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
http://movies.yahoo.com/mv/news/va/20081109/122627307800.html
I worked last year as a script reader, and I happened to come across Lucinda Coxon’s adaptation of “The Danish Girl.” It is one of the finest screenplays I ever came across…emotionally powerful and potentially visually stunning…and with Kidman and Theron in the leads…
Rarely do I get excited about films which haven’t started shooting yet, but this is one to take notice of…even more, I like any picture which artistically explores human rights and expression, including sexual expression, and it’s nice to see one with powerful females as the center figures.
I’m really psyched about that project, too, although I don’t really have an opinion one way or the other about Anand Tucker (liked Hilary & Jackie, didn’t like Shopgirl).
Now that virtually every child under the age of 18 has virtually unlimited access to porn on the Internet will we see a loosening of the standards by the MPAA and how will puritanical America deal with the generation of porn addicts?
Though she is far from my favorite actress I really appreciate the risks Kidman is willing to take in choosing her projects. I know that plenty of other actors switch between commercial and independent films, but its one thing to appear in a Woody Allen movie or a period piece, and another to participate in Dogville, Birth, Fur or even the contained derangement of Margot at the Wedding. Looking forward to Austrailia, more than happy to skip Nine, and hopefully this will be ready for next November.
On another note I am pretty geeked out Marvel hired Joe Johnston to direct Captain America. Perfect fit in my opinion.
Krazy Eyes – The ratings system is not for the kids but for their parents. As long as the older generations are oblivious to what their children are being exposed to, the standards will remain as tight as they are.
It is the same with television, you are not going to start seeing nipples in network prime time on the argument that people have access to them elsewhere.
Are you argueing that this is a terrible thing? Isn’t 24 hour access to porn unfortunate for the teens of today? I was much more appreciative of nudity in my early years when I was trying to determine what body parts I was watching through the scrambled cable channel.
Does anyone watch Criminal Minds? I find it an endlessly fascinating show.
It is extremely well made, but possibly the most morally offensive show on TV. The level of depravity and cruelty is quite staggering. Each episode wallows in torture and tragedy only to be let off the hook because “they always get the bad guy.”
I love the show, but am amazed there isn’t any kind of protest against the show. It just proves that you can portray almost anything as long as good wins over evil. I mean, this last episode implied a woman great-feeding a 5-year-old. Awesome.
Lex should be all over this show. The tech girl is hot, and the brainy kid is a real badass.
It’s definitely better than CSI: NY.
(I do love me some CSI: Miami, though.)
is MCN being paid to market ‘australia’ or what?
Both of the Australia articles were interesting… The “Brand Australia” piece has a rep basically saying the movie’s net effect will be on a par with “Shrimp on the Barbie” and the other, the possibility that the movie’s ending is still in play only two weeks before release (if the source can be trusted).
I’m pretty late to the table on this one, but I finally saw Andrea Arnold’s two award-winning films – the short, “Wasp” from a few years back that won the live action short Oscar and then “Red Road,” which won the Jury Prize at Cannes in ’06 – and was really blown away. I saw that “Red Road” played the festival circuit last year, but it doesn’t look like it got much of a U.S. release.
With “Hunger,” it seems like Michael Fassbender could be the next big somebody and he’s the lead in the movie she just wrapped, “Fish Tank.” Is there any word on this? All I got off IMDb was a one-sentence synopsis.
Similarly, anyone else a fan?
i didn’t say the ‘australia’ articles weren’t interesting, moviecityindie (tho what the ‘shrimp on the barbie effect’ on tourism has to do with actual movie news is beyond me), simply that over the past few months MCN has run a noticeably disproportionate number of articles on ‘australia’ – often having nothing to do with the film itself but all manner of stuff like tv ads and tourism, etc – compared to articles of interest on other hotly anticipated films opening soon.
(i’m a fan of ‘red road’, too, brilliant and bleak. cctvs freak me out)
Saw Army of Shadows last night. Wow. What a brilliant piece of filmaking. I might be late to this party but if any of you haven’t seen that bad boy, I would highly recommend it.
Also watched Zardoz. What a trip.
ZARDOZ = TOTAL OWNAGE.
Especially the giant stone head.
john Boorman confesses he had some sort of brain fever caught from African soil when he was shooting THE HERETIC, but ZARDOZ is simply mad. “”No Brutal has ever penetrated the Vortex”; “The penis is evil. The penis shoots seeds, and makes new life, and poisons the earth with a plague of men, as once it was. But the gun shoots death, and purifies the earth of the filth of brutals. Go forth and kill!”; “Stay behind my aura!” and of course, “I have my followers. Inseminate us all, and we
“Now that virtually every child under the age of 18 has virtually unlimited access to porn on the Internet will we see a loosening of the standards by the MPAA and how will puritanical America deal with the generation of porn addicts?”
I had access to Penthouse, Playboy, and Oui when I was 8 years old, thanks to my small town grocery store magazine rack, but that didn’t mean they were going to sell any of them to me. Puritanical America is going to draw the line wherever it has the power to draw one that’s enforceable, so I wouldn’t hold my breath.
How weird. I’m listening to EXORCIST 2 as I type. Crazy film hardwired into Boorman’s psyche. ZARDOZ is too with the shouts about the “penis” and such.
There’s a scene in EXORCIST II where a train conductor on the shuttle from NY to DC asks the priest, Richard Burton, for his and Regan’s tickets, and I think the line goes, in the demon Pazuzu’s voice, “Leave the girl alone! She’s mine!” I like that movie.
And it fucking OWNS when James Earl Jones spits out that red gobstopper before Burton steps on some bed of nails.
And when Linda Blair has an attack in SLOW MOTION during her big tap-dance routine.
And the POV SHOTS from the LOCUST’S BACK. OWNAGE.
Yeah, Boorman gets the critical props for the serious stuff like Deliverance and Hope and Glory, but Zardoz and Heretic are fucking I N S A N E.
Kael liked Heretic over the original Exorcist.
What else is there to say?
Anyone down with The duckorcist? Daffy Duck OWNS!
Speaking of EXORCIST II: THE HERETIC, you will BOW to one of Morricone’s all-time greatest compositions:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iIZb0gOmFQ&feature=related
one of my fave boorman’s is ‘where the heart is’, which has some of the loveliest art direction you’ll ever see (plus i adore joanna cassidy), far from badass but beautiful to look at.(and ‘excalibur’ is still the best knights of the round table movie for my money)
DOESN’T WHERE THE HEART IS FEATURE VINTAGE UMA?
FUCK YEAH.
it does indeed, she’s one of the daughters
STOP YELLING.
Why is it always one step forward, two steps back with Jeff McDouche? I swear, not even 24 hours ago, I was enjoying a perfectly civilized banter with the guy about Repo and thinking, eh, maybe he’s not really a knobjob, he just plays one on this blog. He seemed game and loose and relatively pleasant… and now here we are again, the Douche tagging all my posts and riding my shit and looking for an argument that can keep him going till his 2am curfew.
TYPING IN CAPS isn’t YELLING. I’m not talking, I’m typing. You can’t HEAR my capital letters. I’m just making a point. Jesus.
hcat: I concur about Johnston as a great choice for Captain America. I suppose this is a minority opinion, but I thought Hidalgo was a damn fine afternoon at the moving picture show. Johnston can do action and adventure and epic sweep, and October Sky showed he can handle character and emotion and nostalgia. Hope they give him a good script and a lead who doesn’t look like a tool in the costume.
I BAWLED LIKE A LITTLE BITCH AT OCTOBER SKY.
NO BULLSHIT.
You’re typographically yelling. It’s unpleasant, but mostly, it’s unnecessary. It adds nothing to what you’re writing except that it demands that people pay attention to you.
Also, here’s hoping they lose that “First Avenger” crap in the Captain America title.
And Lex, I have a simple answer for you: yesterday you were acting like a normal, civilized person who has three degrees. Today you’re acting like a cretin. Garbage out, garbage back in kind.
I say this with ALL MOTHERFUCKING SINCERITY, but if they want THE BEST WONDER WOMAN MOVIE IMAGINABLE, they should entrust the casting and screenwriting to YOURS TRULY.
CAMPAIGN TO GET LEXG ON THE WONDER WOMAN PROJECT RIGHT NOW.
I’ll give you bastards THREE GUESSES as to who I’d pick for WONDER WOMAN.
Only you probably don’t need GUESS 2 and GUESS 3.
You’d cast yourself in drag.
FUCK if it meant I’d get a SCREEN ACTORS GUILD CARD, the most elusive prize on this plan since the TREASURE OF FOUR CROWNS, I’d fucking don the wig and the whole fucking monty.
FUCK YEAH.
SAG = THE IMPOSSIBLE DREAM. TOO BAD I DIDN’T GROW UP AT THE BARHAM OAKWOOD APARTMENTS.
Anybody see Ballast? I know Sundance don’t mean shit, but it’s pretty amazing.
I have more friends who are in SAG (or at least, eligible) than I have fingers, Lex. And I have a standard complement of fingers.
Fuck that, anyone who’s remotely SAG elligible couldn’t possibly work a 9am-9pm and beyond day job color correcting shit and being on call and shit. You’d also have to live in your fucking car or something, cuz no way you’re making house payments if you have all day to hit up acting classes and auditions.
CHRISTIAN
WHAT IS UP SON, I WANT TO COLLECT ON THAT LAPDANCE SHIT, SON, THIS WEEKEND.
Another meeting-of-the-minds, Leahnz!
I’ve always loved Boorman’s “Where the Heart Is,” too. Haven’t thought about it in years–and haven’t seen it since its original release.
Thanks for that glorious blast from the past.
My all-time fave Boorman is actually “Hope and Glory.”
I’ve always preferred it to Spielberg’s “Empire of the Sun” which came out the same year even though it seems downright conventional next to Boormaniac mind-blowers like “Zardoz,” “Exorcist 2,” “Leo the Last” and, yes, “Heart.”
And “Excalibur” is easily the best of the King Arthur movies–not counting Bresson’s sublime “Lancelot of the Lake” or “Monty Python and the Holy Grail,” natch.
leah — funny but when i think of boorman, i immediately think ’emerald forest’ and ‘hope & glory’…. i’ve forgotten how much i liked ‘where the heart is’….. gonna pick it up today…thanks for jogging the memory……
Maybe Lex is right about Twilight.
http://www.mercurynews.com/food/ci_10948910
Can’t let a Boorman exchange pass without a shout-out to “Point Blank.” Lee Marvin, still owning after all these years.
Can I mention that I know tons of people in SAG as well, and they’re not even in LA? They’re in fucking DC or Maryland. You only have to be an extra in like three movies! How can you not get a SAG card? You’d have to be a gigantic…oh.
You know, I’ve never seen Point Blank. I should though.
leahnz – first, Where The Heart Is is one of the most beautiful commercial films ever made… Boorman is brilliant… and the story is pretty iffy… though playing “Shitty” was really the start of a career revival in movies for Christopher Plummer.
Second, we are not in cahoots with Fox on Australia, though they did give us a “first look” on the one-sheets a few months back and we expect to have some Oscar ads from them before long, though nothing on our editorial side has anything to do with that. (And Ray Pride is our headlines editor these days, so he really has no idea what is going on with ads.)
I thought that the ad campaign made by and associated with a movie was actually a great story… and I added the links to the actual ads. And we would surely do the same if any major filmmaker was doing tourism ads for their country of origin.
Australia lands here next week… and then all will be known… though I won’t see it until it’s in theaters, as I am travelling abroad.
interesting, david poland, thanks for addressing the subject.
‘where the heart is’ is so lovely to behold, i could never figure out why it isn’t more of a legend. i’m so glad to see it’s beloved by some of you classy cats!
(‘monty python and the holy grail’, lol, movieman, now that really IS the best ‘king arthur’ flick ever made, ‘excalibur’ will have to settle for second!)
SJRubinstein, I’d suggest watching Red Road again but this time plug a set of headphones (good ones, not the flimsy iPod ones) and experience that sound design right in your ears. It was the most terrifying movie-watching experience I had last year. I was creeped out.
Loved Red Road, Love those crazy Danes, and really miss Tartanusa. Between Lady Vengence, Hidden Blade, Old Boy, Bucherest, and the Page Turner they were creating quite a little library. Of all the indies that have gone under recently I miss them the most.