Broken Dreamz
And I thought that Poseidon was going to be the first disaster movie of the year!
The Bermuda International Film Festival opened with Paul Weitz
April 24, 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
Based on the trailer, I cannot say I am surprised at all.
Haven’t seen the trailer. Must say though the only reason I’d wanna see this at the current moment is for Mandy Moore.
Looks like we’ve found this year’s Elizabethtown.. at least we didn’t have to wait so long for this one and hopefully, both Crowe and Weitz will get back on track with their next one.
The poster for “American Dreamz” name-checks 2 other movies — “From the director of ‘American Pie’ and ‘About a Boy’.”
Do I sense another “Gigli” in the making?
How else do you want them to market it, Chucky?
You’re right, DP, how can anybody pull a Spinal Tap on American Idol when the show spends the first few weeks “Tapping” itself?
Middle American tastes are more frustrating than funny these days. The South Park boys going after the left in “Team America”… well, to me, that’s real ambition. (even if I am a lefty)
Anyway, All Hail Xenu!
You know, I agree with almost everything Dave had to say about the movie, but those failures weren’t enough for me to dislike the movie, or to keep myself from laughing through most of it. Truly, it fails as a farce and doesn’t go ‘far enough’ or ‘deep enough’ into the territory it dips its toes into, but… I think you have to be a critic (or a critic-at-heart) to care; the movie is funny, and when I pay to see a comedy (and I will probably pay to see it when it gets to theatres, so I can laugh with my friends instead of just a screening audience) laughter is what I’m paying for, not deftly written, cautiously biting satire – just laughs. When I want a high-brow movie with high ideals for its comedy, I go to the local art house and watch something independent like Tristram Shandy, not to the multiplex for the latest from Weitz.
Admittedly, I have never seen an episode of American Idol, and barely know what Simon Cowell is actually like on TV or in ‘real life,’ so I just took Grant’s performance for what it was. That is, yes, as soon as I saw the character was falling flat from the first joke, I lowered my expectations to match it, and had a good time for the next couple of hours.
Of course, feel free to discount anything I say on this note: I’m about to go enjoy Vin Diesel’s latest turn at comedy, and I expect to laugh until my face hurts.
“V for Vendetta” opened to about 8.5 mil on Friday. I was expecting a bit more — I think Warners was too.
No other real news. “She’s the Man” is on track for $12 mil this weekend. “Find Me Guilty,” “Ask the Dust,” “Don’t Come Knockin”…all stiffed. But “Thank You for Smoking” is doing pretty well.
Find Me Guilty tanked spectacularly. It’s going to average about $1,000 per theater for the weekend. Thank You For Smoking, however, will make $35,000 or $40,000 per theater. I’m interested to see how it does as it expands. I, for one, loved it.
They screwed up handling of “Find Me Guilty.” They shoulda started limited and let the surprisingly positive reviews be used to build up buzz. And Dreamworks has gotten be happy with “She’s The Man,” which was incredibly cheap to make. Looks like Bynes can bring in almost as much opening as bigger paid tween stars like Hilary Duff.
Sadly, my word-of-mouth support for Find Me Guilty (just came back, loved it) won’t make an impact, since no one seems to be aware it exists. Sigh.
Who thinks Find Me Guilty would have done better if Diesel’s makeup and hair didn’t make him look like a goombah Frankenstein? Really, just ridiculous.
I think American Dreamz along with Aquamarine and She’s the Man are occupying the genre of the enjoyably mediocre. I wouldn’t pay money to see these but if I theater hopped into it or saw it on late night cable, I might watch it and love in spite of myself. High School Musical was embarrassingly enjoyable as well (although now that it’s a huge hit, I feel proud to have seen its premiere). Mandy Moore, Jojo, and Amanda Bynes, does it get any more tween?
from the trailer I was thinking either this is going to be really funny or really silly. I guess it’s neither, but this might be a good rental or something to check out on satellite. But I’ll see what Ebert says, even if I don’t particularly understand his sense of humor sometimes.
I saw the film and I’m TOTALLY with teel on his/her assessment. It’s not anywhere NEAR as bad as you described it, Dave. Jeez man, take a pill. Aren’t you in Bermuda?? AMERICAN DREAMZ is a decent, entertaining flick that touches on topics many other people aren’t. Such as….how can we be at war when a large majority of out population doesn’t know who the VP or Secretary of Defense is, but a HUGE majority can name the finalists on American Idol. The movie doesn’t try to tackle big questions…..it’s about characters. I thought the script and film were solid….go see it for yourself, people. Plus Mandy Moore is a lil vixen in it!
p.s. Didn’t Wilder try mixing farce with message in ACE IN THE HOLE? Yes, he did…and this movie is alot like that one…
I think we’ll all probably have a much better chance of enjoying AMERICAN DREAMZ if we refrain from comparing it to ACE IN THE HOLE, thank you very much.
Also…
“… that touches on topics many other people aren’t. Such as….how can we be at war when a large majority of out population doesn’t know who the VP or Secretary of Defense is, but a HUGE majority can name the finalists on American Idol.”
Hasn’t Jay Leno been doing wearing this premise out since he took over THE TONIGHT SHOW? Please tell me the film is after livelier game than this.
ive always thought of weitz as kind of an out of touch hack, and mandy moore as a vapid pretty face, but the trailer for this did look moderately interesting. It looks so on-the-nose that I might enjoy it. Not in an intellectual way, but in a guilty pleasure way.
Ace in the Hole is not a farce. It is noir, it is dark, and aside from its incisive wit, it is not a comedy.
It’s definitely no ACE IN THE HOLE but the theme is similar…as most Weitz flicks are. And I don’t think ACE IN THE HOLE was a Noir at all…simply by the defition of film noir. It’s a dark comedy which is why it was greeted with shock and awe…and flop…when it came out.
What definition is that?
It’s a noir, but it’s also a satire. It’s a hybrid and not a pure noir, like Double Indemnity or Touch of Evil.
WTF??? A farce? A satire? A dark comedy?
Watch the film and read what Wilder said about it. Don’t let the period details trick you into thinking that Wilder used any distancing technique in telling his story. This is one film where Wilder didn’t sugar-coat his message. It is not in any way a dark comedy much less farce.
The film is and was intended to be a denunciation of the media’s and public’s obsession with sensationalism. If you want to label it call it a morality tale. Despite his cynicism and misanthophy, Wilder was a disillusioned romantic.
Ace in the Hole is film noir…may not be an archetypal one but stylistically, thematically, and tonally it is one.
It’s not that farce can’t have social/political messages, e.g. Duck Soup. It’s more that you can’t switch from that stuff to intimate character stuff. I see Mr. Poland’s point.
I don’t think stylistically it completely is; I don’t remember high-key lighting as much as I remember a lot of bright desert landscapes.
Maybe I need to see ACE again (which is no easy task) but when I last saw it, it was shown and then discussed in a Q&A with Neil LaBute (it’s one of his faves) and the Noir factor never came up. I never thought of it as a Noir at all and still don’t. It’s what grandcosmo said which is that the film is about the publics obsession with sensationalism…which is a valid point today.
I think the setting throws people off, but for my money, it looks and feels like noir. Though it takes place in a desolate desert, the city informs the actions of our characters, and it is the way they turn the place into a hollow facsimile of a bustling city that makes it tragic.
Either that, or I’m totally wrong.
Maybe we’re just taking it as different “looks” at Noir. Noir is a visual style, but it’s also a psychological one. Many people say “Citizen Kane” is the finest Noir movie ever made. Style wise, sure. But the whole existentialism, post WWII mentality, fear of women ideas are equally found in what I consider to be Noir.
I only saw ACE IN THE HOLE once and that was a good 4 years ago, but I only remember the visual style being Noir. But hell, was it even? I can’t remember. There’s no other way to shoot a guy in a hole without dark lighting and shadows.
I don’t think it is noir or was intended to be and remember at the time the film was made film noir wasn’t even a term that anyone used. It does have some of the attributes of film noir but I think Wilder was being terribly earnest at his denunciation of media sensationalism and the public’s complicity in it. The film bombed badly and Wilder never again made a film like it again.
I think Wilder pulled back after seeing the reception that “An Ace in the Hole” received and was never as tough minded again as he had been with “A Foreign Affair”, “Sunset Blvd.” and “Double Indemnity”
man, you assholes really know how to get off topic.
Why can’t film noir be earnest? Yeah, it is very ironic today, but I think back then it was their version of the dirty honest truth. And regardless of what people called it then or even how Wilder intended it, Ace came out of that tradition and, in my opinion, is an interesting example of how you can bend a genre or style to fit your story.
I’ve decided that no matter what’s being said about American Dreamz, I still have a nagging need to see first hand how bad it is. And given the right crowd, it could be a raucous night of silly cheap laughs.
palm- good points. And AMERICAN DREAMZ isn’t that bad, trust me. I sense a certain someone may have some sour grapes over “his” exotic locale film festival not having an appearance by AD stars or director. They were at SXSW though. The movie is entertaining and little more. I think it also might open the eyes of people who don’t realize how frivilous their lives are. But who knows….go see it, it’s fun.
Considering how much venom was thrown at Jeff Wells yesterday in regards to his supposed need to show off that he has already seen something, I really do have to question what the point of this post is (and I have personal issues with Wells, so this is in no way a defense of him).
None of us have seen the film, so we cannot debate Poland’s points in regards to it. He doesn’t raise any issues that we can debate intelligently (racists stereotyping – bad. Really? Wow, that blows my mind).
For someone who has consistently thumped others (like the AICN guys & Wells) for debating the merits of films in production based on scripts, casting or advanced previews, I find it a little odd that starting a debate about a film none of us have been able to see to be a kissing cousin to that issue.
All we can rejoin with is “Well, the trailer looked funny” or “Man, the preview sucked-ass!”
About the only thing I can see as a point of discussion is the fact that satire and parody are rarely executed these days with any measure of finesse. American Dreamz sounds like it makes all the mistakes of that Not Another Teen Movie that simply crammed as many pop culture parody references in as they could and called it day.
You have a good point, Roy Batty. I enjoy Mr. Poland’s reviews and analyses most of the time, but he often seems to forget that he sees a lot of movies weeks, if not months, before 95% of his readers so that he’ll print these kind of long-lead reviews. And then when the movie actually comes out, he’s over it and doesn’t remember to mention or discuss it further.
You just have to get used to it.
Who bought this pitch and ran with it? I could see if ROobert Altman was making this but the guy behind the AMERICAN PIE movies? Just a failure from the pitch. Movies like this don’t make money. Everyone knows it. Even with stars in the casts they fail.
Did anyone see Kellie Pickler last night on American Idol? Her post-performance banter was hilarious (basically dumb blonde to the hilt and then some). Along with William Hung, she just showed how challenging it is to parody AI.
Well, Roy… what would you like me to do? NOT write a review of a movie that just played in Bermuda and SXSW and The Aspen Comedy Festival?
Should I wait until Europeans and Aussies get to see it?
Do I need to wait until films go wide so those not in NY and LA can have an opinion?
You don’t have to react. And you don’t even have to read an early review. It’s here when you want it. And it can just as easily be ignored after the film opens.
In addition, the lack of details are also a lack of spoilers. If the film stirs interest on the blog when it opens, I’m sure there will be a more complete discussion. Frankly, I don’t think the film merits it. But you all will engage when you and if you choose to and I’ll be happy to develop that discussion further when appropriate.
Finally, an acknowledgement that perhaps this would have been a THB column and not a blog entry if I were in L.A… but I’m not. Sorry.
And with that, I am going to go to sleep without writing about Hidden/Cache, which I finally saw and can say without fear of reasonable contradiction that it may be the most overrated critic-beloved film the last year. But more on that later…
There used to be a time when you (Dave Poland) cross-posted your movies reviews on separate pages so they could be found easily. It was never something that you were able to consistently do.
I agree on Cache…didn’t especially love it either.
Well, I saw this last night and David is absolutely right… this movie is a MESS. It was like a really bad SNL political sketch (which pretty much sums up most of them) dragged on for way too long. The major role Seth Meyers plays in the movie doesn’t help either. (And he’s right about Cache being overrated, too! 2/2 David!)