Take the Money and Run

"No passion is stronger in the breast of man than the desire to make others believe as he believes. Nothing so cuts at the root of his happiness and fills him with rage as the sense that another rates low what he prizes high."

- Virginia Woolf, ORLANDO

I've wanted to post that quote for a while now, and finally remembered to do so after reading Glenn Kenny's blog this morning. It's amusing/terrifying to read the emails and comments he gets from people over movies he writes negatively about (e.g. the Adam Sandler email). They are pretty much psychotic. People are fucking weird. Anyway, Mrs. Woolf's quote, though intended to be humorous, is about as truthful as anything I've ever read.

Now for some responses.

Brandon,

One is always at the mercy of the almighty dollar. I know that. School's out and I'm currently unemployed. Like I said in my last post, I understand that if you value doing and having things that cost money, you need to make some. I also understand how much money goes into putting out an album or making a film. The many costs and financial complexities of both are daunting and absurd. I don't look upon either in a trivial light.

I'm absolutely sure PTA and Tarantino are worried about money, don't get me wrong. They need money to live on just like any of us. They also need advantageous financial results to ensure they can continue making the films they want to make. I just don't think that either of those guys is dreaming up their latest picture with giant dollar signs in their eyes. I think they make the best film they possibly can, something that reflects an essential part of themselves, and then hope that as many people as possible can see it and connect to it. I'm sure the biggest problem Tarantino had over the failure of GRINDHOUSE was knowing that a lot of people didn't see it, not that it didn't reap him exorbitant financial rewards. He certainly wants his films to do well, but if he cared more about getting that paycheck then having people see one of his passion projects, he could go direct the next HUNGER GAMES movie. You know what I'm saying? The whole point of bringing up Tarantino and PTA against someone like Michael Bay is to say that Bay is a complete mercenary out to make millions while the former dudes are out to make a great film that they can share with people they know will appreciate it. Like you were saying, you want people to go to your shows because you want them to love what you have worked very hard on. You also want someone to buy your album or one of your t-shirts so that you have money to keep making more albums. This all means that you value the ability to create your art and share it with people. Money isn't the bottom line–the art itself is. To me, that's a crucial difference. If money was all that mattered, you'd just try to be the next Fall Out Boy, right?

Also, to be completely fair, I understand that sometimes you gotta do shit for the money. Chris has a friend who's guest acting in some shitty Syfy show soon. I doubt it's the ideal work she wants as an actor, but I'm sure she needs the exposure and the rent money.

And, apparently, despite the success of THERE WILL BE BLOOD, no one would finance THE MASTER. I don't know if you followed its production history, but it came dangerously close to never seeing the light of day. A billionaire's daughter, Megan Ellison, had to swoop in at the last second and save the picture from the trashcan. Phew!

Jade loves I MARRIED A WITCH as much as I do. She IS a great gal.

As to your horror conversation with Chris, I obviously agree with you. I must certainly confess to cheering on the moments of violence in a horror film. Not that I particularly love seeing violence, I just love the anticipation of something frightening or shocking happening. Like you said, it's that vicarious danger of a horror film that makes us watch it. Seeing characters getting hurt or killed isn't exactly fun, but getting scared is. Plus, I'm entirely aware that what I'm seeing is fake and simulated. I can appreciate a good looking kill because that means someone did a hell of a job in the make-up department. Seeing violence in a horror film is as much appreciating how it has been constructed as anything else.

I like slasher movies more than torture porn. The kills are usually quick and inventive as opposed to being drawn out and elaborate. All the fun is in the anticipation of the kill anyway, not necessarily the kill itself. This is what creates tension and makes us scared. Ti West is such a good horror director because he understands this better than most.

PROJECT X looks awful. Meatheads fucking suck. Well said, to the both of you.

Seth McFarland's television shows are among the most unfunny, idiotic, annoying pieces of shit imaginable. But, how did TOSH.0 escape this meathead bashing unscathed? Daniel Tosh is the Todd Phillips of television. He's a total fucking wanker, and the lord of douche bags everywhere.