Alex Pareene
Alex Pareene

'The Newsroom' is phenomenally bad good TV. Sam Waterston and Jeff Daniels and Emily Mortimer are all terrific! So is the production, and the direction, and even the editing!

David Brock
David Brock

When you imagine the Koch brothers, it's hard not to think of the 1983 film 'Trading Places,' which featured as its villains a pair of brothers, commodity brokers named Randolph and Mortimer Duke.

Saul David
Saul David

Historians turning their hands to fiction are all the rage. Since Alison Weir led the way in 2006, an ever-growing number of established non-fiction writers - Giles Milton, Simon Sebag Montefiore, Harry Sidebottom, Patrick Bishop, Ian Mortimer and myself included - have written historical novels.

For a Few Dollars More
For a Few Dollars More

[Mortimer has just recovered the watch from Indio, which contains a picture of the woman that Indio raped]
Monco: [peers at the picture] There seems to be a family resemblance.
[He hands Mortimer the similar watch with the same picture he had taken earlier]
Monco: Here.
Col. Douglas Mortimer: [pause, then] Naturally,

between brother and sister.

For a Few Dollars More
For a Few Dollars More

Monco: [to Mortimer, referring to the watch he took from Mortimer without his knowing] Very careless of you, old man.

For a Few Dollars More
For a Few Dollars More

[after Mortimer opens safe, Indio declares a cooling off time for the loot]
El Indio: [to Mortimer] And you will wait a month to get your share.
Col. Douglas Mortimer: Naturally! I'll be in the tavern.

For a Few Dollars More
For a Few Dollars More

Tucumcari sheriff: [counting the money being given to Mortimer for Guy Calloway's bounty] Seven, eight, nine... there, 1,000 bucks.
Col. Douglas Mortimer: [looks at a wanted poster of 'Red' Cavanagh] What do you know about Cavanagh?
Tucumcari sheriff: About a week ago, he was seen in White Rocks.
Col. Douglas

Mortimer: Thanks.
Tucumcari sheriff: If it's any interest to you, somebody else dropped in earlier this morning to see me about him.
Col. Douglas Mortimer: Who?
Tucumcari sheriff: I'd never seen him before. He said his name is 'Manco'.

Trading Places
Trading Places

Official #1: Margin call, gentlemen.
Mortimer Duke: You can't seriously expect us to...
President of Exchange: You KNOW the rules of the Exchange, Mr. Duke! All accounts are to be settled at the end of the day's trading, WITHOUT exceptions.
Randolph Duke: You know perfectly WELL we don't have three hundred and

ninety-four million dollars in CASH!
Official #2: I'm sorry, boys. Put the--Dukes's seats on the Exchange up for sale at once, and seize all holdings of Duke & Duke Commodities Brokers as well as all personal holdings of Randolph and Mortimer Duke.
Randolph Duke: My God. We're RUINED.
[clutches his chest]
Mortimer Duke:

This is an outrage! I DEMAND an investigation! YOU can't sell our seats! A Duke has been SITTING on this Exchange since it was FOUNDED! We FOUNDED this Exchange! It's OURS! It belongs to US!
Randolph Duke: My God...
[collapses in shock]
Official #2: Mortimer, your brother's not well! We'd better call an ambulance!
Mortimer

Duke: FUCK *him!* Now you listen to me. I want trading reopened *right now.* Get those brokers back in here! Turn those machines back on!
[shouting, in a pathetic echo throughout the Exchange trading floor and hall]
Mortimer Duke: TURN THOSE MACHINES BACK ON!