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A response to Marx Rises Again in the Times 4/19/14
It comes down to Karl Marx's true magnum opus, which was never the Communist Manifesto but Das Capital: 1. Marx describes a banking system in which periodic collapses such as the one that occurred in 2008 were not only possible, but inevitable. That is certainly attractive, since non-Marxist economists were very much caught by surprise, while the Marxists were not. 2. Marx described a labor system in which the owners of capital would pay workers only barely enough to keep enough workers capable of doing their jobs - in a world without trade unions the vast majority of life experience of Millenials is precisely that. 3. Marx described the capitalists gaining complete control of government. There is serious research, not just a gut instinct, demonstrating that this has indeed happened. 4. Marx described a system in which increasing automation and technology benefits solely the capitalist class, and leaves workers more desperate. This has indeed happened, particularly as a result of the major advances in computing technology since 1980. 1. The audience is fickle.
2. Grab ‘em by the throat and never let ‘em go. 3. Develop a clean line of action for your leading character. 4. Know where you’re going. 5. The more subtle and elegant you are in hiding your plot points, the better you are as a writer. 6. If you have a problem with the third act, the real problem is in the first act. 7. A tip from Lubitsch: Let the audience add up two plus two. They’ll love you forever. 8. In doing voice-overs, be careful not to describe what the audience already sees. Add to what they’re seeing. 9. The event that occurs at the second act curtain triggers the end of the movie. 10. The third act must build, build, build in tempo and action until the last event, and then—that’s it. Don’t hang around. Billy Wilder Speaks (a great link)
At the risk of being presumptuous, and because we're often asked for our questionable wisdom on our 50 years, here are 15 observations. Disclaimer: These opinions are highly subjective but nevertheless also "‘based on a true story.’ CLICK FOR THE LIST
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes AND Don Knotts are BOTH screening
at the Somerville Theater in Somerville MA. To show much time can be wasted any given morning on Facebook: Here is Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon From the Dawn of the Apes movie Through Don Knotts and Kevin Bacon and BACK AGAIN to DON KNOTTS!! (some excellent movie choices along the way!!) 1. Rise of the Planet of the Apes with Kerri Russell 2. Russell with Andy Griffith (Waitress) 3. Griffith with Don Knotts (Barnie Fife) 4. Knotts with Jane Kaczmarek (Pleasantville) 5. Kaczmarek with Frankie Muniz (Malcolm in the Middle) 6. Muiz with Kevin Bacon (My Dog Skip) 1. Bacon with Campbell Scott (Loverboy) 2. Scott with Troy Donahue (Sexpot) 3. Donahue and Robert Stack (Tarnished Angels) 4. Stack with Nigel Bruce (Bwana Devil) 5. Nigel Bruce with David Niven (The Charge of the Light Brigade) 6. David Niven with DON KNOTTS (No Deposit, No Return)
Remembering George Kuchar
Here is his Obituary from the NY Times two years ago. Here is the movie about him and his brother, their retro aesthetic and unique teaching style: It Came From KucharBelow is a clip I shot of him speaking a BU. |
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