|
Post by petrolino on Apr 17, 2017 2:48:51 GMT
What are your favourite plays and movies that David Mamet has been involved with, either as playwright, scriptwriter or director?
Thanks!
|
|
|
Post by london777 on Apr 17, 2017 3:13:32 GMT
My four favorites are:
Wag the Dog (screenplay) 1997 Vanya on 42nd Street (play adaptation) 1994 Glengarry Glen Ross (screenplay from his own theater play) 1992 House of Games (wrote and directed) 1987
Of other films he directed: Spartan (routine Hollywood thriller) The Spanish Prisoner (very good until stupid ending) State and Main (harmless but Philip Seymour Hoffman wasted)
I had no idea he wrote Ronin (under a pseudonym)
|
|
|
Post by petrolino on Apr 17, 2017 3:20:21 GMT
Wag the Dog (screenplay) 1997 Vanya on 42nd Street (play adaptation) 1994 Glengarry Glen Ross (screenplay from his own theater play) 1992 House of Games (wrote and directed) 1987 Of other films he directed: Spartan (routine Hollywood thriller) The Spanish Prisoner (very good until stupid ending) State and Main (harmless but Philip Seymour Hoffman wasted) I had no idea he wrote Ronin (under a pseudonym) 'Ronin' provided a big career resurgence for director John Frankenheimer who loved cars and car chases.
|
|
|
Post by petrolino on Apr 17, 2017 17:11:39 GMT
David Mamet as director :
'House Of Games' (1987) 'Things Change' (1988) 'Homicide' (1991) 'Oleanna' (1994) 'Ricky Jay And His 52 Assistants' (1996, TV Movie) 'The Spanish Prisoner' (1997) 'The Winslow Boy' (1999) 'Catastrophe' (2000, Short) 'State And Main' (2000) 'Heist' (2001) 'Spartan' (2004) 'Redbelt' (2008) 'Lost Masterpieces Of Pornography' (2010, Video Short) 'Two Painters' (2010, Short) 'Inside The Actor's Workshop' (2010, Video short) 'Our Valley' (2010, Short) 'The Marquee' (2010, Short) 'Phil Spector' (2013, TV Movie)
I've seen and enjoyed a good deal of Mamet's feature film work as director. I recently watched 'Phil Spector' (2013) on tv, with Al Pacino and Helen Mirren. I found it interesting enough but not something I'd be in a hurry to watch again.
|
|
|
Post by wmcclain on Apr 17, 2017 18:37:42 GMT
|
|
|
Post by Nalkarj on Apr 18, 2017 0:28:56 GMT
Thanks for posting this thread, petrolino! Mamet's one of my favorite (modern) directors; as they did with the late Roger Ebert, Mamet's movies hold a special attraction for me, as I, like him, am fascinated by cons and games and tricks within tricks. Unsurprisingly, I've been having fun with cards and magic tricks since I was probably five years old. I've seen only a few of Mamet's pictures so far, but The Spanish Prisoner stands out to me. It's hilarious that critics described it as "Hitchcockian," for it's almost anti-Hitchcockian in its predilections (what Hitchcock would have made suspense, Mamet makes surprise; where Hitch would have shot a scene dark and gloomy, Mamet makes it light and sunny, and vice versa). It's very (dryly) funny and clever, with patented Mamet-speak, and the twists are beautifully surprising, as we fall into Mamet's trap nearly every time. (Like a good detective-story writer, he fools you with your preconceptions--and, like a good detective-story writer, too, he is deeply indebted to the concept of cluing.) He didn't direct it, but Mamet's script, personality, and style dominate The Edge as Lubitsch's personality dominated Cukor's One Hour with You (to borrow a simile from Andrew Sarris). The Edge, by the way, is absolutely one of my favorite films.
|
|
|
Post by hi224 on Apr 18, 2017 1:01:25 GMT
My four favorites are: Wag the Dog (screenplay) 1997 Vanya on 42nd Street (play adaptation) 1994 Glengarry Glen Ross (screenplay from his own theater play) 1992 House of Games (wrote and directed) 1987 Of other films he directed: Spartan (routine Hollywood thriller) The Spanish Prisoner (very good until stupid ending) State and Main (harmless but Philip Seymour Hoffman wasted) I had no idea he wrote Ronin (under a pseudonym) Ew he wrote spartan.
|
|
|
Post by Nalkarj on Apr 18, 2017 22:24:30 GMT
Thanks for posting this thread, petrolino ! Mamet's one of my favorite (modern) directors; as it similarly occurred with the late Roger Ebert, Mamet's movies hold a special attraction for me, as I, like him, am fascinated by cons and games and tricks within tricks. Unsurprisingly, I've been having fun with cards and magic tricks since I was probably five years old. I've seen only a few of Mamet's pictures so far, but The Spanish Prisoner stands out to me. It's hilarious that critics described it as "Hitchcockian," for it's almost anti-Hitchcockian in its predilections (what Hitchcock would have made suspense, Mamet makes surprise; where Hitch would have shot a scene dark and gloomy, Mamet makes it light and sunny, and vice versa). It's very (dryly) funny and clever, with patented Mamet-speak, and the twists are beautifully surprising, as we fall into Mamet's trap nearly every time. (Like a good detective-story writer, he fools you with your preconceptions--and, like a good detective-story writer, too, he is deeply indebted to the concept of cluing.) He didn't direct it, but Mamet's script, personality, and style dominate The Edge as Lubitsch's personality dominated Cukor's One Hour with You (to borrow a simile from Andrew Sarris). The Edge, by the way, is absolutely one of my favorite films. Anyone agree, disagree, etc.? I'd love to talk about The Spanish Prisoner. It's one of my favorite (modern) movies, hits a special nerve for me.
|
|
|
Post by Carl LaFong on Apr 19, 2017 0:35:16 GMT
Most of his stuff is dreary.
I also hate when he lets his wife, Rebecca Pidgeon, act in his movies. She's bloody awful!
EDIT: I do really like Glengarry Glen Ross though.
|
|
gadolinium
Sophomore
@gadolinium
Posts: 282
Likes: 137
|
Post by gadolinium on Apr 21, 2017 21:47:22 GMT
He contributed a lot to many enjoyable movies over the years and I like some of your choices but I feel The Verdict needs to be mentioned as well.
|
|
|
Post by Nalkarj on Apr 21, 2017 21:52:50 GMT
Most of his stuff is dreary. I also hate when he lets his wife, Rebecca Pidgeon, act in his movies. She's bloody awful! EDIT: I do really like Glengarry Glen Ross though. I like most of Mamet's work, Carl, but I agree with you re: Miss Pidgeon. What he wants to do is nice, but she simply doesn't have the acting chops to pull off the character he wrote for her. The same applies, I think, for ex-wife Lindsey Crouse in Mamet's House of Games, otherwise one of my favorites of his work.
|
|
|
Post by marshamae on Apr 21, 2017 22:20:48 GMT
Lindsay Crouse was so curiously unaffecting in House of Games. The only place she seemed engaged was when she was being physically threatened . Even the climax of her relationship with Joe Mantegna was cold, as though she were sleep-walking.
She was excellent in Places in tge Heart. And Mantegna managed to make Mamet's odd style of dialogue seem reasonable . So I take that to mean that Crouse's performance is the result of his direction. I agree Rebecca Pigeon has the same cold feel in Mamet films.
With all that, I find Mamet fascinating .
I'd love to discuss Spanish prisoner, but I haven't seen it in a long time. As I get older I find that I no longer remember every thing I've ever seen or read. I used to be able to do that. It was pretty useful in college.
I would like to recommend the books Mamet has written , essays about film and writing
Writing In Restaurants
Make-Believe
actually I would gladly read anything he wrote and I think his script for the Untouchables is brilliant.
|
|
|
Post by Nalkarj on Apr 21, 2017 22:52:15 GMT
Lindsay Crouse was so curiously unaffecting in House of Games. The only place she seemed engaged was when she was being physically threatened . Even the climax of her relationship with Joe Mantegna was cold, as though she were sleep-walking.
She was excellent in Places in the Heart. And Mantegna managed to make Mamet's odd style of dialogue seem reasonable . So I take that to mean that Crouse's performance is the result of his direction. I agree Rebecca Pigeon has the same cold feel in Mamet films.
With all that, I find Mamet fascinating .
I'd love to discuss Spanish prisoner, but I haven't seen it in a long time. As I get older I find that I no longer remember every thing I've ever seen or read. I used to be able to do that. It was pretty useful in college. I would like to recommend the books Mamet has written , essays about film and writing Writing In Restaurants Make-Believe actually I would gladly read anything he wrote and I think his script for the Untouchables is brilliant. I agree with all of this, Marshamae! And no worries about Spanish Prisoner: I suppose I was asking because, like the late Roger Ebert (as recounted in the sixth paragraph of his review of House of Games), I thought Mamet had one more twist up his sleeve that he wasn't showing us, and I was wondering if anyone else thought the same and, if so, what. By the way, I see what Mamet and Crouse were going for with her performance in House of Games (cold, robotic life giving way to freer, more open living), but you're right about how curiously bad it's done. She seems to be cold and robotic both before and after the incidents; she says exciting lines afterwards--but in a robotic way! Anyway, Mamet's directing and writing are excellent in that picture (though the twists aren't too hard to guess--unlike Spanish Prisoner), as are the performances by our old Mametian friends Joe Mantegna and Ricky Jay. (By the way, I'm sure most people on this forum--certainly those of us commenting on this Mamet thread--know Jay, but, if anyone doesn't, I highly recommend searching out the man and his work. He truly is, in my opinion, the greatest magician working today.) Thanks again, Marshamae!
|
|
|
Post by petrolino on Apr 22, 2017 23:34:06 GMT
Like you, I can relate this film directly to my own work experience. I did telesales for one and a half years and it was the worst, most soul destroying job I've ever had to do. I've had much tougher jobs physically but this one had me drinking all my money away; literally every time I finished work I hit a nearby bar. James Foley's tight direction of his small ensemble cast is note-perfect. This is a film I can (and will) watch again and again. It's devastating.
|
|
|
Post by petrolino on Apr 22, 2017 23:43:36 GMT
Thanks for posting this thread, petrolino ! Mamet's one of my favorite (modern) directors; as it similarly occurred with the late Roger Ebert, Mamet's movies hold a special attraction for me, as I, like him, am fascinated by cons and games and tricks within tricks. Unsurprisingly, I've been having fun with cards and magic tricks since I was probably five years old. I've seen only a few of Mamet's pictures so far, but The Spanish Prisoner stands out to me. It's hilarious that critics described it as "Hitchcockian," for it's almost anti-Hitchcockian in its predilections (what Hitchcock would have made suspense, Mamet makes surprise; where Hitch would have shot a scene dark and gloomy, Mamet makes it light and sunny, and vice versa). It's very (dryly) funny and clever, with patented Mamet-speak, and the twists are beautifully surprising, as we fall into Mamet's trap nearly every time. (Like a good detective-story writer, he fools you with your preconceptions--and, like a good detective-story writer, too, he is deeply indebted to the concept of cluing.) He didn't direct it, but Mamet's script, personality, and style dominate The Edge as Lubitsch's personality dominated Cukor's One Hour with You (to borrow a simile from Andrew Sarris). The Edge, by the way, is absolutely one of my favorite films. Hi Salzmank. I've not seen 'The Spanish Prisoner' so I might order a copy next time I get paid from work (end of the month). I'd love to see Steve Martin, a talented writer himself, working with Mamet's tricks and dialogue. Here's Steve Martin performing magic before his hair turned white (he performs some amazing card tricks too) : I'm afraid I've not seen 'The Edge' either but I do like the director Lee Tamahori's thriller 'Mulholland Falls' (1996) so I'll look out for this one too. Thanks.
|
|
|
Post by petrolino on Apr 22, 2017 23:46:54 GMT
Most of his stuff is dreary. I also hate when he lets his wife, Rebecca Pidgeon, act in his movies. She's bloody awful! EDIT: I do really like Glengarry Glen Ross though. I like Rebecca Pidgeon as an actress. Generally speaking, I find the whole extended Mamet family of relations and friends interesting for the work they undertake. David and Rebecca’s daughter Clara Mamet has recently directed a picture featuring Pidgeon and Mamet regular William H. Macy, ‘Two-Bit Waltz’ (2014). She’s become a fine young actress in her own right, especially good as the ice maiden in Jeffrey Hunt’s overlooked “Satanic-Panic” site shocker ‘Satanic’ (2016) alongside testosterone freak Steven Krueger, guyliner idol Justin Chon, gothic shrub Sophie Dalah and primetime Sagittarius Sarah Hyland.
|
|
|
Post by Nalkarj on Apr 23, 2017 0:03:05 GMT
Thanks for posting this thread, petrolino ! Mamet's one of my favorite (modern) directors; as it similarly occurred with the late Roger Ebert, Mamet's movies hold a special attraction for me, as I, like him, am fascinated by cons and games and tricks within tricks. Unsurprisingly, I've been having fun with cards and magic tricks since I was probably five years old. I've seen only a few of Mamet's pictures so far, but The Spanish Prisoner stands out to me. It's hilarious that critics described it as "Hitchcockian," for it's almost anti-Hitchcockian in its predilections (what Hitchcock would have made suspense, Mamet makes surprise; where Hitch would have shot a scene dark and gloomy, Mamet makes it light and sunny, and vice versa). It's very (dryly) funny and clever, with patented Mamet-speak, and the twists are beautifully surprising, as we fall into Mamet's trap nearly every time. (Like a good detective-story writer, he fools you with your preconceptions--and, like a good detective-story writer, too, he is deeply indebted to the concept of cluing.) He didn't direct it, but Mamet's script, personality, and style dominate The Edge as Lubitsch's personality dominated Cukor's One Hour with You (to borrow a simile from Andrew Sarris). The Edge, by the way, is absolutely one of my favorite films. Hi Salzmank. I've not seen 'The Spanish Prisoner' so I might order a copy next time I get paid from work (end of the month). I'd love to see Steve Martin, a talented writer himself, working with Mamet's tricks and dialogue. Here's Steve Martin performing magic before his hair turned white (he performs some amazing card tricks too) : I'm afraid I've not seen 'The Edge' either but I do like the director Lee Tamahori's thriller 'Mulholland Falls' (1996) so I'll look out for this one too. Thanks. Thanks for your response, Petrolino. I do recommend both pictures: I prefer The Edge by a hair, mostly because I think the performances (particularly Hopkins's) are so good, and because of its cleverness in subtly mocking the concept of the survival-thriller even as it tells a particularly good one. (By the way, I'm sure that Mr. Tamahori had something to do with The Edge, as of course he's the credited director, but I just want to emphasize that it feels far more like a Mamet film than any of Tamahori's other pictures. Even right down to the shot choice... Maybe Tamahori just shot Mamet's script exactly as written?) The Spanish Prisoner succeeds or fails on the basis of its twists. Martin gives one of his finest performances (along with Planes, Trains, and Automobiles), in my opinion--very much against type--but, again, the twists make the picture. If you like highly complex, twisty thrillers that are extremely plot-centered, you'll like The Spanish Prisoner. (As for me, I love 'em.) But if you don't... See what I mean? Thanks for your Martin clip! There's a great picture at this blog of Martin's doing magic at a magic shop in Disneyland circa 1960. So, yeah, he may well be the perfect person for that kind of role! Thanks again, Salzmank
|
|
|
Post by petrolino on Apr 23, 2017 0:03:36 GMT
Lindsay Crouse was so curiously unaffecting in House of Games. The only place she seemed engaged was when she was being physically threatened . Even the climax of her relationship with Joe Mantegna was cold, as though she were sleep-walking. She was excellent in Places in tge Heart. And Mantegna managed to make Mamet's odd style of dialogue seem reasonable . So I take that to mean that Crouse's performance is the result of his direction. I agree Rebecca Pigeon has the same cold feel in Mamet films. With all that, I find Mamet fascinating . I'd love to discuss Spanish prisoner, but I haven't seen it in a long time. As I get older I find that I no longer remember every thing I've ever seen or read. I used to be able to do that. It was pretty useful in college. I would like to recommend the books Mamet has written , essays about film and writing Writing In Restaurants Make-Believe actually I would gladly read anything he wrote and I think his script for the Untouchables is brilliant. I like Lindsay Crouse in 'Places Of The Heart' too; that's one of my favourite movies! "Mamet has always been sympathetic and alert to male-female conflicts. During an interview in 1976 after the New York opening of "Sexual Perversity," he admitted, "It's just, unfortunately, tales from my life. My sex life was ruined by the popular media. It took a lot of getting over." When Mamet examines relations between the sexes, he's most revealing in his increasingly confessional essays. "True Stories of B*tches" is a self-deprecating, humorous examination of the "b*tch" in everyone, not least of all men like Mamet. After their divorce in 1990, Lindsay Crouse observed that, although she'd portrayed many of Mamet's women on stage and screen, "I see them as very embryonic. They have no point of view, but they gain one during the process of the play. They're just about to be born when the play ends." Mamet hopes "Oleanna" changes that reputation. "This is a woman who is legitimate, this is a man who is legitimate," he says. "Nobody's perfect. Neither being young nor old is a cure for being imperfect. Human beings are just human beings." But he still expects Harvard feminists to picket the theater once they judge his play to be "politically incorrect."
- Richard Stayton, Los Angeles TimesI’m a big fan of Stuart Gordon who's one of the great American horror directors. Gordon has strong ties to Mamet and Joe Mantegna through the Oraganic Theater Company of Illinois and Wisconsin. His dark crime drama ‘Edmond’ (2005) is based on a play by Mamet. "During our national tour, Mamet came to visit me in my dressing room. He said: "I sold the rights to Glengarry Glen Ross to movie producers. It's already a done deal. Al Pacino is going to play the part, and that's that." This didn't totally shock me. I was still a nobody; I hadn't started my film career yet. Then he reached in his bag and pulled out two scripts: House of Games and Things Change. He put them on my dressing table and said, "But I won't make these two movies without you." It was a pretty bold statement, and he followed through. I am forever grateful to him. It certainly softened the blow of not having the opportunity to do the film version of Glengarry."
- Joe Mantegna, The Hollywood Reporter
Another Illinois troupe with ties to Mamet was formed several years later; the Steppenwolf Theater Company in Chicago with Terry Kinney, Gary Sinise, Joan Allen, John Malkovich, Laurie Metcalf and Glenne Headley (from Connecticut). "Dozens of small theaters, encouraged and challenged by Mamet's leap to fame, planted their flags and established an energetic, hard-driving "Chicago-style" of home-grown, home-made theater. In 1975, for example, the year of "American Buffalo," a cocky young group of actors banded together in a church basement in the northern suburb of Highland Park and launched themselves as the Steppenwolf Theatre Company. Within 10 years, many of these actors had become stars of international reputation on stage, film and television."
- Richard Christiansen, The Chicago TribuneWilliam H. Macy started the St. Nicholas Theater in Chicago. "Chicago was special in those days. Which is not to say it’s changed. Chicago is special. We all hung out together in this bar across the street from the theater and we talked about the work. We challenged each other. And it wasn’t about getting a movie or getting into a bigger theater. We were in the center of the country. We didn’t have our eyes on anyone but ourselves. We thought, f*ck New York. I don’t want to do movies. I’m pure. And I’d give up the business before I’d do television. And I’d push a Ford before I’d drive a Chevy. Dave Mamet taught me everything I know. He was the mayor of that town. He was in a very prolific time, and he was doing stunning, stunning work: “American Buffalo,” “The Water Engine,” “The Woods.”
- William H. Macy, Variety
|
|
|
Post by petrolino on Apr 23, 2017 0:17:18 GMT
Hi Salzmank. I've not seen 'The Spanish Prisoner' so I might order a copy next time I get paid from work (end of the month). I'd love to see Steve Martin, a talented writer himself, working with Mamet's tricks and dialogue. Here's Steve Martin performing magic before his hair turned white (he performs some amazing card tricks too) : I'm afraid I've not seen 'The Edge' either but I do like the director Lee Tamahori's thriller 'Mulholland Falls' (1996) so I'll look out for this one too. Thanks. Thanks for your response, Petrolino. I do recommend both pictures: I prefer The Edge by a hair, mostly because I think the performances (particularly Hopkins's) are so good, and because of its cleverness in subtly mocking the concept of the survival-thriller even as it tells a particularly good one. (By the way, I'm sure that Mr. Tamahori had something to do with The Edge, as of course he's the credited director, but I just want to emphasize that it feels far more like a Mamet film than any of Tamahori's other pictures. Even right down to the shot choice... Maybe Tamahori just shot Mamet's script exactly as written?) The Spanish Prisoner succeeds or fails on the basis of its twists. Martin gives one of his finest performances (along with Planes, Trains, and Automobiles), in my opinion--very much against type--but, again, the twists make the picture. If you like highly complex, twisty thrillers that are extremely plot-centered, you'll like The Spanish Prisoner. (As for me, I love 'em.) But if you don't... See what I mean? Thanks for your Martin clip! There's a great picture at this blog of Martin's doing magic at a magic shop in Disneyland circa 1960. So, yeah, he may well be the perfect person for that kind of role! Thanks again, Salzmank I'll definitely look into seeing both pictures, maybe picking them up on dvd if I can shop around and find a bargain deal. 'The Edge' should be especially easy to find at a low retail price looking at its current status on Amazon. I like the moral questions posed by Mamet with his own thrillers like 'Homicide' and 'Redbelt', he conjures fascinating conundrums when he has a crime to hang his hat on. James Foley's 'Glengarry Glen Ross' is another example of this.
|
|
|
Post by President Ackbar™ on Apr 23, 2017 0:24:10 GMT
Glengarry Glen Ross
|
|