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
Interested to see if the extra amount of time led to Potter receiving more polish than the last, or if they just moved directly onto shooting the final installments.
It’s all about Star Trek, David. That’s when the fun in the sun begins, yeah?
sounds like the Daver doesn’t like the Trek…
OK, I admit it: I’m really, really looking forward to the new Judd Apatow.
i was talking to a guy today who struck me as a completely regular guy…ie not someone who frequents this blog …. and he said he was really looking forward to this summer. i have to agree. seems like there is a lot of fun to be had.
You know, I feel the same way. I was all looking forward to writing a full blown summer preview issue, literary my first in ten years (I did a piece for my high school paper, but it was cut due to a last minute need for a slew of post Columbine editorials). But, truth be told, there are two problems. First of all, as you noted, there are only a handful of summer films to get excited about. Second of all, aside from Transformers 2 and Harry Potter 6 likely duking it out for number 01 with about $315 million apiece, and Up likely doing the usual Pixar $210 million, I have no idea what anything is going to gross this summer. While that will make for lots of fun surprises for us box office geeks in the present tense, it makes it hard to write anything meaningful in a predict-itory (yes, I just made up that word) sense.
And, if I may, does anyone remember back in the day, when the theoretical big summer film actually came out in mid-June? Batman (parts 1, 2, 3, 4), Jurassic Park, Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves, The Lion King, etc. It seems like June has been a (comparative) dead zone in between the May kick-off, the Memorial Day monsters, and the July 4th gorilla followed of late by Warner’s mid-July top dog.
crap… make that ‘literally’
Best ’70s-style action film of recent years: Four Brothers. Hope Armored is that good.
My issues with Four Brothers aside, I still feel that John Singleton crafts pure shoot outs better than any American director around.
i think Up is going to be that 300 mil type movie…. it has that go back again and again feel
Aside from the obvious (Pixar, Mann, Tarantino, Sacha Baron Cohen), I’m really jazzed about the new Mendes and (Ang) Lee films.
“Away We Go” has a pleasantly fizzy “Flirting With Disaster” vibe (plus the cast is killer), and I’m really in the mood for some Woodstock lovin’.
And not even blase Variety reviews can shake my enthusiasm for upcoming films by Jarmusch and the Woodman.
In the guilty pleasure division, “The Proposition” looks like fun (Bullock and Reynolds are both insanely likable performers, especially in rom-coms), and the Streep/Adams Julia Child movie has me cautiously optimistic. Ephron can be notoriously uneven, yes, but those two actresses (and the thought of all that glorious food, sensuously photographed) already has me smacking my lips in anticipation.
None of the real summer tentpole movies/sequels excite me in the least, sorry to say.
Agreed with David’s general sentiment here… there could be some quality this summer but there’s nothing that I’m outright excited about.
I bet Public Enemies will be my favorite of the summer, even though the trailer didn’t thrill me. Maybe it gave away just a bit too much.
For some reason Terminator looks good, too, despite McG. I had low expectations and was pleasantly surprised by the third one, too, so it could happen again.
I’m less excited about what I’ll see this summer than how I’ll see them– there’s a drive-in not too far from me that’s opening for the season soon. And I fucking love the drive-in.
Star Trek
It’s all Terminator for me. It’s not about McG. It’s not about the franchise. It’s not even about seeing an 80s-era CG Arnold. It’s about Christian Bale and his explosively kick-ass rant against the DP caught on tape. That is literally the GREATEST THING I have ever heard. I’ve listened to it a zillion timee. I’ve watched the Youtube mash-ups a zillion times. I’ve played with the soundboard a zillion times. It’s comic gold and I will honor Bale’s giving me so much happiness by patronizing his film a zillion times.
This is what this summer looks like:
Comic Book/Franchise
Franchise/Remake/TV-Based
Name-Checking
Franchise
Lame Rip-Off
Sequel
Name-Checking
Product Placement
TV-Based
Remake
Franchise/TV-Based
Franchise
Oscar-Pimping
Franchise
Name-Checking
TV-Based
Franchise
Franchise/Remake
All this reeks of the press-state cronyism that governs TV newscasts in the US.
One summer release I am looking forward to is “The Ugly Truth”. It got pushed back from April so it’ll have a good chance to get an audience.
Chuck: really? Really Chuck? Really?
Poland: You are old. Keep the shorts on til September, and have fun in Toronto.
The Summer is here. FUN TIMES TO COME… WOOZAH!
Chucky, are there people in video stores watching you walk up and down the aisles, knocking movies off the shelves, and mutter things to yourself like “name checking” and “TV based” in a compulsive need to pre-judge EVERYTHING? To go by what you’re categorizing as instant garbage, you really do screw yourself out of tons of great movie experiences while not doing an iota of harm to the people you despise.
And yet, for all that, I find Chucky far less annoying than JeffMcM. Curious, that. And I note that David takes him to task far less frequently than he scolds Jeff. I guess all this means is: It is far better to be disliked than despised.
Chucky is in here a lot less… and he pretty much sticks to his main theme, no?
man, the hot blog is a tough room
As much as I like Ratatouille, Wall-E and Nemo, my favorite Pixar is still Monsters, Inc.
As a book, I’ve found Angels and Demons much better than The Da Vinci Code. I hope it’s a better movie as well. Having said that though, I don’t think I’ll see it in the cinema unless the reviews are really, really good. Watching The Da Vinci Code was akin to torture.
I’ve successfully disassociate McG from Terminator 4. Why in the world did they choose him from all the directors in the world? Can anyone here please enlighten me?
David: True enough.
Glenn Kenny is awesome in The Girlfriend Experience. Seriously.
I’m looking forward to Rob Zombie’s Revenge of Redneck Michael Myers. I have really low expectations for UP because the premise seems terrible to me, but so did Ratatouille and that turned out all right, plus 3-D makes nearly everything better.
Why couldn’t Where the Wild Things are be a summer movie? I want to see that more than anything right now.
I’d be more hyped for Harry Potter if it were a new director – I thought the last one was really awkwardly paced. Star Trek looks great, but Star Trek movies traditionally aren’t big money, so we’ll see.
And Land of the Lost – never saw the TV show, but all I need to be sold on a movie is the phrase “co-starring Danny McBride.” Only movie that ever steered me wrong on was Drillbit Taylor, and that was Owen Wilson’s fault for being totally wrong in the role.
I’m trying to figure out Chucky’s list. Are these correct?
Comic Book/Franchise – Wolverine
Franchise/Remake/TV-Based – Star Trek
Name-Checking – Bruno
Franchise – Transformers 2
Lame Rip-Off
Sequel – Night at the Museum 2
Name-Checking – Inglourious Basterds
Product Placement
TV-Based – Land of the Lost (???)
Remake – Pelham 1 2 3
Franchise/TV-Based
Franchise – Ice Age
Oscar-Pimping
Franchise – Terminator 4
Name-Checking – Public Enemies
TV-Based
Franchise – G.I. Joe
Franchise/Remake
I can’t think of the rest. Help please, anyone?
LYT: I would have been wary of any other Potter film not directed by Yates. He really made the best Potter film, but most PoA fans disagree. Nevertheless; Danny McBride and Anna Friel in the same movie. I am so there.
I forgot Harry Potter. And Up too!
“man, the hot blog is a tough room”
Yeah, but it’s rent free and nobody drinks my last Dr. Pepper here.
Thank GOD. I thought I was the only person on earth that was looking forward to “Land of the Lost”. It looks fun. It looks a like a “Galaxy Quest” kind of comedy. “Matt Lauer can suck it!” makes me laugh.
bless you for giving that a go, ployp!
(if anything that comes out this summer – winter here – is as good as ‘galaxy quest’ i’ll do a little jig, hallick!)
‘I’ve successfully disassociate McG from Terminator 4. Why in the world did they choose him from all the directors in the world? Can anyone here please enlighten me?’
ployp, i have no idea but here’s my guess: because they’re mental?
(i really hope ‘t:the end begins’ is good but like you, i’m having a hard time getting past mcg. prove me wrong, mcg, make me eat my words with some whipped cream and cherries on top!)
Beat me to it, Leanz. If Land of the Lost is 1/3 as wonderful as Galaxy Quest, I’ll see it twice in theaters even if I have to bring my kid along. Of course, I can’t imagine the current Paramount/Dreamsworks squabbles bodes well for a Blu Ray release of GQ. It’s a shame… I’d kill for an extended cut of the movie, if only with the Alan Rickman bathroom gag put back in the movie.
i’ve never seen an extended cut of ‘galaxy quest’, scott, does it rule?! i ADORE that movie (and just as well because the boy watches it like once a month. ‘by grabthar’s hammer…’ rickman is legend)
Would it be safe to say that “Galaxy Quest” is now a cult comedy, albeit one still flying wayyyyyyyyy below the radar? Because I LOVE that movie too. And I still get choked up when Rickman does his swear near the end.
Galaxy Quest would still be a classic even if it only had that brilliantly done leaving-the-parking-space gag.
Awesome sound design on an all too familiar sound to us all…..
Hallick: Well, some of us appreciated it right from the start.
http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117759999.html?categoryid=31&cs=1
Galaxy Quest is some weak shit if you ask me. Yes, it had a few funny parts and Allen and crew did the best they could with it. But it was like watching the re-edited tv version of an R-rated comedy. Also went for the easy laugh and the obvious jokes way too often. I think people responded more to the concept of the film than the execution. It was a solid 2 1/2 when it could have been a real 4-star classic comedy.
Surprises?
What about The Brothers Bloom? District 9? Anyone heard anything about Moon ( http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony/moon/ )?
i’m gonna go out on a limb here and say YES, ‘galaxy quest’ is a cult comedy classic (and i’ll go out on that limb even further and say it’ll be tim allen’s one and only cult comedy classic flick, ever)
Galaxy Quest was great. Had a blast in the cinema too, the whole audience seemed to respond to it.
I must admit that I am very much looking forward to many of the summer movies (even if it is winter here), but like Dave my enthusiasm isn’t exactly peaking. Up, Bruno, Terminator, Harry Potter, Transformers and Public Enemies are my most anticipated of the big movies, and then there are titles like Taking Woodstock, Moon and The Girlfriend Experience that we won’t get for until December or later (most likely) that I’m also excited for.
To be fair, Galaxy Quest got relatively solid reviews when it opened. The problem was (if I recall.. you’d probably know more about this than I) that Regal Cinemas and Dreamworks were in some kind of squabble, so the film didn’t open in any Regal theaters. Hence the opening weekend was soft and it never truly recovered even while playing well through the whole holiday season (I too was there with friends on opening day and everyone was completely into it).
As for Martin’s objections, the film wouldn’t have worked as well as an R-rated comedy. It was a relatively gentle and loving spoof of science fiction, and it was intended to be seen and enjoyed by the sort of kids who grew up to make movies like, well, Galaxy Quest.
Oh, there is no ‘extended cut’, it’s just that the deleted scenes reel on the DVD has two bits that are wonderful and should have been in the film (the Alan Rickman bathroom bit, and a moment where Sigourney Weaver flashes the villains to distract them – both likely cut to insure a PG).
sorry, scott, i misunderstood your initial comment, i see what you meant now. i’ll have to re-watch those deleted scenes on the special features, it’s been good long a while. oh well, ‘the quest’ is a perfect little heart-felt gem of a parody just as it is; i remember my friend dragging me to see it at the cinema and i went very grudgingly, kicking and screaming and dragging my heels the whole way because it was a ‘tim allen movie’, i don’t think i’ve ever been so pleasantly surprised by loving a movie in all my life!
By no means do I think that McG is a fantastic director, but I actually thought that Charlies Angels: Full Throttle was an excellent action film. Sure, it was what is was, at its core its a flimsy girl power film (I thought McG perfectly nailed the superficial but fun tone). What I was really surprised by was the craft of the film.
The film feels epic with several elaborate backstory cutaways and its ability to launch into entire action set pieces at a moments notice. I actually think the motorcross sequence was quite innovative and actually beat the Wachowski’s to many of the same camera moves that took place in Speed Racer. All to say, Charlies Angels proved he could technically pull off stylized action, and that he could do it in an epic fashion. As far as drama goes, I haven’t seen We Are Marshall, but perhaps that convinced studio heads enought that he could pull it off.
“Chucky is in here a lot less… and he pretty much sticks to his main theme, no?”
Banging away at the one key on a one-key piano is a theme?
“Banging away at the one key on a one-key piano is a theme?”
Like Inspector Morse, but Chucky’s always spells out “Oscar-bait”.
To be honest, I’m feeling a little blah about the summer season, too – sure, I know every one is jazzed about Public Enemies and I love Mann, too, but, sorry, IMHO the guy has done an exceptional movie in ten years. I found Ali and Miami Vice disappointing and Collateral just ok. I have a feeling a lot of us are setting ourselves up for Msnn to make the summer worthwhile.
That said, there are some big films that just look intriguing – mainly the Terminator and Star Trek reboots. Just damn curious about those films and the trailers have been great.
Have to admit that a REAL director was doing Terminator, it would be much easier to be excited. But wow, it’s almost as if McG knows that because he has been talking this film up for over a year – it’s almost as if he feels a little defensive about the whole thing and really wants to make it work. I actually found We Are Marshall quite moving, so maybe he can pull it off. He’s got some decent actors – Helena Bonham Carter is actually in it??? – and he had Jonah Nolan re-write it, so who knows? At this point, it’s actually hard not to root for the guy.
The box office predictions for Star Trek are going to be all over the map, but people have to remember something: if ONLY the fanbase for the previous films show up, it’s assured of $150 million and Paramount can claim it’s the “highest grossing Trek ever!” when in reality they just got an inflationary bump like they did for Indiana Jones, last year. That’s not to say it will be profitable, but that’s not going to keep the franchise from continuing further when it’s the biggest worldwide grosser by a large margin. It was pretty much the case with Warners and Batman Begins – the film really did not make much related to the cost, but there was enough to keep it going and build on. According to Box Office Prophets, eight of the ten Star Trek films would have exceeded $100 million when adjusted for inflation – people need to remember that when they claim to be shocked by much it grosses, next month.
One other film to watch is Pelham 123 – this is more of a surefire grosser than people realize. Denzel is coming off his highest grosser ever and even though it’s not readily obvious, Travolta is as hot as ever – his last two films were Hairspray and Wild Hogs, both big grossers. And the guy has been a surefire opener in June – see General’s Daughter, Face/Off, Swordfish, etc. AND the film has virtually no action competition in either direction for several weeks – if Sony can’t get $120 million out of this, they didn’t do their jobs. I could even see it doing Taken grosses.
Speaking of Taken, can some one explain something to me? I just saw Taken a few weeks ago in theatres and liked it; I also bought Quantum of Solace recently and actually think it is very underrated – really strong, tight, no-nonsense, action thrillers both of them. How come so many people hated Quantum of Solace for the same reasons they loved Taken?
Geoff, as a big Bond fan, I’d say the answer is, the Bond purists (like myself) expect Bond to have a little bit of flab: A little travelogue, some romance, some exotic locales, some clunky, outdated pacing and plotting.
As a ’00s-style, all business, just-the-facts action movie, QOS is functional and exciting (though even an ADD case like me will admit the action-editing is near-incoherent in some crucial spots). And yes, it’s pretty much on par with Taken as an unpretentious, ass-kicking revenge movie.
But it doesn’t seem like Bond. That’s a complaint many had twenty years back on LICENCE TO KILL: They tried a little too hard to adapt to the current cinematic action trappings, and lost Bond in the process.
(For the record, I was always a huge LTK fan… maybe QOS will grow on me over time.)
But Pelham is going to be a solid earner/crowdpleser (though I prefer Tony when he’s in manic, hard-R mode to his more accessible, Bruckheimerian “audience” pictures), and props to LYT for rightly noting that “H2” is THE movie of the summer, even if it doesn’t drop like 8/28.
Lex: Bond became what he should have always been. It only took the 21st movie to figure out, that Bond should bring the pain instead of the stupid quips. I find it interesting that Daniel Craig wants to play a more fast and loose Bond in a world where that Bond is played the fuck out.
There has to be a happy medium out there. Oh I forgot. That happy medium is named Moore, Sir Roger Moore, and I have all of those movies on DVD. So here’s to the next film being something different, that gives Craig the chance to make an occasional quip or two.
Has anybody seen or heard anything about District 9, apparently a Peter jackson produced flick scheduled to be released August 14th? Not seeing it on anyone’s radar.
QoS was a pretty good action flick, but not a good Bond flick.
….just noticed that “Halloween” and “Final Destination” are both slated to open the same day (August 28th).
Are they serious, or just plain dumb?
Gee, who wants to make a bet that one of them will get tagged with a new release date before Memorial Day?
I’m psyched for Star Trek. I’m a little tired of Harry Potter films, they all feel remarkably similar. Though the trailer for the new one looks pretty good. I’m curious about Terminator: Salvation.
The film i’m most excited for is Ninja Assasain. I love me some kung fu violence. Flawed or not, i like the output of the Wachowskis.
“QoS was a pretty good action flick, but not a good Bond flick.”
That’s funny, my brother and dad were just discussing QoS (I haven’t seen it), and they said the same thing. They actually prefer the breezier tone of past Bonds. The new flicks are wall-to-wall intensity.
Why is Halloween always released in August? I know the kids are out of school, but wouldn’t more people be feeling it in October? Ecspecially this year, H2 looks to be more of the same, which is really bad when everyone hated the first film. Since Saw is out of steam, why not go for the Halloween holiday crowd? 30 million tops either way.
Star Trek’s box office will be interesting. Will any women go?
Hey, Lez and every one else – thanks for a good discussion on QOS. No doubt, it was not a typical Bond film, but I personally had no issue with that. I am right there with you on License to Kill, it’s one of my favorites – love Robert Davi, Benicio Del Toro, Cary Lowell, and that tanker truck climax is one of the best action sequences in the whole series.
I am a huge Bond fanatic fan and here’s the thing – we’ve had PLENTY of the breezy tone, flabbier Bonds; what’s wrong with taking it in the direction of the actual novels? This is just not a Bourne-thing – don’t get me wrong, if the Bourne films didn’t catch on, then EON would not have had the balls to take the series in this direction, but I still think it’s the right direction.
I cannot tell you how refreshing it to see an action thriller at barely 100 minutes – I am just finding so many action films even my favorite ones in recent years (Iron Man, Dark Knight, even Casino Royale) have third act problems and QOS ended at just the right time on the right note.
I honestly wouldn’t mind if they didn’t give Daniel Craig a little more humor, fine with me – actually love the quick interplay between him and Jeffrey Wright in that one scene near the end. I mean, you can HAVE wit without it being silly. But really, after Die Another Day, where else could go with this franchise? It just makes sense – there’s enough overloaded CGI-fests out there, I think they’re on the right track.
And IOIOIOIO, you make a great point – it took long enough to make him the character he really is, only like 40 years? SPOILER ALERT – I mean, it took THIS long for M to finally get pissed at him for getting his MI6 contact killed? Amen, he was LONG overdue for that, just think it brings some logic to the proceedings and does not hurt the Bond-ness of it.
Hey, Lez and every one else – thanks for a good discussion on QOS. No doubt, it was not a typical Bond film, but I personally had no issue with that. I am right there with you on License to Kill, it’s one of my favorites – love Robert Davi, Benicio Del Toro, Cary Lowell, and that tanker truck climax is one of the best action sequences in the whole series.
I am a huge Bond fanatic fan and here’s the thing – we’ve had PLENTY of the breezy tone, flabbier Bonds; what’s wrong with taking it in the direction of the actual novels? This is just not a Bourne-thing – don’t get me wrong, if the Bourne films didn’t catch on, then EON would not have had the balls to take the series in this direction, but I still think it’s the right direction.
I cannot tell you how refreshing it to see an action thriller at barely 100 minutes – I am just finding so many action films even my favorite ones in recent years (Iron Man, Dark Knight, even Casino Royale) have third act problems and QOS ended at just the right time on the right note.
I honestly wouldn’t mind if they didn’t give Daniel Craig a little more humor, fine with me – actually love the quick interplay between him and Jeffrey Wright in that one scene near the end. I mean, you can HAVE wit without it being silly. But really, after Die Another Day, where else could go with this franchise? It just makes sense – there’s enough overloaded CGI-fests out there, I think they’re on the right track.
And IOIOIOIO, you make a great point – it took long enough to make him the character he really is, only like 40 years? SPOILER ALERT – I mean, it took THIS long for M to finally get pissed at him for getting his MI6 contact killed? Amen, he was LONG overdue for that, just think it brings some logic to the proceedings and does not hurt the Bond-ness of it.
Mr. Poland deserves some props for saying Summer Movie Preview = Big Chore. The Liberal Media love to do that stuff so they don’t have to write about how Hollywood is out of ideas.
For the clueless and the mouth-breathers this is the sequence I alluded to: “Wolverine”, “Star Trek”, “Angels and Demons”, the latest “Terminator”, “Dance Flick” (the Wayans Brothers), “Night at the Museum” 2, “The Brothers Bloom”, “Up” (every hack writer always makes sure to mention Disney), “Land of the Lost”, Pelham 1-2-3, the latest “Transformers”, the latest “Ice Age”, “Public Enemies”, the latest Harry Potter, “Funny People”, “G.I. Joe” (a TV cartoon in the 80’s), “Final Destination” 3, the latest “Halloween”.
Only a hack or a mouth-breather or an industry crony would love this schedule.
@MDOC: School starts in August in most of the U.S.
Count me in for Trek, Up, Public Enemies and Funny People, but i think this will be the weakest Summer season since the notorious Pearl/Apes/Mummy Returns dod days of ’01.
Avatar, A Christmas Carol, The Lovely Bones, 2012……this year, Winter is the new Summer.
Count me in for Trek, Up, Public Enemies and Funny People, but i think this will be the weakest Summer season since the notorious Pearl/Apes/Mummy Returns dog days of ’01.
Avatar, A Christmas Carol, The Lovely Bones, 2012……this year, Winter is the new Summer.
“Only a hack or a mouth-breather or an industry crony would love this schedule.”
Call me an indutry crony then, because this schedule is STRONG, will make CASH, and will make audiences HAPPY. Don’t like it? Take the summer off and read a good book.
“@MDOC: School starts in August in most of the U.S
”
Wrong!!!!
“@MDOC: School starts in August in most of the U.S”
This is the last thing I feel like getting into a big debate about. Is Chuck right? In my experience college started last week of August while grade school and high school started after Labor Day. Things may have changed. My kids don’t start school for a couple years yet.
i forgot to post this before, bulldog68, for you re: your ‘district 9’ query (still in post), a pretty good summary:
http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117975244.html?categoryid=13&cs=1
‘district 9’ – based on blomkamp’s short ‘alive in joberg – could very well fly in under the radar and surprise people
alive in joberg:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5GZpD6nmUI
(blomkamp is one of the new breed of young directors coming out of the vis. effects side of the industry rather than the more common photography/writing stables; pj has a couple of these young guys he is keen on)
@Wrecktum: This schedule reads 4 Weeks and Out. Nothing short of legalized burglary — smash and grab, get it while you can.
@MDOC: More and more districts start the school year in August, especially where football is big. If everyone went back after Labor Day school wouldn’t be out until 4th of July.
“Only a hack or a mouth-breather or an industry crony would love this schedule.”
Which one of these groups falls into your “The Ugly Truth” camp? ‘Cause that definitely couldn’t be one of the most trite, sitcom-plated storylines of the summer right there: “She’s an uptight control freak! He’s a sexist ne’er do well! Could they…fall in love? Tonight on FOX!”
How did Kate and Matthew miss out on THIS one?
“More and more districts start the school year in August, especially where football is big. If everyone went back after Labor Day school wouldn’t be out until 4th of July.”
Chucky has, as usual, a rather curious relationship to the state of affairs as it exists in reality. For one thing, most states mandate a minimum of 180 days of instruction. For various reasons (i.e., money), they rarely exceed this limit. Pennsylvania, to name one state that does this, also requires the academic term to end on June 30, so if 180 days of instruction are not me (weather, strikes), they are not made up.
In such as system, a 180-day calendar begun after Labor Day will usually end in mid-June. How that becomes July 4th is a question Chucky perhaps can answer when he is experiencing one of his rare lucid periods.
Also, he overlooks (quelle surprise) the fact that the commencement of school after Labor Day is still regarded as the norm in most of the United States. This is the case even where school has regularly resumed before Labor Day for several years now. For example, Alabama:
http://www.savealabamasummers.org/later_start_date_wanted_news.html
Where school continues to start after Labor Day, getting it changed usually proves futile. For example, Minnesota:
http://www.startribune.com/politics/local/40958892.html?elr=KArks8c7PaP3E77K_3c::D3aDhUHc3E7_ec7PaP3iUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU
North Carolina passed a law requiring shool to start no earlier than late August and end by early June, as a reaction to school districts beginning at the start of August:
http://www.witn.com/education/headlines/43335027.html
The issue is deeply controversial, and even states that do have early school starting dates would just as soon do away with them. School does start in August in some places, almost all of them in the South. The idea that this is the rule and not the exception is mistaken. And the notion that “more and more” school districts are adopting an early calendar is simply an uninformed canard.
…which is a better answer than my WRONG, but still the same result. Is Chucky in Jersey usually so completely incorrect in his assertions?
Geoff, agreed about the length thing. Not just action movies, but a lot of movies in general. It’s amazing how it can feel like such a chore to put in a DVD of a movie that runs 100 minutes and yet something that’s 90mins i have no problem with. Bizarre. I have more of a problem with comedies being too long. There’s already going to be a deluxe unrated special super-computer edition released in four months anyway.
“School does start in August in some places, almost all of them in the South. ”
Got to disagree there. I’m in New Mexico, and most of our schools start in mid-August. So do those in the adjacent states of Colorado and Arizona, maybe Utah, but I’m not sure. none of us are Southern states, though.
I tend to prefer longer movies. A lot of times when you have a short movie that has more of a plot than, say, Basket Case…you’re either cutting mood or character.
As much as I love it, Galaxy Quest was clearly and painfully edited for a PG rating. First, Shalhoub’s character is obviously stoned without explanation, and lip-readers can see that a few “fucks” were dubbed over (Weaver yells “Fuck that!” near the end of the film, but I believe we hear “Screw that!”).
I have to doubt they ever had an intention of Galaxy Quest being R-rated. They probably hoped the “fuck that” would get through. And I think it’s funnier that they never directly reference the fact that Shalhoub is stoned.
At the risk of sounding heartlessly crass: Do you think the swine flu epidemic will seriously affect movie grosses in the weeks ahead? Seriously: I just watched an NBC report that indicated folks in Mexico are staying away from freakin’ soccer games to avoid the risk of infection. I can’t help thinking that those same fearful folks won’t want to be cooped up inside movie theaters next to other folks who might be coughing. And if the pandemic spreads in this country…
Come to think of it: Weren’t there lots of movie theater closings in this country during the influenza epidemic of 1918?
Well, I’ve been wrong before but Angels & Demons looks DOA to me. Take the unders on Harry Potter, Year One and Pelham.
I guess I haven’t seen the same trailers for UP as you guys. You know the one that make it actually look appealing. Not saying it won’t do well a few of those Pixar flicks I thought had more enticing premises for adults.
Land Lost & Terminator I think will exceed.
Slightly modify the scenario to read
…
Product Placement
TV-Based
Name-Checking
Remake
…
@JoeL: The Mexican gov’t ordered those matches played in empty stadiums for public health and national security reasons.