April 19, 2024
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BYOB: 235 Years Of Relative independence
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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
Hausu (1977)
Great movie, or greatest movie?
Any chance Harrison Ford gets nominated for BSA for Morning Glory? I’ve been finding surprisingly positive reviews around the web. And since everyone’s developed amnesia about Jeremy Renner in The Town…
Saw it for the first time last night (thank you, Netflix and Criterion). I really enjoyed it, though I felt slightly underwhelmed. Perhaps my expectations were a bit too grand. Either way, it’s well worth seeing for those who haven’t. I’m just not sure if I could see myself coming back to it as often as, say, Evil Dead 1 and 2. Certainly a one-of-a-kind experience, though.
The moment Indiana Jones got an earring, Ford’s career took a nosedive off a cliff…unlikely to ever return.
DP –
just watched the Noomi Repace interview – didn’t really learn anything new about Girl with Dragon Tattoo movies – you didn’t even bring up basic plots of any of the movies – but learned more about her other movie Daisy Diamond which was only a few minutes.
Late Night wars back in the news. Vanity Fair has an excerpt of Bill Carter’s upcoming book
http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2010/12/late-night-wars-excerpt-201012
On the whole, the story is what you think it is. Feckless network executives, Leno not too concerned with his image just wants to keep doing his monologue. Zucker doesn’t want to fucked with. Conan doesn’t like being treated how he was treated. All that, but I was riveted.
hey DP – have you all the new movie releases for December 2010 ? which ones haven’t you seen ?
I just got a Criterion edition bluray of Hausu the other day….gonna be my Halloween movie! Should go down perfectly with a San Francisco Giants SWEEEEEEP. (apologies to Mr. Leydon)
For all the crazy shit that happens in the movie, my fave part is still when the father tells his daughter that Leone liked his music even better than Morricone’s.
Anyone gotten any screeners yet?
quick tv question: Anyone else think Walking Dead is going to set a ratings record for AMC on Sunday?
Considering the amount of promotion since, I don’t know, sometime during the recent season of Mad Men, I think that is a safe bet. I will definitely be watching.
I’m looking forward to The Walking Dead. I hope it’s more interesting than Rubicon.
Looking forward to The Walking Dead too.
AWESOME AWESOME interview with KRISTEN STEWART, the most important person in the universe and sexiest actress and best actress ever, ever, ever in today’s LA TIMES Calendar Section!!!
YEP YEP YEP YEP. RILEYS POWER ALL SHALL BOW.
Plus they interview her LITTLE FRIEND Dakota for some SAGE ADVICE and it’s awesome how they are FRIENDS and SUPPORTIVE OF ONE ANOTHER.
They are like ebony and ivory, like milk and cookies, like the Abbott and Cosetllo of Hotness: Perfectly complementary (notice correct spelling) and FETCHING.
I like how in the interview KRISTEN says some LITTLE WORDS and TALKS and HAS IDEAS. CUUUUUUUUUUUTE!!!!
LOOK AT HER!
Just saw a DUE DATE spot with a Barry Manilow song (and Downey singing it no less). Brilliant. No one below 35 (45?) will recognize the song, but I think it’s inspired. That kind of obscure thing makes me want to see movies.
The more TV spots I see for Due Date (including last night during the World Series game), the less funny I think it looks. Zach G’s playing Alan again, and all of the road trip shenanigans are obvious and overall pretty dull. It looks really stupid.
The spots for Due Date haven’t made me laugh once. Zach G. is a spaz. Robert Downey Jr is annoyed. 2 hours of that? Pass.
But i didn’t think Hangover was funny, at all. I never understood all the love that movie got.
Any awards screeners, you mean? Yes, a few. Animal Kingdom, Naomi Watts movie I don’t even remember title of, Please Give, You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger, Restrepo.
also ‘solitary man’, ‘city island’ and ‘a film unfinished’…
The Ed Helms song alone was worth it.
They’re more like the Clark and McCullough of hotness.
Old Fuck Cadavra FTW!
I’m with Anghus. “From the director of THE HANGOVER” are the six words that would keep me from seeing a Downey picture.
You guys are nuts. HANGOVER RULES, one of maybe two big comedies of the last couple years (OBSERVE AND REPORT being the other) that felt like REAL MOVIES, actually cinematic and a MOVIE instead of just a parade of jerkoff references from Apatow’s bottom drawer.
That said, Zach G was annoying even BEFORE The Hangover. He HAS done some serious/quality movies (Into the Wild, etc), so much like Jack Black, who is talented as well– WHY DO THEY WANT TO DO COMEDIES????
If I were JACK BLACK, I’d have been happier being in THE FAN and THE JACKAL and I STILL KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER and ENEMY OF THE STATE working with hot chicks and GUNFIRE, instead of fucking YEAR ONE with Michael Cera. Why DOES ANYONE want to be a COMEDIC ACTOR? It’s telling that the biggest comedy stars/best actors like Robin Williams and Jim Carrey couldn’t WAIT to break free of junky comedies and do some REAL ACTING. Why doesn’t Jack Black or Zach G just make movies with PTA or the Coens or Spike Jonze or Darren Aranofsky, instead of all this dumb COMEDY bullshit?
Whoever is promoting DUE DATE has f-ing RUINED the movie. I swear, there’s 9 different spots- including the Barry Manilow one which looks like a trailer highlight reel- which all show different things. Are we supposed to give a shit at this point? Are we supposed to pay to see a movie that’s been given away in the trailers and then play mental callback/connect the dots and still think it’s funny? Jesus…..irritating.
The Due Date commercials make the Downey Jr. character look more annoying than Galafianakis.