting role, and he kills it. Excellent.
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@gano , because I believe in safe and responsible gun ownership. That begins with knowing everything you can about them and the responsibility that comes with it. Want to know another reason to not like Florida? Know what’s the only paperwork required to buy a pistol from a private individual down there? Money. That’s it. No background check, no government paperwork, no registering it, nothing. If you’ve got the cash, you get the gun. Even crazier? They just did away with requiring a concealed/carry permit. That’s right! No safety class to pass, just strap that loaded thing on and go! So, any yahoo with absolutely no idea about firearms can legally carry around a loaded gun. They passed that right before they started banning books. That state is a hot, steaming mess.
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@immatthewj Elephant may bowl you over; it’s gripping. Snowpiercer is a rollercoaster ride, a genre in which I think Bong Joon Ho excels. Get out the popcorn and hold on. I haven’t seen American dreamer, but I’m a big fan of Matt Dillon. And, I, too, am a current Peacock subscriber. I’ll throw it into negotiations with my wife.
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@thecarpathian oh boy why do you know sooo much about guns? 
and yes it was HUGE negligence
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"I believe when they shoot blanks out of something in semi or full auto, they have to use special devices fitted to the muzzle which directs the muzzle gases backwards to work the action of the firearm. (I think that’s how it works, anyway.) "
Actually, a blank is a fully functioning cartridge without the bullet.
What most people refer to as ’bullets’-aren’t. That is just the little projectile that comes out of the gun. What goes into a gun is called a cartridge. It consists of 4 parts- the casing, the primer, the powder, and the projectile (bullet). A blank consists of 3 out of the four so it sounds and acts identically to a full cartridge without discharging a projectile. That whole Rust debacle was just pure stupidity and negligence.
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@hce1 , I did some scrolling on my TV and I can get Snowpiercer for free (Tubi) but I am generally not a huge fan of the futuristic stuff. But I may give it a whirl anyway, when the time is right. I am going to watch the trailer after I finish this.
However, I did watch the trailer for Elephant, and that looks to be a fascinating movie. (It looks to be coincidentally appropriate considering the ongoing discussion at the moment and the current events unfolding as I type.) Unfortunately, I guess I will have to buy it for $9.99 as it is not accessible as a rental. But it looks good enough that I may go that route anyway, even though I am generally opposed to that on principle. But 10 bucks won’t break the bank, and there are rentals that go for that much.
Since I am on a Matt Dillon kick at the moment, I am kind of planning on watching American Dreamer (2022) tonight, as I can get it on Peacock which I am presently subscribed to and just haven’t got around to unsubscribing from yet.
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@gano
3. when someone requests a gun, they have to hand it over to someone who looks at the magazine. Preferably 2 people, one after another. Then s/he can hand it back to the actor
Well, theoretically I believe that would be the job of the armorer, who, in this case, was Hannah Gutierrez Reed. And I believe she took the fall.
4. why can’t they use fake guns?
I am about as tech-retarded as one can be, but I would assume that in this day and age of quite advanced AI, that something like that could be done and a shooting scene could be made to be quite realistic thanks to the magic of technology. But I truly don’t understand that tech stuff.
Back when I was an airline mechanic I once worked in a shop where there were some guys with what I thought were some pretty wacked out ideologies. Which is the polite way of referring to the subject. Anyway, they were into Civil War re-enactments, and one of them was telling me about one where someone slipped in some live ammo. I don’t remember all the details, or even if it was a local re-enactment, but I said, "Good thing it wasn’t a Vietnam War re-enactment," which this guy didn’t think was as humorous as I did.
But that brings me to the movie Heat which you once mentioned you really enjoyed. How about that last full-auto shoot-em-up scene? I really don’t know what kind of special effects and graphics went into that, but just think if it was done with real guns and blanks (which maybe it wasn’t) and someone slipped in a 30 round mag loaded with live rounds into one of those ARs . . . wow. Anyway, I suppose that scenario isn’t actually viable, as without getting too esoteric, I believe when they shoot blanks out of something in semi or full auto, they have to use special devices fitted to the muzzle which directs the muzzle gases backwards to work the action of the firearm. (I think that’s how it works, anyway.) So although the intention is not safety, it would work out as such. Except for the operator of the particular firearm involved, in whose case it might be catastrophic.
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@immathewj
he was an actor on a movie set where actors routinely are pointing guns at one another
That's a valid point. But if I were on the set in charge of safety, here is what I would do:
1. lock the guns
2. lock (NOT HAVE) live ammo
3. when someone requests a gun, they have to hand it over to someone who looks at the magazine. Preferably 2 people, one after another. Then s/he can hand it back to the actor
4. why can't they use fake guns?
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Well, possibly so, @gano , and there is no point in us going circular, but as I previously typed, he was an actor on a movie set where actors routinely are pointing guns at one another. (I suspect that these actors are basically taking it for granted that the guns they are being supplied with are not loaded with live rounds.) However, I realize that they were not rolling at the time and that Ms. Hutchins was not an actress on the set, and perhaps that bears consideration as well.
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@immatthewj I can't argue about guns, here or anywhere, I am anti-gun. If Baldwin thought it's fun to point the gun at someone and pull the trigger, he was well aware of the 0.001% (being generous) that the gun could go off with a bullet. Which is a reason not to play with gun and when you do, you take responsibility. He should have been convicted. He killed a person, a mother, a wife for no good reason other than recklessness. I believe it's a charge category, involuntary manslaughter which is even more unintentional than pointing a gun at someone and pulling the trigger, such as a vehicle accident.
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Baldwin was both producer and star, and why on Earth was live ammo even anywhere near the set??!!
In my mind, @thecarpathian , this is the six-million-dollar question.
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Baldwin was the producer of the film.
Yes, and I thought of that after I posted that reply. As well as being an actor on the movie set, he was also one of the producers. So I guess that needs consideration as well. If your kid is playing with another kid in your house and they come across a loaded firearm in the house and one kid shoots the other kid, as the homeowner and firearm owner I imagine that you are going to be in trouble. So considering that, I suppose an analogy could be made between Baldwin and the negligent homeowner.
But maybe that comparison is apples to oranges.
Regardless, he was also an actor in the movie. And actors are all the time pointing weapons at each other as part of the various scripts. So if an actor is handed a firearm loaded with live ammunition and someone gets hit, who's to blame? The actor or whoever loaded the firearm with live rounds and handed it off?
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Baldwin was both producer and star, and why on Earth was live ammo even anywhere near the set??!!
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immatthewj
... as far as Rust: Alec Baldwin was an actor on a movie set and someone handed him a loaded revolver ...
Baldwin was the producer of the film.
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@hce1 , welcome to the movie club within the audio club!
Gus Van Zant: Drugstore Cowboys and Good Will Hunting were mentioned above, and I second those recs. Also excellent: To Die For (written by Buck Henry, with stunning performances by Nicole Kidman, Joachim Phoenix, Matt Dillon), Paranoid Park, Elephant, Milk, Finding Forrester
Although I don't pay enough attention to directorial credits I like some of your movie choices and there are a couple I am not familiar with (Paranoid Park, Elephant) but I'll do some googling and if they look interesting enough, I'll check 'on demand.' I remember being mesmerized by Drugstore Cowboys not only because I like Matt Dillon, but also because, in my misguided youth, a few years before it came out, I had known someone who acted as a middleman for someone else (who I never met) who specialized in the Drugstore Cowboy thing. Although I think it was a short career.
And coincidentally, quite recently I watched The Trials Of Pamela Smart.
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. . . I missed this, @gano
I have no doubt Spector was "crazy". I don’t know if he was a decent human being before his decline/bipolar diagnosis, but being mean is not a crime. He should not have had a gun. (and I could go on about who else should not have a gun, and have my comment deleted)
but you are correct, he should not have had a gun, let alone as many has he did have. There is a BATF form (I just googled it and it is 4473) that has to be filled out and then a background check completed prior to successful purchase from a FFL dealer, and some of the questions that have to be answered correctly regard use of certain drugs, PFAs, felonies, and psych diagnoses. For some of these questions, there is a record that would come up on the background check, and for others, the honor system applies. I suspect a psych diagnosis might meet the latter criteria due to laws related to medical records and privacy. And then of course, there is always the straw purchase option. Someone with Spector's money and influence could have probably easily have paid someone to make the purchases for him. A lot of ways to get around it, which does mean that a lot of people that own guns shouldn't be allowed to.
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@gano , I am glad you got back to me on both of these:
I do not have a strong feeling whether he was innocent or not. I think putting a loaded gun in someone’s mouth is risky enough to warrant a conviction. It’s kind of like Baldwin and rust, you cannot play with a loaded gun, and call it an accident if t goes off.
well, if the movie is accurate, Spector’s defense contended that Lana Clarkson put Spector’s .38 in her mouth, which alarmed him to the extent that he yelled out at her, which startled her to the extent that she jerked her pistol hand out and the front sight caught on her upper front teeth but her trigger finger kept going back, hence, the handgun discharged. That is how the film portrayed his legal defense anyway. The defense as depicted by the film also brought into question the lack of blood spatter on Phil Spector, who, if he had actually stuck the pistol in Ms. Clarkson’s mouth, would have been in very close proximity.
But with all that typed: it was only a film maker’s representation, and I believe in the opening sequence it stated something to the effect that it was not intended to be an accurate representation. Or something to that effect. And I will also allude to that interview I mentioned earlier (I wish I could remember who it was with) and the person being interviewed saying that Spector’s behavior with firearms was, to say the least, bizarre and unsafe, and tragedy was just a matter of time. So I don’t know. As I typed a few times in this thread, I loved the movie and what Pacino did with his role. And didn’t Rebecca Pidgeon to a beautiful cover of Spanish Harlem?
I was going to get back to you about Rust as well, particularly after you typed that you had just watched Phil Spector. I remember you made a reference to Alec Baldwin and Rust several posts ago, and I have an opinion on that subject as well (surprise). I actually like guns and am quite familiar with them. I suppose I am what one might refer to as "a well armed liberal." (It’s not a political thing with me--when I was growing up in Montana, all my friends had firearms and so did I, and I still have an appreciation for them and still enjoy going to the range. I don’t hunt anymore, and I never will again, and now I wish I never had, but that’s another subject and I am not going to get into it any time soon.)
So as far as Rust: Alec Baldwin was an actor on a movie set and someone handed him a loaded revolver. I don’t know this for sure, but I don’t think Baldwin had much familiarity at all with guns (of any kind) and I think he probably just saw them as nothing more than authentic looking toys that are used as props to make movies with. And I would think that this probably holds true for a lot of actors that make movies where firearms are an integral part of the script. And a negligent discharge occurred that resulted in a lethal and tragic accident. I do not know how live ammunition would have got on a movie set where the script probably involved actors without firearm training pointing operational firearms at each other, but (and I am stating this objectively and NOT to defend Baldwin) that is where I think the real culpability lies. And I do not know that this completely absolves Baldwin or not in my mind. I don’t know if firearms familiarization and safety training for all actors who handle guns in a given movie is a production requirement or not--I am thinking it is not, but I guess maybe it should be. When I was in my early teens I had to take a hunter’s safety class, and one of the first rules was something to the effect of treating every gun as if it was loaded and not to point a gun at anything that you did not want to "destroy" (I believe "destroy" is the updated language that is now used), and these are good rules, but if they adhered to them on movie sets, it would certainly effect the quality of movies, and imo, not for the better. Maybe they should only be allowed to use firearms that have been disabled, as in no firing pin or the chamber modified/blocked in some manner that would prevent a round from being chambered, although that would also prevent them from firing blanks at each other. And, even if they went that route, if live rounds could make it on a set, who is to say an operational firearm couldn’t make it as well, even though prohibited?
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@slaw
"Iceman" is darker.
This may have been why I didn’t finish it. I like dark, but I think Iceman out-darked me. Another one I cannot watch anymore is Casualties Of War (1989) because it depresses me so badly.
Love Bill Murray. He’s great along with Melissa McCarthy in..."St Vincent"
I have been a big fan of Bill Murray since the early days of SNL. I remember way back thinking that The Razor’s Edge (1984) seemed to be a bit out of character for him. Scrooged (1988) is an X-mas classic in my mind, and the films Mad Dog And Glory (1993) and Kingpin (1996) would not have been nearly as good as they were without him.
But my very favorite movie with Bill Murray in it was Rushmore (1998) with Jason Scwartzman and a pretty good supporting cast and a good soundtrack. It made me literally laugh out loud several times, but beyond that, it was deeply layered with themes and characters. IMO it was a magnificent movie and Bill Murray was at his best in it. I am pretty sure that I listed it earlier in this thread as one of my all time favorites. I actually cannot say enough good about that one.
A while back ago I did rent St. Vincent (2014) and I may have to see if I can get it (for free next time) again, as for some reason I do not remember much about it. I do not remember McCarthy’s role (which is bad on me, because she is generally fantastic), but I do remember Naomi watts and I also seem to remember a nursing home being in part of the story.
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@immatthewj
David Aaron Baker played Alan Jackson
that is just fascinating .
I thought Al Pacino was spot on and flawless for Spector. When I learned that he killed a woman I was conflicted about listening to his music. I felt I should have refused to but I have loved his body of work since I was a teenager.
I do not have a strong feeling whether he was innocent or not. I think putting a loaded gun in someone’s mouth is risky enough to warrant a conviction. It’s kind of like Baldwin and rust, you cannot play with a loaded gun, and call it an accident if t goes off. Falling off the first vs the 20th floor can be both accidents but with very different consequences which is why we behave differently in those two situations.
I have no doubt Spector was "crazy". I don’t know if he was a decent human being before his decline/bipolar diagnosis, but being mean is not a crime. He should not have had a gun. (and I could go on about who else should not have a gun, and have my comment deleted)
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Watched "BlacKkKlansman" by Spike Lee for my first time .
Thought it had relevant commentary regarding our current administration.
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I arrived late to this conversation, but I’m really glad I found it. Thanks to all who took time to share your faves! The list of recommended films I haven’t seen is looong and will, I predict, provide for many hours of movie watching joy. And, it is great to have been reminded of old favorites I now want to see again.
Here are a few directors I love and didn’t see mentioned above:
Bela Tarr: especially Satantango and The Werkmeister Harmonies (if you’re a reader, I strongly recommend the books upon which these films are based, both by Laszlo Krasznahorkai: The Melancholy of Resistance and Satantango)
Hal Hartley: especially The Unbelievable Truth, Trust, Simple Men, and Henry Fool
John Waters: Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, Polyester, Hairspray, Cry-baby (where I first saw Johnny Depp sing and play guitar)
Atom Egoyan: someone mentioned The Sweet Hereafter above, which I enjoyed thoroughly. Also of note: Exotica, Calendar, Speaking Parts, and Ararat
Gus Van Zant: Drugstore Cowboys and Good Will Hunting were mentioned above, and I second those recs. Also excellent: To Die For (written by Buck Henry, with stunning performances by Nicole Kidman, Joachim Phoenix, Matt Dillon), Paranoid Park, Elephant, Milk, Finding Forrester
David Mamet movies, especially State and Main, House of Games, Heist, and The Winslow Boy
Bong Joon Ho: Parasite, The Host, Snowpiercer
Akira Kurosawa: Seven Samurai was mentioned above, and several others also are essential: Rashomon, Ran, Yojimbo, Red Beard; my two favorites are Ikiru and Dersu Usala
Majid Majidi movies, especially Children of Heaven (one of the most moving and profound I’ve ever seen) and The Color of Paradise
Yasujiro Ozu: Early Spring is, to me, his masterpiece. I especially recommend everything he did after 1940
Jan Svankmajer: I’m a huge fan of the Czech new wave, but I’ll mention only one here; it is one of my very favorites and funny as hell: Little Otik.
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Love Bill Murray. He’s great along with Melissa McCarthy in..."St Vincent"
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And David Aaron Baker played Alan Jackson. What a turn-about of casting that would be. Out of curiosity, @gano , what did you think of Al Pacino as Phil Spector? I truly enjoyed his performance, but I have noted that we don’t always agree when it comes to actors and movies.
As far as the whole Phil Spector thing, I came away from that movie thinking he may well have been factually innocent. Later on down the road, on public radio, I was listening to an interview with someone about Phil Spector, and this person was talking about how well known it was that Spector liked to pull out guns and point them at people, and it was just a matter of time before one went off. Who knows. But if all one had to go on was the movie, I thought that a compelling defense was presented (which assumed the hammer was back and front sight caught on teeth causing finger to depress trigger, and lack of blood spatter). However, forming opinions and judgements on solely the basis of a movie would be a mistake. Unless it was a very good movie, such as the one we were working on.
As far as Haunted Heart, I won’t throw any spoilers out (except to say that there is a twist), but if you appreciate Matt Dillon's acting, you will enjoy this one. And speaking of Matt Dillon, how about Wild Things(1998)? I don’t think that it has been mentioned yet on this thread, but that was another movie I found to be truly enjoyable with a great cast. Bill Murray has added something good to almost every movie I have seen him in.
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@immatthewj I watched Phil Spector per your recommendation (Mamet, Pigeon again) and found David Aaron Baker could play Brennan. Very prosecutorial figure.
Have not seen Haunted Heart . Yet :)
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Re: Matt Dillon. I adore him. I should hate him for being so good looking but somehow he is so modest I can’t. He has such a range I wonder why he is not cast more?
@gano , have you seen Haunted Heart (2024)? I watched it last night after I thought of Matt Dillon for the Brennan role, and I really enjoyed it. It wound up going somewhere different than where I thought it was going when it started.
Anyway, the reason I thought of Matt Dillon for Brennan, was his (Matt Dillon's) ability to come off as devious in a gruff way.
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Re: Matt Dillon. I adore him. I should hate him for being so good looking but somehow he is so modest I can't. He has such a range I wonder why he is not cast more?
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Maybe Brennan would agree to play himself?
Surprisingly I would not be surprised if he did
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@immatthewj yes, Rebecca Pigeon is good. Fun fact, I looked her up, her husband is David Mamet who directed Glengarry Glen Ross which has Alec Baldwin.
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more on that how you can be a Bostoner subject:
Now it’s a freak show. It’s as transient as ever. People in Boston proper are unlikely from Massachusetts, maybe a few old families on Comm Ave and Beacon but it’s mostly people who can afford it, and want to be hit by Chinese tourists as they step outside. It has lost a lot of its old charm with all the tattooed, energy drink addict bitcoin licking hipsters. The "real" townies, multi-generation families are out in Medford, Milton, Braintree, etc. in Suburbia. Or Canton. Next week I should probably go over to pick some scenes for aerials.
@immathewj
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@immatthewj do not stop with casting suggestions. I enjoy shooting them down :)
In that case, @gano :
we have got to give Rebecca Pidgeon a part! She is from Cambridge and she is not exactly what most would consider a big name. I see a few roles she could play that include Jen McCabe or Kerry Roberts. She is way too old for the part, but I think she would really crush the part of the Canton cop who got hired by the Boston PD, Kelly Devers. I think Rebecca Pidgeon could recreate that hostile witness attitude, but, as I typed, she is too old.
Back to Brennan--I know you are going to shoot this one down, but I bet Matt Dillon would fit in real well for that. But he is not from Boston. . . . Maybe Brennan would agree to play himself?
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@immatthewj do not stop with casting suggestions. I enjoy shooting them down :)
I thought the Wahlbergs will enter the picture, eventually, as they should. I think Donnie could pull it off...
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I totally enjoyed Kill The Irishman, @slaw , I think I may have commented on it after I watched it. I don't think I finished Iceman. Maybe it was too depressing for me, I cannot remember.
@gano , this is my last casting suggestion--I promise. I know you aren't into a start-studded production, but I was watching Very Scary People on HLN a while ago (they were doing a doc on BTK) with Donnie Wahlberg narrating, and I couldn't help but thinking he (Wahlberg) might be a good Hank Brennan. A Bostonian who doesn't present as exceptionally flashy, and he sort of has Brennan's look. Put him in an expensive suit and have his hair styled immaculately and I think he could pull it off.
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Watched "Kill The Irishman" & "Iceman" back to back recently. Both still hold up.
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re: Brennan versus Jackson
yes, that's an astute point. The trial was about Boston vs. Outsiders. Karen Read wasn't from Massachusetts either. Ordinary people are not always happy about the good old boy culture, the dynasties. The locals in the legal and law enforcement world would not go against other Bostonians normally to defend someone who killed one of their own. It was significant in how all the cops would try get her convicted and lined up for the prosecution.
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@gano , I have never been to Boston; I have not even been in and out of their airport. But the vivid and colorful manner you describe the impact that Boston had upon you intrigues me.
As far as Brennan versus Jackson during the trial, although Brennan's physical appearance was always impeccable with every hair in place, I was wondering if the jury would be prejudiced in his favor as he seemed to me to come off as what I perceived as "being Boston," as opposed to Jackson, who had been described as the "California celebrity lawyer" (which I thought might be off putting to the jury).
No, I have not seen A Deadly American Marriage; I did just find it on 'on demand,' and unfortunately it is only accessible via Netflix right now. The blurb about it looked interesting (I love true stories) and I could see my way clear to a 48 hour rental, but I am not doing Netflix. I will keep my eye on it, and if it becomes a rental or available via some free streaming service, I will jump on it. Thanks for the suggestion--I am always open to watching a good movie.
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No Country For Old Men
Wind River
Hell Or High Water
Sicario 1&2 and I am sure 3
13 Hours
Black Hawk Down
American Sniper
Slaphot
Goon
The Mule
Letters from Iwo Jima
Flags Of Our Fathers
The Town
The Usual Suspects
Pulp Fiction
Gran Torino
Den Of Thives
A Perfect World
The Song Remains The Same
The Last Waltz
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I was just going on and on about how, when I lived in Boston, I felt like I was in a movie because of the people, many of the old-timers felt very rich and extreme characters, theatrical, almost cartoonishly so. The folks there feel it’s worth preserving their identities, despite being American, maybe because the nuances are still holding up, along the power structure between the Irish, Italian and Jewish quarters, and the blacks of course. And these Canton people are no different. Even when they move away from Boston - and not many do, when I go to weddings there, it’s usually one or two family members in a big family - 20 or so - who come from California, the rest moved 5 miles in their whole life. And the ones who do live out of state (outside of 128 haha) remain Bostonians, they find other Bostonians in their new home. They know which bar to go to on day 2 to watch Celtic games.
I only found it with New Yorkers and Chicagoans to some extent, the rest are just "yeah, I was born in [X] and moved around".
The "Bostonianship" is almost a spice, a sauce that you can pour on anything and make it way more interesting, enthralling, and also darker, mysterious. It’s like the mist and fog of London for Dickens. The Boston strangler, the Isabella Gardner robbery, Whitey Bulger, the Kennedys, etc. all swim in that gravy..
So not much lost with that novel.
Have you seen; A Deadly American Marriage ?
I don’t know if it’s a fascinating story or presented in a tricky way, but I was fascinated.
Baldwin > Brian Higgins
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I typed a novel and it got lost
I hate it when that happens.
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I typed a novel and it got lost @immatthewj
yes, Baldwin is a brilliant actor.
I will type it up again…
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I like Baldwin and see him as another versatile actor (I really liked him in The Departed), @gano , but shortly after I posted I reconsidered. Not because I think the actor playing Brennan has to have a "British look", but I think he has to have an authentic "Boston sound." (For example, Brennan’s trademark "lawer" for law/"sawer" for saw.) After thinking about it, Baldwin seems to be a bit too polished for that role. But I did like what he used to do on SNL when he was portraying you-know-who.
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I have mixed feelings about Baldwin since Rust @immatthewj
I don't know if it has to be so star studded :)
But Brennan has such a British look, I would probably look for someone from across the pond.
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