Ryan Stewart

I know I'm alone on this, but I think THE END OF OAK STREET missed a big opportunity to go practical with their dinosaur effects. It would distinguish the film from the same Jurassic Park FX template we've been seeing for the last 30 years. But I guess that wasn't the goal.

The most interesting thing they could do with DAYS OF THUNDER 2 is to bring back Nicole Kidman.

"If you really want to know the truth about alien encounters, I think my movies are more realistic [than Spielberg's] about what will happen. Think of the settlers who came and their encounters with the Indians. It didn’t go so well for the Indians." -- John Carpenter, 7.20.26

Watching THE POPE OF GREENWICH VILLAGE. Ebert nailed this one, he said the film is about nothing but its own performances, so true. Nothing sticks. The ending pulls a Butch & Sundance, but the director doesn't even try to sell it because who cares? Mickey Rourke deserved better.

Watching the two hour and twenty minute (!) director’s cut of THE LAWNMOWER MAN. It actually plays better, it breathes and tells a full story. The irony is that it’s a very Stephen King-like story even though he sued them for just slapping his name on something he didn’t write.

Owen Gleiberman has a piece in Variety about why he doesn't appreciate MANHUNTER: THE FINAL CUT. He doesn't dwell on specifics, just bemoans the fact that Mann feels the need to aggressively tamper with his own work: "Mann’s stylish signatures aren’t so much dated as timeless."

20 incredible shots from HOFFA that showcase the bold camera moves, editing and practical filmmaking. Director Danny DeVito is a wildly creative visual stylist and both he and this film remain deeply underrated. Split diopters. Match cuts. Precise crane shots. No CGI needed:

Told a guy about how we used to record music off the radio onto cassettes and he looked at me like I saw Lincoln get shot live

Watching HOFFA: I love how the little story that Danny DeVito's character tells John C. Reilly late in the movie about how Robert Prosky died doesn't match at all what we saw at the beginning of the movie, but it's played straight. That's a very David Mamet touch.

Looking at posters: the U.S. one sheet for Sam Raimi's THE GIFT is just a bland headshot, but the French poster is much better. It's Cate Blanchett holding out her palm (I don't think she reads palms in the movie) and you can see a scene from the film's finale playing out on it.

Watching Tobe Hooper's LIFEFORCE. There's a scene about halfway through this where we see an alien (in a woman's body) out walking in the English countryside looking for men to prey on and I had a strong feeling that it must've inspired Jonathan Glazer on a subconscious level.

I’m a little weirded out by the trailer for I PLAY ROCKY. It’s a great trailer, but Stallone is not Rocky. He’s an articulate dude. Look up interviews from the late 70s where he talks about art and writing, etc. The movie is doing a little sleight of hand, it looks like.

Walter Hill is being honored at Fantastic Fest and the film they are screening is EXTREME PREJUDICE. It’s 48 HOURS on the border. There’s a subplot about Vietnam soldiers who were declared dead being reformed as a unit, Mario Kassar obviously recycled that for UNIVERSAL SOLDIER.

They banned DIFFERENT SEASONS in Utah. Contains STAND BY ME and THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, stories of friendship and courage. Readable by teens, too. What's wrong with these people?

They All Laughed (1981)

Meryl Streep can't chew a bite of food without acting out chewing. (1986)

Free advice for those remaking A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET: you could create a lot of goodwill by getting Matthew Peak on board to do the poster campaign, assuming he's interested. His art is beloved and a huge part of the legacy of those films.

DIGGER looks like a HUDSON HAWK-level misfire.

I’m surprised that the DICK TRACY soundtrack was not one of Madonna’s ten number one albums. (Peaked at number two, apparently.) I remember it being a huge deal at the time. Warren Beatty sings on it! Oh well, I bought it, can’t blame me.

Currently reading: Beneath Mulholland, by David Thomson. A collection of essays & short fiction. There's a fun short story about what happens in the aftermath of SCARFACE. Elvira identifies Tony in the morgue and learns she's inherited his wealth. She becomes a kingpin herself.