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” ā 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 ā 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 ā he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” ā and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging ā I was with her at that moment ā 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 namedā” “Yeah, sure ā 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 Iām on the phone with you now, after all thatās 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 didnāt seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. Thereās not a case of that. He wasnāt using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had ā if that were what the accusation involved ā 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. Iām not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, āYou know, itās not this, itās thatā? Because ā let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. TimesĀ piece, thatās what it lacked. Thatās 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
Sounds miserable.
Will you be posting other Toronto titles here, Poland? I think it’s a great idea…let’s people focus on the films before being inundated with all the hooplah.
Hmmmmm.
As someone who is interested in these themes and tired of the usual Hollywood ‘Christian bash’ whenever these subjects are dealt with I personally will not outright dismiss this one.
As graphic as it was, The Bad Lieutenant was an exellent exploration of religious/Catholic themes albeit in a context that perhaps most religious people would not necessarily watch. If Abel respects the themes, he really would still be a maverick. If it’s just more b&w religious sterotyping I’ll say been there done that and pass.
Nevetheless…I am curious. Ferrara usually doesn’t sit at the same table as the usual suspect Hollywood types.
I’ll keep reading about it. If it gets bad reviews from the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star in a few weeks, it’ll be a film I know I’ll like.
that is one really bad logline. hallamrk run out of ideas?
I can’t wait for Toronto. I always have a blast. Dave, are we meeting for drinks or what?
Dave make sure you order Stella’s Boy an extra O’Douls.
Forest Whitaker as a superstar network journalist??????
What’s O’Douls? A Canadian beer?
stella is more of a zima man.
the smartest thing forest whitaker has done was pass on directing fat albert.
Never had a Zima. Doesn’t look very tasty to me. That certainly was a smart move on Whitaker’s part. He should have passed on First Daughter as well.
Wait a minute. This logline was serious? A superstar journalist????
No way.
Matthew Modine. He’s box office.
O’Douls. Zima’s. Sounds like a party of epic proportions.
I liked Bad Lt. Keitel was great.
But the big question is: Is there Colt 45 in Toronto? (Usuaully I stick with Molson Blue in the Great White North, myself.)
There’s plenty of cheap whisky up in them thar parts Joe–what do you think the hockey players and indians[I’m half injun, we visited up there alot] live on through the long cold winter?
When my Dad did alot of business at Toronto, afterwards he’d go on further northwest to engage in the manly pursuits of fishing/camping and he was always asked to bring rye whisky with him by the pilots (nice thought–bush pilots drinking rye whisky whilst being on call). For some reason they can’t/don’t get rye whisky and normally drink this horrible stuff that makes cisco look like Lite beer[right up your alley]. I blame the Nordics.
Plenty of swill in town that would keep Dave happy–the Mogen David factory aint too far away, and puh-lenty of fortified disgusting cheap wine.
If you’re stuck, someone downtown, tottering around asking for dollas is bound to recognize Leydon and Poland as fellow travellers on that great drunken oddyssey of Mere Existence, and would be happy to share their bucky or cough meds with youse.
While in Canada, you must go Molson. Triple X.
We will be launching a Toronto blog shortly… and there will extensive coverage as in years past.
A great city. Best in Canada. Aye.
Oh Matthew Modine,
You give us creamy jeans
Canada has given us Bryan Adams. For that we should be grateful.
Best place for Toronto filmfest news is:
http://www.tiffg.ca/content/mediacentre/newsreleases.asp
No doubt… the link above, which I will put on the main headline, is the best place for the daily newsflashes coming out of Toronto.
Of course, once the fest starts, MCN will kick ass, as it does every year.
I have no doubt, David! š
What I meant was that thats the place to go *right now* to find out whats going to be at the TIFF.