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
Thanks for the library of interviews, I missed that Olivier Assayas one, got to check that out.
I can guarantee you Rod Lurie won’t be smiling when I have lunch with him to discuss his STRAW DOGS remake…
Miami Heat really needs to rock a beard. Also; Lurie will not enjoy the lunch we have, when I give him 2 hours of smack talk for ripping of DAVE in The Contender. SOME THINGS WILL NOT PASS ROD! THEY WILL NOT PASS!
CONTENDER started off in an intriguing manner, Senator in a Chappaquiddick incident, great turns by Sam Elliot, Christian Slater, Jeff Bridges etc – as soon as the film started wearing its political heart on its sleeve and exploited Gary Oldman’s black hat Republican antics towards Joan Allen, the film self-destructed
I still think Rod Lurie’s best film was DETERRENCE with Kevin Pollack as the US prez stuck in a snowstormed diner during the 2nd Iraqi occupation of Kuwait. Enjoyable, though-provoking flick.
BTW if Rod Lurie is reading this: you could do worse than cast Philip Seymour Hoffman or Paul Giamatti for the Dustin Hoffman role in the STRAW DOGS remake.
And why not get Ian McShane as one of the baddies?
The original STRAW DOGS poster is a classic, btw MCN’s Douglas Pratt has a well-written review of the Criterion DVD here: http://www.moviecitynews.com/columnists/pratt/2003/straw_dogs.html
Spacesheik,
Gary Oldman has talked quite a bit about how this film was manipulated and destroyed in post-production and how his complex character was turned into a typical ‘eVil’ Republican depiction.
He maintains that many of his nuanced scenes were edited out to make the film more b & w.
At the time, I remember even Roger Ebert wrote an article about how some in Hollywood were saying Oldman had no chance of an Oscar nod because the experience ‘outed’ him as a conservative.
I have no idea how much truth there is to any of this, but I find the version presented by Oldman very easy to believe.
I want to second that mention of Paul Giamatti – I’d prefer him over PSH who’s been really cerebral for a while.
Didn’t Oldman’s words ruin his career for several years? Not specifically the conservative part, but the part where he lashed out at the producers?
The Contender was 2001. From 2001 (after Hannibal) to 2004 (Potter) Oldman always worked but the calibre of projects is not the same. Obviously, now he is very much in demand again.
How much this has to do with his political views vs. lashing out at producers none of us can really say. I would argue that the politics and taking on the producers was intermingled to the point that it is hard to distinguish the two (especially since one of the background people was Steven Spielberg).
At any rate, the issue was acknowledged by many, not just conservatives who love to bitch about liberal Hollywood. And it doesn’t make a compelling argument that Hollywood tolerates those who are different politically.
Regardless of his views, Oldman is one of the best actors out there and I am glad he is back in demand with high profile projects.
I have been a huge Oldman fan for a long time, and I wanted to like The Contender. I too was greatly disappointed when his character turned into such a stock villain by the end.
a friend of a friend is ray winston. the three of us were sharing a pint when he was doing “beowulf.” ray was staying in malibu with family at time. he said, gary’s around here somewhere, but i have no idea where. calls to gary’s manager go unreturned. the consensus of the group was that the manager (while respected) kept a really tight rein on gary. could be the other reason he hasn’t worked as much in that time period
Rod Lurie is a hack. He hasn’t directed one solid film yet he still keeps getting chances and getting plum projects like STRAW DOGS.
He took the most interesting aspect of THE CONTENDER and made it into a stock character. The evil Republican out to get the perfect liberal. What a bore.
IOIOIOI, DAVE may share some similarities with THE CONTENDER, but it’s a complete rip-off of George M. Cohan’s THE PHANTOM PRESIDENT, right down to the unsuspecting wife.
Wasn’t Guy Pearce on his list for the Hoffman role?
Doesn’t bother me though because I despise Straw Dogs like almost no other.