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
Dave, I think you’re obsessed with Tom Cruise.
And Brett Ratner.
I’m obviously not reading enough page 6: I have heard of most of Tom Cruise’s escapades. The only thing I know about Brett Ratner is that he’s a standard Hollywood self-promoting d-bag hack. I am unaware of anything to do with his relationships.
Kathy Griffin’s “Strong Black Woman” showed on Bravo Channel last night, and she had a great line about how the gays don’t want Tom Cruise anymore. They “want their Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger and Colin Farrell.” It was just a short throwaway moment in her long stand-up routine, but the audience reaction said a lot about what people think of Tom Cruise right now.
first off, the drafthouse is the best place to see a movie. i’ve had the pleasure of seeing several films there. it’s really cool. they create a great, fun atmosphere to see a movie in, and the pre-show clips are part of that.
As for Ratner, its the biggest in-joke going right now, because you know what? No one outside the industry knows who the fuck he is. Seriously, my girlfriend and her 9 friends watch all the gossip shows, read all the magazines (In Touch, Us, People), and while at pub trivia last week they ask “This Xmen 3 Director… something something something.. with Lindsey Lohan”
Of course, right away, i was like “Brett Rattner”, and they had no idea who he was. The guy is in the gossip rags, and still people dont know who he is. The name Brett Rattner is meaningless outside of the industry. Housewives don’t give a fuck who directed Hugh Jackman or Halle Berry. They want to know about Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry
That sounds like fun. And I’m definitely in the camp that believes movies should be viewed in quiet without disturbances. But when it’s MI3 and Cruise, I’d rather see it with a crowd that heckles. One of the joys of seeing it with a crowd was hearing some say, “It’s Felicity,” when Keri Russell showed up.
Maybe when “Click” comes out next month we’ll see some clips that scream “Ca-bllle guyyy!”
Jeff Wells has great clip taken from AMC’s current promo for their upcoming showing of the original “Poseidon Adventure” which skewers Cruise. Intercut with shots from the film are 3D titles floating on CGI waves that say “IF YOU THINK TOM IS UNSTABLE” and then “CHECK OUT THIS CRUISE.”
(FYI – I mention this even though I cannot stand AMC which has more crap than classics, cuts the films and shows commericals. It is, especially compared to TCM, a worthless channel)
Jeff who?
“Fun!”
Have fun, Dave. Gee wiz. Have a blast. zzzz
A channel called American Movie Classic just showed Gothika. Bwahahahahaha…
*Classics
Give Cruise a break, for God’s sake! He’s a decent enough actor, a good screen presence and not unwilling to try different things on screen time to time. I’ll grant you his Oprah/Today Show bits were scary, but how does it compare to Russell Crowe throwing a telephone at someone? And even though Scientology is a joke, he doesn’t shove it down people’s throats like some reports claim. I’ve only seen him bring it up when an interviewer does. Good grief, people! It’s time we get our fucking heads out of the tabloids and start judging actors on the work they do on screen.
“It’s time we get our fucking heads out of the tabloids and start judging actors on the work they do on screen.”
First of all, you’re assuming all that attention wasn’t what Cruise himself wanted. Second of all, the Oprah Show is itself actors working on a screen…and it was a poor performance.
And for the record, Cinderella Man didn’t do as well as it “should” have so Crowe wasn’t immune either.
At least Crowe apologized publicly after the fact and admitted he made some mistakes. That’s a good case of an actor regaining some sympathy by dropping the star facade and revealing some underlying humanity; I suppose Crowe is a good enough actor that it could have still been an act, but who knows; it was convincing.
Meanwhile, if we’re just going to judge our actors by what’s on screen, then Tom Cruise is the hardest-working actor in Hollywood. Did you see how much crying and vein-popping he does in his movie? In the words of Master Thespian, “AC-TING!”
the drafthouse has a pretty cool atmosphere, and the preshow entertainment is good (definitely beats out Regal’s the 20wenty…or whatever its called these days) but the food is mediocre at best. with that said, i have yet to go to the lake creek location…maybe the food is better there.
The thing is Boho, Crowe isn’t out there throwing phones at people all the time. And he didn’t insult a entire group of people around the country by saying taking post-natal depression drugs makes you a bad mother.
I loved it when Russell Crowe hosted the AFI awards. How unhollywood is that? You won’t see Tom Cruise doing anything like that.