April 18, 2024
BYOB
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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
Nothing? Really? Nothing at all? Schucks.
They showed Julia Louis-Dreyfuss and Jay Leno on the Australian news tonight “down in the trenches” for the writer’s guild. Interesting.
Nice article Noah, but it needs some serious proofreading…
A note on the draw of American Gangster:
A good friend who goes to about 2 movies a year (if that) asked me to take him to AG. Since I had already seen it and loved it, I had no problem with taking him. He was getting antsy with the length at about the 2:15 mark and we both thought that the ending seemed rushed but he said that it was an excellent film and was pleased that he went.
The other movie he saw this year was The Simpsons Movie.
My wife (who recently said she wanted to see more movies like Hot Fuzz) and I (we’re both 30-years old) went and saw Superbad at the second run theater. While I thought it was okay-funny, she turned to me at the end and said, “I think I’m too old for dick jokes.”
I really enjoyed Noah’s article this week! Especially since I had the chance to see both Gone Baby Gone and The Assassination of Jesse Jammes by the Coward Robert Ford last week, and was very impressed by Casey Affleck’s work in both of them! Two very different performances, both enhancing their features significantly.
What are the chances he could get a double nomination (best actor / best supporting actor)? That would be a well-deserved treat!
I’m not going to bother reading Noah’s column after the asshole he made of himself last week.
Funny, that’s how I feel about you.
How is stating your opinion in a reasonable, non-insulting to others way… making an asshole of oneself? And why does this blog tend to bring out the worst in some people? :o(
The first review of “Fred Claus” appeared this morning on Variety’s website, and it sure wasn’t good (Brian Lowry said “FC” was akin to “dumping coal into everyone’s holiday stocking”).
WB won’t let me see it until tonight–at one of those ghastly promos all the studios love so much–but I’m starting to wonder whether it’s really going to be the b.o. slamdunk I’ve been predicting since the teaser began running in theaters last xmas.
And 115 minutes seems awfully long for a Santa Claus movie, doesn’t it?
I’m gonna cut and paste the “Why We Strike” piece into Word today and read it, because reading long think pieces in a narrow column flanked by fat red bars gives me neausea and a headache. But I really want to read it, because Dave gets this stuff.
movieman: seriously, even if you’ve never believed anything i’ve ever posted before, believe this… ‘fred claus’ is one of the biggest wastes of time you will have at the movies this year…. i was told i ‘had’ to see it in order to do interviews and regretted that deal with the devil twenty minutes in….really…stay home…do laundry, make out your xmas card list, braid your hair….ANYTHING is better than having to sit through this……jus’ sayin’….
I’m a sucker for holiday movies, but unless “Fred Claus” gets some sort of decent response I think I’ll pass.
Crazycris, glad you liked the column. Can anyone else think of any other actors who have been overlooked by the Academy in recent years because their performance wasn’t “showy” enough? Like I said in the column, I think Matt Damon in The Good Shepherd for sure and I would add Ralph Fiennes in The Constant Gardener, Ethan Hawke or Julie Delpy for Before Sunset and maybe Jeff Daniels for the Squid and the Whale. Any others come to mind?
Viggo Mortensen in History of Violence? also in Alatriste (but since that one’s in Spanish, i guess it was to be expected, pity, he really did an excellent job bringing a beloved historical novel character to life)
Scooter- You and the Variety reviewer were right: “Fred Claus” is a crushing disappointment, and a criminal waste of so many talented actors (Giamatti, Vaughn, Richardson, Bates, Weisz, Spacey).
And for a big-bucks studio movie, it sure looks awfully chintzy.
I always thought that “Wedding Crashers” was overrated anyway (“The 40-Year-Old Virgin” did a much better job of combining raunch and heart in summer ’05), so this movie’s “suck-age” really shouldn’t come as a surprise. (“Clay Pigeons” reminds David Dobkin’s best movie to date.)
With luck, this stinker will evaporate as quickly as “Deck the Halls” did last year.
I’m still predicting a boffo opening weekend, but w.o.m. should capsize it before Thanksgiving. One can always hope.
oops; meant to say “Clay Pigeons” REMAINS DD’s best movie.
I don’t know about you, Scooter, but “Bee Movie” is looking pretty damn good to me right about now.
Hell, Schwarzenegger’s “Jingle All the Way” seems like a Yuletide classic compared to this curdled eggnog of a movie.
movieman– the day i saw ‘fred claus’ i also had to see ‘bee movie’….. not a good day, i’m afraid….
On the theme of Afflecks, I wouldn’t have had an issue with Ben Affleck being nominated for Hollywoodland, which I just watched on DVD today. Movie wasn’t worth much but Affleck was fine.
And Steve Carell (and Paul Dano for that matter) were better than Alan Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine.
It was a good piece Noah. Haven’t seen GBG but Affleck was amazing in Jesse James.
Scooter- My single worst day as a working critic this year was having to suffer through “Good Luck Chuck” and “The Game Plan” back to back. I still get shivers thinking about it.
Like those two abominations, “Claus” is definitely a candidate for my 10-worst list. I’m still trying to figure out how it all went so diastrously wrong.
Even the promo crowd–a notoriously easy-to-please bunch just happy to see a free movie (any movie)–seemed disheartened.
I could sense a palpable relief in the auditorium when the damn thing finally ended and they could go home.
Scooter- My single worst day as a working critic this year was having to suffer through “Good Luck Chuck” and “The Game Plan” back to back. I still get shivers thinking about it.
Like those two abominations, “Claus” is definitely a candidate for my 10-worst list. I’m still trying to figure out how it all went so diastrously wrong.
Even the promo crowd–a notoriously easy-to-please bunch just happy to see a free movie (any movie)–seemed disheartened.
I could sense a palpable relief in the auditorium when the damn thing finally ended and they could go home.