April 29, 2024
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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon
Get those 2006 lists ready…
Look, I don’t care if Rob Schneider wins Best Actor for “Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo.” All I ask is that CERTAIN COLUMNISTS who inist on writing about the Oscars for what feels like six freakin’ months before the event don’t turn around a week prior to the Oscarcast and write, “Gee, you know, I’m kinda bored with the Oscars….” Because if they do… Hey, L&DB: You got any of those shenanigans lying around?
the 2006 list is done:
Ron Howard’s new film will be this year’s Titanic and be nom-ed for everything and then win. (And Joe Louis aint even a player.)
Then I will have to kill myself because it will reinforce that ‘no justice in the world’ feeling, after Ron Howard says ‘i am the Champ of the world. TKO!’ on the telecast. Russell Crowe will give his blue collar boy NZ speech. Paul Giamatti will get his Sideways oscar (well..sompin good i guess). Renee will flinch and smirk her way through her ‘oh I am so shocked’ NOT speech.
Lota: Please, please, PLEASE tell me you’re joking about Joe Louis NOT being mentioned in “Cinderella Man.” For one thing, that’s just plain STOOPID. (Ever see the recent documentary “The Fight,” by any chance?) For another thing, can you possibly imagine how much that will enrage African-American critics and columnists (to say nothing of sportwriters of all colors)? I mean… Louis DID beat the guy, right?
I only hope that Cinderella Man is better than A Beautiful Mind.
Joe Louis is not in the cast list. Early moles said he aint in it, no one on screen. I don’t know what is in the final cut, but some Universal moles should spill it. If Joe Louis isn’t in it in a significant way then…ah I dunno.
The ‘somebody up there likes me’ thing has been done already too many times. If it were done as a human interest indie (which it isn’t, it;s a big picture) I’d have more hope. Therein lies the problem. When Billy Bob and Ben Affleck were involved I’d say it had promise as a drama (and defintely would improve Ben’s career options). But with Russell Crowe, Renee & Ron, oy.
I hope it isn’t another oscar-baiting tepid drama. Release in June, DVD in December. “When America was on its knees, he brought us to our feet.” That’s one of the taglines. Raging Bull, Unforgivable blackness, now that’s boxing and human interest.
The Joe Louis story from 1953 was not a spectacular movie. If Ron Howard wanted to do something along the lines of ‘engaging story’ he could have enjoindered these two men’s destinies by making a 2-for-one showing both men’s struggles. They fought at the same time and their paths crossed in more ways than one.
Another big budget blowhard drama= a missed opportunity for story-driven and minimal scenery chewing.
Lota, you’re kidding about Ben Affeck, right? I have to think so.
Early word on Cinderella Man has been very good, at screenings both here in the States and in the UK. I have friends who saw it in the UK and they say it is excellent and Paul Giamatti is assured of a nomination next year. They say Russell Crowe is also wonderful and could easily get another nomination. One friend is not a big Renee fan but says she is fine; however, she was most impressed by the chemistry of the relationship between Paul G and Russell C. and said they worked wonderfully well together. The film was more about empathy than emotion, it’s not manipulative in trying to elicit sympathy.
I believe the story ends after Braddock defeats Max Baer so there wouldn’t be a Joe Louis fight. Anyway, I understand the story is more about a man’s struggle to take care of his family during the Depression than it is boxing but my friend said she actually felt it was the most exciting, involving boxing she’d ever seen in a film (this was before MDB).
Yeah, I’m fatigued but for next year I’m hoping that there will be two or three frontrunners in each major category to make it exciting. Best actor, for example. Two years ago it was much more interesting when Penn and Murray split the critics’ votes and awards. This season, blah. Jamie Foxx was the frontrunner for what seemed like a year and it was so boring.
So now Howard will have two Oscars? Oh dear…
What’s the word on ‘Kingdom of Heaven’? Is it on par with ‘Gladiator’?(I enjoy it…it’s no Ben-Hur or Lawrence of Arabia mind you). Relevant at all? Or just a mild early summer distraction.
Could it be that another fair-to-good craftsman/actor-director who by all acounts is an absolutely wonderful human being (Ron Howard) will join the exclusive Two-or-More-Best-Director-Awards club next year when people like Altman, Scorsese, Bergman, Leigh, Zhang, Cronenberg, Lynch etc. still don’t have one? What a depressing thought. Are there any great film ARTISTS out there with a film due this year? Not that I’m going to judge a film before it’s out, but I think I’d rather have Peter Jackson win another one than Howard. Hey Joe! Has a remake ever won, or been nominated for any major Oscars?
Hey Jon. Welcome back. I think not, in terms of remakes getting Oscar’s attention. By my account, the four best remakes, off hand, are “Intermezzo”,” Man Who Knew Too Much”, “Nosferatu”, and “The Fly”, and none of them made it into any major catagory. You would have thought Ingrid Bergman for “Intermezzo”, Hitchcock for “Man Who Knew”, and Goldblum for “The Fly”, but nope! Am I missing anything?
Wait! Just as I was about to hit “Post”… DeNiro and Lewis for Actor and Supporting Actress for “Cape Fear”. Guess that counts for something…. Even though, ironically, I’d say those were undeserved nominations. Sigh.
I like Ron Howard’s Coccoon, Splash and Night Shift was even pretty alright. DOn’t like his dramas at all. And in my post-oscar recovery period I do feel sad for Marty in that Ron Howard is looking at his next oscar, I’ll bet money on it. It has the ‘right formula’.
Cindy, a Friend of Production couldn’t have written that better. Test audiences? But it actually makes me think thus it will be another Beautiful Mind (same writer/director/actor) which is not encouraging (sorry for fans of the movie but I didn’t like it or Russell Crowe in it. Russell was great in Insider and Romper STomper.).
Yeah I know the Max Baer fight is the end all–view the original fight and one would see why it raises a big question mark of why do this movie this way.
I also know it is focusing on a depression-put-food-on-the-table tale which begs the question WHY a big budget (Zellweger Originally was to be paid >21 million for CM and sequel to BJD from Miramax/Universal) with STARZ unless it is an oscar grab? Braddock was a very minor fighter in history if you anything about boxing history. Millions of men had to go to great lengths to feed their families in the depression. That’s a low budget story Russell Crowe (who slags off stars for doing Ads) should have been willing to do for Indie SAG rate. But of course he didn’t, so he could afford to yell at other STARZ for doing commercials.
I just don’t have high hopes, and I will be very apologetic if the movie turns out to be a very good inappropriately high budgeted movie. I promise I will discuss it nevermore.
There’s always Miami Vice.
forgot–
joe leyton– The Fight was excellent, very well done. Two good sports/dramatic/docu for 2004, The Fight and Unforgetable Blackness by the wonderful Ken Burns who should have won an oscar several times already.
Lota, LOL, not sure what you meant by ‘Friend of Production’ but I am in no way connected with the film, nor are my friends in the UK. We’re just huge movie fans amd Russell Crowe fans. I believe the test screening in the UK was in the middle of December.
I do know this film has been kicking around for years and Crowe had wanted to do it as far back as ’97. It had the Thornton/Affleck duo for awhile, but never really got off the ground then. It was all set to start filming in ’02 with Russell Crowe and with Lasse Hallstrom directing, but it was delayed so Crowe could film Master & Commander with Peter Weir that summer. Ron Howard may not be a Scorsese or Altman, but for this film I’ll be much happier seeing Ron Howard direct than Lasse Hallstrom. Sorry, I’m not going for the Oscar bait theory, I don’t believe either Crowe or Howard work that way. By your definition any movie made with “STARZ” is Oscar bait? Don’t believe it.
Unfortunately there are too many talented actors and directors who have never gotten Oscars. It certainly doesn’t seem right to me that Martin Scorsese has none, Ridley Scott has none, that Cate Blanchett didn’t have one until the other night, that Annette Bening doesn’t have one, but Hilary Swank has two. Personally, I would have preferred Kate Winslet to win for ESOTSM.
Jon S.: Unless you want to count the animated “Beauty and the Beast” as a remake of Cocteau’s classic, or “Cabaret” as a remake of “I am a Camera” — or, as some critics claimed, “Fatal Attraction” as a remake of “Play Misty for Me” — I don’t think there’s been a remake ever nominated for Best Picture.
Damn, wait! What am I thinking? “Heaven Can Wait” is a remake of “Here Comes Mr. Jordan,” right?
I find it odd that everyone seems to think that Cinderella Man is already going to win BP next year. Umm… didn’t we just have a boxing drama win Best Picture, Director, Actress and Supporting Actress?
…or did I just imagine that?
I think The Producers is gonna be a formidable force next year, Spielberg’s Olympics Movie, Mallick’s Pocohantus movie, Kingdom of Heaven (Ridley Scott meet your Oscar) and Memoirs of a Geisher. And while you’re add it, you might be able to chalk Uma Thurman up for a nomination for Prime (POSSIBLY A DOUBLE with lead/Prime, supporting/Producers) as well as Meryl Streep (for Prime). But I’m not gonna get into it…
I’ve loved both versions (screen and stage) of THE PRODUCERS thus far, but the notion that the upcoming film is going to be a major contender at next year’s Oscars is one of the most absurd predictions I’ve ever heard. Yet so many industry insiders are forecasting it already that I’m beginning to think the film’s publicists are giving free rim jobs every time someone gives it a plug.
Yeah Camel, but next year the Boxing film wont be
a manipulative piece of …. featuring the most
EVIL STOOL TO EVER BE PLACED INCORRECTLY IN ANY
BOXING RING! Horrible trash of a film. When it
comes out on DVD. I will wipe my arse with it, then
put it down. Just because…
That aside Giamatti winning next year for this past
year already has a name. He would be the second winner
of the Kidman/Zellweger award for Astounding achievement
in acting the previous year not award to the following
year because the Academy are a bunch of assclowns.
Giamatti would be the first male recepient of the
Kidman/Zellweger Oscar, and the MC would say
“this is also the first time best supporting actor
has been given to a guy who played a cut man.”
And LAYDON, Poland has had an outstanding declaration
of Shenanigans out on him since he compared Jen Garner
to Gretchen Mol back in 2003. Of course it’s non-
binding due to his ability to make really good
arguments most of the time, but his last Oscar
column sort made no damn sense. He writes 20 weeks
of Oscars, than teethers out around week 19? Oy
to the vey.
I get the feeling L&DB doesn’t like M$B. Maybe it’s just me, though.
Fizzack the Oscars. David Poland acting like he didn’t care about it even though he does. As for Chris Rock, Hahahahhaha, he dissed those Hollywood fools. Yeah it was mean spirited but so what. Sean Penn what a prat. I dont even think he’s a good actor looked like he had a drink or 2 before he came on stage. David Poland must be a little stupid if he didn’t think Chris had a comeback for tight ass Penn. He said those 2 big azz bodyguards wanted to meet him back stage for a word, basically beat his ass.
Rock is now my favorite host alongside Letterman. Letterman was the best, tottaly undemining those self important clowns. I’m glad Chris Rock cant get off the “black thing” as Poland suggests, cause he is not about to sell out and start acting Hollywood, even though if he had done that Poland would have been moaning about that also.
Damn the Oscars suck. Thanks Chris for a great night, I just wish he had dissed some more people.
Also congrats Jamie Foxx. I think people are mad blacks won, they think we taking over their town or something. Wow, a lousy 4 oscars in the last couple of years and everyone is scared.
I think L&DB just likes writing the word “stool.” (Insert anal retentive joke here.) As for Oscar handicapping so far in advance: Remember that, this time last year, “Phantom of the Opera,” “Troy” and “Alexander” may have looked like major contenders, too
every movie crowe’s in seems to win the award
L&DB: You keep harping about the placement of the stool in the ring in MDB for some reason. It isn’t placed “incorrectly.” It’s where a corner man would normally put it. The other fighter takes a cheapshot swing at Hilary Swank after the bell. THAT’S when things go wrong. Watch any fight on HBO, Showtime, etc., and you’ll see that the stools are always placed in the ring immediately following the bell.
How they don’t catch the cheapshot is beyond me. That would never go down in a real fight. Especially a championship fight. She would be declared the winner. I hated the ending. It went from Rocky to Sophies Choice.
Yes Pritchett you have a point. Yet you missed the
scene (ominous music begins to play) where the stool
CLEARLY HAS THE MARK OF THE DEVIL ON IT! (Ominous
music starts kicking it GOBLIN style!) FEAR!!!
FOR THE STOOL OF PARAPLEGIA HAS ARRIVED, AND IT
WANTS TO GIVE YOU UNBELIEVABLE NECK INJURIES! WOO
HO HOO HO WOO! (end ominous music spotlight the
stool of paraplegia, and you hear it laughing)
Horrible, horrible, horrible, horrible, about 34
more horribles, and that’s million dollar FREAKIN
BABY!
Cinderella man wont score a nomination on 2006, not one.
Memoirs of a geisha will.
And I (being Mexican) want Salma Hayek to get a nomination for Ask the Dust, and she probably will.
Ron Howard is an overrated director. All of his movies are crowd pleaser. He works in a mechanic way. He seems to be going for the gold everytime. I´m sure its not a bad movie (It’s set to december, which means they are going for it). I’m sure its not a good movie, either(I have the same feeling I had when watching Troy’s trailer, and thats not good).
>>And I (being Mexican) want Salma Hayek to get a nomination for Ask the Dust<< Aw, Mex, tell the truth: You want Salma Hayek, period. (And who can blame you?)
well Mex, your words in God’s ear, but I think She has a short memory span, kinda like mere mortal academy members.
which is why, L&DB, yes another drama with a peripheral relationship to boxing will sweep. sweep I tell ya. The monotony of Imagine’s victory can only be possibly squelched by glowering of Colin Farrel & Terry Malick ‘gettin’ some’ for The New World. If Memoirs of a Geisha is more than 80% Arthur Golden and less than 20% Rob Marshall, then Geisha has a chance of Quality. The fan-base of the book isn’t happy but they don’t vote for Oscars. The Elizabethtown cast list combo gave me seizure-like spasms (and it’s a drama with comedy and romantic elements…ewwww), but maybe Susan Sarandon will do us proud. And lastly if Kingdom of Heaven has homoerotic overtones (much beloved it seems by oscar voters) than yeehah! Jeremy Irons will be looking at Best supporting Oscar. I can’t wait to see him as Tiberius caesar, the craziest mo-fo to ever don a toga. And I would love Ridley S to do a fab movie filled with weirdness and dread and fear again. C’mon Ridley, show us that ol’ Blade Runner magic. We need ya Rid, this is the worst year yet! We have all these skin-jobs walkin the streets of Hollywood.
Naaah. CM still is going to win. I am advance Oscar-tired already. Hope the dresses are better next year.
I’d argue that The Missing isn’t crowd pleasing fare from Howard…I think it’s his most mature work so far…I’m hoping that even though Cinderella Man will be sentiment, it leans into the darkness he probed with The Missing…
Yeah Camel, but next year the Boxing film wont be
a manipulative piece of …. featuring the most
EVIL STOOL TO EVER BE PLACED INCORRECTLY IN ANY
BOXING RING! Horrible trash of a film. When it
comes out on DVD. I will wipe my arse with it, then
put it down. Just because…
That aside Giamatti winning next year for this past
year already has a name. He would be the second winner
of the Kidman/Zellweger award for Astounding achievement
in acting the previous year not award to the following
year because the Academy are a bunch of assclowns.
Giamatti would be the first male recepient of the
Kidman/Zellweger Oscar, and the MC would say
“this is also the first time best supporting actor
has been given to a guy who played a cut man.”
1. Er, Paul wouldn’t be the first. Morgan Freeman is just one is a long list. Paul Newman is probably the most predominant member though.
2. The stool wasn’t incorrectly placed. It was just placed.
3. You better have some band-aids and towels on hand if you intend to wipe ur ass with a DVD.
and not from that post, but in another
4. I’d only state that A Beautiful Mind was oscar bait. And I actually liked Apollo 13. So, i just hate him for that movie beating Moulin Rouge, whicha ctually deserved the prize (or, slightly less-so, LOTR:FOTR
5. The Insider didn’t win BP. LA Confidential didn’t win BP. Master & Commander didn’t win BP. He just has a good, nay, GREAT agent. But they didn’t ALL win the prize. Just 2.
6. Whoever said they hated the ending of M$B because it turned the movie from Rocky to Sophie’s Choice then you should go back and watch Rocky because, well, you deserve that punishment.
Ron Award is a good director.
camel, maybe u should stay on the meds
Seeing Moulin Rouge reminded me of the hallucinations I had when I had chicken pox. I hope I never have the unsettling experience of seeing A-listers attempt singing again in such lurid colors.
Russell Crowe has been in many movies that get nominated for BP, based on past experience thus, he has a high chance of ending up in the winner’s circle again.
I wonder how much he was paid for CM. He was paid 20Mil+benefits for Master&Commander
Crowe had an amazing run from 1997 through 2003… But all Oscar streaks eventually come to an end. While it’s certainly possible that CM will get nominated it’s also certainly possible that it won’t. We’re 10 months away from nominations still. 200+ movies are going to come out between now and then…
Crowe deserves the cash. He is a fantastic actor. He is the definition of an actor. In every role he is completely different.
Russell Crowe is the tops for a movie star right now. Tom Cruise plays the same character. Someone with a confidence problem and father issues. Hanks has too many misfires and can’t fall back on an action movie. Cage makes mindless movies. Will Smith is in the Cruise league.
omg, wow, i just realise that Cinderella Man and Cold Mountain have the same initials. They are connected!!!! Hence, it’ll only get some technical nod’s plus a supporting actor oscar for Paul Giamatti.
man, i’m so smart!!!!!
(my meds just kicked in bob!)
while most of you are prognosticating cynically (w/ good reason) about next year’s nominees, you are missing the biggest outrage of all. Marlon Brando’s measley recognition at this years Oscar telecast. Brando was a giant, a revolutionary who changed acting and the cinema itself and all he gets is the final spot in the RIP reel while Johnny Carson gets a 5 minute tribute. Johnny Carson was a television star, not a movie star. Brando was the greatest actor of all time ( I’m sure most in thaat auditorium would’ve agreed, except for Gil Cates) and he gets nada. when Kubrick died he got his tribute and deservedly so, certainly Brando deserved one as well. The Oscars are quickly becoming as non-relevant as the Grammies. I wash my hands of it…I’ll never watch another one, not even tune in for 10 minutes
The oscars have never really meant anything. But its fun to watch. Eternal Sunshine wasn’t nominated, does that mean it wasn’t the best movie of the year? No!
Its all politics. They gave the oscar to Halle because of politics, a year later they gave it to nicole because she lost to halle, and last year they gave it to Rene because she lost to nicole, and when Moore gets another nomination she will win, because she deserved it for that time she lost to nicole.
And all that thanks to worst actress winner Halle Barry.
In all this talk of possible Oscar contenders, nobody has mentioned “Brokeback Mountain.” Is it getting bad pre-release word of mouth or something? You’d think a big film from Ang Lee would be on people’s radar screens.
Well considering his last film bombed, and his last period film bombed, I don’t think BM is exactly flying high on the radar of many folks.
Jon S: I hate to say it, but I wonder whether “Brokeback Mountain” isn’t getting much pre-release ink because (a) its distributor doesn’t want to prematurely inflame the right-wing crazies (as opposed to thoughtful conservatives like Bicycle Bob, of course), or (b) writers and editors are reluctant to devote much space to a movie they deem to be only a “niche-market” attraction (which may turn out to be self-fulfilling prophecy).
Humm, Martin. I think you’re being even more unforgiving about past disapointments than Hollywood tends to be. Before Eastwood’s one-two critical punch of Mystic River and Million Dollar Baby, he released, in order, Absolute Power, Midnight in the Garden…, True Crime, Space Cowboys, and Blood Work. With the exception of Space Cowboys, a nice little diversion that made just a modest profit, they all performed somewhat below hopes/expectations.
I heard Sydney Lumet speak publically once not long ago, and he said that in order to be viable in Hollwood [on their “radar screens”], you essentially only had to be successful with one out of every three films. If you went below that you were in trouble, but otherwise… In short, I think the director of Sense and Sensibility and Crouching Tiger would have to have a lot more recent bombs for anyone to count him out. And ususally, as the Eastwood example proves, its when people STOP playing it safe and take some (slight) risks with their work that they reemerge as forces in terms of Oscars and the like. I could be wrong but I don’t think Warners fought against Eastwood making Blood Work or Aboslute Power, but he did have trouble getting MR and M$B funded, right? Brokeback Mtn. could represent the same kind of thing for Lee.
And Joe, your reasoning makes sense. I just don’t think WE, here on the HB, should be part of helping to bring about that possible self-fulfilling prophecy. =)