criterionforum.org

So this is from the "brain dead-liberal" Mamet where I guess Redbelt is from the "free-market" Mamet?

oldsheperd wrote:So this is from the "brain dead-liberal" Mamet where I guess Redbelt is from the "free-market" Mamet?

If you read his plays from around this time, he doesn't come off as much as a liberal to me.

Baltimore's first entry into the collection?

solaris72 wrote:Baltimore's first entry into the collection?

They released Polyester on laserdisc,

dadaistnun wrote:

solaris72 wrote:Baltimore's first entry into the collection?

They released Polyester on laserdisc,

And Pink Flamingos.

Also can't wait for this one. Mantegna and Macy almost never disappoint me.

david hare wrote: alpha male pig David Mamet .

I love you davidhare. I thought I was the only one who can't stand Mamet.

Aw, guys ... can't I like Mamet and David Hare & Michael?

Michael wrote:

david hare wrote: alpha male pig David Mamet .

I love you davidhare. I thought I was the only one who can't stand Mamet.

Can I join the club. I used to hear lots about Mamet, living in Chicago eons ago. I never could stand listening to more than a couple of sentences-worth of the dialog he wrote for his plays. Never met him (fortunately).

The only Mamet I've really wholly enjoyed was Glengarry Glen Ross-- very good movie. Perhaps I'm predisposed to being a sucker for it owing to a lot of experience in sales.. so the characters and situations are very alive to me.

HerrSchreck wrote:The only Mamet I've really wholly enjoyed was Glengarry Glen Ross-- very good movie. Perhaps I'm predisposed to being a sucker for it owing to a lot of experience in sales.. so the characters and situations are very alive to me.

Ditto, evn though the only Mamet I've out right hated is Edmond. Maybe I just hate how he writes women?

Maybe I just hate how he writes women?

That's certainly one problem I have with his work.
And there's something too clever by half about his dialogue; I always feel I'm watching puppets, not people ... the words don't seem to come from the characters so much as being put in their mouths.
(Curiously I do not have this problem with Edward Albee, all of whose characters talk pretty much like Edward Albee.)

You guys are really going to do the "Mamet doesn't write like people actually talk" thing? Really?

domino harvey wrote:You guys are really going to do the "Mamet doesn't write like people actually talk" thing? Really?

I don't have any idea whether any real people talk like Mamet's characters or not. I just know that if I encountered people who talked like his characters, I would make a point to not become well-acquainted with them.

criterionsnob wrote:Beaver

Some of those screenshots look like they are taken from a really sharp VHS tape. I've never seen the film. Is the look intentional?

My own reaction to Mamet has been hit and miss. I guess I like the films of his scripts better (Glengarry Glen Ross is excellent, The Verdict and Wag The Dog have their moments as well) than the films he directed himself (didn't care much for Oleanna and House of Games). I love Joe Mantegna and William H Macy though and the premise of Homicide intrigues me. Still, should I rent it first before buyers remorse kicks in? Thoughts?

(Forgot to mention: what I'd give to read his first draft of Hannibal - Harris' novel wasn't perfect but his early draft is reportedly superior to the revised draft that Steven Zaillian turned in)

Michael Kerpan wrote:

domino harvey wrote:You guys are really going to do the "Mamet doesn't write like people actually talk" thing? Really?

I don't have any idea whether any real people talk like Mamet's characters or not. I just know that if I encountered people who talked like his characters, I would make a point to not become well-acquainted with them.

Oh, God. Worse than listening to his characters is listening to or reading the man himself. I tried to read one of his deranged screeds, The Wicked Son. Never again.

tajmahal wrote:Some of those screenshots look like they are taken from a really sharp VHS tape. I've never seen the film. Is the look intentional?

This is my first time with the film so I can't say for sure but it does look a little muddy, darker scenes are hard to see at times, and while not as bad as a VHS image it certainly reminded me of that.

David Mamet had always been one of those directors that I've heard of, but never quite got "in to" per se. After recently hearing about the release of Homicide, I decided to finally investigate his catalog of work.

So. I picked up SPARTAN for six bucks at my local used DVD store, and went home to enjoy the supposedly fantastic writing of Mamet. After 45 minutes I turned it off. I normally NEVER do this. I firmly believe that one should finish a film regardless of its faults in order to properly critique it.

But. In the case of SPARTAN, I just couldn't suffer both the acting and writing itself. I can understand and deal with "self-important" and "indulgent" tendencies among writer/directors, however, in the case of Mamet (and this film), it was so over the top that I just couldn't stomach it. It really turned me off to future attempts to "get" Mamet.

The question I have is this - Am I just MISSING something when it comes to Mamet? How is SPARTAN ranked in his filmography among fans? I'm just not getting the hype over the guy at this point.

The reason for this post is that I am still genuinely excited to Netflix Homicide. I think I just need to have an actual conversation with a Mamet fan to understand how to approach the material.

While I haven't gotten to see it yet, Spartan is considered B grade Mamet by most. If you are willing to give him a second chance, I advise you go with the written, but not directed, Glen Garry Glenross. If you don't like that one, just give up on the man.

I liked Spartan, but I like Redbelt even more. I think it has a lot to do with my interest in Judo(which is an offshoot of Jujutsu) and I am pretty much in agreement with the main character's assertion about competition. Even though Judo is competition oriented I'm not interested in that aspect. Plus the whole MMA thing is dumb which I believe Mamet may be partially in agreement with. Plus the ending of Redbelt is just weird.

knives wrote:While I haven't gotten to see it yet, Spartan is considered B grade Mamet by most.

Not here it isn't. If memory serves, it's one of his most popular films on the forum, and rightly so. He seems to get better with every film, a total master of the conservative method of classical Hollywood filmmaking. Both Spartan and Redbelt figure prominently on my 00s List Project list

I struggled with Spartan the first time through as well, but give it another chance. I'd rank it up there with his best. And it's the best work Val Kilmer's done in ages.