If that's true, that's the biggest problem.  It's that he doesn't really care that it looks like a clown show.  On the music (or lack of): that's on him and has been consistent over multiple managers.  I'll give TB a break on that one.

At some point the well is going to dry up though.  And they are going to have to be run professionally.

Forgotten---some Netflix Korean film.  Turned out to be quite good and it deals with the psycholgical thriller stuff that the Koreans are quite good at.  Somewhat of a con/twist movie if I were to describe.

The Firm--this one could have been great.  As it is it's just solid.  The 2.5 hour run time is too much.  The acting and cast really are all ace across the board.   Sydney Pollack directed this and I think he wanted this to be his conspiracy thriller of the 1990s.  But it comes nowhere close to Three Days of the  Condor which is more tightly plotted and has more urgency.    I guess some of it is down to the Grisham novel. Honestly, I would have just dumped some of the stuff between Mitch (Tom Cruise's character) and his wife and focused on the nefarious doings of the firm.  This is one of those, I'll watch once every decade kind of films.

I just shake my head because I have nephews who are born in the 2000s and they will never know the cultural impact (or maybe they don't care) of the cinema.  A lot of the older theaters were in these building that were around since the 1930s (or insert decade here) and had been through a lot of events.  I just remember going into one of those theaters and just feeling a small connection to history.  There's just something special about just going into one of those older theaters.  I can't fully explain this in words.  But you always mention our culture getting dumbed down or lost etc...and this is one of them.

Oh, theaters used to have a little video game area where you could either hang out with friends or just kill time.  Those are pretty much gone now in favor of more diverse food options (overpriced food).

This isn't only on theaters too.  I went to a retailer (cough...Target) to kill some time and beat the heat today.  Holy shit, I was depressed at what they turned that store into.  It was clean, clinical, depressing and pretty empty.  It made me think back and miss the Woolworth's near the complex where I used to live in the 80s.  It was close by and sometimes my grandma would just browse. 

LOL, not very fond of black people.  You're being super nice there.  It's worse than you think.  At least amongst the older generation Chinese.  I don't know if it's prevalent amongst the younger generation. But man some of the racist stuff I've heard (personal experience here) is like...let me put it this way, if a White (or any other race had said this stuff) there'd be an outrage.  Certain races "smell".  I've heard blacks athletes referred to as like horses/animals.  It's Hollywood hypocrisy at it's worst.  Rail on something that may or may not be racist while getting into bed with a nation that is full of racists.  Again, it's probably not all/majority of the population but I would bet a lot of them have that attitude/those thoughts.

Agree with Executive Decision.  There's a good 100 minute film there.  The last twenty mins or so are not neccesary.

What they should have done with Speed 2 is went with a train or a plane.  The luxury liner was a dumb idea.  Oh, I just read that Keanu got blackballed from 20th Century Fox for around 10 years because he refused to do Speed 2.  Fuck that shit,  he was right not to do it.

Yeah, the problem with what Hollywood is doing with minorities (and women) is that it's obvious and uneccesary.  I'm all for them making films that show off their experience/different viewpoints of the world.  I'm fine with something like Bound which shows two lesbian women trying to steal money from a mobster in a traditionally male oriented (noir) genre.   Or Dead Presidents that specially dealt with post Vietnam malaise amongst blacks.  Those are at least interesting and new ideas.

What I don't like them making a new Ghostbusters that featured minorities and women just because they didn't feature them enough the first time.  It's not like they are making a totally new film.  It's just rehashed shit with women/minorities in the lead instead of men.

The propoganda machine helps I think.  Disney Plus, Hulu..whatever streaming service is connected to these films.  Free advertising for the 21st century.

I don't really want to go off on this topic but fuck the "mid tier" film has been totally eliminated in the last 5-10 years or so.  You had your blockbusters/franchises, then you have another types/sets of film, that may or may not star an A lister, but it was different from the franchise/blockbusters in that is was creative/had a hook.  Then you had the indie stuff and the direct to DVD stuff.  This was like from 70s to maybe the 2000s. The Matrix probably qualifies as one of these types of films.

Now?  Franchise (superhero shit usually), then indie stuff, then DTV stuff from fading icons looking to make a buck for whatever reason.  Dramatic drop off in quality.

Honestly, I think they got lucky here.  I can't see Roberts, Madonna, Wright, or Lewis in the role.  Roberts wasn't playing a heel killer coming off Pretty Woman and stuff like the Pelican Brief.  Madonna never had the acting chops.  Wright, maybe?  But maybe she doesn't do Forrest Gump as a result of this.  I think she made out ok in that trade off.  I could see Moore pulling off the role.  Skeptical about Winona, as much as I like her and also she was also very skinny as well.  She went to do an "oscar bait" film w/Scorcese in 1993, probably not a loss for her in missing out on that film.

Rewatched Heat.  What a wonderful and beautiful film.  I can't really say enough about it.  There's actually a bunch of plotlines in this and they all work.  And the wolf analogy that is mentioned in the film is accurate.  The 3 main characters are all wolves (including the Val Kilmer character).  And wolves hunt alone or are drawn to others like them, which is why the coffee shop is so revered.  Those 2 share a kinship, understanding, and intimacy in that they can reveal their true thoughts about their lives/philosophies to each other.  Mann's films are often about the outsider/criminal trying to fit into society and into a normal lifestyle (this is very prevalent in Thief as well) and it just doesn't happen and the two don't mix.  There's always a major conflict there. They are meant to be alone and lonely.   Vincent (Pacino character) realizes this and accepts this, which is why his marriage is on the skids.  Neil deludes himself into thinking he has a future w/Eady (after she finds out he's a thief/criminal) and that's kinda his downfall.  She was basically done with him after that plus he went against the Heat "creed".

Oh one fucking hilarious part I never realized.  After Vincent finds his wife cheating with some jobber at his house, he goes balistic and steals the TV...then dumps it later on in the street.  Pacino had a nuanced performance here.  He's channeling some of his "scarface" over the top stuff along with the character.  You can see some of the pompousness here, but it's never overwhelming.  But he balances it out with some character moments like offering sympathy to one of the victims of Waingro/ and or his relationship with his stepdaugher.

This is where I really hate Hollywood's double standards.  Guys can go into the same leading man roles into their 50s.  Women?  Once you get close to 40, they are going to be writing grandmother (ie shittier) roles for you.

Silverstone is a great example of someone who broke through and got the "rocket push" and did nothing with it. Or maybe she never had the box office power .  If we are using wrestling terms, she was a mid carder and not main event material.  Looks at some of those bombs she starred in post-Clueless.

Neve Campbell and Love Hewiitt probably had a better box office track record/success than Silverstone.  I love Silverstone but it's obvious that she was best suited for jailbait and snobby girl roles.

Miller's Crossing; I should like this but it was ok and really dragged in the second half to the point where I started falling asleep.   There's nothing wrong with it but I just don't connect with it

Vengeance; revenge thriller w/Johnny Halladay.  Not bad.  Liked a lot more this viewing.   It had a nice meditative, "western" feel to it.