# "Forget It, Jake; It's Chinatown" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 17, 2003, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forget-it-jake-its-chinatown/208003 "2003-10-17T14:01:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 11:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forget-it-jake-its-chinatown/208003/61 "2003-10-21T11:26:32Z")
**AskNott** , I think it’s politicians instead of bankers. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forget-it-jake-its-chinatown/208003/62 "2003-10-21T13:12:58Z")
I don’t think my comment was irrelevant. _The Ninth Gate_ was not the worst movie I’ve ever seen, I’ve seen much worse, but it _was_ a movie that showed contempt for the viewing audience and the attempt to “get away” with as much as possible with a shabby effort. For instance, extremely sparse sets, a pretentious attempt to achieve “atmosphere”, in reality, a brainless cost-cutting device. What’s more, the attempts to be creepy and significant are things I see as likely to be repeated in other movies, as they are the sort of things viewers are likely to praise if they are pulled off right. However, it is likely that I would see these things as more of the same. Therefore, I don’t wish to view his other movies. My comment was also an attempt to state that a person’s morals is not as important as ability in moviemaking. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forget-it-jake-its-chinatown/208003/63 "2003-10-21T14:25:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Ludovic \* > \*\*. . . _The Ninth Gate_ was . . . a movie that showed contempt for the viewing audience and the attempt to “get away” with as much as possible with a shabby effort. . . . \*\* So I take it you boycott Stephen Spielberg too? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forget-it-jake-its-chinatown/208003/64 "2003-10-21T14:46:21Z")
I’m not that big a fan of his work, no. I liked AI, but I had to weigh Spielberg versus Kubrick in deciding to see it. The ending was pure Spielberg. I have not seen all of Spielberg’s films, for the same reason I have not seen more than 1 or 2 of Polanski’s: because the bad taste in my mouth I get from the bad ones make me not want to go to the effort to view the supposedly good ones. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forget-it-jake-its-chinatown/208003/65 "2003-10-21T15:06:52Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by lissener \* > **Ilsa, I think Cliffy is suggesting that Chinatown was shut down until John Huston decided to work with Polansky. If so, I’ve never heard that story and would appreciate a cite.** Nope. **Ilsa** guessed right; I mistyped “Huston” for Hawks. The story goes that while “The Big Sleep” was being filmed Hawks realized he didn’t know who killed Owen Taylor, the chauffeur who was IIRC secretly in love with Carmen Sternwood. None of the screenwriters could figure it out either so Hawks telegraphed Chandler, who didn’t remember. Hawks went ahead with the film anyway. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![Wumpus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8c91f0/32.png) [@Wumpus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wumpus)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2003, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forget-it-jake-its-chinatown/208003/66 "2003-10-21T16:36:29Z")
Bah, speaking of typos: I confused Mulwray with Noah Cross in all of my posts. \ Mulwray! \ Cross! \ Mulwray! ---
**Author:** ![Ilsa\_Lund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a6a055/32.png) [@Ilsa\_Lund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ilsa_Lund)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2003, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forget-it-jake-its-chinatown/208003/67 "2003-10-22T22:03:44Z")
> [@](#): > > A departure from Polanski’s typical style, this is primarily a Robert Towne film. Kinda gives new meaning to the kid stays in the picture, which Towne definitely does in this neo-noir. I just now realized that I screwed this up. A Robert EVANS picture. The Kid Stays in the Picture, etc. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/forget-it-jake-its-chinatown/208003.md?page=3)