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
If the studio cut a trailer that made RACHEL GETTING MARRIED look like a fun, sexy fantasy-fulfillment ogle-fest about a stringy-haired, grunged-up, smoking-hot, messed-up Hathaway who likes to drink, party, get messed up and fuck, I wouldn’t just finally buy a ticket, I’d instantly declare it the MOVIE OF THE YEAR.
Just going by descriptions, but what exactly is the problem with her character?
She sounds like my dream chick. FUCK YEAH.
LexG, see the film, if you still can. Post-haste.
Dave, I have not seen the spots you are talking about, but I just saw the film last night – that’s mainly what it is, a mana-a-mano showdown.
SPOILER ALERT
That’s basically the third act in a nutshell – Howard even manages to make a little Rocky-like training montage for Frost before his last interview.
That said, I loved the movie – one of the best of the year and certainly Ron Howard’s best. I’ve had issues with the guy for years and it’s easy to give him guff since so many of his movies are in heavy rotation on cable now – The Paper was a lot of fun until that terrible third act where he tried to make it “heartwarming”, Backdraft has to be one of the most unintentionally funny films ever made, and the less said about Far and Away the better.
But Frost/Nixon really worked for me – loved every minute of it – right in the vein of Reversal of Fortune as a real-life drama that is much more entertaining than it has any right to be, given the subject matter. Langella was great, Sheen was great, the writing crackled, the pacing was quick, and the whole supporting cast just delivered. Toby Jones has just got a career made, now, for playing creepy guys, doesn’t he? Put him in the next Batman movie, seriously. And Kevin Bacon brings more humanity that you could expect from such a thankless role.
But Langella….wow, just owns the character who is probably among the most frequently portrayed Presidents in cinema. You loathe him, respect him, and feel sorry for him. And I love that Howard just stays out of the way of the damn thing! Doesn’t try to inject sentimentality or too much exposition – it has to be one of the best examples I have ever seen of blowing up a play into a movie, but still keeping the story on the right scale.
One of the my five best for the year, which is shaping up to be a pretty damn good year. And I have not even seen Milk or Benjamin Button, yet.
So far:
1) Slumdog Millionaire
2) Man on Wire
3) Frost/Nixon
4) The Dark Knight
5) The Bank Job
6) In Bruges
7) Iron Man
8) Burn After Reading
9) Rachel Getting Married
10) Quantum of Solace
Soft spot for Bond, what can I say – Casino Royale was actuall in my top five for ’06, so this was actually a come down.
Every movie promoted with “Academy Award Winner” and “Academy Award Nominee” targets the same clique of 6,000. It doesn’t help that “Frost/Nixon” name-checks a movie that is now seen as having its awards bought and paid for.
Even with those new TV spots “Frost/Nixon” will still be in limited release come Xmas Day. The closest theater to me with that movie will be the AMC megaplex in Hamilton — an hour from my home in bad weather.
“Every movie promoted with “Academy Award Winner” and “Academy Award Nominee” targets the same clique of 6,000. ”
This might be true of an ad in Variety or a billboard on Sunset Blvd. but not necessarily of a nationwide TV ad campaign.
I take it jeffmcm has not seen the trailer and/or poster for “Frost/Nixon”. At least I have.
Chucky, if you’re going to treat me (and everyone else here) like an idiot, you shouldn’t be surprised when you get it back in spades.