BYOB Monday
It’s not that I don’t care about you… but the day got away from me… trying to work through some of the upgrade issues that some of you so desire.
Anyway… your space…
April 16, 2024
BYOB
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BYOB: 235 Years Of Relative independence
BYOB Weekend: Hop, An April Fool’s Gag?
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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
David Poland doesn’t care about Blog People!
He doesn’t even care that it’s Tuesday!!!
What happened to Garry Shandling’s face?
RUM IS MY HAPPY THERAPY.
So….why is Big Fox handling “Fantastic Mr. Fox” instead of Searchlight? Searchlight has stumbled a bit lately, probably losing quite a bit on “Amelia,” and dumbly picking up “Gentlemen Broncos.” But they also have three of their biggest hits in the last year with “Slumdog,” “500 Days” and “Notorious.” Even “Whip It,” though a letdown, will still break even.
On the other hand, Big Fox has two huge movies coming up in a month, mishandled a Searchlight-esque film in September (“Jennifer’s Body) and hasn’t released a quirky movie like this since…”Idiocracy??” Plus Searchlight has only one film left to release between now and March.
Is this a sign that Fox has lost confidence in Searchlight and may soon pull a Vantage on it? Or do they just sincerely believe they’ll do a better job selling this film?
Btw, Prince of Persia trailer>Clash of Titans trailer. =(
My guess? Searchlight pushes movies for awards, and Fantastic Mr. Fox is likely to get exactly ONE nomination, for Best Animated Feature. Which it will not win, though I think it should.
If Fox proper pushes it, it means they think they can sell it to the masses as a family film, rather than just a Wes Anderson film.
If we’re on the subject of trailers, I just saw the Kick-Ass trailer at comingsoon.net and was very disappointed. This movie sounded right up my alley and the trailer was garbage.
TITANS looks like 300: REDUX, PRINCE OF PERSIA looks like SCORPION KINGS OF ARABIA, and KICK-ASS looks like WATCHMEN LITE.
Just checked out the Armored trailer, wasn’t this supposed to come out back in September? Looks pretty good though, a good trashy B-movie:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/armored/trailer-large.html
In the middle of the night, the worst deal since AOL-TW has officially occurred.
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE5A95LR20091110
The fact that Comcast had cash on hand to pay shareholders and opted instead to do this deal should lead to lawsuits and plenty of article and book ruminations. If this survives in tact until 2012, I’ll be amazed.
Martin S, I think you’re completely wrong on this. If you follow the broadcast industry, this is a play that Comcast needed to make and this was the time to make it. Not sure what you mean by lawsuits, but if there are some anti-competitive tactics at play here I think we would have heard them in press already. AOL-TW this is not.
Not anti-trust lawsuits, but shareholders. Time-Warner had a much better cable operation with TWC, and T-W still split it off because the content/pipeline model was too conflicted and the board, namely Icahn, wanted a return. You’re going to see a similar situation play out a few years from now.
From a Comcast position I can see your point, especially if Chernin stepped in. Then I’d have some hope since he can run a massive combine. But Zucker is the poster boy for failing upward. His spot as number 2 or 3 in GE made it all but impossible for an honest NBCU deal to go down since one of Immelt’s main tenet’s was to protect him. Messier knows this which is why he wanted out. While it’s not AOL-TW from a value/price perspective, it is from empire building. IMO.
Finally caught “House of the Devil” last night on-demand and hot DAMN…good movie. Brilliantly directed and very cool retro style. Ti West gets better and better with each film…watch this one ASAP.
On the subject of trailers:
I have to say that the TITANS trailer looks like trash. And somebody is desperately trying to make Sam Worthington a star. He must have the best agent in the business. Terminator, Avatar, Titans. He’s on a roll.
DISPACABLE ME looks original and reminds me of the Mad Magazine’s Spy vs Spy strips. I wonder if that was the inspiration.
KICK ASS = meh.
Just not impressed with MR.FOX. The animation is a bit dizzying to me.
And I know I’ll wait for the DVD, but THE SLAMMIN SALMON, the latest from The Broken Lizard, made me LOL. Michael Clarke Duncan is chewing the scenery in this one.
“My guess? Searchlight pushes movies for awards, and Fantastic Mr. Fox is likely to get exactly ONE nomination, for Best Animated Feature. Which it will not win, though I think it should.”
Usually I’d agree, but Searchlight has nothing to push this year (unless “Crazy Heart” turns out to be the darkest of dark horses), while Fox does with “Avatar.” Wouldn’t it make sense to let Searchlight push for the awards (maybe even an adapted screenplay nom) for Fantastic Fox?
I thought Fantastic Mr Fox was being released by Fox Searchlight, no?? I thought it would be odd for that to be the case though. I don’t know if the gen pub looks at the thing thinking oh this is stop-motion as opposed to clamation or robotronics or some guy w/his hand up the @ss of a Fozzie Bear puppet, it just looks like something furry to take the fam. Much like Marley & Me from last year or Alvin from two years ago. So it would seem like a big Fox films. Especially if you consider the cast more than the director.
Jennifer’s Body was now defunct (thankfully?) Fox Atomic, I believe. Which, I’m not sure they even made a film worthy of being exhibited in a theater? Apart for 28 Weeks Later, which I think they only distributed here in the US. I don’t know if Fox A mishandled it or if they knew not to throw good money after bad.
For as boiled potatoes as Whip It was Big Fox may’ve had a better handle at getting at the tween girls, I don’t know. Surely with as wide an opening as they started with they must’ve thought it would’ve made more.
I don’t think Fox Searchlight has an annual release pattern model. If they hadn’t picked up Slumdog and The Wrestler right around Toronto, they would’ve been content going dark over the holidays despite the success Juno had in the slot the previous year. 500 Days of Summer wasn’t plugged into the same slot that Little Miss Overrated had previously.
I don’t think it’s a vote of no confidence, I just don’t think they have the product and didn’t feel the need to release for the sake of releasing. I don’t know if Peter Rice jumping from Searchlight to Fox Broadcasting had anything to do w/Searchlight’s slate or not. Maybe that wouldn’t show up until the spring of next year if at all. I don’t know???
Searchlight is pushing Amelia, even though it seems like a lost cause…a relatively weak actress field has given them hope.
I just got sent the coffee-table “making-of” book…they don’t do that unless they still have some faith.
“Jennifer’s Body was now defunct (thankfully?) Fox Atomic, I believe. Which, I’m not sure they even made a film worthy of being exhibited in a theater?”
Jennifer’s Body is nowhere near as bad as the critics and public let on. It is flawed to be sure. But it is not an abomination. It has a genuine sense of dread in a small town and the film does not pander to its subject matter. Cody (whom I have been very critical of) does a good job of treating her characters with respect even if the plot has holes in it.
No classic…but not the cinematic abortion people are making it out to be either.
Jennifer’s Body is going direct-to-DVD here. That’s good because I wanted to see it, but was going to wait until DVD anyway.
Oh! Here’s hoping for upskirt shots of Sam Worthington in Clash of the Titans!
lyt — i got that coffee-table book mailing three weeks ago…i think they’re just dropping ballast at this point…..
and — re: clash of the titans….it’s almost a guaranteed fail…like trying to re-create ‘showgirls’, ‘valley of the dolls’ or ‘caligula’…..lightning in a bottle, folk….
New “Clast of the Titans” = FAIL. If Medusa saw this trailer, she’d turn to stone. I will think some better mythological puns later.
I thought there was too much narration in Jen’s Bod. **Mild Possible Spoilers** Not that it was long and cumbersome or took me out of the movie, but it WAS the movie and there was scant else to hold it together. Lot of long supposedly build up shots that led to anti-climatic kills that even as an R-rated film had the camera turn away from showing. I felt like I was straining to hear when a joke might’ve been shuffled in instead of just being enthralled by the scenes. ** End **
I’m not a Diablo Cody hater and I know some expectations for her follow up project were completely unrealistic but I did feel the film was a letdown and needlessly so. If this were some upstart prod crew trying to make a showcase film for 1/2 a mil, then I get it, but for the resources and opportunity they had they didn’t show much in terms of originality or execution.
There have been tons of zombie films over the years, even comedies such as Shaun of the Dead. It would seem that the landscape and history would’ve been saturated w/them. But then Zombieland came out and while it was nowhere near the top of heap but still showed enough flair and uniqueness to be worth seeing. I would’ve said pass to seeing a vampire movie even before Twilight came out but then Let the Right One In and the Korean Thirst came out and they both had something fresh to bring to mix.
Obviously there’s no moral imperative that has to be satisfied to justify a film’s existence or privy to be made but there are starving children in Africa who go to bed each night w/out prosumer digicams or mac powerbooks w/Final Cut Pro that it would be great if producers, studio execs and filmmakers considered before taking these shots for granted
Fantastic Mr. Fox is being released under the big Fox logo and the credits say “Twentieth Century Fox presents” as opposed to Searchlight, but the Searchlight publicity team has been handling all the press stuff, and the film appears on Searchlight’s awards site. So I guess it’s the mainstream big Fox marketing married to the TLC of the Searchlight awards/press campaigns.
Armored has been locked in for release the first weekend of December since late this summer.
…so is “Invictus” wide on the 11th or not? If so, does anyone have a plausible explanation why WB isn’t going the usual platform route for an Eastwood December release? Could they possibly think it’s not good enough to withstand the scrutiny/rigor of a typical platform/awards launch?
How about “Brothers”? Is that a wide release on December 4th?
Even with its A-list cast/director, that one has “dump” written all over it. Sad: I’d originally had so much hope for it, too.
Isn’t the weekend after Thanksgiving traditionally a dumping ground for distributers/studios wanting to clean the books before the start of a new calendar year? Sony moving “Armored” to that date doesn’t instill much confidence (remember the luck they had with “Cadillac Records” last year?) “Armored” looked like a fun throwback to glorified late-’70s Bs like “White Line Fever.” September (or January) seemed perfect. Not so much anymore. And what’s with Matt Dillon consecutively taking on two Sony action/heist flicks that seem weirdly similar, even down to their generic, one-word titles? (It’s so generic that I’m blanking on the title right now.)
Finally, has Weinstein committed to a wide release for “Nine” on Xmas Day now, or not? So much for a “Chicago”-style rollout.
Not sure what that means–other than the fact that there’s simply not a whole lot of wide Xmas releases this year, and they figured “why the hell not?”
“medusa would turn to stone…”
I hope not since Uma Thurman is playing medusa in Chris Columbus’s upcoming greek gods shitfest movie!
That makes sense on the Fox/Searchlight thing, because it just seemed weird. No matter how great it is, you’ve got to believe “Fantastic Fox” is going to get lost in between “Planet 51,” “Princess and the Frog,” and even Fox’s own “Alvin and the Chipmunks dance to Single Ladies and Flo Rida and make the world implode” by the time it hits wide release, so why waste the Big Fox marketing on it?
“Jennifer’s Body” was a Fox Atomic product, but Fox Atomic was defunct by the time they released it, so it was taken on by Big Fox, which I thought mishandled it.
Can’t believe they’re wasting money on Amelia till I saw it had a $40 million budget. Ouch.
“House of the Devil” = piece of crap. No wonder it didn’t get any wide release, its only appeal is to film nerds and critics because of the old typo in the opening credits. There is no point or scares in the film. Surprise ending? Roll your eyes ending. The director’s hiding its lack of talent behind the “it’s bad because its retro” joke.
Speaking of Fantastic Mr. Fox, it pretty much turned into a lock for an Oscar nom this morning as the Academy announced there WILL be 5 animated nominees for the first time this year.
I’d wager on Up, Coraline, Ponyo, Fantastic Fox and Princess and the Frog.
Right behind-Mary and Max, and Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs…there’s some films I’ve never heard of on here…
speaking of animation…
the article in NYT about Sony distributing “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” via internet/bluray players.
really exciting in my eyes…
It says they can do it because they have hardware and content… is this something they are going to/should offer to other studios, other distributors?
“House of the Devil” = piece of crap.
I haven’t seen “House of the Devil” yet but Ti West’s The Roost” certainly was a piece of crap. One of those head-scratching examples of the horror community really getting behind a film and then, when you finally see it, you can’t believe how completely incompetent it is.
EtahnG, I think you’re giving Academy voters too much credit. Remember, these are the folks who nominated BOLT last year.
So I’d expect Ice Age 3 and Monsters vs. Aliens in there. Probably in place of Coraline and Fantastic Mr. Fox.
I saw The House of the Devil on Monday and would say that it was neither awesome nor a piece of crap (or both). On the plus side, the acting is generally good, and the technical aspects are pretty strong, and when the payoff happened it worked for me. On the downside, GEEZ that two hours in the middle of the movie where nothing happened was kind of a slog to get through. It looked like Ti West (what kind of a name is Ti?) was hoping that section would be so unbearably creepy through sound design and spooky compositions that it would sustain itself, but West just didn’t have the chops to pull it off. So for me, mixed bag.
Sign of the apocalypse: To help buy awards for “Nine” The Weinstein Co. is doing a batch of cross-promotion with Disney.
Yes, Harvey Weinstein will be doing business with the conglomerate that bought Miramax Films and eventually ran him off.
And how does that make you feel, Chucky?
Krazy – One of those head-scratching examples of the horror community really getting behind a film
The best way I can explain it is diehard horror fans all want to be involved in a creating a movie and when someone does something remotely different on the cheaper end of the scale, it gives inspiration moreso than jealousy. I like the community because you don’t get the Hollywood addiction of larger geekdom.
I’ll say it: Bolt was awesome.
http://movies.yahoo.com/premieres/16589867/standardformat
Extraordinary Measures looks kind of like Hallmark/Lifetime crap, but after watching the full trailer I have to say it appears to be better than expected. I’m a fan of both Ford and Fraser, and it looks like they both brought their A-games.