April 23, 2024
The Hot Blog
amit on: Review: Frozen 2 (spoiler-free)
movieman on: BYOB Fall Back, Film Forward
Christian on: BYOB Fall Back, Film Forward
movieman on: Review: Marriage Story (spoilers only in the broadest sense)
movieman on: BYOB Fall Back, Film Forward
movieman on: Review: Frozen 2 (spoiler-free)
YancySkancy on: Review: Little Women (no spoilers)
Hcat on: Why You Should Be Afraid Of The End Of The Paramount Decree
movieman on: BYOB Fall Back, Film Forward
movieman on: I Should Be Doing Box Office
Review: Little Women (no spoilers)
Why You Should Be Afraid Of The End Of The Paramount Decree
Review: Frozen 2 (spoiler-free)
Review: Marriage Story (spoilers only in the broadest sense)
see all »
[twitter-widget username="DavidPoland" hiderss="true" hidereplies="true" hidefrom="true" items="3" showts="60" title=" " targetBlank="true"][twitter-widget username="MCNTweets" hiderss="true" hidereplies="true" hidefrom="true" items="3" showts="60" title=" " targetBlank="true"]
Quote Unquotesee all »
It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon
I didn’t know you had to be Jewish to eat Chinese food on Christmas. My wife and I have been doing it for years.
Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas!
Funny that this notion really took off with A CHRISTMAS STORY…in which the family is decidedly not Jewish!
Since there’s not a BYOB anywhere near, just thought I’d ask here how Poland somehow got on the wrong side of the best movie musical since Once and the best mainstream adaptation since Cabaret? Hooper killed is on Les Miz, whatever problems exist as far as bludgeoning and pacing are in the sacred text itself.
Actually, this notion dates back much further. I can remember eating at Chinese restaurants in New Orleans as far back as the 1970s on Christmas Day — and Christmas Night, on a few occasions — because they were the only places open. Of course, at the time, I was dating my future wife, who is half-Jewish, so…
…which half?
I’ll go hide over here, shall I?
i think that eating in chinese restaurants at christmas was popularized in ‘gypsy’ long before ‘a christmas story’…. also, i seem to remember reading a million years ago that jews ate at chinese restaurants on christmas because most chinese aren’t christian so their restaurants were open when the majority of others weren’t….
You were reading a million years ago? So Lex is right, you are OLD.
older than i ever intended to be….
“because most chinese aren’t christian so their restaurants were open when the majority of others weren’t….”
Does this even need to be said? Why else would they be open?
And yes, steamed dumplings, quart of lo mein, and spare ribs last night. Happy jew over here.
I wonder how true this is now that some of the Chinese restauranteers (is that a word) become second and third generation American. I ask because my Chinese food place is closed on Christmas.
Well, it’s an old notion, to be sure, but my point was that ACS was the thing that really made it a factor in popular culture to the point that it could be the source of jokes and even songs.
Mike: The word you’re looking for is restaurateur. (Note: no “n,” which I’ve always thought was odd, but I’m not French.)
Thanks Yancy. Normally the editor in the office next to mine can answer those questions, but he took the week off.
Love the pic and growing up a Jew in New York, Christmas is ALL about movies and Chinese food. 🙂
Saw my share yesterday…..The Hobbit uh diverting for sure but really no point as I would have thought. The big criticism has surely been that Jackson really padded the story which is obvious – the friend I saw it with who is a Tolkien-freak observed that there was a ton of Cimarrilion (sp) content in there. But padding and pacing was not necessarily the issue with me strangely enough….for a three hour “epic” there never seemed to be any real danger posed to these characters due to the CGI AND the fact that not one major character dies or even gets hurt….and that Gandalf or SPOILER ALERT those freaking eagles seem to always to come in for rescue at the last possible minute. I mean is Jackson serious about this??? There’s absolutely no tension at all outside of the scene with Gollum. No way he can sustain this for two more movies…..
If you’re going to tell me that he’s just following the text, I call bullshit….Jackson is already padding a 270 page story for three movies, he could have taken some artistic license and had maybe two or three dwarves get killed….I mean there’s 13 of them! Make it a little more like Predator and have them slowly dwindle in numbers….I just never felt any threat from those creatures they faced, not at all.
SPOILER ALERT
And Django….wow! For the first two hours, the movie truly owned….Tarantino is obviously having a lot of fun with this content and so are the cast. One online critic nicely pointed out how it was just an abundance of riches with DiCaprio, Waltz, AND Jackson stealing the same scenes but Foxx really deserves plaudits for a nice slow-burn, long-con performance.
Almost a masterpiece but as with Inglorious Basterds, Tarantino just cannot resist getting a little juvenile in the end and playing it for the cheap seats….some one needs to remind that him sometimes less is REALLY more. There was really no need to see Django shoot up that plantation house TWICE…just as there was no need need to end IB with that close up shot of having Landa getting the swastika carved in his head. If you think about it, that’s about 15 minutes of screen time that basically keep both films from being true masterpieces and it’s that kind of thinking that will probably keep QT from winning his Oscar….not that he really cares, but you know the Weinsteins are spending a ton to try to make that happen again.
Fantastic movie don’t get me wrong…but I would have been plenty satisfied ending the movie seeing him ride off from those slave transporters in the field and just a couple of shots showing the plantation blowing up and him reuinted with Broomhilda….because at that moment, you know he had victory.
tarantino can’t help ‘playing it for the cheap seats’ because he comes from/is a product of the cheap seats…i honestly thrilled at the ending (and that song!) and wouldn’t have it any other way… and, as far as him not really caring about winning the Oscar, he wants it….
that said, agree completely on ‘the hobbit’…can’t imagine how thin this thing will be by the third installment….