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Bret makes a bold move to learn more about Robert Mallory before Terry Schaffer requests an urgent favor in Part 25 of The Shards. Actor/Author Greg Ellis and Bret discuss the arduous road to writing The Respondent, being suddenly sent to the set of Titanic and the role of luck in a rising Hollywood career.

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Ryan Ward

I listened to this episode until I didn’t.

slimshadyfan666

Pretty good, dude, but I'm gonna reread Dennis Cooper instead.

slimshadyfan666

Fuck me up and I'll never forget you. I really fucking love violence. I want to tell all my friends what we did so they'll hate me or call me a fag or whatever, but fuck them. I'm not a poser like they are. I want to do everything so when I die they'll say I lived and tell bad jokes about me so who cares I like getting crazy and you seem okay. Anyway, why not?

Dirk

Good guest. Good convo. RE: The Shards... the imagery of the detached penis was effective.

BUtterfield8

Why did his wife want to mess him up so bad? Am I going to have to buy the book? I was so happy today when I realized I got to listen to a new episode of The Shards. I don't want it to end. Please, make a movie of it, Bret. I'd love to see the recreation of my youth.

Fernando

What a chapter man

Brian Rooney

Please consider keeping that fanart cover of the Shards as the real thing for the paperback!!!

JEREMY ROBERTS

Shards - definitely one of the best chapters. The dead horse of The Godfather has been eclipsed by BEE's description.

Michael Walsh

Harrowing stuff -both The Shards, and Greg's story. How to find out who your friends are.

Jorge Castillo

Here’s a fun drinking game: Take a shot every time Bret says “like I said in my book White...”

David

‘Susan preparing for her new life with Adam’ - was this a slip? Is Robert Mallory actually a real person called Adam?

Michael Walsh

Fairfield Porter's observation about the shortcomings of much modern art helps explain the chief fault of many a modern motion picture: “An art that finds ideas more real than things is attractive to the unemployed intellectual.”

Dan Citriniti

“I don’t wanna watch a movie about three people in a house in the forest talk about their relationship problems.” Is Bret talking about the Aubrey Plaza movie Black Bear?? Hahaha

Benny Poole

Interesting interview until old Greg started in on the ‘colleges are Marxist training grounds’ chestnut. Gimme a break.

Andrew Martin

OK, so at 25:40, Bret refers to Robert as, Adam. Any theories?

Nicolas

It always is a little embarrassing when some guest unironically bring up the boomer 'postmodern marxism' or 'critical race theory' boogyman. I would really like to know how much Greg (or even Bret for that matter) has actually read Foucault, Derrida, Said, Butler or Cixous. It does seem a little hypocritical to me to complain about polarization and liberal whining and then go on to attack academia by seemingly blindly following Fox News talking points

WOLF STAR

Perhaps he was. Although I actually really liked that movie, mainly because of Aubrey since I'm a big fan of hers and Sarah Gadon as well. I thought she was terrific in it.

Alex Waller

No reason for it to be over. People like to go out to eat, they like to go to concerts, they like to go to sporting events. No reason for movies to be any different

Benny Poole

You do wonder. It’s such an annoyingly simplistic argument. Greggs goes on about people who haven’t been to Compton shouting the odds (which was a weird digression), but it’s a similar deal.

Sean O'Neill

The horror of that stable scene!

Sean O'Neill

Anyone have any idea how long The Shards would be as a book now? 4,000 pages maybe?

Jorge Castillo

And Bret doesn’t seem to evolve. He has been peddling the same talking points for years, not to mention declaring cinema dead for about as long.

Klintorious

Well, most history and humanities department teachers at the biggest universities aren't even trying to downplay their affinity for Marxism anymore. It's clearly programming for the young, idealistic, and naive.

Benny Poole

It’s just so tiresome the way old Greg throws it in there as if it’s got anything to do with what his wife allegedly did. Made me groan it did.

Benny Poole

Is that true Kilntoririous? Please can you point me in the direction of evidence which supports your statement? In my experience further education was nothing like that (a lecturer was an open supporter of Trump!) and the whole ‘university is a Marxist programming ground’ always seemed like a lazy alt-right theory for the simple minded, self pitying and naive.

JH13

I think he said “preparing for a new future without him” and not “with Adam”

Seneca Garcia

Yeah 100 on this - postmodernism and Marxism are opposites in many significant aspects - that comment made me groan - also I think Bret’s take away about Trump is liberals over reacting is something I strongly don’t agree with — also I was skeptical about the guest’s side of the story and have re listened and waited a few days to process the subject matter and I feel like this is a valuable cautionary tale about divorce, betrayal and the legal system, which is making me take pause. Even though I don’t agree with Marxist postmodern quip, I think there is still a valuable story or lesson here — also I love this podcast dearly and I can look past Bret’s reaction to Trump (I also think Didion’s political views are convenient and kinda hypocritical and privileged) - still ryde or die here and not a total snowflake to throw the mother, father, and baby out with the bath water - sorry for the long rant - cheers

Benny Poole

Absolutely. Greg was an articulate and interesting guest (although, as horribly plausible as his story sounded, I am quite intrigued about the ‘other side’ of it!). The podcast is great- I just find these kneejerk statements a bit shopworn at this point. Agree about leaving the family in the bath water!

Michael Walsh

The parlor Marxism of the typical uni perfessor lacks the intellectual rigor of real Marxism. But I know actual Party members in the PRC who take it far less seriously than do the campus ideologues. It takes a really stupid kid to be indoctrinated by people like that. But then again, they are products of US high schools . . .

bpvalentine

I'd love a scene with the horse dying while staring up at "nothing" with this mildly wonderous expression on his horsy face while repeating "the horror, the horror."

Dirk

Cinema must be in its twilight hour Jorge. At the Chinese Theater (Black Widow—unfortunately) they were whipping our legs, blinding us with strobe lights and blasting us in the face with air in a desperate attempt to keep people interested. BEE isn’t behind he was far ahead in predicting the death of cinema. Not a lot talk about it openly—especially industry people. Sure people still go to the opera. But it’s essentially dead as a popular/mass affair. Maybe drive ins will be the ‘last man’ as a sort of novelty experience (“this is what our great grandparents did”)

Raúl

For those who complain about Bret insisting too much on the Cinema is Dead topic: Peter Greenaway has been saying that since the 80s! I would say this is a little overblown, but you can't expect real greatness every year and, besides, all arts are always fighting to survive (you could say exactly the same about novels, painting, music,... ) I would assume this to be right if there were other burgeoning options at hand but I don't see any other taking the lead. Maybe videogames, but this field is still growing as an art-form. I don't know.

Alex Waller

There's no doubt movies are at a crossroads, and the issues with movies in the modern world are very real. My feelings about Bret's insistence that its dead and over is it pretty much ends any interesting discussion from happening, and any interesting discussions about the films that are coming out and how they reflect what is currently going on in the industry. Or maybe even more importantly some ideas on how things might improve.

Tom Davidson

Loved when Bret was salivating over Tom’s dread regarding Susan and Robert.

Dirk

It GENERATES the discussion--hence us talking about it so passionately now. Tarantino I saw was talking about it too years ago at Cannes. But not a lot are talking about it, and so if it ceases there's no discussion. "Dead" IS hyperbole sure. It will probably not die out entirely. Neither has Opera.

Dirk

There's layers to it. It's not just 'getting asses in seats'. It's also about cinema as a distinct medium--not something that blends in to television or as it's becoming now--a theme park. (At Chinese theater they are blowing wind in your face and smacking you in the legs with whips at Black Widow). That's a sign to me it's dying.

Dirk

How do you define 'evolve'? Do mean become another CNN talking head and parroting their talking points? BEE has stated numerous times that he's not a Republican and didn't identify with that. He's reacting to the lunacy he experienced from his affluent leftists associates at dinners. He's stated this.

Alex Waller

Quentin doesn't seem to be nearly as cynical as Bret. He still seems to have the belief that it can come back strong. I just don't see any good reason for it to go away. But I just came back from the cinema and it was empty, like really empty, I think the experience has to improve

Mickey242

Just release the book for fucks sake.

slimshadyfan666

I am now vomiting in anticipation of the next episode of The Shards.

Alex Bielovich

Can't wait to read The Shards. I was listening along closely but lost track recently...