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
Hoping not to be disappointed by what, box office? Haven’t you already seen it?
Of course not.
Do you believe everything that’s insinuated on April 1?
seeing this on wednesday and can’t wait!…it seems it’s been months since i was excited about going to a screening…..sure glad the new season is officially starting……
I don’t know how this happened, must have been one of the TV spots that aired during an NBA game two weeks ago, but I’ve had a complete 180 degree turn on this movie. The high stylized, futuristic F-Zero racing style has been something that I’ve been awe of since the first footage was released. Everything else just rubbed me the wrong way.
At first I was dumbfounded by how Warner Bros. was portraying it as this overly serious adaptation of boy that loves racing “automobile” racing. It seemed like they were trying way to hard to amaze the kids with the visuals and turn up the danger element with how corrupt the backroom racing politics appeared to be. The problem with that been that the rest of us would have to suffer with the entire family element that looked and sounded laughable, and put up with Tim Curry rhyming his dialogue where he explains the dire consequences of Speed not signing with.
I now feel that I can overlook my issues with the non-racing scenes, stop been so stubborn about it and check it out because such a visual feast like this only seems to come around every 3 years.
A digital projection viewing of this is a must. If I don’t get around to see it that way, I’ll wait until the Blu-ray comes out.
Actually that frame would appear to sum it up nicely DP.
A blurry, headache inducing, spacerocking poptastic fluro-merch munchin’ CG-icandy meta-nostalgic nightmare.
Once again. The single biggest disappointment of the summer after GET SMART.
Happy to eat them words though. Just don’t think I will be.
“The website also has a steering wheel POV that allows you to click on each of the Mach 5’s buttons to see what it will do, like replacing its own tires, sawblading other cars, etc.”
And this somehow is appealing? Sawblading cars and automatic tire replacement? This is what we’ve come to?
Each trailer looks better than the last. As much as I’m looking forward to some of the sequels (Indy, Dark Knight), they are all taking a back seat to Speed Racer, simply based on the trailers. I’m with David on this, I think this one is going to be special.
“A blurry, headache inducing, spacerocking poptastic fluro-merch munchin’ CG-icandy meta-nostalgic nightmare.”
Apart from “blurry” I can’t understand how you got any of that from that single image. Stop being a drama queen.
(apologies if this appears twice. I pressed Post but then my browser exploded and ya never know with the Hot Blog if things will show up or not)
“A blurry, headache inducing, spacerocking poptastic fluro-merch munchin’ CG-icandy meta-nostalgic nightmare.”
Apart from “blurry” I can’t see how any of that applies to the single image at the top. Stop being such a drama queen.
And what about Get Smart makes you think it’ll be the most disappointing flick of the summer? The great cast? The funny trailers? …?
Camel: is this one of those movies you up for this Summer? Outside of that… this movie may be trippy as hell, and some people love a good trip now and again. Also… that’s not Tim Curry. It’s Roger Allam. Whom worked with the Wachowskis in V for Vendetta.
DP, thanks for letting me know I was right the first time. Incidentally, a friend who worked on this film, who is not inclined to be a genre fanboy, says it’s quite good.
IO, I am looking forward to Speed Racer, but that has nothing to do with what I was saying.
It looks GREAT for a CARS sequel but as a landscape for living, breathing human beings, it looks about as realistic as the “burly brawl” — cool as hell but a CARTOON.
Warner Bros. is doing 2 things wrong:
(1) Not setting a US trailer to the TV show’s theme song. That is how “Speed Racer” got its cult following all those years ago.
(2) Name-checking “The Matrix”, a movie despised by the right wing thanks to Columbine. (For those with a short memory, the Columbine massacre went down when “The Matrix” was in theaters).
On those 2 counts “Speed Racer” has all the makings of another “Hulk”.
Well they obviously should have name checked Bound to get the lesbian con-artist demographic interested.
Chucky, both of your arguments are nonsensical. Attaching a forty-years-old theme song to the movie is the best way to turn off kids too young to be familiar with the show in the first place, making the movie seem kitschy and outdated. And nobody cares about any controversy involving The Matrix; it’s the Wachowski’s most widely adored movie, and thus is a no-brainer to be included as a marketing hook.
Where do you get these ideas? I really want to know. I assume you have a crazy boss.