May 4, 2024
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It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon
I LOVE the choice for Murphy to host the Oscars.
Gotta say I’m loving this choice too. Despite some of his movie missteps, he will always be viewed as a comic legend, and is always mentioned as a guy who paved the way for stand up comedians of all races, and for african Americans in general. He can play smooth, and nasty. Can be on the Hollywood inside and outside. And people of all ages know him because he’s been around long enough. And he can be spontaneously funny. Yeah, I like this.
Agree on excitement above. For me, it’s like Heath Ledger being cast as The Joker. It’s both completely right and utterly unexpected. We know he can do it, but we have absolutely no idea what he’ll do with the gig or how he’ll be received. Of course, the big thing is the writing, as last year’s show was horrible, leaving Hathaway and Franco adrift in a sea of grade-school mediocrity (“Oh, Franco’s in a dress? HILARITY!”). But Murphy can surely rescue better material (or just go off script) in a way that Franco and Hathaway could not. Anyway, a great choice with the potential for a HUGE ratings increase (who isn’t going to be curious?). Right or wrong, Brett Ratner will become an industry god of sorts if it works.
I bet he’ll have a ball with The Help.
Eddie is still too famous for dp/30 .
I kinda hate it to be honest. It’s not only a pandering move made to make up for Murphy being a prick when he didn’t win for DREAMGIRLS, it also reeks for Ratner using his new gig to get a shit-ton of free PR for TOWER HEIST. I like Murphy and his comedy, I just don’t like the “move.”
Brilliant move. Highest ratings in 20 years. Everyone will tune in to see what outrageous things he’s going to do or say.
I’m of two minds about it.
Ratings – Yeah, that’ll be through the roof. Some thought Chris Rock would bring younger auds (he didn’t), but Murphy’s been famous for literally 30 years. My parents would watch just to watch him and so would my friends.
But yeah, it’s a ballsy choice and potentially brilliant. Murphy can act, sing and deliver jokes. It’s just a matter of who writes, how he handles it and what material he’s got. Chris Rock didn’t do well but he had The Aviator and Million Dollar Baby to joke about. March is a LOOOOOOONNNNNGGGGG way off. Lots of things can happen.
If Nolte gets nominated for WARRIOR, I predict a 48 HOURS reunion in the opening montage.
And all the nominated songs should be performed by Buckwheat.
I predict absolutely no change in the ratings (or minimal). I don’t think any normal person cares one way or other who is the host.
If they want ratings, they should get Jay Leno to host…
I don’t mind Murphy, he is different. I am interested in seeing if we will see a glimpse of the old Eddie Murphy or not.
it also reeks for Ratner using his new gig to get a shit-ton of free PR for TOWER HEIST.
Not entirely sure about that, Don.
Unless they’ve changed the (Nov. ’11) release date of “TH,” the Oscar forecast should be pretty much irrelevant as a (theatrical) marketing tool.
As Matt Dentler smartly tweeted today, the TOWER HEIST DVD/Blu will almost definitely drop the day after the Oscars now.
Yeah, as far as blatant marketing using a current star who isn’t more of a professional emcee (Rock, Stewart, Letterman, etc.), Franco and Hathaway both had (a.) Oscar-y movies in near-current release during the awards season and that could’ve used the extra promo for DVD, (b.) movies out that spring (if you count Hathaway’s voicework in Rio), and (c.) movies out that summer. I don’t really see how it’s MORE synergistic or cynical or whatever that Murphy will have put out a comedy the previous fall that will probably be arriving on DVD around the time of the Oscars. Are we supposed to eliminate anyone who has a marketable project within three or four months of the show? That’s the kind of thinking that gets you Whoopi Goldberg or “bring back Billy Crystal!” (Crystal was great in his day, but come on. That’s how you revitalize the show? Get the guy who hosted in 1992?!) Also, Murphy even on the downward slope of his career is still a pretty damn big star. Killing it at the Oscars could be a status boost for him, but it’s not like he needs an awards show to raise awareness of Eddie Murphy.
Don, next thing you’ll be telling me that people sometimes host SNL to coincide with another movie or television project!!!
With Don’s thinking, maybe they should have Chris Tucker, seeing that he only makes Rush Hour movies. Last one was 2007.
C’mon guys. My point was that Brett Ratner is producing the Oscars and TOWER HEIST is his new movie. That’s the difference as far as how it feels kinda smelly to me. He chose the host out of “left field” who also coincidentally is one of the top 2 stars of his new film. Which will undoubtedly drop on DVD the day after the Oscars.
Obviously hosts are current and working. Maybe that’s why Billy Crystal isn’t back.
will Eddie actually watch any of the smaller nominated films and lots of non english films ?
will he get somebody else to watch them and give him the cheat notes ?
Eddie will be forced to do all sorts of press . not sure if its a good thing . DP will try to get a dp/30 out of it but
Eddie will put a banana in DP car tailpipe and run off .
film critics will have to complain to the mpaa cause Eddie won’t do interviews…mpaa will talk to Ebert and he’ll get Eddie to do a dozen interviews only. Ebert has the power.
here’s the important part – nothing will change. oscars will be 3 hours long .
he is pretty busy partying all the time …
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDbpzjbXUZI
We’re just busting your chops Don. But if you play the six degrees of separation game, its called Show “Business” for a reason. Everyone has something to promote. The train for Tower Heist was already in motion when Brett got the gig. And if it were you and you had a guy like Eddie Murphy in your pocket, wouldn’t you use him?
During the years that Billy Crystal hosted, from 90′ to 93′, he had When Harry Met Sally up for Oscar for Nora Ephron for Best Screenplay. He hosted in 92 when Jack Palance, his co-star in City Slickers, won for Supporting Actor, and David Paymer was nominated in 93 for Mr. Saturday Night that was released in September 92. He hosted in 97′ and 98′ and had Fathers Day released in 97′. I think that is way closer to than Eddie and Brett will come to personally having something in play at the Oscars for 2012.
this should be good. Eddie could be funny, buy a lot of goodwill after decades of weird and difficult behavior.
It’s weird to me how removed Eddie Murphy feels from the rest of Hollywood. He’s like a cottage industry.
Most of his films aren’t with notable directors and he rarely shares the screen with other big names. It’s been almost 10 years since he did Showtime with Deniro and I Spy with Owen Wilson, which i guess was an attempt at sharing the marquee with another name, something he rarely seems interested in doing.
He had to be begged into doing Dreamgirls (as the story goes), shows remarkable range, and then does Norbit, Meet Dave, Imagine That, and picks up checks for the Shrek sequels.
Look at Eddie Murphy in the 1990s.
1999 Bowfinger
1999/I Life
1998 Holy Man
1998 Doctor Dolittle
1998 Mulan
1997 Metro
1996 The Nutty Professor
1995 Vampire in Brooklyn
1994 Beverly Hills Cop III
1992 The Distinguished Gentleman
1992 Boomerang
1990 Another 48 Hrs.
Sequels and a lot of mediocre comedies. Bowfinger and The Nutty Professor were good movies. I know a lot of people seem to have good words for Life. Very hit or miss in the 1990’s. Now look at his 2000’s.
2010 Shrek Forever After
2009 Imagine That
2008 Meet Dave
2007 Shrek the Third
2007 Norbit
2006 Dreamgirls
2004 Shrek 2
2003 The Haunted Mansion
2003 Daddy Day Care
2002 I Spy
2002 The Adventures of Pluto Nash
2002 Showtime
2001 Dr. Dolittle 2
2001 Shrek
2000 Nutty Professor II: The Klumps
Take out Dreamgirls and it’s nothing but misses, creatively speaking.
The guy has spent 2 decades picking up nice checks for a lot of really awful, forgettable product. If anyone needs a career re-invention, it’s Eddie Murphy. Maybe hosting the Oscars is step one in his career rehab.
And yes, i realize the guy is ridiculously rich and does not need career rehab for the money.
At the risk of a virtual beatdown, can I say that I liked Shreks 1,2 & 4. And when Daddy Day Care was released my wife and I had a 2 yr old and a 2 week old. I ran away to a matinee and I laughed my ass off. I plead guilty to liking DDC.
Actually, as I recall, the original Shrek got great reviews, so I wouldn’t call it a miss of any sort. And don’t think I was alone in liking Meet Dave. On the other hand, I’m pretty sure I was all alone in not hating Pluto Nash.
What I find almost shocking is that, next year, Eddie Murphy will be celebrating his 30th year of above-the-title movie stardom. Is that a record any other SNL alum can match? I mean, jeez, Humphrey Bogart wasn’t an above-the-title star that long.
Bulldog, yes, I am going to BEAT YOU… nah. I love the same Shrek movies. Three damn near ruined everything, but four is a tremendous film.
i included the Shrek movies because of their pop culture relevance, but really it doesn’t do much for his stardom one way or another. I like the original Shrek. But i wouldn’t say it was “An Eddie Murphy” film, any more than it was a Cameron Diaz film.
I have close to zero respect for this man left.
This gig comes at least 10 years too late.
How is JASON BATEMAN not hosting year after year is beyond me. The man is a comedy God!
sanj … good post … My Girl Likes To Party All the Time
One thing everyone neglects to mention: the Oscars are a huge INTERNATIONAL broadcast. It’s watched by something like 1 BILLION people worldwide. Does anyone outside of the U.S. give two shits about past hosts like Jon Stewart or Ellen DeGeneres or (at least in this day and age) Billy Crystal? Eddie is a huge star WORLDWIDE. Would you rather see Crystal trotting out his tired “look at me, I’m so cute!” bits and lame Bruce Vilanch one-liners, particularly after his cringe-worthy turn last year during the Bob Hope segment (which only seemed good in comparison to how bad Franco and Hathaway were)? For all the shit given to Ratner, one thing he does have is good curatorial taste. If he and Eddie’s writers can clean house on all the tired hacks there and leave Mischer to purely technical direction duties, this years broadcast might have a chance.
Wonder if there’s any chance Ratner got this gig because of his potential to land Eddie?
At the time, there was a serious (albeit brief) push to get Eddie Murphy an Oscar nomination for his voice work in Shrek. I recall being quoted in one of the “For Your Consideration” ads. No joke.
I’m also hoping that this hosting gig will light a fire under Murphy and inspire him to do Spike Lee’s James Brown biopic. (Or if he’s already set, inspire someone to pay for and release it.)
billboard ads – lots of big movie billboards ..
http://dailybillboard.blogspot.com/search/label/Movies
I’ll go to bat a little for I Spy. It starts off pretty bad, but Wilson has pretty good buddy-chemistry with a lot of stars and Murphy isn’t an exception. Murphy is doing his motormouthed-dim-bulb Kit Ramsey routine — he’s basically playing the part as if he was Kit Ramsey, which is something I feel like he’s done a bunch since Bowfinger, which I love — but it’s the rare action-comedy that seems far more concerned with the comedy bits. It actually comes off as an action spoof, not a high-octane action movie with a few quips. It’s not a great movie by any means, nor is it even a great Murphy performance, but I did laugh. “Float down like a jellybird”… I don’t know, there was something appealingly silly about Murphy in that.
But since then (and for many years before Nutty Professor and Bowfinger), yes, yikes. In fact, Bowfinger is pretty much the only example of Murphy being in a comedy with lots of additional talent in front of and behind the camera. A Steve Martin script, Frank Oz directing, Martin and others costarring… usually Murphy allows just about one other decent element per movie: one funny costar, or one OK screenwriter, or one competent director. He seems allergic to doing all at once, maybe because those all-at-once gigs would make the project less about Eddie Murphy and more about a movie with Eddie Murphy in it. He seems to think: look, it worked a lot in the eighties and some in the nineties… it will work again if I keep at it.
That actually gets me excited for Tower Heist. Lord knows Ratner is only a big-budget version of a lot of the middling directors Murphy works with, but at least it’s an actual ensemble, not just a drooping one-man show.
But it’s a shame he doesn’t show much interest in bouncing off other comedians the way, say, Will Ferrell does. Say what you want about Ferrell, but every two years he’s done a project with McKay where tons of other people onscreen get laughs.
If Jeff Garlin says that Murphy is the funniest man he has ever met, then I will believe it. We all need some natural comedy after the forced humor of recent Oscars broadcasts (who am I kidding… every Oscars show).
You know something else, Norbit was a funny ass film. Yeah, I said it. But boy, a lot of people was patting themselves on the back for being offended. It was a dumb stupid comedy, which is a genre onto itself but honestly, i think there is a vendetta against dude sometimes. I know he aint liked in Hollywood so maybe thats it but damn.
PS, the so called worst host ever, David Letterman. Find his opening monologe from 1995 and tell me that isnt the funniest host of the Oscars ever. Maybe i just have a different sense of humor but for me, the best hosts i have seen
1 David Letterman
2 Steve Martin
Hopefully Eddie can complete the trilogy.
To add to the shared optimism toward TOWER HEIST, Noah Baumbach apparently did rewrites on it, although I don’t know how much of his work will end up in the final product. My favorite unloved Murphy movies are METRO and VAMPIRE IN BROOKLYN and especially LIFE, which were sort of his last R-Rated attempts before fully immersing himself in family comedy.
(I can’t mention Baumbach here without also saying how incredibly excited I am for him and Jonathan Franzen adapting “The Corrections” together for HBO, with the former directing. That’s a perfect marriage of literary material and cinematic sensibility.)
The Squid and the Whale is brilliant, and it’s also Baumbach’s last great movie. I’ve given up on him and can’t get excited about his work anymore. Greenberg and Margot at the Wedding are garbage. Tower Heist looks like it could be a fun After the Sunset-type movie though. And Life is a really good movie.
Eldrick: I agree with you about Letterman and Martin’s solo hosting gigs. I remember being at rather large Oscar parties where everyone in the room agreed that both of them killed, only to be stunned to read analyses in the papers the next day talking about how disappointing they were. Murphy is going to do fine, especially if he brings a crack writing staff with him and they can jettison the old hacks like Vilanch.
As for his film career, he just needs to start working with better directors. I mean, he’s done how many films with Brian Robbins, for christ’s sake? Compared to that hack, Ratner is Ernst Lubitsch.
Is the show really going to be that different from recent years? It’s not like the Eddie Murphy of Raw is going to be hosting. Will he and Ratner really be allowed to dramatically alter the show?
Greenberg and Margot at the Wedding are both fantastic. Margot is particularly underrated at pretty much every level. Great Nicole Kidman performance, excellent Jack Black performance, and some big laughs for such a pitch-black and often unpleasant movie. The Corrections thing is obviously a good match, but I’d much rather see Baumbach writing and directing his own material for theaters rather than adapting something into TV. He’s one of my favorite writers in any medium.
I feel like Squid & the Whale is everything Margot and Greenberg are not. Daniels and Linney are exceptional and vastly superior to Kidman & Black and Stiller & Gerwig. It’s hysterically funny in a way that feels authentic and true to the characters and situations. People behave in believable ways. Margot and Greenberg feel much more forced. I didn’t find the characters at all believable, nor did I find either movie very funny. Baumbach is extremely talented, but I don’t think he’s come close to matching the genius of Squid and the Whale.
The host is not as important as the pace of the show, hopefully Ratner will be able to speed things up, find something decent to do with the nominated songs (which have brought the show to an absolute halt for at least a decade now), and keep the atmosphere up. Murphy is an inspired choice, Downey and Bullock would be my first pick but I’m sure they might not be able to fit it in their schedules, but as long as its an actual movie star as opposed to say Jimmy Fallon its a step in the right direction.
I actually loved Hatheway last year and thought she was only hindered by a co-host who had all the energy of someone calling out bingo numbers. Hope they get her onstage again this year to do a bit, maybe a fake mea culpa over last years performance, or just have her come on at the thirty minute mark to say she’s taking over the duties because Eddie has apparently gone home.
So, I’m not one of those guys who gets pissed every time they see a fast moving zombie in a movie…but they’re doing that shit for World War Z? That ruins what made that book awesome. No way could ground troops, no matter how well-armed, take on a million RUNNING zombies. Fucking lame.
I haven’t read the book but it sounds like a lot is being changed for the movie. And isn’t it going to be PG-13? Not that that means it won’t be good, but a PG-13 zombie apocalypse just doesn’t seem right. Kind of like making a movie called Shark Night 3D PG-13.
I’m not gonna like, boycot Oscar night, I’m just a little grossed out. You guys are right though…it’s a business. And I think eddie Murphy can be awesome in the host slot.
Also- I’m a HUGE Baumbach fan and didn’t know he did some rewrites for TOWER HEIST. My favorite movie EVER is actually his KICKING AND SCREAMING and in alot of ways, it launched my interest in screenwriting and filmmaking. I love all his film to varying degrees but I can’t stand MARGOT AT THE WEDDING.
I’m suprised at all the dislike for Margot. I thought it was Kidman’s best work of the last decade, and continued the uncomfortable family dynamic comedy that Baumbach set up in Whale. Margot may have dipped a little too far over the line of self-absorbedness, but I still found her to be a recognizable person and did feel some pity for her at the end.
Now Corrections is slightly different from Squid and Margot since the parents are not totaly indifferent to their kids existance, but merely trying to keep the flawed family as a Rockwell painting. But given that it is still Upper Middle Class New England Angst, Buambach is a great fit.
But I guess this means that Rudin was not able to get the material into a working two hour screenplay so he went with a miniseries. Perhaps we will see the same announcement for Kavalier and Clay soon? And who’s a good match for that?
Random anecdote… I half-watched the ‘9/11 Tribute to Heroes’ telethon when it aired ten years back and I noticed something almost comical. I remember laughout out-loud as I realized that, with the exception of introductory host Tom Hanks (who was still ‘Mr. America’ back then) and Robert De Niro (who one could argue represented New York City), almost every film star who actually gave an on-camera speech had a project coming out that season (George Clooney, Will Smith, Jim Carrey, Julia Roberts, Tom Cruise, Cameron Diaz, etc), while the ones I noticed just answering the phones (Jack Nicholson, Adam Sandler, etc) did not. Having checked the list off of Wikepedia, it’s not absolute (Jeff Goldblum, Robin Williams, and Clint Eastwood were the main exceptions), but its close enough to raise an eyebrow.
I am a big fan of Baumbach as well, but come on… have you guys ever read ‘the corrections’?
just because baumbach writes about upper-middle class types ALL THE TIME doesn’t mean that it’s a perfect fit. I cannot imagine how much he is going to absolutely ruin the cruise scenes (unless, of course, he doesn’t wind up directing). not to mention the overseas adventures of Chip… baumbach knows how to write upper-middle class jewish families from new york or la, anything in between: nope. doesn’t really scream ‘perfect fit’ for me.
I think Baumback has been trying to stretch a bit, but you may be right. He did help pen FANTASTIC MR. FOX…
Best Kidman performance of last decade (and maybe ever) is BIRTH.
I still like the idea of Eddie hosting, but i agree with whoever said ’10 years too late’.
Last year they went young, and we know what a disaster that was. This year they’re going with a movie star who has a really awkward public image. Does Eddie even do press for his movies anymore? You never see him making the rounds with the media outside of junkets.
It’s like Hollywood is still in this weird limbo where they have no confidence in their young stars and they keep mining the stars of yesteryear.
My personal vote would have been Neil Patrick Harris. Hollywood could use a good showman right now.
If you were you going to go with Neil Partick Harris you might as well just hire Justin Timberlake to do it. He at least is involved with movies.
Agreed Don. Huge Birth fan. Listen to the soundtrack all the time. One of my all-time faves.
Yay for the love for Birth. Also, BP, that’s why they would use tanks!
So excited to see the BIRTH love! Maybe the most underappreciated film of that decade, and a true masterpiece. I was so blown away by it. The Kubrick-ian control of it all is impressive. I hope Glazer gets another movie going eventually because, if not, it would be a shame.
And to spaasky, um, yes I have read “The Corrections”, and to say that all Baumbach does is write “upper-middle class jewish families from new york or la” is a pretty gross over simplication of his talents and abilities, not to mention factually untrue since since his first two films are relationship comedies where family doesn’t even come into play. His work as a co-writer for Anderson has to also be taken into account, where he conjured both a bizzarro action-adventure and an animated comedy. He has range, but more importantly for “The Corrections”, he understands the sad, funny, emotional, angry and tragic milleu that the book traffics in so well.
As far as Baumbach’s overall canon at this point, I can’t agree that there’s some kind of a downward trajectory. I think TSATW is amazing and brilliant but GREENBERG (especially on a second viewing) is strong, very funny and perceptive and one of my favorite films from that year, while MARGOT, with all its acidic fighting and awkward tension, is memorable and different to say the least. They clearly retain his voice, in a both writerly and cinematic sense (I love the move to 2:35 in GREENBERG), and I hope he continues to explore this. I don’t think it’s a mistake his characters are often writers because the movies have a definite personal, literary quality that really speaks to me. He’s one of my favorite current directors.
Jesse, I think his take on THE CORRECTIONS could be amazing but I also hope this doesn’t mean he’s having trouble getting theatrical film funding. I was looking forward to the one that was reported that had Jessie Eisenberg (previously James Franco) and Ben Stiller possibly starring. But I don’t think making “TV movies” is that different nowadays from feature films considering the artistic freedom of premium cable and the fact that very established filmmakers have made stuff as strong as TOO BIG TO FAIL or CINEMA VERITE or presumably MILDRED PIECE (which I keep kicking myself for missing when it was on HBO…) lately.
Tanks would not stop a million zombies. World War Z the book goes into great detail about why modern weaponry fails to stop a zombie horde.
I think the movie will just say “they were running too fast and we couldn’t shoot them all in time.”
Hey, the nerds at AICN are sure freaking out over Human Centepede 2. And most of them are so dumb they can’t realize that the teaser is fake.
Id be fine with Timberlake hosting. He kills in SNL
Ok, there’a LOT of love for The Squid & the Whale on this blog – I get it, Eisenberg, Daniels, and Linney all do great jobs. But the film pissed me off, here’s why…..
Nobody in the audience for Eisenberg’s character’s rock show notices that he’s covering a song from Dark Side of the Moon, only one of the five biggest selling albumns ever??? Seriously, you’re supposed to buy that every one thinks it’s some song he created and it’s not until weeks later that some one figures it out. If Baumbach is king of this kind of super-realistic type of story, how does that even work? I can’t be the only one who was thrown off by that….any one, any one??
no biggie but “Hey You” is from The Wall, not DSOTM
You got me, Berg. But The Wall was also a HUGE albumn, too!
How did Baumbach think no one would catch that – was he being ironical? :p
Geoff, he is eventually caught, right? The only issue is that people aren’t like, rising out of their seats at a school talent shot to scream YOU DIDN’T WRITE THAT? I found it easy to believe that people who realized it would snicker to themselves or roll their eyes but not actually say anything. The parents could well be old enough to not necessarily know something from The Wall. And the kids, I don’t know, it’s not like every fifteen-year-old in the late eighties was a huge Floyd fan by default.
JKill, I’m in agreement with you on Baumbach nearly note for note, and I figured someone would make the TV-movies-aren’t-TV-movies-anymore point, and it’s a fair one… but for me, yeah, an HBO miniseries is still different. For one, I like seeing movies in theaters. For another, I don’t have HBO. So it means trying to get a screener, or waiting for DVD, or getting someone who’s better at that stuff to download it, none of which are as exciting as going to see a Baumbach movie the night it comes out. And, yeah, he’s such an excellent writer that having him adapt another writer isn’t my favorite path, although I guess just about everyone has to do this now: adapt something with a name, any name.
useless celebrity news –
What The Hell Happened To Ali Lohan’s Face ? … sister of Lindsay…
http://www.bestweekever.tv/2011-09-07/ali-lohan-plastic-surgery/
Jesse, I’m with you that it’s always the most exciting to go see a movie theatrically when it comes out, and I think that’s the most fulfilling and proper way too. But I do think we’ll probably see more independently minded filmmakers, if not moving, then dabbling in television in years to come. I think I could also make the argument that unless one lives in an area lucky enough to get movies like his theatrically than VOD or DVD is the way one will get the movies anyway, so television is basically the same thing. However, I’m sure we’re also in agreement that theatrical, especially for an artist of his quality, should hopefully and ideally be the first avenue and format.
(Baumbach apparently also adapted the very fine novels “Prep” and “The Emperor’s Children” into feature screenplays, and was attatched to direct the latter, although I haven’t heard anything about either in a good while. They also are good fits.)
i like the video and the song …
Royksopp – Happy Up Here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51Bpx63wkbA
RE: Jkill
yes, it was a pretty gross oversimplification— chalk it up to a little hyperbolic rabble rousing on my part to spur on some interesting debate to counteract the feeble “he’s a perfect fit. yay.” feelings everyone and their mother is expressing over this anouncement— but you fail to actually address the point I was making, which is as A DIRECTOR he has failed to show the breadth of talent required for an adaptation of something like The Corrections. Your point about his work with Anderson (and lots of rewrite work over the years) has nothing to do with my argument, as I am saying I cannot see him as A DIRECTOR accomplishing what Franzen does.
“He has range, but more importantly for “The Corrections”, he understands the sad, funny, emotional, angry and tragic milleu that the book traffics in so well.”
He has range as A WRITER yes (even though others, not me, would vehemently argue against this), but think of what your saying and how many other DIRECTORS are as if not more capable of accomplishing the funny, tragic, and self-consciously epochal tone of The Corrections.
Seriously, I want to hear a retort, because lost in your lofty praise of Baumbach ‘s writing ability is a succinct account of how you believe he is capable as a director of handling the lithuanian and cruise ship scenes. please, enlighten me, because i can’t see him pulling off those parts of the story… AS A DIRECTOR
Spaasky, I’m not sure I follow why you find Baumbach so lacking or limited in directorial skills. It might be helpful, for the sake of the discussion, for a little more elaboration on that matter. But the reason why I highlighted his work as a screenwriter is because he’s someone like Woody Allen, Albert Brooks or Quentin Tarantino whose writing is inexorably tied to their work as a director. I think being able to handle a piece as complex as “The Corrections” in terms of the adaptation would be a big part of a successful translation to the screen.
To directly address your issue though, I find his direction to be utter applicable to the material. He has worked wonders with actors again and again, their performances funny, humane and naturalistic. I think he has a keen visual sense that has been honed and expanded since SQUID, and while a film of small scope, the anamorphic compositions of GREENBERG suggest an ability to work on a broader canvas. I’m not sure why you don’t think he could handle Chip’s Lithuania exploits other than the fact that his work has been very domestic so far because there’s nothing in there I remember (correct me if I’m wrong; it’s been a bit since I read it) that is terribly far removed from what he’s done. As far as the cruise ship element goes, I think those scenes would be difficult for any filmmaker but they seem like something more difficult to figure out on the page than on set. I guess if I knew why you find his direction so opposed or inadequate to the material I would do a better job addressing that… I think the intimate yet epic nature of “The Corrections” is a perfectly suited next leap for him to make.
But I’m genuinely curious what directors you think would be better suited for the material. I think tone and performance would be the biggest obstacle when it comes to what Franzen pulled off, and I honestly can’t think of many other directors able to navigate the shifting textures and emotions as well as I think Baumbach could. Who would you choose instead? And since we’re on the subject, what about for “Freedom”, which Rudin is also producing?
Ang Lee? Spike Jonze? Paul Thomas Anderson? Alexander Payne?
PaulMD, those are all good choices I would be perfectly satisfied with for either novel.
It’s probably worth noting at this point that Stephen Daldry and Robert Zemeckis were at different times attatched to direct “The Corrections” prior to Baumbach.
I think so too, and I’d prefer either one over Baumbach.
I agree that Baumbach deserves a next step like The Corrections, but that doesn’t mean he’s shown that he can handle it. The sense of the surreal in those passages in the book I see as being a problem for him, but I feel it’s less of a problem than what I’m about to mention. Let’s get this straight first— I really enjoy Baumbach’s films, and Greenberg was one of my favorites of last year— but besides Linney at certain points in TSATW I don’t believe he’s really pulled off high emotion in any of his films. the closest he comes is the high neurotics of greenberg. while I can see him doing wonders with a lot of parts of the novel, I can’t really see him pulling off those utterly tragic parts of it. Baumbach’s sense of tragedy is so interlaced with passive emotion. I am really hopeful that he can pull off something with the emotional directness of The Corrections, but as of yet, he has not demonstrated any great ability to do so (and, imho, those parts where he tried for it in MATW fell flat).
Have not read ‘Freedom’ yet— have only read Strong Motion and How To Be Alone…
I thought Robert Zemeckis and Stephen Daldry were both interesting choices (of course, if I’m skeptical of Baumbach, I was very skeptical of those two adapting the material to screen) just because their sense of self-important BIG cinema is palpable.
Anyway, I’m rambling, but while I am skeptical of Baumbach, I am really interested to see what happens when he is afforded a larger canvas.
Spassky, that makes it much clearer for me. You’re totally right that the big emotions and catharsis of the novel are not something that Baumbach has directly touched on as a director. There is definitely feeling and heart but it’s usually more hidden and muted and under the surface. “The Corrections” is much more open material in that sense, and yeah, it fits the more traditional drama of a Daldry or a Zemeckis more, guys who naturally (and effectively) go after that kind of heart string tugging and big cinematic moments.
Also, you should read “Freedom”. It’s pretty incredible.
We were discussing in another thread what The Help’s chances are of being a major player at the next Oscar’s. Do you guys think that having an African American host will hurt or help it’s chances now?
@bulldog – I was surprised that after Denzel and Halle won the same year that Whoopi was the host there were people crying conspiracy. I would tend to believe it’d be inconsequential in the results but don’t believe all voting to take place in some sort of social vacuum. I’d bet that could be as much a deterrent to some voters, just because! I mean, we’ll see who from the cast gets some love in general. If it’s only the white cast members, would Murphy in the role as host have any barring?
I’ve not been one to really follow the voting of Academy members beyond who won, not the who should’ve, defining convention wisdom, etc, type of voting but they’ve never really struck me as being that forward thinking, if you will, even perhaps sticking to a traditional fit, as if to say they won’t be influenced by public opinion or outside pressure. Of course, there’s not a true consensus voice until after the results have been announced but Murphy’s hosting doesn’t seem like an issue that would garner a sort of circle the wagons response.
I wouldn’t think voters would have the host in mind while filling out their ballots. Unless perhaps Murphy gave an opinion about THE HELP before voting closed. To me, the film is much more palatable than CRASH, which of course won. But the Academy took such crap for giving CRASH the award that I wonder if some members might think twice before voting for THE HELP.
Did Billy Crystal host the year Schindler’s List won? Jew host, Jew movie. Just sayin….
Don’t think the host matters one iota as to who wins.
there a dozen smaller indie actors that can actually do a decent job. but they aren’t famous enough to host.
i perfer the indie spirt awards over the oscars …. they have way more fun.
oscars are making sure that all the ladies have the best dresses and makeup so they can sell more ads for makeup companies …
oscars doesn’t seem to be about movies . just pimping whatever advertisers want . they learned from nascar
and superbowl.
actors play along cause they get tons of free stuff from it.
how come i’m the only one who has figured this out and not somebody important like the new york times .
Jim Emerson put together a REALLY cool video critique of that (lousy) car chase scene in THE DARK KNIGHT. Pretty much sums up everything I learned in an editing class in college for free and in 20 minutes.
http://blogs.indiewire.com/pressplay/archives/IN_THE_CUT_The_Dark_Knight_by_Christopher_Nolan/#