May 17, 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
I am going to watch this one; This guy rules.
Now someone give LAST EMBRACE a proper DVD release so I can see ROY SCHEIDER’S AWESOME-ASS WHITE SUIT in full digital glory, and bask in John Glover’s awesome villainous smarm!
Been a few years since I’ve seen it, but can’t remember that having too many specific “Demmeisms,” aside from the locales having that air of Americana he so affectionately depicted back then.
And something else: For 20-some years I’ve read reviews talking up “Stop Making Sense,” and I know one of these days I really should get around to it, since I like his stuff so much… but… What if you don’t really care for the band?
Is it possible that a director can be talented enough to make a concert movie stand aside from one’s opinion of the band? For much the same reason as I never saw those Scorsese concert flicks, my TOTAL INDIFFERENCE to the band being filmed totally overwhelms my auteurist completism.
A little bit late for this, no?
“And something else: For 20-some years I’ve read reviews talking up “Stop Making Sense,” and I know one of these days I really should get around to it, since I like his stuff so much… but… What if you don’t really care for the band?”
I remember the first time I heard about “Stop Making Sense”, it was introduced to me as the film that would make me (or anyone else no matter what their current opinion of the band) a hardcore “Talking Heads” fan.
Having seen it since I have to say that it was an overstatment but the film is quite an experiece , very atmospheric and compulsively watchable. A very different experience from say, Scorcese’s “Last Waltz”. David Byrne makes for a great mad Demme character.
I recommend watching the Youtube clip for “Psycho Killer” which is near the beginning of the film to get a taste of what the movie is like:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xqUoYYnE2M
Lex: re Last Embrace, I think Demme was more interested in “Hitchcockisms” than “Demmeisms” on that one. I’d like to see that one again. Love Janet Margolin (especially in the ’60s; such a great face).
give it a spin, Lex; you might find your mind changed. I’ve always respected and perhaps even admired U2, but until I saw U2-3D last year, I didn’t really “get” them. Now I do.
DEMME RULES.
Everyone go see CITIZEN’S BAND or MELVIN AND HOWARD.
Or definitely SOMETHING WILD and bask in milquetoast Daniels (who’s only ever been more awesome in Squid and Terms) getting OWNED by Liotta. Is it wrong that when I watch that, I can’t FUCKING WAIT till Hour 2 when all the violent crime-spree shit and Liotta awesomeness kicks in?
That’s something weird as fuck about Demme is that he’s this ultra-lib sensitive PC nice guy, but in Something Wild and Silence of the Lambs, he brings the fucking THUNDER with the ultraviolent ownage.
I couldn’t say for sure, but I’m assuming he’s kind of being that in this new, enlightened phase of his career, but I kinda wish he’d do another crime or suspense movie. Even his “Manchurian Candidate,” which wasn’t very well received and suffers from too much Meryl Streep indulgent HAMMING, has some unsettling images and a tense first half.
I’ll back up Melvin and Howard.
Wonderful little movie. Doesn’t go where you think it will. Jason Robards OWNS.
Stop Making Sense is awesome for several reasons.
-They don’t amp up the audience applause.
-They don’t cut to the audience until very end of the movie.
-the whole thing’s not just about David Byrne (but it is).
-the music is awesome.