David O. Russell in: The World's Greatest On Set Rant

tmnt said:
Ahh I don't know if this guy's the devil you make him out to be. Does he have a real bad rep? I don't think anyone should lose it like that - extremely unproffessional but Lily looks to be quiet the piece of work herself. An actor's job is to take direction (within reason) and sounds like she had a problem with everything he must have been asking. Actor's should brace themselves that a writer/director will be more anal with their beloved script, I mean he's probably played each seen out a thousand times in his head.

To comment on the way he reacted... there goes the morale on set. That can't exactly help his movie come to life.
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from what i'm getting out of the argument, the director has them do a couple of takes one way, but then wants them to do it COMPLETELY different for the next takes, and even Hoffman says in the car, that it won't match up in post, because of different inflictions in their voice, different volumes in voice, different spots, etc... the "director" wanted to match up 2 TOTALLY different takes and make them one, and changed each scene, after they'd already shot it.

i get what you're saying, but if i ever did that, i'd expect to get yelled at. that's total b.s. purposely mixing 2 takes that would look and sound nothing alike?
 
I have worked for people like him, who will call you stupid, incompetant, and swear at the top of their lungs- all because they think they are better than you, and always right. Even though that isn't the case. Eventually, you have enough, and tell them exactly what's on your mind, and how his lineage must consist of mostly cousins that intermarry. In the case of an over the top rampage like his, I would have beat him senseless with whatever was in reach.
 
tmnt said:
Does he have a real bad rep?
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one of the stories is that jude law had commited to huckabees but was going to back out to do memento. at a aprty of some sort, russell apparently put christopher nolan in a headlock and wouldn't let go until he released jude law from memento so he could have him for huckabees. and of course there's the story that he and george clooney got in a fist fight on the set of three kings. how valid are these storiesa? i don't know. but in answer to your questions, he does have a bad rep around town.
 
In the past, I've done one video assist job (doing playback on the video village for the director) and am wondering if the video assist guy on this feature is still working? This footage leak points to just him/her right? I tried to look him up on imdb, but it's not listed.
 
ZFarms said:
from what i'm getting out of the argument, the director has them do a couple of takes one way, but then wants them to do it COMPLETELY different for the next takes, and even Hoffman says in the car, that it won't match up in post, because of different inflictions in their voice, different volumes in voice, different spots, etc... the "director" wanted to match up 2 TOTALLY different takes and make them one, and changed each scene, after they'd already shot it.

i get what you're saying, but if i ever did that, i'd expect to get yelled at. that's total b.s. purposely mixing 2 takes that would look and sound nothing alike?
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Even though in any conflict involving David Russel I'd instantly assume he was the one at fault, it isn't the actors job to figure out what's going to happen in editing. A director can do a million different things in editing and if he wants to try it a completely different way, I don't see why he shouldn't be allowed to do that. It would be nice if he explained that ahead of time ("Okay, this is going to seem wacky, but we're going to do it this way then we're going to do it a completely different way but I want you guys to just go with it. Here's why I want to do this...") But who knows, maybe with all the other stuff going on, he didn't have time. And if it's the 19th hour, well then everybody's pissy.

Wait a minute, why am I defending this guy?? He's a moron.
 
Zak Forsman said:
and of course there's the story that he and george clooney got in a fist fight on the set of three kings. how valid are these storiesa? i don't know. but in answer to your questions, he does have a bad rep around town.
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On some tv show or another I heard about this Clooney incident. The story I heard is that Russell is known to have an explosive temper(as we've seen) and when shi* hits the fan will take it out on even the most undeserving party. On 3 Kings it happened to be an Extra. He verbally abused the person to the point that Clooney stepped in and basically smacked Russell upside the head - what transpired after that, no idea, but that's the story I heard.

Flirting With Disaster was great. 3 Kings rocked. Spanking the Monkey, interesting title and odd plot material. Huckabees, 2 hours I wish I had back.

He is not worth the trouble. I personally don't think adults should act like 2 year olds, no matter how pissed off they get.
 
life is too short for that kinda stuff.

whatever lilly tomlin may or may not have done is irrelevant. i don't care if he were spielberg (which he most certainly is not) and she were an absolutely unruly diva (no evidence in that Huckabees clip). he doesn't deserve any defense of his actions other than that he may have a chemical imbalance.

I know it is a bit idealistic and preachy, but I wish studios would not continue to put financial resources behind that type of monsterous behavior. for my part, I will not be watching any of his future work.
 
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I had to watch the thing three times--very compelling. Of course, Lily as an actress and comedienne is a goddess--I could watch her all day. Interesting that she was in Flirting With Disaster too, so she'd worked with him before--they go way back. They're probably both "tempestuous artists." I just think it sometimes goes with the territory, and I'm sure they can both hold their own with each other. Ever seen a loving couple fight? It can get ugly too. Not saying they love each other necessarily. Just sayin' fiery personalities can get fiery, and we don't really know how the day ended. Maybe they went out for a beer and laughed and apologized. But from the snippet we see I think it's instructive of how a director isn't offering what the actor needs: she sounds frustrated and confused by the director's directions.
 
From his bio on IMDB:

Honored at Manhattan's Museum of Modern Art in April 2002 by guests such as Lily Tomlin, Mark Wahlberg and Sandra Bernhard. Ironic site for tribute, since Russell once served as a waiter at parties there, to the likes of Martin Scorsese.

He's a genius guy, just a mad artistic genius........what emotion, what fiery passion!

I just don't get it. Nobody, and I mean nobody, should talk to another person like that. And call me old fashioned, but that is especially no way to speak to a woman.

Why was she honoring him? Why was anyone honoring him? What a joke.
 
welll that was also only three instances from 9 moths of shooting. (thatwe know of) maybe the rest was smooth sailing. God forbid he/lilly have a bad day
 
There is a book called "Rebels on the Backlot" that talks all about David O. Russell and his shenanigans on 3 Kings including his fistacuffs with Clooney and the Nolan headlock. Clooney even gave the author some of his letters he wrote to O. Russell before and after the event to be published in the appendix. Pick it up at the bookstore if you are interested. It's definitely a great read.
 
Paul Verhoeven and Jost Vacano, toe-to-toe screaming in each other's faces, in 110-degree heat in the middle of Hell's Half Acre, is still my favorite on-set blowup...
 
Sad Max said:
Paul Verhoeven and Jost Vacano, toe-to-toe screaming in each other's faces, in 110-degree heat in the middle of Hell's Half Acre, is still my favorite on-set blowup...
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do you have a link to that? i'd like to see it.
 
I don't know if it's floating around out there, or not. Odds are someone must have had a camcorder...but I doubt anyone would have wanted to get caught taping that particular moment...I sure wouldn't have.
 
Yup, lots of dirt on QT in the book too. Like how the whole part of The Watch story in Pulp Fiction actual came from Roger Avery.
 
she was a *****. whata ***** i dont know if this you put the one up where she tells dustin hoffman to shut the **** up and mark walberg... granted he went overboard but damn she didnt help it being an ignorant ass. god 9months f that.
 
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Paul Verhoeven's the man!

Anyway if you want some dirt on QT read producer Jane Hamsher's "Killer Instinct". It's a good read anyway.
 
These people aren't NORMAL. That's why they're INTERESTING. Freaks and weirdos and eccentrics tend to make the most captivating movies, paint the most beautiful paintings and write the best novels. If you want to check out the work of a bunch of boring, polite, ordinary people, check out 99.999% of the stuff on YouTube. Or Ron Howard's oeuvre.
 
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