April 26, 2024
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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
So, Dave, if Jason Segal is not a natural movie star, why is he not, and Seth Rogen is?
(No diss to Rogen, who I’m a big fan of…)
I believe Apatow has gone on record to say the reason they decided to show Segel’s penis was to try and desensitise audiences to male genitals. Or, not desensitise exactly, but to get rid of the stigma about it.
The amount of times we have to look at a woman’s breasts and here people like Lex go “she gets naked!!! awesome” yet the moment a guy gets his junk out it like “wow, kevin bacon, put it away!”
…yeah. I dunno. I’m seeing it tonight, we’ll see how it goes. I do love Kristen Bell though.
The extended, carefully framed penis appearance in Walk Hard was one of that movie’s better visual jokes.
Thank god someone is also saying what I always feel about a majority of Apatow’s work, it’s extremely funny but damn if sometimes it feels like they drag on at times and let jokes drag, like a good SNL skit that doesn’t know when to quit. Nowhere is this more evident than in the “Extended” cuts of their films, 40 year Old Virgin and Walk Hard had me looking at my watch more than once while watching them at home, it’s like they don’t want them to end, hell, I’m sure he was involved in all the extra Anchorman footage that they released a seperate movie with all the extra stuff on DVD.
Is it really to much to ask for that the guy who shows his junk be a little bit more attractive than Jason Segal? Full frontals by schlubby looking guys done for comic effect aren’t exactly that uncommon. (Super Troopers, Sideways, etc.)
Okay, I saw the movie. i liked it. Didn’t feel particularly over long like Knocked Up did. I liked Segel, Bell and Kunis but the British guy wasn’t much of anything. Nor were Paul Rudd and the kid from Superbad.
The male nudity actually didn’t get much of a response from the showing I was at. A few giggles, but the old couple next to me and my friend were a bit taken back.
I must say thought that I thought the NBC jokes were the biggest laugh in the movie. Crime Scene: Scene of the Crime was a riot as was the one during the closing credits.
I dunno. I liked it. Nothing super hilarious, but a nice night at the movies. Much rather this than anything else that was showing at the local.
The thing is, now every movie is going to be a cameo fest, but I don’t think we should expect that much from them other than a quick laugh or else they’re just going to be distracting over time.
Richard Roeper’s screaming orgasm of a review was for me the first clue that FSM is not very good.
I totally agree with you, Dave.
Loved “40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Superbad,” but thought “Knocked Up” was a tad overrated last summer. (For the record, I liked “Walk Hard” and, yes, even “Drillbit Taylor” more the most of my critical brethren.) But Apatow seems determined to repeat the past sins of former H’wood king of comedy John Hughes, another wildly prolific and madly talented writer-director-producer whose early successes were followed by smudged carbon copies of past hits that besmirched his reputation.
While I sincerely hope that fate doesn’t befall Apatow, “Sarah Marshall” could turn out to be a movie he’ll eventually regret putting his name on (its preordained box-office success nothwithstanding).
Like some of Hughes’ lesser, equally self-referential flicks, it marks the point where an original comic template–mixing sometimes gross ribaldry with chick-flick tenderness–began flirting with self-parody.
I also thought that Kristen Bell was a major casting boo-boo: she’s Velveeta-bland and simply not a comedienne. Maybe the movie would’ve worked beter if it had been retitled (and reconfigured) “Forgetting Sarah Silverman.” If the divinely spikey Silverman had played Jason Segel’s ex–and quite honestly, she’d be a more plausible match for him than white bread shiksa Bell (Silverman and Segel look like they went to the same Beverly Hills Yeshiva School)–the film might have ventured into uncharted, riskier (and funnier) comic waters.
Yeah, there’s some great stuff here. I enjoyed Brand who comes off like the Michael Hutchence coiffed fourth member of Spinal Tap; the “Dracula” rock opera is a hoot (“Bram Stoker’s Avenue Q”?); Kunis is as sultry/smokey hot as the young Angelina Jolie; and the meta joke lampooning Bell’s unfortunate “Pulse” remake cracked me up. But too much of this is just too familiar, and as usual, it runs on (at least) 15 minutes too long.
I basically wrote the exact same things in my review, DP:
http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=reviews&Id=10865
The whole thing just felt rushed to capitalize on the Apatow name and also like there were parts of 3-4 older versions of the script in play. SOooo many “non-sequiters” like Kunis’s punk ass ex-boyfriend and the scene with the pediatrician for instance. I have a feeling those characters had more going on in older drafts. The whole plot line with the married couple also served no purpose….nor did the step brother stuff. Ack. It’s a mess.
I did laugh though…a few times.
His films do seem to be leaning to becoming two hours of inside jokes that only their core group get.
Glad to see I’m not the only one that has the problem of spell checker changing “improv” to “improve”.
Couple random thoughts:
1) Why do all these otherwise “relatable” schlub Apatow movies have to have some insider-showbiz angle? Other than for big cameos and because Apatow’s been ensconsed in that world for two decades, thematically it doesn’t always make sense. Like, why did Heigl need to be an E! producer in KNOCKED UP, and more egregiously, why make Bell a SUCCESSFUL TV ACTRESS in this one? Instantly it exacerbates the Apatow problem of these slob guys landing hot chicks; Hell, they’re not just pretty and successful, they have to be HOLLYWOOD ROYALTY? Both of the aforementioned movies would be just as funny and even more relatable to the masses if they were set in Anytown USA and the beautiful woman was merely a successful executive or something.
2) ROEPER, THE BEST CRITIC IN AMERICA, has promised that this is ONE OF THE FUNNIEST MOVIES OF ALL TIME. “Screaming orgasm” doesn’t even BEGIN to convey how absurdly over-the-top he and even Phillips were.
3) *MOST IMPORTANT PLEASE READ, YES, YOU* WHY does every comedy of the last five years need to be filmed in this same PASTEL SHEEN? It looks like they filtered this thing through a pack of SWEET TARTS or something, all pastel blues and sickly cream flesh tones. EVERY comedy these days has to look like this, color-timed to within an inch of its life — think ACCEPTED, YOU ME AND DUPREE, MY SUPER EX-GIRLFRIEND, KNOCKED UP. It’s becoming as much a cliche as the sickly-green “sheen” that “edgy” movies were using in the early part of the decade.
4) Fun BONus quiz: Bell or Kunis? Extra credit if you can correctly guess my answer.
I more-or-less agree with DP. This really is just not a particularly memorable film. A few jokes / sight gags worked for me. The Jonah Hill and Paul Rudd cameos are waaaaay to long. Hader has a few funny momemts. As does Brand. But DP nails it, this could be the the break-out performance that everyone could have talked about all summer. Instead there are just a couple of chuckles.
It’s not a chore to sit through. If you see tonight, you’ll probably laugh some.
Any word on Baby Mama?
Completely agreed — and I have been startled by the massive critical applause. It seems to me that the failures of DRILLBIT TALOR and WALK HARD have inspired the Masses to laud this one because it shows remote signs of goodness (particularly the Dracula bit, of course). Will it do $20M? After laughing at that proposition for awhile, I’m now convinced it will just looking at ArcLight’s pre-sales. But this is far from a score for the Apatow crew… completely lacking in the genuine humanity that so distinguishes their big successes. There’s no substance here and, for that, I am sad.
Anyone else having problems with their comments getting held?? Sometimes mine post…other times they need approval. Annoying.
“Any word on Baby Mama?”
I saw that one about a month ago… and it’s not very good. Tina Fey turns in some good work, but the whole thing feels like an estrogen-a-palooza with some forced comedy thrown in. Poehler always feels like a caricature to me, and this is no exception. Kinnear is downright sleepwalking. A few laughs, but none of them very big, which is surprising for a Michael McCullers film, given UNDERCOVER BROTHER and GOLDMEMBER prided themselves on riotous moments.. Full review is up over at my website — won’t pimp the address because I’m relatively new here and that would be unseemly, but you can Google Bucket Reviews.
kunis
I second that (mixed) emotion on “Baby Mama.”
Maybe if Fey had actually written the film herself–and they could have gotten Mark Waters to direct–it would have been more than the sum of its (egregiously overexposed) trailer.
By the time Universal finally got around to inviting me to a promo screening, I felt like I’d already seen it which made the whole experience anti-climactic.
The only thing not tipped in the previews (a very cool supporting performance by a well-known comedian/actor) is the funniest thing here.
movieman, that well-known comedian/actor not tipped in the previews? His name’s above the title on the poster. I didn’t even know he was involved until the one-sheet spoiled it for me.
As for Segal’s penis, I hate to be the lone voice of dissent here, but…. aside from simply being an (admittedly very funny) easy sight gag, it’s actually a fairly well thought out literalization of his character’s vulnerability in that scene.
Oh, and while it’s not one of the best comedies of the last 5 years or anything, I liked “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” MUCH better than “Superbad.” Jus’ sayin’.
While I think the question is juvenile,the answer to LexG’s question is of course “both”
“why did Heigl need to be an E! producer in KNOCKED UP”
You could probably search E!’s website and find the answer. I hear they liked it.
Me? I don’t care whether they show the penis or not… I just want there to be a reason that actually speaks to the film. The idea that it is a political statement is silly and the film’s female ogling is there… they just hired two actresses who will not go topless. (I assume MK’s topless photo was doctored.)
As for the Seth Rogen question… no, Seth is not a natural movie star either. He is a character actor and one with a more specific persona, which will make him a financially viable second-banana for years to come. But I don’t foresee him ever opening a movie just on his presence. The idea will have to be there.
Segel is not unlike John Krasinski
Baby Mama just looks shrill, foul, and obnoxious. Like Drowning Mona/Exit to Eden level unpleasant. Maybe the film is sweeter than the ads suggest, but I doubt it. Fey is funny though. And Poehler can be, especially in her early SNL days, but now it’s like she’s mixed comedic abandon with what seems like a personal mission to come as off-putting and unappealing as possible on film and TV.
Maybe it’s just a personal preference or even a mild form of unfair sexism, but gross-out humor is perilous and borderline uncomfortable even on mugging, buffoonish male actors; A (not unattractive) woman peeing in a sink and talking in that stupid voice for two hours just seems grating and uncomfortable to behold. Again, it may be a personal issue, just like my inherent straight-guy bristling at “camp.” But Adam Sandler doing his Canteen Boy voice and contorting his faces is funny; Amy Poehler doing it is just be embarrassing.
85% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a comedy. Well, that’s a rarity.
I thought the critical gushing over Knocked Up was a bit much, but the FSM praise is perplexing.
Joe Leydon. Where are you sir? You’ve got a rave review to defend.
SARAH MARSHALL is funny…but like I said in my review and like DP pointed out….it’s just kind of strangely slapped together or something. It’s got some laughs but I’m totally perplexed by the critical praise for the movie.
The critics — unlike you two — do not suck :D. I really think that it comes down to Jason Segel. I like him more than Rogen, find him a lot more endearing and genuine as an actor, and will watch damn near anything with him in it. All of you have to do is watch HIMYM to realize how damn awesome the guy is as an actor and how his performances make Heat’s comments about him read rather… off. Seriously Poland the man carried the emotional weight of a sitcom last weeks in ways that few ever have, and you are slamming the man’s talents? You need to get a handle on your life.
Oh yeah… critics love Kristen Bell. Duh.
Pan- Not having seen the “Baby Mama” poster, I had no idea the “well-known comedian-actor” I cautiously referred to in my previous posting was listed for all the world to see. Curious.
I’d just assumed that his supporting role was supposed to be a “surprise” since it was just about the only thing the trailer doesn’t leak.
And no, Lex. “Baby Mama” isn’t shrill, obnoxious or foul like the two movies you mentioned (both of which definitely are!); it’s just kind of bland, middle-of-the-road fluff. Of course, I might have thought it was a whole lot funnier if I’d never seen the trailer which I did find amusing…the first dozen or so times that I saw it.
I’d give “Sarah Marshall” a slight edge in the late-April/Universal comedy sweepstakes, but I’ll probably forget both movies before Independence Day rolls around.
No complaints from me about Segel’s extended full frontal nudity. It’s one of the ballsiest (no pun intended), funniest and weirdly touching scenes in the film, and I applaud everyone involved with the decision to leave it in.
Speaking of John Krasinski, did anyone else happen to catch last nite’s “Office” (directed by Jeffrey Blitz of “Spellbound”/”Rocket Science” fame)? Love, love, loved Jim’s confessional when he proffers the engagement ring and confesses that he bought it the week after he and Pam started dating. As one of the first completely irony-free moments on the show ever, it damn near brought a tear to my eye.
I like Krasinski a lot (he was fantastic in his small role in Greg Araki’s “Smiley Face”), and can’t wait to see how he fares headlining the next Sam Mendes movie–i.e., the Mendes movie AFTER “Revolutionary Road.”
Sarah Marshall was a successful TV star because Segel’s girlfriend was a successful TV star.
movieman-the shoe tying scene after that was simply…CLASSIC. But you should know by now, Jim’s behavior on the ring buying so soon after they started dating, will spell the end for that relationship. It was sweet but I also felt a tad stalkerish. We shall see.
So far since it’s been back THE OFFICE is 2/2 on LOL episodes…
FSM isn’t the greatest movie ever made, nor is it the funniest or the best made, but it’s a far more entertaining night at the movies than I imagine anything else showing on more than 2000 screens would be.
The whole thing just felt rushed to capitalize on the Apatow name …
which is why the adverts include “From the guys who brought you ‘The 40-Year-Old Virgin’ and ‘Knocked Up’.”
Once this piece of name-checking falls short Apatow will be exposed as a modern-day purveyor of raunchy movies.
I also see the alpha males dissing “Baby Mama” for the simple reason it is a Chick Flick.
Saw it today, and thought it was a pretty good comedy. I laughed a whole lot, and it was downright hysterical at times.
As far as the penis joke goes, Jason Segel has stated he actually was naked during a breakup in real life, and used that.
Is Sarah Marshall actually Linda Cardellini?
Is the “rock star” on a permanent mellow actually…
It’s from a New York Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/13/movies/13itzk.html?fta=y
I really liked FSM. Good times all around. It also got some CHUCK VITRIOL out of Chuck. So that’s pretty good. Damn good.
I saw FSM last night at the Arclight Hollywood and got a lot of laughs out of it. I really don’t get most of Dave’s criticisms, other than I agree that the role of Sarah Marshall doesn’t have a “strong comedic direction.” But I laughed out loud for the better part of almost two hours, so maybe I’m not inclined to nitpick. From the early buzz, you might think the film is a two-hour close-up of Segel’s penis, but it mostly appears in one early scene, in 4 or 5 shots, none lasting more than a couple of seconds (the other equally brief appearance is near the end). Those bothered by this seem to fall into one of two camps: “AIEEEEEE! A penis!” and “I’m not offended by penises, but I’m much too sophisticated to be amused by them.” At any rate, I think the film is plenty funny regardless, though if Knocked Up or Superbad didn’t do it for you, this may not be the one that turns you around on the Apatow phenomenon.
Oh and Dave, I think the reason the women in the film don’t respond much to Segel’s penis is pretty obvious — they’ve both been his lovers by that point, so it’s nothing they haven’t seen before.
The best part of South Park two weeks ago, came from the fear of the women in that episode to the penis on the back of the little mouse. The mouse did not scare them. The penis did. So people have a fear of penis in this country and need to get a handle on their lives.
BEST APATOW EVER.
Usually comedy blows but this is a masterpiece.
BOTH CHICKS = HOTNESS.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is one more reason why I won’t be seeing FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL.
OMG THAT SCENE WHERE K-BELL SORTA SUCKS HIS DICK
HOLY FUCKING SHIT WAS THAT HOTTTTTTT
Especially her GREASED UP LEGS and GIANT BLONDE HAIR BOBBING UP AND DOWN, HELLLLLLLZ YES
I CAN’T STOP THINKING ABOUT IT, HOTTEST THING IN A MAINSTREAM MOVIE IN LIKE 15 YEARS BONE UP BONE OUT YEP TO THE YEP
SO HOTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Not to mention M-KUNIS in her HOT FUCKING BOOTY SHORTS and little LEGS all BRONZED UP AND SHIT
ARE ALL YOU GUYS just total EUNNECHS????? This was FUCKING hotttttttttttttttttttttt BE A MAN (if you’re straight, at least) and admit this FUCKING OWNED.
BELL = BONE.
KUNIS = BONE.
HILL = BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONER
SO HOT.
MAN UP and GET HARD. Embrace your DESTINY and ADMIT YOUR MANLINESS.
SO FUNNY. EVERY line and scene was a BILLION TIMES funnier than any movie in AGES, except maybe 40YOV. KNOCKED UP is funny but has that WACK pregnancy angle, not to mention its MAN-GOD forsakes his destiny for a BRATTY TV ACTRESS. And even 40YOV has that DRIP Cath-Keen, who is UGLY and OLD and homeboy should’ve totally BANKED LIZ-BANKS instead.
SEGAL = GENIUS
THE COUNT = FUCKING OWNS
RUDD = MOST AWESOME ACTOR IN AMERICA
BELL = THE. HOT. NESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.
FIVE-STAR, ALL TIME MASTERPIECE.
I should’ve known better than to doubt THE BEST CRITIC IN AMERICA, RICHARD ROEPER.
Okay, it’s now official. Lex is putting us on. No way in hell someone could write a post that imbecilic and actually mean it.
Wait, thinking Kristen Bell is hot *has* to be a put-on?
By the way, THE COUNT = FUCKING OWNS was a really funny line. I expected more congratulations on that.
I signed up for comments only recently, but I’ve been reading the blog from pretty much the beginning. I must say that the funniest thing about LexG’s comedy is the rise it gets out of some of you. Which is his goal, I imagine.
Lex, did you just admit that Jonah Hill gives you a BOOOOOOOONER? I didn’t see that one coming.