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
Wow. Those reviews were incredibly condescending. Mark Asch has a piece up defending these reviews too, with the tag “Assholes”.
As with The Dark Knight, New Yorkers have produced the majority of dissenting reviews. As with The Dark Knight, New York will be the biggest city for Inception (TDK made $45 million there alone).
The bigger movie, the less I trust extreme reviews. David wrote in that earlier post, “But this whole ‘if you disagree with the crowd, you are just being a contrarian’ routine is really ugly stuff.”
Yes, and people should be allowed to have minority opinions. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a WHOLE lot of contrarianism out there as well. And even if an excess of movie hype doesn’t *reverse* what someone’s opinion might otherwise be, it very often makes it more extreme. A moderately positive opinion becomes a rave, and a moderately negative opinion becomes a savage hatred.
I would guess it’s mostly subconscious, too. Amidst a crowd of raves, it’s only natural for one to emphasize the negatives just to be heard. Amidst a crowd of pans for the exact same movie, it’s only natural for one to want to emphasize the positives.
But that doesn’t make the reviews any more reliable.
Don’t all of us regular moviegoers encounter this a few times a year, where we dislike popular movies and feel like we’re on crazy pills? All these years later and I still can’t believe the Garden State raves. More recently I didn’t care for Up In The Air or Avatar at all.
Case in point? Would IO be railing against Avatar so much if it hadn’t made as much money as he claims it didn’t?
Kudos on your (that he noticed). Love that.
Be funny if after every critic in the world tweeting, posting, fawning, bickering and jerking off over INCEPTION, it gets its clock cleaned by SORCERER’S APPRENTICE (which no one is talking about ANYWHERE on the blogs) this weekend.
But, nah, I’m super-stoked for INCEPTION, but all this bullshit has accomplished is making me a NERVOUS WRECK about seeing it. Between the Godfather-worthy running time and every film blogger making it into THE EVENT OF A LIFETIME, now I gotta be ON GUARD in the theater, all worried about every candy-wrapper rattle, and instead of enjoying the movie in that “eh whatever” matinee way like Predators, A-Team, etc, this is the MOVIEGOING EVENT OF THE LIFETIME, which all but GUARANTEES I’ll be so extra-hyper-sensitive/aware of every talker, texter and theater hopper, not to mention straining to get this OH SO COMPLEX PLOT, that I’ll barely ENJOY it and the experience will just be a means of getting from MINUTE ONE to MINUTE 150.
I’ve paid zero attention to this weekend’s projections, but I don’t think it would be shocking for Sorcerer’s to outgross Inception this weekend.
In fact, I would say that if it doesn’t, Disney probably didn’t sell it to families well enough.
On the other hand, one never knows the power of a beautiful effect in the marketing. See: 2012 (which wasn’t even that great looking an effect/effects)
I also thought up in the air was dreck. Juno is so average. Reitman is easily the most hollow director oit there. He seems incapable of creating three dimensional characters.
Loved all three of Reitman’s films in Smoking, Air, Juno order. Don’t see how you don’t consider Clooney and Kendrik in air or Page, Gerner and Simmons (especially Simmons) fleshed out charecters. Think he is THE filmmaker to debut in the last decade. Not saying its wrong not to like him but wanted to throw a shout out to the contrary.
And while I know this is not a BYOB, I just want to mention that I saw Single Man last night and hope Tom Ford is planning on continuing his film work. Firth was vastly superior to Bridge’s American Heart performance (I love Bridges too, but come on, that was a total Scent of a Women take the oppurtinity lifetime oscar, and if he was to win one of those it would have been better symetry for him to win as Cogburn).
“one never knows the power of a beautiful effect in the marketing”
Why aren’t they selling “James Bond meets The Matrix”? Seems like a no-brainer, but all I’ve been seeing is the “dreamscape” stuff.
Totally agree w/ you about Ford, Firth and Bridges, Hcat.
Before Searchlight threw a wild card into the Oscar race by giving “Crazy” a primetime mid-December berth, I remember telling everyone that Bridges would finally win his Oscar (pace the Duke) for playing Rooster Cogburn in the Coen’s “Grit” remake (or is that “reimagining”?), and that the symmetry would be genius.
Finally had a chance to see “Inception” last nite (WB apparently doesn’t bother with daytime press screenings in the Cleveland market any longer) and, well, I was suitably impressed. As someone who’s been on the fence about Nolan from day one (I’ve always insisted that “Insomnia” was his best film to date), I’m happy to report that it’s the (Hollywood) movie of the season, and maybe even the whole year (so far anyway). Loved the whole Proustian vibe (very “‘2001’ meets ‘Solaris'”), and was once again amazed at Tom Hardy’s ability to transform himself, chameleon-style, in every film. (While it’ll definitely help him get work, I’m worried that Hardy’s shape-shifting prowess might prevent him from ever becoming the star he deserves to be. ) HUGE Leo fan and he’s damn good (as always), but did anyone else take notice of the fact that “Inception” is the third time in less than two years he’s played a guy whose wife commits suicide? Hmmm.
If “Inception” had been released in the (late) ’60s, it would have been described as “a groovy trip.” It still is, and I can’t wait to
see it again. (And thanks for not doing a last-minute 3-D “conversion,” Nolan and WB. Much appreciated.)
movieman – bit of a spoiler slip there with the wife info. We peasants have to wait for the weekend to see the film. But thanks for reminding me how to correctly spell symmetry.
I hope Grit is a hit and the Coens can persuade Streep to play The Lady for the sequel.
“but did anyone else take notice of the fact that “Inception” is the third time in less than two years he’s played a guy whose wife commits suicide? Hmmm.”
movieman, there was a recent article about this very subject somewhere…sorry not very helpful w/the source but just to note you are not the only one to be feeling leo’s dead wives
The guy at Newsweek, who might be an idiot, wrote a piece about Leo being too downbeat.
Me? I still thing that Shutter Island has the ending people would have liked better in Rev Road.
Bond Meets The Matrix is harder to say in 30 seconds… besides, it’s not that. It’s The Italian Job with the visual style of Matrix.
There are too many ways to try to sell this film… and they picked one… and now they are trying to explain what’s actually going on. They could have just sold the effects, but unlike Emmerich crap, it’s not simple and clear what the effects are.
I do not envy Sue Kroll on this one. A $50 million opening will not excite anyone and less than that will play as as screw-up. The film is a tweener, in many ways, no matter how much many people will like it. They can’t throw Nolan’s artistry under the bus and sell it as tasty junk. They can’t get enough people to show up for a mindfuck.
And btw, Knight & Day was a Bond movie etched onto a chick flick version of Knocked Up.
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/08/what-s-eating-leonardo-dicaprio.html
I dont remember michelle williams killing herself in shutter island.
Didn’t like the article, but I do agree with it. He is always so dour and tortured. It would do him well to mix it up a little bit. Reteam with Amy Adams, recruit Mike Nichols and do a light but classy Barefoot in the Park type comedy and then return to his smoldering implosions.
Though I do have to say if they get his Teddy Roosevelt project off the ground that might suffice. A larger than life extrovert would be a good change of pace.
Anghus–If I’m not mistaken, wasn’t the big reveal in “Shutter Island” discovering that DiCaprio went bonkers after his wife killed herself and their kids? (I know for a fact that Kate Winslet dies from a botched abortion attempt in “RR,” although some could argue that her character choses death after realizing that she’ll never get her husband to move to Paris with her.)
Have to agree with you about wanting Leo to try his hand at lighter fare again, Hcat. “Catch Me if You Can” is a fantastic movie, and Leo gave an amazing “movie star” performance in the classical (i.e., old Hollywood) sense. But can he even modulate his Method intensity anymore? Not sure, but a nouveau “Barefoot” with an Amy Adams (they had terrific chemistry in “Catch Me”!) and Mike Nichols sounds just about perfect. The big question is whether there’s anyone out there capable of writing an old-fashioned, classically structured romantic fare as air-tight as vintage Neil Simon.
On a related note, I’ve adored Colin Farrell since “Tigerland,” but dude needs a (classy) romcom as badly as Leo right about now.
….uh, that shoulda been “chooses” and “romantic farce” (not “fare”).
sometimes my fingers move quicker than my brain, lol.
P. Goldstein is at it again, milking the INCEPTION controversy for his THIRD such column in as many days. After giving a shoutout to the film’s “freshness and originality,” calling it “vivid and outrageously new,” then making comparisons to CITIZEN KANE, 2001, Dylan going electric and Nirvana’s NEVERMIND, he casually adds “I’m eager to see the movie for myself,” which means HE’S MAKING THESE BOLD PROCLAMATIONS AND CRITICIZING CRITICS OF THE FILM WITHOUT EVEN HAVING SEEN THE FUCKING THING HIMSELF!!!! What happens if he sees it and ends up agreeing with Edelstein? How does he back away from such a position?
I left a comment on his blog, politely and respectfully asking how he can throw around statements like that without having seen the film, but it’s stuck in “moderator limbo” and probably won’t get posted. I dunno — maybe my TypePad user name has something to do with it???
Dave- Or an “Ocean’s” movie crossed with “Fantastic Voyage”????
Re: Hardy.
It blows my mind that Handsome Bob in “RockNRolla,” Bronson (in, duh, “Bronson”) and Inception”‘s Eames are the same dude.
This guy is phenomenal.
I skipped all the Dark Castle movies up until Orphan but enjoyed that and suprisingly Ninja Assasian quite a bit. Is RockNRolla worth a rental?
Ill have to rewatch the ending, but i was under the impression that she killed the kids and then he shot her.
“Re: Hardy.
It blows my mind that Handsome Bob in “RockNRolla,” Bronson (in, duh, “Bronson”) and Inception”‘s Eames are the same dude.
This guy is phenomenal.”
I haven’t seen BRONSON, but after seeing him in INCEPTION, I can’t wait for his take on Mad Max.
Just saw Inception and LOVED it, much more than The Dark Knight.
The criticism re: Ellen Page’s character are valid, she’s basically an excuse for exposition, but that’s a necessary evil with a plot this convoluted. Most of the expositions is backed up by visually interesting stuff going on, and it allows Nolan to focus on the meat of the story, which is hella interesting.
Great last shot, too.
Hardy is awesome. But “shape-shifting” doesn’t seem to have impeded the careers of Matt Damon, Tom Hanks, Robert Deniro, Jack Nicholson, Christian Bale, Ben Affleck…
hcat,
rock n rolla is worth watching. i thought it was average when i first saw it but subsequent viewings on HBO have made it creep up my guilty pleasure list.
i’m a guy ritchie apologist. but i still havent seen Swept Away. I don’t hate myself that much.
Swept Away is not as horrible as people said it was back in the day. I also dig looking at Madonna so I can be bias, but I found the remake a lot more enjoyable than the original.
Anghus Houvouras is correct regarding the finale of Shutter Island. Hated Ninja Assassin (was horribly bored for the first half), but Orphan was a pretty terrific horror film. I actually like most Dark Castle stuff, and I still think their House on Haunted Hill remake is a gut-bustingly funny treat (the first two Geoffrey Rush sequences alone are worth the price of admission). And 13 Ghosts has a terrific lead performance in Shaloub and a knock-out opening credits sequence. As for Ghost Ship… yeah, the opening scene.
Orphan you can handle but Ninja Assassin bored you? Huh. Interesting.
Have to agree: The House on Haunted Hill remake is a hoot — loved to see Geoffrey Rush channeling Vincent Price — and 13 Ghosts has some seriously scary stuff in it. And I know it will sound heretical, but both films are far superior to the William Castle originals.
the director of the remake of HOHH (there’s no the) William Malone had a direct to vid PARANORMAL that is actually quite good, shows his meddle as a horror director, and totally comes together at the end
I had a blast with House on Haunted Hill. Thought Dark Castle got off to a very promising start. 13 Ghosts and especially Ghost Ship (after the opening) are mostly dull and crappy. Matthew Lillard is really tough to take in 13G. Gothika, House of Wax, The Reaping, and Whiteout aren’t much better. The DTV The Hills Run Red is actually much better than most of their theatrical output. It’s an entertaining low-budget slasher flick. Orphan has its moments but runs a little long and the “no one will listen to the wife even though she is actually telling the truth and there are numerous red flags” is played out. The Factory has been delayed forever which can’t be good.
Chris- I don’t know about you, but I’ve never had any trouble recognizing any of those (mostly fine) actors you cited for their chameleon-like ability to reinvent themselves physically in film after film. (I’m not quite sure whether Jack Nicholson fits the shape-shifting description, though.) Maybe it’s because Hardy is still (relatively) new to me, but he truly has seemed like different actors in all the films I’ve seen him in. Not saying that’s a bad thing, though it could impact on his ability to pick up a Gibson/Crowe-type fanbase if nobody recognizes him from role to role.
I think “RockNRolla” is Guy Ritchie’s best film: it’s actually a perfect distillation of his talents/sensibility, and it’s also the last time Gerard Butler was remotely bearable in a movie.
I really need to see RocknRolla, not only because of the positive notices from some folks here but also that crazy good supporting cast, Idris Elba, Tom Wilkinson, Mark Strong, and Thandie Newton in particular.
Is it any accident that Dreamscape is on heavy rotation on cable, right now – watching it, pretty strong movie that holds up, despite the cheesy effects.
I have not seen Inception yet, but any chance there’s a scene resembling when Dennis Quaid moves himself into Kate Capshaw’s dream and seduces her on a train? Awesome stuff!
Two other things – did Max Von Sedow ALWAYS look old and did Dennis Quaid just stop aging at 30? Sure, you see a few wrinkles in his more recent movies, but man, the guy has taken care of himself – he does not look much older than he did in ’84.
And wow, I can STILL can’t believe Idris Elba is British! Thinking of how he made his career on The Wire – not since Anthony LaPaglia has a foreigner with a heavy accent been so convincing at playing an urban American tough guy.
Yeah while I was listening to Elba’s NPR interview I could not picture Stringer Bell.
Geoff – Its a condition called Max Von Syndrome where you don’t age a day for fifty years but have always looked next to deaths door. In the states its called Vigodasim.
Hey Movieman, thanks for the no-warning INCEPTION spoiler, you selfish, entitled, ignorant fucking prick. If I or anyone else had done that we’d be getting the riot act. Fuck, I spoiler warned a minor scene in PREDATORS the other day. Why? Because I’m not a fucking douchebag.
Glad you got to see the movie days before some of us lowly fucking plebs. But this isn’t an INCEPTION DISCUSSION: SPOILERS REVEALED thread. Dave will put that up later. But in your rush to run your fucking mouth and beat your meat in front of everybody you forget simple common fucking courtesy. Until you get some self-awareness, fucking blow me.
And YES IT IS A BIG DEAL AND IT IS A BIG SPOILER. Surprised others aren’t as pissed at Movieprick.
Classic stuff, Hcat – did you come up with that, yourself? I literally laughed out loud.
And Moviecock, before you try and defend yourself with “well, it’s a blog on INCEPTION so…”, go fuck your own face.
You STILL out of POLITENESS TO THE OTHER READERS preface things with a spoiler warning, unless the blog itself has already warned.
It’s common courtesy, and it’s what people do who aren’t dicks. For somebody who clls himself….drumroll….MOVIE MAN, you don’t seen to know very much. Perhaps you spent all your brain power coming up with the mind-blowing ID of Movieman that you forgot about being considerate. But hey, as long as you get to hear the sound of your own voice discussing your learned analysis of DiCaprio. Kudos, cock-knocker.
You should be beaten with a sock full of quarters.
I do agree that bit should have been spoiler-warned but, if it’s any consolation, I think you’ll find that knowing it doesn’t wreck the movie for you.
Geez, such nasty language, potty-mouth Steve! I thought it was common knowledge among the geek squad (which I’m assuming you’re a card-carrying member of) that Cotillard is dead.
It’s been mentioned in every review I’ve gleaned so far–and is dispensed with very matter-of-factly in a line of dialogue in the opening reel (or thereabouts)–so I didn’t see any reason to give a SPOILER ALERRT warning.
Take a pill and chill, dude.
INCEPTION is not THE CRYING GAME. There are no big reveals that shatter your skull. Seriously.
I just want to take a few exceptions with Chris’s Chameleon list. While Damon, Bale, and Affleck worked in a variety of genres early out, they still remained recognizable as the rising stars they were. Hanks has changed over the years but the changes have been in pretty distinct phases from Jerry Lewis to Cary Grant to Gregory Peck. There is a little overlap as I could see either Lewis or Grant doing a Punchline or Joe Vs. but Hanks early carear was mostly one-note. Hardy seems to be cut from the Gary Oldman cloth where you have seen him in six different films and have No Idea that its the same guy.
You did need to spoiler warn it. Lesser spoilers have been posted here and people, rightfully so, got pissed. I got severely pissed off, and said so. You “assumed.” Great job, journalist.
You’re wrong Movieman. Bottom line. But whatever. I know for sure you’re not worth paying attention to if you think giving out plot points that even Poland himself avoided is ok. You’re a douche and you’re wrong. And just because other reviews have done so doesn’t make it right. It just makes you all assholes. This is part of why I have nary an inch of respect for all but a handful of film critics and writers. You’re a McWeeny, Faraci, Harvey Karten, or a Willie Waffle.
Seriously, LexG shows more respect.
And Christian I don’t fucking care what movie. A spoiler is a spoiler is a spoiler. Movieman was more interested in listening to his own blathering than to stop and think. This will happen again and somebody will get mad. heck, maybe you will. And I will laugh. Laugh to the very heavens for the justice granted to me!!
Dummies.
But ok. I’m not apologizing for anything I said, especially to someone called Movieman (think I might change to Postsonblogsman), and to a person I never ever ever will meet. But ok.
Future experiment: I’m going to, at yet to be determined time, reveal an equally weighted spoiler to an as yet released or just released film and see if everyone is just as dismissive.
I think Rex Reed was born bitter.
In light of today’s BYOB, and the good spirit brought on by a viewing of RAISING ARIZONA, I withdraw my complaint, attacks, threats, vitriol, thrown food, and verbal stoning of Movieman and, to a lesser extent, Christian.
That’s the kind a guy I am. I am sorry for going “McWeeny Style.”
I am however going to follow through on my threat of posting a spoiler without a warning. In GROWN UPS, Kevin James is fat and not funny.
There. Suck it, Movieman!! We’re even.
Kinda disingenuous, movieman. Yeah, you did spoil that she’s dead, but what you spoiled was actually worse and more specific than that — and something “geeks” who hadn’t seen the film wouldn’t know.
And, people, just to cite one example: Matt Damon, “Courage Under Fire,” shape dramatically shifted.
I’m over it, but that’s the point I should have gotten to rather than just ranting, Chris.
Yea, I am a geek, though I’m more like a fringe geek these days. I don’t read many sites. I have not read one full review of the film yet.
What he posted gives away a big part of the movies emotional landscape and a character’s psyche. It may well be in “the first reel,” and I don’t think it will change or hurt whatever my opinion will be of the movie.
I was more pissed because I go out of my to never ever post spoilers of any kind. I think most people do. And to just off-handedly throw that out there just because you think that, “hey, you’re all movie fans and geeks so you must already know this..” was thoughtless.
Did it warrant my rants? Nah.I would have ranted about something somewhere today as that’s just me. But it DID irritate the fuck out of me at the time. And I would expect somebody to call me on the carpet if I had posted that.
But nobody died. I’ll survive. Movieman won’t lose sleep over my potty mouth.
Moving on.
For the record: It’s very much not in the first reel.
Chris – Damon is gaunt and thin in the present scenes but in the flashbacks he looks his normal self. Or at least identifiable as “Hey that kid from Geronimo”
Thank you, Christian.
If Steve thought that I was giving away some hush-hush, top-secret “twist” ending with yesterday’s comment, he’s bound to be disappointed. It ain’t that kind of movie.
“Inception” isn’t “The Crying Game,” or “The Sixth Sense” either.
Speaking of “SS,” I’m reminded of how Todd McCarthy ruined that movie for me by spilling the beans about the ending in his review. (The same McCarthy whose termination from Variety a few months back occasioned such tsk-tsking among the “Movie Critic Mafia” set.)
Because of that, I’ve always been hyper vigilant about NOT
revealing anything that might spoil someone’s enjoyment of a film in any of my reviews. (In other words, I’ve never had the need to add “SPOILER ALERT.”) If I truly beieved that my comment would in any way spoil the film for Steve (or anyone else in cyber-ville), I wouldn’t have posted it.
OK, maybe not the first reel, Chris, but it definitely occurs right around the time Ellen Page enters the film. It’s not like the Nolans are withholding some game-changing secret or anything. And for the record, the Variety review–published last week–referred to Cotillard’s character as “dead.”
So you two folks do not like Inception enough to think spoiling it is a bad thing? Wow.
Again, movieman, the death IS revealed early — second reel, I’d say, but you’re right. Early. The other, more specific, thing you spoiled, which I don’t want to repeat, is probably revealed in the LAST reel. That’s the spoiler issue in your post, as far as I’m concerned. No, it’s not “The Crying Game,” but it’s still nice to let the movie reveal its surprises when it wants to reveal them, no?
I guess I really didn’t think it was that big a deal in the whole scheme of things, Chris, so I never felt the need to affix a spoiler warning. (And note that I didn’t get into the particulars which ARE surprising and really, really moving.) There’s a LOT more on this movie’s plate to mull over and let resonate in your subconscious.
I went in “knowing,” and still found the entire experience both gratifying and utterly absorbing.