April 16, 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
So… a Mission Impossible movie makes Mission Impossible money! Hooray!
That should be Detective Dee and not Doctor.
So Mowgli is going to Netflix instead of theaters. The project always sounded sort of Pan-y (Panesque?), but there is no way they are getting fully reimbursed for what I understand was quite a pricy project. I expect Fantastic Beasts to be a Solo Level disappointment and Aquaman to be the straight out flop of the year. So do you think they were trying to minimize the PR damage that would come with another flop? And I say this expecting Star to do beyond gangbusters business, up with Coopers other big hits.
Does anyone else think the fanboy/girl-heavy Xmas slate is ridiculous?
There’s a D.C. comic book movie; a “Spider-Man” cartoon; a James Cameron/Robert Rodriguez collaboration; a Peter Jackson-produced fantasy film; a “Transformers” spin-off…
…and don’t forget “Untitled Warner Brothers Event Film #2” (whatever the f**k that means).
Does anyone really think it’s a good idea to release ALL of those “same-demographic-skewing” movies at the EXACT SAME TIME?
It’s berserk.
And the lack of wide-release alternatives–i.e., movies adults might want to actually leave the house to see–is positively staggering.
“Hot Summer Nights” is wildly derivative, but it’s derivative of a style (of movie) and a filmmaking period (the ’70s) I have a lot of affection for.
I liked it a lot.
(Killer soundtrack, too.)
Mowgli was doomed the minute Dinsey’s Jungle Book broke $900 million and got killer reviews. I’m honestly a bit relieved they aren’t pretending otherwise. Yes movies on the same subject can succeed (Asteroids! Alien invasion!) but on the exact same story?? If there are good examples of that I’m not remembering them. Sometimes someone has to win the race.
I don’t think Fantastic Beasts will be quite a Solo level disappointment, as international should prop it up. I don’t see it growing though. And it will lose audience, considering the general public seemed to leave the first one with pleasant indifference. Not great considering WB wants to make, what, five of these? They’re trying though. They’re pushing the hell out of Jude Law and Johnny Depp, after Eddie Redmayne made next to no impact (he’s coming across as an after thought in the franchise now). Eh, first one was dull and a lame cash grab. I’d love to see the franchise go belly up. WB could and should do better.
Aquaman? Who knows. Suicide Squad was a piece of garbage and made $700 million off a cool trailer.
Mirror Mirror/ Snow White and the Huntsman.
March/June 2012, comes to mind. Don’t know whether Mirror’s $183m worldwide on an $85m budget was considered a disappointment or break even. Huntsman did $396m on a $170m budget.
Marween comes out around that Christmas logjam and there will be limited releases from November that will be wide for adults by then. As for the Fanboy films I would think one or two will blink and go to April. Beat bet would be mortal engines. Saw the trailer and still don’t know what the hell that is. I’m thinking Bumblebee and Aqua stumble no matter where they go,
Warner’s always used to win the game of competing project chicken. Maybe Mowgli is long overdue Karma for denying the world Baz’s Alexander the Great film with Leo, or Micheal Mann’s take on the Spartans
The Crimes of Grindlewald will make a couple of dollars, but I am not sure it’s going Solo levels. It may, if Depp goes even creepier and worse as a human being, but right now? It actually looks like a more entertaining movie than the original.
The funny thing with Mowgli, is Netflix GIVING SERKAIS MORE MONEY to complete it. They want to have a solid movie for once, so that’s a plus.
Some film opening around Xmas, should move to the December weekend, that we dare not speak its name. It’s the only thing that would make a lick of sense, because there is only so much money to go around during Xmas.
Yeah. Yeah. Star Wars, but none of this is Star Wars, and we all know Mary Poppins is going to kill it. Everyone else is going for second like Aquaman. James Wan gets horror, but making an 80s dayglo comic book movie for 2018, is just asking for some problems. If that movie succeeds on any level, then Walter Hamada should consider himself lucky. If Aquaman makes anything above 500m.
And Mortal Engines is basically Snowpiercer.
And as for closet competitors I would have to go with Dangerous Liasons and Valmont. Warner’s in that mix as well.
“Bumblebee”–which would make more sense Martin Luther King Weekend in January–actually seems preferable to the icky-looking Zemeckis.
And the Miller/Lord “Spider-Man” ‘toon seems like an early February-ish title.
That Jackson thing? March.
Etc.
See. It’s not that hard to bump things around and avoid Kamikaza Comic Con Christmas 2018.
As to the logjam of product this Christmas, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Next November / December brings Frozen 2, Wonder Woman 2, James Bond, Jumanji 3 and Star Wars Episode 9 in the space of seven weeks. Next Winter is going to be absolute carnage.
While I was obsessing about the bleuch Xmas line-up, Annapurna moved Linklater’s “Where’d You Go, Bernadette?” from October to (an allegedly “wide” release) late February.
WTF?!?
And oh by the way, MI:Fallout is simply terrific.