May 14, 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
I am really looking forward to tomorrow’s BEST PICTURE print ads for BURLESQUE.
Is How Do You Know about to pull a Tourist, or is it actually tracking well? Of course I haven’t seen it, so maybe it’s good, but the TV spots fail to inspire. I wish James L. Brooks had cooked up something that looked more interesting in the 6 years since Spanglish. Seems like it’s going to be star-driven, big-budget failures on consecutive weekends. Will that result in a NY Times trend piece?
Paul: I’m sure it WILL result in a NYT trend piece in which they miss the 800lb elephant in the room, as always. The lede will be MOVIES AIMED AT ADULT AUDIENCES ARE FINISHED, instead of “don’t make them for $150mil and if you do, uhm, make sure they don’t blow.”
Keep seeing commercials for Gulliver’s Travels that say “Then he discovered a 3-D world.” What dimension was his everyday world?
Also keep coming across the Green Hornet commercials, doesn’t scream low rent for the stars of the movie to appear in the tie-in commercials. Adding to the fact that you can’t get a franchise better than Hardee’s to back your film. Did RC not return Sony’s calls?
And I have to admit the spots for Tron are vastly improved. While I still have my Disney hesitance, I can reluctantly admit that this will have the Box Office to beat this season, with Fockers looking to be the only other title that can challenge this coin-wise.
Yeah that’s pretty much the exact headline I imagined shillfor. And I agree that it will miss the real points, as you mentioned.
Filmography 2010
pretty cool video montage – this should be on the
oscars
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4dEWOB6THE
Saw Tron last night, and it’s frankly terrible. The screenplay is atrocious, nearly every single performance is bad, right down to every line reading (the main kid seems heavily edited around, as if the filmmakers knew he was lousy). And, quite frankly, there is very little actual action in the picture, with an admittedly cool game sequence at the 30 minute mark giving way to a final 90 minutes with maybe 5-10 minutes of incident. Not action per se, but anything other than people explaining the plot to each other in the virtual world. Speaking of which, the 3D is no great shakes and the world itself is kinda ugly, clouded in fog and muddy dark colors. It’s almost like Disney was testing just how little actual content and/or quality moviegoers will put up with in a major blockbuster tentpole. I wasn’t expecting Lord of the Rings, or even The Mummy, but the film doesn’t even try to deliver on its promise of impressive 3D other-worldly action spectacle. Aside from Olivia Wilde’s eyes, there’s little to recommend.
People keep mentioning How Do You Know costing over $100 million. Can anyone confirm this. How the hell do you spend that much money on a romantic comedy? Are they actually buying the high end real estate that they are shooting in?
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/price-tag-120-million-50-58410
that’s a rough review, scott
i was hoping you’d say that the eye-candy saves it
guess not…i’ll see for myself sat am…
So whose head rolls when TRON ($200M negative cost and an easy $100M in marketing) bombs? Even AICN has panned it. Expectations/reality boxoffice wise, it’s KICK ASS and SCOTT PILGRIM all over again, but at 5x the budget (and at least both those movies were good — not to mention fact that KICK ASS was profitable). Can’t really blame Carney, as she’s been selling the shit out of it and had nothing to do with misguided notion to remake a film that notoriously bombed the first time. So Bailey? Also, how fast does the BLACK HOLE remake (another notorious Disney bomb — imagine New Line announcing a remake of TOWN AND COUNTRY) get scuttled?
Still after all the cost of talent, $70 million to shoot people talking? No stunts, explosions or special effects. That is just plain wasteful. If anyone gives Brooks another shot he needs to simply write and produce and hire Nicole Holocefer to direct save the studio $50 million.
And with all that dough, Paul Rudd only gets 3 Mil? Is Owen Wilson worth three times as much?
As for Disney, even with the poor reviews Tron could make it in the top ten for the year. Even if if loses money in the long run having the 1,2 and say 10 spot for the year would guarentee job security even with Persia and Apprentice bleeding money.
Grown Ups (and most recent mainstream Sandler movies) cost $80 million. It’s Complicated cost, what, $90 million? It does seem crazy but it’s not uncommon.
Sandler probably takes $25 off the top and gives nice paydays to his buddies (would Spade or Schnieder have any income if it weren’t for Sandler’s scraps)and the talent they hired for the wives were at least half a mil apiece. Complicated paid Streep 12 mil, probably 5-7 each to Martin and Baldwin, a mil to Krasinski, Myers would take at least 7. So both of those films and HDYK probably had payouts of 40-50 million before anything was shot.
So the remainder of the actual shooting costs for HDYK was around double what it was for GU and Complicated.
Both of those made their money back because they know how much they can spend on a Sandler movie, and both Meryl and Myers were on a bit of a hot streak. But Paul Rudd comedies routinely stall out at 60, and Witherspoon can maybe crack a hundred with the wind at her back, and Nicholson is a wildcard though the marketing seems to scream he has a supporting role. Financially a budget of anything over $80 million is an absolute gamble.
I think the studio was nuts to spend so much on HDYK. I have no idea how it’s tracking but I’d be shocked if it opens north of $20M. Only 2 reviews so far at RT, and both are mixed, so it’s probably not going to get any help from critics.
..although it is, at least, more entertaining than “The Tourist.”
I’m just relieved/blown away that HOW DO YOU KNOW apparently runs less than 2 hours.
I wasn’t expecting a minute under 145.
A couple of weeks ago I was complaining that it had been years since a decent fun Yippe Kai Yay type western was made, but seeing the trailer for On Stranger Tides reminded me of the Cruz-Hayek western Banditas. Nothing spectacular but a fun time, the two of them had great chemistry and were of course lovely to look at. If Grit’s gotten you in the mood for westerns check it out, its head and shoulders above Bad Girls or Quick and the Dead.
Scarlett Johansson and Ryan Reynolds to Divorce?
Lots of celebrity splits today.
Hcat: I think you’re being a tad generous in your appraisal of Banditas — which, if I remember correctly, went direct to video in this country. Even with the babe-o-licious leads gamely exposing acres of cleavage… I thought it was kinda crummy.
I can offer rational excuse for much preferring Bad Girls — Madeleine Stowe actually looked at me in stunned disbelief when I expressed some regard for it during an interview on the 12 Monkeys junket — but I enjoyed it as a guilty pleasure. For one thing, I thought it was cool that they didn’t feel the need for the usually mandatory scene in which the women are trained to shoot guns by some guy. Also, I loved Stowe’s line during the final shoot out, when she tells the dude to load up: “Pick it up. Put it in. Die like a man.” Priceless.
i never expected the tron sequel to be anything other than terrible. i have wonderful memories as a kid of seeing Tron in the theater. i have more recent memories of watching it again and wondering how on earth a movie could be that bad.
so the sequel is bloated, full of bad performances, and borderline embarrassing? sounds like the digital apple didn’t far fall from the polygon tree.
i am psyched for green hornet, i am excited. it looks like ludicrous fun. someone mentioned tron in comparison to scott pilgrim and kick ass. doesn’t green hornet seem to fit that mold? does green hornet make more than 50-60 million?
Praising a guaranteed turb like the green hornet and knocking tron? Anghus strikes again.
Oh yeah: Scott Mendelson: sucking at reviewing genre films since 1993!
im not knocking anything, sir. merely stating what i’ve read so far. won’t know until i see it. i don’t give the geek community a lot of credit, but when they turn on a film like Tron Legacy, i think we have to be prepared for something below par.
and i’ll be there midnight thursday hoping im wrong, but i think my expectations have been appropriately diminished.
green hornet looks damn entertaining. gondry doing a superhero film. come on, how could you not at least be curious?
Anghus: Have to say, I’m in your corner. I’m genuinely looking forward to The Green Hornet.
http://movingpictureblog.blogspot.com/2010/08/simple-guide-very-simple-actually-to.html
IO: I realize I haven’t bought a comic book in many years, so I’m definitely out of the loop when it comes to reboots and relaunches. But: I don’t remember Thor having a beard in the Marvel Comics I used to read. What gives with the movie?
Joe, as an avid comic reader, here’s my two cents.
Thor had a beard in the “Ultimate” version of the character, which was a line of marvel comics trying to bring the characters into a grittier, more realistic universe.
The Thor trailer seems to follow the general vibe. There’s a big portion of the Ultimate version of Thor where he’s convinced he’s a God and people just think he’s some looney.
From the trailer, it seems to be a healthy dose of the regular old school Thor (616 as it’s referred to in comic geekdom) and the ‘Ultimate version’.
Last time I read a Thor comic he was a frog.
Marvel did a revamp a few years ago, and I remember IO saying that the Avengers movies are taken from the newer comics. Hence Thor beard, and Nick Fury being Black. What I never get about when fans complain about films not staying true to the comics, they have switched these charecters around so many times during their 50 to 75 year lifespan (especially true to DC), what is exactly a faithful adaption. Not that I want Deep Roy showing up as Bat Mite in the next Nolan picture but that was a part of the history of the comic and there are many ways to view each property.
And since Disney paid Paramount for the Distribution rights for Avengers, are they going with the Disney logo or Touchstone? Is the giant magical castle logo going to herald in this Ultimate Battle Royale?
Some of the Captain America movie shots look like they’re lifted right out of the “Ultimate” universe, although they are most assuredly using the Red Skull story from the original incarnation of the character. In the “Ultimate” Universe the Red Skull is Captain America’s son.
I think stylistically they take a lot from the Ultimate Universe. Updated character designs and realistic story arcs, but they seem to be picking and choosing between various character incarnations looking for the right mix. and i have no problem with that. hcat is right. it’s impossible to be ‘faithful’ in terms of story because there are so many revamps and reboots.
Not You – Mark Wahlberg …
fun 1 minute video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=w_kGWWHwUXs
Anghus, I should have used an emoticon to state there was facetiousness in that post about Green Hornet.
Now when it comes to Tron, you are tearing me apart!!!l Unfortunately you are not the first person to state how Tron is boring now. Seeing as how I picked Tron over ET back in the day and still stand by that decision, apparently Tron Legacy was made for me.
Nevertheless, that film has one of the greatest scores ever and ignoring that in any review, screams; “I dont get it!!!!” to me.
Favreau vs iron man 3? 2 cents? Anyone?
RE FAVREAU: Simple. They’re both now Disney movies and going to be shooting at approximately the same time and he can’t devote his full attention to two films at once. Also, the MAGIC KINGDOM movie needs him more than IM3 does — in lesser hands, MAGIC KINGDOM could be another HAUNTED MANSION and Disney wants it to be a potential franchise, whereas the IRON MAN template is pretty well established and, as long as Downey is on board, can be handed off to another director without any real harm to the property.
Mark Zukerberg Time Magazine Person of the Year
i guess this helps out Social Network movie for Oscar ?
People have been tossing out the idea that Robert Downey Jr. will just direct Iron Man 3 himself. It’s a nutty, ‘nerd sitting at his computer fantasizing’ idea, but here’s the rub: if the stories of Marvel micromanaging Iron Man 2 to death are true, then I’d argue that Downey Jr. is the only person who could theoretically stand up to them. He’s the one non-expendable element of the franchise. The ENTIRE Marvel universe is based around Downey’s performance as Tony Stark. If he walks, it’s over.
But more realistically, I’m tossing out the following names: Kathryn Bigelow, John Singleton, David Gordon Green, Sarah Polley, Adam Shankman, or Bill Paxton.
Seriously, I wanna see John Hyams directing Iron Man 3. With Dolph Lundgren and/or Van Damme as the villain.
Is Lee Tamahori out of movie jail, or real jail, yet? Give him Iron Man 3.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I7_oQ__Svmo&feature=related
yeah tamahori the stark with some muss
Seriously, the first 15 minutes of the XXX sequel are pretty IRON MAN-ish.
Totally back the idea of a John Hyams-directed, Peter Hyams-DP’ed “Iron Man 3” with Lundgren as the villain, Van Damme as the new Happy Hogan. What can we do to make this happen? THAT is the “Iron Man 3” I want to see.