Pauline Kael

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I read few hearty embraces of LP.

stuffing your suit pockets with cold, stale chicken tende (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 2 December 2023 17:57 (five months ago) link

Finished the full clip, and among the OTM moments is her saying, circa Sophie's Choice, that Streep's gifts in film are far more suited toward comedy. Which is obvious now but I'm sure was anathema back then.

Also, "Scor-seh-seh" fine, but I was completely blindsided when she said "Chris Mahr-CARE" late in the proceedings.

active spectator of ecocide and dispossession (Eric H.), Saturday, 2 December 2023 21:25 (five months ago) link

correctly

mark s, Saturday, 2 December 2023 21:27 (five months ago) link

You don't have to look farther than Kael's old magazine for a Licorice Pizza rave:

https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/licorice-pizza-reviewed-paul-thomas-andersons-thrilling-coming-of-age-story

(By the way, I exempt Armond White's utterly predictable screeds from the disappearing art of saying No.)

Is "Scor-seh-seh" at all right? I've never heard it pronounced that way ever, until hearing this.

clemenza, Saturday, 2 December 2023 21:37 (five months ago) link

Sure, but you can hardly accuse Brody of jumping on anybody's band wagon; the man's written more than his share of "this film is shit" stuff.

stuffing your suit pockets with cold, stale chicken tende (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Saturday, 2 December 2023 21:39 (five months ago) link

so i was checking if armond is a paulette (ans = some say so yes) and i came across this quote (in new york magazine, unattributed): "“there’s paulettes and there are paulloons”

am i being dim bcz i don't get how “paulloons” works

mark s, Saturday, 2 December 2023 21:45 (five months ago) link

I think the only pronunciation of Scorsese I've ever heard that didn't end with "-zee" was from Phil Spector, who called him "Skeezy."

Never heard that. Kael was a fan of his early on, yes; I don't really know his writing from then, so I don't know if you can detect her voice there. (Because it's you, mark s., I'm substituting "voice" for the i-word.)

clemenza, Saturday, 2 December 2023 21:49 (five months ago) link

I've heard "Score-sezzy" and "Score-say-zee," and am inclined toward the former in my head.

Tahuti Watches L&O:SVU Reruns Without His Ape (unperson), Saturday, 2 December 2023 21:52 (five months ago) link

It sounded to me like Kael was saying "Scor-sezza." The Italian pronunciation is something like "Scor-say-zeh" or "Scor-seh-zeh" depending on how you transcribe the Italian vowels. Kael is schwa-ing down the last vowel but that's not less accurate than saying "zee."

Josefa, Saturday, 2 December 2023 22:03 (five months ago) link

Should be scor-chay-zeh the way everyone insists on spelling it

Boris Yitsbin (wins), Saturday, 2 December 2023 22:39 (five months ago) link

Frankly I wish the man himself would issue a statement to resolve this once and for all

Josefa, Saturday, 2 December 2023 22:47 (five months ago) link

Pauloon as in Buffoon? Kind word for Armond, considering for instance his moist "review" of a recent Van Morrison album, really mostly a parade of quotes, celebrating the anti-vaxx fount of all wisdom.
Anybody who keeps up with this thread should also check this book---from Publisher's Weekly:

AFTERGLOW: A Last Conversation with Pauline Kael
Francis Davis, Pauline Kael, . . Da Capo, $18 (134pp) ISBN 978-0-306-81192-0
This slim but potent volume offers movie lovers an elegant good-bye from the acerbic, wildly opinionated National Book Award– winning film critic who reigned at the New Yorker from 1968 to 1991. The New York Times called her "probably the most influential film critic of her time." Kael's enthusiasm for films was contagious, as she praised or damned them with giddy vitality. Longtime friend Davis's three extended conversations find the octogenarian still an avid moviegoer. While this book doesn't offer extended reviews, fans will be delighted to hear Kael weigh in on movies released since she stopped writing a decade ago. She enjoyed the "sweet" Star Trek spoof Galaxy Quest; the first half of Boogie Nights; High Fidelity ("it gets better as it goes along"); and Brian De Palma's Mission to Mars. She was also fond of TV's "terrific" Sex and the City and The Sopranos ("I loved the first season and watched it religiously"). She found Silence of the Lambs "a hideous and obvious piece of moviemaking"; Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut "ludicrous from the word go"; and American Beauty "heavy and turgid." She also blasts later-day Steven Spielberg (Always was "a shameful movie" and the casting was "terribly wrongheaded" in Schindler's List). Besides film quips, Kael defends her critical review of the Holocaust documentary Shoah, regrets being talked out of reviewing Deep Throat and discusses current filmmaking and her 20-year battle with Parkinson's disease. (Sept. 3)

FYI:The book's publication date coincides with the one-year anniversary of Kael's death at age 82.


From PW's collected coverage of Francis books, which may be all we get, at least for quite a while, considering his health issues (he also reports that he looks like shit.)
https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/authorpage/francis-davis.html

dow, Sunday, 3 December 2023 03:34 (five months ago) link

Wait what’s up with him?

Shifty Henry’s Swing Club (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 3 December 2023 03:35 (five months ago) link

"Scor-seh-see"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbPp13icx1c

jaymc, Sunday, 3 December 2023 03:38 (five months ago) link

Pronouncing it is one thing, spelling it without checking is another.

Shifty Henry’s Swing Club (James Redd and the Blecchs), Sunday, 3 December 2023 03:42 (five months ago) link

xxpost He mentions it toward the end of this:
https://artsfuse.org/267051/the-17th-annual-francis-davis-jazz-poll-my-poll-without-me/

dow, Sunday, 3 December 2023 03:44 (five months ago) link

Partly my own bias, but felt she was a little nasty about Lauren Bacall--who was almost 60 at that point, only semi-active, and no doubt having a difficult time finding decent rolls.

clemenza, Monday, 4 December 2023 19:39 (four months ago) link

PauluneKael, catty? I’m shocked. And stunned.

Blecch’s POLLero (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 4 December 2023 19:57 (four months ago) link

Can’t type either, especially when my keyboard is set to English.

Blecch’s POLLero (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 4 December 2023 19:57 (four months ago) link

Even when it is in fact set to English;)

Blecch’s POLLero (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 4 December 2023 19:58 (four months ago) link

yes it's "pauloon"

mark s, Monday, 4 December 2023 20:34 (four months ago) link

Every few years I'll go back and listen to the Kael+MacDonald+Simon symposium from 1963-ish, simply because (among other things) it's just a fun sparring match. It's a fascinating contrast to this mid-'80s audio in that Kael back in the earlier instance was more about raising her favorites up. In this newer clip, she's clearly become embittered and — for all she has to say about Ebert & Siskel — seems to think just tossing cherry bombs like "Lauren Bacall was a terrible actress" somehow moves any kind of needle anymore. The more I reflect, the sadder the newer clip feels.

active spectator of ecocide and dispossession (Eric H.), Monday, 4 December 2023 20:40 (four months ago) link

I read Afterglow at the time. She's kind about Carol Reed.

the Kael+MacDonald+Simon symposium from 1963-ish

Do you know if that's available somewhere? I'd love to hear it.

jmm, Tuesday, 5 December 2023 19:30 (four months ago) link

Looks like maybe it is no longer available online. I'll rip and post when I get home later tonight

active spectator of ecocide and dispossession (Eric H.), Tuesday, 5 December 2023 19:33 (four months ago) link

Wow, thanks!

jmm, Tuesday, 5 December 2023 19:34 (four months ago) link

no doubt having a difficult time finding decent rolls.

Picture Lauren Bacall regarding the selection at her local bakery with disgust.

Halfway there but for you, Tuesday, 5 December 2023 21:12 (four months ago) link


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