Book review - "Ready When You Are, Mr. Coppola, Mr. Spielberg, Mr. Crowe" by Jerry Ziesmer

 Memoir of an assistant director has some decent moments but needed an edit. Too much Apocalypse Now and schedules not enough personalities. Fun sketches of Sly Stallone (nutty but endearing), Cameron Crowe (all positive), Tom Cruise (hyper), Robert Redford (charming but a c*nt), Babs (into everything), Peter Bogdanovich (didn't expect Illegally Yours to be made), Otto Preminger (a bully who was a pussycat).

Most memorable bit is fact Ziesmer's son killed himself. I did like him schmoozing extras on The Way We Were. I guess interesting how they did Superbowl in Black Sunday.  

Michael J Fox Top Ten

 Why not?

1) Back to the Future (1985) - I'll just do the first one

2) Family Ties - when you push down to it, Alex Keaton types caused a lot of drama in the world but he's very winning

3) Doc Hollywood (1991) - perfectly cast

4) The Concierge (1993) - no one seems to remember this film but I liked it

5) Casualties of War (1989) - I'll be honest, I don't really like this movie but I love how Fox spent his movie star chits on stuff like this, Bright Lights Big City and Light of Day

6)   Class of 1984 (1982) - great trashy vigilante movie with Fox very good

7) Poison Ivy (1985) - he's typically charming in a film I loved as a kid I wonder if it holds up

8) Teen Wolf (1985) - not a good movie but he's very good 

9) The American President (1995) - during that post-film star pre-TV star phase 

10) Stuart Little (1999) - great voice 

Movie review - "Venus in Furs" (1969) **1/2

 Not a lot of story but plenty of style and sexiness. James Darren is obsessed with dead Maria Rohm. He also has an affair with Barbara McNair (black singer) and Klaus Kinski is in there. Enjoyed this.

Movie review - "Jaws" (1975) ***** (re-watching)

 Saw it on the big screen. Just wonderful. Perfect. Maybe could lose the Ben Gardner boat scene and the dock feeding scene... but possibly because I know what happens whereas new viewers would be more settled. Beautifully structured script. First half you go "how did this go over budget?" Second half you go "okay wow". All on screen. Truly epic. Wonderful actors. The kids, the mum of Alex Kitridge, the lead three. Unselfish Roy Scheider, funny Richard Dreyfuss, mad Robert Shaw. Just perfection.

Book review - "The Magic Hours: The Films and Hidden Life of Terrence Malick" by John Beasdale

 Beasdale runs a terrific podcast on film books and here is his own - a solid book on Malick, the most enigmatic and experimental of the movie brats. Well researched, decent insights - the main problem isn't Beasdale's fault it's that Malick isn't that interesting. A few divorces and a suiciding brother hints at something. None of the films included a memorable disaster. I'll be honest - also I'm not super familiar with Malick's ouvre. It s a very good book.

Article on Rank quitting films

 Front page of Evening Standard June 7, 1980

 

TV series - "Andor Season 2" (2025) ***

 Random thoughts:

- some knock out episodes. Suspenseful ones like the massacre of civilians and getting Mon Mothma away.

- characters blended in. I'm sure the show runners and stuff could explain how they're different. But did Blix have much of a character? Did Stellan S's sidekick. Revolutionaries were ruthless. Fascists were fanatical.

- loved the ending where the brilliant fascist was punished for her maverick nature and put in prison. This felt very real.

- some stuff too Hollywood and dump. Like when they're walking out of the institution and they click on an explosion and don't look just walk on being cool. I think that's what annoyed me about it. It was a movie moment. Not a real moment. And to do rape again. Sigh.

Sorry I just got a bit tired and negative about it.