@cinemal2001.bsky.social
Cinemaniacal organizer of Chicago Film Discussion Group and former co-host of the Director's Club Podcast.
GREAT catch during #CinemaInterruptus of "The Player": eyewitness comes off as a ditz, yet she was actually there in the theater between Griffin Mill and Kahane, then saw Kahane in alley (without glasses, so mistook his tall figure and wavy hair for Lyle Lovett's detective character in the lineup)
August 17, 2025 at 3:09 AM
GREAT catch during #CinemaInterruptus of "The Player": eyewitness comes off as a ditz, yet she was actually there in the theater between Griffin Mill and Kahane, then saw Kahane in alley (without glasses, so mistook his tall figure and wavy hair for Lyle Lovett's detective character in the lineup)
Everything's going Griffin Mill's way during the last 10 minutes of the #CinemaInterruptus of "The Player". Not only is his once rival Larry Levy now working under Griffin, he's even starting to LOOK like him, right down to the strand of hair over the forehead:
August 17, 2025 at 3:08 AM
Everything's going Griffin Mill's way during the last 10 minutes of the #CinemaInterruptus of "The Player". Not only is his once rival Larry Levy now working under Griffin, he's even starting to LOOK like him, right down to the strand of hair over the forehead:
A description of Day Four of the #CinemaInterruptus of "The Player" (including some questions from Josh Larsen about the movie after the screening) can be found at: cinemal2001.wordpress.com/2025/08/16/c...
August 17, 2025 at 3:01 AM
A description of Day Four of the #CinemaInterruptus of "The Player" (including some questions from Josh Larsen about the movie after the screening) can be found at: cinemal2001.wordpress.com/2025/08/16/c...
#CinemaInterruptus lots of power dynamics in police station: Griffin goes into corner office, he has nowhere to sit, he doesn't even get his preferred water, and they wave feminine products in his face.
August 14, 2025 at 9:01 PM
#CinemaInterruptus lots of power dynamics in police station: Griffin goes into corner office, he has nowhere to sit, he doesn't even get his preferred water, and they wave feminine products in his face.
A description of Day Three of this year's #CinemaInterruptus of "The Player" (including some details from a fun conversation with fellow Interrupters afterwards!) can now be found at: cinemal2001.wordpress.com/2025/08/14/c...
Cinema Interruptus 2025: “The Player” Day Three
We had to pick up the pace for this session to finish the movie in three days, so the bonus video Larsen showed today beforehand was a quick clip from the 1951 film “Hollywood Story” (o…
cinemal2001.wordpress.com
August 14, 2025 at 5:00 PM
A description of Day Three of this year's #CinemaInterruptus of "The Player" (including some details from a fun conversation with fellow Interrupters afterwards!) can now be found at: cinemal2001.wordpress.com/2025/08/14/c...
While going through the #CinemaInterruptus was amazed to discover that in the 1:10:18 mark of "The Player" as the car veers around towards the camera Altman uses the infamous 'Dolly Zoom' technique invented by Alfred Hitchcock in "Vertigo"! Always nice to see.
August 14, 2025 at 4:00 PM
While going through the #CinemaInterruptus was amazed to discover that in the 1:10:18 mark of "The Player" as the car veers around towards the camera Altman uses the infamous 'Dolly Zoom' technique invented by Alfred Hitchcock in "Vertigo"! Always nice to see.
Very cool catch during the #CinemaInterruptus - the writer friend of the dead writer David Kahane in "The Player" is dressed EXACTLY like him - right down to the glasses and beard stubble!
August 14, 2025 at 3:54 PM
Very cool catch during the #CinemaInterruptus - the writer friend of the dead writer David Kahane in "The Player" is dressed EXACTLY like him - right down to the glasses and beard stubble!
#CinemaInterruptus Larsen quotes costume designer on Walter's wardrobe, who said Altman perfectly described him as a wannabe who got security job from father who always dresses in the same B&W suit because that's how he thinks.
August 13, 2025 at 9:26 PM
#CinemaInterruptus Larsen quotes costume designer on Walter's wardrobe, who said Altman perfectly described him as a wannabe who got security job from father who always dresses in the same B&W suit because that's how he thinks.
#CinemaInterruptus snippets of conversation similar to talk today about the decline of movies. Larsen me tuons each actor had a nice one them so Altman could choose the ones to focus on while putting the movie together.
August 13, 2025 at 8:58 PM
#CinemaInterruptus snippets of conversation similar to talk today about the decline of movies. Larsen me tuons each actor had a nice one them so Altman could choose the ones to focus on while putting the movie together.
#CinemaInterruptus Larsen brings up how showing theater entrance from the leg level view is a noir staple.
August 13, 2025 at 8:52 PM
#CinemaInterruptus Larsen brings up how showing theater entrance from the leg level view is a noir staple.
#CinemaInterruptus Day Three starts with a clip from the 1951 movie "Hollywood Story", also involving murders and pitch meetings.
August 13, 2025 at 8:18 PM
#CinemaInterruptus Day Three starts with a clip from the 1951 movie "Hollywood Story", also involving murders and pitch meetings.
Day Two of the #CinemaInterruptus of "The Player" described at: cinemal2001.wordpress.com/2025/08/13/c...
August 13, 2025 at 5:46 PM
Day Two of the #CinemaInterruptus of "The Player" described at: cinemal2001.wordpress.com/2025/08/13/c...
#CinemaInterruptus Larsen was in email contact with "Player" costume designer Alexander Julian! Julian mentioned he hand-designed the sweater worn by Jeff Goldblum and designed Brion James' suits to be always shiny and his ties to always have the color of money.
August 12, 2025 at 11:03 PM
#CinemaInterruptus Larsen was in email contact with "Player" costume designer Alexander Julian! Julian mentioned he hand-designed the sweater worn by Jeff Goldblum and designed Brion James' suits to be always shiny and his ties to always have the color of money.
#CinemaInterruptus Lots of great discussion about the differences between the movie and the novel (both written by Michael Tolkin). The novel is more propulsive, while the movie is more atmospheric. Bonnie is more fully fleshed out in the movie (Larsen thinks she has more initiative in book tho)
August 12, 2025 at 11:01 PM
#CinemaInterruptus Lots of great discussion about the differences between the movie and the novel (both written by Michael Tolkin). The novel is more propulsive, while the movie is more atmospheric. Bonnie is more fully fleshed out in the movie (Larsen thinks she has more initiative in book tho)
#CinemaInterruptus Larsen brings up how Altman is continually subverting expectations ( there's nudity, but not from the character you'd 'expect', and it leads to a sexual encounter that's not depicted).
August 12, 2025 at 10:59 PM
#CinemaInterruptus Larsen brings up how Altman is continually subverting expectations ( there's nudity, but not from the character you'd 'expect', and it leads to a sexual encounter that's not depicted).
#CinemaInterruptus Griffin in the hot tub with his 'pitch' is taking the position of his postcard-sending tormentor, an interesting perspective to take.
August 12, 2025 at 10:56 PM
#CinemaInterruptus Griffin in the hot tub with his 'pitch' is taking the position of his postcard-sending tormentor, an interesting perspective to take.
#CinemaInterruptus Larsen asks the audience which of the movies "pitched" so far would people want to watch (Signature choice: "Graduate II")
August 12, 2025 at 9:47 PM
#CinemaInterruptus Larsen asks the audience which of the movies "pitched" so far would people want to watch (Signature choice: "Graduate II")
#CinemaInterruptus Griffin's in the hot tub is pitching the premise of the very movie we're watching!
August 12, 2025 at 9:45 PM
#CinemaInterruptus Griffin's in the hot tub is pitching the premise of the very movie we're watching!
#CinemaInterruptus Griffin in hot tub with Bonnie has the same pose and hair position as later in the movie when he spurns her
August 12, 2025 at 9:35 PM
#CinemaInterruptus Griffin in hot tub with Bonnie has the same pose and hair position as later in the movie when he spurns her
#CinemaInterruptus house at lawyer's party implies both danger and postmodern self-promotion, plus much focus on water imagery for first time
August 12, 2025 at 9:32 PM
#CinemaInterruptus house at lawyer's party implies both danger and postmodern self-promotion, plus much focus on water imagery for first time
#CinemaInterruptus Larsen asks the audience what they think of Robbins character in the movie to this point (he's very insecure in the original novel)
August 12, 2025 at 9:13 PM
#CinemaInterruptus Larsen asks the audience what they think of Robbins character in the movie to this point (he's very insecure in the original novel)
#CinemaInterruptus Griffin talks to Celia about his job is the first example of humanity expressing itself in the film
August 12, 2025 at 9:04 PM
#CinemaInterruptus Griffin talks to Celia about his job is the first example of humanity expressing itself in the film
#CinemaInterruptus Larsen asking the audience about the value of the opening shot (one comments that the mural / clapboard in the opening FRAMES of that shot define the movie)
August 12, 2025 at 8:59 PM
#CinemaInterruptus Larsen asking the audience about the value of the opening shot (one comments that the mural / clapboard in the opening FRAMES of that shot define the movie)
#CinemaInterruptus a couple cases of mistaken identity, including Alan Rudolph mistaken for Martin Scorsese
August 12, 2025 at 8:47 PM
#CinemaInterruptus a couple cases of mistaken identity, including Alan Rudolph mistaken for Martin Scorsese
#CinemaInterruptus an example of a Future In Joke, as characters are worried about Sony, who will buy Columbia Pictures after "The Player" came out.
August 12, 2025 at 8:43 PM
#CinemaInterruptus an example of a Future In Joke, as characters are worried about Sony, who will buy Columbia Pictures after "The Player" came out.