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
What do you mean by “men without penises”?
This buys into the “only fags care about Broadway” mind-set. There are plenty of straight guys (yours truly being one of them) who’d rather watch a smart, sophisticated comedy than endure two hours of explosions and/or farting and/or disemboweled teenagers. I haven’t seen PRADA yet, but I certainly intend to, and I’m glad it’s defying the odds and doing so well.
Dave, Dave, Dave…we know you’re a good liberal, but every time you bring up anything to do with gay men, you really put your foot in your mouth.
…that’s not a foot.
I kid!
well Cadavra since I like the Three Stooges I might slightly cross over into the realm of immature sight gags and body humor (the polite way of saying f–t), but yes I would hope that more people boycott stupid bland “high production value” movies for intelligent stuff. Prada isn’t the best thing I’ve seen BUT it is a damn sight better than Fantastic four and every other dumb thing released in the last 12 months.
It is kind of silly to think a male must not have a sac if he wants to see a movie sans explosions.
Speaking of Intelligent movies…I found more people, some of whom do programming at theaters, who really liked Lost skeleton of Cadavra. Bring it back to the theatres I say! And this is not an earth-joke.
I enjoyed Prada and am straight. Do I have to question that now since I liked it?
No, you likely just don’t have a penis. Don’t worry, I mean, those things just get in the way half the time anyways.
OK. Thanks Tofu. I feel better now. No kidding, one less thing to worry about.
Men without penises will love YOU, ME AND DUPREE.
Men without penises will hate SNAKES ON A PLANE.
Far too many phallic objects around, reminding them of days past.
Again, this seems like you’re majorly dissing people who don’t agree with your opinion of the film, instead of respecting their take. A lot of men like the movie…so you verbally castrate them? Mature.
I’m a gay man, and I didn’t like the headline. It’s reductive, and comes too close to something like “cocksuckers like Prada” for a cheap laugh. I think that I’m more than whatever sexual impulses I have. I even think being gay means more than that.
Funny, Mr. Poland, I think you know how you sound because otherwise why call attention to it in your blog.
Well, I asked because I was curious.
I think there is a lot of serious response to what is obviously a silly headline… and a silly story.
And Cad, I have the same feelings you do about a quality comedy that is seen as a “chick flick.” A good one. Absolutely.
And BG, I don’t know a gay man who hasn’t pointed out before I could that this is a movie for which gay men are a primary audience… which is also in the story we linked to.
P.C. will out.
You were doing so well until that last line.
And… it’s gone.
“Fox Spins: Men LOVE Prada”
I don’t put headlines up just to irritate people… even if I think they are being overly sensitive.
I still don’t know what ‘men without penises’ means unless it really is as obvious as James Leer suggested.
Gee… did it really seem literal to you? Or intentionally harsh?
It mostly just seemed confusing.
I appreciate the change, Mr. Poland, even if I’m being overly sensitive (but we won’t go there, will we?). – BG
P.S. That was a joke.
‘Men without penises’ refers to an effeminate male, regardless of sexuality.
So it was as lame of a joke as we were thinking. But like I said on the other post, somehow it’s hard to get angry with Poland about making fun of effeminate men after seeing that webcast thing…
Actually, back in the day, “men without penises” is what some scientists thought women were.
Keep selling that joke, Jeff… someone will laugh someday.
So you can dish it but you can’t take it?
I take it well when it is smart or it is funny (see Eric)…
And who have I ever dished that kind of comment out to anyway? “Drama queen” is not a comment about anyone’s sexuality, but rather a tone of sensitivity. So… please tell me…
“I take it well when it is smart or it is funny”
then we are indeed even.
Lota: I adore The Three Stooges. But they got their laughs the old-fashioned way–with clever lines and rigorously timed slapstick and visual gags. The problem with comedies today is that they just throw bodily-function gags out there without any justification for doing so. I have no objection to farting if there’s a solid reason for it (e.g., the “silent running” sequence in DOWN PERISCOPE), but too often it’s just lazily inserted for a quick, cheap laugh.
Thanks for the kudos on LOST SKELETON. It’s still available to any theatre that wants to play it, so contact your local emporium and request it.
Anything that gives this movie publicity is fine by me. I really wanna see it cross $100mil.
So Dave, if a man likes something that a woman might like, he must be either gay or castrated? I have to say that I find your comment **amazingly** sexist. I am really disappointed to learn that you think this way.
Of course, using the word “castrated” takes the light-hearted comment to an absurd level.
Not a single person, gay or straight, with an interest in the film didn’t point out that one of the major audiences would be gay men. That’s not even a question mark.
That story was, basically, an argument that straight men LOVE the movie too.
Some do. The list seems to me to be very, very, very short.
And it’s not because straight men cannot love a comedy about a woman overcoming adversity in the fashion world. It’s because of the weaknesses of this specific movie, which women and gay men (and please understand this is a broad comment, not an effort to define gay america) seem to forgive, showing more appreciation for the catty villain and the fashion show of the film than Regular Joe men do.
Had the movie achieved what I think it aspired to, there is no reason why straight men wouldn’t like it more… still resistant in many quarters… but more… as a movie that works.
To me, the level of sexism here is about equal to noticing that young girls like certain kinds of horror movies, teen boys like a different breed, and across the board hits have a different tone altogether. There are also movies that black people like more than white people, that Middle America likes more than the coasts, and that are sold aggressively to the spanish-speaking population and not caucasian and black america.
If noticing these things makes me a sexist, racist or ethnicist, I can’t fight that. If joking about it is a crime, I think we are lost.
The premise of the article was that men would like it because they can relate to the stresses of that kind of job and that kind of boss. And that I do and did.
And another key reason it works for me: it wasn’t a fairy tale about her meeting the perfect guy who would sweep her off her feet. It was about her staying true to herself, which is a much more universal theme. I seriously doubt Prada would be doing what it is without the geniune support of straight men (some of whom are dragged by their lady friends but still, that didn’t mean they didn’t like it).
I don’t think anyone’s arguing with you, DP, about the actual facts of the matter. I think the issue people have raised has more to do with your seeming derision, which it seems was certainly not intentional, but was still felt.
Dave, you can’t dedicate an entire blog entry to whether you’ve gone too far (which to me, indicates that you suspected you may have) and then attack the people who answer in the affirmative. What’s the point of this then?
How you do read “attack,” JL?
I do think that saying that the headline suggested castration was a bit much by half. But aside from calling that “absurd,” how am I attacking… as opposed to offering my opinion?
Your opinion on the movie is one thing, but you are insulting the people who have a different opinion and questioning their manhood. That’s something totally different and uncalled for, especially since most of your male readers on this blog who saw Prada liked it. Perhaps you’d like to clarify what you meant, if that’s not the case?
“Most of your male readers on this blog who saw Prada liked it.”
Was there a study I didn’t read?
Again, this “questioning their manhood” and castration stuff… good lord, man.
Why did you even set up this blog entry, dude?
There is a difference between questioning how something will be taken – the purpose – and even considering writing something that would question people’s manhood or suggest castration.
I know you’re gay because I saw you make a spinach dip in a loaf of sourdough bread once.
Castrating?
(I like spinach dip, btw. Bread bowls, not so much.)
DP, it is possible that your sense of humor is too subtle for the room.
Mr. Poland, perhaps these comments are best left for your vlog. Btw, when’s the next one?