April 23, 2024
BYOB
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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
Is LexG gone forever?
He will always live on in our hearts.
I figure Lex will be back. Once he finishes moving back to Pennsylvania. Damn that was sad just typing that out.
hahaha… “gulp… Pennsylvania”
I am a PA boy myself and just said to myself “come on… i think you need to look more at LG’s ENTIRE situation than just where he’s going (i.e. “Blawnox, Pennsylvania”… supposedly).
It is funny how integral LexG was to everyones experience on THB.
Didn’t he write some sort of article for the site in his voice? (Does anybody have the link?)
What an interesting fella. Whatever.
NOW, let’s move on—
Will Carey Mulligan bounce back after her BUMMER of a 2010?
Will Michael Douglas get nominated for something, somehow, by some weird and crazy miracle? (LOL)
Will Chuck from Jerzey reemerge with an illfated hiphop career and mocumentary about his fake public meltdown?
What are THE REAL contenders for best picture? (You know what I mean— Never Let Me Go, Enter The Void, Mother and Child, True Grit, et al)
????????????????BYOBthatdoesn’thavetodowithlexg
kerdush.
How about most incomprehensibly praised films? I’ll lead with NEVER LET ME GO and GHOST WRITER. Utter tosh. 🙂
Re the MCN home page gag about Debra Granik and “Pippi Bonestocking”: Is that about the woman who designed the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ c*ck-socks?
Ho ho, I crack me up.
I’m still reeling a bit from the DGA Coens snub. Haven’t seen the film, or any of them except SOCIAL NETWORK, for that matter. But most critics I respect seemed underwhelmed by Hooper’s direction, even if they liked THE KING’S SPEECH. I thought maybe he’d be the one left out.
Anyone want to explain why some blu-rays have digital copies and some do not? Who ultimately makes these decisions?
Why would “Wall Street Money Never Sleeps” have a digital copy but not “Social Network”
Or why would “Jonah Hex” have a digital copy but not “Dinner For Schmucks”
etc. etc.
Sky Captain, I am going to go with the studio being a big reason in all of this. FOX and Warners really push the Digital Copies. While Sony and Universal seemingly do not. Hell, I thought the Social Network would not be a BD/DVD combo, because it’s not been advertised that way, until I saw a commercial for it last night stating that it’s a two disc BD with a DVD. Nevertheless, Disney, Fox and Warners love digital copies. Universal and Sony seemingly do not.
holy shit, i feel sorry for DP trying to get rid of what must be the most epic spam bomb i’ve ever seen, across numerous threads – at least since the great spam splat debacle of 2004 anyway
I am sure that Lex will be back. Let’s see.
I am among those baffled by the overpraising of The Ghost Writer. Yeah it was good, but the mystery wasn’t that surprising, the acting was fine but nothing to make you go “Ewan McGregor’s best yet!” and yet it’s making all these top-ten lists. I don’t know if it’s because it fulfills a fantasy of getting revenge on Tony Blair or what. If it was directed by “Smith” instead of “Polanski” would it have been so readily embraced?
Man, I wish I had thought of a cool user name like Healthy Budget Recipes. Sigh — if I live to be 100, I’ll never understand the purpose of these spam posts. In 2011, are there really people who actually click on these names out of curiosity? Are they somehow making a buck just by posting this stuff, even if no one pays attention? If the answer is obvious, pardon my ignorance, but I just don’t see the point.
krillian, i’m with you, but replace ‘Ghost Writer’ with ‘True Grit’.
I get why people like it, but i’m perplexed why people love it.
For me it’s The Town. I’m sure everyone has at least one.
Where are these shelved movies now?
Foodfight – animated film in a grocery store? Voices of Charlie Sheen and the Duff sisters.
Margaret with Matt Damon and Anna Paquin?
Home of the Giants with Haley Joel Osment. Filmed about five years ago, did it ever get onto DVD?
Stay Cool with Sean Astin, Chevy Chase, etc., from the Polish brothers? Still languishing?
Tucker & Dale vs. Evil with Alan Tudyk and Tyler Labine? I was excited when I first heard about it but haven’t heard anything about it after it went to a couple film festivals a year ago.
Home of the Giants is on cable now. Showtime I think. It’s listed as a 2007 movie. Been airing for at least a few weeks.
Make out with Violence
small movie no big name actors
first 20 minutes are great then it gets worse
some bad music / bad writing / bad acting – one bad
movie
here’s the trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ut0bkIs2vZY
netflix streaming vs dvd’s – huge discussion
http://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/f07lc/why_cant_i_pay_the_extra_2_for_all_netflix_titles/
My “don’t get it” movie of the year is RABBIT HOLE. It was o.k. but c’mon….stagnant Oscar bait much?
So the whole True Grit is the frontrunner lasted David what? A week?
Have to say I agree with Sanj about Make Out With Violence. Was surprised that it got enthusiastic buzz at festivals. Was amazed when it got favorable reviews during its fleeting theatrical exposure.
Two 2010 docs top my list:
“Waiting for Superman” and “A Film Unfinished.”
In both cases, I’m assuming it was the subject matter rather than the actual movies that everyone went ga-ga over.
In the fiction arena, I felt that two Sony Classics titles (“Animal Kingdom” and “The Secret in Their Eyes”) were egregiously overrated.
And two animated films that I couldn’t quite bring myself to love like everyone else did:
“Toy Story 3” and “How to Train Your Dragon.”
Makeout with Violence – how much buzz did this get ?
it has 4 reviews on IMDB and like 3 reviews on RT
but somehow got 100 + reviews on various movie sites
out of all the actors in the film – Wendy played by
Shellie Marie Shartzer could have been a huge movie
star but nothing happened
it’s made by the Deagol Brothers – who haven’t made
any more movies since
so what happens when the entire movie industry forgets
who you are ?
“so what happens when the entire movie industry forgets
who you are ?”
you’re…forgotten?
You don’t get your royalty checks. Seriously, they just send your checks to the retirement homes and those old retired actors/actresses just blow the money on Ipads and lottery tickets. It’s really really sad.
Annalynne McCord – 90210 actress looking like a
girl from Avatar
http://www.hotcelebshome.com/2011/01/11/annalynne-mccord-on-90210-set-in-westwood/
The Deagol Brotjers are fellows in their 20s who actually got quite a bit of notice for Make Out With Violence. I didn’t like it but others did. I would not be surprised if we heard from them again soon.
Just saw The Way Back. I am kind of surprise that there is little buzz about it. Usually a film about survival during WWII would mean Oscar Buzz. Nothing at all.
I thought it’s quite good.
I just watched the Battle: Los Angeles trailer. It’s cool to see a grand looking like this coming out in March. A mix between District 9 and BLack Hawk Down is the vibe I get. Hopefully too many of the money shots haven’t been given away.
I just saw THE FIGHTER and was pleasantly surprised at how funny and engaging it was. I thought it would be “just another boxing movie” but boxing isn’t really the bulk of the film. The performances were really great- Bale was scary real as a crackhead as well. He should be a best supporting actor lock.
If you’re on the fence about seeing it, you should. A fun time at the movies all around!
The Battle of Los Angeles filmed in NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA! What better place to stage a film about a battle in Los Angeles.
I heard one of the Deagol brothers killed the other when they feuded over a ring with magic powers. The other one lives in a cave somewhere now.
the gurus of gold have lots of power and traffic so if
they all put up the trailers – people might actually
go buy the dvd or stream it …
i have no idea if they even seen Makeout with Violence…
hey DP – have you seen this movie ?
if you interview the Deagol brothers you’d have a world
exclusive ..
maybe its not worth it interviewing directors who’ve made like 3 films .. maybe it is
so where’s the limit when movie critics just don’t care anymore…
movieman, i thought Toy Story 3 was mediocre.
Pixar makes good films, occasionally great films. I find most of their stuff interesting but so predictable that i end up not even caring about what happens next.
With the film community, Pixar has this Stephen Colbert like fascination. Everything is ‘great’ or ‘greatest’. There is nothing else. Toy Story 3 was an automatic picture of the year contender before it was even released. They’ve built up so much goodwill over the past 15 years that everything gets showered in praise even when it feels phoned in.
like toy story 3.
Anghus, I agree with you somewhat on Pixar, although I think I like the films more than you. (I loved Wall-E and especially Up, while Toy Story 3 was solid and inventive but overpraised.)
I expect the love fest to end with the release of Cars 2. It’s an obvious cash-in sequel to their worst movie.
Yes, critics just love to clutter their reviews and “best” lists with films they don’t really like at all. You can almost hear them: “Gosh, I didn’t think that TOY STORY movie was very good, but if I leave it off my list, people might think I have something against Pixar, or kids, or America. Guess I better put it on there.” 🙂
you can tell DP’s computer is down.
Bond 23… Sam Mendes… and not so much as a word.
And Naomi Watts confirmed for Batman 3?
I actually thought Toy Story 3 was the more complete film. Up and Wall-e were just OK for me.
Which, brings me to a random question but might explain a lot, if you’re going out for pizza what is your FIRST CHOICE for what you’d like on it? And by first, I’m not meaning only one topping but you walk up to the counter or the waitperson comes to your table, you get to choose regardless of the consensus of the table, what do you ask for?
*sausage and pepperoni*
Pepperoni and mushroom
I was pretty non-plussed when I saw TOY STORY 3 in theaters but watched it again with my family recently and man, it really bowled me over second time through. Pixar are genius at messing with our childlike fears of abandonment that translate into adult fears of being alone. TOY STORY 3 nails that like none of their other films since FINDING NEMO.
I too think they might get a pass, Anghus’ comment above feels spot-on, but I also think thehy’ve yet to have a serious misstep and TOY STORY 3 is certainly not it. My money is on CARS 2. I never even bothered with CARS.
I read somewhere that they greenlit Cars 2 because of how much merchandise they sold from the original Cars. If Cars 1 was Doc Hollywood, Cars 2 looks like The Man Who Knew Too Little.
They are also doing Monsters Inc 2, probably the second least clamored-for Pixar sequel behind Cars 2. I think Pixar’s making a mistake going for all these sequels. They don’t need to. Pixar’s proven people will see whatever they make because they know it’ll be good.
While I know that events in Arizona have dominated the US news cycle, I’d like to take this opportunity to highlight the floods in Queensland, Australia. Floods covering an area the size of France and Germany combined have swept through the state devastating farms and towns, including Brisbane, and are only just now starting to recede.
I happened to be in Australia an hour or so from the northern edge of the floods, and have spent the last two weeks manning the phones at medical centres to assist relief efforts.
If any other Hot Bloggers would like to contribute, the official website is:
http://www.qld.gov.au/floods/donate.html
Thank you, and keep safe.
i’ve donated already foamy, what a terrible disaster and the death toll keeps rising, so scary. i know enzed sent a team to help with search and rescue, hope it can make a bit of difference and things improve soon, good to hear the waters are receding i hadn’t heard that. but no doubt just the beginning of a massive clean up, looking for those tragically missing and grieving for the victims of the devastation (good on you for lending a hand, i didn’t realise you were still there)
David, any comment on this?
http://tv.yahoo.com/blog/one-year-later-conan-obrien-is-now-the-king-of-late-night-sort-of–2091
Thanks!
Mean Girls 2 on cable tv next week
http://www.imdb.com/video/screenplay/vi3734739737/
where’s the DP/30’s ? come on somebody from the movie
might be famous one day … there’s no Tina Fey / Lindsay Lohan or Rachel McAdams DP/30’s ..
palmtree: I predict David’s comment will be, “No surprise, but it doesn’t matter.” 🙂
I don’t know why, but I’ve been fairly close to a number of disasters around the world, but fortunately never IN them. I was in Japan for the big 2005 earthquake, in New Zealand for the Christchurch earthquake, I was in London almost exactly between the two bombings, and now in Australia for the floods.
I was in the US during the 2004 Thai tsunami, so you can’t pin that one on me.
Fucking floods. Look at you FS. Good show, sir. Good show. I also hate how the US news cycle works. Seriously, these floods should be a bigger deal but it’s apparently the tyranny of distance once again effecting the two countries, which is god damn stupid in this current time.
That aside because that’s the way the news cycle treats floods in Nashville and AUSTRALIA for some reason, Cars 2 is not even close to being their worst film. If you ever found family out there among strangers and enjoyed a good drive, then the movie works. If that does nothing for you then congrats on appreciating public transport and having a great family. This guy over here loved it for the same reason I love Serenity and Michael Schumacher.
Cars 2 being made because it’s the most KID FRIENDLY Pixar film ever because it’s about CARS, this is why you folks drive me crazy a lot of the time. Not one of you can see the reason behind Monsters Inc. 2? Really? You saw how they treated Andy and finished his story. Does it not strike any of you that it might be interesting to do the same with Boo? Come on folks, that’s a good story waiting to happen, and it may finally give a Pixar film a FEMALE LEAD!
Oh yeah, Green Hornet is just stupid. Seriously, it’s just so god damn stupid that I can understand why they have kept it in the can as long as they have. Also, Cameron Diaz is the best part of the film. Seriously, she saves what’s literally an unbelievable clusterfuck of a film.
http://www.slashfilm.com/tron-legacy-sequel-imminent/
“HERE COMES THE NEW STUFF! HERE COMES THE NEW STUFF! DANCING IN! IT COMES DANCING IN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
I always thought that of the Pixar films, the one that is easily the most sequel friendly is The Incredibles. It remains my favourite flick, there can always be new bad guys, and the whole superhero family dynamic can make for some compelling, funny, thought provoking and slam bang action moments in one 90 minute stretch.
And while Pixar seems to be heading down the same road as Dreamworks with cashing in on their moneymakers, how long will it be before we have a studio mash-up where somehow Dori and Mater make friends, the monsters battle bad guys alongside Mr.Incredible, and the old guy from UP tries to save the Rat from some exterminators.
BD, if Bird wanted to make it. Pixar would probably let him. It just seems like he’s not interested while Lassiter and Docter have been interested in telling another chapter with Cars and Monsters Inc. Nevertheless, let’s hope Bird wants to make another Incredibles movie because damn it… that would be freaking awesome!
Beg to differ on “Green Hornet.” I think it’s plenty of fun, Rogen, Waltz, Franco and Jay Chou are aces, and Gondry brings a distinctive, playful spin to the effects and action.
Beg to differ all you want but Cameron Diaz does the best she can to save the movie from the absolutely stupid men in that movie. Also, Christoph, GO DO A MOVIE WHERE YOU PLAY SOMEONE’S DAD! Your slightly better, slightly, better an actor than Stanley Tucci. The next time I want to see you, is in a movie where you are playing a dad to some mixed up kid.
Plan to see Green Hornet this weekend. Is it worth the IMAX/3-D surcharge?
Joe, Sony really have figured out how to do some decent post conversion but overall, it’s not really on par with other live action 3D films. So that would be a no.
I honestly believe that ANY film is IMAX/3D is so massive and indulgent visually, you’re probably going to like it. It’s like a 4 scoop sundae, a red plastic cup and a keg of your favorite beer or a pizza that’s XXL with all your toppings. Even when it’s wrong, taking part just feels right. Then, the hangover…
Tron Legacy WAS pretty cool to look at in IMAX/3D…
Seeing as there is not one IMAX 3D screen in my area, that does not exactly work for me at Don. Nevertheless, Green Hornet really has no reason to be in 3D and the 3D it has in it, is rather silly. It literally borders on sets being designed in such a way that there are scenes where the edge of a DESK are pointing at you.
The Green Hornet is a lot of silly, old-fashioned fun, a refreshing antidote to the self-seriousness of the comic book genre (not everything has to be Dark Knight, folks). If you liked The Phantom and/or The Shadow, you’ll have a good time with Green Hornet. But it doesn’t need to be seen in 3D at all. It doesn’t hurt the movie, but it’s a needless addition that only serves to occasionally dim the screen.
I like IOv3’s thoughts on Monsters Inc, which gives me hope that it’s not just a cash-in. But, on the other hand, I don’t want to see the same story with Boo that we just went through with Andy. And yes, I’m shocked that Pixar never did anything with The Incredibles. If not a sequel, it certainly would have worked as a television series. I can’t speak to most of the Disney stripped output (Little Mermaid, Hercules, Emperor’s New School, etc), but the Aladdin series that aired in the 1990s wasn’t half bad.
Scott, again, this is why I like you and you make me laugh. The Phantom and The Shadow are two of the reasons why comic book movies basically were dead on the vine until Blade. Seriously, you citing them as a good time, pretty much explains why you suck at genre movies which is rather strange because you are not 12 years old than your current age. Nevertheless, the Green Hornet is shit, and Seth Rogen and Evan really need to live more exciting lives for the benefit of their writing alone.
That aside, Boo and Andy are very different not only because of anatomy but their story. Boo had an entire relationship with Sully and I would imagine that at some point, Sully stopped coming around, and eventually Boo forgot about that time as a child. Now she would be in her teens and a walking eye ball and his shag carpet of a friend re-enter her life some how. That alone should be interesting because she’s a teen girl and as Leah always points out; “PIXAR HAS NEVER HAD A FEMALE LEAD.” If they do the story the way I am guessing, Boo would be that female lead, and that would be rather awesome.
Let me also throw in that Monsters Inc. always seemed fit for a sequel because of it’s ending. Sully goes and sees Boo again. There’s more story to tell there unlike with Cars but I could give a fuck what anyone thinks about Cars. I adore that world, I adore those characters, and I look forward to Mater pulling Bond’s Aston through a freaking AIRPORT CAR CHASE! KA CHOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I’ts funny you talk about my age, because I disliked The Shadow when I was 14 because it wasn’t ‘dark, gritty, and uber-violent’ enough, but I found it fun and quirky as an adult (I absolutely love the two scenes where Baldwin and Lone just meet up and talk shit with each other). Same with The Phantom. I kinda liked it when I saw it in theaters (as a 16 year old), but caught it again on the Blu Ray and was astounded at how entertainingly goofy it was. Treat Williams is kinda brilliant, and Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is quite amusing in his climactic cameo (I love that Tagawa refers to his own pirate organization as ‘evil’).
I sure as heck don’t want all comic book films to be goofy and arch, but there is a place for that amongst the dark-n-gritty and overly reverent. Is The Green Hornet (or The Shadow) better than X2, The Dark Knight, or Spider-Man? Of course not, but it’s a different kind of superhero picture, and I found it fun and entertaining on its own merits.
I also thought THE SHADOW was terrific, and took a lot of heat when I predicted it would be a bigger hit than it was. PHANTOM I forgot already. HORNET I wish I could forget.
As I have said before: I enjoyed The Phantom because it’s one of the few superhero movies I’ve ever seen in which the superhero actually appeared to enjoy being a superhero.
http://nostalgiacritic.blip.tv/file/3934126/ I will let Mr. Doug Walker respond for me when it comes to the Phantom. That aside, the Shadow is even more ridiculous than the Phantom and that’s like the ludicrous speed of ridiculousness!!!
It’s also not about The Green Hornet’s tone. It’s just about it being absolutely fucking stupid. Seriously, the only drama they could come up with is two guys in their mid-20s fawning over a 36 year-old woman. It’s not like Diaz is heinous or anything, far from it, but when that’s the main motivation of your characters all of a sudden. Characters who are involved in fighting crime in the city. Well, yeah, that’s just fucking stupid.
i think i found the secret oscar formula – only 1000 actors are good enough to win an oscar ..the rest aren’t ..and a small number just get lucky and won’t get an oscar chance in at least 5 years if they get nominated
Sanj: What color is the sun on your world?
the 2011 oscar nominations will be the same actors who got nominated in the last 10 years …
and only 1000 actors can pull it off ..
there’s only room for 5 small indie films / actors
the rest can win other movie awards