S6E2: William Friedkin Meets Bret Easton Ellis, Part 2
Added 2022-06-06 16:30:39 +0000 UTCFilmmaker William Friedkin and Bret Easton Ellis discuss passing on Star Wars and the disheartening critical response to Sorcerer. Part 2 of 2.
Comments
Absolutely fantastic episode. The host did a great job.
paul dakota
2023-04-26 23:35:48 +0000 UTCWho is the novelist Bret read in manuscript, the one who wrote about the Obama election?
Steven Volynets
2022-07-12 04:02:28 +0000 UTCOne of my favorites thus far!
Mara Capozzi
2022-07-05 17:31:49 +0000 UTCTalk about coming out of the blocks with a great fucking guest. Could probably only be topped if you could get Marty, Francis, Woody or De Palma
Alistair Dean
2022-06-22 09:33:51 +0000 UTCWhat a great guest. At 86 Billy is a sharp as ever. Surprised by the negative reactions here. He’s feisty, opinionated and cantankerous but that’s what makes him so good. One of the greats
Alistair Dean
2022-06-22 08:06:43 +0000 UTCWhat an unpleasant guy. Bret should be applauded for putting up with him for this long.
GellMon
2022-06-21 09:57:23 +0000 UTCKiller Joe was a GREAT movie! i wish they'd discussed it!
Neil Anderson
2022-06-16 23:22:34 +0000 UTCHarper Lee wrote To Kill a Mockingbird- no? Not Carson Mcullers
BRC
2022-06-15 10:06:43 +0000 UTCI would argue Bret's had a few "Great Gatsby's" published.
Ben
2022-06-15 03:52:24 +0000 UTCGreat interview, but what a fucking asshole.
Raphael Arjona
2022-06-14 21:12:46 +0000 UTCThe transition from abortion to the shards was really seamless 🤣🤣🤣🤣
Dean Cooper
2022-06-14 01:41:09 +0000 UTCNathan, I just saw Sorcerer recently, too. Or maybe like two years ago. Far after I've seen 95% of Friedkin's other work. I've never been particularly fond of Friedkin. I was always out of step with other movie nuts because I like Scorsese, but I'm a little cool on his work. Altman I straight up just don't like very much at all. To me, he's a film school hero. By that I mean he's a guy whose audience is almost strictly blooming film lovers who take from his work what is useful to them. His experiments are for them and the movies themselves just don't communicate or connect with most who see them. Coppola is probably the only one of the big boys from the 70s whose work I'm there for. Even his S.E. Hinton movies grab me every time. Sadly after that ....you know. Still we have Dracula, Youth Without Youth, Tetro... I dislike Peggy Sue Got Married, but THAT Nic Cage performance! Only thing more mad than dreaming up and offering Nic's performance is the OTHER guy who said, yeah, we'll go with that. Then he DID. That's amazing. Sorcerer def made me think differently about Friedkin. Started realizing maybe I was a fan after all. Then there is CRUISIN', which I already loved. KILLER JOE is amazing (BUG is tedious...I'm pretty sure its good word of mouth had less to do with quality of the film than the shameless, indulgent nudity offered by Ashley Judd (holy crap! I nearly posted this as "...offered by NAOMI Judd..."). Best of all is To Live and Die In L.A. I just saw that one a year ago! I recently discovered I'd been confusing the Friedkin film with Jeff Bridges' 8 Million Ways to Die. Denied such a cool 80s bonbon due to a burnt out synapse up in the ol' squash.
bpvalentine
2022-06-13 11:57:48 +0000 UTCThis podcast prompted me to check out Sorcerer. What a masterpiece!
Nathan Stewart
2022-06-12 09:30:35 +0000 UTCFriedkin’s voice sounds almost exactly like Trump
Jono
2022-06-12 06:16:57 +0000 UTCWhat an episode. I have to admit, I almost teared up when Friedkin got choked up…. And the ending, just so good. Thanks, Bret and Adam.
Iain
2022-06-11 07:11:20 +0000 UTCIs this going to show up in the RSS feed?
LH
2022-06-11 06:21:42 +0000 UTCThe traditional view and opinions of Mr. Friedkin makes me long so much for the heyday of 70s film. What a marvelous interview; hands down my favorite ever. Thank you Mr. Friedkin and Bret for this unbelievable experience
E
2022-06-10 21:35:37 +0000 UTCJesus the ending killed me!
Dominic Munnelly
2022-06-10 08:19:04 +0000 UTC“we did it for someone else” rock & roll, deal with it
Mike
2022-06-10 01:50:06 +0000 UTCPart 2 was even better than Part 1 - really enjoyed hearing about Cruising and interesting to hear Friedkin's thoughts on literature. Very blunt, direct man - that sushi comment was hilarious.
Bazayer
2022-06-09 20:01:38 +0000 UTCWhat you said about writers -and who can do what- reminds me of something John Gardener once said: a real writer cannot write junk fiction; to write junk fiction, you need an authentic junk mind.
Michael Walsh
2022-06-09 19:15:39 +0000 UTC'You look to the Heavens for an answer. There's no answer... There's no answer.... What happens? how does this happen? Ohhh, God!' 'So, what do you think of The Eagles?'
Dan Palmer
2022-06-09 19:05:41 +0000 UTCWhen Friedkin corrected Bret on the pronunciation of Coppola, would have been nice if Bret hit him with a “whatever”
Darren Ankenman
2022-06-09 16:06:32 +0000 UTCMore Bret and William please!
Romeo Delta Charlie
2022-06-09 15:01:22 +0000 UTCStretch young fella.
Thomas Edwards
2022-06-09 09:39:10 +0000 UTCSuperb conversation, superb guest. Crossroads was a literary event for me personally, but that’s just me . . .
Seneca Garcia
2022-06-09 08:57:50 +0000 UTCI thoroughly enjoyed this 2-part interview, though I do wish they had talked about the wonderful To Live and Die in LA, and Jade, which is a great guilty pleasure of mine. Friedkin's passion, enthusiasm and strong opinions are such a delightful antidote to this morose age we are living in. Wish more were like him, and like BEE, naturally.
Peter Neal
2022-06-09 08:02:09 +0000 UTCWhat would you do if you found stained panties in an apartment?
Fernando
2022-06-09 01:56:44 +0000 UTCTop 5 BEE interview ever. Friedkin’s blunt wisdom delivered with such fantastic fearlessness. my boy Carter said it best - “Friedkin would 100% tell someone they were not his best friend if they said that they were”. Boom.
Normaling
2022-06-09 00:59:46 +0000 UTCBest interview in a long time.
Paul Richardson
2022-06-08 22:19:59 +0000 UTCHaha lol yeah come on WF don't be stepping to Brets lane
Chris De Burgha
2022-06-08 19:11:45 +0000 UTCThank you so much Bret and Adam for that interview, it was fantastic! PS: I don't mind the split format, it makes good things last longer!
FlyingWaffle
2022-06-08 19:04:38 +0000 UTCi encourage you to let this new season unfold... not every episode will be split-up interviews... next week's show will be different -adam
The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast
2022-06-08 17:23:08 +0000 UTCThese split up interviews are so dumb.
Michael O'Donnell
2022-06-08 16:59:40 +0000 UTCam going to listen on my run. will say more later, after my run
richard owain roberts
2022-06-08 16:19:01 +0000 UTCThis is a strong first showing for the new season. Great job Guys!
Andrew Lee
2022-06-08 03:38:09 +0000 UTCI think Pacino was perfect for Cruising. That he was that naive about gay life and somewhat indifferent to the production actually lends to his performance being more authentic - he was truly “undercover.” I wonder if Pacino knows about how beloved the film has become and if he feels differently now. Friedkin has really put a revisionist spin on Cruising in the recent blu-ray release restoration and even the old dvd. He did the same with The French Connection. I would’ve liked a question about why he messes with the color timing during these restorations. Why did he remove the statement and make a new opening title card for Cruising on Arrow Blu-ray? Why all the tinkering? And what about that 40 or so minutes of “lost” footage? Was expecting more from this interview tbh, talking about Gatsby and some of the other stuff was a waste when we could’ve just talked about his films. No mention of To Live and Die in L.A?
Thomas Matich
2022-06-08 02:47:55 +0000 UTCRE: Kazan & his Blacklisting following his testimony before the HUAC. Hollywood is, & was, full of hypocritical Leftists. No one would have cared if he'd named names of Hollywood people who were Nazis or Nazi sympathizers, but when he named Stalinists & communist sympathizers then they pretend to stand on the moral high ground.
PeZ
2022-06-08 01:50:33 +0000 UTCWF: FDR was quite a handsome older man. So was Harry Truman. Bret: Well, I was thinking more about sexual partners. That is all.
Brad Turner
2022-06-07 19:13:02 +0000 UTCBy the way, Bret has had several great guests over the years... But this is the first time I can remember feeling him to be so starstruck. The giddiness came across... And it was infectious. What a treat this must’ve been. And to have him compliment your work...
Erix Antoine
2022-06-07 13:15:08 +0000 UTC“What do you think of The Eagles?” “The EAGLES??? What are you ASKING me???” Anyway... When Friedkin’s rumination on his own mortality gave way to an emotional breakdown about the Texas school shooting, I got a lump in my throat. Extremely powerful and raw. Great episode.
Erix Antoine
2022-06-07 12:39:56 +0000 UTCCaught that too. I was so perplexed by the snafu I thought I missed something
M. Nero Nava
2022-06-07 06:30:31 +0000 UTCThat was fantastic. Best ending. And I guess we are done with the Eagles? 🤷♀️
Patrick
2022-06-07 00:30:01 +0000 UTC“Does your audience know who Todd is?” Haha!
Patrick
2022-06-06 23:24:41 +0000 UTCWow. When he talks about the recent school shooting. Just wow.
Maxwell Rinehart
2022-06-06 21:21:09 +0000 UTCGreat episode. Loved that Friedkin had his own questions for Bret. Nice back & forth.
Vincent Nappi
2022-06-06 20:58:31 +0000 UTCTo Kill a Mockingbird was written by Harper Lee, not Carson McCullers :-) Just loved the show, as always.
Jerome Busca
2022-06-06 18:49:52 +0000 UTCSo good
PETER GREER
2022-06-06 18:22:27 +0000 UTCJust a heads up for the LA people: Cruising is playing Thursday night at The New Bev.
M. Nero Nava
2022-06-06 17:14:06 +0000 UTC
