April 26, 2024
Box Office
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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 it too soon to begin eulogizing “Bee Movie”?
I’m getting “Cat in the Hat” vibes, and that ain’t pretty.
With the triple whammy of “Fred Claus,” “Mr. Magorium” and “Enchanted” just around the bend, DW had better hope for some bee-licious w.o.m.
It’s unbelievable that New Line couldn’t even get a “Last Mimzy” sized opening from “Martian Child.”
Is it because they simply did a better marketing job on a (worse) film directed by N-L major domo Bob Shaye?
Or did they just pick a really lousy opening date?
Either way, it’s inexcusable.
“Martian” isn’t anything special, but you can bet your ass that if was “Disney’s ‘Martian Child'” it would be a completely different box-office story.
Which, come to think of it, it probably should have been (i.e., a Disney movie).
“AG” should be sitting pretty at least through Thanksgiving weekend since there isn’t another “big” adult movie on the horizon between now and then.
And we all know that “Lions for Lambs” will be a complete non-starter for Cruise’s new, but not necessarily improved United Artists.
AG is pretty much perfect. An amazing start.
Several comments&questions about AG:
Already the knives are out, NYpost.com has a destroying article about Frank (blah blah blah) reminescent to the character assassination of the Hurricane….Frank got $300,000 for his story…Frank is a drug dealer pure and simple…Denzel & Universal bought Frank a $500K house….just totally unbelievable….I cannot imagine a studio that just paid over $100Mil making a movie giving this guy $500K, let alone Denzel Washington….but the bad part is they drag Richie into the story, like — he didn’t get paid at all….B.S. Richie got paid for his rights too, but they don’t report that.
The Awards-crushing stories are starting…deja vu all over again.
Well, Chicago… the trouble is that the real story is so dramatically different than the movie. And the men involved are alive and giving a lot of interviews. It is going to be interesting to see whether any of the “its not accurate” stuff will have traction with voters.
Personally, I think that the probelms with the film are a bigger issue. This is not The Departed.
Still, if Charlie Wilson and Sweeney come up lame, it could be a playah.
I don’t think it will. It didn’t with A Beautiful Mind.
“Personally, I think that the probelms with the film are a bigger issue. This is not The Departed.”
That’s probably a good thing, since that was just last year.
I have a question… what’s with the really low number for Jesse James?! Hasn’t that been given a decent release? I saw it last night and thought it was fantastic! An iconic character (played by a popular actor, and accompanied by another excellent performance by C.Affleck), some fabulous cinematography… and the 2 1/2h just fly by it so well put together, you just let yourself float along witht he story. How come this hasn’t done any better?!
^^^ Theater count at the most 200+.
300+, my bad
ok, so that means they’re pretty much abandoning it to its fate? or any chance more people out there will get the possibility to go see it? shesh! these studios who put all this money into making a movie, and then don’t bother with promoting it or distributing it properly! I don’t get it… bloody frustrating! :o(
The R rated adult skewing gangster drama beat out the family friendly computer animated comedy. What will Michael Medved say? Does anyone care?
Speaking of Medved, does anyone know the fake movie from the Golden Turkey Awards book? That has haunted me for the past thirty years….
Warners fumbled big time with “JJ.”
Instead of platforming it to death, they should have just bitten the bullet and opened it on 1800+ screens in late September.
The quasi-surprising success of fellow oater “3:10 to Yuma” a few weeks earlier and Brad Pitt’s marquee value would have generated a decent (if hardly spectacular) opening weekend.
At this rate, the poor baby will never even hit $5-million domestic.
Terrence Malick’s “The New World” was just as outre–and received nearly identical love-it-or-hate-it reviews–yet still managed to triple “JJ”‘s cume. Go figure.
Adding insult to injury, I read in Variety that WB has officially written “JJ” off, and aren’t even going to bother giving it the anticipated “for-your-consideration” awards hustle.
no awards hustle?! they’ve got two excellent actors doing damn good jobs in very interesting roles!!! it’s scary what a little incompetence can accomplish…
“The R rated adult skewing gangster drama beat out the family friendly computer animated comedy. What will Michael Medved say? Does anyone care?”
I haven’t cared what Medved has to say about anything since hearing him whine that women shouldn’t have gotten voting rights. Didn’t really wait around to see if he thought the abolition of slavery was a dumb-ass idea too.
But thanks to his other bemoanings, seeing an R-rated movie in the number one position, no matter how awful that movie might be in some cases, always makes me smile just a little bit more.
It’s kind of breathtaking to look at that list of awards movies and see how threadbare most of their chances are. Dan in Real Life – No. We Own the Night – No. Eastern Promises – Nope. 3:10 to Yuma – Probably not. The Brave One – No (unless the Best Actress category starts sighting tumbleweeds). On and on. Awards chances are going faster than the film cans for “Talk To Me”.
Someone please tell Jake Gyllenhaal to stop the fake straight public epic love story with Reese because it really didn’t succeed in drumming up any box office success for Rendition. Their constant PDA makes me gag, and not the good kind of gag.
^^^ do you all go to the same gym?
did this movie make $375Mil worldwide:
Live Free or Die Hard Fox 374,443,221
Tell me no no no! 50c movie did not make that much money worldwide (see Klady)
OH NO! Wrong movie title! Whew!
“Still, quality is not enough to get people to see a black-star movie in the rest of the world”
We will see a movie with black actors in it, but we tend not to go see movies that revolve around african-american issues. I know some people actually consider that racist (some dude in the NY Times called international audiences “the new south” ugh) but it’s just that by and large we don’t relate to “urban” films at all. Just like Americans don’t relate to most films made outside of America.
Duh, but I meant to add – I got sidetracked – that AG is a more universal storyline and with Russell Crowe as well, plus a hip-hop soundtrack (hip-hop translates, men in fat suits don’t) will guarantee some success, but I doubt it’ll do better internationally than domestic.
So Will Smith isn’t black?!?!?
Hallick,
Your comments about Medved make you a complete ignoramus and a dumb-ass. Feel free to disagree with the man’s views on film. But to misrepresent and lie about him in such a ridiculous way makes you seem like a complete and utter fool.
“Your comments about Medved make you a complete ignoramus and a dumb-ass.”
I object to the word “complete” in that sentence. Nobody’s perfect – not even dumb-ass ignorami like myself.
My comment about Michael Medved’s views on women and their right to vote was based on my first hand experience of his syndicated radio show when I lived in Oregon a few years ago. If he’s gone and left the ranks of our dumbass ignorami by pulling the keyster off his head and changed his opinion since, I so apologize Nicol.
As for the R rating stuff, well, whatever good point he had about balancing the movie theater ecosystem with family-friendly fare was beshitted by his choice to slam so many R rated movies to make that point. In too many of his reviews, I’ve seen him penalize movies for being rated R and having adult content (and no, I can’t remember which ones specifically – what part of DUMB-ass are you not understanding?); that’s one of the reasons I gave up on the man’s criticism.
“Jesse James” played on two screens in the entire Orlando-metro area for two solid weeks, and has since been pulled. It actually had a shorter theatrical run here than The Fountain, which I thought took the cake with a lengthy three week stint.
Medved should have stuck with the Golden Turkey Awards.
**SPOILERS for Once**
I see Once at the top of your Aspiring Films list, and I’ve seen alot of Oscar ads for Once, on your sites and others, and the one with the A.O. Scott quote “Not a single false note” I find especially, well, false. I liked pretty much everything about this movie – until the last act, which to me is one long false note. I don’t need a happy ending, expect it or even want it – but I do like an ending that’s earned. And though it was a nice wistful ending, the film hadn’t earned that ending. It came off as bogus to me – because there were no circumstances, much less obstacles, to make it ring true.
We’re told before we even go into the film – the tagline of the movie is “How often do you find the right person?” The answer? Once. Then the filmmakers back that up, telling us from the get go that these people were meant for each other – they make beautiful music together. He makes it clear he’s interested in her, and she says she loves him, albeit in the wrong language (details!).
In the end, they’re given no obstacles to being together, but they just walk away and accept their second choice. So what’s the point? When faced with true love, give her a piano and get out of town – or tell him you love him in a language he can’t understand? Or Life’s a bitch and then you die, especially when you don’t even try? Vive mediocrity?
The filmmakers set up very high stakes – the one time in their lives our leads will “find the right person” – and then they take us to a Bob Barker ending: “Sorry, you didn’t win the grand prize of Love Everlasting, or even the second prize of “Get together and give it your best shot,” but hey, she gets a piano, and he gets a CD!”
Doesn’t work for me.
Brack… no… not in the “Do The Right Thing” sense. Will Smith has transcended color.
And Kami, I think you are right about Australia, but not the Asian world at all. They do not go see movies starring black people, except when those black stars do that Michael Jordan bigger-than-race thing. There is no other category, except for very specifically American comedy and stories, that has the consistency of that.
What are the only two films in the overall Top 40 that grossed less than 40% of their total internationally last year? Talladega Nights (point taken) and Dreamgirls… a musical drama. The Producers did 49% of its total overseas. And its not as though Beyonce and Jamie Foxx have no standing in the rest of the world.
And Americans to foreign-language films are a completely different issue.
“American Gangster” is hardly “Do The Right Thing.” But I know what you mean.
I was refering to the conversation in the film between Lee & Turturro about Michael Jordan not being black.
Well no, but what about Will Smith is “black?” Certainly not his roles.
Is it possible the rest of the world is simply not interested in American films about race? This might explain why somebody like Will Smith is a draw– as Brack said, his race is almost always irrelevant to his roles.
I don’t have anything to back this up, just throwing it out there for conversation.
Nichol D., Medved is a well-known pathological liar on the air. He will spin reality into fantasy if it suits his conservative needs. And his bizzare defense of slavery and denial of Indian genocide is more proof of his need to lie.
Here’s one stellar example of how he brazenly denies actual facts:
http://blog.rockthevote.com/2005/05/michael-medved-twisting-in-wind.html
There are plenty more examples and to sum up his intellectual depth or lack thereof, it was Medved who used KILL BILL as an example of Hollywood’s religious bigotry because Sonny Chiba said his sword could cut down God.
A genuine nit-wit he is.
seenmy-
Just because the movie “Once” ended, doesn’t mean that story has ended. Maybe they will, maybe they won’t. Wasn’t “Once” more about two people connecting on a higher level than love and infatuation? I don’t want to give too much away but I feel the ending that’s there was perfect for THAT story of these two people.
The thing with ONCE is… the Swell Season are together. They are a couple. So in real-life; it worked out in the end. The film — I agree — does not earn that ending. However; if they make a sequel with those characters, then it will earn that ending. You dig?
That aside Camel stated; “I know some people actually consider that racist (some dude in the NY Times called international audiences “the new south” ugh) but it’s just that by and large we don’t relate to “urban” films at all. Just like Americans don’t relate to most films made outside of America.”
We relate to a lot of films outside of our country. Also… that’s prejudiced… not racist. It is the new South because you will play B-BALL and take in HIP-HOP, but you refuse to see an URBAN movie. This hypocrisy continues to astound me.
what are these urban movies everyone is talking about?
I don’t play B-ball or take in hip-hop, so I guess that makes me David Duke sitting on Hitler’s lap.
(spoilers for Once)
Petaluma – I didn’t get any sense that there was a continuing storyline of possibilities for these two. And it seems like you’re alluding to a more metaphysical take on the ending, which I like – and I’ve been trying to make that leap since I read your post – but it doesn’t seem to connect with the filmmaker’s stated concept. If this is, as the filmmakers tell us in their tagline and title, the one time our leads will find the right person, and then they show us the sweet blossoming of a genuine relationship, without a single obstacle to their being together – and then have them shrug it all off for no reason – I mean, what the heck?
IOIO – it’s a nice idea, but can what goes on in reality between actors sate your hopes regarding a disappointing film? And the idea of a sequel strikes me as so shockingly commercial for this little indie stumbling for sincerity – yet now that you mention it, given the success of this one, it seems almost frighteningly inevitable. But for me, that would be selling out on both levels – on the commercial level, and on the level of the story itself. Because if these two aren’t going to put any effort at all into a relationship with a person they genuinely love, the only reason to bring them together again would be the almighty dollar – and then you’ve got Hollywood love, and not the real McCoy these filmmakers started and then ditched.
Anyway, I appreciate both of your thoughts on this, because I went into this film assuming it would blow me away, but the only thing that blew me away was the sheer inertia of the leads at the end – with the one thing supposedly worth giving a damn about in this life.
Verite; Before Sunrise and Before Sunset. NATCH. Seriously; if those two can exist with sequels. The story of ONCE can continue in a sequel as well. You seem to be caught up in some notion of your own creation that holds very little meaning in this discussion. Nevertheless; I know they got together and play in the Swell Season together. So it goes to show that the ending was hokey, and in real life they fell in love. Nevertheless; Jeff… bugger off.
Nevertheless; sorry but no.
“We relate to a lot of films outside of our country. Also… that’s prejudiced… not racist. It is the new South because you will play B-BALL and take in HIP-HOP, but you refuse to see an URBAN movie. This hypocrisy continues to astound me.”
Yes, there are many people who “relate” and go see movies from foreign countries, but by and large foreign films rarely make big box office in America. Just like films with african-american themes and issues make some money overseas, but generally they make the majority of their receipts from inside America. It’s just a fact, there’s no point arguing it.
I sometimes enjoy hip-hop music, but music is a completely different ballgame. It is much easier to infultrate using music (which is so accessible) than it is with music. If a young person goes out on the town and they play hip-hop music they’re being exposed to it and such. They have to pay $$$ to see a movie with african-american themes and unless it revolves around music they’re not as likely. What’s so hard to understand about that.
If you think it’s hypocritical to enjoy hip-hop music yet not enjoy urban films then you’re an idiot.
And I can’t say that many Australians are into american basketball either (which is what I assume you meant by “b-ball”). Playing basketball and being into black culture is hardly parallel.
Camel; idiot? You want to type the above and label me with ‘idiot’? Really? IT’S A CULTURE. If you do not get it’s a culture. You are simply not relating to a music, that you claim to enjoy.
Again; it seems that people outside of the US want to pick and choose from a culture. It’s their right, but it does not make them any less hypocritical. Nor should I expect a Paris Hilton fan to understand a cultural debate or pay attention to his own national basketball team. Do not play Camel. Do not play.
It’s not hypocritical, everyone does it every day. I can enjoy sushi and Kurosawa while simultaneously having zero interest in Noh theater. I can enjoy the Rolling Stones without smoking pot, and I can enjoy a Spike Lee movie without ever listening to more than one or two NWA albums. That’s the great thing about culture – you’re allowed to partake in what you want.
**SPOILERS for Casablanca**
I see Casablanca at the top of AFI
IOIOIOI is right. And so is Verite. You see, the beautiful thing about movies is, you get to imagine the afterlives of the characters. And no one’s theory is any more or less probable than anyone else’s. (David Thomson did this quite imaginatively in his novel Suspects, where the son of a Jimmy Stewart’s George Bailey grows up to be Robert De Niro’s Travis Bickle.
Kambei: You dog. Had to read your post twice before I got the joke. LOL.
Oh, and Brack: Urban movies are those films that, when they are preview screened in Houston, usually screen when I’m the only Caucasian critic in the theater. Sometimes, the only Caucasian, period.
Kambei – wow, comparing the endings of Casablanca and Once – now that’s a stretch. You don’t think there were obstacles for Rick and Ilsa in Casablanca?! How about a little thing like WW2, and Ilsa being married to Laszlo, the great war/hero and leader of the Resistance, and Rick choosing to “do the right thing” in a big way, making the wartime sacrifice, helping them get out of Casablanca so they could continue to fight the Nazis, win the war, etc?
(Spoiler for Once & Bambi, etc)
Joe – okay, so in your world, maybe Bambi’s mother didn’t die, Princess Ann ditched the royalty gig and went back to Joe Bradley, and in the Great Escape, they all escape & McQueen flies over that fence with room to spare. Cool, truly – you and Petaluma would no doubt be great dates for the saddest of flics. But – are you saying you walked out of Once & believed they would get back together? Really? Do you think the filmmakers did anything to lead their audience to that conclusion? Cause I’m missing it.
And again, the point isn’t against people going their separate ways at the end – it’s in giving them this pseudo-wistful ending of the two leads moping off separately into their respective sunsets – when there’s no reason they can’t be together!
So they’re sad why? Because two people who were meant to be together were born with the passion & love cojones of a saltine cracker?
Oh. Yeah. That is sad, and wistful. No wonder they settle for a piano and CD. I get it now.
But maybe in the sequel, titled Twice, a big pharma company will find a pill, sort of the viagra equivalent for balls and heart, and then they’ll try again, and make it this time.
If they can just get the dosage right…
Jeff; you really do not get the point. Why am I not surprised.
Apparently not. Please try again to explain it to me in simpler terms.
Yeah, I don’t get it either. Basketball isn’t necessarily “urban.” “Hoosiers” anyone?
IO, I apologise that Australians like hip-hop music, but don’t feel like watching movies about making it out of the “ghetto” or countless Barbershop sequels and spinoffs. I’m sorry I like hip-hop music yet (oddly enough) do not care about the Chicago Bulls or whatever Basketball team I’m supposedly meant to like because it’s part of the culture.
I’m also sorry that the African-Australian population isn’t identical to the African-American population. I’m sorry Australia is a multicultural society and that we have adopted various aspects from many different cultures. I like Chinese food but do I particularly feel like reading a book about the Qin Dynasty? No. Am I culturally ignorant?
“Nor should I expect a Paris Hilton fan to understand a cultural debate or pay attention to his own national basketball team.”
Firstly, I am not a Paris Hilton fan, secondly, why are you bringing that up, and lastly how do you know I don’t follow my national basketball team and what the fuck does that have to do with me being culturally ignorant? I would really like to know.
Verite. I wasn’t being all that serious. I was taking the piss out of you because you seemed to be fixated that the movie had to have a happy ending, or it was no good. In all seriousness, I think obstacles are presented to them getting together. A) Guy is in love with his previous girlfriend. She cheated on him, but even the Girl can tell (through his songs) how in love with her he still is. B) the Girl has a daughter with her husband, to whom she is still married. These both seem like obstacles to me. Have you never been in a situation when you were attracted to someone but, for whatever reason, nothing happened. Looking back on that situation some years later, have you never thought, “maybe she (he) was the one?”
ps Don’t watch “in the mood for love”
Spoilers for Once
I don’t think the movie needed a happy ending at all – or was headed that way – remember i said it had a great wistful ending – but unfortunately no reason for the two leads to be wistful, especially given the filmmaker’s specific stated set up. So instead of a nice wistful ending, it left me with more a sense of false martyrdom (which might sound harsher than I mean it to.)
So your take was that she didn’t think the guy really loved her, so she sacrificed the relationship so he’d go back to his ex? Or that they mucked it up (as is human) – and they might one day look back and it will hit them, that they didn’t get it?
As for A) – I really believed the guy was in love with her, and she with him, since among other things, when he asks her if she loves her husband, she says no, she loves him. Too bad she didn’t say it in English. And as for B) – she left her husband to move thousands of miles away – I never got a sense of “we’ve got to stay together for the child.”
And yes – the ending of “In the Mood for Love” annoyed me. :~\ But would have even more, if WKW had said going in those two would meet the “right person” only once, and this was it, kids. :’~( Unless, of course, I’d seen the flic w/ Joe and Petaluma. :~D