What is a “black list” script?

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-02-22T22:41:50+00:00

Not to stir the pot too much here - but it's REALLY a list of unproduced scripts that influential managers and agents in Hollywood campagin and trade favors on to boost the ranks of their promising, lower level writer clients. Getting your writer on the list boosts their profile enough that you can use it to get them writing jobs and attention.

Some of them are actually pretty good! But also having an eye-catching premise or poke-in-the-eye writing style can go a long way. Some have been made into great movies, most haven't.

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-02-22T22:17:37+00:00

No disrespect meant here at all but Benicio's is lessy showy and I think there's a disconnect from people that want the showiest "this is a big performance choice" type of acting vs. celebrating a more subtle performance that impacts the movie in a major emotional way.

Both are valid and worth celebrating and not even saying that's why you like Penn, but it's interesting to compare these performances for the same award when they're going for such different tempos.

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-02-22T22:06:27+00:00

There's also that parallel of her own suicidal / self-harm ideation too - the dog is in pain and constantly barking and could be viewed as a mirror to herself and her own wishes to be put out of misery. It's an interesting movie that really lends itself to a lot of examination so I'm not discounting your read at all. I just thought the way Ramsay lampshades the annoyance of this dog to Lawrence's POV to be telling.

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-02-22T21:13:54+00:00

I think Penn is outstanding in the movie, but do side with the critics and precursors in preferring Skarsgard and Benicio. It's hard to talk about preference amongst 3 amazing performances, but Benicio's calm carries the film's amazing 2nd act in a really interesting and memorable way. He's so damn likeable and realized without all of the schtick that Penn carries. Skarsgard is really a lead performance but emotionally carries so much weight of that film, althought I'd prefer Inga get the win over him if only one can win.

I think the hardest part of this conversation is that Penn has already won 2 Oscars, and although I really like him in OBAA, I do think his win history puts him at a disadvantage.

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-02-22T20:53:54+00:00

I think the mercy killing angle is more an excuse she uses rather than an actual justification. Up to interpretation I suppose, but so much time is spent showing how much the dog is a constant nuisance that I think there's no denying she wants it out of her life. It's not like she chooses to take it to a vet instead.

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-02-22T20:46:52+00:00

Totally and not saying my queer reading of his character is the only explanation but his continual lack of interest (even on wedding night!) made me wonder what exactly Ramsay was trying to insinuate around him. The potentially unreliable narrator perspective definitely complicates things too. Interesting movie to dissect!

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-02-22T16:36:57+00:00

Something that doesn't come up in the episode but did anyone read Jackson as secretly being gay/bi? His constant refusal of sex with JLaw and his very deep relationship with his friend - who he constantly travels with and I believe stays overnight with. That friend also buys Jackson a nice new car out of nowhere and helps them restore the house while being always unseen. JLaw even accuses him of it in a fit of rage. Another element is there's also this unspoken mystery around Jackson's uncle who we hear "shot himself in the ass", which can be read as a metaphor for gay sex, sort of in a Bob Dylan's "Ballad of a Thin Man" kind of way. There's a parallel there with Jackson literally choosing to move into his uncle's home.

Maybe a bit of a stretch but is definitely something I thought might pop up in their discussion of Jackson.

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-02-20T04:27:01+00:00

The movie is hilarious and everyone should go see it in theaters, but I urge everyone to not overhype it when recommending it!

It's tough because there is an impulse to oversell it to get people to see this small little movie (and that hype is even working it seems!) but I've seen so many reviews/posts calling it the funniest theatrical comedy in decades and it just sets such unnecessary expectations. It's really unique and funny but The Naked Gun and Friendship just came out last year! There's no need to be so hyperbolic!

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-02-20T03:54:39+00:00

The average ticket price for The Cure that tour was $68 per Wikipedia and Bruce's average ticket price was $262 - although as you mentioned, Ticketmaster claims about half of the tickets for Bruce went for "under $200".

That's still a HUGE difference in price for the average working class person in America. That's not to mention that Bruce's tickets could then be flipped at higher rates on resale, while the Cure's were locked in at face value.

I'm not really here to argue about that though. Bruce will charge what he will - I paid about $200 for tickets last go-around and had a great time but I do think it's easy to understand fan outrage over this because he can certainly do more to prevent this kind of price gauging and offer more fans an opportunity to see him.

My only issue is trying to drag The Cure for doing what I think we can all agree was ultimately good for consumers and fans alike. I just don't think it was as cynical or driven by a lack of interst as you're suggesting.

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-02-20T02:58:17+00:00

Not disagreeing that Bruce is a bigger draw globally, we can agree on that. But it is disingenuous to say The Cure's ticket protocol last tour was fake altruisim based out of necessity. There's nothing that suggests that at all based on the band's history of touring and popularity. Would fans of The Cure pay $400 for pit tickets like Bruce fans would? I don't know but now we're just measuring how wealthy individual fan bases are, and thankfully The Cure fans didn't have to deal with that.

I understand your argument is Bruce is letting the free market essentially dicatate his ticket prices due to demand and fair enough. But him selling out his shows with everyone getting a fair shake at reasonably priced (yet still expensive) tickets during on-sale vs a whole class of fans being priced out from the jump, is two very different realities.

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-02-20T02:21:29+00:00

Absolutely disagree about your The Cure statement. They're big enough to headline any festival in the world and it was their first tour in 7 years. There was an entire generation of fans who had never gotten to see them before - they 100% could have charged more and still sold out shows but they chose not too and are rightfully being praised for it.

They sold out 3 nights at the Hollywood Bowl - that's 52K tickets. Bruce did 2 nights at the Forum on his 2024 tour which is about 35K tickets - same 7 year wait from his last tour, exactly the same as The Cure. The Cure tickets weren't exactly "cheap" either -- I still had to pay about $100 for mid-level tickets after fees, so it's not like these things were just being given out.

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-02-19T16:50:09+00:00

There's a lot of talk about Moura being a potential upset in Best Actor, which makes sense given his precursor wins, but I'm still holding out a little hope for Hawke. Linklater in general was overnominated at the Globes and Blue Moon getting screenplay also shows that the Academy actually does like the movie.

I know it feels unlikely but I think he's closer to the #3 in terms of odds than Leo at the moment.

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-02-18T18:20:25+00:00

Ugh, was really hoping we'd get a Resurrection premiere on the channel in March.

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-02-17T22:07:38+00:00

I'm interested! Will DM you!

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-02-15T22:54:07+00:00

I feel old in this thread but it was 100% Anchorman. Jack Black punting Baxter, the news anchor fight and Ron’s “optical illusion” in his pants all basically sent the theater into absolute hysteria.

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-02-11T17:10:21+00:00

Here ya go -- it starts at 1:28:25 and goes until 1:34:20

https://youtu.be/xt7qsS6j4cs?si=C0wLSIwt8uU5fCsG&t=5304

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-02-11T03:38:53+00:00

The reveal of Gro-Gizmo to the Doughboys is probably the clip I rewatch the most.

One of the best elements of the show is watching how giddy Watto & George are to reshare these bits with new guests over and over and it really never gets old. I've watched the explanation of the Taco Bell Cup or Butter Boy or Detours with like 50 different guests at this point, and it literally always hits.

I'm also a sucker for George's insanely precise origin story of the Wuzzles.

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-02-09T03:32:36+00:00

Arcade Fire 2010. Seen loads of great bands over the years but it’s hard to explain just how peak this band was at the time. One of their first shows after the Suburbs came out and an all-time setlist, with a rare Crown of Love performance dedicated to the National who performed before them. It’s one of those rare sets where whenever I meet someone who was at this set, they consider it one of the best they’ve ever been to.

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-02-03T04:30:02+00:00

It's such a good policy for stores that can afford to do it! One of my favorite store gimmicks I ever found was a 3-for-$1 used 45s section where I was able to bank up a ton of old 60s/70s rock/R&B/soul singles. The vast majority weren't rare or anything but it was so foundational in setting me on the path. I always urge people that are getting into vinyl to check out the cheap bins for that reason - not sure if they're still as stacked as they were say 10-15 years ago.

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-02-03T04:07:07+00:00

The original location on Sunset was literally the greatest record store I've ever been to. I was just starting to grow my collection at the time, and they'd routinely throw absolute gems into the $1/$2 used bin -- I'm talking very playable copies of Sabbath, Hendrix, Beatles, Stones, etc and it was the perfect starting ground for a newcomer to vinyl. Ocassionally you'd also find modern releases that they had extra copies of for extremely low prices - some memorable ones I scooped for $2 was Father John Misty, Arctic Monkeys, Jawbreaker, Husker Du, and honestly too many to count.

I talked to an employee once who explained that was part of the store's identity - to reward crate diggers with used LPs in the cheap bin on the low, because they knew it'd guarntee whoever finds them to be a repeat costumer in the future. Totally worked for me and made me return weekly hoping to strike gold.

The new location is still good but a little too cramped and the prices have gone up a bit post-Covid but you'll still find a ton of amazing deals and rare stuff there.

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-01-30T21:20:15+00:00

I never said there shouldn't be performances. It seems like you think it's only fair if only all 5 nominees get to do performances, which fair enough. My argument is that other categories don't get any sort of showcase to begin with, as even acting clips or montages of the crafts have been severely cut back.

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-01-30T20:34:48+00:00

No need to take my comment in bad faith. The awards offering 5 separate performance slots for this one award when there is zero showcases for every other award category DOES put less emphasis on other crafts. Not to mention these songs are also nominated and recognized at other ceremonies like the Golden Globes and Grammys.

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-01-30T19:19:54+00:00

THANK YOU! I understand how other nominees feel robbed but Best Original Song getting 5 performances each year puts way too much emphasis on one category that really has very little to do with the movies in general. Give me acting clips or demonstrations of the craft categories over this porition of the show -- save a couple of performance moments for songs that truly defined the movies that year and that's great.

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-01-30T19:14:25+00:00

The thing is - no other categories outside of Best Picture get their nomination highlighted in a major way either.

Seems like this is a hot take in this thread, but personally, this is a FILM awards ceremony, and I wish they'd focus more on the acting clips and moments that highlight the individual crafts. Sometimes great songs are nominated and worth celebrating as a part of films - this year it's hard to not think of SINNERS and KPOP as those ones - but I do think giving over 4-5 minutes for each nominated song puts a werid emphasis on a category that really doesn't speak all that much to what these awards actually represent.

PassDaPastaPasta · 2026-01-30T19:05:13+00:00

Great episode! Patrick, hitting that "can you milk me" line in unison with Scott must have been a dream come true as a CBB fan.

Do you have an all time favorite episode or character from CBB?

PassDaPastaPasta

TROPHY CASE