The B.E.E. Podcast - 6/28/18 - Ben Fritz - GOLD
Added 2018-06-26 13:51:36 +0000 UTCIn this extended Gold edition of the podcast, journalist and author Ben Fritz and Bret Easton Ellis discuss the divisiveness of Hereditary, writing The Big Picture, the Sony Hack and journalism in an era of mainstream media mistrust.
Comments
Uncanny how relevant this episode is six-and-a-half year later. Prophetic even?
Joe Stallone
2025-01-08 19:47:27 +0000 UTCI checked out Hereditary based on Bret's review of it. I enjoyed it and agree it was well done and I too really enjoyed the performances. Thought I'd just add Ann Dowd's performance to the list of praise as well. She's playing a character similar to Patti in The Leftovers where she really nails that mix of motherly and creepy. I didn't have an instant love/hate reaction to the film, so I can't say I'd call it film of the year so far, but then again, I do catch myself daydreaming and revisiting various scenes. In terms of the demise of the film business, I drove two hours to find the nearest movie theater that played Hereditary. I live in Ithaca, NY, which has a cineplex at a mall, an art house cinema, and a college cinema, but none were playing this film. I ended up in a sketchy part of Rochester at 3:25 on a Saturday afternoon, where the audience (me and 5 others, on their smallest screen) and the neighborhood in general is not made up of affluent Amazon Prime members.
Mike Ryan
2018-07-15 14:34:53 +0000 UTCUnsane would certainly be an interesting discussion topic for Bret, as it was shot on iPhones with micro-sensors that cause a decidedly uncinematic deep-focus look and with narrower color science. It's about as opposite as one can get from the gritty celluloid from the '70s he's nostalgic for.
SwampOrSea
2018-07-05 15:56:25 +0000 UTCBret, this was a great episode. However, I disagree about "Hereditary" being the film of the year so far -- don't get me wrong, it's well made and I enjoyed it but I felt it fell apart with the ending, that it was a cop-out to where the script gave up and it was like, let's just do a "Rosemary's Baby" thing. Even the film's title beckons something that would have you believe it dealt with mental illness and the mother's miniatures could've been the plot device responsible for this havoc, but alas they just went with the cult thing, like one of those "Paranormal Activity" prequels. As a filmmaker Aster delivers with style though and the ambient score is tremendous. For me, my favorite film of the year so far is probably "Unsane", a bare-bones budget Soderbergh camera-phone shot film that recalls his '90's work and gives us/me a true mindfuck mystery. Soderbergh, along with A24, have found a way to stay afloat in the modern movie business as well. "Unsane" made over 10 million on a peanuts budget -- sadly not enough people saw it, but its reputation on home-video is already very good, apparently for showcasing how great 4K can look.
Thomas Matich
2018-06-28 01:33:49 +0000 UTCFirst Reformation also had its own dream logic, which really ticked off the audience at my screening. I loved it but agree with Bret, it’s a suffocating experience.
Steven
2018-06-28 01:00:36 +0000 UTCHe seems very confused about what’s happening around him.
Dave Mullen-Muhr
2018-06-27 23:53:23 +0000 UTCI haven't got to the conversation bit yet, but Bret is firing on all cylinders in the first bit!
Romeo Delta Charlie
2018-06-27 23:35:11 +0000 UTCYeah I found his explanation very arrogant and bizzare
Charles Golding
2018-06-27 23:14:51 +0000 UTCHe kinda let Fritz off easy about the Pewdiepie thing though haha. At the same time he's not a pundit so he doesn't need to probe like one.
Charles Golding
2018-06-27 23:14:11 +0000 UTCBen Fritz knew what he was doing in that hit piece. He comes from an old media background. The new media is making him irrelevant.
Stevan Popovic
2018-06-27 21:40:02 +0000 UTCBack on form. I noticed Bret adopts a bit of mask ( in my opinion) when there a famous guests being interviewed. When he has lower key guests on, that mask seems to be absent - there's no invisible line there where the guests media persona needs to be protected and, therefore, he seems stifled by the need to protect the interviewees reputation. Although, that's just my opinion/observation.
Sebastian Mittelman
2018-06-27 11:56:24 +0000 UTCWhat a great episode. Manages to tie together almost all of overarching themes of the B.E.E. podcast into one very engaging listen. Also, "Dumb Guys Commit A Heist - My least favorite genre" (or something to that effect) is my favorite Brett quote in a while.
smotheredinhugs
2018-06-26 22:47:35 +0000 UTC
