May 19, 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
For a second I thought Borat was meeting possible incoming House Majority Leader John Murtha.
I know, I’m weird.
Dave come on. Your incessant SBC deep throating is beyond tiring. You love the guy – we get it. Can we get something new up on this blog thats worth discussing. The sheer fact of only 50 comments in an entire week should be enough to kick start a new obession for you. Borat is so yesterday.
Yea, Dave. Stop doing what you wanna do on your blog.
Me, I’ll take a side of Borat with every damn thing you post. Best thing to happen to pop culture all year.
More, please.
I second that. Thanks for posting this since I couldn’t find it on You Tube and in many ways it is more entertaining than the straight ahead Borat interview.
That was funnier than some of the bits in the movie. Thanks for sharing it.
Agreed. Thanks, Poland. Very funny….except for that drip Leno.
Keep Borat postings coming, I love this guy, just saw the movie.
Remember to wipe your chins boys.
Kinda bitter there, Doc.
Do you want people to be less enthusiastic? Would that make you happier?
I really don’t get it.
Hopefully without sounding sarcastic, which I honestly do not wish to be, I agree with JBD that there is a certain degree of overhype which may be proceeding, with perhaps a ‘bandwagon’ effect. I’m sure, DP, that you don’t want SBC’s Oscar campaign to peak early.
Again… nothing is sincere to those who disagree. Zzzzzzz
Was that meant for the other thread perhaps?
Not at all Dave. But the fannish worship is all rather predictable and not very illuminating. Remember I liked the film, just didn’t get a hard on that lasted more than a month like many. I think his one note schtick has been plowed enough by all asundry and perhaps we can leap for glee over something else. I’m not jumping on punchlines but here’s a question – Who wants to hear the same joke every single fucking day?
Answer: A moron.
Seen HOAX yet?
That was fricking great, thanks Dave. It makes me think how jaded we’ve become because that’s straight up, comedy gold. Cynical jackasses like Edouglas and JB’s Doc wait in the wings to shit on things that are funny or ” not innovative”..but what’s the point of that? Can’t we just laugh and not have to have not “seen it before?” Or wait, did you have to see it first? I too, don’t get it.
Also…kudos to Wrecktum for bringing the term “drip” back to my vocab. That term needs a rebirth!
I don’t think you are totally offbase, JBD. But from my perspective I have been a fan of the character and Sacha as a whole since the HBO show. I’m sure others are as well. I think the basis of my “can’t get enough Borat” is that for all intents and purposes, the character will be gone as soon as the movie fades. Yea, he isn’t nearly as funny when people are in on the joke, but the character is going to be mothballed, I would think, and this admitted overexposure may represent the last chance to enjoy it before it becomes blah to even the most dedicated fans. You’ve obviously tired of it sooner. Fine. But there is a certain “get it while you can” thing going on, at least from my perspective.
I look forward to him moving on with original work, and moving on to something else–as I was feeling about LORD OF THE RINGS 20 minutes after seeing ROTK–but I appreciate DP feeding the obsession a bit more.
$9.7 million on Friday. Looks like those $30 million estimates are in the ballpark. Impressive.
Proof that there is nothing more subjective than comedy. I liked the movie, though not nearly as much as most people seem to, but that clip was barely amusing and mostly lame. It’s just awkward when people know his shtick and try to inject their own jokes to show everyone they’re cool and “get it.” Plus, Jay Leno has never been funny and is the worst interviewer of real people or characters alive.
It’s funny how everyone spoke recently about Dane Cook not being funny as though it were a fact they found in a science book, but if you hint that Borat isn’t the savior of humankind then they’re shocked.
I’m not saying Dane Cook is funny or Borat isn’t, I just don’t understand how people treat funny like an inexorable truth.
I’m not all that into Borat’s schtick (seems like that Russian comic from the 80s, just more crass), but I laughed out loud when Jay asked Martha if she liked it with two men.
I am completely cool with anyone who doesn’t find Borat or Baron Cohen funny.
And I am completely cool with someone not believing in SBC’s Oscar chances.
What I find uncool – and yes, J Mc, it happens in other threads – is the need to tell people who are enthusiastic that they are slavish idiots.
The reality, in my eye, is that every month or so there is some subject that becomes so prevalent that it gets obnoxious after a while. I understand that frustration. But just because your kid or your wife or your best friend wants ot eat macaroni and cheese every single day for months on end is no reason to attack the kid or the food. I think it is perfectly reasonable to say, “I can’t believe that you are eating that stuff every single day. I’d be bored. Why aren’t you?”
But instead, what often happens is it becomes, “Macaroni & Cheese is for kids! And it makes you fat! And you have no palette! And you’re an idiot for eating it every day!”
There is a huge difference between,
Honestly, he’s stretching the character far too much with this PR stuff lately. It isn’t nearly as funny as it was on the show. It feels forced to me, I don’t know.
But the final bit with the pants was great.
well Martha took that very well. It’s not every rich jailbird financier who would take it in stride to be sold by Jay Leno (he irritates the $@#% out of me) to Borat.
Dave that was an elegant restrained reply and I won’t lessen your analogy by being sarcastic. Mainly because I agree with it. I’m not begrudging those loving SBC’s schtick – and I do see it as nothing more than schtick – but for some of us this feels nearly a decade old now. And trust me – there is funnier material being produced in the UK at the moment than BORAT. However now that the floodgates have opened, expect to see some other big screen transitions from his compadres down the line…
It’s schtick when he does the talkshow circuit. Promotes the film well though.
It is most definitely not schtick on the “Da Ali G show” or the current film. The film in particular, is just great fucking piece of acting.
Can you parse that for me? As far as I’m concerned, schtick is schtick, even when it’s good schtick or bad schtick.
Speaking of the film in particular, it transcends schtick because it comes off as a true characterization. You actually feel an inner life to the character. Regardless of how ludicrous the scenarios might get, Borat’s emotionality is genuine. And like any great acting performance, all those emoting beats by Sacha Baron Cohen add up to a whole much greater than sum of those parts. People care about Borat’s character the way you care about any riveting character, in any kind of fictional cinematic narrative. That’s great acting….period. Great acting (regardless of genre) transcends mere schtick in my book.
On the talkshow circuit, he’s only a punchline. A usually pretty funny one, and more entertaining than the usual guests – but basically limited to being a one dimensional presence because of that context. He’s really closer to Conan’s Triumph during the talkshow promotion, than the sublime, almost Cin
That makes sense, I guess where I disagree is in the ‘true characterization’ realm. In the movie itself, SBC’s performance is uneven, in that I think there are scenes where he actually does get into ‘genuine emotionality’ but then also scenes where it is mere schtick for the sake of the gags.
I’m going to see it again soon, so it’ll be interesting whether my observations on the performance hold. On one viewing, it felt pretty focused as a characterization (ie: not conflicting).
But we’ll see….