April 25, 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 finally got around to seeing All is Lost. I’m not sure I get what all the excitement was about. I can sort of understand it as a backlash against the fantasy of Life of Pi, but the lack of character and plodding plot really left me cold. It could have also been that I didn’t care for its bullshit ending.
Oh well. Off to watch Rush.
Fargo sucked. (The series, not the movie. Movie was great.)
Enjoy Rush, as long as you’re catching up on things might I suggest Out of the Furnace. Finally saw it as think its Bale’s best most natural performance yet (though to be honest I haven’t seen Rescue Dawn). Like Rush it feels like a throwback to the 70s or 80s where charecters and tension was built over the course of the movie and you actually werent sure how it was going to end.
The just announced “Mrs. Doubtfire” sequel is possibly the worst idea I’ve heard in quite some time.
Which is saying a lot.
Speaking of recently announced sequels, I wonder who’ll direct “Magic Mike 2” since Soderbergh has “retired” from filmmaking.
Maybe he can get his frequent collaborator Peter Andrews to step up to the plate.
I didn’t think FARGO sucked exactly, but it did have its missteps (e.g., the bully and his idiot sons, proving yet again that comedy is hard). Love Billy Bob, and Allison Tolman is a find. In fact, most of the cast is good, though it’s a bit distracting to see Martin Freeman channeling William H. Macy (albeit in a different role). I’ll stick with it; I’ve seen at least one review that says it gets stranger and more original as it goes along.
THE AMERICANS has been firing on all cylinders; a fair amount of far-fetched stuff, but smart, beautifully acted and incredibly well made.
MAGIC MIKE XXL will be directed by Soderbergh’s longtime first AD, Gregory Jacobs.
The Cannes lineup announcement seems to have been met with crickets. I guess that’s because, Cronenberg aside, there aren’t any major league English-language auteurs in the lineup? Or do people just not care about Cannes anymore? I’m not especially excited for a lot of the titles, but seems like there’s plenty to look forward to – new films from Cronenberg, Dolan, Assayas, Bennet Miller, Ceylan, Tommy Lee Jones, etc etc.
After all the recent debate about bizarre casting decisions resulting from a flipped race or gender, the Village Voice tries to come up with a new way to say Chloë Grace Moretz was miscast for THE LIBRARY–“poise-blind casting”:
“Moretz’s striking Caitlin is preternaturally confident, a sparkling young woman with an almost regal bearing even when slumped in a sling and hoodie as detectives quiz her. The Caitlin we see never squares with the squirrelly, confused, not-quite-popular girl who admits under questioning that nobody asked her to homecoming…”
Whether it’s poor casting or poor direction, this play has some issues.
Really bummed that Fatih Akin pulled his film (or wasn’t selected for competition and then withdrew). Really happy for Dolan though, as he was robbed of a competition slot for Laurence Anyways, one of my favorites of this decade.
“The just announced “Mrs. Doubtfire” sequel…”
i really thought this was a put on at first, but good lord it’s for realz. aryan nation noah better get cracking on that barge, the apocalypse is truly upon us.
(i don’t get how one makes a ‘fargo’ tv series, weird cops n crims in cheese country? who on earth plays marge, like the best character ever brought to life with such impeccable deadpan humour, earnestness and delight by mcdormand, how can this even be? Rush should have won the editing oscar, silliness)
fwiw — i’ve seen the first four eps of ‘fargo’ and as yancy mentioned above, it really does get stranger and more original as it goes along…imo, it’s worth sticking around (at least for awhile)…
leah: The FARGO series contains no characters from the movie.
Paul Thomas Anderson’s “Inherent Vice.” Terrence Malick’s “Knight of Cups.” Tim Burton’s “Big Eyes.” Hou Hsiao Hsien’s “The Assassin.”
Clint Eastwood’s “Jersey Boys.” Woody Allen’s “Magic in the Moonlight.” Stephen Frear’s untitled Lance Armstrong biopic. Thomas Vinterberg’s “Far From the Madding Crowd.” Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s “Birdman.”
Those are just some of the more high profile films that didn’t make the cut at Cannes–for all sorts of reasons, I suppose.
The whiners complaining about their absence should just go and take a chill pill.
New movies by Assayas, Godard, Ceylan, Cronenberg, Miller, TLJ, et al are plenty exciting enough.
And the rest will turn up soon enough–on the fall fest circuit, or even sooner (Woody, Clint) in some cases.
I thought it was a pretty solid Cannes line-up overall.
So..the Bryan Singer stuff. Any fallout for DOFP?
I doubt he will be doing any press, but with something like a dozen names from the cast they can trot out on talk shows I doubt he will be needed for publicity. Has the story moved beyond the trades yet?
Drudge. So yeah.
Yes, it does appear that a bee has been strategically placed in Drudge’s bonnet.
There’s some TV thing that Singer is executive producing that I saw an ad for today.
Isn’t this the same thing that, for all intents and purposes, killed Victor Salva’s career once upon a time?
The fact that Singer directs $200-million comic book movies for a corporate parent will probably make all the difference re: his ability to pay his way out of this mess.
(For the record, Salva’s “Clownhouse” is better than any Singer movie to date.)
I just can’t believe Singer was holding the gay equivalent of Jack Nicholson’s parties for so long, and before now the biggest headlines were about which “straight” guys showed up.
thanks yancySk, how weird
Love the “Jersey Boys” trailer!
It’s the movie I dreamed of after seeing the B’way show.
And I dug how–despite such atypical Eastwood-ian subject matter–it looks so Clint-y.
I am worried about its b.o. prospects, though.
Will anyone under 40 (hell, under 50) have the slightest interest in seeing it?
Probably a good thing that its budget was so relatively low for a major studio production.
“Salva’s “Clownhouse” is better than any Singer movie to date.”
Okay?
Have you seen “Clownhouse”?
It’s a minor horror masterpiece/classic, Amblin.
Infinitely better than anything Singer has done–including the vastly overrated “Usual Suspects” or his “X Men” films. (Not including the newest one, of course.)
“Jeepers Creepers 1” is better than any Singer movie, too, as far as I’m concerned.
I have not seen Clownhouse, I am interested because I do think there’s a “there there” to Silva as a filmmaker.
Usual Suspects is not overrated, we’ve just grown so familiar with the material it’s probably boring by now. And Jeepers is a good movie, I have no idea how it’s better than The Usual Suspects. Completely different movies.
And it certainly ain’t better than Apt Pupil in my estimation, which might be a better comp.
clowns scare the living shit out of me ever since i was a kid (and ventriloquist’s dummies), ‘clownhouse’ is indeed fucked up, young sam rockwell (also a big fan of the original ‘jeepers creepers’…i don’t think i’ve seen a good straight-up scary movie since ‘sinister’, what’s up with that noise)
speaking of, i love when you’re watching a movie for the zillionth time and you notice something that hasn’t caught your attention in a long time — for instance the little message from Lycanthrope Pictures at the end of the ‘American werewolf in london’ credits congratulating Prince Charles and Lady Di on their royal wedding, such a bizarre random addendum tacked on in the final frame, that would make a good movie trivia question
I actually think “Apt Pupil” may be Singer’s best movie, Amblin.
The thing that’s so great about “Clownhouse” is not only how scary it is (yeah, Leah, clowns are pretty freaky!), but also how incredibly moving it is at the end.
You truly feel the weight of a main character’s death which is something you don’t experience in an ordinary “horror movie.”
“Americvan Werewolf in London” and “Shaun of the Dead” are two other fright flicks that made me cry.
Guess I’m a sap, lol.
Obviously meant “American Werewolf.”
Singer has never really impressed me as a director, Amblin: I haven’t evinced any distinctive “vision” in his films. And much of his oeuvre–the “X Men” movies, “Jack the Giant Slayer,” “Valkyrie”–just feels like hack work.
“Suspects” never really worked for me either. It’s arguably more of a writer’s movie than a “director’s movie,” and the whole thing felt like a house of cards that (for me) pretty much collapses at the end.
And I actually paid to see it twice back in 1995, just to see whether I’d missed something. But I had the same reaction after a repeat viewing.
Haven’t had the urge to see any Singer movie more than once since.
yeah me too movieman re being a sap for horror protags i care about, i don’t seem to find much of the new wave of horror scary or compelling, great original characters and stories that happen to be told in the horror genre seem so few and far between now after such a golden age of great horror film-making from the 70s to 90’s/early noughts, subjective of course but the more ADD-style of rushed storytelling, quick cut editing and the ‘jump scare’ obsession isn’t conducive to building tension and scares for me i guess – i love that feeling of slow-building terror in the chest and really rooting for a character to make it out alive, that rarely happens for me anymore
I also think the whole “found footage” sub-genre in horror has had something to do with it, Leah. Rather than personalizing the protagonists (which, I’m guessing, was the intent), the whole shaky-cam thing just distances us from them even more than their chary characterizations.
And don’t even get me started on the torture porn mini-industry’s impact on screen horror.
Forget scaring you, they’re just interested in grossing audiences out. And don’t bother looking for “characterization.” There isn’t room for shit like that when your only interest is in creating more and more elaborate Rube Goldberg-style death contraptions.
yeah i agree movieman. where’s the new generation of fearbringers with the ability to build character, tension and suspense… this crucial skillset is going the way of the dodo in film-making in general i think, so it’s hardly surprising scary movies are feeling the pinch. i have a bit of hope for scott derickson, who’s done fairly well directing the stories he’s had a hand in writing, so we’ll see – but for instance brad Anderson, who i was psyched for after session 9, the machinist and transsiberian, seemingly adept at moving in and out of the horror genre/working with horror elements, has kind of lost the plot in film and migrated to tv, and there doesn’t seem to be a keen crop of skilled, nuanced fearmeisters… i mean if middling james wan is the best we can expect that bums me way out, fts