May 3, 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
Not all that thrilled with the legendary/Universal deal. Uni traditionally does a lot better with smaller films, not sure if its a good idea to have a new partner that specializes in funding Battleship and Cowboy and Aliens size tentpoles.
It’s worse.Universal has really nothing coming…at all.Looks like Apatow better start Barnstorming.47Ronin Really?
or Brainstorming.
Hcat,
I am not saying you are wrong, but I do think traditions continue only until they stop. “Uni traditionally does a lot better with smaller films…” but that does not mean that they can’t or shouldn’t change direction. The movies you listed are good examples of appalling flops. However, and I know I’m going back a bit, but traditions tend to do that. So how about Back to the Future? Jurassic Park? Twister? Gladiator? The Bourne Series? Master and Commander? American Gangster? Big budgets which were thankfully, big hits.
If Uni are changing tack, it’s ’cause they feel somethin’s broke and needs fixin’.
“Twister” was Warner Bros. “Master and Commander” was Fox, and wasn’t considered a hit. The franchise is now dormant, and that very definitely was not the plan when they made it.
Drew,
My mistakes. Thanks!
i fart in the general direction of you people and your summer, yesterday a drift of hail by my front door from the night before still hadn’t melted by evening (gone today thank christ)
Also Gladiator was Dreamworks.
And the others you mentioned were not budget busters. I think Jurassic Park cost less than Last Action Hero did that year and didn’t cross the 100 million dollar budget until part 3. The Bourne movies also started out modestly (at least compared to other franchises of the era), the first one was pretty much considered a sleeper hit and they didn’t greenlight the sequel until it cleaned up on DVD.
Back to the Future was not a huge budget for its time, Howard the Duck was. They have been able in their history to take what may look like a double or triple and turn it into a grand slam, but when they swing for the fences with things like Grinch or Dante’s Peak or Jackson’s Kong they either have a disaster (Battleship) or a maybe break even in the long run situation (Waterworld). 47 Ronin looks to be another example, huge expenditure and its been pushed back for years. Meanwhile they are able to get things like Ted and Bridemaids to perform like these big budget monsters are supposed to.
The history goes back at least to 1941 (the movie not the calender date) every time they make a movie that is within the top ten budgets they have ever produced it is almost always
1) terrible film
2) financial disaster
Can’t help but think that Legendary is a much better match with Fox, who should almost NEVER make a movie under 100 million.
Well, 1941 wasn’t a disaster — it did make lotsa money. It just also made lotsa hate and expectations. THE BLUES BROTHERS was treated the same way.
anyone interested in seeing the wolverine? i’m not 🙁
Christian- If I am correct 1941 performed like the Grinch, it made money, but since it was so expensive it barely made it into the black.
Warner’s and Fox can make huge expensive movies without dropping the ball and losing their shirt, Paramount not so much, Universal even less so. They make more with modest hits. They are burning it up this year, Identity Theif cost around 30, Oblivion just over 100, Mama and Purge cost nothing and they all performed. Despicable Me 2 only cost in the 70’s. Fast and Furious was the only hefty pricetag, and its 160 is still a bargain compared to Man of Steel, and WWZ and thats their marquee franchise.
Though it will cause many a person to scream ‘NOOOOOOOOOOOOO’, they should be looking at repeating their own success with Mama Mia not chasing Warners success with Superheros.
But I’d rather re-watch 1941 than THE GRINCH!
Is this old news, Channing Tatum raking in 60 million last year? I might have seen White House Down with another actor. Can’t even really explain why, but I find his presence off-putting. Seems like a perfectly acceptable actor, but there’s some vacuous quality that gets to me. Or something. But hey, good for him for finding success.
What Drew said about Master and Commander was interesting. I mean, if ever there was a ready-made franchise that a studio could take pride in, it’s there ready and waiting. Readers of the books want a sequel to happen, Russell Crowe wants it to happen, most people who saw the movie want a sequel to happen. It should be an absolute slam dunk. But a decade later and still nothing. For the record Master and Commander was a serious-minded, sober historical epic with limited female appeal that made $300 million plus ten years ago, plus generous critical support and ten Oscar nominations (even winning two in the year of Lord of the Rings). And yet somehow this isn’t considered enough? Wow. Was the movie really that expensive or the production that difficult? Oh, and Nick, I am excited to see Wolverine and I suspect some people will be pleasantly surprised. I think the X franchise is starting to get it’s act together again after wavering with Ratner and Hood’s efforts.
According to boxofficemojo, Master and Commander’s production budget was $150 million and its worldwide gross $212 million.
Its funny, at the time I thought they were crazy to put Russell Crowe in the lead since they obviously wanted to make sequels but he was becoming such a huge star that there was no way they would be able to afford him or find time in his demanding schedule.
And before anyone else gets around to it
PETER WEIR POWER
O’Brian’s series on Captain Jack Aubrey is good reading and the series has plenty of fans worldwide.Weir made an excellent film with Crowe, but the international audience was hot for POTC and Depp’s pirate and so it was the year of fantasy, Lord Of the Rings, Pirates but no M&C.Even many film critics complained that M&C was slow, not really,bad judgement on their part.Even the film score was great,but alas this sea faring epic did not make 500 millions.Everyone I know who has seen the film sees it as successful.Beautiful movie.
‘Only’ $212 million worldwide then? Fair enough I’m corrected. It just staggers me that the results on Master and Commander were considered anything other than a major win.
The part in MASTER AND COMMANDER where Crowe stuffs his face with pudding and it falls out of his mouth is THE single most embarrassing thing in any movie ever.
“For the record Master and Commander was a serious-minded, sober historical epic with limited female appeal”
oh really, limited female appeal? based on what. this blog is hilarious with the declarations about what women watch and what they don’t – i guarantee you half the viewing audience of ‘master and commander’ was female
Yeah my wife absolutely loves Master and Commander. She likes it far more than I do. And yes only $212 million. We’re talking about something that cost $150 million to produce. Add in P&A costs and you’re talking what $250 million or more.
I was kinda looking over Fox titles for the past decade and to me they’ve been all over w/quality in relationship to budget. For every X2 there’s a Day After Tomorrow. You’ve got clunkers like Knight & Day and Babylon AD but then Devil Wears Prada and Mr & Mrs Smith. I thought The Fantastic Mr Fox and Idiocracy were great films but I don’t know if either of them made money. Titles like The Watch, This Means War, Prometheus, Water for Elephants had to be at least disappointments.
I don’t know about the new Wolvie movie. Looks pretty generic to me. I’ll prolly see it but I’m as ho-hum about it as I was the last Die Hard movie. Which, I was ho-hum for the past 3 of those.
Never saw Master & Commander. Never looked appealing.
Mast and command is a fox film that except for the state of the art sound and tech could have been made in the 1950’s. same as Mohicans and Anna and the king, and there is just something about the sheer old fashionedness of them I love
not that they’re similar movies but for some reason ‘master and commander’ reminds me of ‘LA confidential’ in that M&C and LA conf were kind of old-school throwback period drama/thrillers up against big-budget effects juggernauts in Return of the King and Titanic respectively at the oscars…not sure what my point is really, just that i know some people think the smaller period pics were more worthy of the accolades.
M&C ruled, but even before the movie came out ten years ago, Crowe and Peter Weir were all cagey about the idea of sequels. Even if FOX liked the idea of a new franchise.
For my next trick I’ll dismiss BLACKFISH, sight unseen, based on the title alone.
Cowperthwaite’s emotional appeal lost any hoped-for support from anyone with even a half-assed level of education by calling killer whales “fish”.
Just saw “Only God Forgives” on VOD. Yup, pretentious, Yup, wooden and creepy in that awkward way only failed attempts at high style are. But not really worthy of outrage. It felt like the neo-Eastern aesthetic of “Enter the Void” (which I love), combined with the characterization of “Drive,” (which I like) and the revenge violence of “Valhalla Rising” (also liked) amped up a level to just below torture porn. Just…no.
Yet the critical response (and not just by Red Reed) feels over the top. David Edelstein, Stephen Holden, and Michael Phillips seem to be in a hyperbolic contest of some kind. They had the machetes out for Refn, not just the knives. And it’s a shame, because there’s so many worse pictures to vomit all over…God Should Forgive a failed attempt at art.
M&C and LACon are both classics in their own right. Neither might inspire much in the way of love, but I do love them.
Is no one talking about THIS?
http://batman-news.com/2013/07/21/watch-this-batmansuperman-comic-con-announcement-video/