We Defy Augury: May 2023

Sunday, May 21, 2023

Killers of the Flower Moon

October 6, 2023

Based on the book by David Grann

Written for film by Eric Roth, Martin Scorsese
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Brendan Fraser, John Lithgow

The Ringer - "Chronicler of the Flower Moon"

"Practically every Grann fan can recall the first time they came across his work. For me, it was my senior year of college. I’d picked up an issue of The New Yorker before my shift at the campus library and began reading what I initially thought was a story about the politics of art authentication. It unfolded like an elegant piece of origami, describing what some say was an elaborate con in which a man allegedly forged the fingerprints of famous painters on so-called newly discovered works of art. When I finished the story, I looked up from the magazine to realize I was 20 minutes late to work. It was years later, when I landed a job at Condé Nast and overheard editors in the elevator discussing Grann’s writing as if it were sport, that I realized I was not alone in my awe of his work.

For Edward Zwick, a longtime writer, director, and producer, the first Grann story that really stuck with him was “To Die For,” a 2001 piece in The New Republic about 1930s celebrity and murder. Zwick clipped it out of the magazine with the thought that it could one day become a movie.

“It was just a really great story,” said Zwick, who has worked on dozens of film and television projects and won an Academy Award in 1998 as a producer on Shakespeare in Love. “I think it revealed even then what has been revealed in so many articles and stories since. That he has this uncanny ability to pull the threads of these strong narratives out of these stories.”"

Previously,
The Wager A TALE OF SHIPWRECK, MUTINY AND MURDER By David Grann (Jul. 2022)

Jeff Bezos's Boat Koru

New York Times - "Jeff Bezos’ New Yacht Is Finally Ready to Set Sail"

"“With the clipper bow and the dark hull and the masts,” Mr. MacKay said, referring to Koru’s concave, pointy forward section, “it reminds me of a boat built in 1930 for J.P. Morgan Jr., Corsair IV. It is almost like a reincarnation. It’s certainly at odds with the stuff the oligarchs are building — those look like bloated Clorox bottles.”

Compared with the world’s very largest motor yachts — built for sheer size and the accompanying bragging rights — Koru could almost be considered quaint. Azzam, one of the world’s largest motor yachts, is nearly 200 feet longer.

...

Koru will be propelled primarily by the wind. “Sailboats are usually greener than most powerboats,” said Don Anderson, a former captain of M5, the world’s largest single-masted sailboat, at 256 feet. “I’d like to think that Koru will be one of the most ecological yachts out there, with its sails and also with the technology that will be aboard.”

“When you’re on a sailboat, you’re more in touch with the wind and the waves than on a powerboat,” he continued. “You’re more susceptible to the elements, too. But you can leave California, and once you get past the Catalinas you can basically surf downwind all the way to Hawaii. All you need to do is run with the waves.”

...

Koru will be trailed by Abeona, a 246-foot support vessel. Superyachts often have support vessels following along behind them. These “shadows,” as they are colloquially known, are for the “toys” — the ATVs, supercars, seaplanes, motorcycles, smaller boats, scuba gear, personal submarines and even helicopters that pleasure boaters might bring on a trip. According to its builder, this model of boat can carry these gadgets along with dozens of crew members. (Ms. Sanchez flies helicopters, and the couple was recently photographed taking a helicopter to board Abeona and then Koru.)

Abeona, a motor yacht, will have enough range to follow Koru from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean — a common course for yachts — on a single tank of gas."

Saturday, May 13, 2023

Beanie Sigel and Roc-a-Fella Records

Pitchfork - "Beanie Sigel - The Truth"

"Each Sunday, Pitchfork takes an in-depth look at a significant album from the past, and any record not in our archives is eligible. Today, we revisit the Philadelphia rapper’s 1999 debut, a dramatic and gritty album that brought a new kind of cred to Roc-A-Fella Records."

The Kraken's Surprise Run

Wall Street Journal - "The Painful Hockey Skill Behind the Seattle Kraken’s Surprise Playoff Run"

Norway's EVs

New York Times - "In Norway, the Electric Vehicle Future Has Already Arrived"

Next Goal Wins

November 17, 2023

Written by Taika Waititi, Iain Morris
Directed by Taika Waititi
Starring Michael Fassbender, Elisabeth Moss, Oscar Kightley, Uli Latukefu, Rachel House, Kaimana, David Fane, Beulah Koale, Chris Alosio, Taika Waititi, Will Arnett, Rhys Darby

Oppenheimer Full Trailer

Previously,

Oppenheimer Trailer (Dec. 2022)

Gladiator 1 and 2

The first shot on day 1 of production on 'Gladiator' in January 1999 is the first one used in the film and our introduction to Maximus. While complex battle scenes were being prepared, Ridley Scott improvised a moment where @russellcrowe contemplates a bird on the battlefield... pic.twitter.com/E2yyswScer
— Gareth Harney (@OptimoPrincipi) March 25, 2023

Facts from All The Right Movies (@atrightmovies) Twitter thread on Gladiator 1:

1) Ridley Scott’s swords-and-sandals classic GLADIATOR was released 23 years ago today. An enormous production full of star names, the making of story is as epic as the film itself.

2) Dreamworks always wanted Ridley Scott as director, but he wasn’t certain. To convince him, they showed him an 1872 painting by Jean Leon Gerome - Pollice Verso – as what they wanted to recreate. Scott said the painting played a part in him signing on.

3) Scott’s vision was a huge production:
- Over 10,000 costumes and 30,000 pieces of armour were created.
- They built a 52-ft tall Colosseum. It took 7 months to build and cost $1m.
- Ground-breaking digital effects created the city, pushing effects boundaries of the time.

11) Crowe threw himself into the role. Over the course of the film, he lost all feeling in his right forefinger for two years. He also aggravated his achilles, broke his foot, cracked his hip, and popped some bicep tendons out of their sockets.

22) Scott had 5 tigers and an expert on hand with tranquiliser darts should anything go wrong. The tigers weren’t allowed within 15ft of Crowe but, due to a miscalculation, an11 ft tiger got within two feet and swiped at him. That shot is in the film.

24) The first screenwriter to work on Gladiator was David Franzoni. He started developing the story in the 1970s and got the idea from a book about the Roman games called Those Who Are About To Die (1958) by Daniel P. Mannix.

25) Ridley Scott didn’t like Franzoni’s dialogue much, so hired John Logan (Any Given Sunday) to rewrite Gladiator. It was Logan who made the decision to kill off Maximus’ family as character motivation.

35) Gladiator had an impact on interest in Roman history after it was released. The New York Times called it, “The Gladiator Effect,” and books like Cicero’s biography and Marcus Aurelius’ meditations received massive spikes in sales.

World of Reel - "Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator’ Sequel Begins Filming in June"

Joseph Kosinski (Top Gun Maverick) and Brad Pitt's ‘Formula One'

Word of Reel - "Joseph Kosinski’s ‘Formula One,’ With Brad Pitt, Starts Shooting This Month"

"Now that Joseph Kosinski proved his worth as the director of “Top Gun: Maverick”, which also earned him a DGA nomination, he’s decided to keep the ambitions high for his next project.

Kosinski is set to shoot “Formula One” starring Brad Pitt as a Formula One driver that comes out of retirement to race again. Lewis Hamilton, a beloved driver of the sport, is involved as a producer and will likely play himself.

...

The ambitions Kosinski and producer Jerry Bruckheimer have for this film are quite wild. It turns out they’re creating an 11th team and filming on track and on event the entire Formula One calendar."