I would have blogged that last November if I'd seen it at the time, but I didn't, so why (you may ask) am I seeing it this morning? I've been up since 4:30 a.m. and reading about the movie we happened to watch last night, which was something that had been sitting on the DVR since early March, "The Big Lebowski." Everyone was talking about "The Big Lebowski" back then because it was the 20th anniversary of the release of the film, which was a big flop in theaters (I saw it at the time) but became the very definition of a cult film over the years. I found it on some cable channel, recorded it, then left it festering.
Weirdly, it made about exactly the same impression on me, watching it for the second time, that it made originally, which was something like this is awfully self-indulgent and I'm uncomfortable with the treatment of women. But I woke up this morning — song cue — thinking about the women of "The Big Lebowski" in a different way. The men in that movie are ruined and marginalized, and the women are doing the marginalizing (and rarely on screen because the cameras are trained on the dead ends of loserville).
So I was reading things like "Maude and The Dude: Feminism and Masculinity in The Big Lebowski" (Bitch Flicks) and thinking about Julianne Moore (Maude) led me to "Julianne Moore Reacts to Mark Wahlberg's Boogie Nights Diss: 'It Made His Career!'"
There's something so sad about that. Moore is laughing at him for feeling bad about something that gave him worldly success and showing no feeling whatsoever for Walhberg's religious orientation, which (I assume) would make him more penitent about the things he did that brought him worldly success. Bible verse that comes to mind:
Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
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51 comments:
Yeah, well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
I haven't rewatched it but thought it was good, funny.
The treatment of women didn't enter my head. Shows the difficulties dealing with women, I guess. You never know what they'll take from something.
It used to be they'd just get inexplicably moody instead of trying a political movement.
You never know what guys will take from something, however. Bemusement often.
"The treatment of women didn't enter my head. Shows the difficulties dealing with women, I guess. You never know what they'll take from something."
Sperm, apparently. And, look, Jeffrey, I don't want a partner. In fact I don't want the father to be someone I have to see socially, or who'll have any interest in rearing the child himself.
The Dude is a splooge stooge but, like everything else, it works out okay for him.
Julianne Moore was good in Laws of Attraction, except she was scripted as not witty enough to keep up with Pierce Brosnan. It ought to have been more equal.
Her mother was witty.
Yes, oh, I've enjoyed reading about you in the society pages. Are you, uh, really 56?
Parts of me are.
I don't remember any sperm in it. The plot ws about a rug and laid backness.
Women focus on such trivial things.
That rug really tied the room together.
To criticize Boogie Nights from a Christian perspective would have to be superficially about the promiscuous sex, not the storyline.
For in many ways Boogie Nights was in some ways a very Christian cautionary tale.
First, as tragedy, where the early spark of creativity, innocent enthusiasm and (adoptive) "family", albeit within within the porn genre, is inexorably replaced by commercialism (video), egotistical excess and drugs.
Then as redemption when Dirk Diggler finally seeks forgiveness from his "father" figure Jack Horner (Bert Reynolds).
There's something so sad about that. Moore is laughing at him for feeling bad about something that gave him worldly success and showing no feeling whatsoever for Walhberg's religious orientation...
It's more than a disregard for a religious orientation. It's a complete lack of self awareness that ones actions can influence others in a bad way. So Julianne Moore not only fails to see that glorifying the porn industry in a movie can lead others to think that porn is OK, but fails to see her role in doing that. (You can argue that the movie doesn't glorify porn, but overall I think it does, despite some glimpses of the seediness and despair inherent in it. Too easy to ignore those aspects of Boogie Nights.)
BOOGIE NIGHTS was a great movie.
Moore's statement regarding Boogie Nights making Wahlberg's career reminds me of something I have heard regarding government benefits. "They are voting against their own interests!" I heard this from progressives in Mississippi in response to Republicans being elected. According to many, it is in your interests to get as much free stuff from other people, through the government, that you can and you are stupid if you don't take it. There is no awareness of the cost to the person's dignity etc. Seems like a similar mindset. No awareness of higher values.
I haven't rewatched Boogie Nights either. I don't remember a plot. Lots of tits.
The deal with tits is that you fall in love with the character and so the next step is seeing her naked. Otherwise internet porn would do you better.
If there's no love for the character, it's just bowdlerized porn. No reason to watch.
Wahlberg has a lot more to feel guilty about than just a fucking movie.
"At 15, civil action was filed against Wahlberg for his involvement in two separate incidents of throwing rocks and shouting racial epithets at African-American children; the first incident was against two brothers and their sister; the second incident was against a group of school children on a field trip.[13]
At 16, Wahlberg approached a middle-aged Vietnamese man named Thanh Lam on the street, and using a large wooden stick, bashed him over the head until he was knocked unconscious while calling him a "Vietnam fucking shit". That same day, Wahlberg also attacked a second Vietnamese man named Hoa "Johnny" Trinh, sucker punching him in the eye. According to court documents regarding these crimes, when Wahlberg was arrested later that night and returned to the scene of the first assault, he stated to police officers: "You don't have to let him identify me, I'll tell you now that's the mother-fucker whose head I split open."[14] Investigators also noted that Wahlberg "made numerous unsolicited racial statements about 'gooks' and 'slant-eyed gooks'.[15][16]
For these crimes, Wahlberg was charged with attempted murder, pleaded guilty to assault, and was sentenced to two years in Suffolk County Deer Island House of Correction. He ultimately served only 45 days of his sentence.
In another incident, then 21-year-old Wahlberg fractured the jaw of a neighbor in an unprovoked attack.[19] Court documents state that in 1992, Wahlberg "without provocation or cause, viciously and repeatedly kicked" a man named Robert D. Crehan in the face and jaw while another man named Derek McCall held Crehan down on the ground.[20]"
Wahlbeg appears to feel no genuine remorse for this crimes and tried to get a pardon for the assault.
On top of what Althouse said, the "It made his career!" is so denigrating. It's her way of saying he didn't make his own career, or he wouldn't have found another breakout role. Without that movie, he'd be nothing, apparently.
I mentioned in a cafe the other night an excellent 7-part podcast entitled The Butterfly Effect and it seems mildly topical so I'll bring it up here again. I highly recommend it. Jon Ronson is a treasure.
Welcome to The Butterfly Effect. It's sort of about porn, but it's about a lot of other things. It's sad, funny, moving and totally unlike some other nonfiction stories about porn - because it isn't judgmental or salacious. It's human and sweet and strange and lovely. It's a mystery story, an adventure. It's also, I think, a new way of telling a story. This season follows a single butterfly effect. The flap of the butterfly's wings is a boy in Brussels having an idea. His idea is how to get rich from giving the world free online porn. Over seven episodes I trace the consequences of this idea, from consequence through to consequence. If you keep going in this way, where might you end up? It turns out you end up in the most surprising and unexpected places.
mark wahlberg is a punk got lucky. He tried to get his felony off his record so he could do something in the movie biz he currently can’t like handle money or travel to Canada.
Did you know if you have as little as a DWI they won’t let you in to Canada? What inhumane barbarians. A march should be organized...
"The deal with tits is that you fall in love with the character and so the next step is seeing her naked."
In "The Big Lebowski" the first appearance of the Julianne Moore character is naked. That's one of the things that bothered me. It seems like the kind of thing Salma Hayek was talking about Harvey Weinstein requiring actresses to do for his own sadistic gratification.
I'm not sure why he thinks Boogie Nights was such a mistake. Just because it included nudity and sex?
It certainly didn't glorify porn. There's a murder suicide, a pedophile jailed and abused, and drugs ruin the main character all due to porn's influence (in real life he died of AIDS). This is addition to several murders caused by involvement with drugs the actors used to manage their psychological damage. The movie reflects almost everyone involved coming to a dark end, and even the faux artistry ends as the industry moves into reality or amateurism ruining the survivors illusions about themselves.
@Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan
Read the article I linked to. It refutes what you are saying about him.
I don't remember any nudes in Big Lebowski. Not that I doubt it, just don't remember it. The guy was pretty laid back.
My favorite Wahlberg scene, no dialogue in Dirk Diggler's drug addled decline: Jesse's Girl
Jack Horner and Floyd Gondolli, New Years 1979-80: "If it looks like shit and it sounds like shit, it must be shit."
Althouse said...
Sperm, apparently.
"Just pull it out and do it on my stomach and my tits, if you can."
have you thought about Walter's ex-wife?
He converted to Judaism for her, and takes her dog to the bowling alley
(No, he doesn't bring the dog bowling; he didn't rent it shoes)
Even though they're divorced; she completely owns him still
No one knows exactly what is in Wahlberg's heart, but all the good works leading up to the pardon request can be put down to pure self-interest. His request for a pardon was linked to his desire to expand his restaurant chain.
At least until recently Wahlberg had never apologized to the victims.
I agree with EDH. Boogie Nights is a beautiful movie about redemption, and about how strange life is, how difficult it is to know what's really in a person's heart, and the importance of love, even when it doesn't look like love. A very complex and unusual move. Maybe Wahlberg didn't understand it. His performance suggests the possibility--the character was naive, so maybe he just played it straight and never realized how the film would actually come across.
Burt Reynolds should have gotten the Oscar for his performance. Very touching.
As for The Big Lebowski, I watched it for the first time last year. What a letdown. I couldn't understand the appeal at all. I kept waiting for the funny part. It never arrived.
The linked article does not refute what I said. Wahlberg's actions and statements are open to a variety of interpretations. Wahlberg is an actor.
Sarah Rolph said...
I kept waiting for the funny part. It never arrived.
How about the ashes?
Just more evidence of Julianne Moore's repugnant personality.
Walhberg was pitch-perfect in Partiots Day. Any person with an ounce of integrity has regrets. Boogie Nights may have "made" Mark Wahlberg, but I doubt it. The man has a great talent. He would have risen to stardom on some other vehicle sooner or later.
Somebody ask Heather Graham.
Cookie said ... "BOOGIE NIGHTS was a great movie."
I agree.
Surprisingly!
I don't see how the article refutes Arm. He said certain events happened. The article confirms some, and does not mention the other. One of us misunderstands refute; I bet it's you.
Armstrong and Getty on whatever the latest 2 hour 45 minute superhero movie is: "There's going to be so much punching."
My understanding is that Burt Reynolds isn't too fond of the film, either.
He has a point - "It's not a Burt Reynolds film." It's an extreme departure from what made him famous.
To criticize Boogie Nights from a Christian perspective would have to be superficially about the promiscuous sex, not the storyline.
For in many ways Boogie Nights was in some ways a very Christian cautionary tale.
I agree. I liked the movie but it was by no means glorifying porn. They all ended up pitiful.
ARM, as usual, is here to lecture us sinners.
I didn't get any message out of Boogie Nights except the plot bogged down and ended.
Guy with a big dick was the plot. That gives possibilities.
A better ending would have been a political career, winning a nice woman or helping the downtrodden.
rhhardin said...
I don't remember any nudes in Big Lebowski. Not that I doubt it, just don't remember it. The guy was pretty laid back.
Man, what? It was in the beginning!! It was the only thing that kept my interest in the film. As another commentator posted, I kept on waiting for it to get better. It was a MEH+ film for me.
Nudes at the beginning would be he same genre as the inexplicable meeting in the strip club, its only point being to get some tits into the film.
It's a what was that about moment, plotwise.
Forgetable.
Moore almost always gets naked in her movies. I think she insists on it. Have you seen Altman’s ‘Short Cuts’? I think the naked scene in it made HER career.
Reynolds did it in a desperate attempt to revive his film
Career.
The Big Lebowski had women in it?
Of course, I only remember the funny parts. Mainly John Goodman.
The Coen Brothers love Goodman, as well they should, because he makes all their lines X2 as funny.
"Its a cautionary tale..."
Can be used on almost everything.
"Triumph of the Will" a cautionary tale about being too enthusiastic about a politician who's an agent of change with a can do spirit.
I thought "Boogie Nights" was dull - and like all movies about low-lifes - dishonest. They have to clean them up, cast charismatic people, and make them likable, otherwise we wouldn't watch.
I'm still looking for a hooker with a heart of gold, or a mob boss that's an OK guy who just "kills their own"
Moore's response is incredibly tone-deaf. The sort of reaction you can only get if you have no contact with Judeo-Christian moral thought at all.
That said, I think Wahlberg is wrong, for all the reasons others have said: Boogie Nights does an excellent job of showing the depravity, the desperation, the dysfunction, and ultimately, the consequences of the porn industry. That it does so while retaining sympathy for the human beings caught up in it is one of its great positives, not a negative.
I liken it to how a Christian should feel playing Judas in "Jesus Christ Superstar." It's called being honest about being a sinful human being. To pretend to be apart from that, to look on Judas or DIrk in judgment, is in direct violation of a good number of Christian Bible verses.
Made his career--bullshit. He made his career through lots of had work and serious acting AND production. His IMDb page demonstrates a serious professional with many fine performances, my favorites are his acting in Three Kings and Departed. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000242/?ref_=rvi_nm
Like many of his generation, he started out as a true dick-head; but, turned himself around largely through his own work and the help of his family.
Given where he is now, I can see why he might regret Boogie Nights.
Given where she is now, I can also see why Mme Moore has difficulty understanding his regret.
I just saw the latest Star Wars movie,The Last Jedi. The subtext of the plot is that the action hero's violent impulses should be subordinated to the superior wisdom of women, especially the prissy older ones. I suppose it was written and produced during the time when everyone thought Hillary was going to be President. The film got a high score from the critics on Rotten Tomatoes, but, not surprisingly, a far lower score from the audience........It's hard to create a resonant myth of voyage and discovery when you undercut the heroes so relentlessly. Still, the movie is worth seeing. The splendor of the special effects is truly awesome. The CGI really sells the movie. I wonder how many women and minorities were in on tech stuff.
"It made his career....."
Like a visit to Weinstein's hotel room....
Ditto times a gillion what Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said.
Asshole Wahlberg never apologized, and now he's a Christian worried about what Gd thinks of his movies? Blow me. (Also, funny how he never apologizes for Entourage--either the series or the exploits of his that apparently inspired it.)
With stars you're in love with this or that character. The stars themselves are morons.
Don't date actresses. Discovered in college.
BOOGIE NIGHTS was based loosely on the real-life porn star John C. Holmes, also known as "Johnny Wadd." Holmes died at 43 from effects of AIDS.
I love it when she quotes scripture.
PTA is not a filmmaker "with nothing to say".
the theme of the movie is how many of us increasing create a family from oddballs we encounter, no matter the circumstances. Moore was the "mother".
ex
https://www.headstuff.org/film/boogie-nights-20-year-anniversary
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