Posted by flah at maiz.dev.valueweb.com on August 27, 2001 at 14:57:50:
in response to:
http://www.clo-sfl.com/082201lester2.html
While I can not speak for viewaskew, this is what I have drawn from the
movies they have put out...
Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2001 13:38:09 -0400
From: Phil C
To: blester@tribune.com
Subject: I do not think you "get" it
User-Agent: Mutt/1.2.5i
First of all, let me just say that not liking something or someone is not
my contention. Opinions abound and are simply inescapable...
I recently read "May the force be with you...", and found your rant not
only overtly personal but totally off base. While you rail against his
use of banal comedic intentions, you yourself fall prey to similar
posturing. Comments like,
'Jason Biggs ("the pie fucker")',
the infantile,
"Smith is a writer in desperate need of a maturity transplant and
basic coaching in writing",
or the disappointly childish,
"Please grow up and investigate a new career",
give absolutetly no credence to your opinions. In doing so you speak in the same
manner which, your seeminly, mortal enemy would. Is this all an attempt to
'connect' with the teens and other ilk who might find this movie ammusing, to
catch their attention that they might follow in your disgust? As a reader,
having seen his films, your comments make me wonder how it is that I am to
take you seriously. How can I when you complain about his immaturity, yet your
language conveys a similar sense of gross under development, with a cucial
quality missing... Humor.
Regarding, "Are you going to whip your dick out in front of this fine little
woman? Don't pull you dick out until a woman asks or until she's asleep."
I really can not see how anyone could take this comment seriously, it is a
crude, though in my opinion funny, over dramatization of the testosterone
laiden society we live in. Laughing at a statement such as this, for me,
has nothing to do with, "young women's intelligence and self-esteem". It is
a poke, a jab at the culture, a funny remark on the state of 'masculinity' and
its associated insensitivity, arrogance and ignorance. If you can not see this
I would have to chalk it up to the involvement of personal preference with
regard to the 'artists' behaviour outside of the realm of film, ie your
disatisfaction with his rants on Magnolia etc. Honestly, think about this
statement, who would actually take this to heart? It is insanely over the top...
Finally, I found it quite ammusing that to try and support your points you
chose to bring up (directly) the one movie which he, I believe, refered to as
the result of receving too much money to make a movie, admitting to its mistake
or blunder. "Clerks", "Dogma", "Chasing Amy" and even "Mallrats" have great
dialogue, that disgruntled cynical intelligent mid 20's discomfort. I noticed
that you took a small hidden jab at "Dogma", or so I believe, in the comment
about faith... None the less no direct mention of anything but his least
ammusing and successful movie... tisk tisk tisk...
In closing, I can only say that I found most of the article to be totally
irrelavent. Reviewing a movie, in my opinion, is not about airing your
dirty laundry, being ribald or threatening to find another career path
if a certain someone is allowed to make another movie. True unlike journalism,
this column will inevitably be based more on opinion... It does not change
the fact that you are reporting on something and for the reader the fact that
he insulted, pointlessly, someone you seem to like, makes jokes you can not
comprehend and apparently is someone you are generally dissatisfied with
is no excuse for blind siding him with puerile insults. In my opinion you
have sunken to his, what I would imagine you would refer to as, crude
first grade mentality, degrading him with inane comments like, "a petty
midget of a man". The unfortunate thing in all of this, he can pull it off
with style, he attacks the culture in a subtle manner and his films are
redeeming. You on the other hand have offered nothing in return for your
coarse langauge and disgruntled posturing except the impression of a bitter
and humorless individual.
--
Respectfully,
Phil