January 14-17, 2002

Archived update from Cigarettes & Coffee, run by Greg Mariotti & CJ Wallis from 1999-2005

My condolences to the family & friends of filmmaker Ted Demme, who died of on Sunday. Demme was rushed to the emergency room of UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica when he collapsed after playing in a celebrity basketball game for the NBA Entertainment League at the private Crossroads School. The Los Angeles Coroner's office says the cause of death is not yet known and an autopsy will be conducted. Demme was 38.

Ricky Jay is a busy man. He'll be speaking at the Getty Center in Los Angeles this Friday, January 18th at 7:30 p.m. I hear tickets are sold out, but you can call 310-440-7300. Here's the details on the event: 

Deceptive Practices: A Conversation with Ricky Jay - Sleight-of-hand artist, collector, and magic historian Ricky Jay, in conversation with New Yorker writer Lawrence Weschler, discusses his new book Jay's Journal of Anomalies and his relationship with the Devices of Wonder exhibition.

In TV news, IFC continues to air the Independent Focus with PTA. Also, Starz! is showing Magnolia a few times this month. You can check out the dates & times here.

If you haven't picked up Jon Brion's latest CD, "Meaningless", now is a great time. It's showing up on many year end Top 10 lists (including Entertainment Weekly). 

January 1-6, 2002

Archived update from Cigarettes & Coffee, run by Greg Mariotti & CJ Wallis from 1999-2005

I wanted to wish Paul a Happy 32nd Birthday this week! As you know, PTA was born on January 1, 1970 in Studio City, CA. Here's to a healthy & happy 2002.

Remember that Ricky Jay appearance in San Francisco in early December? Here's a recap of the event from site reader Michael Alessandro:

Just a note to let you know I saw Ricky Jay last night, interviewed by Michael Chabon and it was a great evening. Michael seemed to truly be a Ricky Jay aficionado and fan, they talked much about Jays Journal of Anomalies (Ricky's new book - a compilation of his short magazines, which is fabulous!) and some of his film work.

At the end of the chat, before questions from the audience Ricky Jay consented to perform a poem written for him by Shel Silverstein before he passed, it's to be part of his new show. It was truly delightful, a story of a hustler (Jay) challenged to an honest game of cards in a room with no windows, and a door locked from the outside, and a table of glass, the men wear no rings, no items in which to mark the cards, so he says yes to this "honest" game, and when he wins through skill his challenger pulls a knife at which Ricky throws a card twenty feet across the heads of the audience hitting the balconies edge and "disarms" assailant, at which the man says he'll use his bear hands and Ricky Jay then shoots another card across the opposite wall with equal force "cutting the hand" from the man, at which the man pulls a gun and Ricky sends a card right between his eyes.

It was a wonderful cap to the evening, and a great poem. Ricky Jay took some questions from the audience, was generous in his responses and then signed books after. I had him sign my worn copy of "Learned Pigs and Fireproof Women" and then chatted with him for a few moments about the film I directed "Smoke & Mirrors" which he and PT were a great inspiration for. He was very nice, and I was grateful for this time. (Not to slight Chabon - who gave a wonderful interview and was also a pleasant guy)

M. Night Shyamalan mentions how much he loves Boogie Nights in an interview that was conducted by Creative Screenwriting Magazine with the writer/director of the "Sixth Sense" You can check it out here. (Thanks Kurt!)

I will return with a new site feature entitled "PTA Influences" by site reader Bob Ellis. Stay tuned...

December 3-6, 2001

Archived update from Cigarettes & Coffee, run by Greg Mariotti & CJ Wallis from 1999-2005

Adam Sandler is a busy man. According to Variety, his next film may be Revolution Studios' Anger Management, playing a timid businessman who is sentenced to an anger management program where he finds himself tutored by an ultra-aggressive psycho. Possible co-stars include Jack Nicholson, though no offers have been made.

In addition to the upcoming PTA film, Punchdrunk Knuckle Love, Sandler has also completed work on Deeds, the Sony/Columbia Tri Star picture inspired by Mr. Deeds Comes to Town co-starring Winona Ryder. Other possible Sandler projects include the romantic comedy Fifty First Kisses with Julia Roberts & Scared Guys, a Dean Parisot-directed comedy about a man with phobias who attempts to leave his apartment for the first time in years to stop a contract killing.

Michael Chabon will be interviewing Ricky Jay in this Thursday, December 6th in San Francisco at the Herbst Theatre. Definitely worth checking out if you live in the Bay Area. You can call (415) 392-4400 for more information. (Thanks John!)

As many of you reported, Elijah Wood (The Lord of the Rings) was among the guests on the premiere episode of MTV's Movie House. Hard Eight was mentioned as one of his favorite films during a trip into a video store. He even explained that the film's original title was Sydney. The PTA fan base continues to grow...

Director Joel Schumacher briefly mentions Boogie Nights, referring to the opening tracking shot as "great" during his commentary track for the St. Elmo's Fire DVD. (Thanks Jeff!)

July 27, 2000

Archived update from Cigarettes & Coffee, run by Greg Mariotti & CJ Wallis from 1999-2005

The Magnolia DVD has been delivered to select DVD sites for early review. The VHS is now available for rental, but go out & buy a DVD player & wait another month for the real thing. As expected, the DVD lives up to the hype. Check out the in depth looks at DVD File & DVD Angle. 

The packaging will include a sleek, black slipcase to house the two disc set. Boogie Nights should also have a slipcase. Here's a picture of the Magnolia slipcase.

The MTV Music Video Award Nominations were announced yesterday. PTA's "Save Me" was nominated for best video from a film & best editing in a video. The awards will be held on September 7 at New York's Radio City Music Hall.

There was a fascinating article on magician/actor Ricky Jay this past weekend in L.A. Times Magazine. Here's the link to the entire story, but here's what PTA had to say:

Paul Thomas Anderson, who cast Jay as a cinematographer in "Boogie Nights," is one of the magician's most unabashed fans. Jay acted and narrated in Anderson's "Magnolia" as well. In fact, Jay was one of the first people to read the script for last year's ensemble film, and the young director, who considers Jay an underused actor, has great affection for him. "He's like Mr. Wizard. Whenever I have a question about writing, one of the first people I think to ask is Ricky."

The August issue of Movieline has a 2 page article on New Line president, Mike De Luca focusing on his home theater & DVD collection. Here's some comments related to PTA:

"Paul Thomas Anderson has been here and turned me on to Deep Throat, which really surprised me because they were going for a real story there. Brett Ratner [director], who's a good friend of mine, watched an early cut of Boogie Nights here, was blown away and probably took a lot of that into Rush Hour."

"When there was a perception at the office from my superiors that Boogie Nights was too long, I came home and did a marathon of Spartacus, Lawrence of Arabia and The Ten Commandments. By the time I was through, I thought, 'We've got the shortest movie in history!' and I went back to New Line and proposed a four-hour Boogie Nights with a disco intermission."

January 16, 2000

Archived update from Cigarettes & Coffee, run by Greg Mariotti & CJ Wallis from 1999-2005

Things are getting vicious over at Kevin Smith (Dogma, Chasing Amy, Clerks) website and more specifically his posting board. There have been many positive posts about Magnolia and Kevin & his director pal Vincent Pereira (A Better Place) has took the opportunity to not only say he did not like the film (he called it the worst film of the year) but really had  some harsh things about the movie and Paul Thomas Anderson. I don't want to fling mud here as Kevin is entitled to his opinion of not liking the film but I think he stepped over the line with some of his comments: Here are just a few from the posting board:

1/14/00

Poster: Out of all of your films, is there one particular scene or moment that you absolutely cringe at... just an awful moment. "What was I thinking???"

Kevin Smith: The scene where I had the little boy come into his father's room and insist he be treated better.

Oh wait - that wasn't me.

There are a few moments in all the stuff we've done that I shake my head at. Can't call any to mind right now, though, but I know I've spotted my share.

Poster: I guess I'm in the minority on this board, but I think 'Magnolia' was insanely brilliant.

Kevin Smith: Oh, good Lord. There's the 'B' word being thrown around again. And as wildly inappropriate as it is when people use it in reference to our stuff, in the example you've put forward, Neil, it's just plain daffy.

Poster: I've seen it 3 times so far

Kevin Smith: You poor, poor man.

They sent me an Academy screener DVD this week. I'll never watch it again, but I will keep it. I'll keep it right on my desk, as a constant reminder that a bloated sense of self-importance is the most unattractive quality in a person or their work.

Poster: To each his own, I guess.

Kevin Smith: Too true. I'm sure there are folks out there who regard 'Detroit Rock City' as the best movie ever made too.

Hell - there are folks who post here who regard 'Mallrats' as the best movie ever made.

In the words of Will Hunting...

"Fucking people baffle me."

 

1/16/00

Kevin Smith: This 'Magnolia' nonesuch has got to stop. I don't get some of you people. If you're a fan of 'Magnolia', God bless you. I'm not. But why is that such a stone in your shoe? Hell from the tone of some of these posts and some of the email I've gotten, it's apparently a stone up the ass of some people.

Is that what rabid fandom is like? Do those of you who claim to be big fans of what we do at View Askew behave in the same manner as some of these P.T. Anderson apostles - by attacking those that don't agree with you and demanding justice for a fucking opinion? If so, then you do me and mine no good service, and I request that you stop being fans.

Honestly - who gives a fuck. It's an unfair world. There is no justice. And half the time, you're going to be in a minority. People will not always agree with your opinion. Shit - in the case of this flick, I say I don't like it, and I've suddenly got a gaggle of you attacking my character, as well as my craft! Honestly - I've got assholes shooting off their mouths with shit like "You only WISH you were as good as P.T.!" What am I - nine years old? Is this the fourth grade? Some dick-lick even went so far as to EMAIL me his post from the board, so I wouldn't miss it; a post, I might add, that maintained I couldn't taste the shit on Anderson's heels - so lousy an auteur am I in comparison. What the fuck possesses some people, I ask you?

Hey man, I enjoy 'Boogie Nights'. I didn't enjoy 'Magnolia'. Maybe I'll cream my pants over the guy's next flick. But sweet Christmas! What the fuck do you care? You liked 'Magnolia'? Wonderful. I hope it illuminated your darkness in some way and fuel-injected three hours and change of joy into your engine. Me? I found it to be cinematic root canal. I'll take 'Short Cuts' any old day. There are very few movies that make me want lost time back, and that movie tops the list.

Oh, you precious but pesky few who feel maligned if 'Magnolia' is questioned! From beyond my rage I thank and bless you - for this has been a life-changing, eye-opening experience for me. If this is what rabid fans are like, then I don't want any. Oh, defenders of my imagined cinematic crown, please don't do me any favors in the face of those who'd blah-blah-blah about what shite I be! I can fight my own battles. And I've gotta tell you: someone not digging what I do is not a war that needs waging. That's film. That's art. That's life. You make something and put it on display, you get some people nodding and some people shaking their heads. What a better world it'd be if it could stop at that, as opposed to the nodders and the shakers clawing at one another's throats for having different (not better or worse) tastes.

I only wish it were a line I'd written, but again...

"Fucking people baffle me."

 

1/16/00

Vincent Pereira: P.T. Anderson's "style" is a direct lift of Martin Scorsese's style, only P.T. doesn't know how to use it. Sure, MAGNOLIA was chuck full of LONG steadicam shots, "dramatic" push-ins, and various other little tricks, but to what end? NONE of these devices were well used in the film- they ALL called attention to themselves. If Kevin wanted to be self-conscious, he could wildly throw around the camera too because it's "cool", but you know what? He doesn't need to dress his films up with a bunch of window-dressing to make them interesting. Take away all the overbearing "style" and what have you got with MAGNOLIA? Three still boring, but less annoyingly self-consciously "cool" hours of tripe. Every camera move in MAGNOLIA seems to serve but one purpose- P.T. Anderson looking at us and jumping up and down exclaiming- "LOOK! I did a steadicam shot like the one in GOODFELLAS! I'm cool, right? RIGHT??"

Actually, he's probably saying he hasn't seen any of those movies- there's a boatload of movies that I'm sure were really bad that I didn't see this year, because I had no interest in seeing them. MAGNOLIA is the worst kind of failure, because it's such a self-conscious, insincere attempt to be "meaningful" and "important", and it fails so badly because P.T. doesn't have his heart in any of it, and it shows.

 

Ricky Jay on the X-files
That's right the man himself will be featured on tonight's episode as an illusionist! Hey you might as well get one of the best if you're going to do an episode about magic. Check your local listings!

 

Reilly and Hoffman to the Stage
John C. Reilly and Philip Seymour Hoffman will return to the stage as feuding brothers in Matthew Warchus' staging of Sam Shepard's True West. When I can get some dates and ticket information, I will post that here but I believe this will be in New York.