LOL! I loved that opening line! Thank you for your openings Wes. That is why I tune in each week, just to hear you openings! I love them. Please do not stop doing them!
One of his best movies/performances: Carnal Knowledge (1971). A perfect movie. Perfect direction (Mike Nichols), perfect script (Jules Pfeiffer), perfect acting (Jack Nicholson, Art Garfunkel, Candice Bergen, Ann Margaret, Rita Moreno, Carol Kane). And absolute, jaw-dropping perfect cinematography from Giuseppe Rotunno, same guy who shot "All That Jazz", "The Leopard", "Satyricon", "Amarcord", and "Rocco And His Brothers", among other masterpieces.
I just saw a Nicholson film for the first time: Goin' South. As you probably know he directed and starred in this one, way back in 1971. It is such a weird film and filled with other fun performances. Danny DeVito, John Belushi, and especially Christopher Lloyd are so young and almost endearingly funny as bad guys and henchmen. I would watch it again just for Lloyd.
I hope you guys have seen the movie "About Schmidt"! If not, please do! It's maybe my favorite understated Jack Nicholson performance from his later years. Somehow, despite the larger than life persona he's developed, he completely disappears into the role of a regular midwestern retiree. He plays it very understated and truthful with humor and pathos, and plenty of subtext. As a midwesterner I might be biased, but it's a type of character I feel familiar with, and feel like I've met versions of before. The movie itself is a wonderful drama/comedy that director Alexander Payne does so well (see: The Descendants, Sideways, The Holdovers, etc). It's the type of story that could be overly sentimental and overly cliche in the wrong hands, but with Nicholson and Payne it really works, at least for me. Even though I can see it coming, the very last shot of the movie still gets me every time...
Thank you! I was waiting on someone to mention About Schmidt. I love the moment at the payphone. And his Daughter is screaming down the phone at him. And he “threatens” to withdraw funds for the wedding. Some classic Jack about to emerge…. And then he withdraws back into his shell again 😔
@@PHDiaz-vv7yo Yeah agreed, that's a great moment! also reminds me of that anti-climactic wedding speech, where he says something like "and here's what I REALLY want to say..." and I expected something angry and dramatic, but then he says the standard kind, sweet things that are expected. I think that's part of why Nicholson must have been cast. You can see that classic Nicholson anger simmering under the surface, but it's also a bit different, more dulled and subtle. It's like the opposite end of the "anger" spectrum form his performance in The Shining :) Anyway, glad to see another fan of About Schmidt out here!
I miss the camera being still; wide shot for establishment of place as character, medium shot for composition and tension to a close up which delivers the emotion. Hollywood forgot how to tell a story, be still and let the actors win us over or be revolted instead of all the quick cuts. Television has became my go to for these techniques, the work and I thought I would never say that. Expanse delivered so well. Great film on my education of film. John Houston was a devil and made me deep dive into his performances and films. The world doesn’t seem to make characters like this anymore….or they aren’t thrust into the light.
Gotta give a shoutout to my favorite Nicholson performance and film: retired Detective Jerry Black in Sean Penn's The Pledge. The fact that his performance is so memorable amongst a cast of scene stealers (Lois fucking Smith! Sam Shepard! Mickey Rourke! Helen Mirren! Tom Noonan! Dale Dickey! Patricia Clarkson! Benicio del Toro! Vanessa Redgrave! Robin Wright! Harry Dean Stanton! Brittany Tiplady! Francoise Yip! Aaron Eckhart!) speaks to how good he is in it.
Chinatown is my all-time favorite movie. Jake Gittes is a disgraced police detective who does sleazy PI work and gets in way too far over his head. Nicholson plays him to a “T.” Faye Dunaway is also excellent.
My next statement is an analysis of the film: no mention of the fact that Roman Polanski is clearly casting himself in the Noah role? You don't see Polanski/Huston as ignoring conventional morality? Quentin Tarantino would disagree with you.
Dont ever stop this podcast please.
Unrelated but I’m 100 pages into The Mercy of Gods and really enjoying it so far.
Congrats Ty on your new book, loving it so far!
LOL! I loved that opening line! Thank you for your openings Wes. That is why I tune in each week, just to hear you openings! I love them. Please do not stop doing them!
Thanks to Ty and Daniel for the best birthday gift a sci-fan could ever hope for!
One of his best movies/performances: Carnal Knowledge (1971). A perfect movie. Perfect direction (Mike Nichols), perfect script (Jules Pfeiffer), perfect acting (Jack Nicholson, Art Garfunkel, Candice Bergen, Ann Margaret, Rita Moreno, Carol Kane). And absolute, jaw-dropping perfect cinematography from Giuseppe Rotunno, same guy who shot "All That Jazz", "The Leopard", "Satyricon", "Amarcord", and "Rocco And His Brothers", among other masterpieces.
I gotta say, Wes is so jacked I can see him perform the epic handshake from Predator. With the close-up shot and everything. That's damn impressive
Love you guys, keep it up!
I just saw a Nicholson film for the first time: Goin' South. As you probably know he directed and starred in this one, way back in 1971. It is such a weird film and filled with other fun performances. Danny DeVito, John Belushi, and especially Christopher Lloyd are so young and almost endearingly funny as bad guys and henchmen. I would watch it again just for Lloyd.
1978
I hope you guys have seen the movie "About Schmidt"! If not, please do! It's maybe my favorite understated Jack Nicholson performance from his later years. Somehow, despite the larger than life persona he's developed, he completely disappears into the role of a regular midwestern retiree. He plays it very understated and truthful with humor and pathos, and plenty of subtext. As a midwesterner I might be biased, but it's a type of character I feel familiar with, and feel like I've met versions of before. The movie itself is a wonderful drama/comedy that director Alexander Payne does so well (see: The Descendants, Sideways, The Holdovers, etc). It's the type of story that could be overly sentimental and overly cliche in the wrong hands, but with Nicholson and Payne it really works, at least for me. Even though I can see it coming, the very last shot of the movie still gets me every time...
Thank you! I was waiting on someone to mention About Schmidt. I love the moment at the payphone. And his Daughter is screaming down the phone at him. And he “threatens” to withdraw funds for the wedding. Some classic Jack about to emerge…. And then he withdraws back into his shell again 😔
@@PHDiaz-vv7yo Yeah agreed, that's a great moment! also reminds me of that anti-climactic wedding speech, where he says something like "and here's what I REALLY want to say..." and I expected something angry and dramatic, but then he says the standard kind, sweet things that are expected. I think that's part of why Nicholson must have been cast. You can see that classic Nicholson anger simmering under the surface, but it's also a bit different, more dulled and subtle. It's like the opposite end of the "anger" spectrum form his performance in The Shining :) Anyway, glad to see another fan of About Schmidt out here!
I miss the camera being still; wide shot for establishment of place as character, medium shot for composition and tension to a close up which delivers the emotion.
Hollywood forgot how to tell a story, be still and let the actors win us over or be revolted instead of all the quick cuts. Television has became my go to for these techniques, the work and I thought I would never say that. Expanse delivered so well. Great film on my education of film. John Houston was a devil and made me deep dive into his performances and films. The world doesn’t seem to make characters like this anymore….or they aren’t thrust into the light.
I think the black and white British film you're thinking of is "Repulsion."(1965). I saw it in college in the early 90's.
About Schmidt for a later choice
Dear Ngutu
How are you? I am fine…
(I love this movie and his performance so much in this)
Gotta give a shoutout to my favorite Nicholson performance and film: retired Detective Jerry Black in Sean Penn's The Pledge. The fact that his performance is so memorable amongst a cast of scene stealers (Lois fucking Smith! Sam Shepard! Mickey Rourke! Helen Mirren! Tom Noonan! Dale Dickey! Patricia Clarkson! Benicio del Toro! Vanessa Redgrave! Robin Wright! Harry Dean Stanton! Brittany Tiplady! Francoise Yip! Aaron Eckhart!) speaks to how good he is in it.
More!!!!!
Bunked off a school trip with my best mate to watch Chinatown. We were both mad for movies. I still regard the 70s as a golden age.
Another movie with James Hong! He's ubiquitous.
True story: in the 90s I went into a video store and asked where they had Citizen Kane shelved. The clerk asked, “is that new release?”
I watch Citizen Kane; I don’t remember the last time that I watched Chinatown.
This podcast still going gives hope that The Expanse is going to comeback. I'm broke but shit, I'd still give money for it to happen.
Chinatown is my all-time favorite movie. Jake Gittes is a disgraced police detective who does sleazy PI work and gets in way too far over his head. Nicholson plays him to a “T.” Faye Dunaway is also excellent.
Love this; recall that Evelyn specifically denies that she was raped.
BCW, you both get points for your respective comments about I'm just a d****** and I have PhDs in both etc etc. Nice.
Sounds Like Ty has a BS in Movieonomy and Movieoligy
My next statement is an analysis of the film: no mention of the fact that Roman Polanski is clearly casting himself in the Noah role? You don't see Polanski/Huston as ignoring conventional morality? Quentin Tarantino would disagree with you.
That's a pretty big stretch. It's about rampant capitalism and how the rules we all follow no longer apply to Billionaires.