Not a moment is boring, uninformative or without aesthetic merit with TCM...including trailers, promos, intros. I am particularly charmed about their novel use of musical instrumentation, some "instruments" not even designed for that purpose...until then. Altogether TCM has just gotten better and better over the years. Can that be said of any other?
I read that book when I was 15/16-took me forever to get through.Tom Wolfe was Gonzo like Hunter S. Thompson:) Nobody does spatial set-ups like Mr. DePalma,almost operatic?&oh yeah The Bonfire Of The Vanities rocks!!
I could not disagree more completely...particularly the casting. It was disastrous. Starting with Tom Hanks. His character was carefully and fully articulated, including his physical appearance in the book. It was paramount to the story. Because of his innnocent, childlike face, all of the lines which depended on the interplay of dialogue to the face was entirely lost. Casting him in this role was a complete disservice to the book and to Tom Hanks. He deserved better. So did the book. I just watched it again on Criterion Collection and it is as awful as I remember. That being said, I'm glad you enjoyed it. The flip side is just too painfully disappointing.
@@lindamalone6380 I thought exactly the same. And casting Melanie Griffiths as Maria was off too. But then again, everyone freaked out when Tom Cruise was cast as Lestat, and he made it work.
Julie Salamon's book is a must-read for any De Palma fan, and it's great to finally hear her recordings. De Palma griping about Melanie Griffith being "an accident waiting to happen -- always!" is hilarious. I was familiar with the quotes from De Palma's family in the book, and to now actually hear their voices out loud would seem to confirm his statement that they were all a bunch of egoists. The recent interview with the late Marty Bauer is quite sad.
I am loving this podcast except for Ms. Salomon's sing-songy podcast voice. Whyyyy do so many podcasters do this, it's so annoying. And her constant splitting of sentences like this: "But in person? He was blah blah...". "And Guber? He could blah blah....". Don't know what it's called grammatically but it's completely unnecessary. I wish Ben had done the whole podcast.
I have Xfinity and it doesn't carry TCM and right now I don't have Dish or anything like that just Prime TV. Looking for a good deal with internet and something like Dish, Direct TV or anything that carries TCM. Any suggestions?
I loved Tom Wolfe's work and "Bonfire", was one of my favorites.. With that being said, the film was beyond terrible.. There are no words to properly express just how terrible it was..
It had some redeeming qualities. But it did not capture the qualities of the book, at all. But it was a book that never should have been made into a movie in the first place.
Although I like The Plot Thickens (even if Ben deliberately censored the story in the first series--remember the Hugh Heffner business which was ignored?) I saw no point in researching, at length, a bad movie which flopped just because it featured major players.
I saw this movie last night and it was a total let down.If it had been a straight movie it might've worked plus Tom Hanks totally miscast.Also the subject matter might had been the issue.Dark comedies work just need good writers.
Yeah, Hanks really couldn't play a character like this. The closest he came to playing a nasty character was his next one-Jimmy Duggan, but there he redeems his character a bit. He can't play a villain. You would never see him play a terrorist, for example.
They said that about Gone With The wind, but unlike Bonfire Gone With the Wind was a huge success! But David O. Was never able to duplicate GWTW! And maybe thats the way it is! You get 1 Huge hit, not 2! So Depalma has a stinker! But he had several other movies that had good box office! Look at Casablanca, that was a trounled production as was The wizard Of Oz! Why are these movies and others that shoyld be great, Troubled! We can say this or that but in the end it's still a mystery! And yet sone gain that renowned greatness despite the problems that beset them! It's enjoyable and interesting to Argue about them but do we ever settle the questions that have arisen? Probably not but the movies sure are a good time that irregardless as to how they turn out we sure do have a good time discussing all of the possibilities that they entail!
I love TCM. It’s the best channel no commercials no censorship. It’s great
I certainly have a notion to second that emotion !!
Most underrated channel on TV if you’re into quality entertainment.
Not a moment is boring, uninformative or without aesthetic merit with TCM...including trailers, promos, intros. I am particularly charmed about their novel use of musical instrumentation, some "instruments" not even designed for that purpose...until then.
Altogether TCM has just gotten better and better over the years. Can that be said of any other?
What AMC used to be. Now it’s commercials and censorship. Sucks.
The Plot Thickens is a great TCM entertainment source for historians and film lovers. Thank you for adding this feature.
I heartily concur ! I loved Season One and am so far enjoying Season Two !
I love TCM. And I love The Plot Thickens and Ben Mankiewicz. Thank you for making these wonderful audios!
The Devil's Candy. Great book about how everything can go wrong on a big studio film.
Finally, all episodes are released! I've been patiently waiting. Loved the first season and look forward to many, many more.
Thank you so much! I've been waiting for a new season of "The Plot Thickens". I really enjoyed the last one. Keep up the good work!
I agree 100 per cent !!
I listened to the whole series and it was absolutely fantastic. Highly recommended.
I've read her book. Amazing read. Love these sorts of books, that go into the making of a film or TV series.
This is about the science of making movies. It's so interesting it's Hollywood gold I listen to it when I walk💖
Loved Episode 1. I’m totally on board for Season 2. Looking forward to Episode 2.
No one really comes out of this looking very good
I worked a NYC Barnes and Noble when Bonfire came out, and it was electric.. We sold hundreds in one day...
I was living on Roosevelt Island. The book was so on point and such a sharp criticism of New York at the time.
More people bought it than they read it. It's a really long book.
Thank you Ben. Love these documentaries and your beautiful voice.
TCM my favorite channel!
I read that book when I was 15/16-took me forever to get through.Tom Wolfe was Gonzo like Hunter S. Thompson:)
Nobody does spatial set-ups like Mr. DePalma,almost operatic?&oh yeah The Bonfire Of The Vanities rocks!!
I love Body Double and the soundtrack
This movie is awesome! The most underrated movie of the 90s about the 80s . Casting is perfect in my opinion .
I could not disagree more completely...particularly the casting. It was disastrous. Starting with Tom Hanks. His character was carefully and fully articulated, including his physical appearance in the book. It was paramount to the story. Because of his innnocent, childlike face, all of the lines which depended on the interplay of dialogue to the face was entirely lost. Casting him in this role was a complete disservice to the book and to Tom Hanks. He deserved better. So did the book.
I just watched it again on Criterion Collection and it is as awful as I remember.
That being said, I'm glad you enjoyed it. The flip side is just too painfully disappointing.
@@lindamalone6380 I'm glad I didn't read the book. 😂
@@lindamalone6380 I thought exactly the same. And casting Melanie Griffiths as Maria was off too. But then again, everyone freaked out when Tom Cruise was cast as Lestat, and he made it work.
I watched it and I thought it was good..oh well..read the book also. Big fiasco..Anyone remember Hudson Hawk??
Casualties of war is amazing
Heartbreaking.
I liked it.
SUCH A GREAT SERIES!!!
Really excited for this season!
Great TCM video 👍👌👏😊
TCM is the best and I love this podcast
Julie Salamon's book is a must-read for any De Palma fan, and it's great to finally hear her recordings. De Palma griping about Melanie Griffith being "an accident waiting to happen -- always!" is hilarious. I was familiar with the quotes from De Palma's family in the book, and to now actually hear their voices out loud would seem to confirm his statement that they were all a bunch of egoists. The recent interview with the late Marty Bauer is quite sad.
Griffith was a perfect choice for that role. A southern airhead.
I was so excited to listen to this, and then, I hear her voice. That is gonna be a rough go.
I am loving this podcast except for Ms. Salomon's sing-songy podcast voice. Whyyyy do so many podcasters do this, it's so annoying. And her constant splitting of sentences like this: "But in person? He was blah blah...". "And Guber? He could blah blah....". Don't know what it's called grammatically but it's completely unnecessary. I wish Ben had done the whole podcast.
Well, she's not an actress, okay?
@@sha11235 What? Podcasting doesn’t require acting, just an ability to tell a story without sounding annoying.
At the risk of typecasting your podcast, I hope you folks tackle Heaven's Gate next
They're doing Lucille Ball this Fall.
Oh yes please
I have Xfinity and it doesn't carry TCM and right now I don't have Dish or anything like that just Prime TV. Looking for a good deal with internet and something like Dish, Direct TV or anything that carries TCM. Any suggestions?
And...if anyone wants to watch the movie after listening to the podcast...it's on HBO Max.
I watched it on TCM (free) a couple weeks ago and now so glad I did.
Ok, should should I listen to the podcast first or film?
You can find it on RUclips.
That story about Uma Thurman's casting session is unbelievable
I mean it sounds pretty straightforward
Thurman wasn't a good fit for the role. It's supposed to be an airhead with a Southern drawl, a bimbo. Thurman is too sophisticated for that.
@@Mario_N64 Maria was definitely not just “an airhead.”
This is a crazy, fascinating story, but her awful voice makes a great tale more difficult to listen to. I wish Ben had narrated the whole thing.
I was thinking this ,as I scrolled thru the comments.that super annoying NPR voice.
I think she has to do it because it was based on her book. What could Ben add to it?
I love this movie 😆
Read rhe book and loved it. Walked out of the movie after about 35-40 minutes. Everything about it was wrong from the choice of director to the cast.
True, it isn't the worst movie ever made. I've seen worse.
An entire season of a podcast about a movie entitled "Bonfire of the Vanities",
narrated by a person who pronounces it "Bommfire".
I wonder how Scorsese and Coppola would had made the film.Would it had been better maybe so maybe not
This should have been a 3 hour epic. It's a very long story.
What's ironic is that same year Marty had his masterpiece Goodfellas and Francis his last part of the Godfather trilogy, which had its own problems.
I loved Tom Wolfe's work and "Bonfire", was one of my favorites.. With that being said, the film was beyond terrible.. There are no words to properly express just how terrible it was..
It had some redeeming qualities. But it did not capture the qualities of the book, at all. But it was a book that never should have been made into a movie in the first place.
Great book. That is all.
Totally miscast film.
i have a visceral dislike for the female rol....
Hey TCM, don't you realize you have these videos set up to play in the wrong order?
Maybe a good story, but this format is impossible. Try to stop it and then get back to it later, fuggedabout it.
Although I like The Plot Thickens (even if Ben deliberately censored the story in the first series--remember the Hugh Heffner business which was ignored?) I saw no point in researching, at length, a bad movie which flopped just because it featured major players.
I saw this movie last night and it was a total let down.If it had been a straight movie it might've worked plus Tom Hanks totally miscast.Also the subject matter might had been the issue.Dark comedies work just need good writers.
Yeah, Hanks really couldn't play a character like this. The closest he came to playing a nasty character was his next one-Jimmy Duggan, but there he redeems his character a bit. He can't play a villain. You would never see him play a terrorist, for example.
F
Hi
Lousy voice casting.
"He was only 74" when he died. "Only 74"? That was a silly thing to say.
Well, maybe to people someone dying in their 70's a bit young these days.
@@sha11235 No, it isn't. Maybe rich people can feel like that way, but to the rest of humanity, 70 years old is old.
You’re intros are too long
please have Ben narrate in the future - horrible voice narrating !
I think they have to have the person who wrote the book narrate it because it makes more sense. What could Ben add to this?
They said that about Gone With The wind, but unlike Bonfire Gone With the Wind was a huge success! But David O. Was never able to duplicate GWTW! And maybe thats the way it is! You get 1 Huge hit, not 2! So Depalma has a stinker! But he had several other movies that had good box office! Look at Casablanca, that was a trounled production as was The wizard Of Oz! Why are these movies and others that shoyld be great, Troubled! We can say this or that but in the end it's still a mystery! And yet sone gain that renowned greatness despite the problems that beset them! It's enjoyable and interesting to Argue about them but do we ever settle the questions that have arisen? Probably not but the movies sure are a good time that irregardless as to how they turn out we sure do have a good time discussing all of the possibilities that they entail!