April 20, 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
The Pride, Unprejudiced link on the home page actually takes you to Wilmington’s reviews of Twilight, Bolt, etc.
So, what are people’s thoughts on Benjamin Button? I saw it last night (boxing day, opening night – cinema was 80% full) and really liked it. It has it’s issues though. I think by making the first hour so protracted that it does a disservice to the final hour, which feels rushed in comparison. I also didn’t quite take to the Taraji Henson character as others seem to have done. I found that it felt like she didn’t exist outside of the movie. Unlike some of the other supporting characters – Tilda Swinton and Mahershalalhashbaz Ali especially – which felt so lived in. Tilda blew me away yet again. Just the way she says certain words and phrases is enough to get me.
Brad was quite good I found, much more so than I tend to find him, and Blanchett was lovely. The scenes from the scene after Caroline’s birth had me crying, I will admit. The final scenes were sad for me as I currently have a close family member currently going through a tough slide through dementia and it just “hit home” as they say.
All in all, it won’t be making my top five but it’s a perfectly acceptable inclusion into Oscar’s list. Technically it’s superb too. B+
Speaking of “Benjamin Button”, one family wouldn’t shut up during the movie — on the day of release! — so a man sitting a few rows away walked up and opened fire.
What was that recommendation I made to stop talkers and texters?
“What was that recommendation I made to stop talkers and texters?”
When Chucky yells “fire” in a crowded theater, just rememeber, it isn’t a warning – it’s an order!
The best line in the shooting article: “Cialella then returned to his seat and continued watching the movie.”
I wonder if gunpowder residue makes the popcorn taste better? This might have been one for the Darwin Awards if he’d used the gun to SHOOT the popcorn at the family instead of just throwing it first.
Is “The Spirit” out on blu-ray yet?
This is the worst marketed film in a long time. I have no idea what it’s about. Hot actresses though.
Guns don’t kill people–movies kill people!
I notice that after The Spirit, the only project for Scarlett Johansson for 2009 is another small role in an all cast film,
I notice that after Spirit, the only project for Scarlett Johansson for 2009 is another small role in an all cast film,
Maybe she just wants to spend time with her hunky new hubby, Ryan Reynolds.
Geez!
Scarlett J. was a critic (and fanboy) darling back in the days of “Ghost World” and “The Man Who Wasn’t There.”
Now that she’s become Woody’s go-to gal, everyone’s acting like she’s frigging Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson combined. Granted, her album sucked, but she’s still a damn fine actress (“The Spirit” notwithstanding) and, duh, a raging beauty.
I am not a Scarlett hater, but the girl has horribe taste for scripts, with exception of her work with Woody she has been in only bad films and bombs. It will be good for her to take a break.
Don’t forget that she was in Nolan’s The Prestige….Not the best acting from her(kinda reminded me of Katie Holmes in Batman Begins), but a great movie…
P.S. Just got back from a sold out Frost/Nixon showing….Does anyone else think that it is slightly overrated??? Great performance from Frank as Nixon……..maybe I had too high expectations….
*ahem* ScarJo’s album is my #3 album of ’08 (after Girls Aloud and Santogold, of course).
‘I am not a Scarlett hater, but the girl has horribe taste for scripts, with exception of her work with Woody she has been in only bad films and bombs.’
hmm, i think ‘lost in translation’ is a terrific little film, and scarlett is perfect in it.
LIT is my pick for most overrated thing ever this ecade. ScarJo wasn’t the worst thing about it (that’s be the no script and SC’s BS directing) but she is awful in it. Am I supposed to care about a f’n 20 yr old POA who’s unhappy in her marriage to a geek? Boo f’n hoo. Sorry, but the film was crap. The only thing worth watching was some of Big Bill’s perofrmance and SJ’s ass in the opening shot and her panties in other scenes. As for the rest, a big meh.
i’m sunburned and beered-out, granted, but sorry back atcha for the bug up your ass, eotw
Wow, AJSchnack thinks John Anderson’s comment in a Film Threat interview about B movies is a non-fiction headline because Jeff Wells tells him it’s about bloggers, therefore it must be a non-fiction headline? Or it’s non-fiction because… I give up. Go figure.
http://www.filmthreat.com/index.php?section=interviews&Id=1221
The Duchess came out on dvd yesterday, but I couldn’t leave the bed, much less the house. I went and rented it just now.
Clerk: This is really good.
Me: I don’t care if it’s good or bad. I just want to see the hair, the gowns, and the antiques.
Clerk: Oh, Maggie Smith isn’t in this one.
I nearly cough-laughed myself to death right there at the counter.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkpRGXXeGVc
My Fav Scene of Keira Knightley_In The Dutchess. That and the dogs with their Hong Kong efforts and grunts.
You know what, this is the point where I was going to do some stupid all-caps 3am woe-is-me rant, but really, what’s the point?
It is a simple but infinitely logical question: How do you get an acting career going if you are 36 and have to clock in at a bullshit dayjob… and yet, how do you quit said job if you have no acting going? How do you pay for classes? And how do you parlay monologues and scene study in some Valley acting class to actual paid SAG-ellible film/TV acting? WHO is gonna see said shit? I’m making inquiries into some classes, my first in a decade.
But even then, to what end???? Doing some scenes in front of classmates tucked away in a class doesn’t get you “seen.” And the alleged SOCIAL NETWORKING thing that classes are supposed to help with are kind of moot once you’re approaching middle age. I can see 22-year-olds bonding in acting class and becoming a “posse” and even helping get auditions and agents and shit… But in WHAT acting class is anyone gonna wanna talk to the weird 36-YEAR-OLD douche?
It all seems like an exercise in masturbation, time-wasting, and flushing good money down the toilet.
Basically, I need to be FUCKING FAMOUS within the next six months or I will hang myself.
FUCK THE WORLD.
I know Lex isn’t going to listen to me, so can someone else tell him that his self-defeating attitude is the single biggest part of the problem?
I met a bit part character actor I recognized on the bus the other day, really nice fellow in his 60’s, never had a desk job in his life. You could get laid, off, Happy New Year.
Lex: Don’t do it, bro. Your posts on here are easily the best, and most entertaining of all. Being famous is for losers. Yeah, you get better pussy and money, but if you’re making a good salary at your day gig, then you got that covered, my man. Pussy? It comes and it goes, but the real men weather it on. trust me. Go out with some friends and grab an easy piece and you’ll be back in full on Lexmode in no time. Seriously, man. You make me laugh. Thanks for that!
Lex-
Dude, move out of L.A. Although I miss living there everyday (if not twice a day) I feel like my filmmaking options have tripled living in the San Francisco area. There’s more opportunity to be involved with non-douchey projects and when you do something, people actually seem to take notice and give a shit…because not every frigging barista and desk jockey is pitching a movie.
While there’s infinitely more people doing more things film/TV related there, what you’re feeling is the small fish in HUGEST POND EVER effect.
I mean, don’t move up here cuz we’ll outdrink each other to death. But Austin, Brooklyn, maybe even someplace like Athens, gA….all affordable, fun cities with a scene you can be a part of.
EOTW, while your enthusiasm is appreciated, it’s somewhat misguided. Lex hates his day job (regardless of how massively well-compensated he is – and he is) and without pining for movie stars (what is this thing you call an ‘easy piece’?) he’s nothing. The Lex you imagine is not the true Lex.
Excuse me, but can I ask a simple question: LexG, how old are you?
Big mucky muck Don Lewis keeps a closed mind tightly shut on an open topic.
http://www.filmthreat.com/blog/?p=1299
Joe Leydon:
I am 36 years awesome, son.
Good. There’s just enough demographic difference between us. Hell, at 56, I could — literally — be your father. So I suggest: Some enterprising producer out there pair us for the next great syndicated movie review program. We could cover movies from all sorts of angles. Seriously. Anybody out there want to give us a shot?
GOOD IDEA. Martin S., make it happen.
If we have to have some sort of critic’s roundup thing like Lyons does, we should go via satellite to Lou from Caddyshack in his Planview hat doing his godawful imitation, and/or Wells complaining about spending time with his family.
Off-topic, WHAT IS THIS AWESOME MOVIE on HBO right now with Ashley Judd and NATALIE PORTMOWNAGE????? Aside from the first act where she has pregnant padding, Nat-Po is a piece of aaaaaaaaaaace in this movie.
At best, I give you guys a reality show.
BTW, I know everybody is on PINS AND NEEDLES, so I hereby present the LEXG TOP TEN LIST OF 2008.
I have to concede I have not seen Doubt, Rachel Getting Owned, or Defiance. But otherwise I’ve seen everything I’m going to see:
1. BENJAMIN BUTTON.
2. DARK KNIGHT.
3. THE WRESTLER
4. GRAN TORINO
5. SNOW ANGELS
6. FROST/NIXON
7. MILK
8. REDBELT
9. BLINDNESS
10. FUNNY GAMES.
Honorable mention: Revolutionary Road, Hancock, Lakeview Terrace, Miracle at St. Anna, Vicki Cristina Barcelona, Che, Quarantine, The Visitor, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, The Bank Job, Cloverfield, In Bruges, Punisher War Zone.
Not bad. Not bad at all. But you should really make an effort to see Rachel.
Is there anything you saw that you didn’t like?
Worst:
Garden Party, Life Before Her Eyes, Bangkok Dangerous, Prom Night, Mummy 3, Haunting of Molly Hartley, Love Guru, Fool’s Gold, Postal (affectionately so, huge Boll fan otherwise).
Biggest disappointments (not bad, just heartbreakers): Quantum of Solace and Pineapple Express.
I should also concoct the Lex List of TOP TEN smoking-hot chicks. You might be surprised by #1.
You don’t even know when I’m making fun of you, but sure, tell me in the morning who your top ten babes are.
This will be the MOST IMPORTANT THING I EVER TYPE on this blog:
Does anyone know where I can buy a BIG DUMB HAT like Jamiroquai wears in the VIRTUAL INSANITY video?
Other than AWESOME Robbie Williams, Jamiroquai was the most awesome cheesy male Brit popstar of the late ’90s. I’m going to go listen to my Take That CDs now.
T. Holly, I actually suspected the “joke,” and I’m awesomely honored to have been OWNED by you of all people, but in my defense, I can barely understand 97% of your posts, so I think I’d be forgiven for missing the sarcasm. Plus I just carry on and do whatever I was gonna do anyway no matter what anyone else’s intent is.
HOLY SHIT this is almost the kind of thing Poland would be interested in:
Has anyone seen that LAT and TURAN are now submitting VIDEO REVIEWS to YouTube? Is this TM trying to get with the times? Seems like a (bizarre) recent development, as most of the video reviews are from the last month.
And most, oddly, seem to consist 70% of video clips of the movie at hand, with a few Turan fragments interspersed.
I’ve made no secret of the fact that I disagree with Turan’s old-man take on 90% of everything ever, but just a quick watch of a handful of these makes it seem like they’re a disservice to Kenny T. Again, I’m not a fan in the LEAST, but in print he usually makes his points pretty clearly and has that avuncular-grump thing going; Oddly, the VIDEO review of, say, THE WRESTLER, makes it sound like he’s ultimately positive on the film, as it focuses almost entirely on his pro-Rourke stance. Which was there in print, but he also eviscerated the movie itself. The video clips seems to be cut to make it sound like despite a few caveats, he’s telling folks to check it out.
Again, this is a rare time where I’m kinda defending Turan, because his print shit is way more in-depth than this, and he looks somewhat ill at ease on camera in this seemingly intentionally blurby, positive format.
Anyone else see this?
The Portman/Judd flick is 2000’s “Where the Heart Is,” Lex (not to be confused with the 1990 John Boorman movie of the same name which is infinitely better).
I remember liking the young actor who played Portman’s baby daddy (Dylan Bruno). Haven’t seen him in ages. Too bad; he seemed like a real up-and-comer. (Bruno was awesome as the badass preppie-jock in the previous year’s “The Rage: Carrie 2” which was otherwise fairly pedestrian teen fluff.)
I would watch “Frickin’ Awesome with Joe and Lex” (or whatever the hell Lex’s actual name is) mostly to watch the fireworks when you disagree and Leydon lays the smack down and Lex shrugs it off.
Otherwise, the crappiest movie on Lex’s top ten is surely Funny Games. The only one on the worst list that I would call tolerable would be Mummy 3 (and yes, I liked Mummy 3 more than FG).
Movieman, you need to turn on the tube once in a while. Bruno’s been a regular on NUMB3RS for the past five years.
BB for #1? Really, Lex? Gee, I kinda was expecting a bit more from you. The damn thing falls apart so easily.
I never got the hotness of Prtman. Just too skinny and no curves at all. ugh. Better, so much better is Ash Judd. Christ that woman has a serious ass on her. Check out that film that lesbo made where she plays the slutty country girl. Those jeans, fuck they OWN!!!
OK, back to reality.
I had no idea Bruno was still “in the business.”
Glad to know that he hasn’t gone the Michael Schoefling route and dropped out to become a carpenter in PA.
I’ve never seen “Numb3rs” (isn’t David Krumholtz in that?), but I probably watch way too much TV for my own good, lol.
Lex, the main thing you are missing besides desire is possibly talent and/or a crazed fervor that dictates you treat acting like a thing you love and would do even if you weren’t OWNING or being OWNED. Everybody in this town wants to be famous. That’s not enough, dude. Own your passion.
Let me amend that: Lex, you are hardly missing “desire” — you have that in spades. But so does most everybody here.
“…that film that lesbo made….” You charmer, you. You’re just trying to impress the ladies with your sensitivity.
Jeff, some of the comments you’ve made about FG intrigue me and warrant elaboration. I know it’s an old topic, but what the hell. It’s a BYOB, and I want Beefeater in my martini.
You said this on Craig’s blog: “I think that as regards the original, at least, if it wasn
Just saw Benjamin Button and am giving a hearty call of BULLSHIT to a good looking movie that says and does absolutely nothing. Nothing at all. There’s no message, no heart and nothing there. Boo Benjamin Button.
‘ “…that film that lesbo made….” You charmer, you. You’re just trying to impress the ladies with your sensitivity.’
that’s fucking hilarious, frankbooth, i was just about to say the EXACT SAME THING, too freaky. (and i had planned to add something along the lines of: ‘eotw, lex is david freakin’ niven compared to that shit)
don lewis, i feel your pain. ‘button’ is an absolutely lovely movie but i didn’t feel it like i wanted to. i have all the time in the world for fincher, but he didn’t grab me this time. i’ve sat down and had a long talk with myself, and i have come to this sad conclusion: i have serious brad pitt issues. for my money, the man can’t act his way out of a paper bag, i can see him either ‘trying to act’ at almost every turn or i look into his eyes and the lights are on but nobody’s home, and i just can’t get past it. it bums me out.
oddly, i have a few exceptions: brad’s turn in ‘t & l’, in which he is full of mischievous charm; as david mills in se7en’, in which his petulant-brat-rookie-detective somehow works opposite the dynamite perfs of freeman and paltrow; his pothead stoner in ‘true romance’, and most notably and impressively, pitt as ‘early’ the psychopathic redneck in ‘kalifornia’, in which he is both utterly repellent and compelling. weird. how can i have so much time for pitt in those few roles and view him with disdain in most everything else? 🙁
Pitt is priceless in comedy (Snatch, Burn After Reading), but something seems to be missing when he does drama. Looking forward to Ben Button though.
Lex, I still haven’t seen many of your Top Ten (or many of your near-misses and least favorites either, for that matter). I’ve got lots of catching up to do. But I quite liked Pineapple Express, and it has a good shot at landing on my eventual Top Ten for 2008 (ETA: sometime in 2010). Sorry it didn’t work for you.
Also Lex, you never know about these acting classes. I just saw the Jack Nicholson E! True Hollywood Story, and he had the good fortune to be in Jeff Corey’s acting class at the same time as Roger Corman, who used a lot of his classmates in his early films. With all the youtube shorts and cheap digitally shot indies being made, you might carve a niche as the up-and-coming filmmaker’s go-to guy for mid-30s douche characters. Good luck!
I think Pitt’s part in Benjamin Button is simply severely underwritten – he just sort of bounces through a string of Gump-style episodes in the first half of the movie, then spends most of the second half posing for the camera and looking attractive and young. So I think Roth is more to blame for that.
Frank, I want to post something in greater detail about that movie, probably for my year-end ‘Worst of 2008’ list, but just a few comments to tide you over: When I say ‘pretty good’ I mean that the movie could have, if it had wanted to, been an effectively misanthropic pure-horror thriller, sort of a yuppie Last House on the Left. There’s a range that such a movie could have played out, from something analytic/ironic like Clockwork Orange to just pure exploitation like any Last House on the Left ripoff. But since the movie isn’t interested in real-world violence but rather, cinematic violence (and more specifically, a condescending lecture/pandering to the audience) I think it’s basically just a wank.
As far as the rewind scene goes, I think that it pretty much represents the peak of Haneke’s duplicity. It’s basically the equivalent of any horror movie where Jason/Michael Myers sits up ONE MORE TIME to savage the teenagers, except achieved through a method that’s intended to be seen as ‘clever’ – even though it’s a trick that goes back at least six or seven decades back.
Uh…I have more to say but I’m tired from travelling for the last ten hours, so I’ll stop.
Totally agrree, jeff. Roth should be ashamed of himself in general. That Katrina subplot was tacked on and pointless and really, there’s no *point* to the movie. Lameness.
Fincher has a killer eye though and I liked the montages.
i’ve been thinking a lot about ‘ben button’, and setting aside my problem with pitt and his lack of acting ability for a mo, i would agree that the film is underwritten – some parts of the story are rushed while others seem too protracted, imho – but screenplays are at best the skeleton onto which the flesh, blood and viscera/internal organs are added by way of the magic of film making, and a movie’s beating heart rarely comes just from the words written on the page but from the creative interpretation of those words into sight and sound by the director and crew; so while i’d like to blame roth for my inability to feel that profound tug in my chest for ‘button’, i have to place some of the responsibility squarely with fincher, whose visuals are nothing short of stunning but lack the heart and soul to back them up.
which is very strange, because even in ‘the game’ – arguably fincher’s silliest film with endless plausibilty problems – the flaws are inherent to the story and his direction almost manages to overcome them with mood, commitment, gravity and suspense. i don’t know what happened on ‘button’ to fincher’s ability to inject soul into material that may not be masterfully written – perhaps it’s the nature of the material, fincher being better suited to tight, gripping stories rather than sprawling, romantic, melacholy epic tearjerkers. (at the end of the day i can’t help but come back to pitt; i’m fairly certain a less vacuous actor in the role of button would have made a world of difference in the way i feel about the movie, so maybe the problem is also mine)
Leah, I agree, I think Fincher was simply out of his element as far as large parts of this movie go – and that Forrest Gump and Zemeckis, for all their flaws, did it better in certain ways.
yeah, i think that’s fair. it’s still a lovely movie and i know a lot of people are really psyched about it, so good on them, i wish i were one of them. i haven’t been floored by a film all year, a bit depressing, really. hopefully 2009 will be kinder to me.