I am a lot more encouraged by V for Vendetta now that I’ve seen the trailer than I was by way of the set visit. And knowing the graphic novel, the really compelling thing is that the trailer doesn’t even offer up the really cool stuff.
Seeing Hugo Weaving in real space in that mask makes it clear that it can work. And the clean images and the current political relevance… now I am really really looking forward to it.
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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
One of the more expensive looking trailers I’ve seen. Footage was so-so, some not that engaging, but the trailer style was sweet.
I think it looks pretty damn cool.
That…scared the shit out of me. Like I haven’t been scared since the very first time I read 1984.
That kind of scared.
What a terrific look, almost like the ‘anti-comic-movie’. The use of color reminds me of the Wachowskis’ Bound.
Definitely looking forward to this one. Any chance they’ll open Nov. 4th?
They made a good choice getting Hugo for this. He has a great voice.
Didn’t Hugo replace someone at the last minute?
looks pretty cool…different to be sure…it will bomb though…people don’t want to see a movie about a hero-terrorist and a totalitarian government set up…looks half-artsy, half-slick action…with or without hair, Portman is hot…and Weaving seems to be a natural fit for this role. I will see it…but beyond the geeks, i don’t think this is going to have any traction…but hey, I thought The Island was going to be a big hit and that has stiffed.
I don’t think it will bomb at all, it will do at least Sin City numbers if not better. (don’t know if that’s good or not based on the budget).
Estimates for
Friday, July, 22, 2005 Title Daily Total
CHARLIE AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY 9.0 94.9
WEDDING CRASHERS 7.7 62.8
ISLAND, THE 4.4 4.4
BAD NEWS BEARS 4.2 4.2
FANTASTIC FOUR 3.6 112.3
DEVIL’S REJECTS, THE 3.1 3.1
HUSTLE & FLOW 2.7 2.7
WAR OF THE WORLDS 2.5 202.3
BATMAN BEGINS 1.1 190.2
MR. AND MRS SMITH 1.1 172.1
But yeah.. those Island numbers are downright scary. I guess the movie could do $17 or so for the weekend and then get decent word of mouth.. but usually sci-fi doesn’t hold up too well. That number’s a real head-scratcher.
Or rather $14 or so for the weekend. I can’t see any way it will do over $15 with this start.
sin city numbers are likely for V…but it had to have cost at least twice as much as Sin City to produce. the #’s for the island are baffling…it’s one of the most outright entertaining movies of the summer…with the best chase sequence in recent memory. so far, cloning movies have completely struck out at the box office…gattaca, the sixth day, godsend, multiplicity…there’s got to be others as well.
It’s karma for Bay, for all of the other shitty movies that he’s made.
Where the hell is Nick? And I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so — this thing isn’t going to come close to 100 mil domestically.
V for Vendetta is one of the all time classic graphic novels.
I hope they don’t go and mess it up. Casting Portman is encouraging.
Who knows what Island will do on Sat., but this looks like a $40-50 mill. grosser at the most right now. Ewan and Scarlett have never had big drawing power, and evidently the storyline/action in this case were not enough to bring the crowds in. If The Island starred Will Smith we’d be talking about a $40-50 mill. opener.
Bad News all around, although the Bears was never expected to be huge. Box office down big time from last year, the Times must be real busy right now with their end of theatrical story.
The true story of the weekend is looking like it’s going to be Hustle & Flow. Looking like a $9K PSA, maybe higher if it has a bump. And Devil’s Rejects is performing decently for what it is. I don’t think anyone was expecting mega-numbers out of Bad News Bears–budget on it probably wasn’t huge, and it’ll do well on DVD. Dumb time to release it though–should have released when there wasn’t the Charlie juggernaut, and would have made more money.
As a huge fan of Alan Moore’s work from way back, the trailer really does have me excited. There was a script review over on Ain’t It Cool that was disappointed with some of the liberties taken with the script, but we’ll see what happens with the final product. Moore wrote this story because he feared England was turning into a nightmare police state, and it’s ironic that the U.S. is probably closer to that reality than England is now. So it will be interesting to see how many parallels are made when the film comes out, and whether it will be viewed as a dig at the current political system, or just a cautionary fantasy.
If this does good business, will the studio reconsider making Watchmen, the mother of all comic adaptations?
I don’t think a bombing of The Island will hurt those two leads too much. Both are too versatile and too good of actors to be hurt by a summer bomb.
Going to be interesting with all the bombings going on in Europe now. It is almost as if this is behind the times.
I’ve never read V for Vendetta but from watching the trailer, the hero of the film appears to be a … suicide bomber. Yeah, audiences are going to love this. WTF is wrong with Hollywood?
Well, what is interesting is that the bomber’s effort is to wake up a nation sleepwalking through life, not seeing the very real evil in front of their eyes… another variation on The Matrix.
It will be interesting.
Lindenen, just because he’s a bomber doesn’t really tell you anything about the movie. If Hollywood can make hitmen and assassins heroic and sexy routinely, a bomber shouldn’t be too much trouble to make sympathetic.
I also noticed that John Hurt is in this movie in a sort of inversion of his 1984 role.
Jeff, I was going to make the same comment re John Hurt…although this looks a lot more interesting than I found the film version of 1984 to be…
Bombing ones own people doesn’t help your cause. I don’t know if this is going to fly. No stars. New director. And lets face it. Alan Moore doesn’t translate on screen for some reason.
Hugo is the master of polar opposite roles. This year he had a miniscule Australian drama called “Peaches” (grossed something along the lines of $75,000 which is pitiful) to a big Wachowski comic book movie.
I wonder if he will ever top his work in “The Interview”. Anybody interested in Hugo’s career should check out that aussie gem, as well as the Russell Crowe co-starrer “Proof”. Excellent stuff.
Panda: Alan Moore has a fanbase even if those adapting his work have never managed a success. The Wachowski name is all over this, even if the director is a first-timer (although we saw that huge dropoff for Matrix Revolutions, which won’t help here).
And audiences will not, I repeat, NOT, care about much this whole bombing angle. It’s not like American audiences find violent movies especially abhorrent, you should know that.
I thought it WAS directed by the Wachowskis. Oh well. No skin off my nose.
The big question is why the Wachowski’s DIDN’T direct it, since they obviously had their hands all over the production. Also, I think that a movie about a london bomber/terrorist is obviously a little too close to home/offensive right now. If there arent any incidents between now and november V may be able to slip through. But it’s definitely a weird time to come out. The fact that the bomber’s a good guy make it even weirder.
The British have a much longer history of dealing with bombers than we do, I think they’ll get over it. And since it’s a comic-book fantasy, I sincerely doubt that Americans will care.
The Wachowskis lost all credibility with me after those 2 terrible sequels to the Matrix.
Aw, hell, they lost all credibility with me after the FIRST one! 🙂