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
All I know is that if the MPAA told Del Toro that Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark had to be rated R because it was toooo scaaaary, then they’re a bunch of fucking pussies. Talking rodents with forks? C’mon.
I’d admonish “spoiler alert,” matthew, if that weren’t exactly how they’re selling it now.
Didn’t the teasers hide the actual menace? Thought that was more effective.
count me among those who was traumatized by the original DBAOTD in the 70s (I’m 40). I think what really sealed the deal is the ending. My young mind wasn’t used to…
SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT DON’T GET BITCHY IF YOU READ THIS
…the woman not being saved by the man. I was already used to formula. When Kim Darby got dragged into that furnace and the movie ended it rattled me. Cheesy now but the ending is still gutsy.
END SPOILER END SPOILER END SPOILER END SPOILER
Curious to see it tomorrow, and if it retains something resembling the original climax.
Well, I apologize if that’s a spoiler. I do have a habit of conflating teasers with actual films, but yeah, they’ve shown a decent look at the creatures in the trailers IIRC.
Warner Archive Collection is releasing the original Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark TV movie. Maybe this means some of those other 90-minute TV-movie treasures from the ’70s soon will be available.
“DBAOTD” is a movie that my nine year old self would have absolutely adored.
It’s wonderfully atmospheric and deliciously spooky/creepy in an old-fashioned, non-gross out sort of way.
I have no idea why it got branded with an “R” rating. I’m guessing that adolescent Movieman could have seen the exact same film at a downtown movie palace back in the late 1960s–and it would have been rated “M.”
At its best (particularly in its complex portrayal of the female characters), “Idiot Brother” reminded me of the great films of Nicole Holofcener. (High praise in my book.)
But I’m wondering if it should have been given a “specialized” release rather than a saturation break. The ‘plexers I saw it with seemed genuinely puzzled, even somewhat turned off by its indie eccentricities/rhythms.
I’m guessing the same fate will probably befall “Dirty Girl” if Weinstein gives it a similar release this fall.
Still, I’m feeling a little grateful that the dog days of August could have produced two such distinctive (and superior) entertainments in the same weekend-before-Labor-Day-weekend.
DOA for all of these films this weekend, considering the manic HYSTERIA over this now tropical storm over the Northern East coast.
That’s on my “must buy” list, Joe. Gargoyles and Dark Night Of The Scarecrow are the other 2 70s TV movies that jump to mind (Scarecrow is on dvd, I think. Not sure about Gargoyles). Need to brainstorm what else would be great to have from that era.
The little-me would’ve loved DBAOTD and thought it was was awesome (as I do now) and been absolutely terrified.
JKill- Glad you share my nostalgia-spiked enthusiasm for DBAOTD.
And don’t you agree that the “R” rating was flat-out silly?
Movieman, yes, especially in retrospect. While watching it I sort of wasn’t that surprised because it’s quite intense and the terror is mostly directed at a child, but outside the experience of the movie there’s nothing there that hasn’t been in PG-13 or even PG horror films before and the whole thing is kind of macabrely tasteful and classy, and it’s especially strange considering all of the very violent pseduo-R, PG-13 action movies that get released on the regular. The fact that HANNA, for example, has a lower rating than DBAOTD is strange to say the least.
The fact that I was able to flash back to my childhood while watching it, and imagine seeing the EXACT same film on a double-feature with, say, “The Three Stooges Go Around the World in a Daze” at one of the late, great 2,000+ seat downtown movie palaces where I cut my Movieman teeth, speaks volumes for the relative mildness of the horror violence.
Like classic Val Lewton, everything is conveyed in the spooky, beautifully calibrated atmospherics; and it’s the suggestion of terror that creates post-screening nightmares–particularly if you’re an impressionable kid like I was who even got freaked out by Lon Chaney Jr.’s transformation into the “Wolf Man.”
Pretty sad that “DBA” got a “C MINUS” CinemaScore rating (“Idiot” didn’t fare much better with a tepid “C PLUS”) while the thoroughly mediocre/”didn’t-I-just-see-this-movie-LAST-weekend?” “Colombiana” somehow managed to rate an “A MINUS” with the hoi polloi.
I saw that reported Cinemascore over at Deadline, movieman, and I was flabbergasted that DBAOTD would have poor word of mouth, since I assumed it would play great and be a real crowd pleaser. I’m not sure what else people could be asking for or wanting when it comes to a fun, spooky horror film…
I haven’t seen it yet (will probably check it out on Sunday) but I’m not surprised that OUR IDIOT BROTHER would have a lower score since it’s the kind of off-beat indie marketed as a mainstream comedy (like CYRUS) that throws unsuspecting people off. In that case it’s probably not even that people were against the film but that their expectations were out of whack with the actual product.
…and the CinemaScore raters’ pronounced enthusiasm for something as thoroughly disposable and rote a “product” (since that’s all it really is) as “Colombiana” definitely makes you wonder why anyone bothers making good movies since few people can apparently tell the dif between gold and dross anymore.
As I said earlier, Weinstein may have erred by giving “Idiot” a saturation break rather than nurturing it in artsy sites (Searchlight’s trad’l game plan). It’s kind of like what happened (uncomprehending general auds being blindsided by a film’s quirky indie sensibility when, sheep-like, they were expecting the same old/same old) with the wonderful “Extract” a few summers back.
Maybe I’m more of the hoi polloi than I like to admit, but I want to see COLOMBIANA, simply because I really enjoyed several of those Besson-produced actioners (especially BANLIEUE 13, UNLEASHED and TAKEN). Glenn Kenny liked it, so maybe there’s something there.
And sorry, movieman, as much as I love Mike Judge, I can see why people didn’t find EXTRACT ‘wonderful’ enough to make it a hit. It’s a frustrating experience, IMO: solid set-up, quirky material, superb cast–but executed in a low-key tone with a measured pace that eventually just tried my patience. Sometimes I’d be watching a scene and think, “This would be at least 20% better if done with 20% more energy.” Still, even a middling Judge effort has more personality than the general run of studio comedies. Can’t wait for the new batch of Beavis and Butthead episodes.
Sounds like I need to sneak out and see DON’T BE AFRAID OF THE DARK. My girlfriend used to love horror movies, but a few years ago she suddenly started finding most of them too intense to watch. I think the turning point was WRONG TURN — she loved it, but almost had a heart attack in the theater. Now I either have to skip them or catch them on my own.
Yancy- Your description of Judge sounds an awful lot like Albert Brooks, lol. As much as I’ve enjoyed Judge’s films (to date), Brooks is one of my reigning auteur gods.
I still remember a review of “Modern Romance” I wrote for my college paper in which I made the case for “MR” being superior to “Annie Hall.”
I’ve since learned to relax, get off my auteurist high horse and admit that both are timeless, laugh-til-you-cry/cry-til-you-laugh masterpieces.
the hurricane left. about half my town is out of power, but i’m in the half that didn’t lose it. hopefully the movie theaters will be open and i can see Dont Be Afraid of the Dark.
I was kinda disappointed in DBAOTD. It started off really strong and then just kind of devolved into GREMLINS meets that Trilogy of Terror vignette with Karen Black (which incidentally scared the SHIT out of me as a kid).
I thought DBAOTD really missed some opportunities to up the ante and kind of pussed out. I don’t want to go into spoiler areas but there could have been more done with that set-up. I also never really felt the threat was real and in the end, the film felt like minor del Toro.
movieman: Coincidentally enough, I rewatched most of MODERN ROMANCE again just last night on one of the premium channels (even though it had already started and was in the wrong aspect ratio). I really love that movie, and yeah, I can see how the phrases “low key tone” and “measured pace” fit it as well, but what can I tell ya? EXTRACT didn’t reach the same kind of heights for me. I think it’s possible I was simply expecting a little more from Judge, considering he got to make the movie he wanted. I thought IDIOCRACY worked better, even with compromises and an unsupportive studio.
I’m hoping to get another look at Brooks’ great LOST IN AMERICA on Netflix Instant before it expires on 9/1.
(Oh, and I agree ANNIE HALL is great, too.)
Lines from Modern Romance I continue to quote:
While looking at Rolodex: “I’ve got so many friends.”
Phone rings: “Mr. Popularity!”
I’ve always found it appropriate that Kubrick allegedly found MODERN ROMANCE to be a masterpiece because it shares that strange and strangely perfect storytelling structure SK employed often where things play out in long, masterful set pieces or cinematic units.
Joe: My favorites include the exchange in which Mary (Kathryn Harrold) draws a blank when Brooks mentions that they’re in a “no-win situation.” His explanation of the phrase: “You know, Vietnam. This.”
And when she leaves the house in a dress he finds too provocative, he says: “There are people who only rape. That’s all they do! They’re out there.”
How could you ask anymore of a movie than the Trilogy of Terror little guy with a knife?
Damn, whatever happened to Kathryn Harrold? I admit: I thought she was smokin’ hot. But I also thought she was a fine actress, and demonstrated A-plus comic chops in Modern Romance.
The main thing I remember Kathryn Harrold from was THE SENDER, which was my first exposure to ubiquitous character actor Zjeelekkkjlkklkkco Ivanek, who’s somehow enjoyed an awesome 30-yr career despite the most impenetrable name of any human ever.
I remember THE SENDER mostly because it premiered on HBO the same month in 1983 as Halloween III, First Blood and Eddie Murphy Delirious.
Amazingly it was directed by the guy who directed Battlefield Earth. Wow this was a riveting post, but there you go. Next up I will name-check that cattle-killing movie that Alan Rudolph did with JoBeth Williams, where random stretches were filmed in Michael Myers first-person cam.
Anyway, didn’t Harrold end up having a huge part on Larry Sanders Show?
JoBeth Williams: Another hottie. The ’80s was a good time for smokin’ brunettes.
Harrold, truly one of the most beautiful women ever to grace the silver screen (see also: INTO THE NIGHT and RAW DEAL), is married to Lawrence O’Donnell, of all people.
Kathryn Harrold is not married to O’Donnell any more. And she’s retired from acting. Still looks great.
She and my dad are from the same small town in Virginia so we all keep in touch every now and then.
Seems to me obvious why DBAOTD is rated R – two scenes are pretty bloody. The opening prologue (which is totally unnecessary to the movie IMO) and the part where the critters slash up that one character with a razor/scissors (who I won’t name lest it be considered spoilerish.
Film Fanatic: Another reason to be jealous of the guy. Damn. BTW: Remember a while back when we talking about the casual approach to nudity taken by many actresses in the 70s and 80s? Anyone recall Mrs. O’Donnell’s matter-of-fact nude scene in Modern Romance? To borrow LexG’s line: Bow!
http://www.mrskin.com/kathryn-harrold-nude-c661.html?_mska_rlst=1
LYT: You means she’s available? LOL.
Harrold had a fun role opposite Schwarzenegger in the otherwise forgettable “Raw Deal.”
“The only way you’ll ever end up lying next to me, Max, is if we’re run down by the same car. “
FORGETTABLE?!?!?!?
“Raw Deal” is a classic.
“YOU SHOULD NOT DRINK AND BAKE!”
Raw Deal has one of my favorite Ahnuld lines, particularly nowadays:
“You know what I love about bedrooms? DERE ISS NEAHLY ALWAYS A BED IN DEHHHHHH!”
film fanatic, maybe I’ll give it another shot. It’s the only one of Arnie’s action movies from Conan through Eraser that I’ve only seen once. All I really remember from it are the give-and-take between Schwarzenegger and Harrold and Robert Davi cementing his legacy as one of the triptych of classic 1980s bad guys, with the others being the two Williams: Zabka and Atherton.
I saw both “Colombiana” and “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” today (hiding out from the extra intense L.A. heat). “Colombiana” wasn’t nearly as unhinged (if at all) as I hoped, but I love Zoe Saldana and the movie had more good than bad. Still, it was more ordinary than not with a few nifty moments (“One drop of blood…”), but, I enjoyed it.
I’ve never seen the “Don’t Be Afraid…” TV movie, but, to its credit, the remake feels like one of those ’70s ABC Movie of the Week presentations I watched all the time. It’s genuinely creepy, but in an old school Halloween “Boo!” style (which might explain the low Cinemascore rating). I’m a big Guillermo Del Toro fan and, though he didn’t direct this, it has his fingerprints all over it. I dug it the most.
Wow.
Very cool to see so many “Modern Romance” fans out there.
Maybe one of the reasons the film struck such a deep chord with me 30 (!!!!) years ago was that it so closely mirrored a dead-end relationship I was in at the time. I remember quoting lines to my then-significant other (who, conveniently, hadn’t seen the film). The “no-win/Vietnam” morsel Yancy referenced was just one of them, lol.
Of course, Brooks’ movies are filled with eminently quotable lines. Remember Garry Marshall’s casino boss explaining to Brooks in “Lost in America” (which ranked #2 on my list of the best of the ’80s) that he wasn’t “Sant-ie Claus”?
“Roundstick.”