May 18, 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
Good to hear that you enjoyed it…I’m looking quite forward to it. Two weeks. Only two weeks…
Oh and in reference to the another three months and extra 20 mill, probably on the DVD…
Does Hayden suck so bad that you can’t buy that this is the guy to become Vader?
Vader is bigger than any actor!!!
I haven’t really heard much about McGregor in any of the reviews yet. We know he can channel Guinness, but does he deliver the emotional goods in this one? Do we feel his pain?
I’m surprised that David was underwhelmed by the two big showdowns, but as he said, lightsaber fights can’t do much to impress at this point. I was assuming that with what’s at stake in this one it would still blow people away. So forget the effects and the stunts, how POWERFUL were the fights?
i’m pretty sure some folks don’t want to hear about the fights. Lets just say that they aren’t the most impressive thing in the film by a long shot. The other prequels had fights and they were mediocre films. McGregor is still kind of forced, he gets the guiness clips but he opens up much more in this ep, and delivers a more layered peformance. Palantine however is the actor who steals the film from everyone and we are grateful. Hayden wavers and the debate about his casting will go on forever. Portman has no spark.
SPOILER ******* I did love Peter Cushing tho.
Glad to hear Dave liked it. Too bad about Christensen though, sounds like he’ll remain the crippling flaw of the trilogy.
Again, I love how critics miss the point of the
fight. You know, metaphors and all that, but what
can you do? Like the literal destruction of freedom
throughout the galaxy via it getting torn to shred.
Or the fight between two men which goes above and
beyond them as a whole. Those fights are incredibly
important.
Since no one notice in Attack. Ewan stole the show
in that film as well. Thus the reason Obi-Wan has
become the best character in that entire saga. Hate
Attack. Go ahead. You know you want too. But he
makes Obi-Wan more than Lucas probably ever intended.
Hayden you either get or not. Everyone hated him
before. Which means he played the part perfectly.
Either you are down or you are not.
You can play a complex and sometimes unlikable character AND not look like a piece of wood at the same time. That’s a trick Christensen has not learned…possibly because of the dialogue he has to work with.
PLEASE get off the “either you get it or you don’t” monolithic dogma.
Jeff, nah. Some of the most important people believe
in monolithic dogma. Where would Machiavelli be? Would
anyone care really? But I guess we just have to
disagree jeff MCM.
I was at the Westwood screening tonight as well… I agree (mostly) with Dave; actually, I would be slightly more positive about Portman’s and specifically Christensen’s acting. Portman doesn’t have a lot to do (and the conclusion re: Padme is very weak), but that’s more of a story/script issue. Generally speaking, I thought Lucas learned from Ep2 and kept the poor dialogue down to a minimum. A few slipups here and there (my fave “unintentional laugh” coming at the end of a scene that’s been long, long awaited by fans), but by-and-large a more solid and engaging film than the first two. Its shortcomings, to some degree, are due to the weakness of the first two films… emotionally there were gaps that I felt could’ve been filled had Ep2 (and to a lesser degree Ep1) delivered on the meaningful emotional content.
McGregor really helps sell the last act well, and the wrap-up at the end is something that I think all SW fans will enjoy. The very, very end is pitch-perfect, IMHO.
Jeff, my line of thinking has more to do with being
a fan of the saga than anything else. Just my opinion,
but I guess we still agree to disagree. Also, if
you are a SW fan.
Telemachos, those last two sentence wrap things up
very astutely.
anyone who likes star wars movies for the acting, needs some help. its the least of concerns. they’re acting next to 7 foot wookies and droids here.
Even Guinness admitted that he thought the dialog in the first film was dreadful. As far as Hayden goes the one thing that I thought was able to pull of really well was looking menencing. The scene in Attack of the Clones where he chops up the Sand People he looked like someone in a blind rage, but that’s about all he could pull off. Of course he has gotted better reviews for other films he’s done so he just may be one of those actors that can get a great preformance dragged out of him by the right director and let’s face it Lucas is not known for his directing.
David, now that you have seen it, does it alter your box office prediction at all?
Thanks for the nice read.
I thought Hayden was good in Shattered Glass. I predict 400 mill for this. Juts off the top of my head.
I will say 450 million dollars of box office gold.
I predict $350 to $375 million. It’ll be big. But the detractors are out and yelling (read: Jeff Wells) and some parents will refuse to take their kids to a PG-13 movie no matter how popular it is.
Then again…Spiderman was PG-13.
I can’t think of anyone who will have less influence on anyone than Wells regarding Star Wars.
Reviews will be mixed. Some raves, some soft… but few “this film must die” reviews.
Spiderman 2 and X-Men 2 were insanely overrated… simply because they didn’t suck. They were good, but geez, critics lost their shit. Some of that will happen here. But the only thing that could ever matter is across-the-board rage. And while Jeffrey is obsessed with Lucas and Jackson being fat and successful (as opposed to thin and struggling), no one who is already thinking about buying a Star Wars ticket thinks that way. (Sneak peak: Just wait until he foams at the mouth over Jane Fonda being old!!!)
Star Wars and War of The Worlds still look like the 1-2 of the summer… it really depends on WotW. Star Wars should close on if not pass $400 million domestic.
no way it does less than 400 mill. just can’t see it. what movies does wells like anyway? anything leftist and obscure and anything with owen wilson. thats about it
Very few movies are review-proof. But Star Wars sure is one of them. I can’t wait to see it, and I agree that comments from Wells (or any critic, for that matter) aren’t going to keep me from the ticket counter for this one.
War of the Worlds is the next biggie of the summer. Spielberg and Lucas sitting in a tree…with lots of M-O-N-E-Y.
Anyone who reads Wells’s columns on a regular basis knows that he has pretty close to zero tolerance for comic-book and CGI-laden movies. (And he’s a rabid Peter Jackson hater – take a look at his blind homicidal rage against the completely unseen “King Kong.”) Even if you enjoy reading his columns, as I do, all of his opinions about “Revenge of the Sith” need to be viewed in that narrowed context.
I think it’ll do SPIDEY 2 business… significantly better than AOTC but not approaching TPM (which had a 16-year wait and the “appeal to the kids” factor). I don’t think the Vader reveal accounts for that extra $50 million at this point. There are simply too many franchises and the prequels at this point have simply become Another Franchise (regardless of whether you think they’re a good franchise or not).
The battle-lines for the whole prequel trilogy are already so well delineated that one film isn’t going to change them. Some folks are gonna bitch about the crappy insipid dialogue, and you know what? Those lines pop up in ROTS (not as often as AOTC, but still…) Folks are gonna be wowed by the eye-candy. Folks are gonna declare (like Kevin Smith has) that ROTS is simply a brilliant final chapter that ties the whole saga together. It isn’t. It’s a fine, fun summer movie that has bloatage (like many other summer movies) but great visuals, an above-average mythic storyline, and some occasionally iffy acting combined with lots of cool action.
Jeff Wells is still writing? I thought he was out drinking at Trader Vic’s and never came back.
Jeff Wells hates anything comic bookish, he hates Peter Jackson, he hates anything not Liberal and he hates anything Lucas.
Oh no! Someone doesn’t adore Lucas and Jackson. Whatever shall we do?
It’s not that Wells doesn’t like Lucas or Jackson, it’s more that he’s just so arrogant in his dislike.
I do believe that Bob has made one of the more
astute declarations ever on this website. Good show
there Bob.
I also disagree with Joe Sullivan. Parents brought
their kids to the LOTR trilogy. They will bring
their kids to this film as well. Plus, unlike Orcs,
a lightsaber caulderizes! Leaving no blood! HOORAY!
If this film gets more and more good press. More and
more hype put upon it. IT can easily set all sorts
of records at the box office. Remember; TPM had a lot
of non-casual fans show up to see it. If this film
over the next 13 days gets built up as being extraordinary.
Then, who knows how big this film can be.
As far as the PG-13 rating goes, maybe Lucas finally woke up and realized that really young kids walking into Part 3 of this muddled saga aren’t going to know what the hell is going on anyway, so why pander to them. I honestly don’t know how much “Star Wars” means to pre-13-year-olds other than something their parents thought was really cool back in the 20th century. I’m not knocking kids’ intelligence or awareness; lord knows the media marketing machine has more of an influence on their lives than their parents or teachers. But I just don’t see how anyone, young or old, who walks into Episode 3 as a Star Wars first-timer could possibly appreciate it as more than a noisy 135-minute CGI extravaganza.
It reminds me of my final encounter with the “Matrix” trilogy. I’ll never forget how I took my wife to see “Matrix Revolutions” when she hadn’t seen the first two. Let’s just say she’ll never let me forget it either.
I knew I needed a loan. Thanks!