May 3, 2024
The Hot Blog
amit on: Review: Frozen 2 (spoiler-free)
movieman on: BYOB Fall Back, Film Forward
Christian on: BYOB Fall Back, Film Forward
movieman on: Review: Marriage Story (spoilers only in the broadest sense)
movieman on: BYOB Fall Back, Film Forward
movieman on: Review: Frozen 2 (spoiler-free)
YancySkancy on: Review: Little Women (no spoilers)
Hcat on: Why You Should Be Afraid Of The End Of The Paramount Decree
movieman on: BYOB Fall Back, Film Forward
movieman on: I Should Be Doing Box Office
Review: Little Women (no spoilers)
Why You Should Be Afraid Of The End Of The Paramount Decree
Review: Frozen 2 (spoiler-free)
Review: Marriage Story (spoilers only in the broadest sense)
see all »
[twitter-widget username="DavidPoland" hiderss="true" hidereplies="true" hidefrom="true" items="3" showts="60" title=" " targetBlank="true"][twitter-widget username="MCNTweets" hiderss="true" hidereplies="true" hidefrom="true" items="3" showts="60" title=" " targetBlank="true"]
Quote Unquotesee all »
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 wish it were better, but I think the more reasonable running time will help it this weekend. As will the (barely noticeable) 3-D
You mean, sticking a sword threw a door so it points at the audience isn’t an innovative 3D gag?
Question: If Pirates earns less than $100M this weekend, is the opening a failure? To me, this just screams Wolverine – a prized property that everyone thinks has a $100M opening in the bank, only to open at $85M. I think the same thing happens here – everyone might thing $100M+, but this is the fourth and doesn’t seem to be any overall excitement out there to push it to $100M. Of course, Fast Five’s great opening came out of nowhere, so anything is possible.
I dunno, people love, love, love Captain Jack Sparrow. Can’t see this one not opening big.
I guess I’ve seen predictions at around $105M… that seems right. Shouldn’t be a disappointment, especially if the rumors are true that this one cost closer to Pirates 1 than 2 or 3.
The numbers are INSANE… I’m sure there’s tracking to support it, and that I spend too much time on movie sites and blogs where the attitude is the fatigued, “This shit AGAIN?” vibe about a PIRATES 4. More than just about anything this summer, or in recent history, the prospect of a PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 4 has a grinding obligation feel to it, like it’s practically jury duty. We’re all like, “Eh, guess I gotta go see it.” Then we will (or have), it’ll pass the time okay, and 10m after the lights come up it’ll never be thought of again. Somehow I thought the entire world was on board with this shrugging indifference to a past-its-time “series,” like if another director and new cast made a half-assed, borderline TV movie “Back to the Future IV” in 1996.
So it’s mind-blowing news to me that, even more than FAST FIVE or THOR, *this* is the gonna be the first “Holy shit!” packed-auditoriums, seven-screens-at-every-theater 100 mil grosser of the summer. Maybe it’s a generational thing and I’m blissfully unaware to what degree THE TRILOGY is somehow the “Star Wars” of today to young kids.
And Jack Sparrow? I’m a Depp fan and not to take anything away from his now-signature role. But do people really remember any particular bits of business from JACK SPARROW in, say, Pirates 2 or 3? Just kind of general flouncing and rakishness, but by now that mode has so become Depp’s default, I can’t really think of any ICONIC Jack Sparrow moments that the entire world is still totally champing at the bit to see more of his zany antics. That’s more a shot at the second and third movies than even Depp, as they were so bogged down in murk and plot and boredom and fatigue, he would’ve had to turn into a Black Swan midway through them for anything to stand out from the endless exposition and droopy-eyelid chaos.
I wouldn’t have thought P4 would do over 50 this weekend. It is MIND BLOWING that the public is that excited about it.
What I remember most about Pirates 2 and 3 is falling asleep because they’re 32 hours long and tedious as hell. Depp is a great actor but his one-note performance as Sparrow was tired before the first movie was even over. I don’t like this series at all. I’d rather see a Something Borrowed/Jumping the Broom double feature than see Pirates 4.
Seriously, everybody was all “Jack Sparrow!” More like JACK DAVENPORT!, because all I remember is that guy hogging the spotlight for nine hours while occasionally Keira woke me up by turning up in a Little Hat or something.
Some theater is showing all 4 back-to-back-to-back-to-back on Saturday. My private version of hell. Don’t think Penelope Cruz and the awesome Ian McShane are going to be able to save #4.
The hope I am holding out for Pirates 4 is that I was underwhelmed by the trailer, so maybe the movie will exceed my low expectations. Kind of a reverse Trannies 2 and Spidey 3 effect.
Keira > Cruz. By ten trillion miles.
Tits > Little Boy Chest. By a million trillion miles.
I think Knightly has a lovely face, but Cruz has a killer body.
I think they’re both pretty hot.
Breasts are the 2nd most overrated thing on earth after coffee. Plus not like Penelope is 1982 Dolly Parton. (Sorry, classing up the blog on my first day back.)
Coffee, if anything, is underrated. Drink it Lex!
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/05/18/136402267/coffee-lowers-risk-of-deadliest-prostate-cancer
I agree with Lex on Pirates. It seems tired. For as drawn out as 2 and 3 were, the scale and effects screamed see in the theater. This one does not scream that. And with Panda and Hangover 2 the following weekend, I would rather save my money and time for those 2 movies then chosing to see 1 of them with Pirates. I bet we see a $100M opening and it struggling to get to $300M DM, say $250.
This will sound like an odd question, but: Did Jon Hamm make an unbilled cameo in The A-Team? I caught the film in a theater, and actually kind of liked it, but I don’t remember Hamm being in the movie at all. (And, mind you, I stayed awake throughout the entire film.) But an editor just asked me if Hamm was in the flick. As I say: That doesn’t ring a bell with me. Unless he’s in some of the footage in the unrated “director’s cut” DVD?
Joe, he has a cameo at the very end, the next morning after the big action finale on the docks with the storage containers, where the cops and investigators are working the scene and the A-Team is getting stitched up on the back of an ambulance. Hamm drives up as some agent or something and trades a barb or two with the guys.
And I only saw it in theaters (twice, because it rules), and Hamm was definitely in that, the original version.
OK, I am mortified to admit: Didn’t recognize him. Of course, I don’t watch Mad Men. But still… sheesh!
And before you ask: No, I didn’t cut out early. Like I say: I actually liked the movie.
Thanks, LexG.
If anyone has seen the longer A-Team cut, is there more screentime for the awesome and tragically underused Henry Czerny? I was thrilled to see him in the second trailer, and presumed he’d once again be a preeminent bad-ass behind all the evil doing. But nope, he’s in the movie for about as long as he’s in the trailer. Unless he was going out of his way not to be typecast, how did Czerny not get cast as every high-level (and occasionally corrupt) dirt-bag after the one-two punch of Clear and Present Danger? Yes, he’s done that bit once or twice over the years, such as in the straight-to-DVD Statham pic Chaos, but I’ve spent fifteen years wondering why he never really broke out. No offense to Clark Gregg, but if Czerny was head of SHIELD in the Marvel Universe, I might actually take them seriously.
I assume the two of that one-two punch was Mission: Impossible. Funnily enough, I got to interview Czerny on the TV junket for that film, and I even kidded him at the time about the risk he ran of being typecast. He told me he would prefer that sort of typecasting to always being cast as he was in The Boys of St. Vincent. Had to agree. LOL.