April 25, 2024
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20 Weeks To Oscar: Rush To Poor Judgment?
20 Weeks Extra: Could There Be One More Turn?
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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
Indeed, good for them. They are also among the few in the bussiness who I know for a fact won’t be spoiled by the success. Even when they’ll get more. So congrats.
What I’m intrigued about is SAG. Will they give their ensemble prize to NCfOM, Into the Wild (the Crash to the Coen’s Brokeback Mountain if you will) or throw a big spanner into the works and give it to something like Hairspray. Hmmm.
I wonder how their success on this title will help Burn After Reading with Brad Pitt and two Oscar-nominees this year George Clooney and Tilda Swinton, not to forget Frances McDormand and John Malkovich.
Make that “Good for Miramax”, the company with a recognized history of buying awards.
Shut up, Chucky. Seriously.
Chucky, with the Weinsteins out at Miramax that joke doesn’t mean anything anymore. People LOVE the film and LOVE the Coens. The DGA award is hardly a surprise considering all the film has been honored with already.
I’m glad to know that Chucky in Jersey knows nothing about the current state of Hollywood. I can now ignore everything he says.
Even if Miramax have a history of “buying awards”, how can anyone seriously consider an award like the DGA being bought? It’s as dumb as someone claiming that the WGA award is bought. Outside of the Guilds, or the industry, the public don’t really care. They probably don’t even know what the DGA stands for. The Oscars, sure, studios spend to win… or buy if you insist. But come on. Don’t undermine the Coen’s achievement. Would you have said the same thing had Marty won for GONY or The Aviator?
I get so tired of pointing this out every time, but I’ll do it again for the impressionable and naive: Dreamworks spent more money promoting Saving Private Ryan during the Oscar race than Miramax did with Shakespeare in Love. Harvey’s crime was thinking his smaller studio (and film) had the right to play as tough as the big boys. His film won because it had a much better script, and a better cast. Plain and simple.
But hey, print the legend, right?
Laz, I usually agree with you and you’re right about everything you just said except: Shakespeare in Love had a better cast? I love Judi Dench as much as the next guy, but her, Geoffrey Rush, Gwyneth, Affleck, Joseph Fiennes versus Hanks, Damon, Sizemore, Burns, Davies, Ribisi, Diesel, Pepper, etc. I mean, say what you will about some of those guys, I’d take Hanks and Damon over Paltrow and Dench.
If SAG gives their ensemble award to the untalented, unable to sing cast of Hairspray, it will be a travesty and a mockery of them being allowed to have an awards show. I doubt it will happen.
Did Noah just try to argue that Vin Diesel is a better actor than Judi Dench, Geoffrey Rush, Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes?
No.
“Did Noah just try to argue that Vin Diesel is a better actor than Judi Dench, Geoffrey Rush, Gwyneth Paltrow and Joseph Fiennes?”
Not to mention Tom Wilkinson and Imelda Staunton.
Noah, I just don’t know what to say to that. I’m not a Tom Hanks fan so his name doesn’t carry much weight for me. But in addition to overlooking the two great actors that facis just mentioned, the cast you listed just doesn’t impress me as much. You’re putting Hanks and Damon up against Paltrow and Dench (a contest that is arguable anyway), but when you look at the WHOLE cast, it ain’t even close.
Paltrow, Fiennes, Dench, Wilkinson, Staunton, Affleck (quite good), Rupert Everett (not mentioned by you) and Colin Firth (ditto)
vs.
Hanks, Damon, Diesel, Burns, Ribisi, Davies, Pepper, Sizemore, waving American flag
You’re crazy, dude.
Oh, Shakespeare in Love had a better cast than Private Ryan. I mean, I love Damon and Hanks, but otherwise, there’s a lot of low cards in that hand (Vin Diesel? Ed Burns?!).
As for the Coens winning the DGA, yes, good for them, but I hope Paul Thomas Anderson gets it someday. Can we agree that he’s the best American director to emerge in the ’90s?
Paul Giamatti was also in Saving Private Ryan, and let us not forget Ted Danson.
I too was slightly disappointed that PTA didn’t win but if anybody was to take it from him and still make me smile it’s the Coens. My hope is that come Oscar night PTA makes off with the Adapted Screenplay Oscar. Remember when “The English Patient” pretty much swept the Oscars but DIDN’T win for Adapted Screenplay? (Billy Bob Thornton got it for “Sling Blade”.) I wouldn’t rule out that the Academy splitting the vote with the Coens winning for Direction and Anderson winning Adapted Screenplay.
You know, I forgot Staunton and Wilkinson and Firth…so, I will actually admit that I was wrong on that score. Shakespeare did indeed have the better cast and I admit defeat.
Funny you mention The English Patient losing screenplay because it probably deserved that more than anything else it won (not that any of them weren’t deserved).
You are gracious, Noah. And I hope this doesn’t sound like rubbing it in, but I’ll take The Thin Red Line’s cast over Ryan as well:
Penn, Caviezel, Nolte, Harrelson, Koteas, Mihok, Chaplin, Savage, Brody, Reilly, Clooney…and Travolta
And while it may not have had much of a script (who knows what was lost in editing), it was still more profound than the cliched one Robert Rodat wrote.
Agreed…on all counts. I love Thin Red Line, still find it to be one of the most moving and poetic war films. And that cast is pretty hard to top.
“the untalented, unable to sing cast of Hairspray”
Idiotic.
You’re not no one, ED. Get a handle on yourself.
Pissing on people with talent as “untalented” – even if you hate the film – is lame.
And before the first fool makes this into some person defense of Hairspray, know that I feel that even the shite that is Cloverfield was made by clearly talented people… just not talented enough (or interested enough) to make the idea work. In fact, there are very, very, very few films ever made that suggest a true absence of talent.
Degree can be argued. But you are not some nameless jerk squealing on the web. If you don’t know better than that, you shouldn’t be taken seriously by anyone. Sorry… but it’s true.
“the untalented, unable to sing cast of Hairspray”
I guess it’s a good thing then that the majority of the cast haven’t built their career on singing. Otherwise they’d really be trouble. …?
Shakespeare had the better cast, talented actors worth their weight in gold, but Saving private Ryan was the better movie IMO. Spielberg deserved it that year. There..I said it.
I will agree that Bulldog. And really, when I think of Shakespeare in Love, I think of the two leads, Dench, and Affleck popping up a couple of times, not of the film as an Altman-esque ensemble piece.
I love when we get into pissing matches over Shakespeare in Love and Saving Private Ryan. While we’re at it, let’s discuss Roberto Benigni winning Best Actor over Ian McKellen. That’s always good for a laugh too.
Yeah, the Shakespeare in Love / Saving Private Ryan debate is about as thrilling these days a chicken soup. I think Saving Private Ryan is an incredibly well-made movie (Spielberg’s Oscar was well-earned) but if I had to choose the better film, the one I liked more, the one I would have voted for… well, I’d go with Shakespeare in Love. Doesn’t mean SPR is some terribly ungodly mess of a movie, I just like one more.
People who harp on about Shakespeare in Love actually not even being a good movie are just seeing things through a haze of bias.
Shakespeare has the best script (FUBAR? really? Wasn’t that in Highlander 2 or something?), but the best cast debate is ridiculous. The Player has a great cast, but that doesn’t make it better than Unforgiven.
At least Shakespeare in Love is still fun to watch unlike most late 90s Best Picture winners.
A blog debating Shakespeare in Love over Saving Private Ryan…well, I guess five minutes has gone by.
Neither film is perfect, but Shakespeare in Love I’d say is a cute movie. “The show must…”, “Go on.” I laughed, but it’s cute. How many war films have imitated SPR since it’s release? Who can argue that it’s not Hanks’ best performance?
I thought the SAG awards were so-so. Ruby Dee? more of a career award. The TV stuff… I never get, so I won’t try.
Best line of the night was Fey’s: “it’s like watching Fred Astaire dance with a hat rack.”
Funny, I can’t say I ever think of Hanks’ performance when I think of Saving Private Ryan.
All this talk is making me wanna go watch Shakespeare in Love right now, actually (and I will). As great of a movie as it is I can’t see myself aching to watch Saving Private Ryan again anytime soon.