Movie: Inherent Vice

[John Bailey]

My reading of the Golden Fang in the film (not the novel, which is
more complex):

It's a vertically-integrated operation supported (maybe run) by the
CIA involving heroin importation and distribution. It includes the
Chryskylodon Institute for getting people clean (but still part of the
system), employs hired muscle in the form of biker gangs, turns people
like Coy into political plants. The yacht by the same name is just a
vehicle for smuggling drugs and occasionally people. A lot of
individuals such as Blatnoyd don't know their part in the system, or
even that it's a system.

In the film it's as simple as that, which is why I think it's PTA's
simplified interpretation. The Golden Fang doesn't have any more
cosmic resonances or metaphysical/supernatural connotations. The film
has no vampiric Fu Manchu vision, no Lemuria, little magic. Which is
why it's less P-ish to me.

And the LAPD are mere mortal Joes made brutish by their position of
power. Bigfoot is a sympathetic buffoon as much as an oppressor, and
if their roles were reversed he and Doc might be no different.

On Tue, May 26, 2015 at 10:15 AM, Dave Monroe
<against.the.dave at gmail.com> wrote:
> Only people more Catholic than the Italians + the Mexicans.
>
> On Mon, May 25, 2015 at 7:12 PM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Double Bad!
>>
>>
>> On Monday, May 25, 2015, Dave Monroe <against.the.dave at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Born Irish, raised Polish.
>>>
>>> On Mon, May 25, 2015 at 7:01 PM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> > It's good to have protagonists. I'm very Irish, true to my
>>> > bombastic/combative nature, loving debate as if it were a surgical video
>>> > battle, so please pardon my ire. Cherish your someones.
>>> >
>>> > David Morris
>>> >
>>> > On Monday, May 25, 2015, Dave Monroe <against.the.dave at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> >>
>>> >> Not me.  This is somoen who took my preference for ELO to Steely Dan
>>> >> (despite her being a big pop music fan, + my admitting that  SD is the
>>> >> "better" band, I just enjoy my major-chord pop record, is all--was
>>> >> called "an emotional terrorist," cut off for another couple of weeks.
>>> >> For example).  But she just moved back to town (her husband works from
>>> >> home, can live pretty much anywhere), going w/ her + the kids to
>>> >> http://county.milwaukee.gov/MitchellParkConserva10116.htm tomorrow.
>>> >>
>>> >> Here's my (un)god kids, by the way (parents ex-Catholic atheists):
>>> >>
>>> >> Star Wars "Machete Order" reviewed by 6 & 8-year-old boys.
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> http://www.lifebeforethedinosaurs.com
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >>
>>> >> https://about.flipboard.com/inside-flipboard/on-the-red-couch-art-capps-of-life-before-the-dinosaurs/
>>> >>
>>> >> On Mon, May 25, 2015 at 6:41 PM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com>
>>> >> wrote:
>>> >> > Dave, you and she take your fiction WAY too seriously.
>>> >> >
>>> >> > David Morris
>>> >> >
>>> >> >
>>> >> > On Monday, May 25, 2015, Dave Monroe <against.the.dave at gmail.com>
>>> >> > wrote:
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> I actually recommended to a friend that she see the movie 1st, as it
>>> >> >> streamlines the plot(s)/theme(s) well (enough).  So she of course
>>> >> >> read
>>> >> >> the book 1st, + immediately started arguing w/ me four sentences in
>>> >> >> (so, again, if anyone has definitive proof of the existence of a
>>> >> >> Conutry Joe & The Fish  t-shirt [as eventually seen in the movie,
>>> >> >> albeit more of a gig poster printed on a shirt, w/ Iron Butterfly et
>>> >> >> al. ...]).  I ultimately noted that, well, everybody can make a
>>> >> >> mistake (which Pynchon does in IV, calling Lew Alcindor Kareem Abdul
>>> >> >> Jabbar a season too early), but made the fatal faux pas of sending
>>> >> >> along a site enumerating the mathematical mistakes in Infinite Jest
>>> >> >> (her Big Novel of choice, that + The Man without Qualities [q.v.]).
>>> >> >> Took it as a personal attack (which apparently going after my
>>> >> >> favorite
>>> >> >> author wasn't ... but I'm obviously used to bickering about Pynchon,
>>> >> >> so ...).  Shoulda gone w/ Wm. S's shores o' Bohemia ...
>>> >> >>
>>> >> >> On Mon, May 25, 2015 at 6:01 PM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com>
>>> >> >> wrote:
>>> >> >> > Yes. The "makes sense" aspect does make it *less* Pynchonian. But
>>> >> >> > that's
>>> >> >> > OK.
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> >
>>> >> >> > On Monday, May 25, 2015, John Bailey <sundayjb at gmail.com> wrote:
>>> >> >> >>
>>> >> >> >> The movie is a neater, more streamlined version of the book. Made
>>> >> >> >> total sense to me, ie there were no loose ends or cryptic
>>> >> >> >> signifiers
>>> >> >> >> that left me scratching my head. Seriously don't get the
>>> >> >> >> reviewers
>>> >> >> >> who
>>> >> >> >> said 'not getting it is the point!'
>>> >> >> >>
>>> >> >> >> Then again, all of this kind of makes it *less* Pynchonian, but
>>> >> >> >> still
>>> >> >> >> kinda more enjoyable than the book itself imho.
>>> >> >> >>
>>> >> >> >> On Tue, May 26, 2015 at 8:05 AM, Dave Monroe
>>> >> >> >> <against.the.dave at gmail.com>
>>> >> >> >> wrote:
>>> >> >> >> >
>>> >> >> >> >
>>> >> >> >> >
>>> >> >> >> >
>>> >> >> >> > http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/inherent-vice-from-page-to-screen-the-6-biggest-changes-from-the-book-20141215
>>> >> >> >> >
>>> >> >> >> >
>>> >> >> >> >
>>> >> >> >> >
>>> >> >> >> >
>>> >> >> >> > http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/12/19/inherent_vice_book_vs_movie_how_pynchon_s_novel_paul_thomas_anderson_s_movie.html
>>> >> >> >> >
>>> >> >> >> > On Mon, May 25, 2015 at 4:49 PM, David Morris
>>> >> >> >> > <fqmorris at gmail.com>
>>> >> >> >> > wrote:
>>> >> >> >> >> I just now saw IV movie on DVD.  I liked it a lot. Might the
>>> >> >> >> >> movie
>>> >> >> >> >> be
>>> >> >> >> >> better
>>> >> >> >> >> than the book?  Is there a source that judges how close the
>>> >> >> >> >> movie
>>> >> >> >> >> and
>>> >> >> >> >> book
>>> >> >> >> >> compare? Still, it felt a lot like Pynchon to me.
>>> >> >> >> >>
>>> >> >> >> >> David Morris
>>> >> >> >> >>
>>> >> >> >> > -
>>> >> >> >> > Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l
-
Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l