April 19, 2024
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Review: Little Women (no spoilers)
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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
Just how big an event does Furious 7 have to be?
The wife and I were out at Target & Best Buy, and they had the previous F&F movies at $8 or lower with a $7.50 ticket offer inside for the new one. That’s like seeing the thing for free! (Well, in Indiana at least.) Not sure the film even needs that much promotion. But what do I know as I haven’t see one since the man, Lucas Black, was in Tokyo Drift.
It did get me to buy 4 & 5 though. What a sucker.
I’m surprised that NBC’s and Viacom’s shareholders haven’t yet demanded that a “Furious Transformers” crossover flick be pumped out by the end of fiscal year 2019. They won’t even need CGI to transform Vin Diesel into an emotionally docile robot.
Since “Danny Collins” landed with a thud, what’s the first serious awards contender of the year? Loved “Clouds of Sils Maria” but after Binoche was snubbed for “Certified Copy,” I’m skeptical. “True Story” seems too pulpy, and “Age of Adaline” too Sparksy…but we usually have at least one movie in the conversation by May 1. Not the case this year it seems like.
And yeah…the FURIOUS 7 coverage is insane, and Vin Diesel naming his daughter after Paul Walker, and Michelle Rodriguez claiming his death led her to have a mental breakdown is…a bit much. A $115 million opening seems like lowballing, as crazy as that seems. It’s an event that’s reminiscent of having to see Heath Ledger in TDK just to feel like you can participate in the conversation.
And those rumors of wrapping up the series after #8? Hah! Maybe they’ll go back to spin-off mode (Tokyo Drift is still my favorite, reveling in its unapologetic trashiness in a way the series hasn’t quite replicated since), but there’s no way they let this puppy die. Forget Transformers, I demand the “family” pull off a heist at Jurassic Park. I want to see The Rock stare down a velociraptor.
Wasn’t a three-picture extension announced yesterday? 22 Furious Street…
Just saw “Clouds of Sils Maria.” My mind is reeling!
Not sure of his current condition but if Uni is going to merge franchises wouldn’t bringing the Bandit out of retirement be the most organic choice?
Hollywood: Where truth is always shittier than fiction
http://deadline.com/2015/03/transformers-akiva-goldsman-paramount-sequels-spinoffs-1201400027/
I saw GET HARD. I laughed. I really don’t get all the outrage… Sure, I get how it can be offensive to some, but I don’t think it’s mean-spirited.
Merge F&F with Bond and you got something epic.
I’m glad to see Ethan giving “Tokyo Drift” some props.
Besides John Singleton’s installment (“2 Fast 2 Furious:” still the best title in the canon), it’s the only “F/F” movie I’ve really enjoyed.
As the series became increasingly CGI-dependent and, well, unrealistic, I grew increasingly bored.
And it was a big mistake to drop Matt Schulze from the franchise (his cameo in “Fast Five” was the only thing of consequence in the entire movie).
Re: Kevin. I laughed at “Get Hard,” too. In its own way, it has more pointed things to say about the socioeconomic gap in present-day American life (and, yep, race) than a dozen well-meaning, politically correct docs (or an equal number of MSNBC bloviators).
Hart was a revelation for me. It’s not only his best performance to date, it may be his first real “performance:” i.e., the first time he didn’t just seem like a stand-up comic reading dialogue written by committee. (The Carlos, Dante and Leroy scene was worthy of vintage Eddie Murphy.) And, for my money, “GH” bears (favorable) comparison w/ John Landis’ “Trading Places.”
Saw “Jauja.” Yup, it’s as opaque as they say it is, but I’m a believer. It definitely has elements of Lynch, but hit me on some weird visceral plane in the way Shane Carruth’s “Upstream Color” did.
I had only seen Kevin Hart in bit parts before and I can’t say I was a huge fan, but I too thought he was really good in GET HARD.
I generally find all the CGI annoying on the F&F franchise, but I LOVE the Vault gag at the end of 5.
I was stunned to learn that Alex Gibney apparently directed HBO’s upcoming 4 1/2 hour Frank Sinatra doc.
I’m starting to think Gibney is a corporation rather than a mere documentary filmmaker.
How is it even physically possible for one man to direct as many films per year as Gibney seemingly does?
That said, I really enjoyed his Scientology doc on HBO last night.
I think the word is “factory”: Jigsaw Productions. Gibney’s talked about how the company’s working, but I don’t recall the interview I read most recently.