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
When a movie with Kevin Costner, Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Affleck and Chris Cooper didn’t make much of a splash or sell at Sundance, well, that didn’t seem to bode well for its future.
WHO GIVES A FUCK.
Doesn’t sound like this movie has any HOT PUSSY in it, so no matter how cool the male leads are, a GOOD MOVIE needs a hot piece of fucking ass.
Sounds like a fucking sausage fest. Throw some hot slut in there and let her take a bukkakke facial session from these dudes, then we have a movie.
Mario Bello and Rosemarie DeWitt are in it, not that they’re sluts.
They’re both OLD AS MOTHERFUCK and couldn’t give me a boner if they were attached to Amanda Seyfried’s clam.
Sick of fucking greasy Maria Bello being all OLD and being the POOR MAN’S HOWARD STERN’S PRIVATE PARTS WIFE.
Or WAS MARIA BELLO the wife in PRIVATE PARTS?
I defy you to tell me those are two separate actresses.
ALSO haven’t there been 1000000000000 movies called COMPANY MEN or IN THE COMPANY OF MEN or COMPANY MAN????? Isn’t that some GENE HACKMAN/MIKHAEL BARISHNAKOV MOVIE? Or some DENNIS LEARY/LIZ HURLEY thing?
GET A NEW FUCKING TITLE.
Mary McCormack is the wife in Private Parts. Company Business is the Hackman movie. In the Company of Men is Neil Labute’s first movie.
FUCK ALL THOSE THINGS except LaBute.
And DICKIE ROBERTS.
A film didn’t sell at Sundance doesn’t necessary mean that the film is unmarketable. Especially at the time when Sundance becomes a buyer’s market rather than a seller’s market.
“The Company Men” has a commercial premise and a sellable cast; with the support of The Weinsteins (ie. the master of marketing) , this film may become another sleeper hit. Afterall, how many people could predict that “Inglourious Basterds” could gross $120 million in US?
MARYCHAN always bringing the big laughs and the English-as-second language no-charisma.
So are you like a hot PORN STYLE ASIAN CHICK, or just some dorky low-level Sony drone all having a better job and life than me despite moving to the U.S. all six years ago.
^ HOLY SHIT WAS THAT FUNNY.
And had to be said. Mary Chan all BLOWING IN HERE every two days with some totally robotic appraisal of Sony’s inner workings at every opportunity.
Say something INTERESTING, for fuck’s sake. You’re like a more robotic, dorkier Chucky in Jersey.
For every Inglorious Basterds, how many times have TWC screwed the pooch lately? It’s not like they’ve been knocking them all of the park lately. Commercial premise and sellable cast doesn’t mean it’s any good and doesn’t mean it’ll make money.
“Afterall, how many people could predict that “Inglourious Basterds” could gross $120 million in US? ”
About as many people that can predict the 8.5 million that this title might make. Pitt is one of the few people that can still open a movie, Queintin is one of the few directors whose name is known to the general public.
I’m sorry for my terrible english and dorkiness, LexG. It would be nice if you are kind enough to teach me English.
You are right that TWC screwed up a lot of releases, Stella’s Boy. (ie. The Road) However, I guess TWC are buying and releasing films more selectively right now.
Commercial premise and sellable cast doesn’t mean the film is good and will make money, but at least it means that the film could make money if the distributor could sell the film ‘rightly’. I just remember an extreme example: “Empire” is an very mediocre indie film that was passed on by almost every US distributor (before Arena and Universal finally acquired the film); but Universal sold “Empire” brilliantly and the film eventually became a surprise box office hit!
Based on the reviews I read, I think “The Company Men” would not be as bad as “Empire”. There is still possible that TWC may still screw up the release of “The Company Men”, though. (I wish TWC won’t screw it up.)
Score 1 for Marychan.
hcat, there ware still a lot of people who predicted “Inglourious Basterds” may bomb and/or have terrible leg. Afterall, this film is an R-rated war film which dialogue are mostly not in English. (And Queintin had just made a big office flop “Grindhouse”.)
One of the smart people who guessed it right may be Edward Havens (who said that “Inglourious Basterds” is Queintin’s most commercial film after watching the film)
Anyway, can’t deny that TWC did very great job on selling “Inglourious Basterds”.
hcat, there were still a lot of people who predicted “Inglourious Basterds” may bomb and/or have terrible leg. Afterall, this film is a R-rated war film which dialogue are mostly not in English. (And Queintin had just made a big office flop “Grindhouse”.)
One of the smart people who guessed it right may be Edward Havens (who said that “Inglourious Basterds” is Queintin’s most commercial film after watching the film)
Anyway, can’t deny that TWC did very great job on selling “Inglourious Basterds”.
Sorry for double posts. Please delete the eariler version…..
Thanks Dave.
Didn’t Empire make about 8.5 million when it was released? I think the point is not that TWC can’t eke out a minor profit on Company Men but that notion was the TWC wasn’t in the ekeing out minor profit business anymore.
“Posted by: marychan at March 25, 2010 08:06 AM”
Post of the Year!
Universal and Arena paid about $650000 to acquire the distribution rights of “Empire” after many other US distributors passed on the film, and “Empire” went on grossing about $17.6 million in the US theatrically.
I was stunned by the surprise, considering how mediocre the film is.
“Throw some hot slut in there and let her take a bukkakke facial session from these dudes”
If I knew when Lex’s birthday was, I would have this (or one of his other greatest hits) embossed and nicely framed and sent to his SFV apartment. David Poland, likewise (nursery decorations?)
Welcome to my Empire /uh-uhhhh / Step into the fire / uh-uhhh-uhhh …
OK movie, great theme song. Arenas (correct spelling) bought the film. U handled P&A, targeting boricuas. Pure profit. Was supposed to launch a pipeline of pel
Hah, marychan breaks out the funny and is already funnier than Lex ever has been. Well done.