April 25, 2024
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BYOB: 235 Years Of Relative independence
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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
Unique U.S. visitors in January to each papers’ web site in millions:
NYTimes 20.5,
USA Today 12.3 (Gannett),
Washington Post 9.9,
WSJ 7.0 (Rupert Murdoch),
LATimes.com (Tribune) 5.7.
MCN ?
DHD ?
HE ?
TOH ?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/19/business/media/19hiller.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&hp
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117981101.html?categoryId=21&cs=1
Some friends and I were sitting around talking about movies that best capture the spirit of Hollywood/LA, and along with the usual great ones, like Chinatown and LA Confidential, someone mentioned Play It As It Lays, and we all sort of went “oooooo” in agreement. I loved that movie when it first came out. Someone went to the web and found out that the DVD does not exist. Of all the great LA movies, doesn’t Hollywood love that one enough to put it out on DVD? To me, it’s the best thing Tuesday Weld ever did. Brilliant movie.
Adorian, have you ever read the book? I only ask because I had read and loved the book and felt the movie was such a miscalculation, but I’m wondering if maybe it was because I knew the source material too well.
The best movies about L.A. usually have nothing to do with Hollywood. It’s always far more interesting to see filmmakers explore other aspects of this expansive, fascinating city. An exception, of course, is The Player.
Robert Altman became quite the master of L.A. vibe late in his career. Both The Player and Short Cuts show he understands the city deeply.
For my money, the best movie that accurately frames contemporary life in L.A. is Swingers. Well, it was accurate for young male hipsters in the ’90s (which I was) so it really spoke to me.
Play It As It Lays played at the New Beverly last year, I think. I didn’t manage to get over there, though.
Swingers was great at poking fun at the East Side hipster culture, but didn’t really show how great it is either, did it? Okay, so you can swing dance at The Derby or go watch Marty and Elaine…whatever. It’s also quite dated now, because a lot of the action has shifted southeast into Silver Lake, Echo Park, and downtown.
I’d nominate Steve Martin’s (and Mick Jackson’s) L.A. Story, which takes endless potshots at the city, the culture, the people, but also makes a great show of how magical it can be if you’re patient and look hard enough. To me that’s about as perfect as an L.A. Film can be.
I always thought FM, that little 1978 comedy about a maverick rock radio station, captured the city as well as anything.
No movie has captured the spirit of 90s LA for me quite like THE BIG LEBOWSKI. Maybe because the opening sequence uses a shot from my old neighborhood? Maybe because I spent too much time in Venice/SM area back then? Dunno, but the whole thing is just too spot-on. You know, it’s that apartment manager asking the Dude if he’ll attend his awful-sounding performance and give him “notes.” Even better twist on the old cliche that everyone has a script.
Did DP ever reveal what really shitty movie he saw back in late ’05/’06? I know I’m two or three years late here, but…
PLAY IT AS IT LAYS also showed at the Egyptian last year. A terribly pretentious film in all the best ways. But Tuesday is great along with Tony Perkins.
THE LONG GOODBYE is a great LA movie. LA STORY is too jokey and fanciful for me. Martin seriously loves this place. Tho I would to if I were him…
I think Chris Guest’s underrated THE BIG PICTURE is pretty dead on in terms of the industry.
And my favorite LA film of the past 18 years is GRAND CANYON. Kasdan understands this town.
Falling Down- a depressing cross-section.
The Limey- Another fantastic performance by Terrence Stamp: “Tell ‘im I’m fucking coming!”
I was just in LA and was thinking about LA movies.
I am torn between short cuts and grand canyon (the Superior form of Crash) as the best LA movie although I really had powerful love for Heat as well although that’s a different type of LA, is the LAPD LA.
ALso To Live and die in LA (with hot bod wm Petersen) also had some truly unique angelino moments…and wasn’t eating Raoul set in LA as well?
Somehow I can;t see Wrecktum as a early 90s hipster however, if he was, the name wrecktum is a good fit! : )