“Crazy” Avatar
Speaking earlier today to Coming Soon‘s Ed Douglas, Girlfriend Experience director Steven Soderbergh spoke about how it’s “hard for anything [these days] to have the cultural impact of a movie like The Godfather,” and that he was “disappointed there weren’t those sorts of benchmarks in the movies being made today.” But then he added that perhaps James Cameron‘s Avatar might punch through on this level. “I’ve seen some stuff and holy shit,” he told Douglas. “It’s the craziest shit ever. [So this] could negate everything I just said.”
Soderbergh has never been stuck with a pack of middle management goofballs quoting Borat. that film has some impact
Jeff -
If you are going to start posting more videos on here, start with this one – this is pure comedy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pyW6w5B7Aw
I just watched this stupid thing….”pure comedy”? Because all the angry and frustrated customers are black? I kept waiting for something remotely funny to happen.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8pyW6w5B7Aw
berkguru I agree with one of the commenters on that, even Dave Chappelle would never go that far. That’s insane, I actually feel very uncomfortable laughing at it. Also “No more chicken, or they just out of chicken?” is my new favorite Zen question.
Not that funny. I used to love Popeye’s. The only person that should be laughed at is the woman who thinks that the only way she can feed her kids is to bring them to Popeye’s. Chains like this are always fucking their franchises. I feel sorry for the people who work at these places.
Has anyone tried the new Kentucky Grilled Chicken? Is it tasty? Because if it’s good that’s what I want for dins.
The funniest part: “Do to high demand…”
The excitement for Avatar is palpable.
So Prager has made every tasteless, retarded joke in the book on nearly every serious subject, but when Popeye’s runs out of chicken it’s no laughing matter?
Now that’s fuckin’ funny.
It’s funny because of that attitude that popeye’s somehow has a moral obligation to provide these people with chicken. Chicken on ice? Come on. That’s funnier than seth rogen chasing a drunk driving gorilla.
There are other popeye videos circulating where white customers behave equally as indignant.
“It’s funny because of that attitude that popeye’s somehow has a moral obligation to provide these people with chicken.”
I wonder where that attitude comes from… It’s like I could make a parallel to … something …
Yeah, it’s exactly like when G.W. Bush…decided…he had a “moral obligation”…to invade…Iraq.
Turns out that country was fresh out of WMD just like Popeye’s was fresh outta chicken.
Zing!
and the award for most egregious non sequitur of the day goes to…..
…Josh Massey?
Jeff – please relax. It’s funny because it somehow made its way onto the fucking NEWS. What makes it pure comedy is the ridiculous indignation of the customers (“You mean to tell me that we can’t feed our kids!?!”).
If this was happening in flyover country, you’d be using as an object-lesson in Blue State superiority.
every single customer quote is hilarious and half of them have twinkles in their eyes like they know they are in on the joke
woman in the mini-van having a convo with the machine is classic
and you get these crusty white bitch newscasters covering probably the most racist non-news news story ever – just surreal
i could watch this 10 more times easy
Yeah, the kids will really see Jimmy’s new movie now that some guy they don’t know about endorsed it. Hey, maybe people might actually be interested if there’s an actual trailer and/or stills. But that might be a little too revolutionary a concept for Cameron.
This topic quickly amassed a bunch of posts about…Popeye’s chicken.
Somehow, that seems fitting.
LOL, Jason!
“and the award for most egregious non sequitur of the day goes to…..”
Ointment.
Who gives a fuck about Popeye’s Chicken? Let’s get back on topic for a moment. Avatar is going to be the shit, and it’s about fucking time!
Amen, EdHavens.
That’s odd coming from Soderbergh, who makes movies that about 15 people truly enjoy (though I do think he’s one of the best filmmakers around; I’m one of the 15). But he must’ve been working on THE INFORMANT when DARK KNIGHT came out.
The Ocean’s movies were enjoyed by more than 15 people.
That chicken thing is funny. Fact.
I just got back from Love The Beast. Bana was indeed there doing a Q&A. Genuinely nice guy, it would seem. The movie was good. Not life-changing or anything but warm-hearted, well made and well-received.
I’m off for some chicken.
So DZ also has a stick up his ass about James Cameron. What a surprise.
“But he must’ve been working on THE INFORMANT when DARK KNIGHT came out.”
I think it’s a little bit early to say that ‘The Dark Knight’ has had the same sort of impact on pop culture as ‘The Godfather’. But I suppose the same is true as a response to what Soderbergh himself said — you can’t judge a movie’s impact until you have a little bit of perspective on it. I mean, ‘Titanic’ was huge and profitable, and a lot of people talked about it for a few months… but does it really have any longstanding cultural impact? I don’t think so, but I’m not sure.
“So DZ also has a stick up his ass about James Cameron. What a surprise. ”
I’m telling you, DZ has never liked any movie he’s ever talked about on this site. I’m pretty sure he just doesn’t like movies.
Gordon,
That’s an interesting point u make about Titanic, and its seeming lack of influence (formally, narratively, stylistically, etc.), despite its massive profitability. I think I tended to agree with your hypothesis.
It prompted me to take the 10 highest-grossing films at the box office of all-time (adjusted for inflation, of course), and see if any of them were seemingly less influential than Titanic.
1. Gone With the Wind (1939) – Ironically, this is the film on this list Titanic resembles the most, at least in broad strokes with the love story set against an important historical backdrop (I’m not gonna go all D.Z. and call Titanic a direct rip-off or cash-in). Very influential, I would say…certainly ushered in the era of big Hollywood epics of the 50s.
2. Star Wars (1977) – Obviously directly influential on modern culture (along with #7), and not just film (video games, comics, RPGs). And not necessarily in a good way.
3. The Sound of Music (1965) – Not sure about this one, actually. It wasn’t particularly early for a musical, and really didn’t bring much new to the table…maybe I am missing something, though?
4. E.T. (1982) – Honestly not really sure about this one, either. Had a lot of quick influence within a short period (5-10 years) with Gremlins, Goonies, Hook, Back to the Future (and basically any other Spielberg production!), but it didn’t exactly invent the coming of age story — and are there honestly any direct descendants of E.T. being made today?
5. The Ten Commandments (1956) – Kind of the opposite effect of E.T., I would say. As films got smaller in the 1960s, its influence seemingly diminished, but I think a lot of the tentpoles today owe a fair debt to good ol’ Cecil B. (along with Michael Curtiz, Victor Fleming).
6. Titanic (1997)
7. Jaws (1975) – see #2.
8. Dr. Zhivago (1965) – I would generally say David Lean has left his cinematic mark on the movies today (isn’t Michael Bay trying — and desperately failing — to be the DL for the 21st century?), but Zhivago is one of his more inert pictures — at least visually speaking.
9. The Exorcist (1973) – Think its influence is mainly through its subject matter. Friedkin didn’t really have the flashy aesthetic, which obviously seems to be a pretty popular shooting choice today, esp. in the horror genre.
10. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) – Undeniable influence. Pixar. Disney. ILM.
Personally, I think E.T. and Zhivago have proven slightly more influential than Sound of Music and Titanic, both of which I would rank (in some order) at the bottom of the pack in this particular case.
Look a the big brain on Citizennn
haha at. never mind sorry
E.T. is hugely influential, in that damn near every “childhood encounter with the fantastic” movie made sense has borrowed from it in one way or another. Hell, Iron Giant just off the top of my head.
Gordon27 wrote:
I think it’s a little bit early to say that ‘The Dark Knight’ has had the same sort of impact on pop culture as ‘The Godfather’.
Not really. BATMAN BEGINS and THE DARK KNIGHT are THE GODFATHER and THE GODFATHER PART II of the superhero genre.
I couldn’t find the direct quote that Soderbergh gives Douglas, but I interpreted it to mean that he was talking in the short term – meaning, that it was a cultural event. And if that’s in fact what he means, then I think DARK KNIGHT stands. Not only from the film’s incredible box office success, but I heard tons of people say, “You know, I haven’t been to a movie in so-and-so many years, but I went and saw Dark Knight.” When Manhola Dargis calls a comic book movie “dark and complex” it indicates a pretty far-reaching cultural phenomenon .
Dark Knight – same influence as the Godfather?
LMMMMFAAO that is just goofy drivel
“Not really. BATMAN BEGINS and THE DARK KNIGHT are THE GODFATHER and THE GODFATHER PART II of the superhero genre.”
The problem with this argument is that we’re not talking about the quality of the pictures. If we were — well, I still wouldn’t personally agree with you, but I wouldn’t argue the point. But in terms of cultural impact, ‘The Godfather’ was like Tarantino — everything that came immediately after adjusted itself. Every crime movie since was affected by ‘The Godfather’.
I really don’t see any superhero movie that is trying to be ‘The Dark Knight’. Even if you expand it to all summer blockbuster films, I don’t see any of them trying to be like ‘Dark Knight’. [Though I'd like to hope T4 has those ambitions.]
It’s quite possible that there is a crop of movies coming that will show more of the impact of ‘Dark Knight’…. I just think it’s premature.
The moviegoing landscape has completely changed so its unfair to draw comparisons between the release of The Godfather and todays movies. Movies like The Godfather, Jaws and Star Wars were HUGE in their day, much bigger than movies now, which have at least 5 times the amount of screens to play on.
The Dark Knight hasn’t had any real cultural impact, the dialogue was hardly memorable. Where are the lines like “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse” and “We’re gonna need a bigger boat” nowadays? And I hate to say this but The Dark Knight made $200 million extra because of the ghoul factor of Heath Ledger’s death. If he had been alive the movie would have made $300 million tops.
“but I interpreted it to mean that he was talking in the short term – meaning, that it was a cultural event.”
But why would he use ‘The Godfather’ as shorthand for a cultural event? ‘Jaws’ or ‘Star Wars’ is the traditional industry shorthand for that sort of thing; and would he use the term “cultural impact” when he meant a pop culture event?
“isn’t Michael Bay trying — and desperately failing — to be the DL for the 21st century?”
It’s funny, I just saw the ‘Transformers’ trailer in a theater today — the effects don’t make sense on a computer screen, but they look pretty amazing on a big screen. But, yeah, that’s exactly what I thought — WHYOWHY is Michael Bay the only person even trying to get the sense of epic scale that Lean did?
If you doubt the cultural impact of ‘The Sound of Music’, you probably never hung out with theater people.
The Dark Knight is solid. I love it. But even a nerd like myself wouldn’t dare place it in the same class as The Godfather. Not even close.
“And I hate to say this but The Dark Knight made $200 million extra because of the ghoul factor of Heath Ledger’s death. If he had been alive the movie would have made $300 million tops.”
I hate to be a dick, but you stated this as if it were fact. Clearly we’re all giving opinions, but you have no way in hell of knowing how much more money it made because of Ledger being dead.
It could be more than 200 million, or it could be a whole hell of a lot less.
If Ledger were alive, and his performance was still getting the same hype and reviews (which it deserved, alive or dead) the movie was going to benefit from that.
@Jonah: Just my opinion.
The moviegoing landscape has completely changed so its unfair to draw comparisons between the release of The Godfather and todays movies. Movies like The Godfather, Jaws and Star Wars were HUGE in their day, much bigger than movies now, which have at least 5 times the amount of screens to play on.
The Dark Knight hasn’t had any real cultural impact, the dialogue was hardly memorable. Where are the lines like “I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse” and “We’re gonna need a bigger boat” nowadays? And I hate to say this but The Dark Knight made $200 million extra because of the ghoul factor of Heath Ledger’s death. If he had been alive the movie would have made $300 million tops.
Bob: By that definition, I liked E.T. when it was called Time Bandits.
Gordon: Um, no, the Godfather was original, while Tarantino was not. We’ve been over this many times. The only thing Tarantino did for cinema was give people an excuse to crib notes and then add a new coat of paint to them. As for TDK, I think it owes its success to the Ang Lee Hulk, since that really was the only superhero movie at the time trying to approach its character from a psychological point of view.
But the Hulk was 5 years earlier, so it really wasn’t the same “time” and it’s largely considered a creative failure regardless of how much money it made. People didn’t like it’s psychological angle.
Don’t get me wrong, I happen to like Ang Lee’s Hulk, but I don’t know anyone else who does, so you’re pulling that one completely out of your ass, as usual. The Dark Knight’s success doesn’t have a single thing to do with it.
@Jonah: Just my opinion.
Michael Bay is Uwe Boll with larger budgets.
Daniel,
Are you under the impression that changing your name will alter people’s opinion of you?
“We’ve been over this many times. The only thing Tarantino did for cinema was give people an excuse to crib notes and then add a new coat of paint to them. ”
Says you. Real film fans know differently.
“As for TDK, I think it owes its success to the Ang Lee Hulk, since that really was the only superhero movie at the time trying to approach its character from a psychological point of view. ”
You mean the Hulk movie that was seen as a huge failure? That’s like saying Romeo and Juliet and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape were responsible for Titanic’s huge success. Nobody would say that….oh wait, you said that.
Well you’re just a God damned moron.
“We’ve been over this many times.”
What’s the point of posting under three different names if you’re not trying to pretend you’re different people?
“The only thing Tarantino did for cinema was give people an excuse to crib notes and then add a new coat of paint to them.”
The issue of whether Tarantino is original or not is besides the point; the question of whether Tarantino had an impact over the cultural landscape, over film in the last fifteen years, is already closed, and the answer is “DZ is an idiot if he doesn’t think Tarantino, for better or worse, is the most influential filmmaker to come along since Spielberg”.
“As for TDK, I think it owes its success to the Ang Lee Hulk, since that really was the only superhero movie at the time trying to approach its character from a psychological point of view.”
The things you think are stupid.
bents: Well, whether or not other people like the Hulk, they clearly didn’t consider it enough of a failure that they avoided Brokeback Mountain. And TDK’s success totally has to do with the Hulk, because Nolan’s use of that method for a character people could identify with helped to resurrect a dead franchise.
Jonah: Real fans actually watch the movies Quentin keeps ripping off instead of just quoting QT’s movies. And Superman Returns was a failure; the Hulk did better than the dumb-ass version they released last year.
Gordon: “The issue of whether Tarantino is original or not is besides the point; the question of whether Tarantino had an impact over the cultural landscape, over film in the last fifteen years, is already closed,”
Yep, and he hasn’t had an impact.
“Well, whether or not other people like the Hulk, they clearly didn’t consider it enough of a failure that they avoided Brokeback Mountain.”
You in no way believe what you wrote above. Hulk and Brokeback weren’t made for the same audiences. You know that.
” And TDK’s success totally has to do with the Hulk, because Nolan’s use of that method for a character people could identify with helped to resurrect a dead franchise. ”
Nope. If that were the case, Hulk would’ve been a huge success as well. TDK’s success came from it being a great movie, that had terrific word of mouth and reviews.
“Real fans actually watch the movies Quentin keeps ripping off instead of just quoting QT’s movies. And Superman Returns was a failure; the Hulk did better than the dumb-ass version they released last year. ”
Who brought up Superman Returns? Stay on topic, would you please? And comparing the past Hulk with the more recent Hulk is also off topic. I’m going to ask that you stick to the topic rather than throwing up your normal diversions.
“Yep, and he hasn’t had an impact. ”
Prove he hasn’t. Anybody that knows anything about the movie business realizes, for better or for worse, that QT had an enormous impact on the types of films getting made in the years following Resevoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction.
If you don’t agree, it just further proves how little you understand about the business.
DZ – not a single thing you said is worth responding to. It’s all nonsense. The most obviously demonstrable nonsense you’re spouting is that Ang Lee’s ‘Hulk’ made more than ‘The Incredible Hulk’. $132 / $245 is *not* more money than $134 / $263. It just isn’t. But I fully anticipate you will argue that it is, just as you will argue that Tarantino hasn’t had any cultural impact on film while Ang Lee’s ‘Hulk’ has. The first time I read anything you wrote, my first thought was “He doesn’t know what words mean.” In all the time I’ve posted on this site, you’ve done nothing to disprove my “Blink” reaction.
“Anybody that knows anything about the movie business realizes, for better or for worse, that QT had an enormous impact on the types of films getting made in the years following Resevoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction.”
Jonah – I was reading the book ‘Eyes Wide Open’, a memoir by Frederic Raphael regarding working on the screenplay for ‘Eyes Wide Shut’, and he described a conversation where, at the end of it, Kubrick said “So, have you seen Pulp Fiction yet? We’ve got to take that into consideration.” And, when pressed a little, he was talking specifically about the pacing. So, apparently, Kubrick had that somewhere in his mind when he was making ‘Eyes Wide Shut’. Not that it shows in the movie — it really surprised me to read that.
Gordon: “The most obviously demonstrable nonsense you’re spouting is that Ang Lee’s ‘Hulk’ made more than ‘The Incredible Hulk’. $132 / $245 is *not* more money than $134 / $263. It just isn’t.”
It is, if you take into account inflation and the fact that Lee’s Hulk was cheaper.
“But I fully anticipate you will argue that it is, just as you will argue that Tarantino hasn’t had any cultural impact on film while Ang Lee’s ‘Hulk’ has.”
Would Cloverfield and Watchmen have happened because of Pulp Fiction? No. But Kill Bill happened after CTHD and even had a quoted line on superheroes. Hell, QT was so desperate to be recognized as a director of the wuxia genre that he slapped his name on Hero.
As for EWS, last time I checked, Tarantino probably owes more to Clockwork Orange than Kubrick would owe to PF.
“It is, if you take into account inflation and the fact that Lee’s Hulk was cheaper. ”
More spin. Not enough difference for it to matter.
“Would Cloverfield and Watchmen have happened because of Pulp Fiction? No ”
That’s two films. Two out of how many since the mid nineties.
“But Kill Bill happened after CTHD and even had a quoted line on superheroes. Hell, QT was so desperate to be recognized as a director of the wuxia genre that he slapped his name on Hero.”
Irrelevant. And you know it.
“As for EWS, last time I checked, Tarantino probably owes more to Clockwork Orange than Kubrick would owe to PF. ”
I notice you didn’t dispute Gordon’s story about Pulp Fiction’s influence on Eyes Wide Shut. You just tried to spin the story in another direction.
Your game plan is getting old.
And I’ll also assume you conceded all of the points I made, as you didn’t respond to any of them.
My dad has seen three movies in theaters in the last fifteen years.
Nixon. Cast Away. And The Dark Knight.
He doesn’t like superhero movies. He couldn’t give a shit about comic books or Heath Ledger dying or the impact Ang Lee’s Hulk had on Hollywood.
I guarantee he has no idea that Lee’s film even exists. But he went to see The DArk Knight based on the word of mouth.
He loved it.
Yeah, he’s one dude. But the box office gross of TDK versus the gross of Hulk shows he’s not the only one that ignored the lesser of the two films.
“It is, if you take into account inflation and the fact that Lee’s Hulk was cheaper.”
If you factor in inflation, Ang Lee’s Hulk wasn’t cheaper. You have a consistent ability to put forth contradictory arguments that would be admirable in a sitcom character.
“Would Cloverfield and Watchmen have happened because of Pulp Fiction? No.”
I think you mean to say ‘Would Cloverfield and Watchmen have happened without Pulp Fiction?’ To which I would say, I’m confident Zack Snyder would quite Tarantino foremost among his influences, given how they tend to have a similar breakneck pacing to their movies… and, as for ‘Cloverfield’, ‘Cloverfield’ was influenced by ‘Blair Witch’, and ‘Blair Witch’ as a phenomenon wouldn’t have been possible without the “indie revolution” of the ’90′s, a revolution supporting significantly by ‘Pulp Fiction’.
So, loosely, yes, you could say that it has had that widespread of an influence, but I was thinking more of the direct influence it had on every single crime movie that has been made since then.
“But Kill Bill happened after CTHD and even had a quoted line on superheroes.”
These are both facts. I am unclear on how these are intended to bolster the idea that Ang Lee’s ‘Hulk’ had a significant cultural impact. I don’t think anybody was denying, or that anybody of any remote sense would deny, that ‘Crouching Tiger’ had a cultural impact (though certain not as massive an impact as Tarantino).
“Hell, QT was so desperate to be recognized as a director of the wuxia genre that he slapped his name on Hero.”
All the times I’ve seen people explain to you that that isn’t what happened, and here you go spouting it again and again. The fact that you take an entirely imagined sin this seriously suggests bad things regarding your mental health.
“As for EWS, last time I checked, Tarantino probably owes more to Clockwork Orange than Kubrick would owe to PF. ”
Given that your opinions are consistently 100% wrong, I’d still go with the horse’s mouth on this one, Deez.
“Zack Snyder would quite Tarantino ”
would cite, that is.
I know I said I’d leave, but I had to school G and J first.
Jonah: “That’s two films. Two out of how many since the mid nineties. ”
I dunno. I do know that I don’t remember it having anything to do with Seven, Heat, Scream, Titanic, Welcome to the Dollhouse, American Beauty, or Boys Don’t Cry.
“Irrelevant. And you know it.”
QT was irrelevant pre-CTHD, too.
“I notice you didn’t dispute Gordon’s story about Pulp Fiction’s influence on Eyes Wide Shut.”
Oh, I do dispute it. I imagine Kubrick thought it would sell better if he shot it that way, since it was so long since he last made a movie. I don’t believe that he personally thought that Pulp Fiction was so “original” that he loved it enough to “homage” it in EWS, especially since they’re both totally different movies.
“the box office gross of TDK versus the gross of Hulk shows he’s not the only one that ignored the lesser of the two films.”
Nolan clearly didn’t ignore it, though, or he wouldn’t be using that same angle for his Batman movies. Anyway, if it did that horribly, then the studio wouldn’t continue to work with Lee on smaller projects which were even more likely to not make any money back, due to their “niche” subject-matter.
Gordon: “If you factor in inflation, Ang Lee’s Hulk wasn’t cheaper”
It was cheaper in the sense that it made more money for what it cost than the new Hulk.
“To which I would say, I’m confident Zack Snyder would [c]ite Tarantino foremost among his influences, given how they tend to have a similar breakneck pacing to their movies…”
I doubt it, since, unlike QT, Snyder actually knows how to shoot action scenes. Plus, he’s actually been in the business longer than QT.
“and, as for ‘Cloverfield’, ‘Cloverfield’ was influenced by ‘Blair Witch’, and ‘Blair Witch’ as a phenomenon wouldn’t have been possible without the “indie revolution” of the ’90′s,”
Cloverfield was influenced by Godzilla, while Blair Witch happened as a result of some college students who decided to remake Cannibal Holocaust for a soft-R audience.
“I don’t think anybody was denying, or that anybody of any remote sense would deny, that ‘Crouching Tiger’ had a cultural impact (though certain not as massive an impact as Tarantino)”
And yet Tarantino slapped his name on Iron Monkey and Hero and tried to make a comeback through Kill Bill.
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