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 still haven’t caught up with “OSS 117: Lost in Rio,” but “Cairo, Nest of Spies” was pretty great (particularly anything relating to the chicken business-subplot). Will look forward to this one, though the last time the French took on an American-set western comic book we got: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0276830/
Interestingly, Jan Kounen did a Jean Dujardin movie… 99 francs… interesting, quirky…
The scene of Terence Hill beating his shadow to the draw is sharper, funnier than anything in the Jean Dujardin’s peeks. RIO and SPIES proved that he is no Chow. From Beijing with Love is the definitive modern spoof.
I really miss Terence Hill. I think the Trinity series (and especially Ny Name is Nobody) were more profound on my love of cinema than the Bond and Star Wars series combined.
I kind of half-liked “99 francs.” I still think he hasn’t done anything better than “Dobermann” yet.
Dave,
Did you ever get a chance to see 800 Bullets? It’s a similarly stylish Spanish western that came out a few years back. It takes place in the modern day, and is about a group of aged stuntmen and day players from the old Sergio Leone movies who have spent the last 30-some-odd years living in one of those ‘Old West towns’ that was abandoned back when the Italians stopped making films in Spain. It’s funny, touching and well worth watching.
I’ve been a big De La Iglesia fan since I ran into Accion Mutante in the late 90s and worked my way through his other films.
I got to hang with him a bit when he went to Seattle in ’05 (I think) and he’s also a great guy. He missed the Q&A after one of his screenings because he was at the comic book shop and lost track of time.
Looks fantastic! THE QUICK AND THE DEAD on steroids (which was already on steroids). I’ve always loved the Lucky Luke books. I frickin love that poster as well.