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By David Poland poland@moviecitynews.com

BYOB: August Arrives

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125 Responses to “BYOB: August Arrives”

  1. Mike says:

    Finally saw Source Code and loved it. With that and Moon, Duncan Jones has established himself as a director to watch. Reminds me of Nolan’s career after Insomnia. How does he not have another movie coming up?

  2. Pete B says:

    Someone else may have already brought this up, but why are Conan the Barbarian and Fright Night coming out on the same weekend? Both are R rated and both are in 3D. Don’t they play to the same audience? Seems kinda stupid.

  3. Is there a movie in August with potential to reach $ 1 billion at the worldwide box office?

  4. sanj says:

    watched Kovak Box ..

    A sci-fi writer (Hutton) is invited to an island for a conference, only to discover that he’s become lured into a trap.

    i liked the film – great acting by old guy David Kelly…he
    does some pretty bad things but in somewhat realistic way…

    DP – do a quick review of this

    trailer..

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OORhnFPFEq0

    also Steve Buscemi dress …

    http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/steve-buscemi-dress

  5. sanj says:

    great story about a guy who stole real moon rocks

    looks like there is a movie coming out with Wil Gluck

    watch this now before the super mega oscar hype in
    a year or so …

    – 5 minute video –

    http://www.g4tv.com/videos/54440/ben-mezrich-talks-new-book-sex-on-the-moon/

  6. Tim DeGroot says:

    I’m trying to cut down on dvd purchases but Criterion is gonna make me buy Kiss Me Deadly, Orpheus, and The Island Of Lost Souls. Shit. Damn. Damn. Shit.

  7. Bennett says:

    Good Question Pete. If I were one of those films, I would push back a week. There is more likely to get 3D screens id you come the weekend of August 26th because you can get all the 3D screens that Glee will lose after their two weeks are over.

    Overall the August marketplace is way too busy. I would consider moving several films to fall.

    Personally I think that Glee will bomb. But actually, the production costs are probably pretty small so a 30-40 million will probably make it profitable. Probably the same could be said for Shark Night also.

  8. sanj says:

    glee 3d … good job fox for taking advantage of stupid
    teenagers .

    glee 3d trailer

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ84hXdoZMg

  9. MarkVH says:

    Tim, if you’re gonna get Kiss Me Deadly, better do it soon – Barnes & Noble 50% off Criterion sale ends today (free shipping). Otherwise, might as well hold off on the other two until the November sale.

    Me, I’m fired up for that Complete Vigo disc.

  10. leahnz says:

    apes will rise…

    bonza flick

  11. sanj says:

    predict one day movie with Anne Hathaway will fail …

    her accent isn’t good and the part could have been done
    by anybody else..

  12. Bennett says:

    unless there is a last minute push, I think the studio is dumping One Day.

  13. Tim DeGroot says:

    Thanks Mark.

  14. LexG says:

    One Day looks CHARMING. I LOVE Hathaway, will see her in anything.

    Rise…, in terms of buzz, hype, and seeing spots and trailers, seems like something that’s three months off, not dropping THIS Friday, a fact that even *I* didn’t realize until about two weeks ago. The “window” of trailer/tv spot overkill has been SO SLIGHT, at least compared to the EIGHT ZILLION TIMES I’ve had to sit through that goddamn Change-Up trailer.

    “I need to cool it on the Thai food!” Blecch.

  15. David Poland says:

    I think Apes will be a significant worldwide hit, as I did in April. But I think a billion is pushing it.

    I still think $400m – $500m. But $700m wouldn’t be completely shocking if it get some great word of mouth.

  16. RoyBatty says:

    Rented SOURCE CODE on Friday. What can I say?

    Thankfully it was a $1.50 Redbox rental.

    Also, thankfully, Duncan Jones was just a hired gun and didn’t write the it’s-only-smart-unless-you-stop-to-think-about-it script. I always know it’s going to be a mediocre film if I figure out the mystery villain the first time I see him.

    (SPOILER ALERT)
    I also think they did reshoots to show more of “torso Colter” instead of saving it for the end, which was a mistake. Not that I hadn’t already gotten that sussed out before they revealed that he had died.

    Hopefully, Jones’ next film is a helluva a lot smarter.

  17. actionman says:

    $400 or $500 million worldwide for Apes? Ummm…I don’t know…I could see it totally crashing domestically. I don’t get any sense that people are jazzed for it. The trailer has run sooooooo many times in CT this summer, and I go to the #1 theater in the area, and it’s not something that has gotten a rise outta people (pun intended).

  18. actionman says:

    Oh, and I loved Source Code. Not a 4-star job like Moon, but a really solid 3 star sci-fi flick, maybe 3.5 stars when I see it again.

  19. LexG says:

    Source Code was terrific until:

    SPOILER!

    …Jake saves the day by BRINGING LAUGHTER to the passengers and some jerkoff is up there doing STANDUP while it FREEZES across the GLEEFUL FACES of morning commuters delighted by some hack amateur open micer doing his ACT on a train. Yeah, right.

  20. MDOC says:

    400-500M worldwide for Apes? I don’t see any way David. Is there a review embargo? It may have helped to let people know if this was any good a few weeks ago. But there’s no chance this can be good, is there? Scientist messes with nature, Apes attack, Apes win? I know there seems to be some buzz regarding the special effects, but for me this project seems to be the definition of a perfunctory effort.
    I know the last Planet of the Apes did 180M domestic, but this project feels like it has more in common with Congo than the last Apes movie.

    I hope I’m wrong.

  21. LexG says:

    It also gives off this feeling of a movie that would be 89 minutes, for some reason. For all I know, it’s a 2.5 hour epic, and I’m fine either way, but something about ROTPOTA has this second-tier Alien vs Predator sheen to it. I think it’ll do “Predators” numbers from last year.

  22. JKill says:

    Speaking of just now seeing ads, the FRIGHT NIGHT spots have all of a sudden started to pop up on television. I rarely watch it at all so maybe that’s why I haven’t seen them but I went from having almost no concept of what the movie looked like to seeing ad after ad after ad. They’re selling it almost entirely on Farrell (who I’m a big fan of), which is interesting. I like what I see and hope it’s good.

    I’m incredibly excited for RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES, and with nothing but anecdotal comments from random people to go off of, I think it is going to be way bigger than the majority of pundits are expecting. The trailers, especially the last one with more story beats, make it look amazing, and all of them have gotten really good reactions when I’ve seen them in the theater.

  23. sanj says:

    new jersey shore on mtv this week – hey DP how about a review… come to the dark side and review some mtv shows for once instead of hbo shows

  24. JKill says:

    I agree with Sanj, although only under one condition…

    DTF/30 with Snookie.

  25. Steven Kay says:

    hey DP i ask again
    why no DP/30 with Woody Allen
    you can ask him all about our working relationship
    i even have video
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNtHdvzp1Ow

  26. sanj says:

    old picture of Damon/Ryder …where is the dp/30 of Ryder ?

    it’s amazing how many actors with 10 years of acting who haven’t done any dp/30’s .. upgrade your business cards or
    send them an e-vite …or a telegram or something

    http://masterkeaton.tumblr.com/post/2138470045/good-old-days

  27. RoyBatty says:

    For those who read Hollywood Elsewhere, Wells banned someone for saying he will have bad karma for getting some poor slob at a video store fired. Just when you think his skin couldn’t be any thinner.

  28. Martin S says:

    I said months ago Apes is the sleeper. It’s not Braveheart or Gladiator, but it’s way more than AvP, Underworld or the other schlock.

    Dave’s right about international. That’s actually where a lot of the good buzz is coming from for the past week or so.

    This is another project I wish a guy like Cronenberg would have gotten onboard. Not so much for the sci-fi nature, but because he has the deft hand at making human actions credible in these scenarios.

    And if you haven’t seen any of it yet –

    Batman. Pittsburgh. Soon coming to LA-LA for exteriors.

    http://tinyurl.com/3enx2sv

  29. sanj says:

    why didn’t Peter Jackson make this apes movie ? he made that other one ..king kong …

    so it’s done by Rupert Wyatt who made like 4 movies .

    that’s some pressure. he also needs a dp/30.

    Rupert Wyatt will be a huge star over at the geek sites like ain’t it cool news … it’s like he’s won some reality tv show…. like here’s 50 million and James Franco. you win ! make a good film or we’ll be bankrupt.

  30. Paul MD (Stella's Boy) says:

    Apes could surprise because people seem to be surprised that it looks better than they ever expected. Teen boys stayed away from C&A, so maybe they’ll feel like watching apes overthrow the Bay Area. The TV spots feature a lot of good money shots and it looks like it’s action-packed. I know I had zero interest in it when it was announced, but now I’d like to see it.

  31. Mike says:

    I don’t see Apes being a hit. It looks bad (not effects-wise, but story-wise) and is there a mass audience for Franco? I’m not even sure if the geeks are all that into Apes anymore. I think this thing has bomb written all over it.

  32. Paul MD (Stella's Boy) says:

    Franco is irrelevant to the opening weekend isn’t he? It’s all about the marketing right? And is the target audience looking for a compelling story, or are they just looking for some good action?

  33. Mike says:

    But is it good action? Most of the trailer was about Franco’s drug, and a lot of the buzz has been about how intelligent the ape looks. I’ve yet to see anyone say that it looks like there’s going to be good or fun action in this.

    Apes running across a bridge and beating up on cops doesn’t seem like a big spectacle or anything audiences haven’t seen before. God help us, Sanj was on the right track when he said that Peter Jackson already made this movie and more visually exciting, in King Kong.

    So, if this is being sold as an action movie, where’s the blowing up the White House shot?

  34. Paul MD (Stella's Boy) says:

    But the TV spots feature plenty of action. Cruise some movie site message boards. You’ll see a lot of people talking about how it looks better than expected.

  35. Mike says:

    Maybe the tv spots are better than the trailer – as that’s all I’ve seen and I thought it looked like a bomb waiting to happen. As you said the movie could be a surprise.

  36. Paul MD (Stella's Boy) says:

    I think most people had very low expectations and expected a bomb, so a surprise is possible. Though I’m not sure what the budget was or how it’s tracking.

  37. SamLowry says:

    Should “Spielberg’s Curriculum” be a separate thread?

    http://www.gointothestory.com/2011/07/steven-spielbergs-curriculum.html

    or go directly to the list: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i_Veb7bL4VtDWDdoRegyRPWRxm5MrisFO9sQ9KZ4SaE/preview?hl=en_US&sle=true

    There are many oddities already noted on that board; I’m amazed Tootsie’s on the list but Dr Strangelove isn’t.

    This list concept doesn’t sound all that odd considering an article about C&A mentioned that Spielberg gave Favreau an iPad loaded with a few westerns he needed to watch before proceeding with the movie. When I saw “High Noon” on that list I wondered if Spielberg thought Favreau was a dummy–who HASN’T seen it?

  38. Don R. Lewis says:

    Is there any proof that the Spielberg 206 is actually real?

  39. anghus says:

    If you’re Spielberg, and everyone rips you off, shouldn’t you assume they may not have watched the movies that inspired him?

    If you’re making a copy of a copy, it might be a good idea to make sure they know where the inspiration came from.

    And i realize, EVERYBODY was inspired by something. But the masters of cinema are the ones that can take inspiration and make something original. The current generation attempting to channel Spielberg do it with so little grace that it comes off as obvious and almost insulting….

    (cough) Super 8 (cough)

  40. SamLowry says:

    In the comments, Nate Winslow said “…I didn’t find the list on his desk, but I’d be willing to bet it’s real. If it’s not, it was put together by someone who understands Spielberg’s influences uncannily well. And, like Scott says, it’s a list of great movies. We should all watch them anyways :). Again, though, valid point. I’ll ask around and see if some friends have heard of this.”

    Posters noted that the list seems to end at 1992, and there are several odd threads running through it–three okay Albert Brooks movies that are clearly outdone by his more recent work, and MANY Brando movies.

    “If you’re making a copy of a copy, it might be a good idea to make sure they know where the inspiration came from.”

    The biggest slam against the Marvel artists who left to create “Image” comics (the title itself should have been a giveaway) was that many seemed proud of the fact that they learned to draw by copying comics, not by taking art classes or actually studying human anatomy, which is why you saw so many “normal-sized” women with yard-long femurs no thicker than your wrist.

  41. yancyskancy says:

    “Posters noted that the list seems to end at 1992, and there are several odd threads running through it–three okay Albert Brooks movies that are clearly outdone by his more recent work…”

    Wow, it’s not so clear to me. Those three films — REAL LIFE, MODERN ROMANCE and LOST IN AMERICA — are his three best, IMO, and I thought that was the general critical line on Brooks. I pretty much like all his films (haven’t seen LOOKING FOR COMEDY IN THE MUSLIM WORLD), but for my money he has yet to top his masterpiece, MODERN ROMANCE (apropos of nothing, I believe Kubrick was a big fan of that as well).

  42. Ray Pride says:

    Don, Edgar Wright has tweeted that the list is fake. (@edgarwright)

  43. SamLowry says:

    I’m actually gladdened by that, because some of those choices were pretty messed up: Godfather 3?

    …though someone said it would be a great negative example.

  44. Not David Bordwell says:

    I would love to see the “Spielberg Curriculum” as a new thread.

    If the list is authentic, there could be productive conversations about what it says about Spielberg as a filmmaker that certain kinds of films are over- or under-represented on the list.

    I’m finding the comments on it to be pretty dense, however, like the one from the guy who can’t take the list seriously because STRANGELOVE isn’t on it. If the list were presented as “these are the 206 films Spielberg thinks are the BEST EVER,” then you might wonder why your own faves aren’t on there. But if it really is a “these are the films you need to have seen before you and I can have a productive conversation about the film you want me produce for you,” that’s a different story.

    The hedging going on the DISCLAIMER that’s been added at the bottom of the document is disappointing, too. “Hey, these are movies everyone should see anyway” gives the whole thing the same weight(lessness) as the miserable AFI 100 or the top 25 at IMDb, and removes any significance the objection that some director or other should be there might have. For every “top 100,” anyone with a profound respect for the medium and knowledge of its history could easily construct 3 or 4 alternate 100 lists.

    It would be nice if we could get to the bottom of the origin of this meme, though. I could argue, for example, that the preponderance of Lumet rather than say, Kubrick suggests something about Spielberg’s sense of drama, but only if it’s legit to think of this as a glimpse into the director’s head. Why GIANT and not SHANE? MIRACLE AT MORGAN’S CREEK and not SULLIVAN’S TRAVELS? It’s either all about Spielberg, or it’s another useless exercise in subjective evaluations of greatness.

    Edgar Wright tweeting “That list? Fake” is hardly a “debunking,” either.

  45. Not David Bordwell says:

    Again, why does Edgar Wright have the authority to adjudicate the authenticity of the list?

  46. LexG says:

    Why is Edgar Wright both the EXPERT ON ANYTHING, and on EVERY film critic’s “to follow” list? Seems like a nice kid, but enough with this guy. Yeah, I’m sure a MILLIONAIRE who DATED ANNA KENDRICK (A CELEBRITY) really REALLY likes all you geeks and film critics, and isn’t just schmoozing you for more coverage of his terrible movies. Props to the guy on figuring out a neat angle, ’cause with the ink he and his movies receive, you’d think he was Scorsese instead of the British Robert Rodriguez.

  47. Paul MD (Stella's Boy) says:

    What does Edgar Wright suggest I eat for lunch today?

  48. SamLowry says:

    Agree with NDB. It shouldn’t be a “Greatest Movies of All Time” list but a “If you want to be a great director, you must watch these movies” list.

    There should be some films with truly shitty scrips that were saved by great directing, for example. Or movies that managed to wriggle around studio interference and/or censorship in truly creative ways.

  49. LexG says:

    I saw High Noon when I was 12. Guess it was pretty good for its time, I liked Lloyd Bridges plus it had Lee Van Cleef… But come on, KIND OF BORING compared to NEW MOVIES.

    Old movies are generally BORING AS ALL FUCK. I’d always rather see something BRAND NEW in COLOR with HOT CHICKS that are CURRENTLY HOT, instead of watching some black and white shit where everyone’s all “Now see, Jimmy Rico, we gotta waaaaaaaaahhhhhh!” Old sucks.

  50. SamLowry says:

    Lex, you and my woman would get along well. Since she’s allergic to black & white I decided to show her “Bell, Book and Candle”–it’s color, right?–and she still nearly yakked.

  51. Ray Pride says:

    Paul MD, Edgar Wright has co-writing credit on TINTIN; chances are he’s got Spielberg’s ear more readily than most.

  52. Not David Bordwell says:

    What is truly instructive about the “Curriculum” list is how few of them are available to stream on Netflix (less than 1/4).

    Damn Lex, sometimes you sound like sanj. When you aren’t doing it deliberately, I mean.

    FWIW, I always found HIGH NOON hugely overrated, even though it’s part of Gary Cooper’s iconic image.

    (POTENTIAL SPOILER)
    The Grace Kelly twist is COMPLETELY FALSE. She’s a QUAKER, for Christ’s sake.

  53. Paul MD (Stella's Boy) says:

    Ray, was that supposed to be directed to NDB? I inquired about food choices.

  54. LexG says:

    Chloe Moretz > Grace Kelly ANY DAY of the week. Wouldn’t EVEN be a close call.

  55. Not David Bordwell says:

    If Wright has intel from Spielberg that the list is fake, he should do us all a favor and say so. Or Spielberg should. Otherwise, this is all starting to feel like social media/internet meme marketing bullshit.

    Will we get another “Curriculum” in a while that includes the Melies films reconstructed in HUGO?

  56. SamLowry says:

    NDB, when the Quakers are playing, you’ve never heard the crowd shout “Fight, Quakers, Fight”?

  57. Krillian says:

    I liked High Noon. I was on a “must see everything on AFI Top 100 ever” list when they put it out 3-4 years ago. Was underwhelmed by Bringing Up Baby.

  58. Ray Pride says:

    I’ll change the direction to a more generalized “y’all.” Google “Spielberg Curriculum” and even wrestling blogs are posting it. Or blog-bots.

  59. SamLowry says:

    Yeesh, one film geek is saying the list is obviously a fake since entry 94, Julius Caesar, melds two different movies and Spielberg would obviously know the difference.

    http://www.examiner.com/fanboys-in-national/the-spieberg-curriculum-not-so-fast-there

    …maybe it’s a test.

  60. hcat says:

    Seeing Krillian mentioning Bringing Up Baby and the discussion of Some Like it Hot a few days ago makes me want to ask everyone, When did comedy change? So there are all the Front Page, Marx Brothers, Sturges screwball comedies from the first half of the century and they all have that distinct play like rythym of banter that seems so odd today (though I would say Bringing Up Baby, Duck Soup, and The Thin Man age the best), but when did the modern age begin? Was it the catskills-like Show of Shows crew moving into Hollywood? Strangelove? Graduate?

    I always see people cite A Streetcar Named Desire as THE film that changed dramas and just wondering if there is anyone who thinks there is a comedic equivelent.

  61. Bennett says:

    I wonder if the effects were completed when they released the first two trailers because they have really turned up the action quota on Apes. I wonder if the Apes break out is just the last twenty minutes or so or if we have a full hour of ape madness. I think if it is the action film that the current television spots make it look like than I think green latern/X-Men first class money is possible. But if not then I think you are looking at Cowboys and Aliens money will a 100 million cap. 700 million WW gross seems unrealistic to me.

  62. Mike says:

    Early reviews seem to suggest the action doesn’t come until the end.

  63. LexG says:

    And the FOX LOGO suggests all the action will take place in that same shitty cheap forest they always use for their low-rent action movies.

  64. Paul MD (Stella's Boy) says:

    Reviews won’t matter in terms of box office performance.

  65. sanj says:

    just watched the universal logo like 25 times

    i want dp/30 with the person who made this

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpNkgRv_8XE

  66. yancyskancy says:

    My mind literally cannot comprehend any “argument” against black-and-white film. Whether a film is B&W or color has NO bearing on its other qualities. Anyone who actually thinks the lack of color is a valid reason for avoiding films that might otherwise be brilliantly acted, written or directed is a blooming idiot. Not to mention the fact that well done B&W is difficult to achieve and can be quite stunning.

    And I’ll stay out of the anti-‘old’ argument, just to keep my head from exploding.

  67. JKill says:

    I think my big surprise once I actually started to dig into B&W comedies was how genuinely funny, surprsing, mature and even sexy they were. Between Sturges, Lubitsch, Wilder, Hawks and Capra (IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT is just fantastic) and others I’m forgetting, there were some filmmakers I encountered that had God-like powers at putting that type of very specfic humor and heart on screen. I’m sure I haven’t even touched the surface of this stuff, but it would be a real diservice as a comedy or movie fan to not watch these classics because of a fear they will seem dated (great movies don’t date) or that they’re homework (they’re fun!).

  68. LexG says:

    I watch movies to see HOT CHICKS.

    If it’s in BLACK AND WHITE, I can’t see her body and feet and features properly. Plus in OLD MOVIES the chicks all looked the same, they all looked like I LOVE LUCY! You can’t tell them apart, plus they talked and smoked in a way that seems like gay camp.

    Other than Bond, McQueen, The Duke, Dean and some cool old Westerns and horror flicks, most of pre-1960 cinema is ABSOLUTE TORTURE, like watching VAUDEVILLE.

    Though as for NEW BLACK AND WHITE, Rumble Fish and Raging Bull are two of my all-time favorite movies. And even in RF, Diane Lane gets a twenty-ton YEP YEEEEEP, so maybe I’m full of shit.

  69. LexG says:

    How could an “old movie” be “sexy” if the chicks are now old or dead?

    I can’t even get worked up for Jessica Alba anymore, knowing she’s a big mashed potato-faced pregnant fatty at the moment.

  70. GexL says:

    I hate feet and wouldn’t want to see anyone’s in a movie.

  71. yancyskancy says:

    JKill: Yeah, and some of the pre-Code stuff can be downright astonishing.

    And yes, that whole ‘dated’ issue is a big pet peeve of mine. Even if it’s technically true (’cause, yeah, the world moves on), datedness sometimes adds a real layer of interest (assuming you can take interest in something outside your own limited world view and experience). The differences are far more fascinating than boring, IMO.

  72. JKill says:

    Lex, why does the current status of an actor/actress (“old” or “dead”) have anything to do with the movie you’re watching? Do you do like a “VH1 Where Are They Now?” in your head to try to determine whether or not an actress are still physically attractive, and if they do not meet your criteria (by aging or dying), the film is null and void, despite what you’re seeing on the screen?

  73. LexG says:

    Movies are my porn.

  74. JKill says:

    Well, porn is my porn.

    But let’s say you were watching an actual porno and you had the knowledge that the starlet you’re watching happened to age in some rapidly increased way (a la Francis Ford Coppola’s JACK). Would this prevent your, um, enjoyment of what’s unfolding? I’m actually genuinely curious because I find it strange when outer-contextual things affect someone’s ability to enjoy what’s in front of them.

  75. sanj says:

    i’m still waiting for DP to dig out his super 8 films for a
    Marilyn Monroe and James Dean DP/30 ..

    actors aren’t legends unless they’ve done a dp/30

  76. LexG says:

    “i’m still waiting for DP to dig out his super 8 films…”

    Laughing like a hysterical hyena over this for some reason. So idiotic and absurd…

  77. cadavra says:

    “When did comedy change?”

    Well, it wasn’t an overnight thing, but most of the blame can be laid at the feet of the Farrelly Brothers, who proved with DUMB & DUMBER and then SOMETHING ABOUT MARY that you could make a fortune by doing nothing but just having your characters expel assorted bodily fluids and solids. Then Judd Apatow and the Sandler gang upped the ante on stupid characters and random grossness and put the nail in the coffin.

  78. JKill says:

    The Apatow/Farrelly movies are obvious descendents of the Ramis/Reitman/Landis movies of the 70s/80s…

  79. LexG says:

    Dudes, OLD COMEDY absolutely SUCKS.

    Marx Brothers: Marginally funny ’cause of Groucho; The rest of them BLOW.

    Laurel and Hardy: Not funny
    Chaplin: NOT FUNNY (though I was BLOWN AWAY by how good The Great Dictator was.)
    Abbot and Costello: NOT funny (to be heard in the Anthony Quayle king voice from Everything You Always Wanted to Know…)
    Three Stooges: EXTREMELY UNFUNNY. TORTUROUS. AWFUL.

  80. LexG says:

    Also, JKill: YES. I have to know a girl is CURRENT HOT and that I might someday I want to date them to get aroused.

  81. JKill says:

    Lex, that’s interesting. I sort of feel like movies are actually less agressive sexually now then they were during the 70s/80s/90s, even if you won’t give me the B&W era. Things today, especially in the mainstream, are pretty chaste.

    Chaplin is an amazing filmmaker and performer, and I’m more blown away by his ability to combine pathos and absurdity than I’m am literally laughing aloud at his work. And yeah, THE GREAT DICTATOR is so incredibly ballsy and awesome. It could so easily veer into bad taste but he somehow pulls it off perfectly. I’ll never forget the Hitler and the globe scene in that. Ever.

    I think because of speech patterns, popular usage of language and ever changing cultures comedy does inherently evolve a bit from generation to generation; but I think it doesn’t change so much that it is unintelligble. I’m curious to how the THREE STOOGES movie will play because there hasn’t been a good, purely physical comedy in a while, and slapstick really isn’t in vogue right now.

    To someone averse to “classic” film comedies, I’d suggest HIS GIRL FRIDAY, UNFAITHFULLY YOURS, TO BE OR NOT TO BE and THE LADY EVE. All pure genius.

  82. yancyskancy says:

    Lex: I just pretend I have a time machine. That way I can imagine hooking up with 1939 Maureen O’Hara or 1945 Linda Darnell and not worry about them being ancient (the former) or moldering in a grave (the latter, who died in a fire at age 41).

    Respectfully disagree with cadavra about Farrellys/Apatow. Obviously, it’s a huge overstatement that the Farrellys films are only about bodily fluids. And Apatow’s best films (generally the self-directed ones) actually strike me as being descended from the semi-improvised behavioral comedies of Leo McCarey (though I admit I wouldn’t be surprised to learn Apatow had never seen a McCarey film). Eh, scratch all that — no bigger waste of time than arguing about comedy. 🙂

  83. sanj says:

    i kinda find it amazing that people want to see the same
    comedies over and over ..like people who’ve been doing the
    same exact thing for like 20 + years like Monty Python and kids in the hall ..people keep paying real money to see this stuff .

    i’m too stupid to understand monty python so i haven’t seen
    any of the movies . true story.

  84. LexG's Proctologist says:

    Lex getting humiliated over on HE. He should be put on suicide watch.

  85. cadavra says:

    “Dudes, OLD COMEDY absolutely SUCKS.
    Marx Brothers: Marginally funny ’cause of Groucho; The rest of them BLOW.
    Laurel and Hardy: Not funny
    Chaplin: NOT FUNNY (though I was BLOWN AWAY by how good The Great Dictator was.)
    Abbot and Costello: NOT funny (to be heard in the Anthony Quayle king voice from Everything You Always Wanted to Know…)
    Three Stooges: EXTREMELY UNFUNNY. TORTUROUS. AWFUL.”

    And right here, ladies and gentlemen, is Exhibit A why new comedies stink on ice.

  86. Triple Option says:

    – When I was a kid I thought Abbot and Costello were histerical. Never liked the stooges or Marx Bros.

    – I’m down w/B&W films. Love watching them on Turner Classic Movies. Though it’s been a while since I’ve seen one, I don’t particularly like modern films shot in b&w to be “artistic”. Pretentious, heavy handed, too much smoking, just giant FAIL waiting to happen.

    – I saw a movie last night that was a Netflix suggestion. Not like a prime selection, I was flipping through titles for a bit but it was 3 stars for me and I had never heard of it but it was a thriller so I took the chance.

    “The Disappearance of Alice Creed” anyone see this? Taunt gets added to thriller a bit too generously like super always attaches itself to model, but this puppy was pretty tight. Nice, chilling set up. Some nice reveals/surprises. Execution exceeds any plausibility gaps. Good job focusing on the 3 main characters w/out getting wordy and barely once or twice did you slightly feel like you were going down the same path. It’s not to say that I never thought “yeah, but…” while watching it or because of the accents some lines didn’t sound as natural to someone living across The Pond but I was glad I saw it.

    I hope they all go on to bigger and better things. They’ve been in other things I enjoyed but didn’t quite recognize or at least remember right off. Gemma Arterton, of course, has done some tent pole work in Prince of Persia and Clash of the Titans. Man, she has got a little body on her! The director I didn’t know. I saw he had done some horror, which I’m not a fan of, but I suspect he’ll get higher grade thriller work from here.

  87. sanj says:

    hey triple option check this

    Gemma Arterton – 2 minute funny dp/30

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6Tkn-Tl3ac

    also why doesn’t somebody make a 99 cent app that
    colors all black and white films ..
    should be easy with the new technology out

  88. LexG says:

    LOVED Disappearance of Alice Creed. For both the obvious ogling reason and the movie itself… Marsan and that other guy were fantastic. Arterton showed her feet the ENTIRE movie. It was GREAT.

    What happened there, anyway? For two years we got NONSTOP Gemma Arterton, bordering on cramming her down our throats… now, not much of anything. Did the experiment not take? Really REALLY like her.

  89. sanj says:

    all uk actors must go back to the uk …the queen wants them back … Clive Owen isn’t around .. probably cooking
    food for the queen while Carey Mulligan gives tours of that
    big ben clock…

  90. Triple Option says:

    Thanks, Sanj. I missed that. I often won’t watch the DP/30s until after seeing a movie the principals are pimping and I never got around to that one. Now, though, I’ll probably check out Tarmara Drewe even though I’m not much for rom coms.

    Wonder when Russell Brand’s gonna get his recall notice?

  91. Krillian says:

    I liked Stooges when I was really young. But Marx brothers, Abbott & Costello still hold up for me. His Girl Friday is still great.

    Wasn’t impressed with Animal House. Didn’t see it til 1998-ish and it just felt so dated. Made me glad I’d seen Caddyshack and Vacation at a younger age.

  92. sanj says:

    Triple Option – i liked Tarmara Drewe … it was a bit long but everybody was good in it .
    you should watch the dp/30’s cause sometimes the movies don’t hit dvd for a year or so .. like the smaller movies
    everybody forgets about .l

    Russell Brand beat the uk system and can’t get recalled cause he’s married to Katy Perry.

  93. sanj says:

    found this quick review of transformers 3 …with spoilers .

    http://dailybooth.com/Ratshell/17058486

  94. Foamy Squirrel says:

    Sanj, how DARE you spoil Transformers 3 for me! I am never clicking on one of your links again!

  95. sanj says:

    Watch Mila Kunis Chew Out a Reporter in Fluent Russian

    “Why movies? Why not?” Kunis, who moved to California from Ukraine at age 7, testily replied. “What kind of question is that? Why are you here?”

    http://gawker.com/5827142/mila-kunis-chews-out-reporter-in-fluent-russian

  96. sanj says:

    just watched the conspirator trailer ..
    another movie about the president …
    i guess movie critics have already seen this
    but to me it’s ahhhhhhhh. another boring history lesson.
    run away quick and fast.
    plus it’s 200 years ago or something they should have made
    it in black and white ..

    it’s pretty much automatic – when you become the president you have like a dozen movies made about you….Obama got another 5 year or something .
    so the president after Obama will get a movie pretty
    quick ..even if its a tv movie … that might be interesting …might not be. somebody is already writing it.

  97. yancyskancy says:

    True, sanj. Boy, am I getting sick of all the Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford movies. Where’s the originality, Hollywood?

  98. SamLowry says:

    Some rather bizarre justifications there. Reminds me of the Simpsons episode where it was either Marge or Homer who failed to accept the message of the “Hang in there!” poster only because they realized it was so old the kitten must surely be dead by now.

    And as for “Watch Mila Kunis Chew Out a Reporter in Fluent Russian”…damn Russians are taking our jobs!

  99. sanj says:

    rise of the apes – critics like it ..
    probably has apoilers.

    http://www.awardsdaily.com/2011/08/unleashed-the-rise-of-the-planet-of-the-apes-is-2011s-best-film-so-far/

    how does DP miss some movie director nobody has heard of ?

    if Jimmy Carter and Gerald Ford ain’t busy – they should get a dp/30 …otherwide what else are they doing ? watching home shopping network. probably.

  100. LexG says:

    KUNIS POWER. That was SO. HOT. LISTEN TO HER!

  101. yancyskancy says:

    sanj: I think Jimmy Carter does a lot of charity work and speaking engagements. Gerald Ford less so.

  102. Paul MD (Stella's Boy) says:

    Gerald Ford doesn’t do much of anything these days.

  103. Joe Leydon says:

    I think he’s still serving his sentence in Purgatory for pardoning Nixon.

  104. sanj says:

    Jimmy Carter needs a reality show with that charity work ..

    he can show the teens how people really work with things and not other things like facebook.

    the other president Clinton – a dp/30 would be awesome..
    he could talk about all the movies that have presidents in them.

  105. sanj says:

    woah .. did my Kunis link make it to the main page or did DP find it first ?

    Emmy Rossum pumping gas at gas station .

    why do celebrities need to do this minor stuff ..

    i’m sure Angelina Jolie has her minons pump her gas
    + wash her windshield for her.

    http://forum.phun.org/showthread.php?t=752074

  106. Joe Leydon says:

    “I’m sure Angelina Jolie has her minons pump her gas
    + wash her windshield for her.”

    Hey, LexG! Didn’t you say you were looking for another job?

  107. sanj says:

    so i found some audio podcasts .. it took me 10 minutes to get 3 hours of audio …then the minute it finishes downloading i find a new dp/30 up.

    so movie critics – when you have 2 movies you really want to watch and you have them right there in front of you how do you chose ?

  108. Joe Leydon says:

    Whichever one has Helen Mirren in the cast. That gets the first view every time.

  109. sanj says:

    how come none of the late night shows ever show clips from the dp/30’s … there’s like 8 of them.
    DP needs to get on one of the shows and yell at them for being lazy..everybody has yelled at Leno so yell at Letterman…like Christian Bale rant with the voice mail awhile back .. “i’m the king of internet movie interviews – how dare you not know who i am ” then all the late night shows will watch the dp/30’s and you’ll be on there all the time.

    i got some wacky ideas

  110. sanj says:

    cool 1 minute video – guy travels the world

    http://vimeo.com/27246366

  111. sanj says:

    people not liking the programming on history channel ..

    pretty much lots of reality tv – not enough history.

    http://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/j8ehb/dear_history_channel_you_should_be_ashamed_of/

  112. cadavra says:

    I hate the History Channel. You always know how it’s gonna end.

    Thank you! I’m here all week!

  113. LexG says:

    BELLFLOWER POWER.

    You are commanded to see THE FLOWER and BOW.

    It is a BIBLE on par with Taxi Driver and Fight Club.

  114. sanj says:

    i ain’t loyal to any tv network … at this point
    tv shows can be on any network basically …
    all the shows on fx could easily be on hbo ..
    boring cbs tv sitcoms and easily be on nbc …

    only the super long shows – 10 years or more have some loyality… simpsons on fox – idol on fox …

    what the tv industry hasn’t done is make easier to transfer tv shows when they aren’t working ..
    like louie on fx could easily be on comedy central.
    everybody should just sign 1 piece of paper to make that
    happen…i’m pretty sure any tv show on any network
    can get 1 million viewers – so that means ad money..

    how come a dumb guy like me can figure this out…

    i sure hope DP gets the dp/30’s on the weather channel.
    half dp/30 / half local weather. it works.

  115. sanj says:

    watched Tactical Force

    A training exercise for the LAPD SWAT Team goes terribly wrong when they find themselves pitted against two rival gangs while trapped in an abandoned Hangar, armed with nothing but blanks.

    – basically – a really good tv movie – it was somewhat realistic and there were a few good performances from
    the bad guys in the movie ..

    trailer

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgPl1d-Iahc

  116. Joe Leydon says:

    Just as a stopped clock can be right twice a day, Sanj raises an interesting point about loyalty to TV networks. I’d go one step further: I’m sure hardly any of my students — the exceptions being those without access to cable or satellite — differentiate between broadcast and cable networks anymore. There are new scripted dramas on TNT, USA and Lifetime, there are reality shows on ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox — and cooking shows on just about every damn network there is. The funny thing is, I’ve found myself feeding my news-junkie habit a lot lately. Thanks to the miracle of TiVo, I’ve been able to watch Keith Olbermann and Lawrence O’Donnell back to back (occasionally interspersing Rachel Maddow, particularly during the debt limit crisis) on those weeknights I’m home to watch TV. That’s usually enough TV viewing for me.

  117. sanj says:

    hey Joe – how muhch of those cable tv talking head shows do you remember ? can you remember anything 1 week later .. those shows are like made for 60 year olds who have nothing better to do…

    cause with daily show / colbert – i remember stuff that
    happened 6 months ago . i remember the interviews .
    those shows need to be on pbs .

  118. sanj says:

    watched louie – louie and dane cook talk about stealing
    jokes..the problem is the ending ..it just sucked ..
    it was going somewhere but then it just let me down.

  119. Joe Leydon says:

    Sanj: Actually, I do remember something from those cable tv talking head shows.

    http://youtu.be/sx_3QERCvho

  120. sanj says:

    how many times have you been on the talking head shows Joe ?
    don’t you have competion from other old people who have need to yap about things ?

    i’m guessing nobody really misses Larry King all that much..

  121. anghus says:

    Louie has strange cadence and pacing. sometimes i have to watch it a second time to understand how scenes interconnect.

    The whole episode was about selling out in reference to his daughter. He wouldn’t do the sitcom because he thought it was shit. He passes up a good paying gig and tells his baby daughter his Dad is never going to be that guy, the guy who sells out.

    Then he gets his daughter tickets to a show she doesn’t want to go to and she asks for Lady Gaga tickets. The only way to get the tickets is through Dane Cook, comedy’s biggest sell out. They have their talk about joke stealing, and the biggest sell out in the world gives him a pearl of wisdom “why are you giving her tickets when you could get her a gift you put some thought into”

    He does just that and the little ingrate doesn’t care. To me, the end makes perfect sense.

    Sometimes the episodes are so unconventionally put together that i almost appreciate it for not just being run of the mill garbage. Though i’ll be the first to admit it’s not for everyone, but i think that’s the point.

  122. Joe Leydon says:

    Sanj: Do you ever actually look at the talking-head shows? Obviously not. The mix of whippersnappers and graybeards is fairly even these days, especially now that cable networks appear to be constantly introducing second- and third-generation interviewers and interviewees. Rachel Maddow is 38, for cryin’ out loud. On the other hand, I was actually quite surprised to see I’m a year YOUNGER than Lawrence O’Donnell. He’s in much better shape than I am.

  123. sanj says:

    well these talking head shows don’t actually fix anything wrong with anything ….so i don’t watch + too stupid
    to understand a lot of it.
    eh..i’m not missing much .
    but it was fun to see Jon take down those crossfire guys ..

    louie – the best episode i liked was the one with Joan Rivers .. didn’t think i would like it but i did. maybe
    it’ll win some awards ..

  124. Krista Tabares says:

    There are some interesting time limits in this article but I don’t know if I see all of them heart to heart. There may be some validity but I will take hold opinion till I look into it further. Good article , thanks and we wish extra! Added to FeedBurner as properly

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