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
And here I thought, after first seeing it, how stupid and unfunny that commercial was.
Hitch-hiker’s Guide is more entitled to that format than most — the old BBC TV version often featured bits like that where entries to the virtual-reality guidebook were read out loud in that kind of fashion. Presumably, the movie itself will features such moments as well. It’s integral to the style of the story, unlike Son of the Mask, which craps all over the comic book source material.
The Hitchhiker’s thing feels slightly desperate, they were smart to use it solely for the internet crowd. A little too cliche to work in theaters. Plus, does anyone else get a Pluto Nash feeling on the movie?
Actually, I saw that Hitchhiker’s ad in the cinema, not on the internet. It was attached to Constantine and the audience seemed…puzzled.
I’m thinking that ad was made before the Fedex one, but that’s just a guess. I agree with Stella’s boy, it was not one of my favorite SB ads.
Pluto Nash it is not
But if one person has a friggin Pluto Nash feeling
about it then…are you beginning to see a trend
here? While I have never read the books. I at
least have faith in this film due to Adams working
with the production. Plus Jay Rouch seems to actually
give a damn. They at least get 2 weeks before all
REVENGE breaks out.
Pluto Nash? Yikes. They need to try harder.
Yeah, cos an Ad deconstructing itself has never happened before….
Oh, wait Lipton Ice Tea in the UK about 8 years ago had Angus Deayton sneeringly explain why the cheesy ad you were watching was so cheesy.
It seemed dated even then.
son of the mask? say it ain’t so
I cannot wait for Hitchhiker. I am a big fan of the books.
Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is my favorite book of all time and by far my most anticipated film of the year. I’m very happy with everything seen so far, and I’m really hoping it will be great.
Hitchhiker’s guide to the galaxy will suck as much as the fantastic four will. Their trailers are pityfull.
Besides Burton, Spielberg, Nolan, and Jackson have the most awaited movies of the year coming, and all of them will be masterpieces compared to that Galaxy trash.
(I mean the movie, not the book, I’ve never read it and never will)
Everyone I’ve ever known that liked the Hitchhiker’s books was a total douchebag, so I expect nothing less from the movie.
HITCHHIKER’s humor is pretty much in the same vein as SHAUN OF THE DEAD’s, so I’m not expecting it to do $100 million, but the enduring popularity of the books/radio serial/TV miniseries, as well as the less restrictive rating, should put it around $60 mill or thereabouts.