May 8, 2024
20 Weeks
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PastePotPete on: 12 Weeks To Oscar: The Battle Of Black Swan
David Poland on: 15 Weeks To Oscar: Don’t You Forget About Me
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johnbritt on: 15 Weeks To Oscar: Don’t You Forget About Me
20 Weeks To Oscar: Rush To Poor Judgment?
12 Weeks To Oscar: The Battle Of Black Swan
15 Weeks To Oscar: Don’t You Forget About Me
26 Weeks To Oscar: The Year Of… Patience
20 Weeks To Oscar – 16 Days To Go.
20 Weeks To Oscar – 11 Weeks To Go
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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
Cheers for the callout to BEOWULF which has the potential to be the one picture than might reduce all of the others to the status of also-rans. It could be a phenomenon and the true revolution in movie-watching that makes IMAX 3D the preferred way to see a picture.
Jeers for the omissions of THE GOLDEN COMPASS and LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA. Both are based on very popular and respected novels and if they find their audiences they could do very well. As far as I know nobody has seen COMPASS yet but the recent final trailer is very strong. The young lead, Dakota Blue Richards, looks like an amazing find, and we know from ABOUT A BOY how skilfull Chris Weitz is with child actors.
Oh, and ENCHANTED should be on the longshot list.
With due respect… if you can find anyone who has anything to do with any of those three films who really thinks there is an opportunity there, please send them my way.
Enchanted is going to have its hands full simply trying to be a $120 million holiday hit. It’s not close to BP quality.
And I think people will soon be buzzing about Susan Sarandon getting a Supporting actress nom for playing the ultimate disney villainous. But picture? no way.
Golden Compass without the emotional ending and inherent sacrifices and deaths has absolutely no chance whatsoever, and it had a snowball’s chance in hell to begin with, but moving those out killed (haha) any possibility of adults enjoying the film more than children (which with the material was a definite possibility), but this makes sure noone cries at the theatre, so that’s got to be good, right?
Intriguing ordering on the BP landscape, any reason why you’re not putting together other charts yet? is everything just too scattershot and fluctuating day to day this year?
I don’t really see Into the Wild enjoying BP love, the central character is a romantic figure/journier but terribly annoying–sort of the male version of the fourteen year old girl besotted with puppy love (I’m thinking Bianca in Taming of the Shrew here). And I think it’s hard for the film to overcome the guy’s shortcomings as a human being (I kept getting frustrated at how deliberately he kept hurting every person he came in contact with without giving a damn about them at all). And I’m the sort predisposed to like films like this.
Likewise it’s hard for me to motivate myself to see Lars and the Real Girl because of the ick factor. It sort of looks sweet but it looks more like it’s really really painful, a comedy of mockery and hurt and at-least-I’m-not-that-bad freakiness. Not for me.
Atonement in fourth? Hmmm.
I’m getting a strong feeling that Julian Schnabel will be this year’s Almodovar and snag surprise – but deserving (apparently) – big category nominations. And then throw in a Max Von Sydow supporting actor nom for good measure.
Do you have pages for the other categories or just best picture?
I hope I am wrong, but nothing in the trailer for CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR indicates quality on ANY level.
And movielocke, your insticts on LARS AND THE REAL GIRL, though expected and understandable, are a complete 180 degrees off what the movie actually delivers. Most peoples’ problem with it is that they find it almost too sweet. Definitely worth a shot.
Ugh; That CHARLIE WILSON’S WAR trailer is terrrrrible. Is it wrong to opine that “American Pie” is the most annoying, depressing, awful song of all time? They’d have lost me at that for good, had I not already been put off by this media blitz that we’re all supposed to give a shit about the BIG SCREEN RETURN OF JULIA ROBERTS!!!!
Who fucking cares?
And as always, I know many of you guys CAN’T offer opinions on this sort of thing due to industry decorum, but is it too much to ask that Tom Hanks LOSE SOME FUCKING WEIGHT? You’re a MOVIE STAR, fat-ass. Also, is he wearing a rug nowadays?
Cut him some slack, Tom Hanks is 51 years old and he’s playing a character who was not svelte himself.
Did that Hanks/Van Sant adaptation of that barista novel fall through? (Pardon me, I’m too lazy to click over to IMDB, which for some reason takes 45 minutes to load on my home 56k connection…)
That would’ve been kind of awesome. Obviously Hanks kinda rules and is definitely Hollywood royalty, but for one of our “greatest actors,” he never does “edgy.”
And don’t gimme etched-in-granite prestige flick “Road to Perdition” as a comeback. I wanna see Hanks sporting shadow and spouting F-bombs while infiltrating a neon-hued grimy porn/drug underworld in some scuzzy, hardcore “8MM”-style crime/revenge flick.
Yes, but is there anybody you don’t want to see doing that?
LexG: Settle down. Julia Roberts is popular. SHOCK!
I like Julia Roberts, and I think she’s a very good actress. I’m not sure but I think that’s grounds for being banned from the internet, so I probably shouldn’t have said that.
As for Lars and the Real Girl. I know quite well and rationally that there’s no ick factor involved other than in the concept of a real girl. But this is sort of like the 40 year old virgin, the title just suggests that it’s about poking fun at someone else’s misery. of course like 40 yo Virgin Lars is probably also completely different than what its title suggests. I’ll still wait til DVD.
Hairspray was well-done and entertaining…
… but come on, Dave, it is on no one’s Oscar radar.
Right. Because one has to be in good shape to be an actor.
Frankly I think it’s part of Hanks’ appeal. He’s never been the handsome, sexy, makes-women-scream star. That’s not how he puts buts in seats. And frankly 50 year olds trying to look buff gets kinda creepy. He’s older, a little heavier, I don’t see what the problem is.
I just can’t wait to watch him hold his own to Philip Seymor Hoffman.
I’m going to try to see some of these “contenders” this weekend.
Gone, Baby, Gone is one of my favorite books in the last ten years I hope the movie holds a candle to it.
LexG, did you really watch the Charlie Wilson’s War trailer and only come out with two superficial responses, A) you hate American Pie and B) Tom Hanks should lose some weight? Gee, how bright and insightful of you.
It seems that the best strategy for Oscars is to wait as long as possible before releasing your movie. It keeps your name in the race for so long that all you have to do is release a movie that is halfway decent and it’ll get nominated. That seems to be the thinking for Charlie Wilson’s War, not showing the film to anybody and knowing that the cast and filmmakers will keep it relevant until its release. But, I have a feeling this might result in another Dreamgirls if the movie isn’t absolutely brilliant. It’s giving other films a chance to gain momentum (Michael Clayton, Before the Devil…).
I think Charlie Wilson’s War looks like it could be good, but the trailer is very cookie-cutter with the music choices. Still, I think the subject matter is so compelling and I can’t imagine that that cast and that director could deliver a mediocre film. It’ll be either brilliant or awful.
I am really in love with Tilda Swinton’s Michael Clayton performance. I would love to see her get nominated and win. I am also hoping that it will be Johnny’s year.