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
YEP YEP! YEP YEP!
ROONEY POWER. RELIEVED that Fincher went with MARA POWER instead of all those fat Goth Beth Ditto lookalikes who somehow made the final rounds, even if obviously K-Stew or Mulligan would’ve been tops.
Only thing is, I feel sad for Kate Mara, who just got JEFF BRIDGES’d/DENNIS QUAID’d by her kid sister.
If there is one thing I think most people can agree on, it is that Fincher casts extremely well. So I am still expectant about this one. What is also encouraging is that Fincher, Zaillian and Rudin have all said they are adapting the book, not remaking the Swedish version.
Only continuing problem is, GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO is like 40% MS. 45, 6O% MATLOCK, with the least interesting “mystery” this side of the Da Vinci Code movies, all these old fucks in a beach town talking about shit that happened 40 YEARS IN THE PAST…
Aren’t procedurals more exciting when the perps and suspects are all young, good-looking junkies and hookers and killers in the here and now, instead of just hearing about shit second-hand from beyond the grave? I just don’t know how they’re gonna get around the geriatric, MURDER SHE WROTE clunkiness that all the dildos in the world couldn’t make any less dull.
She’s in Columbia’s upcoming The Social Network. Also, the new Spiderman is in the upcoming Social Network. Let’s assume Sony Execs like how those kids look in that film.
She was hot as HELL in NIGHTMARE ON ELM ST., in which she was the lead, so by Hollywood logic she’s already opened a 30-million weekend and not a “relative unknown.”
Also SMOKING HOT in “Youth In Revolt,” can’t believe that douche gets to bang her in the movie.
YEP YEP.
Could care less. I’ve already seen the three film adaptations from last year, and they aren’t going to be topped by leaps and bounds, even by Fincher.
The fact that he is going ahead with this project is a massive waste of talent.
to pointlessly portray lisbeth ‘for a wider audience’, the pressure was obviously on to find another actress with two ‘oo’s in her first name
When I saw the picture shown in the main blog I knew the first or second post would be Lex jizzing to it. I could be the Amazing Kreskin!
Finally saw The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo last week and what can I say after all the hype.
Relentlessly ok, Eurotrash, exploitation fare.
Haven’t read the book so won’t comment on it but the movie is a three hour version of the kind of “erotic thrillers” that were a dime a dozen on VHS after Basic Instinct hit with zero depth. It is not Silence of the Lambs nor is it Fincher’s Zodiac.
I suspect many people want to read deeper meaning into Salander’s character with regards to “female empowerment” and so forth. Let’em. The flick just isn’t that great and she is not even the lead…the male reporter is. So much for empowerment. It is stylish and by no means bad. But by no means exceptional. Fincher could easily top it which is why I suspect he took the gig.
And anyone who didn’t know who was sending the flowers the first time you saw them needs to see more thrillers. I felt like Buster Poindexter in Scrooged yelling at the screen “It’s a bone!”.
Kari Whurer made a career out of playing this sort of character in the 90’s.
And even the “empowering scene” people talk about with her Guaradian easily could be flipped and seen as many a guys S&M fantasy.
Pasted from elsewhere, but relevant here too…
Girl With the Dragon Tattoo was a B-movie that played like a 2.5 hour episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit (not even peak seasons 3-7) that was elevated to something considered high art because it had subtitles and had a somewhat more overt sexuality than most American cinema. Liked it just fine as a pleasant evening rental, but cannot see what all of the fuss was about. As for Mora, she was quite hot in Nightmare On Elm Street (she’s pretty much exactly my type in that movie), and I have yet to see her in anything else.
As for her acting abilities, not even Kyle Gallner, Clancy Brown, or Connie Britton survived that misfire, and Jackie Earle Haley (through no real fault of his own) may have derailed his comeback as a result of the critical/audience blowback. Since it happened to have arrived in the mail on Saturday, so I’ll watch Dare tonight (it’s got Mora and Emmy Rossum for me, and Alan Cumming for the spouse) and will hold off judgment until I see what she can do under Fincher’s direction in The Social Network.
Oh man, Kari Wuhrer…she would make me jizz with the power of Ten Lexs. I miss her implants though.
I think on average foreign movies with subtitles are given more intellectual cred than they actually have. I guess reading triggers a different part of the brain, the intellectual side, so those feelings seep into the movie. But a lot of times I see them and they’re just standard thrillers or horrors or dramas, no real big deal.
If The Cell had been Japanese instead of made in America and starred J-Lo and not made by a music video director, and not one frame of the movie had been changed beyond those items, it would be hailed by geeks as an amazing work of genius instead of scorned as it seems to be.
If her sister was chosen then maybe this would be exciting but this girl looks about as tough as foamcore and as hot as wet stick. Another horrible casting decision from Columbia, who seem to think that the Social Network is the greatest film ever made, with stars of tomorrow. I now want that movie to fail epically just to embarrass the execs who have screwed up two potential franchises for that studio.
YEP YEP seconded. I do wonder if the goth look on her would warrant YEPping though.
IO why the kneejerk against the casting of Garfield and Mara? If anything you should be quite excited- as Pope notes above Fincher always casts brillantly and them getting the franchise is most probably testament to their skills.
So in IO World (approx age: either 15 or 47, depending on which personality is posting that day), Rooney Mara is a thumbs down, but that Little Orphan Annie redhead from Scott Pilgrim is hot?
INSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANITY.
The Mara Sisters are both pretty gorgeous. Do the Mara’s and Rooney’s get together and check out Kate and Rooney’s work on opening night?
AE, the casting of possibly Columbia’s next biggest films seems like they had these kids in the freaking THE SOCIAL NETWORK sign two picture deals and this is like old school studio garbage. Seriously, this girl is just the suck. She’s not fit to hold Noomi Rapace’s bra let alone portraying one of the more empowering and powerful female protagonist of recent years.
It’s just crap casting and Fincher casting her again, definitely makes me think twice about what Fincher SEES IN HER, if you get the cut of my jib. Nevertheless, Sony suck at casting and both of these films will pay for it. Dragon more than Spider-Man obviously, but Garfield and the Lesser Mara are just bad bad decisions from a studio that’s steadily in decline.
LOOK AT HER LOOK AT HER LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOK AT HER
LOOK AT HER WIDE, OPEN, DEMUUUUUUUUUUUUUURE EYES AND MILKY FEATURES AND LEAN BODY AND THAT HOT WINSOME WAIFISH DEMURE QUALITY WHERE MAYBE SHE’S JUST SLIGHTLY WOUNDED.
YEP YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/16/rooney-mara-the-girl-with_n_683724.html
Yes, look at her. If I wanted a slightly less attractive Dakota Blue, sure. If I wanted a slightly less attractive Dallas P. Howard, sure. Compared to Noomi Rapace, again, this girl does not even hold a candle and that’s the problem. SHE’S A GIRL! The reason why Rapace rocks as Lisbeth is… SHE’S A BAD ASS WOMAN NOT SOME GIRL WHO LOOKS FRAGILE TO THE TOUCH! This is just horrible horrible casting not because of her appearance but her appearance. If you dig.
Nevertheless, Lex, this girl should be your dream girl. She’s rich and loaded with NFL cash.
LOOK AT HER.
SO DREAMY and MILKY and DEMUUUUUUUUUUUUUURE.
Also: STEELERS POWER.
Big props to Lex for refraining from the expected “steeler” pun.
I CANNOT stop looking at her.
ROONEY POWER.
Look at her sister, she’s really hot.
Yes, her sister is EXTREMELY HOT, one of my favorite firecrotches. ZOOM POWER. BROKEBACK POWER. 24 POWER. SHOOTER POWER.
And most importantly, ENTOOOOOURAAAAAGE POWER.
I just hope Kate doesn’t end up too badly Beau Bridges’d by all her kid sis’ new fame.
Oh I have a feeling the casting of Rooney Mara may go down as one of the worst of recent years. She’s not tough, she looks frail, and she really makes Noomi Rapace look even hotter.
ROONEY was HOT and TOUGH in Elm St, she was SEXY and FUNNY in YOUTH IN REVOLT.
IO, if you haven’t DONE THE RESEARCH, then SHUT THE FUCK UP. Considering your whole shtick is to be super-enthusiastic about EVERYTHING EVER, always the authority, it seems odd that you’ve latched on to this one casting decision in a remake of a movie YOU DIDN’T LIKE THAT MUCH ANYWAY, like it’s some fucking personal affront to you.
And Noomi Rapace gives off a sexy vibe in that movie because she’s so tough and assertive, but NEWS FLASH, o spazz who was a 23-year-old fanboy a year ago but now affects the personality of a middle-aged man WHICH IS TOTALLY INSANE but whatever: Rapace isn’t really technically that “pretty” or “hot” to begin with.
Considering you DON’T think Rooney Mara or Victoria’s Secret supermodels are attractive, but you DO think ALLISON FUCKING PILL is attractive, maybe you’re just FUCKING INSANE.
“Victoria’s Secret supermodels” O-ver RA-ted! . O-ver RA-ted! . O-ver RA-ted!
Didn’t see the latest Nightmare nor Youth in Revolt. I’m not sure how difficult it is to play late century goth. Sometimes when I hear a foreign film is being remade in the US it makes me cringe or convulse at the thought of the removing of the project’s soul or over indulgence sure to follow. I don’t get that here. Though I didn’t read the book and maybe I would if I had. Still, I think I
Don’t see why this casting won’t work. The role is one of emotional toughness not physical. Hiring this little sliver of a thing could help emphisize the fact that she has been seen as an easy target her whole life (haven’t read the book but thats what I got from the movie).
I didn’t know who Alison Pill was so I looked her up. I’d do her. Of course I’d also do Rooney Mara so there you go.
Lex, again, this girl is a girl and that’s part of the problem. Rapace is actually a woman and plays Lisbeth as a woman and that’s the PROBLEM! If you do not get that this casting is just stupid and moronic and pretty much sinks this film before it even starts, well that’s who you are… the guy who thinks/post with his dick instead of his brain. I have a sex drive as well but I am just not an ass about it, ASS!
Again HCAT, THAT’S NOT LISBETH SALANDER! SHE IS… ONE TOUGH CHICK. Casting this beanpole as Lisbeth pretty much takes the source material, takes a crap on it, and Americanize it. Which is what Americans do and that Fincher is involved in these shenanigans, really knocks him down a few pegs.
Oh yeah, hate on Allison Pill again chubber and I will come out there and I will force you to confront your demon… JEFF MCMAHON!
Yeah seeing as we are still using this stupid 1999 interface because David is just against using something with an edit function, let me rephrase: this girl is a girl and Lisbeth as a character is a WOMAN! Casting the hell spawn of the Steelers and Giants in this role, pretty much guarantees that the American Lisbeth is going to be a wuss and no where near as bad ass or cool as she should have been.
I’ve neither read the books nor seen the films, but I keep seeing the Lisbeth of the books described as being 5 feet tall and having a “pre-pubescent” appearance. If this doesn’t preclude her being a tough chick on the page, it shouldn’t matter on screen either, in theory. I presume the author deliberately wanted the contrast, and it would explain why someone like Ellen Page was floated as a serious possibility. In other words, Rooney Mara not looking like a tough chick is probably the point.
There goes the IO/Lex Rebel Alliance.