Good Night and Good Luck

A brief mention of the filming process by David Strathairn

From USA Today

Q:George Clooney directed you in Good Night, and Good Luck. What did you learn from him?

A: If I were ever to direct a film, I'd go back to remembering what he did. I'm still amazed at how smooth and well-prepared he was. He knew what he wanted, and he knew how to get it with a kind of grace that people might not have known he possessed. He's smart and charming and has a lot of influence. I'd take a page or 10 out of his book.

really nice words
a genuine admiration

grace
was the word that got me

but wot does it mean 'I'd take a page or 10 out of his book.' ??

It's me, he means that, if he could borrow that way of charming people/mastering the technique, he would, or steal the way it was done!

Think that's what has always made an impression on me how his co-workers always compliment his consideration and respect, then there is the flip side the prankster, either way he sounds like fun.

lucy wrote:Think that's what has always made an impression on me how his co-workers always compliment his consideration and respect, then there is the flip side the prankster, either way he sounds like fun.

Oh yes, Lucy, he sounds like loads of fun. I've always been impressed with his charm and grace - especially how he will give his whole attention to whoever is speaking to him, be it a friend, collegue or fan. He is, to me, one of those people I would love to have as a friend.

friend?

it's me wrote:friend?

Yeah, FRIEND. Haven't you heard of friends with benefits? I think to be his real friend, not just playmate, would be really awsome. To be his friend and have interesting conversations, listen to his stories, laugh at his jokes, even cook with him, would really be a fantastic way to spend my life.

thanks to fluffY!


anyway no
friends is not enough
sory

it's me wrote:thanks to fluffY!


anyway no
friends is not enough
sory

You noticed, I did mention friends with benefits. A playmate (i.e. Betty) gets bed time, but not much conversation or his mind's workings. I want the whole package, which I feel would start with the friendship and continue onto the benefits.

Ahhhh... the whole package! -I'm not a friend with benefits, been there, done that. It's not as great as you think. You never allow the “friend” into your thought processes or your inner sanctum. They are just what they are “friend with benefits”. To ease the stress in times of need. But, the “friend” ends up a stressor instead of reliever! Not my cup of tea!

neither mine

Yeah, I think Betty would better be described as a friend with benefits. There didn't seem to be any meaningful relationship between them which is what FwB is: someone you hang with sometimes, or not at all and sleep with. Maybe they stay the night or maybe you kick them out after shagging but it's not a problem for either of you.

True friends - the ones you share your time, thoughts and real self with - you can't have sex with. If you do, it's called a relationship.

Katiedot wrote:Yeah, I think Betty would better be described as a friend with benefits. There didn't seem to be any meaningful relationship between them which is what FwB is: someone you hang with sometimes, or not at all and sleep with. Maybe they stay the night or maybe you kick them out after shagging but it's not a problem for either of you.

True friends - the ones you share your time, thoughts and real self with - you can't have sex with. If you do, it's called a relationship.

Yes, it is called a relationship (that's the whole package concept). It can be done. My late husband was my best friend and confidant long before he became my lover and then husband. He was a kind, gentle man with whom I could share anything.

Maybe that is why I relate to George. He seems to have those same traits (at least it seems so to me). He even smiles with his whole being.

Your late husband sounds like he was a wonderful man. I'm sorry for your loss.

My ex is the extreme opposite of him and George. I think that's why I relate to George so much for his kindness.

@pattygirl Very sorry for your loss! Couldn't imagine losing my best friend and confidant! (if I had one)
Again, very sorry for your loss!

Thanks, girls. Didn't mean to sound a downer. Must have been caused by my extreme hunger and thirst. Had to go w/o food or drink since yesterday for a procedure today at 3pm. Better now, procedure over, had food and drink. All is well in my world again.

George's presence in my "fantasy world" eases things somewhat. I'm not nuts, honest.

pattygirl wrote:Thanks, girls. Didn't mean to sound a downer. Must have been caused by my extreme hunger and thirst. Had to go w/o food or drink since yesterday for a procedure today at 3pm. Better now, procedure over, had food and drink. All is well in my world again.

George's presence in my "fantasy world" eases things somewhat. I'm not nuts, honest.

Pattygirl, sorry for your loss. He sounded like a real sweetheart!! Hope your procedure went well and you get good results!!!

Now, for the "nuts" part! I think that George brings out the "nuts" in all of us - in a good way!!!!!

Thanks, Mel. Getting used to not having him around. Used to being alone. Really the first time I've ever been alone for any length of time in my whole life. It has it rewards - enjoy my silent times, and spending computer time whenever.

Well, we're glad you found us!!! We're not the same as having him beside you, but there's still love here and support! And lots of laughs, at George's expense!!! Oh well, he can afford us! Luv to you!

Pattygirl, I am really sorry for your loss.

me 2 baby


yes, here too George's presence in that "fantasy world" eases things sometimes

and I'm FULLY nuts
honest

Thank you all for your thoughts and love. We are all a bit "nuts" I think but it's better than being sad and depressed. Gee keeps us going, I think. Love you all and yes, I am so glad I found all of you. Never used a site for conversation before. This one is fun and as far as I'm concerned - No Harm, No Foul.

Patty, I could very easily fall into a depression with the economy as it is, but I ALWAYS get some laughs when I talk with you ladies.

Thanks everyone for being here.

thanks to you !

You're welcome it's me. Of course a little Clooney daydreaming helps too. I can talk to you ladies about him but can't to my family and friends. They all look at me and roll their eyes. What do they know? LOL

nothing, I guess...

It's a shame "outsiders" just don't understand us. We just wanna have some fun. As Cyndi Lauper says " Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"

Yes patty, they're all cretons. We're the only "normal people."

cindigirl wrote:Yes patty, they're all cretons. We're the only "normal people."

Normal is boring. Hate being boring.

Things go bad in our lives but being here helps me. We may be nuts but I like nuts.

Well said Blueb! To Patty, as with the others, so sad for your loss, but we are here for all of us, at any time of day with all our time zones, so you'll never be alone.

As to the divine Gee, yeah we're all nuts, loopy, looneytunes! You're my release, everyone thinks I should grow up!!!! Don't want to! want to stay "young" and not get old(er)!! Yeah for George he does it for me!!

A question that sometimes drives me hazy: Am I or are the others crazy? ~ Albert Einstein

If following George makes us crazy, well then put me in a Clooney-bin!

Haha Cinderella I suspect a little bit of both. See, we're not the only ones who are crazy.

Hey, Cinderella, save me a room in that Clooney-bin. Maybe George could be the Dr. He has a nice bedside manner. Just don't want him to "save" us. We all seem to like our state of mind.

Don't know about Dr. George's "bedside manner," but I thought we were out to "save" him?

I am sorry for your loss, Patty Yes, a good man is hard to find (and keep)

Thanks, MM. Yes, good men do seem to be hard to find and keep. I don't think I'll be looking for another. It wouldn't be fair or right. Each man I'd meet would be put under a microscope and somehow found wanting, so it's best I don't look.

Except George, right LOL

My condolences to Joe Wershba’s family and friends! It looks like George held him in high esteem! Sorry for your loss too, George!

He risked everything and our world is better off because of him.

an hero
IMO

George thought very highly of JW. They worked very closely together on GNAGL. George also lost another old friend this morning. Dolores Hope, Bob Hope's widow passed away this morning. He often reminised about the wonderful times he had while staying at Aunt Rosemary's house. They say, unfortunately, these things always happen in threes. Who next?

You know, patty, I was thinking the same thing. Great minds think alike. LOL I know BAD things come in three's. Good things, maybe once. That's how it happens to me anyways.

Always seems that way, doesn't it? Always hope that it doesn't happen (that 3rd thing, whatever it is), but it does seem to anyway.

This article is dated today. Sorry, don't have time to research Los Angeles Times for original article.

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George Clooney: 'Good Night, And Good Luck' Came Out Of Anger
Posted: 01/23/2012 7:56 am

Ten years into his career behind the camera, George Clooney still thinks of himself as a novice director. The truth, however, is that he will likely earn his second Oscar nomination for Best Director on Tuesday, for his film "The Ides of March," and with four feature films under his belt, he's learned a thing or two about the craft.

As he told the Los Angeles Times over the weekend, two of those important lessons include not mixing business with pleasure and creating stories about what you know.

While he's got a rolodex of A-list friends, he's learned to avoid casting people based on personal relationships.

"The first thing you learn and I think it's a fair thing to say is it's almost always a mistake to hire a friend in a part, because almost inevitably you've sort of changed your judgment to say, 'Well, they could do this,' and sort of worked them into something that they're not right for," he said. "And you'll end up probably cutting them out, which is going to give you another terrible conversation you're going to have later."

His "Ides of March" stars Ryan Gosling, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti, Evan Rachel Wood and Marisa Tomei, amongst others, but, as in the rest of his films, there are no appearances by his most famous friends, Matt Damon and Brad Pitt.

Discussing "Good Night, and Good Luck," his 2005 film about newscaster Edward R. Murrow and his famous stand against Joseph McCarthy, Clooney revealed that the film was more than an historical document; while it told the story about an event that took place half a century prior, it was also an allegory for his own struggles at the time.

"'Good Night, and Good Luck' I wrote because I was mad because I was being called a traitor to my country because I said we should ask questions before we send people to war, and I found a way to express that in film," Clooney told the paper during its directors' roundtable.

Clooney, around the time the film was made, was a vocal critic of the War in Iraq, speaking out against the invasion before there were boots on the ground. He told Charlie Rose that he felt President Bush ran the government like the crime family in "The Sopranos," and that the approach to alleged problems in Iraq was haphazard.

"Are we going to try and talk [to Saddam Hussein] without jumping in and killing people first?" he asked the host rhetorically. "I don't believe we're going to wait until the last resort to do it. That's what bothers me."

Around the time's release, Clooney told PBS Newshour, "I was looking to open a debate, to have a discussion, to be able to talk about issues that I think are important. It's simply saying, as Murrow says in the film, we have to find a way to find a safe place between the protection of the individual and the protection of the state at the same time.

Still, one expert director told the LAT that he didn't mind casting a friend in one of his most acclaimed movies; in fact, he insisted on it.

"In 'Goodfellas,' the whole sequence with Joe Pesci doing his routine about 'Do you think I'm funny? You think I'm a clown?' was something that he did for me at lunch," Martin Scorsese remembered. "He said, 'I don't want to be in the film.' I said, 'Come on, you got to do this!' [He said] 'I'll be in the film if I do this one bit that happened to me,' he said. And he went up to my apartment and he acted it out and I said, 'You got it.'"

For more from Clooney and Scorsese, as well as intimate thoughts from Alexander Payne and "The Artist" director Michel Hazanavicius, click over to the LA Times.

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Ed Murrow V Senator McCarthy

Actual footage from the TV programme

Excerpts from George's film about Ed Murrow v Senator McCarthy

Good Night & Good Luck

This is the movie that introduced me to George Clooney. I thought it was brilliant and still think it is one of the best political films ever.

I love it too bluebells and got a real buzz the first time I saw it.
I thought how wonderful it would have been to have been on
Ed Murrow's team at that time.

It's also the film that converted my husband to Clooney films !