April 23, 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’m working on deferred compensation until the shutdown is resolved so movies are a nice distraction.
In the last week, JUNGLE BOOK and SECRET LIFE OF PETS (both of which opened twice as high) have become good comps for JUMANJI 2, which means it suddenly has a fighting chance at catching SPIDER-MAN 2 to become Sony’s all-time #2 domestically. JUMANJI will end the weekend $6 million ahead of BOOK’s pace ($364 million final cume). Insanity.
And GREATEST SHOWMAN can now become the #7 musical ever, and Jackman’s #2 when he isn’t sporting claws.
According to Mojo, “Forever My Girl” (on more screens) actually had a better PSA than “Phantom Thread” yesterday.
The angels wept.
Thank the fuck christ that the “12 Strong” trailer is finally no more. Can’t even begin to describe how poorly it played in NYC. The moment where William Fichtner gives Thor a piece of the WTC to inspire him to kill gooder always elicited even more groans than when the “All the Money” trailer played right after the Spacey story broke.
Decent holds on Paddington and of course Jumanji.
Is Force Awakens even going to top $640 million?
The 12 STRONG trailer made me physically ill. But then, so did PACIFIC RIM 2 right before it.
“12 Strong” actually has three good scenes, but the whole thing is so boilerplate and rote that it put me to sleep.
The filmmakers’ never decided whether they wanted to make a “rah-rah, Team America” piece of agitprop, or a “Black Hawk Down”-style procedural. The schizophrenia sinks the movie.
In comparison, Michael Bay’s “13 Hours” looks like “Zero Dark Thirty.”
P.S.= Does anyone know what Taylor Sheridan (aka America’s pre-eminent screenwriter) is doing in “Strong”? Did he lose a bet?
The 12 Strong thing though, happened. Hell. One of those guys, was at the Steelers game last week. It is groan inducing in cinema form, but the MIC needs to put out some movies. Which is why Taylor wrote it, MM. Everyone likes some MIC money! It’s patttttttttttttttttttttttttriiiiiiiiiiiiiooooooooooottttttttttttttttiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiic!
I meant to edit the hell out of the above post. Nevertheless, the guy was at the Steelers game because, you know… America, and promotion… and what not.
Also, big shout out to Hugh Jackman for having a passion project, that pays off. Here’s hoping, he stays around for one damn MSCU movie.
Taylor Sheridan didn’t write “12 Strong;” he acts in it.
WHY DID HE DO THAT? [throws something at the wall]
12 Strong is the first writing credit for Ted Tally since Red Dragon. So there’s that. It looks terrible.
TLJ toys are already on clearance, but let’s keep pretending it’s a small vocal minority of butt hurt fanboys..
https://www.target.com/p/star-wars-force-resistance-ski-speeder-and-captain-poe-dameron-figure/-/A-52157615?lnk=rec|plp|top_sellers|plp|52157615|2
Ugh this again. Some of you are obsessed in unhealthy ways. It’s sort of pathetic.
Why do you take the time to respond to fans about a movie you haven’t seen?
Think about where you are posting. That is an extremely stupid question. And these people obsessed about toy sales, bringing it up over and over again, I mean we get it. You made your point clear weeks ago.
SB, did I miss you aren’t a SW fan? Huh. Didn’t know that. I agree with you though. It is what it is, and let’s move on already. I loved the discussion of westerns and lot not in the last thread.
I have not seen TLJ but that isn’t a prerequisite to talk about its box office. I agree let’s move on already. I thought we had.
I’ll take that as a win. 😉
You are not a vocal minority, but you are most definitely butt-hurt.
Only from you Pete, only from you. 😉
On a serious note, as I close out my argument, I just want to extend a sincere appreciation for this space because it actually is in my world the only place where such a discussion could take place without devolving into something vile.
So thank you for that.
Moving on, I hear Hostiles is the kind of movie you want to like, but it’s just got too many issues.
Geez GDB ..I’ve never seen somebody so intent on claiming good numbers are terrible. Clicking the link, it shows 1 item on clearance with links to a bunch of other that are not. You’re being really selective with your facts and examples. But thanks for including a page that undermines your own point.
Anyone see Den of Thieves? Until I read a few reviews never in a million years would I have guessed that it’s a Heat ripoff. Looked more like the generic B action movies Bruce Willis churns out these days.
Taylor Sheridan was an actor for quite a few years before his relatively recent transition to writer-director. (He’s probably best known for his continuing role on Sons of Anarchy.) He appears in 12 Strong primarily because producer Jerry Bruckheimer asked him to. No kidding.
As for marked-down prices for movie tie-in toys: It has, I admit, been quite a while since I priced such items, since my son is now 31. But as I remember, it’s not uncommon for such tie-in merchandise to be marked down even while a movie continues to do very well in first-run release. I purchased a Space Jam blanket and pillowcase/sheer set for half-price at Target within two weeks after the film opened.
like i said, joe da human encyclopaedia
I knew of Sheridan’s acting (salad) days, Joe, although I’ve never seen a single episode of “Sons of Anarchy.”
Because Bruckheimer asked him, lol? Maybe he’s hoping that Jerry finances his next “Wind River.”
If so, that would make besmirching his name by cameoing in “12 Strong” eminently worthwhile whoredom.
Not being familiar w/ Sheridan-as-actor, I couldn’t quite ID him in “Strong.”
Was he the departing CIA agent? That was one of the few good scenes, and the dialogue was so sharp, smart and focused I could’ve sworn Sheridan must have written it.
Speaking of “SOA,” I just watched a screener of Francois Ozon’s “Double Lovers,” and was stunned at how much Jeremie Renier looks like a (slightly less pretty) Charlie Hunnam.
Leah: Actually, I can’t claim to be that smart. But by sheer coincidence, I interviewed Sheridan and Kevin Costner last month in Park City, Utah, where they were shooting their upcoming Paramount Network television series Yellowstone. I asked about his involvement in 12 Strong only because it made me think of the time decades ago when another actor-turned-director told me, not altogether jokingly, that actors usually made more than directors, and he was tempted to backslide now and then. Haven’t seen 12 Strong yet, Movieman, but I likely will because it has horses in it, and in my other life, I am a cowboy.
proving my point, joe
(was it clint eastwood?)
So incredibly excited about Yellowstone and the new paramount network. When is that interview available Joe?
Stella’s Boy: Will give you a head’s up when it premieres close to premiere date in — yes, you guessed it — Cowboys & Indians Magazine.
Leah: Ron Howard.
Thanks Joe. I’d love to read that. High hopes for that show.
I saw Den of Thieves. It was Heatesque. Heaviest gunfire scenes you’ll see even out of straight combat films. Those parts and the stuff relating to the heists was on point. I was trying to think of what else it reminded me of. There was that Shawn Ryan TV show, The Unit, that featured a buncha dudes firing guns, working out, shirts off, all swoll’d, downin’ their moonshine that they made from their own distillery that they blowtorched together from parts from a downed B-52 and ’67 Impala. Inbetween missions they’d be in their hollowed out bunker mancave talking manly talk, having some hardy laughs over inside jokes. Thieves had a lot of that, yet not as interesting. Dialog seriously at some points delved to a level where I was expecting them to start pointing at things and grunting. There was some screenwriter, maybe Sam Peckinpah, (who was that big burly dude that had the larger than life persona who wrote over-the-top macho men??) that I thought was trying to be imitated but couldn’t get there.
The real problem came when it’d try to round things out by showing some of the characters’ lives outside of their “work.” King 300’s wife had had enough of him and was taking the kids blah, blah, blah. A win at all costs cop getting divorced, you don’t say?? The only thing not cliche was that that scene came at least 20 mins in and not in the first 5 mins like you’d expect. I could see why you’d want to flesh these characters out but it only padded a film to be 1/2 hour longer than it needed to be. My guess is a lot was cut to bring it down to 2:20 because some things were seemingly set up but didn’t really pay out.
For the record, I wasn’t a big fan of Heat when it came out. Maybe I’ll go back and watch it again to see with age if I appreciate it more. Thieves doesn’t match Heat. I will say that I liked some of cat & mouse exchanges in Thieves better than Heat especially that incredibly stupid moment when Pacino & De Niro sit down at Denny’s for a cup of coffee. Again, I liked the way Thieves shot the shooting but it had too much weighing it down from being an overall great film.
Triple Action: You’re thinking of John Milius. Peckinpah was not a big burly dude.
Is it sacrilege to say I prefer Thief to Heat? But Den looks more like Savages, or Brooklyn’s finest than any Mann crime film outside of Blackhat.
Thief is also a masterpiece so definitely not. Not a fan of the diner scene in Heat? Now that is sacrilege. I love me some Heat. One of my all-time faves.
I actually think Savages and Brooklyn’s Finest are pretty good flicks. If Den of Thieves is similar to them, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I really figured it was more along the lines of one of the countless VOD action flicks made by folks like Steven C. Miller what feels like three times a year.
Not a big fan of Savages, though I appreciate how bonkers it was. I didn’t think it succeeded in putting it all together at the end. Glad I saw it, had a good time, but thought it should have been better given its pedigree.
Felt the same way about The Counselor, which felt a little choppy. The length of screen time between “I’m in” to “They are coming for you” seemed to be about 45 seconds. There is certainly an excellent movie to be made from both of them, but, to me, they were less than the sum of their parts.
Finally saw Prime Cut this fall, and while that was a little more pulpier and shoot ’em up in nature, it succeeded in painting a big picture of a society accepting of moral rot as long as they get a piece of the carcass.
@YancySkancy – Yaaasss!! Ty!
The Counselor is a movie that I don’t seek out but if it’s on I always watch it. I love the cast and there’s just something about it that works for me. I feel like I’m visiting a grimy, crazy, weird, dangerous place that I’m glad is so far removed from reality but is fun to watch from the safety of my couch in the suburbs. No doubt it’s flawed, but I love it.
Looked up how Thief did, it was apparently released in the sunset purgatory between the opening of Heaven’s Gate and full acquisition by MGM. It looks like it was the marvelous UA’s last great accomplishment (depending on how you feel about French Lieutenant’s Woman).
Thief, features Willie Nelson and Dennis Farina. I mean… it’s a killer film, that I need to own on blu-ray already. It also features one of the greatest uses of music in film history. It’s ending is flawless, and few films are ever that effortless with their conclusions.
I love Heat, and have watched it hundreds of times. I rented it all the time in the 90s, and watched it all the time on HBO. The thing with Heat is: it’s disjointed as all get out. It’s two movies, slammed together, and the you can tell it’s one of Nolan’s favorite films, because he rips off this bit of editing all the time.
Heat, also features nothing but terribly written and dependent women. The only strong woman in the movie, is the girlfriend/wife of Dennis Haysbert’s character. Every other woman? Just a shrew or an objectification of a part of their body. Natalie Portman even gets stuck with a completely underwritten teenage girl, who all of a sudden decides to kill herself.
It’s all a bit much. They never even introduce Danny Trejo character’s wife, but they sure as hell kill her off in a terrible way. This alone, keeps the film from being a masterpiece.
Heat is a masterpiece and much better than your favorite movie. I don’t find it at all disjointed, nor do I think the main female characters are as awful as you claim, even if there’s room for improvement in how they’re written. I wish today’s action movies were an eighth as good as Heat.
I love “Thief” and “Heat” passionately.
Maybe “Thief” gets a slight edge because it was my introduction to Michael Mann. (And features a killer performance by one of my all-time favorite actresses, Tuesday Weld.)