tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post9124062108586514544..comments2024-03-03T10:32:45.969-08:00Comments on Mr. Peel's Sardine Liqueur: Here On SpecMr. Peel aka Peter Avellinohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10553482286909862975noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-65680587842292336582009-04-08T22:28:00.000-07:002009-04-08T22:28:00.000-07:00Griff--I know what you're saying--and I wish that ...Griff--<BR/><BR/>I know what you're saying--and I wish that I had also seen it opening weekend at the Ziegfeld--but I don't have any ideas here as well. It's pretty obvious that there's more to the Manhattan section than what we see--I can remember seeing a trailer long before the release that I can't find online which included the two leads singing a mangled version of "American Pie". I'd love to see that footage again. I guess if the one-line summary of the film is "two bad songwriters go to the middle east" then they wanted to get them to the middle east sooner rather than later. People either get the film or they don't--I'd desperately love to see more of that footage to see if fleshing that section out would have helped but I'm not sure if it would have helped more people to accept the concept. There might be an answer to all this and maybe Elaine May has come up with it by now but I guess we'll never know what that is. But thanks for the thoughtful comment, it's gotten me to think about this some more. <BR/><BR/>J.D. --<BR/><BR/>Thanks very much for that, there's some amazing stuff there. Glad you liked the piece but I'm always thrilled to hear that this film has another fan!<BR/><BR/>Lisa--<BR/><BR/>I look forward to reading that, I'd really love to see it. <BR/><BR/>Bob--<BR/><BR/>Sorry you didn't make it out there, I hope you get to see it one of these days and I'm glad I got you to want to see it. Thanks very much. <BR/><BR/>Mrs. Peel--<BR/><BR/>Thank you so much for that, it means a great deal. I hope you see the movie one of these days, I think you may actually respond to it. Sorry I won't be there to see your response to it, but if you do check it out I'd love to know what you think. All my best to you.Mr. Peel aka Peter Avellinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10553482286909862975noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-52998776280179957002009-04-07T21:08:00.000-07:002009-04-07T21:08:00.000-07:00Mr. Peel, sending you thoughts of cotton candy, as...Mr. Peel, sending you thoughts of cotton candy, as the traditional second anniversary gift.<BR/><BR/>I have never seen Ishtar, so I have something to look forward to. I remember people comparing it to the Hope/Crosby Road pictures, very unfavorably. But Hoffman and Beatty win my heart simply because they wanted to do a Road picture.Mapeelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12149683683413237283noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-77109013699193101412009-04-07T18:45:00.000-07:002009-04-07T18:45:00.000-07:00I've only seen this once & on VHS at that,...I've only seen this once & on VHS at that, so, in a sense I've never really seen it. I saw it listed on the New Beverly calendar and didn't make a sincere effort to catch it (I'm not that big on "Joe vs. the Volcano".) Now, after reading your write up I wish I had made myself get out of the house to catch it. <BR/><BR/>- BobAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-79803680943231117142009-04-07T13:29:00.000-07:002009-04-07T13:29:00.000-07:00Someday I will dig up the review of "Ishtar" I wro...Someday I will dig up the review of "Ishtar" I wrote for the Daily Trojan and share it with you, Mr. Peel. It was quite positive.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15391721414043121953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-19432284077318431582009-04-07T06:43:00.000-07:002009-04-07T06:43:00.000-07:00Mr. Peel:I dunno, if you've come across this, but ...Mr. Peel:<BR/><BR/>I dunno, if you've come across this, but FILM COMMENT's website has a fascinating conversation between Elaine May and Mike Nichols about ISHTAR. Check it out:<BR/><BR/>http://www.filmlinc.com/fcm/ja06/elainemay.htm<BR/><BR/>Another fantastic write-up about a much-maligned film. I never understood the awful reputation this film acquired when there's much worse crap out there. Oh well, no accounting for taste, eh?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2118574901486983093.post-53470806073106132592009-04-06T22:53:00.000-07:002009-04-06T22:53:00.000-07:00Everything you say is essentially true, I think. I...Everything you say is essentially true, I think. I also wish the Manhattan set-up was deeper and more extensive -- not simply because it's the most pleasurable part of the movie, but because I believe that Lyle and Chuck's utter mania to write and perform their crazy songs probably needed to be more fully established early on. <BR/><BR/>People who love ISHTAR really get this; those who have no patience for the film apparently can't understand why these middle-aged, talentless songwriters are so absurdly persistent. I had no problem with this... but a lot of other people at the Ziegfeld when I saw it the weekend it opened certainly did. <BR/><BR/>Perhaps if Lyle and Chuck -- and their admittedly unique talent -- had been introduced and established a bit more pointedly and with a little more screen time (I don't have any ideas here, and I'm probably daft to second guess Elaine May), the audience might have been more readily let in on the joke.<BR/><BR/>A thought, anyway.Griffnoreply@blogger.com