A one-of-a-kind marketplace from Steven Soderbergh.
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ALT SUNEST BOULEVARD is a two-fer: A perfect film AND the best movie ever made about Hollywood. Also, we think of ourselves as all modern and sophisticated here in 2023 and this thing rolled up as a STUDIO MOVIE in 19FUCKING50. And was a HIT! Unthinkable now that it would get made (especially with that ending) and find a wide audience. Btw, the Reader’s Department is the only place where good things happen in this story, and so you don’t have to worry—as you sport your t-shirt, hat, or tote bag—about becoming as DELUDED as Joe and Norma; you’ve got that Betty Schaefer energy going!
ALT You might find it strange that I posted a t-shirt with a CRITIC’S name on it, but Pauline was—and is—a special case. I don’t know anyone who’s any good—filmmaker or critic—who wasn’t influenced by her (even in opposition). I didn’t always agree with her, but that wasn’t the point. The POINT was you had to know what she thought, because she taught you how to look at and think about movies, and placed them in the context of works from other art forms. And the writing was PERSONAL; there was no pretext of objectivity, and that seemed honest to me (of course we all bring individuals biases to everything we look at, it can’t be avoided). She was allergic to pretension and loved trash if it was fun and had some style. Most importantly, unlike most critics, who are at their best/wittiest when they dislike something Pauline was at her absolute best when she LOVED something. She also benefited from good timing and rode a cultural moment that will never come again ...
ALT Our biggest seller. Why? No idea. But I know this: if you work on the set of a movie or a series or anything that involves Teamsters and you wear this hat/t-shirt/backpack, at SOME point, someone who drives a vehicle will come up and say NICE HAT or NICE T-SHIRT. Because this license plate has serious movie cred. However, in the spirit of cross-promotion and healthy dissent, read Pauline Kael’s review of this film from October 1971. Sample quote: THIS MOVIE IS LIKE AN AGGRAVATED CASE OF NEW YORK.
