April 18, 2024
The Hot Blog
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movieman on: BYOB Fall Back, Film Forward
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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)
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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
Third biggest screen count of a “non-sequel” certainly getting Ready Player One out there.
That insignificant drop for Black Panther in the face of both Rim and Ready Player One is just amazing. It’s like there is no effect. I believe it maybe it’s smallest Friday to Friday drop yet. $700m is a real possibility now.
Well bye Pacific Rim, thanks for playing I guess. Domestic number sucks, China number sucks. No one cared. This one’s a money loser. Not a huge shock; dull, cheap-looking, poorly cast project.
Wrinkle in Time also on its way to losing a bunch of money, Tomb Raider might fight to break even. It’s been a brutal March so let’s see how RPO holds up.
I was totally had the same thought today, BD. Which leads to a weird place Marvel Studios find themselves. If Avengers does less than Black Panther domestic, but beats it internationally? Is that a disappointment? I am not sure that it is, but there has possibly never been a situation like this.
You know what would have helped Pacific Rim 2… EXPLAINING THE PLOT OF THE MOVIE IN JUST ONE TRAILER! What’s the plot of the movie? What’s the reason behind the Chinese (possibly?) having their own Jaegers, and going after the others? What’s the point of reopening the interdimensional seal?
Pacific Rim, is a fine movie, but it’s an overly complicated world, with rather poor world building. Building another movie on top of that movie, that didn’t really connect with the US in the first place, then not explaining why we need a sequel to the poorly thought out world. It’s just… dumb. Dumb all around.
I think black panther will end up at $680 million. This Friday hold is a little misleading as 80% of kids were off for Good Friday.
I didn’t watch ‘Black Panther’ but I plan to see Infinity War’. I live in Spain. So, yes, I believe ‘Avengers’ will beat BP worldwide.
Mentioned in another thread that in contrast to last year’s Q1, we’re so top heavy now that the #2 domestic grosser of 2018 year would only clock in at #9 last year.
Wilder still, READY PLAYER ONE is looking to become the second $40 million opener this year. By this time last year we’d had eight(!)
I bet WB never thought “Game Night” had the potential to outgross “Tomb Raider.”
Proves that word of mouth still matters.
What a refreshingly old-fashioned concept.
Also nice to see “Love, Simon” hanging in there.
Actually this will be the biggest opening for a non pre-existing franchise / Pixar since Dunkirk last Summer. And here’s what I find interesting – since tracking for RP1 was reported as being in the late ’30’s just a couple of weeks ago, Stevie to his credit has come out swinging on the publicity tour. That dude has been EVERYWHERE on the circuit in the past week or two, more visible than he has been in years. And don’t think for a moment that he didn’t know exactly what he was doing with those remarks about Netflix. He may just have bumped up this weekend’s figures by about $10- $15 million.
IT opened to over $100m last September (months after Dunkirk) and it isn’t exactly a franchise in any traditional sense, although it will become one now.
RP1 is a non-franchise movie built on the IP of other franchises, so in some weird way, it’s the most franchise-y movie of them all. But yeah, in this day and age, it counts as non-franchise. Until they decide to make READY PLAYER TWO, of course.
Does anyone here work for the US Government? This endless stream of alphabet soup is making The Hot Blog unreadable.
Glad Spielberg has proven he’s still relevant.
I just wish I liked “RP1” more.
Truth be told, I haven’t loved a Spielberg movie since “Bridge of Spies.”
Chucky, NOWYHSLB.
Vikander is just a weird choice for Lara Croft. The moment they passed on Daisy Ridley, is the moment they sunk the movie in English speaking parts of the world.
Vikander, is just not that engaging in a way, that you need for a pulpy action film. Ridley, would have been more physical and engaging, but they wanted that Oscar cred, or what not. It’s neither here nor there, but Tomb Raider is a hit abroad because of Daniel Wu. Why? Engaging and fun action guy. It also is going to make 300m+ dollars, so Game Night is still not that great in retrospect.
MM, Bridge of Spies is some next level stuff, that is just so much fun to rewatch.
I have to be honest..I really enjoyed tomb raider. I think they missed a chance to sell it as “lara croft begins” as opposed to just another remake and while Vikander is great in it she doesn’t really sell tickets.
I’d love to see a second one
Domestically “Game Night” has a good shot at outgrossing “Tomb Raider” which cost more than twice as much. So there’s that, right?
Yes, “Spies” is indeed primo Spielberg. As is “Lincoln.” But my personal favorite Spielberg of the new millennium remains the undervalued “Catch Me if You Can.” How did DiCaprio not get an Oscar nomination for that film? It was as classic a “Movie Star Performance” as Cruise in “Jerry Maguire.”
Yeah, Vikander wouldn’t have been my first choice, either, but she did a credible job.
Munich is a masterpiece.
Always meant to give “Munich” another look, Palm. Was firmly in the “meh” camp when I saw it in back-to-back press screenings w/ the even “meh”-er Peter Jackson “King Kong” in December 2005.
Ditto “Syriana,” “Split,” “Dunkirk,” “Blade Runner 2049,” et al.
But the “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind”/”Catch Me…” p/screening double-header in December 2002?
Priceless.
I just remember watching Munich and not believing this was Spielberg, because it was edgier and less sentimental than I had expected him to be. So maybe it’s just based on my preconceptions, but I remember being wowed.
I agree that Munich is a masterpiece and totally worth another look.
Minority Report and Munich are, for me, the two real masterpieces of Spielberg’s post-2000 work.
In order of preference: “Catch Me…,” “A.I.,” “Minority Report,” “Lincoln” and “Bridge of Spies” are my personal favorite 21st century Spielberg’s.
Five masterpieces.
Not bad.
And I vow to give “Munich” a second look before I die.
Minority Report suffers because of “oh look it’s Max Von Sydow… he must be the villain”.
That works consistently for Anthony Hopkins as well, and lately David Thewlis.