By David Poland poland@moviecitynews.com
Space… The Final Place To Argue
Discussions are breaking out in other entries… so here is a place for random internal discussions…
As always, try to be civil.
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
Is Delaware really a state? I mean I’ve never met anyone from Delaware. I don’t know of a single movie set in Delaware. I Wikipedia “Delaware” and they just show a blank map of North America… it says the largest city is Wilmington (which is actually in North Carolina) and the capital is Dover (which is in England).
Someone needs to get to the bottom of this Delaware business.
Delaware is a state and they are responsible for American Mech production since 1932! We would not have won the mech war of 1983 without their quality MECHS! This — of course — is a shadow economy. Which means what Delaware produces remains a mystery to most people.
Fight Club was set in Delaware.
Now a list of famous Delwareans:
Valerie Bertinelli (2000 – ) Actress married to heavy metal guitarist Eddie Van Halen. Born in Wilmington, DE (81)
Robert Montgomery Bird (1806 – 1854) Playwright, author. Born in New Castle, DE (86)
Annie Jump Cannon (1863 – 1941) Astronomer. Born in Dover, DE (82)
Joseph M. Carey (1845 – 1924) Mayor of Cheyenne, first U.S. Senator from Wyoming and Governor of Wyoming. Born in Milton, DE (666)
Henry Heimlich (1920 – ) Surgeon and inventor, developed the Heimlich Maneuver to save choking victims. Born in Wilmington, DE (83)
Sugar Ray Leonard (1941 – ) Olympic boxing champion who won 5 gold medals; He also won other numerous awards and was a member of one of the best boxing teams ever. Born in Wilmington, DE (422)
Teri Polo (1969 – ) Actress, famous for roles in movies such as Aspen Extreme and Meet the Parents. Born in Dover, DE (89)
Howard Pyle (1853 – 1911) Artist, author. Born in Wilmington, DE (84)
Caesar Rodney (1728 – 1784) Patriot, signer of Declaration of Independence; lived in Kent county. Born in Kent County, DE (88)
Elisabeth Shue (1963 – ) Actress, famous for roles in movies like The Karate Kid and Leaving Las Vegas. Born in Wilmington, DE (85)
For a brief history of Delaware; please visit your local library or this link: http://portal.delaware.gov/facts/history/delhist.shtml .
Crudely drawn white kid: “NOW I KNOW”
ROADBLOCK: “AND KNOWING IS HALF THE BATTLE… ”
CHORUS: “DELAWARE DOESSSSSSSSSSSNNNTTT BLOWWWWWW!”
Still not convinced….sounds made up to me.
Hey good work, IO. Now take blood samples from these people, put them each in a petri dish and heat up a needle. Now stick the needle in the blood (go ahead and do yourself too, buddy). Let me know if anything happens.
Plus, as Mel Brooks proved, it makes a swell rhyme with “well aware.”
But what did Delaware, boys, what did Delaware?
Noah, the TV vs. Movies article is interesting, but there a few things I have to quibble with;
In a TV vs. Movies discussion, the show Heroes really doesn’t have a place, especially when arguing in favor of the former. It’s picked up every trick comic books have to offer, which is the main complaint lobbied against film these days. That it’s not based on a particular comic just makes it feel disingenuous, not original. Kring’s distancing himself from other superhero product doesn’t fool me.
Also, as for creating compelling characters, Veronica Mars was created back in 2004–and her show’s run has ended anyways. And two of the year’s most celebrated TV shows, Ugly Betty and Friday Night Lights, are remakes. So I don’t think it gets that many points for originality.
TV has grown a lot this last decade, but at its best, it does have a lot of the same vices as television.
Skyblade, thanks for reading the article first off.
See, I think Heroes does have a place in the discussion because I think it does the whole comic-book/superhero thing better than most movies of the sort. I think it’s because of the episodic nature of comic books that it makes a more natural transition to the small screen. What makes it most intriguing to me is that by having a show that runs for years, potentially, we get superheroes that have more depth than in most mainstream films. Granted, most of the storylines and superpowers are rehashed from comic books but it reminded me most of Unbreakable actually because it was setting superhero characters in a real(ish) world. Perhaps you’re not a big fan, but I find it compelling television that had me watching every episode in about two days (after downloading on iTunes) and Spider-man 3 had me tuned out halfway through a two-hour and change feature!
Veronica Mars is show that just got cancelled at the end of last season, so I think it was still a point for television. Friday Night Lights is indeed based on a film, but that film is based on a book and that book is based on real life. It might have a similar premise to both of those titles, but the characters are completely new and original and the storylines are fascinating and are given more time to grow organically (like Jason Street’s paralysis rehabilitation). Ugly Betty I only watched a few episodes of, but it seemed derivative from the start.
I think movies and TV have a lot of the same problems, but I think that TV has become a viable competition to movies for the first time because television producers and writers are finally taking advantage of what TV can offer (namely: long character arcs and episodes that can bleed into one another).
For me, Lost has been the single best thing in pop culture in the past three years and Scrubs makes me laugh consistently every week.
interesting article, noah. i too enjoy “friday night lights,” “scrubs” and “heroes.” also, enjoyed “veronica mars” immensely.
i think it’s harder to remain consistently good in television as the time constraints are short. 8 days to shoot a one hour, 5 days to shoot 1/2 hour.
ironically, the thing you like most about television (the continuing storylines) is also what drives people away from shows. because it’s so hard to jump in the middle, people would rather not then play catch up. so, a lot of shows try to balance a sense of completion within an episode with longer running storylines. it’s especially noticeable in the final season of “veronica mars.” creators went to self-contained storylines, with a hint of longer term storys (but they only lasted 3-6 episodes)
Yeah, I hated that the last few episodes of V-Mars tried to be self-contained.
I think, though, that in this day and age of box-set DVDs and episode downloads on iTunes that it makes it easier for people to start at the beginning. It used to be that you couldn’t just catch a show halfway through its run because you wouldn’t be able to catch those episodes you missed, but now you can so it shouldn’t be as daunting.
yes, but the box sets don’t come out til after the season is over. look at “kidnapped.” good series, but people were afraid to jump on fearing early cancellation. ditto “the nine.”
Yeah, I think that is definitely a problem with new television shows. It becomes a kind of self-fulfilling prophecy when folks say to themselves “it sounds interesting, but it’ll probably be cancelled so I’m not gonna watch” and then it gets cancelled because nobody watched.
Veronica Mars didn’t take place in Delaware. Everyone knows it took place in Rhode Island.
Jeez!
actually, neptune, california
“brotherhood” takes place in rhode island. also a good show.
and since this is the random talk post, whatever happened with the don murphy “tranformers” bets? never heard the follow ups
so i’m at home sick today and i see Julie Taymor on Oprah.
Oprah has called her a ‘genius’ almost 8 times now.
I haven’t seen the film, but is there anything about Across the Universe that says ‘genius’ other than the songs?
The guy is named Jude. The girl is named Lucy. Set in the turbulent 60’s.
Is that genius? Really?
It’d be like doing a movie musical of the songs of Creedence Clearwater Revival and having the main character be a boy on the Bayou. That’s not genius.
Every time i see clips from it, i keep thinking it looks like the Beatles catalog seen through the eyes of a mediocre community theater troupe.
I might see it (the wife wants to), and it might even be entertaining, but genius?
I did enjoy Taymor talking about how the Producers ‘backed her up’. That was worth a chuckle or two.
I have yet to see Across the Universe (although I’ll probably go tonight), but based on Taymor’s previous two films I would say that she might be a genius stage director, but has no idea what to do with film. Perhaps Across the Universe will be the film where she really shines, but I find her work to be, well, theatrical. Titus and Frida were both completely overblown, overly stylized films that would have been much better in the hands of a more subtle filmmaker. But I think that the word “subtlety” is not in Taymor’s vocabulary.
Since Transformers is not going to be the highest grossing movie of the year (although it still made about $40m more than I thought it would) I am under no obligation to drink bleach. Don, even though he loses the bet, never ponied anything up so he’s free to roll around in his big pile of money.
Is anyone else out there having trouble with Yahoo! Mail lately? Used to be very reliable. But now…
Julie Christie deserves an Oscar nomination for “Away from Her.” And so does Gordon Pinsent. Just watched the DVD. This is a very difficult story to sit through (hitting way too close to my home), but everyone is to be commended for doing it.
And the deleted scenes on the DVD are very interesting. At least one of them should have been left in.
Julie Taymor’s reputation as a genius must rest soley on her stage work, because her films have been mediocre at best.
Now I was really excited to see ACROSS THE UNIVERSE – until I saw the trailer, which makes it look corny and lame. Hopefully I’m wrong, but unless someone smart tells me the film is actually good, I might have to wait until video based on the trailer.
Adorian, I agree with you completely, especially the Gordon Pinsent part. I feel like he hasn’t been getting nearly enough credit for his performance because everyone has been wowed by Julie Christie, but he is definitely the anchor of that flick. I just wrote about that in a column that should go up sometime next week.
Carpetmuncher, I agree that the trailer for Across the Universe was terrible and if the film is anything like that preview, I don’t think I’ll make it through the whole thing. But I’m seeing it in a few hours, so wish me luck!
Just got out of Across The Universe at The Arc. Oddly enough it reminds me of Snyder’s 300. Julie Taymor understands that The Beatles were fools, idealists and more than a little silly. And her adaptation captures just that… it’s over-indulgent at times (think The White Album) and wears its liberal ideas on its sleeve but it’s also COMPLETELY ALIVE and if you’re willing to give yourself to it (yes a character named Prudence will have “Dear Prudence” sung to her) it can be overwhelming experience. Some snob Beatle-philes I can imagine will probably have liked a more polished approach (Chicago, Dreamgirls) or more flamboyant one (Moulin Rouge, All That Jazz). But Taymor’s connection to the music is exhilarating and her imagery is bold and cinematic without ever coming off as pedantic… the recreations of the sound have a rawness you don’t normally see in adaptations… “Happiness is a Warm Gun” set in an infirmary… Eddie Izzard rapping “Mr Kite,” Joe Cocker’s “Come Together” performed as both pauper and pimp. Like the Baz Luhrmann film the ideas and themes take a back seat to pure sensation, but this time it doesn’t wear you out. At 2:20 minutes it’s admittedly too long but everything fits together so well I can’t think of a number that should be cut (well, except maybe the last two). This is truly a special film… heroic, artistic and again, more than a little silly.
(Funny though that such a guy-friendly musical would be directed by a woman)
You’d cut “all you need is love”? that was the only moment that I connected with, emotionally.
I know most of you either get to see press screenings or don’t necessarily rush out to see everything first weekend, but COULD a few trillion more movies come out this weekend (in LA and NY)? What’s the rush?
By my count, in addition to the big wide releases of Brave One and Woodcock, limited engagement openings for:
Eastern Promises
Across the Universe
King of California
In the Valley of Elah
Hunting Party (2nd week in some places)
Silk
And next weekend is equally packed, with the addition of Jesse James and Into the Wild in limited.
Seems the pace slows down a notch next month, but is there a reason this many distant Oscar hopefuls are rushed out into half-assed runs in mid-September?
Kambei, the emotional highpoint for me came at “Hey Jude.” But of course Taymor had to end the piece on a note of love instead of longing… so yeah.
(That Ebert cracks me up. He saw Universe twice and still thinks the Prudence character has the hots for Max, writing “one scene suggests she might have lesbian feelings as well.” Ha!)
Yeah, that was strange, especially as he was apparently awake during “i want to hold your hand.” “hey jude” was another emotional high point for me. I liked the movie, but was a little let down that taymor didn’t manage to bring those levels to the rest of songs–“dear prudence” is one of my favourite songs, but it just didn’t move me in the film.
I have to say that Across the Universe is sounding pretty intriguing to me. Just the thought of hearing Hey Jude (one of my five favorite songs and probably the best drunken singalong song ever) in stereo sound in a theater could be worth the price of admission.
If we’re talking random stuff, here, how about the trailer for Iron Man? Wow, just fun stuff! The effects look good and it just looks like a kick to see Downey Jr. play a superhero. Anybody else looking forward to it?
Geoff, I’ve never cared for the character of Iron Man, but I remember him being lampooned pretty good in old issues of Toy Fare. Oh yes, I am that nerd. Anyhow, the trailer is pretty fantastic. I am intrigued because of Downey Jr playing a superhero of sorts.
As for my random contribution: Saw Eastern Promises and Shoot ‘Em Up. EP definitely one of the best of the year for me, and SEU is damn fun time. Still after watching both, I can’t help but return to EP. I wish my friends would hurry up and see it, cos I wanna talk about it lots.
Joe – Yahoo! Mail switched some of its internal settings a couple of weeks ago, which knocked it off my Blackberry for five days. (I am on a Yahoo! related ISP, sbcglobal.) It might be a strain of the same problem.
Crow T
I love the Beatles. Have all of their records and think they are some sort of geniuses, and that is a phrase I rarely use. And yet I wretch at the trailer for Universe.
What I liked about Chicago and Dreamgirls is that they took the music and made it seem relevant to a modern audience.
Across the Universe, by setting the film smack dad right in the 60’s make the Beatles seem the opposite of timeless. It limits them to an era that they may have been a part of but transcended. I certainly do not need yet one more overly romanticized view of teens in the 60’s when so much context and history has happened since then.
This seems like more a film set to romanticize baby boomers memories of their past as opposed to anything that is relevant now. It also dates the Beatles as opposed to letting them live outside the era.
I am sure it is well art directed, but I have no interest in seeing this flick. I am glad you enjoyed it, but these are just my initial thoughts as a Beatles fan.
Nicol: I say this not to start an argument, or toss an insult, but simply to give you something in the way of a consumer alert — Don’t go see Across the Universe. I strongly suspect you will not like it. Indeed, I am borderline certain you will hate it. Seriously. I think that, sometimes, you should go with your gut instinct after reading reviews and hearing comments, and simply pass on a movie you’re pretty sure will be an unpleasant experience for you. (Yes, that’s why I passed on “Hostel II.”) I mean, life is short. One should set priorities.
Joe,
I don’t take it as an insult at all. Like I said, films do not exist in a vacuum.
Neither I, nor you can see every film ever made. We must always exercise judgement when deciding what films to see and what not to.
As a Beatles fan and a fan of Evan Rachel Wood, Across the Universe is pretty low on my list.
As I have noted elsewhere, I am at a point in my life where I see only those films I have to see (to review, usually) or want to see. Some movies fall into both categories. Some fall into neither.
ATU feels less like a hymn to the boomers than a dreadful failure of imagination on the story level. Did they feel like they had to set it in the 60s so they could have a Vietnam storyline? Couldn’t they figure out a way to tell a current story and bring the music in to tell that? Seems like that would make it feel more timeless.
In the end it just seems like a cracked idea because it tries to condense the work of a group of people over a long period of time into telling one story. Maybe I have a lack of imagination, but I love that their music changed and adapted and transformed rather than tried to draw a staright line between “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” and “Hey Jude”. And a cast of characters named Jude, Sadie, Prudence, Max, and Dr. Robert just feels like a bad high school production to me. Sorry.
Lastly, the shot of the weepy-eyed waif sitting next to the river singing “Blackbird” makes me hope HOSTEL III gets the fast track. I can’t stand torture porn, but I prefer it to pretentious preciousness any day.
I am already having thoughts of the Bee Gees floating in the sky with diamonds as Steve Martin flies his kite in a field of Strawberries as George Burns watches over the proceedings.
Yeah, I couldn’t avoid thinking about that either. But without Earth, Wind, and Fire why sit through ATU?
Oddly enough I had the same feeling about TITUS. The Roman legion needed a little funk.