May 3, 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
David, you love the Temple of Doom and you also had that little sad bit at the end of the review that made me think you may need a hug.
Appreciate it, IO…. but I still have plenty of time to get hugs from the little bugger.
Holy crap Toy Story 3 is 100% at RT. 118 reviews so far. Wow.
>>Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom of the Toy Story series
TEMPLE OF DOOM is pure boy’s adventure pulp.
I like Temple of Doom because that’s the ONLY Indy adventure where he actually has any real bearing on the outcome. In all of the other movies, if he was killed in the first reel, the movies would have the exact same outcome. That was charming in the first movie, but after there’s four of them maybe Indy should actually do something useful for once.
That’s an interesting point – I’d never thought of it like that. The Villains are always ultimately thwarted by the very relic they’re pursuing and, if anything, Indy helps lead them to it rather than keep them away.
I think the ultimate in the “Nice going, hero” trope has to be the godawful Dungeons and Dragons movie, where the “heroes” go and retrieve the very item that gives the villain the opportunity to launch his attack.
Having said that, I think the comedy balances out better in Raiders and Holy Grail. It’s not subtle, but I feel that it’s better woven into the overall tone than the broad strokes of Temple. If darker appeals to you (as it does to a lot of people), then sure – Temple is probably your movie. But I lean towards Grail, if only because Sean Connery’s “Big Ham” fits in so well with the established story.
I’d say the most ‘adult’ Indiana Jones movie is Last Crusade, specifically thanks to the father-son relationship stuff. Temple of Doom is dark and fun, but to me that adds up to ‘older teenager’ sensibility.
When I think Temple of Doom, I think of Tarantino’s NBK script when a character is going on about how that’s Spielberg’s best movie.
I’d say Temple of Doom has the most superficial romance plotline of the three, as well. Last Crusade’s isn’t much better, but it’s peripheral to the father-son relationship. But in Raiders, there’s the suggestion of something more complex. One of the big problems with Crystal Skull is that it returned to that relationship but sucked all the nuance out of it.
I love Tarantino, but I think I’m glad his script for NBK was so heavily rewritten.
“I like Temple of Doom because that’s the ONLY Indy adventure where he actually has any real bearing on the outcome”
I believe Marion and Henry Jones Senior would dispute that.
Seriously, no one wants to discuss Toy Story 3? It’s tremendous and makes the Toy Story Trilogy my favourite all-time trilogy. Much like with LOST for me, it is all about the payoff, and this movie has a lot of payoff. Awesome stuff and it makes me appreciate the hell out of Pixar even more than I usually do.
That aside, I am all about Henry and Henry Jr. going up against the Nazis and a Nazi Sympathizer. Heck I dig all of Indy but I seem to get what that crazy guy who owns most of Northern California is putting out there. I think it has to do with the both of us staying up all hours of the morning to watch F1. Once you got that in common, you are bonded for life man. FOR LIFE!
Much like LOST? I hope TOY STORY 3 doesn’t last five years…
Someone give that Christian a snare hit please. GIVE THE MAN A SNARE HIT!
http://instantrimshot.com/
That good enough?
Yes it is.
Just how dark, raw, and occasionally painful is Toy Story 3 when we find ourselves saying ‘Well, it’s not QUITE a holocaust/exodus parable’? I was sad that I didn’t get to go with my wife/daughter tomorrow afternoon (work stuff), but now I’m kinda glad. The Mrs. is going to be a wreck.
What is up with the lack of interest for Knight And Day. Sure the marketing has not been the best but come on even vaylkrie did pretty well considering all the bad early buzz about it. I am not sure if people are not interested now that they are going to get interested once good sneak previews come in. Hopefully It will but even good word of mouth after release doesnt’t mean much if this movie doesn’t clear 30 million in it’s first five days. I mean the word of mouth would have to be great. If people really are unhappy about the quality of this summers movies then igorning the good ones isn’t going to help. Saying the only movies you are interested in are Toy Story 3 And Inception is getting really old. I hope my pessisimm is unwarrented.
“Knight and Day” has a sneak preview tomorrow night and opens next Wednesday. As much as Hollywood has had a Rip-Off Summer so far, this might be the one original movie that catches on.
I’m interested in Knight and Day. Already bought my tix for tomorrow’s sneak preview.
Scott it’s not that dark. If anything, that scene at the end is a resignation that they are with who they want to be with but thank god for the power of pizza planet. Again, I saw a lot of parallels between LOST and this film but that’s just how I work.
What the hell is Pizza Planet doing in Knight and Day? Oh wait… Seriously, I saw TS3 this afternoon (should have clarified that in my original post). I was simply saying that the movie was rough enough that it had to be described as ‘well, it’s not quite a holocaust parable’. Not so much ‘dark’ as mournful and emotionally draining in large chunks. I did get a little bit of the whole ‘man of science/man of faith’ as well as the ‘live together/die alone’ thing too, but I figured that’s because both properties were dealing with some of the ‘big themes’. I will say, without question, that the finale for Toy Story 3 was a billion times better than the finale for Lost.
Lost finale spoiler –
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I was joking with friends (real and online) earlier this week that the daycare center was going to be revealed to be an imaginary world created by the toys, a place in-between Earth and Heaven for the toys to reunite and accept that Andy threw them away. The irony is that said twist have worked better for Toy Story 3 than it did for Lost.
As much as Hollywood has had a Rip-Off Summer so far, this might be the one original movie that catches on.
That’s a bit of a stretch, Chuck.
My biggest beef with “K&D” was that it reminded me of a dozen (or more) other movies, and lacks a distinct personality of its own.
Just tallying the many films it references can make your head spin:
“North by Northwest,” “Romancing the Stone,” “Mr. and Mrs. Smith,” Cruise’s “Mission Impossible” flicks, “Groundhog Day,” even “Hudson Hawk”….and that’s just for starters.
Like every Mangold film to date (even a really good one like “3:10 to Yuma”), it lacks a distinctive personality or style. Any reasonably competent craftsman (say, Nimrod Antal) could have directed it and nobody would know the difference.
Not unpleasurable by any stretch, but certainly not memorable.
And while I hate to dump on Tom Cruise, dude is really beginning to show his age, and the role should have probably gone to a younger actor with less baggage–the consistently underrated Colin Farrell or even Leo DiCaprio (in “Catch Me if You Can” mode) perhaps.
Also found the pile-up of corpses mildly off-putting in a film that strains for a jovial, light-hearted tone.
But hey: at least it doesn’t overstay its welcome. 109 minutes (including end credits) was just about right.
I would agree with you Scott, if it were not for Desmond literally saying, “I’ll see you in another life, brother.” He literally did see him in another life which blows my freaking mind.
Re: “Jonah Hex.”
What were they thinking? With all of the serious talent Involved (Brolin, Malkovich, Fassbender, etc.) and the iintriguing post-Civil War setting, this is the best they could come up with?
Since WB clearly knew they’d blown the whole franchise thing months ago, why didn’t they just release a good, gritty, hard “R” cut of the film and called it a day?
I was actually kind of shocked at how little affect the movie has:
it’s like watching an extended episode of some Grade Z basic cable series (with real actors which makes it all the more depressing). The laughably circumspect 73-minute run time (minus end credits) is the biggest joke of all….if hardly an unwelcome one considering how remarkably dreary the film is.
Onward and upward, Josh.
I don’t know if I agree that Toy Story 3 is like Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom; though I agree that Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is the best Indiana Jones movie and Toy Story 3 is the darkest of the Toy Story series.