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The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast
The Bret Easton Ellis Podcast

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S6E1: William Friedkin Meets Bret Easton Ellis, Part 1

Filmmaker William Friedkin and Bret Easton Ellis discuss the wrong way to watch Fellini and reluctantly casting Gene Hackman in The French Connection. Part 1 of 2. Patreon Season 6 premiere.

S6E1: William Friedkin Meets Bret Easton Ellis, Part 1

Comments

coming from a guy who reiterates many of his positions...FRIEDKIN was truly full of shit when it came to discussing art...but he made some truly influential films 😂😂

Neil G.

that's how full of shit he was...he is really a demented pseudo intellectual retard whose "insights" demonstrate the decline of western culture (white culture, I mean) over the last 50 (if not 100) years the most comically contradictory (if not hypocritical) ways...and the amount he took himself seriously, by making absolutely no sense 😂😂...he made the movies he made (and many bad ones, by the way, go figure 😂😂) but I'm glad he's dead

Neil G.

rolling donut...come on, now 😂😂

Neil G.

They talked about how people are not watching films the same way any longer, and not going to the movie theatres, but actually here in Norway this summer, the numbers of people going to the cinema is the highest in 14 years! That said, the movies people see are americans, not norwegian....Barbenheimer etc.

Vibeke Garrod

fan tastic episode. wow.

paul dakota

your ability to so vehemently give in to a pseudo intellectual POS and say "he don't give a fuck" like he's a badass strips you of your right to live. But yes, you pointed out a contradiction; good job...you pseudo intellectual POS

Neil G.

One of my favourite episodes ever, such honesty 👏👍 thank you

Phil

This was almost as good as the Quentin episode, filmmakers really jive with Bret

Keagan Afonso

https://twitter.com/mradamscott/status/702924383334043648?s=21&t=QrhNltFyOCg-6fDJv6u8eg

George Quartz

I asked Todd if we could bid on a lunch with Bret- he said ask him in the platinum q&a

K.D.F.

Bret you should go to the Aero in Santa Monica — I just saw Satantango this week in los angeles. Los Feliz 3 is playing Noe’s Vortex. Braindead constantly programs foreign art films

Ben Howley

current gold tier group, how long was your first episode of season 6? used to be gold but $12 seemed steep but would consider it if i was getting longer pods

Steve

I don't have to agree with WF or BEE to have loved the conversation. A guy like WF has always something interesting to say

Jorge Espinha

Fabulous interview. Billy doesn't suffer fools and he obviously likes and respects BEE.

Eric M. Rhein

Bret, please: we would love to see -or for you to read to us- your forward to the new French edition of The Exorcist.

Michael Walsh

The majority of movies reflect the time it was made. Very few are timeless. Thats why later generations watch them and think. This is shit.

Stevan Popovic

There is a cynicism among modern audiences. Since everything has to be filtered through a post modern or ironic lens now, people have a harder time just surrendering to an experience. But, in general, being unable to place things in context is a sign of emotional immaturity. Like when I read Of Mice and Men in middle school, and the teacher showed us the old Burgess Meredith / Lon Chaney Jr movie. And you had some of my classmates laughing at the dramatic scenes, and especially at the ending.

Erix Antoine

Friedkin has a prickly side that often resurfaces in interviews. Not the easiest man to interview when you try to deviate from the usual questions, really. I remember Bret saying in the past that he felt disappointed with Bill's memoirs and wanted to devote an entire episode to Crusing, which now seems like will never happen (part 2 maybe?). Anyway, I'm really glad this interview happened. ps I remember a Q & A in which Friedkin started to trash Malick's Tree of Life/To the Wonder without ever mentioning the titles or the filmmaker (everyone in the audience knew what he was talking about because they all laughed.) so I think he wanted to cover his ass too late when he was asked about Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood

Raúl

Great listen. I watched Exorcist in the late nineties. When it was unbanned by Uk censors. The film did not date well. There was laughter during certain scenes. One cinema goer said "People were easy to scare in the 70s".

Stevan Popovic

God, I love William Friedkin. Even if I don’t always agree. But he’s just so much fun to listen to. And he has, probably, my favorite speaking voice... that hypnotic downtown Chicago cadence of his... His memoir on audiobook is a must. I think I’ll revisit it now. I can’t remember the last time I laughed out loud this frequently and consistently while listening to one of your podcasts. Adding to the chorus here, though, that I hope we do get monologues. They remain my favorite part of the podcast. Your thoughts on culture are why I listen.

Erix Antoine

This was excellent. I do miss the monologues though. Hope they come back at some point.

R. M.

odd that he jumped to shit on Coda and Drive My Car but decided to not voice his opinion on Once Upon a Time because he didn't think it was right to criticize a director

Brian Borough

this is amazing. Friedkin going off and NOT GIVING A FUCK

Brian Borough

If you ever visit Adelaide, Australia for the writers festival (we will pay for your first class flights and accommodation) check out the old school Capri cinema.

Thomas Edwards

“A flying fuck into a rolling donut” ❤️

Alex Dermer

Very disappointed that the Landmark closed. I'd been going weekly for the past several months. It was no Arclight, but was suitable enough. I've always wanted to run into you at a theater, as it seems like we were always haunting the same movies at the same times. Happy to say I finally saw you at the screening of the Northman. Didn't say hello. Was too shy. Not sure where I will go to see movies next, or if I will at all...

blake goodwin

Loved hearing BEE interview someone grumpier than him regarding the current state of movies 😆… So sad to hear about all the theater closures in LA. In Austin, movie theaters sell out and are packed all the time. I still see about 1-2 in the theater per week.

Claire Ginocchio

Another brilliant interview! I wonder will there be a part 2? It does make me sad to hear the lamenting over the good old days of filmmaking. It’s all true, those days are gone along with the great cinema houses LA had to offer.

aaron weisblatt

Lydia Davis’ translations of Michel Leiris also amazing

jms

You’re wrong, but each to their own!

Nick Milligan

Bret keeps saying CODA didn't play theatrically, but it absolutely did. Unfortunately.

Richard Raymond

For real this obsession with Once Upon a Time...just stop it. It really is becoming pathetically trollish at this point. It's kind of like some snob prick saying that "Bonfire of the Vanities" is DePalma's misunderstood masterpiece. Folks it's not that great, nor even remotely memorable in any cinematic fashion. If you're a QT fan I get talking about Pulp Fiction or Basterds, but his latest...? No I'm sorry. At best its celluloid ephemera that lasted for a summer.

Joseph Orlando

Matt Wall I agree with you. I’ve seen more movies in the theatre the last few months than the last five years. Top Gun Maverick, The Northman, Vortex, Inland Empire, The Batman, and many more. I’m having fun at the movies again and crowds are getting bigger here. I think Brett is selling the public short.

Joseph Murphy

I loved this interview so much. It's always wonderful to catch these legends towards the end, where they no longer need to give a f*** and can say how they really feel.

Harold B

Great episode. I would love for Bret to get Brian De Palma as well. I love his interviews with older directors - Friedkin and Bogdanovich.

Peter Guzzo

Wonderful interview. Friedkin is underrated in my opinion. Also, love a person with a unique opinion—King Richard is totally unwatchable—but hey it made me rethink about it. It was also great to hear him debunk those myths regarding his productions and interactions. Can’t wait to hear more. Any chance we have a tier which allows us to go with Bret and Adam to Musso & Frank and have martinis ?

M. Nero Nava

although i was bummed he did not respond to bret's question on "once upon a time in hollywood"...sounds like maybe friedkin was not a fan?

Collin Myers

new favorite slogan: "i dont give a flying fuck through a donut hole" lol. friedkin is the man.

Collin Myers

Really enjoyable interview - though I wish Bret had called out his contradictions i.e. 'There is no Best Film' / 'Citizen Kane is the greatest film ever made'

Paul Richardson

How is Top Gun Maverick not brought up during this discussion? They spend plenty of time discussing the end of the cinematic movie experience. Also Bret mentions “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” as the last critically acclaimed blockbuster. This leads me to believe this interview was done at least a few weeks ago.

Matt Wall

Lol ye fr but fuggit here for it

Chris De Burgha

"Kids movies". How right he is. What a marvelous interview with an incomparable talent. Who speaks his mind! ❤️

E

Classic!

grainpulp

Friedkin liked King Richard more than The Power of the Dog. Love his honesty.

Thomas Matich

Omi godd - who is this guest here whom you are interviewing?? Everything that is coming out his mouth is a readymade sound bite! This is the “best” guest since QT by far . . . Season 6 is quite getting off on a Roving Rollicking Return. true LA podcast 😻 😘😘

Seneca Garcia

I like the direction the Pod is going - with more frequent posts. I look forward to hearing BEE's comments on pop culture - and yes especially Depp-Heard. The few and far between approach made that seem less feasible.

Dirk

Enjoyed v much! Season 6…let’s go! 😀

Patrick

Bravo! Season 6 off to a great start!!

Shawn Kilroy

Hashtag Peter Biskind is full of shit

sean in hawaii

Good interview but isn’t the pod just squeezing more out of the same (or even less)? Higher price (overall), much shorter monologues and looks like pod will just split one ep into two for a weekly release of the same.

David

Amazing booking. Can’t wait to dig into this episode

Normaling

Fantastic interview Bret.

Christopher Jones

It really is a wonder how much he sounds like Trump.

Brian Rooney

Yeah we need the monologues!!

Dan

Will there be opening monologues in season 6 or just interviews?

Adam Marzec

Great start to the new season

Dan

FRIEDKIN AWESOME INTERVIEW. Love this man!

David Eugene


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