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
But you should know by now Dave that there are some people who are deliberately negative and they will spin news like that negatively no matter how innacurate and false it is.
Oh, and
“Mouse execs are launching “Plan” next month in Oz and Asia with hopes of duplicating the $85 million foreign take for “The Pacifier.””
Difference is The Pacifier didn’t have American football in it.
Ratatouille is a disappointment in terms of Cars ancillary profits. Those Cars toys are still freakin selling. The ancillary profits off of those toys may be as much as Ratatouille’s international gross. Outside of that… Ratatouille is still one hell of a film even with it’s shitty toy sales.
American Football? Seriously… it’s soccer. Why the rest of the world refuses to use the term that was created by the first ever professional SOCCER club… is beyond me. It shows the arrogance of the world. It really does ;).
At least there shouldn’t be any confusion in Oz, where the national team of not-American football is known as the Socceroos.
How about Order of the Phoenix, David? Even you said it was going to be #3 of the series domestic and #4 WW. You probably don’t owe Warner’s an apology, but it seems that everyone is deciding the fate of a movie before it has a chance to show its legs these days.
It’s called football because it’s played with your feet. A better term for American football would be handball, or as we call it in my family, That Game That They Play Here That We Never Watch Because Of All the Ad Breaks.
Ian; save your snark for Jeff. Again; it’s football because it used to be based off of running the ball and kicking it for points. Very much like a refined form of Rugby. It only changed once the FORWARD pass came into play. Nevertheless; look up the origin of soccer and work it out for yourself.
Soccer is called football everywhere except the U.S. Hence why people outside the U.S. call what Americans call football ‘American football’ to keep it straight. and ‘American’ football doesn’t really sell in movie terms outside of the U.S. Invincible and We Are Marshall (both of which grossed more domestically than Blood Diamond, Flags of our Fathers, Apocalypto or The Prestige last Winter), astonishingly are both going straight to DVD in other territories.
And Friday Night Lights scarcely got seen outside North America despite glowing reviews. So no, i wouldn’t say that ‘Game Plan’ is going to do particularly well in foreign markets.
It always makes me laugh when Americans call that baseball competition the “World Series” when there are only about three countries who play that silly game. In Britain it is a girls game called “Rounders.”
I remember they had to erase the baseball bat Kevin Costner was leaning on in the non-US posters for BULL DURHAM. Baseball and American Football are the kiss of death for movies outside the US. Ice hockey pictures do a little better.
“In Britain it is a girls game called “Rounders.””
Tell us more on this subject, why don’t you?
Rounders, like Cricket, evolved from a gane called Stoolball. Rounders has been played in England since Tudor times, with the earliest reference being in 1744 in “A Little Pretty Pocketbook” where it was called baseball. Most baseball historians accept that their sport is evolved from rounders. Rounders is the name used by Jane Austen in her book “Northanger Abbey”. Rounders is still played in England and Wales by schoolgirls, but ceased to be played by schoolboys after Cricket ceased being the strict perserve of the Upper and Middle Classes.
I was actually more interested in your categorization of which activities are appropriate for boys or for girls. Also, to which game is it most appropriate for one to bring bangers and/or mash?
Fair enough, Glue… though Potter V moving into the 2 spot domestically by $740,498 is a little suspicious, the international was a solid #2 of the series and the #6 movie of ALL TIME. Remarkable.
Well, judging from a remark from a chum a moment ago, Jeff, British girls could certainly play for any Major League baseball side and, for that matter, outplay any man currently playing for the New York Mets, as could, I am reliably informed, their grandmothers.
Yes, this is the subject upon which I would like you to expound. Please tell us more about the genetic and cultural superiority of the British peoples over their lesser American offspring if you have the time?
It’s not hyperbole to say that Ratatouille was a modest domestic disappointment. That said, it had better legs than some expected, and apparently did well internationally. I think it can only be termed a disappointment when judged as a new Pixar movie – with expectations being that they try to do bigger business each time.
Jeff, don’t be ridiculous! The British do not enjoy genetic and cultural superiority over Americans – have you ever see a Scotsman’s teeth? A Welshman’s table manners? A Northern Irishman’s taste in tea towels? The British per se do not enjoy such a superiority; that is something only an Englishman enjoys.
Only in Hollywood could a G-rated movie with a $204 million domestic gross be a “disappointment.” As a former boss once said in a similar situation, “It made money everywhere but in people’s minds.”
Yes; Cricket is such a manly game. I would also like to thank Ian for belittling the people’s of Latin america, Japan, parts of Asia, and North America. Good call on you Ian. Freakin mental git.
Hey, DP, I’ve been writing about Rat’s intl box office from Disney’s perspective for a few weeks now. It is an underappreciated story for sure. As noted in the thread, the merchandising will never match Cars but Disney execs have said Cars blew away all other Pixar films for merchandising so that comparison might not be fair. From the perspective of a Disney shareholder, I think the story is that analysts were very cautious about Rat and it will exceed the estimates in their spreadsheets. That includes box office and all ancillaries. Thus good news if you care about it from a stock perspective as I do.
One other thing, most of the upside for Rat abroad is the ridiculously large numbers in France. $65 million vs. $14 million for Cars in France and North Africa. Hmmm, maybe that will help EuroDisney.
Ian is giving actual Englishmen a bad name.
jeff, why stop there?
Ian is giving humanity a bad name.
^Whoa, my friend! Has it actually been established that Ian is human? I’m not sure I can make that leap of logic with you.
“and ‘American’ football doesn’t really sell in movie terms outside of the U.S. Invincible and We Are Marshall … astonishingly are both going straight to DVD in other territories.”
True. I think the only movie with American Football (I use the term to avoid confusion considering only America seems to play your variety, right?) that made any money down here at least was Remembering the Titans. Even that Adam Sandler movie and Any Given Sunday did very poorly if memory serves. Their domestic/international ratio at Box Office Mojo suggests as much.
Ian is a clown and has a funny post ratio of about 1 in 10 which is about 9 in 10 lower than he thinks it is.
He also raves about any English film even though most are rubbish. The first ‘Elizabeth’ (which also starred a former ‘soccer’ star Eric Cantona and quiz show host Angus Deayton) was borderline crap (saved only by Blanchett) and his glowing remarks about the sequel will ensure I wont get anywhere near it, since he seems to like everything I hate, not to mention the fact that 24% on rottentomatoes says it all.
Oh and American Football and Baseball are both great sports. Ice Hockey no the other hand… then again isn’t it practically dying in the States anyway?
I’m from London btw.